Wind is not my friend.........

by Staci Louise Smith

So I had my last show of the year last weekend (my last outdoor art show that is).  The weekend was supposed to be gorgeous, but windy.  Gusts up to 30MPH.  

I was a wreck leading up to the show.  It is in a huge field with little to no cover or things to break the wind.  

:sigh:

Anyhow, I have a pretty wind proof display.  I do almost all outdoor shows, and our springs and falls here in northeast PA are certainly unpredictable.  I have done some REALLY windy shows.  

I have seen tents go flying, or even just break apart while the legs stay staked.  Not to mention its is near impossible to keep displays up in high winds.

I am happy to report that I faired well. I was in a partially sheltered area- a building not far away and some trees off to another side.  I was also completely surrounded by tents.  So I did not take the full brunt of the wind.

Anyhow, I know I have shared this before but I just wanted to give some windy day tent tips to you guys once more.  It is not only important to be prepared for YOU, but so your tent doesn't fly into anyone elses.

Here are some pics of my set up.  I use these large rubber flat weights that are 22lbs each. I put one on each leg.  

Then I add on top of that, bags of sand.  I think they are about 30lbs each.  to make them look nicer I got brown pillow cases for on top.

you can see the sandbags in brown on top of the black weights in the outer lower corners of the picture

I used to use the homemade PVC / cement weights.  What I didn't like about them is they attached around the frame of the tent, and put pressure on it.  plus, I have seen tents flip, even with these on them.

Still, they do a decent job, and are much nicer to lug around.  I would say they are the most popular though.

Here is a link to a blog that has a wonderful description of how to make them!  step by step!  Thanks Jen!!!

http://hellrazor-art.blogspot.com/2014/04/diy-canopy-tent-weights.html

 I bungee cord my shutters that display my earrings to the tent, 

my shelves have displays on them, and on the back each one has a HUGE rock or brick.  

My crates have bricks and cement blocks.......

and duct tape is your friend for bust displays and everything else

(you can't even see it, but almost everything in this picture is duct taped from behind...its black tape)

you know, its a lot to lug around, but you don't' sell anything if you are spending your whole time picking up jewelry or holding onto things.

Anyhow, I could say at the end of the show, "Look Toto, we are still in Kansas"..................though at times, I feared I wouldn't be.

More on Displays, Lets Keep the ball rolling..............

by Staci Smith

I love talking about my display, after all, I worked hard on it, and it has changed and evolved over time.  I learned a lot the hard way, and the other stuff from other peoples bad experiences....so I like to share what I know, in hopes of helping someone out when they start outdoor shows. 
The thing that I have worked the most on is the ease of set up and tear down.  I don't always have my hunky hubs to help me, and some shows are a battle to get your car in and out....not to mention, I am tired and hungry by the end of the weekend, and want to get home as quickly as possible.  Some shows even require you set up and tear both days- everything!!! (like if they are on a street which needs to re-open for the evening). 

So, here is a bit about my set up and my favorite tips to share.

 

 

First of all, I highly reccomend an EZ up tent with walls.  They truely are easy to set up and tear down, and the new ones even have walls that velcro to the top.

(Bethlehm Fine Arts Festival 2013)

 

The next thing I reccomend is GOOD tent weights.  I used to the cement in PVC ones that hung from your tent, the kind you can easily make yourself, and they were good,
but I found they are very hard on the tent frame, and still allow too much flexibility in high winds (in other words, my tent still jumped a few feet even with them in wind gusts). 

I now have these,

http://www.hutshop.com/rubberweight.html

 

 

and I love them.  I put a sandbag (that is in a pretty brown pillow case) on top of each,

and have had no problems.  It secures it from the bottom, so you don't have to worry about tent height and re-adjusting the hanging weights.  Plus they stack nicely in my truck.

 

The next two items I took a lot of time on, were, ease of set up and tear down, and wind-proofing.

 

I know I shared this before, but I will share it again for anyone who is new.  I love these displays for my necklaces.  (for windproofing, they are velcro'd to the shelves and they have big rocks on the back).

 

I can leave my pieces directly on them,

 

 

and I just made slipcovers that go on top....

 

 

then they stack together,

 

 

and I put them in a tote.

 

 

Any bust displays I use, I take the necklace off and hang it on one of these

 

 

 

and then pack them up by tying fabric around them so the chains and such don't move.  Then I drop them in the tote too.

 



 

 

Rings go in a baggie.  drop in tote.

 

 

 

The rest of my jewelry is displayed in trays, that can then just be stacked (jewelry still inside) and packed into a tray case.

 

(jewelry tote and tray case)
 

 

The only items that need to be put out individually are my earrings from a tray onto the earring display- which is just shutter doors spray painted to my liking.

 

 

and my bracelets from a tray onto their display (which is just sewn linen filled with rice).

 

 

I use two crates and two sets of folding shelves to create height and use my space to the max.  The crates double as storage.  One holds my "checkout" bag, that has all my packaging and checkout materials, and the other holds all the bust displays.  This helps to maximize space in the vehicle, because that is pretty limited.

 

It has been quite a process, but I think I finally have it down to a style I love, and an ease that suits me.  My tables are light and easy to set up, my table cloths are fitted and don't wrinkle, so I can just ball them up, ect ect ect. 

Here are the pics of my set up, a little tour, less broken up. 

(brag break- I won Third in Show for my piece "All Knowing" this past weekend- my first Art award!)

 

 

 So thats my logic, how can I make it easy, sturdy and pretty?  Think about how you can make set up and tear down more efficient.  Utilize your space in your car too (using crates for display helps me a lot, because they double as storage for the car). 

I loved what Libby shared the other day, and really hope that works for her.  What little things have you found that save you time or space in your display?