Tips for a Successful Craft Show

I have been doing craft shows on and off for over 18 years now, it's insane.Let's just say, I've had a lot more disappointing shows than good ones.  Believe it or not, I haven't had a really successful show until last year.
I remember those days sitting there hoping someone would walk by and help me make my table money back. Some years I really needed that table money I spent, and took a chance in hopes that I would make a little bit extra than the outlay to purchase better groceries for the week. It's not fun being a starving artist, but through it all I have vowed to never give up. This is something that I love to do.

I spent many years trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, Getting so upset at the people that were doing well. I kept telling myself what did they have that I didn't?

It's hit or miss with a show. You could be placed in a bad spot in the show, be stuck next to a vendor that pulls customers away from you, get stuck competing with someone who has "made in china" merchandise, and is undercutting everyone around you. It's tough.
I decided to study the successful people and figure out what I could do better.

It's finally clicking for me. I've finally figured out how to get the right product, display it correctly, and have found the right shows to go to. Thought I would share.

Here are a few things I have learned:

# 1 : you need to get the people to want to come to your table. Make your displays interesting, different than everyone Else's. If you sell Jewelry, don't run to your local craft store and just buy what they are selling for display pieces. 9 out of 10 there is going to be someone else at every show you go to that has the same exact thing.

 It doesn't matter if people can't see your product from far away, If you have a good display They will want to come to your table.

#2 :  Get as creative with your displays as you do with your work. Think outside the box. I like to look at an object and figure out how I can use it in some other way to display my work.

For Example, this plant stand can be used to hang ornaments off of, while at the same time, you could use it as a shelving unit to display other items on top. A bonus is that it folds up for easy transport! I love to wait for seasonal stuff like this to go on clearance and pick it up for next to nothing.

# 3 :  Get stuff up off the table!  I can't stand it when I walk by a table at a craft show and everything is flat on the table, Everything gets lost!  You need to make it interesting. Add different heights, display items on pretty candle holders like the ones below.  or a shelf  anything!

#4: Along the lines of # 3 Get your stuff up to the customers Eye Level. I have sold more stuff when the customer doesn't have to bend over to get to it. I have seen people extend the legs of their tables so customers don't have to bend over so much.
Take a look in department stores and see how they display their merchandise.

#5: Stop trying to make stuff like everyone else. Come up with your own style and design. I spent a lot of time trying to be just like someone else. Don't copy other people. You need to put your own spin on it create your own style/ brand.

#6: Never stop thinking about ways to improve, or keep up with the times. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen someone get stuck with one product, and not move on from it. Peoples tastes change. What a customer liked 15 years ago, is not what they are going to like today. You need to be constantly wanting to learn and grow.


# 7: Take photos of your booth set up at a show and study them. What displays do you notice right away, what might look off? Act as if you are the customer seeing your displays for the first time when looking at your set up.

I hope this helps someone out there. It took me years to learn some of these things. Hopefully you will come away with something that will improve your sales!

Here are a few photo's of my booth today. Not the best pictures but the show was in progress!!  I'm already thinking of ways I can change it up a bit!

The Work at home Schedule - It's not happening!!

Every Day I get up and tell myself I'm going to do nothing but work on Beading. Whether it's creating new patterns for my Etsy site or making inventory for a show, or just working on getting a little business started. 
This has been going on for the last 5 months or so. Somehow every day something gets in the way, and the last thing I manage to do is get to the Beading/ crafty Biz.

For those of you who don't know I'm getting ready to move in December. My husband is being transferred for his job, We'll be moving from Maryland to Colorado, so this is no small move. There's lots of coordination, purging of stuff, organizing of yard sales,  Getting Certification classes out of the way for my Day job, seeing family before we leave etc... 

I'm presently scrambling to make some new inventory for a craft fair in the middle of all of this and beating myself up because I knew this show was coming. I've let a lot of this stuff get in the way. I realize I do have deadlines and pressing matters when it comes to the move, but if you want something to grow you need to devote some time to it. 

I have no idea what's in store for me at our next location as far as work is concerned. Five months ago I told myself I would be serious about this. I'm supposed to be gearing myself up to think about a business plan, goals and give myself a chance to see if this crafty business will this really work, and haven't managed to get much done.

How do people do this and be successful at it, while managing life too? Some of them are working full time jobs at the same time.
They have to have a huge pile of laundry to do a messy house and a family that doesn't remember what a home cooked meal is like Right?

I'm vowing to have a schedule, and strive to stick to it. So Far on the first morning, I've failed but maybe it's a good thing, I was supposed to be excising instead I'm writing about getting crafty!  

How to Make a Bead Organizer

 There really isn't an adequate storage solution for the person who has over 400 different seed beads So I came up with my own. My storage simply velcro's onto the side of my craft cabinet.  This could be adapted to hang on a wall simply by attaching a few rings to the top to form a hanger. You could even attach a thin cardboard, or press board to the back of the fabric for stability.


A Friend of mine came for a visit the other day and wrote a little blog about my sacred craft space. You can see my Bead Walls complete on her blog.

http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/10/janets-super-organized-craft-hobby-room.html

I've had a few people ask me how I put together my Seed bead storage. It's really simple to make, I would definitely consider this a beginners project. I am no master seamstress that's for sure!!

Materials used:
Heavy Weight Canvas Fabric - Purchased at Joannes in the home decor section
3/4" Black Eleastic
Black Thread
Chalk fabric marker
Heavy weight Velcro strips - Mine is about 3"wide


First I measured out my Fabric to fit inside the doors of my Cabinet. My completed organizers measure 15" across and 66 long, so I cut my fabric at 16" inches and 67" and marked it for a 1/2 " seam:

Next I marked 2 lines in the center of the fabric 3 1/2 inches away from my seam marking This is where my Elastic strips will be sewn

Next I marked where I was going to attach the elastic to my fabric. I maked 1/2 Inces apart down the entire length of each line in the center of the fabric.

Next I marked on my elastic - I made each mark 1 1/8" apart.

In the meantime my kitty Meko decided to get involved it the process!  

Next I matched up the markings on the elastic to the markings on the fabric, Forming a loop in the elastic and double stitched each connection to make sure it was sturdy enough to handle tubes sliding in and out.

I attached velcro on the back and placed them on my velcro wall and that was it!

A finished side panel:

I think I have a Supply Hoarding Problem!!

Uuumm I knew the stash was bad, but I didn't know how bad.....

My husband and I are getting ready for a significant move. I've been diligently sorting through things around the house here and there, and getting rid of things I know we haven't used for a while. Most of it has been pretty easy, if It's been more than a year since I wore or used something, it needs to go. No questions asked I've been able to stick it in the yard sale pile.

I have honestly been dreading going through all of my Art, craft and beading supplies.It's very hard to let go of a very useful item that could potentially become something else with a little bit of creativity. My Studio / craft space is the one place in the house where I will shove things in the closet that "might be of some use someday". So it's a big job.

To Make matters worse, I have a huge storage cabinet / table that makes it seem like I really don't have that much. A few years ago, my husband bought me a crafting cabinet by Scrapbox. I happened to come across a really great sale on overstock, and he gave in after catching me looking at it online for the 10th or so time.
It's very deceiving how much stuff is in it. I'm guessing it's going to take a week to sort through and decide what to keep and what needs to go.

I've started with the seed beads. The doors of the cabinet have velcro walls, I thought it would be a great idea to have all of my beads in one place on one of the walls I can velcro it off the wall, roll it up for moving, and be completely organized when we got to our destination.   Little did I know how many seed bead tubes it would take, and how many different colors and sizes that I had!!!

I must admit, I did just buy a large stash of beads from a bead store that was going out of business, so my bead collection did recently grow! But I now know it's really easy to bring home a few little bags of beads in your bead bag and not realize how much they add up over time!!  

Here's what i've come up with so far to store my stash:

So far i'm at 230 Tubes, some are duplicates of colors, but 230 tubes and i'm only 1/2 way done!!! What I thought was going to fit on one door of the cabinet, is really going be put on both doors. It's Back to the sewing machine.

I just ordered Another 100 empty storage tubes to convert the beads from their little bags and other packaging.

What was I thinking!! I had no idea I was such a hoarder!  I know how it happens though, with a great pattern in hand or a project complete, I feel the need to make everything in 12 different colors!! Or The bead shop just got some brand new color in that I've never seen before so I have to have it!

It's a little embarrassing, but I bet everyone has something that they do this with!!  I can't be the only one. Oh well,  Now at least I know what I have on hand and can use it up!! 

A Contest Win

I'm very new to blogging so please bear with me. I've been meaning to start a blog for about 2 years now but I kept coming up with excuses. "I like my privacy", "no one will read it", I'm not entertaining enough, I can't post every day etc.  the list goes on and on. I told myself this morning "no more excuses" So Here I am.

I'm a lover of all things crafty and am very passionate about making beautiful things. Some of my earliest memories are cutting construction paper, covering coffee cans, and taking arts and craft classes.
 I would absolutely love to make a full time living doing something with arts and crafts or working with my hands. I do have my days when I wish my passion was Neuroscience or something more desirable. Lets face it being an artist likely wont bring in tons of money but everyone can have a dream right?

I figured keeping up with a blog will help motivate me to push myself further. A website, possibly a book someday with patterns or crafty ideas. Lets see if it works!

Ok on to the fun stuff I recently won a beading contest - The Baltimore bead society Challenge. We purchased a really funky kit of random beads chain etc. and were required to use 80% of it. Let me tell you this was not easy. There were some ugly beads in this thing. Not the best photo but here what was in it:

I spent the entire month of August trying to figure it out. After many many hours, working with different types of flowers and stitches, a lot of help from my beading friends at my favorite store Bead Soup in  Savage MD. I came up with this:

  
 Thanks to Kathy for the wonderful Photo!

This was by far the biggest challenge I've ever done, and it wasn't easy!! It's helped me to realize "  Hey I think I can do this"!!  Here's to more to come!