"Seeing Is Believing"---"Or Is It?"

CHALK ART

Julian Beever is an English artist who's famous for his anamorphic art on the pavements of England, France, Germany, Australia, Belgium, and the US. He is often referred to as the "Pavement Picasso" for good reason. Beever gives an amazing illusion to his drawings, so that the objects appear to be three dimensional rather than flat as they actually are.

His drawings are so very awesome--see for yourself:

The child is real, however the pond, lily pads, and frog are all chalk drawings.

The boy is real but the butterfly and it's shadow are chalk drawings.

This is drawing is a "work in progress"--Julian is leaning on a special seat so he can draw his piece of art work.

Here is the completed drawing. Can you believe that the little boy is standing flat on the pavement? Yea, this is totally amazing isn't it?

Another amazing thing is that many people consider his art work "graffiti", and feel that these drawings do not belong on public streets. Thank goodness most people really enjoy his art work and have a very positive reaction to it.

The girl holding the small glass is real--however, the ladder, big bottle, and tall glass are all flat drawings on the pavement. Hey, did you see the tiny Julian Beever on the big bottle cap? This is sooooo cool!

The 3D aspect of Julians work came about when he was working in Brussels. Julian says, "I decided to get into 3D after seeing the effect of tiles being removed from the street and later trying to create a sense of depth in a drawing".

The large tile taken out of the pavement and the hole left there are chalk drawings that show the 3D aspect of his work. Notice the people trying to avoid the hole in the pavement? It sure looks real.

This is no hole in the pavement, just another piece of pavement art by Julian--WOW!!!

Sometimes seeing is believing--or is it? To be con't--ttyl

"Celebrate, Celebrate, Dance to the Music...'

Celebrate, Celebrate, dance to the music---Celebrate, Celebrate, dance to the music--

Yes, celebrate, celebrate and dance to the music because my darling laptop is back home where the heart is. She's quite fit and ready to "Rock and Roll" with me once again. WooHoo!!!

And now I leave you with a big smile...ttyl

Oh Me, Oh My, I Think I'll Cry!

Boo hoo, boo hoo--yes, I'm crying --Why? Because I have been separated from my laptop. Yes, incredible as it may seem--I am without my dear sweet laptop. No, she hasn't moved out and no, she hasn't run away--she's really sick and had to be brought to the Staples computer hospital.


It was truly an emergency--because if she wasn't taken to the computer hospital at Staples she might have been bitten, kicked, stamped upon with both of my feet, punched, or maybe even thrown against a brick wall to be smashed into tiny non-recognizable pieces.

Pooh, pooh, pooh , how really sad it is that a mere machine can drive me to become annoyed, frustrated, and down right angry. Especially, since I am usually a calm, patient, and non-violent human being?

Well, at least I haven't been driven to drink, or torn my hair out---yet! "So, how sick was she", you ask? "Very ,very, very sick", I answer back.

That little "she-devil" stopped in the middle of me typing, and if I was lucky enough to get her to continue she'd exasperate me by jumping 2 sentences back. Ms laptop made it painful for me to hightlight, copy, paste, edit, reply to an email and these are just a few of the symptoms of this very, very,very sick laptop of mine.

So, I cry, boo hoo, boo hoo--yes, I'm suffering from separation anxiety. "This is crazy", you say? Yup, you're right! So, what makes a fairly emotionally healthly mature adult get to feel this way? Well, I guess I have to tell you! It's relying too much on my laptop for communicating with others, for searching for information, for finding out how to get somewhere by car, for the weather, for the news, for shopping, and so much more. Yes, becoming dependant on a mere machine! Sound familiar to you--hey, look in the mirror--I bet you are me. Enough said--ttyl

Craft Fair Selling--"Don'ts and Do's"

Selling your handcrafted jewelry on line sucks big time! Why??? Because of all the time and effort that's needed to promote your wares to an unseen population of potential customers. And, because anyone else selling jewelry on line is doing exactly what you are doing. Competition is positively enormous. So, where else do we sell our creations? Well, private jewelry parties are great, but hard to come by. So, we turn to the "craft fairs", "handmade fairs", and the holiday fairs.Yes, the "fairs" they are a fabulous selling venue. The promoting for the event is not in your hands--ahhhhh, what a joy. And, a joy it is to be able to see your potential customers, to promote your creations in the "Flesh". Who better to promote your jewels than you, the designer.

Here's some "Don'ts" when selling at a craft fair:

1. Don't appear to be bored, negative, or unhappy--when you go to the fair with the attitude that you are going to have a good time no matter what.

2.Don't eat, read, or chat in your booth or behind your table when potential customers are around. Most likely a customer will walk right past you because they don't want to interrupt your activity. Hey, you're there to sell and to foster a relationship with new or repeat customers. Not possible when doing some other activity.

3. Don't create a display that is "over done"--placing everything you have on your table is too overwhelming--you know the saying--"less is better"--try to use your vertical space to your advantage.

4. Don't be controlled by your weaknesses--if you are not good at selling then challenge yourself in this area and if you are shy, use this opportunity to be more outgoing. Don't let anything be an obstacle to your success.




5. Don't sell the same old stuff. How boring for a repeat customer to see the same things on your table.

6. Don't purchase new things unnecessarily. You can reduce your costs and keep your inventory more streamlined if you save your extra beads, scraps from wire, and use them in a piece of jewelry.

7. Don't sell yourself short. Develop a pricing strategy that takes in account your material costs, your time, your overhead, and a percentage of profit. I a customer doesn't appreciated how much skill it took to made a piece, avoid being defensive--educate them.

Now, here's some "Do's" when selling at craft fairs:

1. Do choose your fairs carefully. If you haven't participated in a fair research it to make sure it is the type of fair for you. Check out "The Crafts Report" on line--craftsreport.com. You will get lots of info here.

2.Do have a mailing list and a marketing plan. Let past and potential customers know about your fair schedules. Success happens when you get the word out about your fair.

3. Do act pleasantly to potential customers and the "Fair Producers". If you are unpleasant when selling you will most certainly turn customers away. If you are unpleasant with the fair's producers then you might find that you will not be able to return to sell at that fair again.

4. Do think creatively about displays sales, raffles, coupons, and payment plans for your customers especially during these dificult economic times. If the overhead is too high then try to get a friend to share a booth with.

5. Do take a long view on success. If you have a less than successful fair--learn from it, try to improve. It is important to work to establish long-term relationships with your customers. One smart tactic is to set up a future sale.

6. Do have a next step strategy. When you make a sale let the customer know that you gaurantee your work. If customers need any adjustments or repairs let them know that they can call you to do the work. Also let them know that special orders are welcomed.

7. Do protect yourself from theft. Have a strategy to safeguard your work and your money. Be attentive to what is going on at your table or booth.

Hey guys, by no means is this a full list of the "Don'ts and Do's" for being successful at Craft Fairs. But it's certainly a good beginning!

Good Luck selling in the "FLESH"!!!

Okay--I'm finished for now...