Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.
This weeks winner is MoonRae! You have won a pair of lips (smooch!) from Tari Sasser of Creative Impressions in Clay!
Please email Tari with your address so she can ship that off to you.
This Studio Saturday we visit Shannon LeVart of missficklemedia.com.
So now is the time for missficklemedia to take the show on the road. With the kiddos a bit older, Mike and I have set up a goal for 2012 to re-enter trade and craft shows. Many plans are under way but with only a few small steps forward of actual progress.
When things seem overwhelming to me and I do not know where to start first, I work backwards from the end, Most Positive, result. The end result for this particular goal would be impressed shoppers at our artfully arranged and unique table presentation, money in hand and ready to buy. But how to impress them? With the black flocked velour plastic displays set on too low of tables? No, that wasn't me. It didn't showcase our product very well and it didn't make me feel anything even remotely close to excitement. So on the back burner these preparations sat. Until Oct. of 2010.
I took my mama out to lunch and started whining about how I couldn't find anything that suited my needs. I tried describing what was in my mind and she asked a few specific questions that sparked an idea. We excitedly starting brain storming on our idea and many more ideas grew from there. But I had no time. No time to put this into place. It was so frustrating, to finally have solid inspiration but no way to start on the gathering of supplies and designing.
Well, flash forward to January and Mom comes over to watch the kids while Mike and I take yet another day long trip to the hospital. When we arrive home and walk in, we see these spread out all over the kitchen table.....
Salvaged Driftwood and Reclaimed Copper Jewelry Displays!
How fabulous is that!?!?! My mom and pop went down to the Mississippi river and salvaged special pieces of driftwood that caught my moms artists eye. They loaded up their truck, brought them home, washed each piece and cured them for a week. After the driftwood had dried, my mom spread them all out and let her inner muse take over; placing this piece with that one. And this one with that one. Moving it again and again until she found its mate and all the pieces had a cohesive top and a base. She then instructed my poppy to drill holes and cut copper tubing in certain places and specific measurements. Once that was done, she assembled each stand individually, hammering and antiquing the copper, varnishing the driftwood to a subtle sheen and securing each piece with liquid nails.
Each is a work of art. Weathered and unique. Organic and free form. Earthy and earth friendly. With a raw beauty. She has named this collection of unique one of kind displays "Washed Up"!
I fell in love hard with these pieces but I saw the potential for other jewelry artists who perhaps felt as I did, that the mass produced, imported, black backdrop was not the investment to make for their special artisan jewelry. So I purchased the second batch from her and began the arduous process of adding them to the store inventory. She is now at work on the third batch, with more ideas bubbling up. Ideas that include antique gears!
One of my personal favorites is this earring tree. The base is from a river tumbled branch that my poppy cut into sections. The copper tree is arranged from scrap electrical wire that they stripped the outer plastic coating from and separated the wires, pulling each down, hammering the ends and antiquing to add depth and character. Each tree is sealed with varnish to protect its finish and allow for even the brightest of sterling silver to hang upon its bough. The top circle is shaped to hold a price card or a photo. Which makes it a multi-functioning piece that would be great as a gift for one who likes trees and having their earrings in an easily accessible place on a dressing table.
Now there is a part of me that wants to keep the Washed Up collection all to myself, but I also want to share them. So I am offering the earring tree above to a randomly drawn winner next week!
My question that you must answer in comments to be eligible is this;
What type of display do you need for your show presentation? Are you like me, in desperate need of extra long necklace displays? Or do you find yourself with no way to properly show off rings? Do you like your necklaces to face the buyer and therefore prefer the bust style display? Or are you frustrated by how few bracelets fit on a typical bar?
Please share with me your display needs for a chance to win the adorable earring tree shown above.
(Sorry! earrings are not included!)
As always, thank you for spending time here with us at Art Bead Scene and letting us share what is happening in our studios!
Much Love and Respect,
Shannon
61 comments:
you have a wonderful mom and dad..
these displays are amazing and work so well with your patina metals.
i agree the standard displays for jewelry are soo boring and don't seem to be sized quite correctly.
i like something to show off necklaces that doesn't have the pendant hanging too far down for people passing by to notice it.
How wonderful, thoughtful and generous of your mom and dad to do this for you. It l suits your style so well.
I recently saw in a photo a whole branch hung on a bedroom wall with jewelry on it and this is similar. Good luck with it all.
I love the driftwood! I was concocting a similar log/branch idea for future shows...
I am a mixed media artist, so ceramic and resin pendants are only part of my inventory/display at shows. I have been using frames. Fabric covered foamcore, framed, and the frame standing in an easel. Allows for some levels, and staggering. Works like a charm to pin up pendants. ( I sell them with a silk cord.) As I do more finished pieces, I was dreaming up display ideas; wanting to hang the regular length necklaces shorter, so the focals are easier to see... I do very few earrings, so if I win the earring tree - that category is taken care of...
Thanks for the info!
Shannon, What super ideas! Makes me want to go walk on the beach today!
i really don't know what the favorite part of my story is here - the fact that you have displays that really reflect who you are and enhance your work? or the fact that your MOM made them for you! knowing what you needed and wanted - doing it without telling you and surprising you? these are so special... i just love how your family is involved in this passion of yours...
display needs - rings are a challenge for sure... but just in general, setting up an earthy display...
Your mother Shannon! What a treasure! I just loooove all your new displays. That's how I would like mine to look if I was gonna participate in a show. And I will keep your pictures as inspiration if I ever will. Every now and then I see really good solutions for displays and I keep images so I have a good source to pick my inspiration from when that day comes.
That earring tree is gorgeous! It was the thing that caught my attention at first.
Now to your question. Hm, since I have never done a show type thing so far, I've never thought about what I am in most need of. But thinking about it right here and now I suppose my long necklaces would be the biggest challenge. I do like long necklaces, and I make quite a few of them.
Much Love and Respect to you AND your amazing mother,
Malin
I need long necklace displays also. I don't like the typical black displays so I'm always looking for something unique. I even have friends looking. One friend just brought me a black rod iron tree that was meant to display large Christmas ornaments - perfect for me. I love this Washed Up collection. Living on Lake Michigan, this would be a perfect representation of home. :)
These are amazing and so wonderful of your mom and dad! (they should sell them!!) I love the creativity.
What type of diplays do I need? Like you, long necklace most of all, I generally have them laying flat and they get messed as folks come through.
Ahha, now I know where you got your artistic talent! How wonderful that your mother saw your vision and helped it come to fruition! Does she sell these lovely driftwood displays?
As for me, like many jewelry artists I began with the typical faux leather busts, but filled in with antique books stacked for height, solid colored square plates, and black iron earring stands. But recently I've been wanting a change. I'd love to change up my display every once in a while and create a theme such as using only nature as a backdrop, or a pirates booty theme, or even a vintage tea party. But like you, time does not allow for anything more than running the ideas through my head.
Thanks for sharing!!!
I think the pieces are brilliant, and I applaud you and your parents' creativity. I like to hang long necklaces in the way you've shown them, and not on a 'bust' type of display; I think it invites people to touch them and investigate them, and if they do that, they're more inclined to buy. With the 'bust' displays, they tend not to investigate further, because they don't want to disturb the display.
The earring trees are a great idea, also, and I like them very much.
Every piece you showed, is a piece I would like to own. I think you did a great job and I'm happy to see you thriving amidst the challenges you've had.
Oh my gosh I absolutely love that earring tree.
I am just starting to do craft shows this summer so I need everything.
I have some displays and have even started to make my own busts because I like to have my necklaces face the buyer. That really applies with unglazed art bead pendants.
Thanks Shannon This is an awesome giveaway. I hope I win!!!
Shannon
OMG THAT IS SO COOL. Seriously awesome!! Your Mom and Dad rock! So perfect! And it will go great with your designs. And what could be better than gears? Can't wait to see that. (Don't enter me in the drawing, I don't do shows, just wanted to stop by and jump up and down).
These are absolutely adorable! I'd be in love with all of them too.
I have all of the display issues you described. A place to hang long necklaces, a bracelet holder that actually fits. But, my main thing is something different. The black velvet is just getting boring for me. It looks nice but I need a change!
Julie
julzjewlz.com
GREAT displays Shannon!!! the copper tree is my fave!
i am struggling myself with my show displays for jewelry.....something will hit me soon i am sure!
What a great idea!Love the natural look.
Kuddos to mom! Such fantabulous displays! I'm constantly looking for a new display for my jewelry. Way too much time and $$ has been invested in displays that have only been used once or twice and I decide they just don't work well for me.
your moms jewelery displays are beautiful!........like you I prefer unique displays, the mass manufactured ones just don't apeal to me, I would love to find a way to display chain style necklaces to their best advantage
What a sweet mama (and papa) you have!
I personally think the bracelet bars are practically useless. I find customers have a hard time removing the bracelet they are interested in (which always seems to be the inner-most one!).
I've always wanted to repurpose old ornate frames by making up a back with cool old drawer knobs to hang the bracelets individually from and put that in the frame. Of course this would only work if your booth has actual walls!
I love your Washed Up displays - they complement your organic pieces so nicely.
Like you, I had to switch up the displays for my shows. I'm still working on it but I made new trees this year.
When I complained that there was not nearly enough spaces on all of my displays to HOLD all my necklaces and bracelets a mentor / expert commented: Then don't put them all out at once. Or pose a few pieces in packaging, on non traditional busts as well as hanger style displays.
Ring displays from wood could be grooves cut into a piece of driftwood. Then the bands could rest in the grooves. Or in driftwood dishes with small pebbles to support them.
The lack of awesome commercial displays plus the complete impossibility of getting them to Middle of Nowhere Canada for less than college tuition, was a big influence on making my own.
We really appreciate the uniqueness combined with functionality to overcome the blandness found in most jewelry displays.
We have a lot issues. 1) Earring stands tend to be boringly functional and bring no aesthetic value to all of your hard work. 2) Necklace stands tend to be too short and unbalanced for heavier copper and flamework glass bead necklaces. They are single dimensional and once again no aesthetic value. 3) Bracelet bars because of their design are inconvenient and cumbersome especially for non-clasp bracelets. 4) Trying to come up with an idea to display our enameled copper pendants without putting them on necklace chains. We are leaning towards attaching them to business cards and securing them to a screen. 5) Light-weight, multi-tiered, easy to assemble, way to display our enameled copper bowls. 6) More innovative way to display glass rings - stands tend to be very low and unattractive.
Beth and Evie
I absolutely love these displays! I especially like the bracelet display, because I just don't like the look of the black velvet bracelet stands...YUCK! I also struggle to find a way to effectively display the longer necklaces which I love to make and wear in the warmer months. Thanks for sharing your wonderfully creative ideas and work. I think I hear the seas whispering my name!
These are beautiful displays! How nice to have your parents taking part in all this and I can see where you get your creativity from!
My jewelry displays are always changing. I think they're like purses: you keep thinking there is a perfect one out there somewhere but the next one you get has some sort of inadequacy. I agree displaying long necklaces are a problem. I like to display necklaces on busts so they're laid out for the customer but that takes up so much room. I also like to have my earrings on cards so they don't get mixed up or have one get lost.
Thanks for letting us have a chance at winning this beautiful piece of art!
I love these display pieces! They are so unique and original, something I strive for in my show displays, It helps to draw people to your booth and makes for great conversation. Your Mom & Dad are wonderful and it was so great how she knew just what you needed (like any great Mom!!).
Those are so neat. I love that you and your Mom and Dad are doing this together.
I find my display needs vary from show to show. I do quite a few outdoor shows and markets, and it can get very windy at some of the. For these outdoor venues I need a display that can't be blown down easily, so I stick to a lower/flatter display. Then for the indoor shows I use a more vertical display and scrounge around garage sales/flea markets for display pieces to add variety.
Your displays are great-your mom is the best! I don't do shows, so this isn't too much of an issue for me, but I would like to find something to use as an earring display in the studio. Your tree would be killer!
Erin S
Shannon,
I have ben HARD in search for an antique or vintage dress form...I have looked online everywhere...I found one I LOVED on eBay, but got outbid because my hubby would not ket me go over a certain amount....overbid by $7! BOO! STILL in search! Keep your fingers crossed!
Warmly,
Leslie
What awesome parents you have. These are really little works of art. They are a perfect compliment to your designs.
Yes, I struggle with how to display earrings. I found some wire candle holders with arms that had crystals hanging from around the neck. I rebent these arms in the opposite direction to hold my earring cards and they turned out great.
Thanks for the generous giveaway!
Love the displays (and jewelry). I've been saving a great "root" for ideas just like these! Love the copper tree! I had my husband make some barn wood picture frames that have wire stretched across a soft fabric background. . .it also has a row of copper nails along top and bottom of frame. Long enough for long necklaces, bottom row good for bracelets. . .wire across middle just right for earring cards. . .all inclusive, hung on the wall - eye level!
Trying to find displays that speak to me for my jewelry has been a constant difficulty. Then I check on the Art Bead Scene blog this morning and there they are! I love them all. An interesting display for earrings has always been my biggest challenge. How delightful to have l parents so involved in the delightful work that you do.
I haven't done a craft show yet, but I had my dad make me some stands out of wood that I designed to have them ready when I do. Nothing as unique as these though, they are beautiful. Thanks for the chance to win!
My son welded a giant metal outline of a bow for my daughter-in-law to display her handmade hair bows on. I needed an extra long necklace display so he welded one for me. The base is metal washers welded together then a tall T holds my long necklaces.
Beautiful displays. What a great Mom.
I have only done a few shows, but displays for necklaces are always a challenge.
So cool! I have used driftwood before but not so well designed as these! I use homemade displays as well, my son made some necklace displays for me, but I never have enough room! I try to go for a sort of natural/vintage look. I find the long necklaces difficult to display as well.
How wonderful your displays are - yor Mom and Dad are awesome for doing that for you! Definitely long necklaces are a challenge for me. Ive got the earrings sorted via a cute metal tree by Australian designers DesignbyThem http://www.designbythem.com/treeling.html - I use them for my day to day earrings and dismantle when I have a showing (which is infrequently)- Not cheap though - I prefer your found object stands by your parents!
Oh! OH! That is most wonderful! What a thoughtful thing for your mother and father to do. I am just blown away. I have always desperately searched for just the right sort of display. I love my dressmaker busts. I call them my girls: Bessie, Lola and Sally. I would love a whole army of them. I cover them in vintage dressmaker patterns to make them similar. I love the wood. Very clever on that earring display. I always have a hard time with earrings. I like to keep them on my cards. Long necklaces are a problem. I just bought a fireplace screen on clearance and found these cool antique copper hooks at Lowe's that I intended to use for my first juried show, but alas, I did not make it in. I hope to find another more local show this year to add to my repertoire. I will keep you mom's stunning displays in mind! Thank you for sharing them! Enjoy the day!
Erin
These pieces are so beautiful! I don't yet do shows myself (yet!), but i am slowly gathering inspiration from others as i grow as a metalsmith. Beautiful pieces made by your mother here! I'd love to have a tree like that for display in my own studio.
Fabulous work, Shannon's Mom! It seems she is a true artist in her own right.
WOW! What a great Mom and Dad, so creative!
I don't show my work, yet, but I find that I do not have anything for earrings or rings. I was thinking of the try of rice or beans for rings, but I hadn't thought of anything for the earrings. What a great Idea of the copper tree.
Ann
mycriticaleye.com
Creativity runs in the family!!!! Wow! Since I sell beads, I need displays that will accentuate the beads which tend to be smaller than your average piece of jewelry. I need something that is inviting for the people to come in an look, but won't distract from the beads.
I love these displays. I've always looked for to find some, but never had. Guess I've been looking in the wrong places. I think they add such a nice touch to an earthy display at a show. They turned out wonderful.
That is so terrific that your parents have all that talent and interest in your business! You inherited double! What a loving contribution they made when they put this together and they must have loved every minute of it. This whole driftwood display would move right into my summer shows perfectly! Do you think your parents will adopt me?? Thanks for being willing to part with the earring tree, I actually NEEeeeeD it!
first, let me say that those displays are beautiful, what a loving thing to do.I am always tweaking my display I need an over haul, I think:(
I have resisted the temptation to take the easy way out and use only the commercial busts. I do have one or two but that was because I could not find enough other ways to display necklaces etc. I would much prefer the object to have been used for something else. I have a glove mold that I found at a flea market. Love it but struggled with how to secure it. So sometimes the best displays take a major amount of thought, such as the driftwood pieces. I wish I had a source for such lovely pieces. The earring tree is darling.
What wonderful parents you have. The displays are fabulous and that your Mom and Dad made them is such a touching story of love. I agree that long necklaces are a challenge for display. I have used large picture frames hinged together for displays that are fun and interesting. I would be so pleased to win the beautiful earring display. And Shannon thank you so much for relating this wonderful event in your life.
Gorgeous Shannon! I hardly ever do shows but these would be just ideal if I did more. They suit your style especially though. What wonderful parents! I agree with malin and some others - I think necklaces would be the greatest challenge - I also make quite a few long ones and sometimes it's Nice to have a way to hitch them up at the back so they don't trail, or to show off the focal pendant. And it is nice to have them hanging front on or at least to have that option...but I haven't figured out this one for myself yet, even for photographs!
I love the tree and all the great displays your mom has made for you. They are so unique. I too have problems knowing how to display my jewelry and had a hard time coming up with something that works. I am tired of those boring black velvet displays. I had trouble last year with wind at a couple of outdoor shows. So I came up with and idea that won't blow over. I found an old lamp shade and took off the covering. Then used clothes pins to attach earring cards. It held a lot of earring cards and had a wide sturdy base so it did not blow over. The wire looked great with the metal earrings I had made and the vintage inspired earring cards I had made out of cardboard and stampted with a floral design. You could also paint the wire base with colors that go great with your jewelry, such as copper.
Hi everyone. I think your mom us UBER clever for having eyecatching displays that will net you some sales for sure! I've never actually sold at a craft show but as a buyer I would improve on them in only one way. Is it possible to attach light to each fixture? Sometimes I just can't see what people have spent so much time and energy setting out.The fixtures themselves are wow!
Your story reminds me of my dad who surprised me at X-mas w/ a traveling tall work station for my booth when I do shows (check out pics on my Sissy & Jack's FB page).
I too struggle w/ my display, I have such a mental block when it comes to setting my booth up. I combine those white leatherette displays with everyday objects to hang items from.
I notice that people prefer to go through a bunch of hanging pieces than touch the pieces on the busts. They certainly cannot hurt the busts!
Anyway, you are very blessed to have involved and supportive parents. Thanks for sporting the giveaway.
Cheers,
Stacy
www.sissyandjacks.com
www.sissyandjacks.blogspot.com
Wow! Such creativity! Nice of you to share your treasures. Very good of you to share one of them with a lucky winner. I hope it's me.
I can offer a suggestion to you as well. I love the idea of showing jewelry pieces facing front and center. string wire across a blank wooden frame and hang earrings, short necklaces, even bracelets. Cut foam board and cover with fleece to soften the look, or a funky fabric of your choice. Scatter rings on a decorative plate with a layer of rice, choose some that have interesting shapes and coloring.
Best of luck with the shows!
Chris
Shannon, Huge congratulations to your Mom and Dad for creating such unique and intriguing display pieces. I have always loved driftwood and these are really inspiring pieces. They also show off you beautiful jewelry perfectly. I live in the desert, not a lot of driftwood around but I have a huge cactus spine I rescued from my neighbors trash one week and I now have some reallhy good ideas of how to use it. Thank you for sharing these- I understand your reluctance.
I promise mine will not be copies.
Shannon,
Thanks so much for sharing your story and the pictures of the fruits of your parents' love--so special!
I too search for that "different" display option. My husband has made a couple of wooden, very simple displays that hold bracelets nicely and over the years I have collected a few metal pieces (originally intended as photograph "trees" and/or decorative sculpture)and repurposed them as jewelry displays.
I love the organic, rustic nature of your mom's designs!
Karen
Wow - they're gorgeous! Natural, earthy, rustic - always more beautiful and interesting to me than mass-produced factory-made items!
I live at the beach, so my displays usually contain some "washed-up" treasures - these pieces would fit right in! The best part is that I wouldn't have to sort through all my buckets of stuff nor fabricate them!
My display dilemmas are well-represented here by many others: long necklaces that show the whole piece; rings that don't fall/flip over; bracelets that stay secure, but can be removed/replaced quickly and easily...
Your "Washed Up" collection solves most of these problems AND is interesting and enticing without detracting from the jewelry! BRILLIANT!
Kudos to your mom and dad!
Needless to say, I would LOVE to win ANY ONE of these pieces!
Thanks SO much for this giveaway!
Amazing display! I need something that my li'l pod guys can hang from and not tangle with each other...
Enjoyed your piece about the driftwood displays. How clever!
I make keychains to raise funds for the Susan Komen For the Cure. It's so hard to find a way to display them but the darling little earring tree would be just the thing so please enter me in your drawing and thanks for sharing your lovely displays!
I make keychains to raise funds for the Susan Komen For the Cure. It's so hard to find a way to display them but the sweet little earring tree would be just the thing so please enter me in your drawing and thanks for sharing your lovely displays!
These are Fantastic!!
I would love to win any of these!
I am always in need of height.
I love the bracelet displays best.
I need bracelet displays, none of my bracelets sold at my last sale so I would say this is definitely what I need!
Thanks!
Cilla
What beautiful displays! I don't do many shows but when I have I used a couple of busts and a variety of little dishes...it was ok but not fantastic. That's why I'd love one of these!
Well I always say "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree". Seems your Mom & Dad are both creative people, so you are doubly blessed. I don't do shows, but I have space in a shop, and display is the number one thing. You want customers to remember your jewelry, but also remember your space, so they can immediately identify you the next time. Your driftwood displays are fantastic!
Your mother came up with a wonderful idea. I think she will do well with it.
Speaking of earring displays. A month or so ago I was doing a show at the Nellis Air Force Base when a small child came over to admire all of my hand made jewelry for children. As she was looking at the earrings for adults she slipped and fell into it. The earring display went flying through the air and landed hard on the cement tiled floor and broke into a million and one pieces with no way to fix it. I did save the hardware and the base to try and make another to no a vale. Now I am back to using my old standbys that I first started out with. They where cages from a bingo game. I took them apart and now I have 2 earring holders from that. I also got a few other types similar but all different. I still don't have enough for my earrings but I am looking at garage sales for other things that can be used for displays. I find that yard sales are a place of wealth when it comes to finding one of a kind items to use for displays that don't easily break.
It is to expensive to buy displays that are easily broke from displays stores. I find that when you make your own that people tend to come and look to see how different and exciting you have made your booth. It attracts a variety of shoppers and I find I sell more and do more custom orders. It is very good for business. I could sure use another earring display for my booth as interesting as what your mother is making. Very Nice.....
What a cool story Shannon, I too have trouble with long necklaces for shows and to photograph for my site. My husband made some frames with bulletin boards and covered the cork with fabric and painted the frame in a wash. Then he strung wire across and we used S hooks from Vintaj to hang the necklaces. Bracelets and earrings are a problem. I have so many and I put them on cards in boxes and let people flip through but that is not always to my advantage. I do use a few busts I painted and also did a shabby chic mixed media treatment on them so they look more artsy. It is an ongoing challenge to show enough of my work and make it look attractive. I love that your Mom and Dad did that. My dad is gone and my mom bless her heart doesn't have a creative bone in her sweet body. Your display would look awesome with my beach designs. Thanks for sharing.
Those are just fantastic! I need something! I have stupid black bracelet racks!
For me, the hardest to display are necklaces. I like for the customer to be able to see how they look when worn, but a separate bust for each takes to much room.
Love these displays made by your Mom. She is so creative.
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