Showing posts with label craft show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label craft show. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
It's Craft Show Season!
It's here... Holiday Craft Show Season (a.k.a No Sleep Till January Season)! I'll be part of the Queen City Craft Bazaar and the Women's Festival of Crafts, and have my work available at the WAG Holiday Market and as part of the "Think out of the Box" show at the Block Gallery. Considering that my first show EVER was the Queen City Craft Bazaar all the way back in June, it's a little crazy how fast I've expanded. So no, I don't sleep, and yes, I really enjoy it. It's maddening and exciting and overwhelming and satisfying and terrifying all at the same time. So come out and support me!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Upcycled Planters at Vergennes Day!
I've realized I have a deep and ridiculous love of turning discarded toys, accessories and home goods into planters, and since they're so hard to ship, I'm booking as many craft shows as possible before it starts freezing outside. So mark your calendars, plant lovers, because I'll be at Vergennes Day on Saturday, August 26th! So stop by and say hello, and pick up a few of these planters so they can stop living on my porch :)
Oh yeah, and they'll be a ton more toy planters - the 7 dwarves, 18 dinosaurs, 6 jungle animals, and a few other surprises...
Oh yeah, and they'll be a ton more toy planters - the 7 dwarves, 18 dinosaurs, 6 jungle animals, and a few other surprises...
Thursday, July 21, 2011
ONE World Market
Woo hoo! Next craft show coming up next Saturday! Stop by the ONE (that stands for the Old North End) World Market at 191 North Street in Burlington on July 30th from 10 - 4 and pick up a one of a kind planter from my booth.
ONE World Market on Facebook
Besides the fun of getting to meet buyers in person, I also love that I can sell items at craft shows that I never sell on etsy because, well, I just don't want to ship them. So all the recycled bags I post on etsy will be there, but also a whole bunch of planters (with plants!) made from odd and interesting items like old plastic toys, switch plates, pots, pans, tea cups, doll heads, shoes... If it holds dirt, I've put a plant in it.
I've also taken a look at the work of some of the other vendors and it should be a really neat small show. So come and say hi!
ONE World Market on Facebook
Besides the fun of getting to meet buyers in person, I also love that I can sell items at craft shows that I never sell on etsy because, well, I just don't want to ship them. So all the recycled bags I post on etsy will be there, but also a whole bunch of planters (with plants!) made from odd and interesting items like old plastic toys, switch plates, pots, pans, tea cups, doll heads, shoes... If it holds dirt, I've put a plant in it.
I've also taken a look at the work of some of the other vendors and it should be a really neat small show. So come and say hi!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Confessions of a First Time Craft Show Vendor
May was a blur. That pretty much sums it up. I exhibited at my very first craft show - the Queen City Craft Bazaar - on June 4th, so May whipped by like a hurricane. I really didn't know what to expect. I researched other bloggers' advice, I mocked up my booth, I gathered supplies, I sewed and painted until my fingers were raw and purple (from the paint...). And on June 4th, I rocked it!
Because I have a day job, I was able to push the looming deadline out of my mind for most of May and focus on supervising 14 national service members. Folks, this was a mistake. I spent the first half of May making a few items, dreaming of what my booth would look like, and heck, even relaxing a bit. But the second half of May...that was a different story. I had the misfortune of seeing a calendar which spelled out exactly how many days I had until I needed to be set up and available to the public. And I freaked out. And got depressed and overwhelmed, which is my way in the face of the unknown. But then I slapped myself around and realized this was "go time", so I buckled down and made a TON of merch in a 2 week span. It started off with a small pile of fabric and ended with my entire bedroom and living covered in bags, chalk boards, and dinosaur planters. And a cute cat:
The night before was CHAOS. May I make a suggestion to all future exhibitors? DON'T WAIT UNTIL 12 HOURS BEFORE THE SHOW TO SET UP YOUR BOOTH IN YOUR HOUSE!!!! I realized that 3 of my display pieces wouldn't fit, including a large table and a clothing rack. And I admit it, I lost it. There were tears. There was a very handsome partner trying to talk me down off a ledge. And there were SO MANY BASKETS full of stuff in my living room. Had I thought to try this ahead of time, I would have had enough time to revamp the display in a thoughtful way. Instead, I hacked together a solution by cutting out some of the items I brought to the show and grabbing a coat rack out of the bedroom. It was ok in the end, but not ideal.
And, I highly recommend getting a sign with your logo ahead of time. My dear Josh was kind enough the day before the show to take my logo and trace it onto a piece of wood using a projector propped up on a step stool, a few books and a towel, and he hand painted the design to perfection It was amazing and such a relief to have. That's right, we were DIYing it within an inch of our lives.
Saturday morning came (way too early in the morning) and we loaded up our two cars and drove down the hill to One Main Street in Burlington. After all my fussing about getting there on time, there were only a few other vendors when we arrived and I started regretting that extra 45 minutes of sleep I denied myself. Coffee only takes me so far, my friends. But with a fantastic load in, a lot of futzing on my part, and a partner who was smart enough to high tail it out of there when I started getting antsy, it came together.
It was a long day. It started at 7:30am and didn't end until 6:30pm. And I was beat. And it was hot in that building. But I did do one thing really well - I invited one of my best friends to spend the day there with me. And we had a blast! Many people shared with us that we looked like we were having a great time and that was part of the reason they stopped at my booth. And you know what, we were! I adored talking to all the quirky, wonderful people who were attracted to my work, and the other fabulous vendors, and my friend. I had a a blast. And I made 23 sales, which was pretty fantastic when I found out at the end of the day that two neighboring vendors didn't have a single sale all day. One of them actually asked me for advice. Really? Me? First time vendor? Woot!
Another major success of the day? Load out took 24 minutes. We were the champions of load out. We kicked load out's butt.
And, I came home with so much less than I brought. It was truly excellent. I forgot how much I miss interacting with the fabulous people who buy my stuff until I had an entire day to talk to them. The internet, she is wonderful, but sometimes it's just a blast telling silly stories with other eccentric artsy people.
The result? I've already applied for another show in November. I could get used to this "in person" thing :)
Because I have a day job, I was able to push the looming deadline out of my mind for most of May and focus on supervising 14 national service members. Folks, this was a mistake. I spent the first half of May making a few items, dreaming of what my booth would look like, and heck, even relaxing a bit. But the second half of May...that was a different story. I had the misfortune of seeing a calendar which spelled out exactly how many days I had until I needed to be set up and available to the public. And I freaked out. And got depressed and overwhelmed, which is my way in the face of the unknown. But then I slapped myself around and realized this was "go time", so I buckled down and made a TON of merch in a 2 week span. It started off with a small pile of fabric and ended with my entire bedroom and living covered in bags, chalk boards, and dinosaur planters. And a cute cat:
The night before was CHAOS. May I make a suggestion to all future exhibitors? DON'T WAIT UNTIL 12 HOURS BEFORE THE SHOW TO SET UP YOUR BOOTH IN YOUR HOUSE!!!! I realized that 3 of my display pieces wouldn't fit, including a large table and a clothing rack. And I admit it, I lost it. There were tears. There was a very handsome partner trying to talk me down off a ledge. And there were SO MANY BASKETS full of stuff in my living room. Had I thought to try this ahead of time, I would have had enough time to revamp the display in a thoughtful way. Instead, I hacked together a solution by cutting out some of the items I brought to the show and grabbing a coat rack out of the bedroom. It was ok in the end, but not ideal.
And, I highly recommend getting a sign with your logo ahead of time. My dear Josh was kind enough the day before the show to take my logo and trace it onto a piece of wood using a projector propped up on a step stool, a few books and a towel, and he hand painted the design to perfection It was amazing and such a relief to have. That's right, we were DIYing it within an inch of our lives.
Saturday morning came (way too early in the morning) and we loaded up our two cars and drove down the hill to One Main Street in Burlington. After all my fussing about getting there on time, there were only a few other vendors when we arrived and I started regretting that extra 45 minutes of sleep I denied myself. Coffee only takes me so far, my friends. But with a fantastic load in, a lot of futzing on my part, and a partner who was smart enough to high tail it out of there when I started getting antsy, it came together.
It was a long day. It started at 7:30am and didn't end until 6:30pm. And I was beat. And it was hot in that building. But I did do one thing really well - I invited one of my best friends to spend the day there with me. And we had a blast! Many people shared with us that we looked like we were having a great time and that was part of the reason they stopped at my booth. And you know what, we were! I adored talking to all the quirky, wonderful people who were attracted to my work, and the other fabulous vendors, and my friend. I had a a blast. And I made 23 sales, which was pretty fantastic when I found out at the end of the day that two neighboring vendors didn't have a single sale all day. One of them actually asked me for advice. Really? Me? First time vendor? Woot!
Another major success of the day? Load out took 24 minutes. We were the champions of load out. We kicked load out's butt.
And, I came home with so much less than I brought. It was truly excellent. I forgot how much I miss interacting with the fabulous people who buy my stuff until I had an entire day to talk to them. The internet, she is wonderful, but sometimes it's just a blast telling silly stories with other eccentric artsy people.
The result? I've already applied for another show in November. I could get used to this "in person" thing :)
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Queen City Craft Bazaar
I've been in sewing, painting and gluing overload which can only mean one thing...my first craft show is coming up!!! I literally started giggling with excitement when the online version of the poster showed up in my inbox yesterday.
So remember - June 4th - Main Street Landing - Burlington - be there!!
So remember - June 4th - Main Street Landing - Burlington - be there!!
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