Brainstorming

Well things are coming together nicely for these next couple of shows coming up. Not sure if I mentioned this or not, but about a month after my Renegade/Chicago show I've got another one in North Carolina, "Craft Attack!". Initially I was requested to apply by one of the organizers of the event, and after poking around online I was a little hesitant since there wasn't a whole lot on them. It'll be their first show, so it's a gamble. But after a few days of correspondence, I was sold on the event and applied. They've really done their research on the location, which is in the proximity of two colleges and lots of trendy hangouts. So hopefully it'll be a successful show. If nothing else, it should be fun, and it's a LOT closer than The Windy City. (Only 4 hours away!)

Anyhow, with these two shows coming up and the next ICE in the winter, getting the kinks ironed out for my displays is a smart move. One issue that needed resolving from the last show was the space organization. Although those 2 giant panels I brought did a great job displaying the shirts, they were bulky, heavy, and pretty unstable (we had to put the legs of the table on the their bases to keep them from tipping!)

Also shelvesSo after a bit of brainstorming, I came up with a comparable idea that saves space, weight, and actually looks a lot better in the end. It's pretty simple - a thin strip of styrene plastic (leftovers from the washing machine print job) j-clipped (sorry for the fancy signage jargon!) to the corner poles of my shelves. The strips are fitted with velcro squares which then attach to removable hooks that hold up the shirts. Amazingly, it's very stable, too. Those clips hold a ton of weight.

Another thing I want to do for these shows is sell buttons individually. The packs sell just ok, but they've been in my store for ages now, and I want to mix it up. So for the show (and I'm not sure if I'll be doing this online yet), I'll have a giant felt mat affixed with dozens of buttons. Today I managed to come up with another 25 different designs, so those will be released along with the Smile, Monkeys, and Sailors classics. Which means that for the next week, I will be on my office floor crouched over the button machine pumping these things out. Fun times.

Actually, it kind of is fun. Tedious, repetitive, and mindless, but somehow a bit theraputic...

In other news, the "secret" project is coming along nicely. I had a little stress-out session when they first came in and we couldn't produce them as I'd envisioned, but with a little adjustment we were able to get them back on track. Happily, they'll be out in September as planned. Yay!

posted by Mr. Linty @ 10:54 PM,

5 Comments:

At 10:33 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

dude, can't wait to see this "secret" project. I keep checking back in hopes that something will be posted about it.

Keep up the great work.
- Thomas

 
At 4:41 PM, Blogger Mr. Linty said...

I'm excited too! It's coming along at a nice clip now. Hopefully it's just the beginning of many more to come... :D

 
At 3:17 PM, Blogger Handmade Faire said...

Hey -

I've been reading your blog for a while, found you through flickr a few months ago. I don't know how far you travel for shows, but I'm actually the promoter for the Handmade Faire: Halloween Edition, in Medford NJ, and it is something that would be right up your ally!
More info here: www.handmadefaire.com

Are you on Etsy?

thanks!
Abbie

 
At 9:10 PM, Blogger Mr. Linty said...

Abby,

Nope, no etsy, just lintyfresh.com. Thanks for the info on the show, but I won't be able to attend. Any other events you guys hold. If so, when?

 
At 7:27 PM, Blogger AbbieRoad said...

Hey Eric -

This is the same Abbie that runs the Handmade Faire, just logged in personally hehe -

There will be another Handmade Faire in April. Location TBD, either Waretown NJ or Medford, NJ. Probably around the 20th, before Mother's Day.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home