Meet and Greet at Jersey Made

If you are still looking for a gift for a hard to buy for family member, friend, work mate, and they love the beach/ocean, then come on down to Jersey Made tomorrow night!
I will have a portion of my sea glass collection with me, along with wire to wrap pendants, and a few sterling silver chains.

Or you can bring a piece of sea glass and I'll create a custom wrap for you. I also have several new jewelry creations that I will be bringing with me, along with some pre-drilled pieces of sea glass, that can be used to create earrings, or bracelets.

Jersey-Made is located in the Mill Race Village section of Mount Holly, NJ and the meet and greet is scheduled tomorrow, Friday December 17th, from 5pm- 9pm. Stop in and talk sea-glassing and bring your prize "finds". We would love to hear your stories!

Hope to see you tomorrow!

R

The Holiday Buying Season is Upon Us

In a blink of an eye, October is quickly coming to a close and another Holiday season will quickly be here.

I have several new items ready to go into my Etsy shop and the shops I consign to, are fully stocked and ready to go. With only a couple shows scheduled for the rest of the season, I find myself on the fence about adding another show or two.

The economy seemed to be perking up at the end of the summer and it continued to look good through September. But it appears to have stalled a little in October and that has me in a quandary... do I risk one of my few weekend days off from work for a poor turnout, or spend the rare Saturday/Sunday off from work with my family? Decisions, decisions...

So as it stands right now, I have a show in Vincetown, NJ on November 13th. This is my 3rd appearance at the Eastampton Historical Society's Holiday Bazaar in November.

I will also be back in the Burlington County area again on December 17th, at JerseyMade in the Mill Race Village section of Mount Holly, NJ. I will be doing a Meet & Greet at the shop & creating keepsake pieces of sea glass jewelry for customers. Customers can bring in their favorite pieces of sea glass and I'll turn them into one-of-a kind jewelry creations... a perfect last minute gift for yourself, or the hard to purchase for person on your holiday shopping list. I will also bring several pieces of pre-drilled and loose, jewelry-quality examples in a variety of colors- all available for purchase and on the spot wrapping.

JerseyMade is a gorgeous shop displaying handmade creations from approx 40 local artisans. Good luck walking out of the shop without finding several wonderful items that you just have to have! For more information about my Meet and Greet, give Holly a call at 609-914-1536 or visit the JerseyMade website at www.jersey-made.com.
You can also contact me personally via my shop on Etsy.com.

I also have a show in Ocean County in early December...more info in my next blog update. It's a full moon tonight, and in an hour or so (hopefully)there will be a prime sea glass hunting opportunity... I have to stock up on some new sea glass... I need to replenish my supply of New Jersey sea glass for the shows!

'til next time...
R

Summertime and the end of finding sea glass...

Well Memorial Day has come and gone, and there's only a few more weeks before school is out for the summer. Soon it'll be time for the pool everyday, ice pops and baseball games, fireworks and occasional trips to the beach.

The beach will no longer be mine to share with the few locals that enjoy the solitude of an empty beach. This will certainly mean a temporary end of finding sea glass washed up on the beach by the tides. Instead the "bennies" will bring their long nets and scoop up the shell beds in the shallow water, hoping to find a couple "gems from the sea". They will leave the remains of the what their nets scoop up, along with their trash (I know those that love handmade are also equally eco-friendly as I), and eventually sometime after Labor Day, they'll venture back home. If I'm very lucky, I'll find a piece or two on our trips to the beach, and maybe my crew (the boys) will stumble upon a few pieces.

And just maybe, like a few years ago, a jewelry-quality piece will show itself in the summer surf....and hopefully, I'll be ready to pounce before one of our visitors to the beach scoop it up with their nets.

CreationsByRobin will be at the following venues over the next few months...

June 18th- JerseyMade in Mount Holly, NJ This will be an EtsyNJ get-together at the all-handmade brick & mortar store. If you're in the area, stop in...you never know what kind bargains or sales you might find! I'll be at the shop from 6pm to closing.

July17th- The Handmade Faire- Freedom Park, Medford, NJ- In this blogger's opinion, the BEST Show of the Summer! Last summer there were approx 90 vendors and thousands turned out. If you love handmade, then this is THE show to attend!

September 12th- The Beach Plum Festival, Island Beach State Park, NJ- Spend the day at the beach, and check out the handmade goods. Come out and extend your summer...I'll be in the same location as last year- right in front of the stand (and not to far from the beach plum jam)

See you at the shows....or on the beach! 'til next time....

R

The Advantages of Being A Street Team Member...

In my other blog, I recently blogged about how the sea glass community is a different breed, because we are constantly sharing ideas, information, etc. I compared it to a few instances where jewelry-makers questioned me about who I use for supplies, business cards, banners, etc. In these instances, I either hardly knew the person, or didn't know them at all, and when I asked them who they purchased their components from, they couldn't seem to recall. So basically, they were just picking my brain on the how, when, where, and whys of my little operation...but weren't bringing anything to the table to share. After re-reading that blog entry, I realized that I did have several great relationships with fellow crafters...members of the EtsyNJ street team.

EtsyNJ is simply a large group of crafters from New Jersey that sell their handmade creations on Etsy.com. I have been friends with some of these members for nearly 3 years and the friendships have been invaluable to me in my crafting business.

Much like the sea glass community, the many of the members share information about craft fairs, suppliers, share their experience about consigning (what gift shop is good,which to avoid) etc. We plan to do shows together, so we can watch each others display during the show and in some cases, our children that play with each other during some of the shows. A couple members of the team have even hosted their own shows, and they were very well supported by the EtsyNJ team. One of the team's members opened up her own brick & mortar shop, JerseyMade, which offers handmade goods from over 20 members of the EtsyNJ street team, along with several other area crafters! And we've donated our handmade goods to help raise money for several charitable causes over the years.

There are many more advantages of being a member of this street team than those listed above. EtsyNJ has has group advertising in both the print media, and on the internet, and the power of many working together to benefit the whole team has proven to work time and time again.

Being a member of EtsyNJ has certainly helped my online sea glass jewelry business. Having the opinions and feedback from members has helped to avoid unpleasant situations/shows, find little known suppliers and it has helped me expand my business into gift shops and galleries in and around the area. If you are a member of Etsy, and you haven't joined a street team local to your area yet, you should consider doing so. I'd like to say, that the positives far out-number the negatives...but I really can't think of any negatives when it comes to being a member of the EtsyNJ team.

Being a member of a street team will help you grow your business...it's helped me tremendously with mine.

'til next time...
R

Saturday Craft Fair- Daffodil Days, Mt Holly, NJ

An outdoor show in Burlington County and there is no rain in the forecast? Could it be? On Saturday, April 17th in Historic Mt. Holly, New Jersey, along with other members of the EtsyNJ street team, I will be bringing my authentic Sea Glass jewelry to the 1st annual Daffodil Days Festival.

The last show I attended in the area, The Fire & Ice Festival, was mobbed with visitors despite temperatures in the low 20s and brutal winds. There was dozens of attractions at that show and I'm interested in what the DD festival planning committee has scheduled for this event. With sun and temps in the upper 60s expected on a spring Saturday, this festival should be a great way to spend your Saturday.

The show begins at 9am and runs until 3pm... and the local shops will probably be open until early evening, including JerseyMade. Stop in and say hi to Holly, tell her CreationsByRobin sent you : )

'til next time...
R

Spring Is Here and The Craft Show Season Is Underway!

It's been quite awhile since my last blog entry...time just seems to slip away so quickly these days, what with the making new items, my sons both playing baseball (in different leagues-at different fields) and after a serious bout of cabin-fever, enjoying the occasional gorgeous spring day eats up a lot of my free time.

At least I wasn't totally unprepared for this past weekend's craft show (yes, I had to put a lot of finishing touches on some jewelry) and my preparations also have set me up for the next show, my displays at a couple of galleries, etc.

The one bad thing about an early Spring craft show is that Old Man Winter is often still trying to hang around. That was the case this past weekend... a few days of heavy rains, coupled with a strong wind and temperatures of approx 45 degrees kept many people away from the show. (while the vendors were indoors, many of the other events were held outdoors on the wide-open 190+ acre grounds)

Hopefully, the show I'm doing in April...in Mt. Holly, NJ, will be a bit more "outdoor friendly".
Here's hoping for the best at your Spring Craft shows!

'til next time...

R

Fire & Ice Festival and JerseyMade

On Saturday, January 30, Historic Mt. Holly hosted the Fire & Ice Festival. Despite frigid temperatures that never rose above 20 degrees, hundreds came out for this fun-filled event. The sidewalks were packed with visitors to watch the creation of ice sculptures and they were not disappointed. Several incredible creations could be found for several blocks on and near the Mill Race shopping village.

The shops in Mill Race Village not only offered a respite from the chilly temps, but many also offered a variety of snacks and drinks. Of course getting into many of the shops proved to be trick, as they were often packed with wall-to-wall patrons.

I passed several awesome sculptures (was that a toilet bowl w/ a plunger?) and several alpacas as I zig-zagged my way to JerseyMade. As always, Holly was busy with customers, chatting about upcoming classes at her all-handmade shop. With 22 handmade artisians now consigning their creations, JerseyMade has a beautiful variety of shirts, scarves, jewelry, handbags, soaps, etc... the amount of items in the shop are too great to list here.

Nearly every inch of JerseyMade was filled with patrons who came in to escape the cold, fell in love with one (or more) creation that they had to have and I over-heard many say they needed to come back when the store wasn't so busy because they wanted to see everything.

If you are ever in the vicinity of Mt. Holly, or you are looking for a little something different to do on a winter weekend (spring, summer or fall too) check out the shops and restaurants in the Mill Race Village.

Located in the awesome cooperative village of Mill Race in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Mill Race Village is not only home to Jersey Made, it is also the home of a group of creative, one of a kind shopping district with music shops, stained glass, interior decorating shop, Christmas shop, and more! Come check out Mill Race Village and Jersey Made! Make a day out of it!

Jersey Made

33 White Street – Mount Holly, New Jersey

for more info, check out the JerseyMade website at- www.Jersey-Made.com

til next time...

R

The End Of Another Year In My Hanmdade Business

As 2009 winds down it's last few days, it's always interesting to see how the year has played out for my little handmade business.

The economy certainly played a major factor in spending habits. At times, it seemed I may have made a mistake in moving my business to all sea glass jewelry and away from mixing in some less expensive glass bead creations... but looking back on the decision, I feel it was the correct move to create a niche product for myself.

Handmade craft fairs seemed to be hit & miss once again in 09. When the weather wasn't wreaking havoc, the economy sometimes affected some of my shows. Some shows that were good the previous few years, turned into absolute busts in 2009, while others remained solid events...once again, offering a niche product exclusively may have been a reason for shows that I deemed to be less than successful. Yet shows like AbbieRoad's The Handmade Faire continued to be solid shows and when the weather cooperated, the show was the best show in Central NJ (and perhaps the best show in all of NJ...Abbie and friends do a top-notch job of promoting...it's a must-do show if you live in the tri-state area)

2009 also found my creations in various brick & mortar shops with varying levels of success. A display on LBI didn't live up to expectations, while a small gallery in Barnegat did better than expected...and considering I wasn't in the gallery for the summer months, I have high hopes for this location in the coming year.

I also have a display in a new shop, JerseyMade, which is run by a fellow Etsy member who I've done many shows with. I'm very excited to have the opportunity to sell my sea glass jewelry in Holly's (LeafPile) shop. The shop is located in Historic Mt Holly, NJ, in the Mill Race Village shopping area.

In looking ahead to 2010, I'm hoping to do fewer shows (but keep those where my product does well) while looking to add a couple more consignment/wholesale accounts with brick & mortar shops. My main focus will be on Long Beach Island and I'd like to add one more shore resort shop to the mix for this coming year. I will also be focusing on doing the North American Sea Glass Festival in 2010 (I really wanted to take the plunge in 09, but wasn't sure I was ready & didn't believe I had enough product)

My CreationsByRobin shop on Etsy.com continues to live up to my expectations. Sales seemed a bit sluggish this holiday season when compared to 2008, but again, the economy may have had a lot to do with the slower sales. As the economy begins to improve, hopefully sales will increase in the coming year.

I am also hoping to open my own website in the coming year. The site will be all sea glass... my sea glass jewelry creations, sea glass decor, and possibly loose pieces of sea glass- for both mosaics and jewelry quality pieces.

2009 had it's ups and downs. But I survived the year and the disastrous economy...and even took a few positive steps forward in the process. I'm looking forward to the new year!

My next entry will introduce a few vendors who stepped forward and offered the handmade community some fantastic product...hopefully I can get the blog posted in the next day or two.

til next time...

R

Last Show Of The Holiday Season... Jersey Made

Wow, the end of the year has arrived quickly. With less than two weeks to Christmas (and so much shopping still to be done in my house) tomorrow, Sunday December 13th will be my final handmade show of the year.

I will have my sea glass jewelry at the 2nd Annual Holiday Magical Family Event at Historic Smithville Park in Eastampton, NJ. The hours for the show are from 12pm-5pm. My table display will be located in Area 3.

This event was a huge success last year. The crowds came out to enjoy Santa, music, carolers, etc. The event seemed to have plenty of room and vendors, but the show was overwhelmed with visitors. It was literally wall-to-all people and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves (despite longer than expected lines) This is a great event for the entire family (my boys especially liked the reindeer last year) The event is held under huge, heated tents...so don't let the weather stop you from enjoying this wonderful holiday experience!

If you can't make it to the show, and don't see what you're looking for in my Etsy shop. I'm also located at the Gold Duster in Barnegat, NJ and my sea glass jewelry has just arrived at a brand new shop... JerseyMade.

JerseyMade is located in the Mill Race shopping village in Mount Holly, NJ.

JerseyMade features many handmade artists/crafters from the Etsy New Jersey street team (EtsyNJ team) I'm very excited to be part of this new venture...the area is beautiful and the village has 15 or so shops. Holly (LeafPile from Etsy) has done a wonderful job creating a warm, inviting shop. Craft classes are already on the schedule and I hope to offer a sea glass/basic wire wrapping class in the future. Kudos also go out to Abbie (AbbieRoad on Etsy) and her husband, Sean for helping Holly create "her look".

Mill Race Village is having an event later tonight to help raise funds for the South Jersey Food Bank... From 6pm-9pm tonight, December 12th, the shops of Mill Race Village will be having a Chocolate Walk... visit each of the shops to pick up free handmade chocolates (a $20 donation get you a box and you are off on a chocolate hunt through the village) The shops will remain open through 9pm for chocolate hunters and holiday shopping... it's a worthy cause and the donations will help out our neighbors in South Jersey that may be struggling during these times.

'til next time....

R