On the Craft Fair Circuit
October 8th, 2007 by Jen LoveCandace and I participated in another craft show this weekend, a small, local show in connection with a church. There seem to be so many this time of year. With only a month to prepare we have spent every spare minute with a needle in hand or adding the finishing touches and wanted to show you the fruits of our labor!
Here Candace is sitting with my mom. We all brought our yarn to help the time pass by. You would think with the blisters that we came with we wouldn’t be eager to pick our needles up but 5 straight hours with no baby seemed like an opportunity too rare to pass up. It also helps too to not stare down those who are slowly perusing our stuff or not to wait for their facial affirmation.
And yes, though we had some adorable stuff it did not all get bought, so if anything catches your eye you of course can check out our shops and make it your own! Candaces‘ crocheted clutches with felt embellishment are so yummy and her large felted totes! Her polymer clay earrings are definitely worth checking out too!
And I had an assortment of new felted bags and totes that I have been working on for fall, trying to have patience to make larger bags since so many people have wanted bags that hold everything! I’ve gotten back in to making jewelry too which is fun but hard not to keep them all for myself.
We even had the opportunity to advertise the craft show and Craftydaisies on a local tv show. Four minutes of fame that has come and gone but will definitely not be forgotten, at least for Candace and I. If you have had any great experiences or funny stories from doing shows please share! I can’t believe it but we are already entertaining the thought of doing another one!
October 9th, 2007 at 12:17 am
[...] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptI’ve gotten back in to making jewelry too which is fun but hard not to keep them all for myself…. [...]
October 9th, 2007 at 5:03 am
yay for you guys!! the stuff looks amazing!
stories from trade shows……are you kidding? i am pretty sure mine is the most hilariously horrible story in the history of trade show tales. Here’s the cliff notes version::
Did the Atlanta show and it was wonderful. lots of great people and sales. got invited to the New York Gift Fair and was juried into the Handmade Division. Being so flattered at the opportunity, i withheld all good judgment, and forged ahead to New York….on a plane…by myself …with FOUR gigantic suitcases!! Set up was quite difficult, even after i figured out how to get those suitcases to my booth! While in NYC my hotel room was robbed!! Laptop and everything was gone. Forged ahead with the show…horrible sales! Then i was off to San Diego for next show….by myself! Set up San Diego show…suitcase problems again. Met an old friend for dinner…so sweet. And then promptly got food poisoning. Threw up for over 8 hours…by myself…in a hotel room across the country. Had to go to the emergency room for IV. Next day, packed up booth…poor sales….by myself…and dragged my tired, sick, poor, sad, lonely butt home!
The lessons::
1. never do those shows alone. You totally need help with all your stuff!
2. if it doesn’t feel right….listen to your gut. I knew i wasn’t supposed to go…but i just HAD to do those shows!
3. Be careful where you want your business to take you. You can lose yourself the “biggness” of things.
October 9th, 2007 at 6:38 am
Good advice Stephanie. I’m doing my first show on October 28th. It’s 10 blocks from my house. I’m trying to stay local for now
October 9th, 2007 at 7:07 am
Congrats on the show! I’ve been doing a local weekly market for months and I’ve made lots of mistakes and learned tons. Don’t drink too much coffee in the morning!
October 11th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Such beautiful felted purses!
October 11th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Great show, congratulations. The felted bags are gorgeous.
October 12th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Your blogs are delightful! Looking at them is so relaxing and, I must admit, inspiring as to possible creative outlets I may dabble in sometime in the future.
Best wishes,
Hollie
October 12th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
[...] there’s a “Crafts Circuit” that I wasn’t fully aware of, and well, it’s awesome! I want to do crafts so bad [...]
October 12th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
[...] there’s a “Crafts Circuit” that I wasn’t fully aware of, and well, it’s awesome! I want to do crafts so bad [...]
October 18th, 2007 at 6:39 am
very nice scarfs! {scarves?}
March 15th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
You made some clear points there