Increase Your Bottom Line by Bisque Imports How to Use Tag-Alongs Add new dimension and a unique twist to bisque with one simple touch - Tag-Alongs! Easily painted and applied by adults and children alike, add-on products allow even the most basic designs to produce great results. Tag-Alongs are small, dimensional bisque shapes that are designed to be used as decorations on larger bisque shapes. They also make great magnets and may have holes drilled in them for hanging. Mix them with bisque or glass beads and voila, a fun necklace or garland. Add-on shapes range from flat, plain designs and flat embossed pieces to tiny 3D shapes (Tots). Tag-Alongs also come in extra large sizes for statement-making artwork! Tag-Alongs and Tots are fun and easy to use. The best way to attach Tag-Alongs is to glaze and fire the pieces together in the kiln. This fusing technique allows the finished product to be more durable. Using texture paint as glue, you may attach your painted Tag-Along to your painted base piece. Be careful when dipping your pieces into clear glaze as the pieces are not permanently attached. If you do not have texture paint, you may dip the pieces separately then place Tag-Alongs in the desired location prior to firing. If you do not wish to fuse the pieces in the kiln, you may fire the pieces separately then glue the pieces together with E6000 glue. This method is good when attaching a piece to a vertical surface such as a vase. Do not use glue on an area intended for contact for food or beverages. Tag-Alongs Project Ideas As with any product, samples sell! Take the time to create samples that demonstrate the variety of uses for Tag-Alongs. One extra large Tag-Along, such as a star, fused to the center of a plate offers a simple design for even the youngest artists or adults looking for a crisp, clean look. Add texture and spunk to a solid-colored serving piece by fusing a variety of flower shapes and leaves to the rim -- the simple background will make the Tag-Alongs pop! Dip small round Tag-Alongs into swirls of color and apply around the rim of a dinner plate or serving piece. Leave the base piece unpainted to enhance the colors. For a more advanced project, drill holes along the edge of a platter or charger plate. Attach Tag-Alongs to the base piece and paint a design over the entire piece -- such as a large sun. Allowing your design to flow over the Tag-Alongs, regardless of their shape, will make the completed project even more interesting. After the piece has been fired, string Bisque Beads and glass beads to the piece with colorful copper wire. While project ideas run the gamut from the simple star plate to the elaborate sun platter, the opportunities for Tag-Along projects are endless. Some of the most popular uses for Tag-Alongs are:
Picture Frames: Attach nautically-themed shapes to document a recent vacation to the coast. Several reindeer flying through the sky add whimsy to a holiday-inspired frame. Plates / Platters: Birthday-inspired Tag-Alongs such as cupcakes, gifts and party hats provide the perfect touch to birthday plate for children. Boxes: Add a 3D Tag-Along (Tot!) to the top of a box to create a festive knob. Tiles: Fuse a large Tag-Along, such as a 4" Letter to a 6" tile for a personalized note board. Mugs / Cereal Bowls: Fuse a Tag-Along to the inside (bottom) of a mug for a surprise after the goodies are all gone! Drill holes in the rim of a large serving bowl and a variety of Halloween-themed Tag-Alongs. After firing, dangle the Tag-Alongs from the bowl for a funky treat bowl. Home Decor: Extra large letters (8"") make colorful adornments for a room when Tag-Alongs are fused to them. Marketing Your Tag-Alongs In addition to adding color and texture to ceramic projects, Tag-Alongs add revenue! Customers usually include several Tag-Alongs one piece -- once they get started it's hard to stop! The typical markup on Tag-Alongs ranges from 300 - 600%. The combination of multiple sales and a healthy markup provides for increased sales. Take advantage of the additional dollars that these small items can generate for your business. It is a good idea to create a display area in your business that is dedicated to the sale of these revenue-enhancing shapes. Acrylic display units are available to neatly store the items. With themed shapes ranging from sports and animals to summer vacation and annual holidays, Tag-Alongs offer something for everyone. Increase your customers' knowledge of Tag-Alongs by using them in summer camp or after-school art projects, Father's Day and Mother's Day gift ideas and one-of-a-kind serving pieces. An enhanced awareness of the versatility of these items will captivate your customers' imagination and will encourage them to use the products repeatedly. Be sure to use your samples when hosting an event in your studio to show how fun and functional these add-on products are for daily use. Let your imagination run wild with these inventive and income-producing bisque shapes! For more Tag-Alongs and Tots ideas, visit The Gallery at . Have fun! |