A Peek into Production

Well, it's that time of year for me, the time of year when I crunch to have enough stock for the Berks Bead Bazaar in 6 weeks.  As of last weekend, I had nothing  to sell.  I still don't have anything sell ready, but my beads are underway.  So I thought I'd give you a peek into the madness, I mean, production.

I also have lots of new designs, including some toggle clasps!!!  I made my Moon Babies smaller this year, and shrank down some other designs as well, because sometimes they need to be the accent and not the focal.    So without further ado, here is the photo journey of bronze beads.

Bronze clay freshly molded, still damp

Then they go onto the hot plates....when I go into high production, two is not enough!  (I am not patient at all)

Next they get sanded with a soft sanding pad to smooth the edges, and holes get drilled at this point

Then they go onto a tray .

After that, they are fired in the kiln.

This is what they look like out of the kiln, with a light brass brushing under water to clean the carbon off.

You can see the finish is kinda matte- that's because the particles are not compressed yet.  The bronze is very porous at this stage.  To make it shiny and add strength, I put it into the tumbler with steel shot for anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the finish I want.

Looking into the tumbler when they are done polishing.

All shined up and ready for patina or a liver of sulfur bath.

The bunnies are new- and I plan to use ball head pins, balled on both sides, to rivet them to a backing.  I will hopefully have that to show one of these Mondays!

Here are some more of my new designs before they are cleaned up.  

I hope you enjoyed this peek into the process of bronze mass production. I really enjoy working this way- in batches!  I get into a nice groove and just go with it.

What about you?  Do like to work in big batches, or small / single projects?

The dirty M word

The dirty M word.....

....Do I have your attention now? :)

Well, for all intense purposes, the dirty M word today is MATH. If you were thinking that it was MONEY, well they are bedfellows but today let's talk a little about MATH and a simple equation to help keep you on track preparing for shows.

As I prepare inventory for BeadFest in Philadelphia in August, a question that's often raised to me in conversation is, "How do you know how many beads to make?" The short answer, since it is my first time there, is that, "I don't."  Now, there's all kinds of equations I could use to try and figure it out but the one that I'm finding most helpful to keep me on track with production and keep my momentum going is this:


SALES = QUANTITY(AVERAGE ITEM PRICE)

Let's break it down:

Sales: Since I don't know what my sales will be, this number is the most enigmatic. I have nothing to base this number on in reality. I do have an approximate idea of what my budget and expenses will be and I do know how many other vendors as well as a round figure of attendees. So, this number is the variable. It could be low and it could be high....I won't know until after the show.


Quantity: This is the number I can most control. The number of beads I make has a direct impact, in terms of production anyway, that will determine my sales.


Average Item Price: This might be the most confusing part. Do you know your average item price? Your average item price is the median price point of what you are selling. If you add up the retail cost of all of your items (beads, in my case) and divide it by the number of items, you will have your average item price. 


For simplicity sake, if you sell earrings, some may be as high as $50 and some may be as low as $15.  If you add up the retail value of all of your earrings, we'll say $1000 and divide it by the number of earrings you have, let's say 100 items, you average item price is $10.




Let's plug that number in to our formula:

SALES =  100(10). So in this case, if you sold all 100 pairs, your sales would be $1000.




So, I'm giving you homework~


For next Thursday's post, I want you to find out the Average Item Price of what you make....and we'll discuss how we can impact our sales but increasing/decreasing our Average Item Price...and how you can use this number to help you plan your inventory for shows!






 

Bead Fest and the beginnings of production

by Barbara Bechtel

In December, as I was evaluating my plans for 2012, I was feeling a bit introspective and thought that this year would be my year for slowing down and reexamining the work I've been making and growing my roots deeper to help strengthen my work.

Not long after I had decided that, I was presented with an opportunity to exhibit at Bead Fest in Philadelphia in August. I was filled with anxiety about making that decision. It didn't seem to fit in with my plans at all. The more I thought about it, the more I began to wonder about this opportunity that the universe was presenting me with:

Perhaps, not only would this help reinforce my goals, but it might teach me a better way to answer the questions I keep asking myself.

Was this not the opportunity that I've worked so very hard for since I began making beads and jewelry over 3 years ago?

What did I stand to lose by jumping in with both feet, instead of sticking in my big toe to keep testing the water?

 image via

 "Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall. "
~Ray Bradbury

Unconsciously, I'd had the above image as a screensaver on my phone for several months. What was it that made me put it there in the first place? 

And so, with a giant leap, and a deep breath, I jump!

 the small beginnings of many months of work ahead....

What big LEAPS have made and did you find your wings on the way down?