Der Papierfuchs' first German Christmas market!

It was a cold and wintery morning, the car was packed with tables, decorations and the 'merchandise'. My husband and I were rugged up in jumpers, thermal underwear and thick winter jackets. It was time to do what I'd been wanting to do for years. Yes, I finally held a stall at a German Christmas market with my very own handmade jewellery.

Besides being a horribly cold and windy day, the day itself ran quite smoothly with only a few hiccups. The public were friendly and some were also generous, buying a few items. People were quite interested in the Memory Beads and I was able to hand out a few fliers to those interested.

Hubby kept me company and brought me delicious hot chocolate to warm my hands and belly. A champ indeed! It was almost like a date, the both of us sitting there chatting to each other when foot traffic was low. Even if I hadn't sold anything I still think being with my man all day would have been enough!

One of the most valuable part of the day was finally getting to meet the public and to hear what they had to say about the jewellery. A lot of people were excited by the Memory Beads, commenting that it was something they'd never seen before and which they liked. Unfortunately a lot of people were more interested in stud earrings rather than drop earrings (which was all I had), which cost me a fair few sales. I also got the feeling that the German ladies were more interested in subtle designs and that my designs would be better marketed towards a younger teenage crowd.

As you can see from the stall photo above, we should have thought more about flooring. We actually didn't think about it at all so when we arrived we found these dirty plastic tiles which really didn't help the look of the stall. Next time I know to ask about the flooring and to bring a broom and mop, or my own flooring.

Anyhow for a first time selling at a market, I think it went pretty well. Lots that worked well and lots of new things to work on and consider. I will be applying in the next few weeks for a stall at the Mädchen Klamoten Flo Markt which is an awesome women's clothing and accessories flea markets that runs monthly. I'll update the events page once I get dates for those markets.

In the meanwhile do take a look at my Etsy shop and Facebook page for updates and sales.

Until next time.
Kathy

Memory beads, taking photos of your loved ones and turning them into wearable memories

Lately I have been working on what I call 'Memory Beads' These are handcrafted paper beads that feature personal photos.

The idea came to me while thinking about what I could make a dear friend of mine for her Christmas gift. I knew that she still deeply missed her mother who she lost tragically and that a keep-sake of her mother, that she could keep with her, would really make her day. 

And so with that thought in mind I worked on creating a set of earrings and pendants that featured her favourite photo of her mother and her mother's handwriting which she spoke so of fondly.

Since sharing photos of my friends completed Christmas gift, I have received orders from others who wanted Memory Beads of their loved ones. Below is a beautiful vintage photo of a father who was recently lost and very much missed. The earrings and pendant set are finished with gold coloured beads and jewellery wire.The pendant itself is sold with a gold coloured necklace, which is not featured in this photo.

Following is another set featuring my grandmother on her wedding day. This set was a gift for my sister who had an extra special bond with our grandmother. 

 After having requests for necklaces with multiple beads I started to design and craft a series of bib necklaces such as the one below. Each bead features a different photo. In this example the photos are of a mother and her baby that the mother deems to be her favourites. The customer also requested that I make the photos black and white so that the final piece was something she could wear with any outfit. I personally think the black/white look is stunning!

 Here are two more examples of bib necklaces featuring another customer's children. The second one also features a photo of the children with their grandmother. The finished necklace was purchased specifically as a Christmas gift for the grandmother. 

 

One of the most surprising orders to date was the order for a pair of earrings and matching pendant which featured a family pet. At that point I only saw Memory Beads being for old family portraits but of course honouring a family pet was just as valid. Below is a photo of a set made featuring the cutest little dog Mook.

 

Here is another set of earrings featuring the sweetest of pooches! 

 Since making these beads and orders, I have come to realise that these beads would also be great for a variety of different photos such as 

Wedding photos/portraits 

Baby and Mother portraits

Vintage family photos

Special holiday photos

Pregnancy ultrasound photos

Really any photo that has a special meaning or memory attached to it for the customer would be perfect for a Memory Bead. 

For any of you reading this and wondering how you can order your own Memory Bead jewellery it is very simple. Just visit www.facebook.com/derpapierfuchs and send me a message detailing what you would like and your photos. Any mobile phone photo will work. Want an old family photo featured? Simply use your mobile to take a photo of the photo!  All payments are done through Etsy where you can pay with credit card or Paypal etc, and it is very secure! 

Hopefully you have enjoyed this post and the Memory Beads. Hopefully soon I will have the honour of turning your precious memories into Memory Beads too!

 

Etsy shop, slowly filling up and open for business

 For the last month or so I have almost completely stopped jewellery production and focused mainly on setting up my Etsy shop and Facebook page. Whilst I have over 100 pieces of jewellery ready to sell, the long process of writting listings and photographing items has at the moment taken most of my time and unfortunately will take a while longer. Did I mention I'm translating it all into German for local customers too? Yes I sure do have my work cut out for me.

I guess it wouldn't take so long if I wasn't such a fussy monkey, but I just want everything to look good and to read well. What is the point of offering a 50% effort if your customers mean so much to you?

The images featured in this post are screen shots from my Etsy store. I'm liking the clean crisp look I've been able to achieve with my photos. I'm hoping to have more model shots because I really believe the pieces look much better worn and you can get a real sense of how they would look when worn. 

Even though there will always be things I'll want to twig and change. I would really, really, really appreciate any feedback from you my dear blog readers. Do these photos capture your attention? Are the pieces even attractive to you as a potential customer?

Looking forward to your comments below, as I am here to please my customers not just myself.

Thank you for stopping by and remember to visit my etsy store, see if you can pick up some Christmas pressies perhaps! New listings every day.

It all started with a paper bead tutorial on Youtube

Have you ever watched a video on Youtube showing you how to make paper beads? Well don't, unless you're looking for a new addiction. It's all true what they say, once you've made your first paper bead, there is no going back! They are so very addictive.

So as you might have guessed, I HAVE watched those Youtube tutorial, I HAVE become addicted, as warned, and now I HAVE a mountain of paper beads that I am happily turning into paper bead jewellery and trading under the name Der Papierfuchs.

For me I think it's that little element of surprise, as you roll the paper up and watch the bead form under your thumb. You cannot always predict where the colours will go, what patterns will emerge. Papery excitement indeed!

It's funny how things happen sometimes, change of country, a change of language, different career or job opportunities because of these factors. But all in all, it looks like a change for the better. A change towards more passion, creativity and a chance to express my artistic side once again. (I was an artist before I was a teacher, before I was a crafter).

Thank you for dropping by. DO remember to visit my blog, thus keeping up to date with all that is happening at Der Papierfuchs and my big wooden desk/workbench!


xoxoxox