Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Japan Relief Effort Then back to Work
After that bracelet making marathon, my sights have turned back to build inventory to get ready for this year's hemp fests. I have finally reached 100 items in my artfire shop, woot woot! My most recent listing is of my very first hand spun bracelet. It's crazy to think it started out as a bunch of loose fibers and I transformed it into a bracelet, which is why it's the most expensive bracelet I have listed. It's made of a 50% hemp/50% bamboo blend, hand carded and spun on my truly fairytale spinning wheel. Think Rumpelstiltskin. I listed it at half the price my gal pals told me I should, we'll see what happens.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Do you Take Stress Seriously? You Should!
Just thought I'd share my latest mini-paper. It's on stress and how it effects us even down to a cellular level. Please I implore you to get your coffee and read this. If not, at least watch the national Geographic special entitled, Stress: Portrait of a Killer.
In every facet of our lives, we will encounter stress. It can be good stress such as a wedding or birth and it can be bad stress such as being late for an interview or financial turmoil. One thing we know for certain is that as long as we are living we will encounter stress. The idea we have to grasp now is how to manage and cope with the emotions and responses that arise as a result of the stress. There is new and alarming research and findings that suggests if we don’t learn to manage our stress, we are setting ourselves up for an early death.
There are some people who naturally cope with stressors well. They respond with cool headedness and logic. Generally, it takes a significant issue or problem to register with them as a legitimate stressor, and for them to respond with the same level of urgency and anxiety that we see in chronically stressed people. People who are chronically stressed are bothered by the littlest things in life and it all has a direct effect on their bodies. People who are constantly triggering their stress response are facing life altering health risks including high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack, aneurysm, and stroke. Poor lifestyle choices associated with chronically stressed people, such as unhealthy diet and exercise, can have a major impact on the person’s health in the long run. For the purpose of this paper the word stress will be referring to the negative type of stress. The Japanese have a word for this type of stress, “Karoshi”, meaning “death by overwork”.
Some well known symptoms of stress and perhaps the most talked about and researched are: physical symptoms; including headache, back pain, decreased immunity, chest pain, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, digestive issues, and sleep disturbance. Psychological symptoms include anxiety, irritability, restlessness, depression, sadness, anger, forgetfulness, and negative feelings of self. Behavioral symptoms include over or under eating, emotional outbursts, alcohol or drug abuse, and interpersonal conflict (MayoClinic, 2009; WebMD, 2010). In this paper I will highlight some of the more debilitating and life threatening aspects of stress; high blood pressure, depression and tension, obesity, libido, what happens to our bodies on a cellular level due to stress, and finally treatment options for chronic stress.
High Blood Pressure
This is particularly important to pay attention to because anyone who is chronically stressed is probably experiencing this and needs to tend to it sooner rather than later. The constant flow of the stress hormones like adrenaline (epinephrine) and glucocorticoids running through the blood in addition to high blood pressure does damage to the arterial walls, causing plaque to build up in these areas. The plaque buildup restricts blood flow to the heart making the heart work harder and could result in a heart attack. Secondly, the plaque build-up may burst causing a blood clot, ultimately resulting in a stroke.
Depression and Tension
People who suffer from chronic stress have higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that is released into their brain (Bruno, 2009). This, along with lowered levels of dopamine and serotonin causes a disruption in the brain’s central functioning unit, the hippocampus. When the neurotransmitters aren’t working properly in this region of the brain, there is a direct affect on mood, appetite, sexual drive, etc. resulting in depression. Depression opens the door to a plethora of conditions and disorders such as obsessive compulsive tendencies, alcohol and drug abuse, impulse control issues, and more dangerous situations like cutting and suicide. Indeed a portion of depression is caused by environmental and social influences but a portion can also be contributed to chemistry within the brain. When we worry or stress, we tend to end up with our shoulders at our ears and jaws clenched. The reason is that when the body is under stress, breathing becomes irregular, labored, and sometimes we may even find ourselves holding our breath. This causes tension in the thorax and shoulders, which is the pain and stiffness we can feel in our muscles. This is a problem because it debilitates movement which can cause injury with too much activity or stress. Tension in the neck and shoulders was thought to lead to tension headaches but recent research is pointing toward chemicals in the brain as the culprit (Mayo Clinic1, 2009).
Obesity
Whether seen in the movies or in real life, we have experienced over eating a lot of bad food because of stress. There are times that stress brings about a need to eat lots of sugary high fat foods like cookies and pastries. This increased desire to eat high caloric foods is due to an increased amount of cortisol being released. In fact, excess cortisol is linked to visceral fat, or the fat around the abdomen (Adam & Epel, 2007). In other words, higher stress equals more fat concentration around the abdomen. The risk with this is that visceral fat, unlike other fat, secretes hormones which affect the way the bodies metabolize sugar along with other health risks (Park, 2009).
Libido
Again, cortisol is our suspect here because it reduces testosterone, a hormone believed to increase libido (Mintz, 2010). “When a woman is stressed, the hormonal changes in her body trigger a chemical reaction causing sex hormone–binding globulin to bind with testosterone cells, so they’re unavailable for libido and sexual response.” (Laura Berman as cited by Frankel, 2008). While stress may be lowering libido, sex may be exactly what we need to help relieve stress (Frankel, 2008). Having sex releases hormones such as oxytocin and endorphins, hormones that make us feel good and happy.
Cellular
While the above mentioned are just a small portion of the havoc chronic stress can wreak on the human body; it appears that the real war stress is waging on our bodies is happening on a cellular level. There is new research suggesting that stress is not just affecting us in the ways mentioned above, but that it is altering our bodies on a cellular level. Thanks to research, we know that ‘telomeres’, the caps on the ends of our chromosomes to keep them from unraveling and clumping together, are directly affected by stress! The length of a telomere is worn away with natural aging and stress over time, but chronic stress accelerates this process. It appears chronic stress shortens immune cell telomeres-DNA-protein complexes at the ends of chromosomes that promote genetic stability-impairing their ability to divide and multiply. This process may hinder the body's ability to fight off infection and cause premature onset of diseases (Epel, 2007). For example, mothers of special needs children (such as autism) have an overwhelming task of taking care of a special needs child in addition to running their household and caring for their other children (Forsloff, 2009). If we were to look at the telomeres of one of these mothers, we would see dramatic aging. For every year of normal aging, they age six! This is profound.
Other cohorts that may be experiencing rapid aging are those who experience crisis on a daily basis like fire and rescue, psychologists and counselors, social workers, and the victims themselves. People with jobs or careers that demand a lot and cause a significant amount of stress may experience rapid aging. Military and police personnel including correctional officers that find themselves in stressful situations may experience rapid aging. People with chronic depression and anxiety may also experience rapid aging. The variety of reasons why rapid aging and chronic stress takes place is endless and is not likely to stop altogether but there are things that can be done to reduce stress and live healthier lives as a direct result.
Treatment
Treatment for the symptoms of stress include relaxation, meditation, sports, art, sleep, physical activity, therapy, journaling including blogging and forum ranting; whatever path we choose to alleviate our stress it is becoming clear that it should be an important part of our daily routine. Already we see that girlfriends get together for spa days, guys get together to shoot a few baskets or play a few rounds, kids get together for play dates, the elderly get together to exchange gossip and pictures of their grandchildren, some people like to “veg” on the couch in front of the television, other people like to sit and read or meditate; these are all ways in which people “wind-down” and de-stress.
Another way to prevent or reduce stress involves the power of foresight. For example, I hate having to fumble around the kitchen (which is usually full of dirty dishes from the night before) to make coffee in the morning. Instead I make the coffee the night before so all I have to do is push the button. Crisis averted! Its little things like that that can make someone’s day go so much smoother. The best way to deal with stress is to know and understand our coping style (MayoClinic2, 2010). Although stress cannot be avoided totally, there are ways to minimize what we allow to stress us out.
References:
Adam, T. C., & Epel, E. S. (2007). Stress, eating, and the reward system. Physiology & Behavior, 91, 449-458. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tension-headache/DS00304
Bruno, K. (2009). Stress and depression. WebMD. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/stress-depression
Epel, E. S. (2007). Tackling stress at the cellular level. Monitor, 38(6), 65. Retrieved from: http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun07/tackling.aspx
Forsloff, C. (2009). Mothers of children with autism have higher stress levels. Digital Journal. Retrieved from: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/275672
Frankel, V. (2008). More sex, less stress. Mental Health on MSNBC.com. Retrieved from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28146086/ns/health-mental_health/
MayoClinic1. (2009). Tension headache: Definition. MayoClinic. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tension-headache/DS00304
MayoClinic2. (2010). Stress management: Reexamine your stress reactions. MayoClinic. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-management/SR00032
Mintz, L. (2010). Stress and sex. Psychology Today. Retrieved from: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/stress-and-sex/201006/first-hello-high-strung-low-libido-therapist-who-stays-calm-and-has-great
Park, A. (2009). Fat-bellied monkeys suggest why stress sucks. Time.com. Retrieved from: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1915237,00.html
WebMD. (2010). The effects of stress on your body. WebMD. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/effects-of-stress-on-your-body
Monday, January 3, 2011
An Army of Earrings
Check out what's new at HempCraft! These one-of-a-kind warm and lightweight earrings will not leave you out in the cold with an empty wallet. Only $10!
Made from all natural super soft brown hemp yarn, I needle tatted what would have been this pattern by YarnPlayer but instead decided to drop off the bottom half and keep them shorter and lighter. I used a white lamp work bead with pink and gold floral designs to finish the earrings on a softer, dustier color pallet. I love the way these came out so much that I nearly kept them for myself but I have an army of earrings that is only getting bigger so the last thing I need is another pair. The black pair I made with a cloisonne bead sold before I could even list them.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
To Be or Not To Be...That's Easy!
So here is my latest, a Breast Cancer Awareness Charm Bracelet. At first I wasn't going to make it because I didn't want to take advantage of the situation to make a profit. Then I thought, What...am I friggin nuts!!! I have an opportunity to raise awareness AND raise money to donate. I would be crazy and selfish NOT to do this. Yesterday I made my first one and am very pleased with the results and I am completely gratified that I am doing something to fight breast cancer.Cheers!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Tips for a Successful Craft Booth Display, from a Buyer’s Perspective.
Although I am a seller, I am a consumer of handcrafted items as well so I can tell you what I look for when I’m out shopping the fairs and also what I steer clear of.
First things first, let’s stop referring to it as a craft booth, and start calling it a ‘boutique’ or ‘shop’. Ahhhh, now, don’t you feel better already? Good, let’s continue. The truth is anyone and everyone can have a craft booth but it takes effort and creativity to have a boutique or shop. There’s a lot of time and energy that goes into a good display of your wares, and believe me, your customers will notice. After all, don’t you notice a really good looking shop at a fair? Don’t you think to yourself, wow, this person is successful and confident about what they are selling? Me too.
One other thing I want to point out aside from the list is to create your shop to reflect who you are and what you like. The minute you start thinking about what other people will think, or if they will approve or disapprove, is the minute you start to stifle your creativity. The more you tailor your space to your liking, the more confident you will be in it! The more confident you feel, the more confident you look; the more confident you look, the more approachable you seem; the more approachable you seem, the more customers will want to come in and browse. How many times have you been teetering on the decision to buy something and then made up your mind to buy it because the seller is super nice? I know I have, on plenty of occasions. So, the point here is to own your space and love it. Own it! After all, you are the one that has to manage it all day. HA!
So here is a short list of tips to help you get your shop looking fabulous. I’ve used my experience from both sides of the table to compile some do’s and don’ts that will hopefully steer you in the right direction, if you are in fact going the wrong way, lol!
1. Look like you care.
Don’t show up with your baseball cap, poncho pullover, and sidelines lounge chair (complete with dual cup holder). That is tacky with a capital T, seriously. I can understand the poncho pullover if you are doing an outside show but you can get my drift about the chair that only allows you to sit head level with your tables. If this is how you run your business in public I don’t even want to imagine the lack of effort that actually goes into your product. You don’t want to send this message. You don’t have to pull out your Sunday best but at least knock the dust off your good shoes, style your hair (if applicable), and invest in a bar stool.
2. Add some depth and character.
Give height to your table. This gives dimension by adding layers. I don’t know how many booths I pass up because their jewelry or goods are laying down flush with the table. ZZzzZZZzzz!! Give your booth personality and make it different than the average craft booth. You want to think ‘eye level’ when you are giving height. Not everything has to be eye level but a few things should be if possible. This not only makes things visible to your customers but also “fills out” the space. This is as easy as looking around your house for things to borrow for your booth for the day. You don’t have to spend ridiculous amounts of money on new things. You can if you want, that rocks, but most people gearing up for a show want to make money and spend as little as possible. To give you an example of using things from around the house; in my booth I use an old fireplace screen (perfect for hanging things!) and a small bookshelf with three cubes that I normally use in my craft room. I bought a cute little display shelf at an antique show for $3 and an old window shudder for $5. Voila! My shop has “walls”! You can also use things like crates turned on their side or even turned all the way upside down. If the box is ugly, cover it with something. Start keeping your eye open for things that you can use to give your shop height and depth, this is a must. Be careful not to overload on layers of dimension though, this can cause your shop to look chaotic.
Set a tone. And once you’ve set that tone, tie everything into it. Setting a tone should not be confused with setting a theme. Setting a tone gives a feeling whereas setting a theme gives an experience. Make sense? How many times have you gone into a shop and felt warm and cozy? I also want you to think about how many times you’ve gone into a shop and felt gross and unwelcome. So the question to ask yourself is what you want your customers to feel like when they enter your boutique or shop. Do you want them to feel like they are buying from some fly by night operation or do you want them to feel like they have just entered an extension of your home? Or maybe if you are selling business supplies you want to make them confident in your products so you can display signs like, “So&So Business, Helping You Get Your Job Done for ___ Years”. Jewelry is easy because you can set whatever tone you want. Light a non-perfumy candle, bring some small accent table lamps, lay down a rug; whatever you choose to do, be creative and use your imagination.
One other thing worth mentioning is the necessity of a table skirt, because really? I don’t want to see the boxes your shop came in. You can get a cheap plastic one from Party City for like $7 in a variety of colors…for the meantime. But if you plan on doing shows for a while, you might want to invest in a really nice cloth table skirt made out of drape material. I’m sure you can commission someone on Etsy or ArtFire to make one for you, or there’s always e-bay. The point? Get a table skirt, no excuses.
3. Don’t be THAT guy…
…who hounds customers or isn’t anywhere around. Believe it or not, you are a part of your display! If you are popping out every time I even glance at something to tell me all about it, I’m gone. If I want to know, I’ll ask, K? On the flip side of that, don’t be scarce. There’s nothing worse than wanting to ask something and can’t find the artist or seller. I guess…just be available. I’ve found that I like when I can go into a shop and browse without being watched (that’s creepy), if I’m still there after a few minutes I like to be reassured that there is someone there to answer any questions. A simple, “I’m right here if you have any questions” will do just fine. And then I like to be left alone again. I don’t need to be reassured again.
Another pet peeve of mine worth mentioning is sellers who will work on something like rearrange or straighten a display right next to where I’m shopping. Unless something has fallen, I’m sure it can wait.
4. Don’t use ploys!
Customers can usually see right through the bullshit. At least I can. Nothing will send a customer running in the opposite direction faster than if they think they are being taken advantage of, believe me. Be honest with your marketing and your customers and you will never go wrong. The minute you start selling your products to people who don’t really want them, the less rewarding it is as an artisan, and you can take that to the bank! If people want to buy your wares, they will buy them. If you are offering a drawing to win something in your shop, that’s rad! Offering giveaways and drawings unrelated to your products just to get traffic is, well, crap.
5. Use Signs and Pricing
Make sure everything is marked clearly with a price tag and a description if needed. If you are not going to take the time to price it, I’m not going to take the time to ask. If you have things that cost different prices, you need to mark everything individually. Don’t make me read a chart, or do some crazy color coding match-up game. If something is $14.99 make a darn tag for it, really! I don’t want to feel obligated to buy something by asking how much it is. If you are a seller who does this on purpose, shame on you (and read Tip 4 again).
You can use signs to create price groups! People love to have choices while shopping. I will make a b-line to a “Clearance” or “50% off” sign. If you have several items under $10, put them in a group and label it, “Items under $10”. If everything in your shop is under $20, display that in a sign somewhere. Do you take credit or debit? You’d better be posting that somewhere, preferably somewhere close to the “entrance” and somewhere else on your back table.
Signs give people choices, but too many signs can make a person feel bombarded with advertising, which customers also hate. I’d say one 6’ table should have 2-3 signs max! Anything more and your customer will wonder which way they are supposed to look, get overwhelmed, and go for a quieter shop.
I hope these tips have helped you in some way. I just thought I’d share my experiences as a seller, but mostly as a buyer at craft shows to help you be successful as you take your show on the road. Please add any comments or additional tips.
Valerie
First things first, let’s stop referring to it as a craft booth, and start calling it a ‘boutique’ or ‘shop’. Ahhhh, now, don’t you feel better already? Good, let’s continue. The truth is anyone and everyone can have a craft booth but it takes effort and creativity to have a boutique or shop. There’s a lot of time and energy that goes into a good display of your wares, and believe me, your customers will notice. After all, don’t you notice a really good looking shop at a fair? Don’t you think to yourself, wow, this person is successful and confident about what they are selling? Me too.
One other thing I want to point out aside from the list is to create your shop to reflect who you are and what you like. The minute you start thinking about what other people will think, or if they will approve or disapprove, is the minute you start to stifle your creativity. The more you tailor your space to your liking, the more confident you will be in it! The more confident you feel, the more confident you look; the more confident you look, the more approachable you seem; the more approachable you seem, the more customers will want to come in and browse. How many times have you been teetering on the decision to buy something and then made up your mind to buy it because the seller is super nice? I know I have, on plenty of occasions. So, the point here is to own your space and love it. Own it! After all, you are the one that has to manage it all day. HA!
So here is a short list of tips to help you get your shop looking fabulous. I’ve used my experience from both sides of the table to compile some do’s and don’ts that will hopefully steer you in the right direction, if you are in fact going the wrong way, lol!
1. Look like you care.
Don’t show up with your baseball cap, poncho pullover, and sidelines lounge chair (complete with dual cup holder). That is tacky with a capital T, seriously. I can understand the poncho pullover if you are doing an outside show but you can get my drift about the chair that only allows you to sit head level with your tables. If this is how you run your business in public I don’t even want to imagine the lack of effort that actually goes into your product. You don’t want to send this message. You don’t have to pull out your Sunday best but at least knock the dust off your good shoes, style your hair (if applicable), and invest in a bar stool.
2. Add some depth and character.
Give height to your table. This gives dimension by adding layers. I don’t know how many booths I pass up because their jewelry or goods are laying down flush with the table. ZZzzZZZzzz!! Give your booth personality and make it different than the average craft booth. You want to think ‘eye level’ when you are giving height. Not everything has to be eye level but a few things should be if possible. This not only makes things visible to your customers but also “fills out” the space. This is as easy as looking around your house for things to borrow for your booth for the day. You don’t have to spend ridiculous amounts of money on new things. You can if you want, that rocks, but most people gearing up for a show want to make money and spend as little as possible. To give you an example of using things from around the house; in my booth I use an old fireplace screen (perfect for hanging things!) and a small bookshelf with three cubes that I normally use in my craft room. I bought a cute little display shelf at an antique show for $3 and an old window shudder for $5. Voila! My shop has “walls”! You can also use things like crates turned on their side or even turned all the way upside down. If the box is ugly, cover it with something. Start keeping your eye open for things that you can use to give your shop height and depth, this is a must. Be careful not to overload on layers of dimension though, this can cause your shop to look chaotic.
Set a tone. And once you’ve set that tone, tie everything into it. Setting a tone should not be confused with setting a theme. Setting a tone gives a feeling whereas setting a theme gives an experience. Make sense? How many times have you gone into a shop and felt warm and cozy? I also want you to think about how many times you’ve gone into a shop and felt gross and unwelcome. So the question to ask yourself is what you want your customers to feel like when they enter your boutique or shop. Do you want them to feel like they are buying from some fly by night operation or do you want them to feel like they have just entered an extension of your home? Or maybe if you are selling business supplies you want to make them confident in your products so you can display signs like, “So&So Business, Helping You Get Your Job Done for ___ Years”. Jewelry is easy because you can set whatever tone you want. Light a non-perfumy candle, bring some small accent table lamps, lay down a rug; whatever you choose to do, be creative and use your imagination.
One other thing worth mentioning is the necessity of a table skirt, because really? I don’t want to see the boxes your shop came in. You can get a cheap plastic one from Party City for like $7 in a variety of colors…for the meantime. But if you plan on doing shows for a while, you might want to invest in a really nice cloth table skirt made out of drape material. I’m sure you can commission someone on Etsy or ArtFire to make one for you, or there’s always e-bay. The point? Get a table skirt, no excuses.
3. Don’t be THAT guy…
…who hounds customers or isn’t anywhere around. Believe it or not, you are a part of your display! If you are popping out every time I even glance at something to tell me all about it, I’m gone. If I want to know, I’ll ask, K? On the flip side of that, don’t be scarce. There’s nothing worse than wanting to ask something and can’t find the artist or seller. I guess…just be available. I’ve found that I like when I can go into a shop and browse without being watched (that’s creepy), if I’m still there after a few minutes I like to be reassured that there is someone there to answer any questions. A simple, “I’m right here if you have any questions” will do just fine. And then I like to be left alone again. I don’t need to be reassured again.
Another pet peeve of mine worth mentioning is sellers who will work on something like rearrange or straighten a display right next to where I’m shopping. Unless something has fallen, I’m sure it can wait.
4. Don’t use ploys!
Customers can usually see right through the bullshit. At least I can. Nothing will send a customer running in the opposite direction faster than if they think they are being taken advantage of, believe me. Be honest with your marketing and your customers and you will never go wrong. The minute you start selling your products to people who don’t really want them, the less rewarding it is as an artisan, and you can take that to the bank! If people want to buy your wares, they will buy them. If you are offering a drawing to win something in your shop, that’s rad! Offering giveaways and drawings unrelated to your products just to get traffic is, well, crap.
5. Use Signs and Pricing
Make sure everything is marked clearly with a price tag and a description if needed. If you are not going to take the time to price it, I’m not going to take the time to ask. If you have things that cost different prices, you need to mark everything individually. Don’t make me read a chart, or do some crazy color coding match-up game. If something is $14.99 make a darn tag for it, really! I don’t want to feel obligated to buy something by asking how much it is. If you are a seller who does this on purpose, shame on you (and read Tip 4 again).
You can use signs to create price groups! People love to have choices while shopping. I will make a b-line to a “Clearance” or “50% off” sign. If you have several items under $10, put them in a group and label it, “Items under $10”. If everything in your shop is under $20, display that in a sign somewhere. Do you take credit or debit? You’d better be posting that somewhere, preferably somewhere close to the “entrance” and somewhere else on your back table.
Signs give people choices, but too many signs can make a person feel bombarded with advertising, which customers also hate. I’d say one 6’ table should have 2-3 signs max! Anything more and your customer will wonder which way they are supposed to look, get overwhelmed, and go for a quieter shop.
I hope these tips have helped you in some way. I just thought I’d share my experiences as a seller, but mostly as a buyer at craft shows to help you be successful as you take your show on the road. Please add any comments or additional tips.
Valerie
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Craft Table? No no...Boutique!
So I am getting ready for Bazaar and Fair season. My first show isn’t until November 6th so I have plenty of time to get everything set up but probably not enough time to make everything I want, as usual. I’ve turned my spare bedroom (notice box spring >.<) into my craft booth, which this year I am calling my "boutique". When I set it up before the show, I'm not scrambling to make everything look good because I already know how it's going to look! It's also very inspiring to walk into a room and see your shop all laid out on display.  |
| knick-knacky |
I can already tell my biggest obstacle is to not put too many knickknacks on my tables. I love using cute little things to show off my jewelry but for one it starts to look cluttered, two the customers have trouble deciphering what’s for sale and what’s not, and three…damn it, I knew there was a third point…oh well.
I’m using an old fireplace screen to give my boutique height. I can display my earrings here easily and use hooks if I want to display or hang a necklace. I need to spray paint the top and give it some personality because gold is just not my thang, especially 1980’s gold chrome…bleh! But it’s totally awesome that I get to upcycle it AND it looks great with seasonal decorations draped along the top.
To match the height of the fireplace screen, I’m using a cubby style shelf. Here I will be able to “showcase” my favorite or Sale items. I plan on making each cubby a different color scheme. I can use colored scrapbook sheets to serve as the back wall of these cubby holes. Hopefully this will be just enough ‘pop’ at eye level to get some second glances. This is just the beginning...
 |
| kung-fu grip |
Meanwhile I am also trying to come up with better ways of showing off my bracelets but ti is incredibly difficult to stick my arm into a box with a narrow(er) opening and get my arm at just the right angle whilst taking a picture using a stack of 2x4s as a tripod. This one turned out ok and I can crop but still...meh. What's with the kung-fu grip?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)