It took me a very long time to figure out the best way to set up a display for shows. I was always looking for something out of the ordinary, which a lot of times ended up looking more bizarre than anything else. I admired the way other exhibitors artfully used large shells or wooden Christmas trees or an elegant suspension, but I finally realized that a set-up like that only worked if what was being presented was all the same style. In terms of style, my jewelry has lots of color, and that's about the only consistent theme. So what I have discovered is that I do best with black and white as a background and the simplest possible display pieces.
I am part of the retailers' group of Plomelin, the town I live in, and the local optician offered me the opportunity to do a window - couldn't pass that up! But I've never done a display window with my beads, and it took some thinking; luckily, his major display piece is white, and so my display forms fit right in. I had enough to select a dozen necklaces and a dozen pair of earrings (no bracelets this time, but I'm out of them anyway), but I had to ponder what extra touches to add. I finally came up with some silvered chunks that I had bought a box of to decorate for Christmas and never used, and those filled in the empty spaces on the shelves. To add visual appeal and to show off (frankly!), I took two square glass vases and filled them with all the rest of my necklaces. (I was tempted to just fill them with beads, but the idea of having to sort all those beads later was too overwhelming. In any case, getting all the necklaces out of my work space has given me a bit of time to reorganize!)
Then I had rather a difficult time getting a photo, as the glass window reflected everything. I managed to get a couple off-center this morning, finally, before the sun was shining directly on the window! I like driving by and seeing the window filled with my creations ...
