Craft Show Newbies...

So, this is for the first time craft vendors who might be freaking out a bit as the countdown to their show ticks away quickly.  I thought it might be helpful to offer some insight and tips that I picked up after this weekend at Chatty Crafty.

Tip #1: Sign up with a fellow vendor.

I can't imagine trying to do a booth without the support of a friend.  My friend Tracy, at Paper Wings, and I tackled our first craft show together.  It was great to have her feedback, accountability and motivation as we dove into this foreign world.  So, my number one tip would be, find a friend, split the fee and only have half of the stress and pressure.

Tip #2:  Make friends with your neighbors.

Not only does this make the craft show go by a lot faster during slow spurts, but you also have someone to watch your booth if you need to grab food or take a potty break. The best part is making new friends that you can network with in the future AND trade product with at the end of the show.  Liz over at Liddabits was the one who mentioned this.  What a concept!  She came over and picked out some of my handmade goods in exchange for designing this year's family Christmas card.  I can't wait to see it.  Thanks Liz and it was fun meeting you!

Tip #3:  Seek out a veteran vendor.

So, this kind of goes along with tip #2 although your neighbors may be in the same boat as you.  I have been a longtime admirer of Ivey Handcrafted. Her stuff is adorable, she is so talented and does custom orders. Go find her on facebook! So, on Friday night when we were nervously walking in, wouldn't you guess the first fellow vendor I spotted was Ivey Handcrafted.  I have to say that she is one of the most down to earth, approachable people I have every met.  Right before closing time, I ran down to get the scoop on how the craft show went. Obviously, I didn't have anything to compare it to.  She gave me some great advice and I look forward to chatting with her in the future! 


Tip #4: Wear your product!! (if you can)

Tracy and I both sold things right off our bodies.  Sounds a little dirty, but seriously,  show your customers that your items can be worn.  How else will they know unless they either try it on themselves or see it on you.

Tip #5:  Your table display is key!!

Your table will make or break your sales.  Watch your customers... do they feel comfortable approaching your table?  Are they stopping and wanting to linger? Are all of your items easily accessible?  Do a quick check every couple of hours to see if things need to be moved around.  After your first day, assess what sold and what didn't. Is there a reason why?  Nine times out of 10, it was probably due to a real estate issue on your table.  Signage is also key, but very rarely read.  Large simple prices make it easy for your customer.

Most people are not going to want to ask you how much things are and most likely if you get a wave of people you will not have time to answer them. If possible, make changing the price from day to day very easy. If something isn't selling and it's accessible to the customer, then it is probably priced too high. I did this by creating mini chalkboards (with chalkboard spray paint) on scrap wood.  My husband added a screw so I could either hang them or flip it so it would stand on it's own.  (He also made T-stands to hang my key fobs, lanyards and necklaces on... He might be nerdy, but he sure is handy!) 

~Happy Selling~

Holiday Wreath

Now that I can breathe and have recovered slightly from Chatty, I wanted and needed to do something to get in the holiday spirit! Of course, what better project than a holiday wreath! 

Here is what you need...

• A styrofoam ring (I got mine for $1 at Dollar Tree)
• Yarn
• Masking Tape
• Felt
• Burlap  

 Start by taping the yarn to the back of the ring.

 Now begin wrapping... this will take about 45 minutes just to let you know.  Turn on one of your favorite shows, kick back and wrap. 

I cut two long burlap rectangles and formed each side of the bow. I then cut one smaller strip and wrapped it around the ring and center of the bow.  Secure it on the backside with straight pins. (oh yeah, you'll need those too) 

Cut out your choice and number of felt flowers.  I love these and they resemble poinsettias. 

And there is your mini wreath! I loved the way it turned out, but the husband said it needed to be bigger for our front door. So...

I grabbed two twigs from outside and secured the ring in the center of the larger wreath. 

~Happy Holidays~ 

 

Linking to:

Frugally Sustainable

Chatty Crafty!!

I know you have all been eagerly awaiting pictures from Chatty Crafty (wink! wink!).  Seriously though, I know I have been a little sporadic and missing in action lately, but I hope you can see why....

It's the event that I have referred to many times over the last few months and well, today it was go time!  

Tracy, over at Paperwings and I felt very jittery, intimidated and unsure of ourselves walking into the venue this morning.  We said a quick prayer and were quickly filled with a sense of urgency along with uncanny focus. Neither one of us said a word for 45 minutes straight. It was so crazy to have everything come together the way it did... to see everything thought come to fruition. We couldn't help but step back and have a wave of relief and pride come over us.  One, because we actually did it!! and two, we didn't look like complete amateurs!  I will have to fill you in on some of the details that went into the set up and of course I can now share some of my tutorials. BUT for now, I will just give you a glimpse of what you would have seen today!  

P.S.  If you are local, you can still stop by tomorrow from 10 to 6 at Warehouse Row. Mention this post AND follow my blog for 10% off your total purchase.  

Turkey Tradition

This post is very near and dear to my heart. I can't even remember the first time I made these "turkey" cookies, but I know that it was when I was a little girl. It was something that my mom and I made as Thanksgiving gifts or for place settings over the years.  There is not a Thanksgiving that doesn't go by, that I can't make at least one of these and I think of my mom every time.

Here is what you will need: (cost me less than $10 for everything!)

• Oatmeal Cookies
• Fudge Striped Cookies
• Chocolate Covered Cherries
• Candy Corn
• Chocolate Icing

The oatmeal cookie is the base for your turkey.

You will need to cut right below the hole on the fudge striped cookie. 

Generous amounts of icing is best to secure everything in place.  

The chocolate covered cherry is the body. The fudge striped cookie goes right behind the body to become the feathers.

Finish it off with a candy corn!

Perfect for decorating the Thanksgiving Day table!

~Happy Thanksgiving~

Linking up to:

Party Platters

Tutorial #2 is probably something you have seen, but if not you are in for a treat! 

You will need:

• Plastic platters or bowls (I got all of mine from the Dollar Tree)
• Glass candle holders (also from the Dollar Tree)
• Clear E-6000 Industrial Strength Adhesive (found it at Hobby Lobby)

 Again, such an easy project...

I went to the Dollar Tree with an idea of how many platters I needed and what I needed to display on the food table.  Most platters will only need one candle holder.

I sprayed the platters on the backside, so that food would never touch the paint.

  

I chose not to spray the candle holders, if there was a chance it would touch the food... in other words I was really cautious about that!

Don't limit yourself to just "platters."  I also got these plastic bowls for $1 and I even added a stand to a vegetable tray. Tables always look better with some varying heights.  I think this technique would even work to display items for your table at a craft show. (which is coming up sooner than I realize... Ahhh!)

Again, sorry I don't have better pictures, but you can still see how it came out.

(Just pull out your magnifying glass. hahaha.)

~Happy Party Planning~

Behind the Scenes Part 2

So, I wanted to deliver on two quick tutorials that I know you can use!! If you didn't see Part 1, you can check it out to see some the "Little Man" decorations as well as party ideas.

Tonight's post is just about the tutorials...

Tutorial #1: Easy Peasy Chalkboards!!

You will need:

• Picture frames or mirrors from your local thrift store (I scored mine for .69 and .99!!)
• A can of chalkboard spray paint

I removed the glass from the picture frames. I had to tape out the mirror because it was not removable.  I really had no clue if the paint would work on these surfaces, but I'm here to tell you it did!!  I did these on my back porch for quick drying time in the sun. I did about 3 layers and let each layer dry completely before I did the next.  Of course I also sprayed the frames to add some color, but that just took a couple coats of your standard spray paint.  I loved how these turned out. The possibilities are endless for these little beauties!

 The square, "Cookie Bar" chalk board was the mirror... off to the right, another chalk board made from a .69 picture frame informed guests of the two cupcake flavors: Chocolate cake with White Chocolate Icing and an amazing Chai cupcake!! Each cupcake was topped with mustaches made from a candy mold I ordered off of amazon.

 OMG... They were so good! Thank you to my good friend who is a baking goddess.

 Sorry I got sidetracked! I love cupcakes... Here is another "chalkboard." This one welcomed the guests and told them to "Grab a Stache." This is after the party, of course it looks a little messy, but you get the idea.

If you are interested in the second tutorial of the evening... check it out here.

~Happy Spraying~

Little Man Party.... Behind the Scenes

Here are just a few tips and tricks to start off the tour.  This weekend, I hope to have a couple of tutorials to go along with this behind the scenes tour.

First of all, if you didn't catch the theme, it was a "Little Man" party. Check out the invitation I designed using Paint.

If you look closely at the photo above, you can see some of the decorations I came up with.  Beginning with the Birthday clothesline.  So EASY and really CUTE!!! It's a win, win.  I made a tie and a number one template. I bought assorted scrapbook paper 50% and went to town cutting out as many as I could.  I also had black and white pictures printed that featured Jaxson's first year of life. (including some of him in my belly)  I got the blue rope and the clothespins at the Dollar Tree... one of my favorite stores! The left room was set up for the adults, so I cut out the words, "Big Men" for that clothesline. The right side had a kids table, cookie bar for favors, balloons for the babies to chase and a "Pin the Mustache on Jaxson" game.  That clothesline had "Little Men" spelled out.

We took one of the 4 by 6 black and white photos to Kinkos. They were able to do a 24 by 36 photocopy for about $5! The kids that played were blindfolded and asked to "pin the mustache" on Jaxson.

I wish I had some better close ups of the decorations, but the day of the party I wasn't really "blog minded."  I will have to do better next time.  We did have our friend who is a photographer come shoot the party, so maybe he got some better shots.  If you are a blogger, I would definitely assign an artsy friend to get some good shots of the party for your blog.

 For the center pieces, I used plastic lanterns that I had from my baby shower.  I bought the shredded blue crinkle paper at the dollar store as well.  Each center piece had three things: one mustache on a stick, one pinwheel on a stick and one clothespin glued upside down to hold a black and white photo. I also did six lanterns with just two pinwheels that lined the fireplace mantle.

Okay... that's all for now... stay tuned for some more of the cute ideas and even easy projects you can do for your party!

~Happy Party Planning~