How to Use Clothespins to Display Jewelry

If you are a jewelry rep, you know that we all struggle with ways to display our beautiful pieces.  If you have been reading my blog, then you know that I've created a pegboard display and use j-hooks to hang my pieces.

However, I have a smaller display I've created and wanted to have more of a shabby chic kind of feel, so I decided to use clothespins to hold my pieces on my board.  Yup! Clothespins. They look really cute too.

Here's what you need:

• Clothespins
• Paperclips
• Washi tape 

So, I opened up all the paper clips and inserted the clip into the metal spring of the clothespin. 

Then all you have to do is fold the paperclip so both legs are in back and pull it through one of the holes in the pegboard.  

Then in the back of the board spread the paperclip legs out to the sides, this will ensure your clip doesn't slide off the board when you clip jewelry to the pin. 

I decorated all the pins prior to securing them to the board. Make sure your washi tape is the same width as the clothes pin for a pretty finish. 

There you have it, a super easy and cute alternative to j-hooks. 

Making a Self-Promoting Video

I made  a short video to formally introduce myself and let my readers in on my business.

Let's face it, if you are in direct sales you aren't only selling product, you have to sell yourself as well. Video is one of the best platforms to do this, because it allows viewers to really connect with you.

So let me go into how I shot this video. In this post I won't discuss how to edit your video.

To get started you need to make sure you have your tools, you'll need:

1. Your smartphone.
2. a Selfie Stick or something to prop up your phone. 
3. Whatever props you are going to use in your video (don't be just a talking head).
4. Your BEST Personality - don't be shy!
5. Video editing software on your computer, on a Mac iMovie is the best solution, on a Windows machine MovieMaker is best - they come included with your machines  (Note: there are also video editing apps for your phone but they don't provide as much control). 

No worries, if editing your own video sounds super intimidating, you can hire someone to do the editing for your. There are a ton of pros on Fiverr.com that will do the task for you. 

It's time to plan out  your video, this shouldn't take you more than 30 minutes to do:

1. Start by planning out what you are going to say in your video. You don't have to write it down word for word - an outline or some scribbled notes should do.  
2. Gather any props you are going to use - I'm big on providing visuals - you don't just want to be a talking head. 
3. GET DRESSED! This is always a challenge for me because I spend most of the day in PJs (I work from home as an Instructional Designer - no one sees me).  Make sure to put on some makeup - even if you just put on some lipstick it will make a world of difference. Also put on a nice top. Unless you are shooting a full body video - no one will know you are in your husband's boxers. 
4. Decide where you will shoot your video. Pick an uncluttered space with good lighting (you want lots of natural sunlight).  Remove any distracting items around the space where you will shoot your video. Create the ambiance. 
5. Practice what you are going to say in front of a mirror several times, so it's as natural as possible. 

Now, that you have your plan and are all dolled up, it's time to shoot your video.  This is the easiest part. Don't be shy, just let it roll. 

1. Put your phone on Airplane Mode so you won't have any disruptions during recording. 
2. Prop your phone up, you want it to be at eye level with you. Once propped up, take a photo of the background alone. Then set the timer and take a photo with you in front of the background so you can see where you need to stand. You don't want to be too far from the camera. 
3. Hit Record and just start your talking. If you mess up ---- PAUSE yourself, take a deep breath and repeat the line.  You'll want to repeat the same lines at least twice so you can get the best clip for the final edit. 

Once you have recorded your video, all you have to do is transfer your file to your computer. You can do that by either connecting your phone to your computer and dragging and dropping the file to your desktop or using dropbox.com and sending the recording there right from your phone. 

So your homework for today it to go out and shoot your own video! Next time I'll give you some tips for editing your own video. 

DIY Recycled Ring Box

I've been a on a display kick lately, I know. I like to have options and I like to prepare for events way in advance. I have a few community events coming up and I want to be ready.

So today, I'm going to share how to make a Ring Box from recycled items. This project requires NO GLUING, NO SEWING, NO COMPLICATED STEPS.  If you are a reluctant crafter - this is an awesome project for you.

Here's what you will need:

1 - old box or box lid - it should be a low profile box.
1 - felt or fabric - old curtains and shirts work well.
1 - bag of cotton balls - on hand or from the $1 store.

Follow These Steps:

1. Cut the fabric to the width of your box and make sure it's 2 - 3 times longer than your box. 
2. Lay your fabric down and place cotton balls in a line on the fabric.
3. Roll the fabric over the cotton balls, then place the fabric with the initial roll in the box.
4. Lift the fabric and place a new line of cotton balls in the box.
5. Lay the fabric over the new line of cotton balls.

Continue doing this until your box insert is complete.

For a visual on how to do these steps, check out my video:

Happy Crafting!

Ring Display Ideas for Your Jewelry Shows

I'm always looking for unique ways to display my items.  Jewelry is one of those things that lends itself to be displays in a ton of creative ways.  Since I created my portable display, I wanted to make a ring display that was also versatile yet inexpensive.

After a lot of thinking and testing out different surfaces I came up with two ideas. I'm only going to share one in this post as the second, I thought a video tutorial would be nice (so wait for that one).
My first ideas was inspired by the spools of thread that I have organized in my sewing room, on a thread rack.

I believe I purchased this at Joanns, it was originally $19.99  and used a 50% coupon ($9.99) along with a 20% off my entire purchase coupon so I paid about $8. 

I had some spray paint sitting around from some other projects I have worked on, so I decided to spray paint the rack black to go along with my display. 

 I had to give it a few good coats to make sure I painted all the surfaces.  But I'm pretty happy with the end result.  

The best part is that I can set this small display in a number of ways:

• It can stand alone on a table
• I can lay it down on a table, or
• I can hang it from my display rack on the back or front. 

As I mentioned, I did work on a different display for my rings, but I will be creating a video tutorial so you can create a similar display for yourself. 

I would love to hear your ideas for ring displays. Share them as comments to this post. 

Transporting My Paparazzi Jewelry Display to a Show

I had my first jewelry party last night and it went pretty well. I sold 50 pcs of jewelry with no demos or needing to say anything other than everything on the rack is $5.  The expressions were priceless. I've already managed to recoup the cost of my kit.


So I thought I would be a good idea to share now I transported my rack display.  I shared in a previous post how I created my display, now the actual trick is in transporting it from my house to a show.

As you can see my I organized all my jewelry on the board at home. I didn't want to have to take all the jewelry off and put it back up. So I transported my display with the jewelry attached.  To do that I had to get creative, so I purchased:

1 - Twin Foam Mattress pad at Target (got my 5%)
1 - Set of 6 bungee cords ($6)

I cut the foam to the size of the boards and I sandwiched a piece of foam between two boards and bungee corded them together.

Then I broke down my rack into three pieces, Top, Bottom and Base. The pieces snap back together easily.

I put all the pieces in my truck, unloaded and setup at the party in under 10 minutes. Everyone was shopping before I could finish setting up.

I broke down in even less time at the end of the party and go everything back home with no problems. I think this is the easiest setup I've ever made for any event. I also sell handmade makeup that I make and my show setups are a bit more involved and I have to do demos and answer tons of questions. The $5 jewelry sells itself - literally.


SIDE NOTE: 
All the proceeds from my jewelry sales benefit The Fairy Godmother Initiative - an organization that I founded 8 years ago that provides girls with a FREE dress for prom. To learn more about the charity visit http://ctpromdress.com.

You can help support our event by donating a gently used dress, purchasing $5 jewelry at http://5dollarblingfix.com or by making a small monetary donation here.

INTERESTED IN STARTING YOUR OWN $5 JEWELRY BUSINESS? 

Get started with only $99. 

How to Make a Headband Roll for Your Jewelry Display

If you plan on hosting home parties or grabbing a table at a craft show or community event, you want to make sure to have an awesome display for your products. In my previous post, I shared some basics on how I created my display using Pegboards.

Today, I want to share how I made some quick and easy rolls for my headbands.  The best part is that the roll slips right onto the top bar of my jewelry displays. Nifty, eh!

This is a NO SEW, NO GLUE, NO BRAINER kind of project. You can whip is up literally in minutes.

You'll needs some pretty basic supplies, some you may already have on hand:

• A roll of paper towel (on-hand)
• Scrap fabric or a Fat Quater (old curtains, an old dress - no need to buy fabric)
• Straight Pins or Tape

Basically all you are going to do is cut the fabric so you have excess on each side. So place your paper towel roll in the center of the fabric and make sure it covers the roll around and that you have tails on each side of the roll. 

Pin the fabric in place and tuck the fabric through the side openings of the roll.  

I made a Youtube video on how to make a LOW COST Headband roll to get your started. Once you watch this you'll want to make a ton of these. 

I'd love to see your creations, please share your comments and post links to your creations.

DIY Jewelry Display for Shows

This past weekend I set out to create my jewelry display for upcoming shows.  I found some great information on setting up a display using peg board and a clothing rack. The set up was pretty easy.

PEG BOARD & RACK

I purchased one big piece 48 x 80 of peg board at Home Depot and had them cut it into 24 x 30 pieces for me. I had the extra piece cut into two 24 x 20 pieces.

I purchased a $15 clothing rack and s-hooks at Walmart.

The peg boards came in white so I spray painted them black. Then I decided it would be cool to have the Paparazzi logo and my URL on the peg boards for branding. So I decided to screenprint two of the boards.

SCREENPRINTING

I created the logo in using my silhouette and vinyl. There are a ton of tutorials on Youtube on how to create a vinyl stencil using the silhouette, so I won't go over that.  HOWEVER, if you would like to a stencil but don't have a way to create one - click here to order one.

Since I created my stencil using adhesive vinyl I was able to stick it to one of my screen printing screens. I taped off any areas I didn't want paint to flow through. Only the white areas will print.

Screen printing can sound intimidating but it's not hard, creating the stencil or screen is the hardest part. If you don't have a screen, you can create one using an embroidery hoop and a fine mesh curtain - just make sure your curtain is very taut before applying your stencil. 

I positioned my stencil on the screen and just where I wanted it.  I flooded the screen first - this means that I covered all the white areas with ink before laying it down on the peg board for printing. This ensures you get an even color print. 

I scraped all excess back to the top, I layed the screen over my board and using a credit card or something with a similar edge I pulled the paint down.  finally I gently lifted the screen to reveal my masterpiece. 

Isn't it cool? 

In my next post, we will tackle creating a headband display.