Craft Show

I did survive the show although I was exhausted when i got home.  I did sell 1 small ornament, 1 rattle and one jar, so the show was semi-successful.  didn't make my table fee but then from talking to other crafters neither did they.  the crowd was halfway decent but from what i saw they were buying cheap.  the lady on one side was selling those kitchen towells that have a crocheted loop to attach the hand towell to one's stove or fridge for $2.50 each or 3 for $5.  she was busy for most of the day.  the guy on the other side was selling hand woven bracelets, dog collars, leashes priced from $5 to $15 and he was relatively busy too although he said it was only a fair day for him.. there was a lot of interest and a lot of people took cards and some even gave me their email addys for a mailing list so....onward and upward...one lady invited me to attend another craft show at the Fire Museum in Cincinnati, a ladies night out type of thing with drinks and appetizers, etc. it actually sounds like it could be a fun night.   in no way am i discouraged, disappointed yes, but not discouraged.  i remember doing a spring show way back in the day with stained glass and it wasn't all that successful either so we'll head toward the  fall shows.  i always did well with them.  so i'll just consider this my maiden voyage, take a couple of weeks off, get some of my inventory  loaded onto my etsy shop and make more.....lol

 

Oh, i did buy some citrus pealers from the tupperware lady.....ROTFLMAO

A Finish and a rant....lol!!!

Today is Thursday, I think....lol!

Before I start into my rant...I'd like to share a picture of my latest finish.  It's a picture I started a couple of years ago and have only worked on it between all the gkids' stockings.  I finally finished it and am pleased to show the end result hanging on my wall (this makes four cross stitch pictures that are actually hanging in my home...lol....the other umpteen hundred are scattered to the four winds...).  This piece was Designed and published by the Solaria Gallery http://www.solaria-gallery.com/.  Thank you Stoyanka Ivanova for a lovely design to work. The first time I saw the design I knew I had to stitch it!

We know I am many things but a photographer, I am not and never claimed to be.  This was the best picture I could come up with and still there is a spot of light flash glare...Cris, where are you when i need ya...oh yeah, in Nashville....lol.  anyway, here it is and many thanks to Barbara for the matting and framing.

OK, now to my rant....lol....would you recognize my blog if I weren't ranting about something????  Probably not.  I am two days out from a craft show and am still trying to get things together....sigh.  My inventory,  is completed, priced and packed.  I still have to make a bow to put on the diaper cake and determine a price but that SHOULD be easy, right?  I'm still working on getting my displays finished and all the paraphernalia needed to put the table together collected.  Fortunately, I still have a lot of things from my past craft show days still around and have resurrected it.  I still have to unpack the little Christmas Tree to use for display purposes.  Don't know how well Christmas Tree Ornaments are going to go over in March, but here's hoping.

I have about 30 ornaments, 9 ort/snack/you name it jars and a diaper cake.  Hopefully it will be enough to make a pleasing display.  The weather has been really crappy but on Saturday it is supposed to be in the 50's and sunny so hopefully it will entice people to come out to shop and buy.  I'm told there will be 114 crafters at this show so hopefully there will be a lot of crafter friends and family coming.  It is a short show, only four hours, but hopefully it will be a fun one.  I'm looking forward to meeting and talking with a  lot of people and hopefully will sell some.  But if nothing else it will be a rehearsal for the fall shows and I'll know what to change or refine.

Wish me good weather and lots of luck!



Craft Show insanity!!

31 days to go before my first craft show in about 13 years and I'm going nuts!  I was working on an ornament the other day and my husband came up behind me and asked: "How's the sweatshop coming?"  Well, as he always says i don't have a sense of humor, I was not amused...sorta...lol.  Here I am 31 days out and only have about 20 ornaments to actually sell and about another half dozen samples, BUT it's coming along.  i still have to dig out all my craft show paraphernalia and see what else i need to get together but I'll do that LATER...lol...probably two days before the show....sigh.....do you get the impression I'm procrastinating  a little bit.  But i really need to get up an inventory, like right now!!!

I have only taken a few minutes to update my blog now because I want to show off a couple of items I'm making for the show.

 




This first picture is of jars I'm making.  They can be put to many uses.  Put a snack in them  to keep on your desk for quick energy; collect your orts; use the top as a pin cushion; put your small tools and/or threads in them for when you're traveling, put anything in them you wish for a bright splash of color anywhere you need it.  These are half pint jelly jars but the lids can be put on larger jars as they are standard size lids/seals.

These darling baby rattles  (don't make any noise and certainly are not toys and should not be given to small children to play with) worked up so cute and I'm absolutely thrilled with the way they turned out.  these two are gender specific but i will be making some non-gender specific.   My first thought when i created the first one was that it would be cute in a centerpiece for a baby shower.  They can also be used to decorate the bow on any baby gift and can later then be used as baby's first Christmas ornament.  I you don't want to use it as an ornament, simply clip the hanging loop and use it as you wish.  It would look darling on a book case as a memento.   Anybody have any other ideas on uses for these two items, I'd be happy to hear them.

I'm also going to make a diaper cake to sell at the show.  Something like this one, only not as elaborate as this was made for my daughter's baby shower and was specific to her and her baby.

 I used the embroidered panels as quilt blocks for the baby's first christmas gift.  I'll also include a baby rattle ornament to use for the top layer instead of a bottle.