Medusa's Day

I wish I could say that Medusa was my new best friend but unfortunately this was one gamble that didn't pay off so well. It was a perfectly pleasant day with some lovely booth neighbors but I sold a grand total of 4 scarflettes. The Medusa shot is of a big sign they had out which I posterized in Photoshop.

It was an unseasonably warm day which hurt my sales, and the event was a bit too spread out so I don't think we had as much traffic as we could have. They had booths in 3 different locations, some outside and some inside, and entertainment was all over the place . I don't think people were clear on where things were which caused some confusion. I think I pretty much broke even when you factor in the booth fee, food, gas, and a few other things I bought for the day.

I was happy with my booth display. I don't know why I didn't sell any scarves or wristcuffs but I guess it was just a scarflette crowd, what there was of it. I did sell a scarflette to a former Smashanista which I thought was cool. When they walked in I thought they looked familiar and then I heard someone talking about roller derby and I made the connection. I didn't think to take a picture of her in the scarflette which I am beating myself up about today.


I made a trade with the lovely Mandi from My Lovies. I chose a locket with a few beads but I came really close to choosing this beautiful pendant with old lace.

I had some good quality time with Kai, although he said he made 1000 texts during the day. I don't know how many different ways you can say I'm bored but I think he found a few hundred.

I'm looking forward to my last show of the year, the Rolla Holiday Bazaar on November 13. Hopefully there will be a good scarf buying crowd awaiting me there.

Change in Plan

I recently found out that I did not get into the Rock n Roll Craft Show this year. I have to admit that this was a huge disappointment to me. There is a $40 jury fee that you don't get back for one thing. I was also counting on it being my other big venue since it was my best show last year. I sold a ton of scarves there last year and made more in one weekend than I've ever made at a show before. I thought that since they got a 15% cut of that amount that I would have a good chance at getting in again but I was wrong.

I looked at the vendors that did get in and the knitters appear to make big cowls or use higher priced yarns. I guess that they are trying to make it more like a high end boutique event but I don't think that they are going to make as much this year because of it.

So I've been scrambling around the last 2 weeks trying to come up with some alternatives. After talking to my Mom about it I think I now have a partial plan. I have decided to do the big Holiday Bazaar in my hometown of Rolla. My mom and I used to go to this together pretty regularly and it is my first memory of a craft show environment. It is obviously a more traditional craft show than I have been doing for the past few years but I think that is ok. I just need to whip up a bunch of lower end scarves in the next month to get myself ready for it.

My mom knows just about everyone in the town so I'm going to have her sit at my booth with me. Mike thinks I will have a lot of sales from the locals who stop to chat with her. They will see something they like, and because it is Joyce's daughter they will go ahead and buy it when normally they would have walked away. So yes, I plan on pimping my mother out for my business.

I am also looking into a few other alternatives that will be a better venue for my more creative work. I really hate having to rework my plans this late in the game but you have to go with the flow. I've been really lucky so far about getting into the shows that I have wanted so I shouldn't be too discouraged but that is easier said than done.

Cream of the crafty crop!

I mentioned a month ago that I was worried that I wouldn't get into my favorite craft show, the Strange Folk Festival, this year due to record number applications. I heard today that I had gotten in which literally made my month! They accepted 150 crafters out of 350 applications and she called us the cream of the crafty crop.

I really think the longevity of my blog and number of followers made a difference this year as they said that they were using web presence as a factor. Since my Etsy shop is on vacation for the summer and my twitter account has been a ghost town for months this little blog is about it.

I will definitely need to start speed knitting to get myself fully stocked for the fall. I will be in good shape for the Strange Folk festival in terms of inventory but if I want to do some other shows I need to get busy.

If you are local in the St. Louis area there is another great show coming up this weekend called theSoulard Market Park Arts and Crafts Fair. There will be 80 local independent artists and crafters selling unique, modern handmade wares. I plan on going by with my nieces to check it out. The Upcycle Exchange will be there collecting donated craft supplies if you have some things cluttering up your craft room, unlike me of course.

Strange Folk Wrap up: The Not-So Good

As I've said I had I was happy with how the weekend went for the most part but there were a few things I would have changed looking back. One thing that I had no control over was where I was located. When I first found out I was going to be in the Big Tent rather than the Pavilion I was disappointed. You roll with the punches and make the best out of what you are given, and honestly I'm really just glad that I made it into Strange Folk again with all of the entries that they are getting.

If I had been under the Pavilion as last year I would not have had to deal with all of the mud and I wouldn't have taken such a hit on Saturday with the rain. All the shoppers ran to the Pavilion when it started and a lot of business was going on under there while we were all huddled under our tents. The positive side was that I think I had more room to spread out where I was and I didn't get claustrophobic like I did last year when all the crowds were coming through the narrow lanes in the Pavilion.

I was never really happy with how my table looked all weekend long either. I went ahead and used both of the shelving displays and I think it looked too busy and crowded. I didn't sell that much off of the larger display and I wonder if it was because people were overwhelmed by all of the colors and prints going on. I'm going to have to do some experimenting before the next show and figure out what I'm going to use and what is not going to cut it. Mike thinks I need to shelve the shelving units entirely. He says I should get some sort of rack or wall bracket system to hang things from. The booth really is always a work in progress so we shall see.

The other negative came at the very end of the second day. I was absolutely exhausted and somewhat vulnerable. I was hoping for one last good sale to get me to last year's numbers when a women ran up and started working me over. She asked if I would take $30 for 3 scarves, which are normally priced $15 a piece. I said how about $35 and she hands me $30 and a few singles and says that's all I have. I tentatively said okay and she started grabbing. She ended up walking away with 3 very nice scarves and I felt like I'd been taken. I really wasn't prepared despite the stories I've been told about how people can be at shows. I'm used to people going on about how reasonable my scarves are and was not ready for someone to try to completely low ball me. I should have said "I'm sorry but the prices are as marked and I do take credit cards if you are interested." As I said I was in a weakened state.

To be fair if handled properly it's not a terrible thing to ask for a discount. Earlier in the day a women had waited until my booth was completely clear and approached me about taking a few dollars off a scarf. I had only spent $1 or so on the yarn in this item so I was OK with it and we were both perfectly happy with the transaction.

So I've shared the good, now the bad, and here's a little ugly. These are my poor, swollen, achy feet after day 1 with the lovely backdrop of the cheap hotel bedspread.

Craftivism in Action!

I know that most of you who read my blog are pretty crafty folks. So did you know that there is a whole movement to combine your craft with activism? Autumn Wiggins who also founded the Strange Folk Festival is a major proponent of the Upcycle and green crafting movement. She is the head writer for the website CraftingAGreenWorld.com and has written several very informative articles for Etsy's Storque called Earth Tones: Make Like a Tree, Part 1 and Part 2.

These articles explore our use of mass produced supplies as crafters and the effect our handmade items have on the environment. She also discusses ways that we as makers can reclaim what others see as worthless trash that would end up in a landfill and turn them into treasures and even useful everyday items.

She is putting her talk into action this year with a new program called the Upcycle Exchange. It's trial run was at this Spring's Big Ass Indie Show and Strange Folk is next. I've signed up to participate and I'm very excited about the concept. Here is description from the website:

"The Upcycle Exchange is an pilot program aimed at initiating a cradle-to-cradle inspired production concept for the indie craft community. The basic premise is that customers can receive incentives, such as discounts on merchandise or other perks, when they collect and donate materials that crafters use to create handmade merchandise."

So I've signed up and put in my requests for what supplies I would be interested in receiving and I also plan on going through my craft room to find things I'm not using to donate to other crafters. I also am giving a coupon to be used on-line to anyone who donates to the Exchange at Strange Folk for free shipping and 10% discount for any on-line purchase.

I am going to have a give away of a $40 gift certificate open to anyone who donates and I think I will also open it up to anyone who purchases from me that weekend as well. This way I can hopefully get my customers e-mails more easily for my mailing list which was another goal for this year's craft show season.

Should I or Shouldn't I Apply?

The Rock N Roll Craft Show 6 deadline to apply is coming up and I have been going back and forth about applying all month long. Normally I would just apply and worry about it later but this show has a $40 jury application fee that is non-refundable so I want to be sure about it before I apply. Since I can't seem to make a decision and I don't want to just wait too long and have the decision be made for me I thought I would put the pros and cons down here and let you help me decide.

I haven't done this show before but I've talked to others who have and they were happy with it. The application process is a total pain in the you know what. They use this on-line application called Zapplication which is pretty tedious in my opinion. You have to download pictures to their exact specifications which are listed here. I'm sure that I can do it in GIMP but it is annoying.

It is just like the Big Ass Indie Arts and Craft Show that I did last year and loved. It is a boutique style which means that they do all the displays and process the money. You don't have to be there the whole weekend, just for a 2 hour shift. It is on Thanksgiving weekend though which I plan on spending in Rolla with the family. My whole family will be in town and I would hate to have to come back early but it might be worth it if the show would be as successful as the other indie shows I've done in the past. That is my market and I really wanted to do at least 2 of the boutique shows this year. I would probably be coming back on Sunday anyways so as long as I could get my shift for Sunday afternoon I would be ok.

The Big Ass Show will be the following week so I would have to get my inventory updated right away and they both use a tagging process that I would have to make sure was compatible. Basically I want to do the show but I don't know if it is worth the stress. The timing is bad and being with my family is likely more important than the possible profit to be had. So what do you think should I or shouldn't I apply?

Strange and Happy Weekend

I am just now coming down from the high of this weekend. I had an amazing time at the Strange Folk Festival. I didn’t see much of the place beside my little corner of the pavilion but that was all I needed. I met a lot of lovely, creative people and got some great feedback about my work. And I had sales that exceeded my own expectations. I had a goal and I sailed right past it, which felt wonderfully validating.

The pictures are from Saturday. I learned a lot on this day and made a few minor but important changes on day 2, which resulted in even better sales on Sunday than Saturday. I de-cluttered the table a bit by leaving more scarves and scarflettes back. I put fewer of the wire bracelets out but put them in the front and center since I found that they drew people in but they rarely ended up buying one. I only sold one of the wire cuffs but many times people started out looking at them and ended up buying one of the yarn wrist cuffs.

I wore one of my necklaces on Sunday so people could see them in action and put them in a more prominent spot on the coat rack. I ended up selling 2 of them on Sunday to a sweet woman and traded one for my Strange Folk memorabilia item. I also kept my quilt racks much more organized on Sunday. I let them get chaotic and overfull on Saturday so I think people were overwhelmed and didn’t want to take the time to dig through them. I kept them single-file and color arranged on Sunday and put more out as they sold.

I was also much more calm and confident on the second day which I’m sure helped. I hovered a bit too much the first day and since I’d only brought an uncomfortable lawn chair I spent most of the day on my feet. Sunday I brought a stool and I was much more comfortable. I made several large credit card sales that I know I would not have made without Propay so I’m glad that I made that investment.

My favorite customer was the girl who said she had seen my wristcuffs on my website and came out that day to find me. I also loved the woman who stood at the table just taking it all in for about 5 minutes and then said I just love the way your mind works. That was the best compliment I could have asked for.

A Rare day of Productivity

So I took 3 days off this week to get everything together for Strange Folks this weekend. I actually got a surprising amount done yesterday. I only slept in until 9:30 and got up ready to go, not common for me on a day off. I got my hair cut, and on my way home stopped by Goodwill for just a few minutes. It was one of those rare moments at Goodwill where I not only found what I was looking for but some amazing scores to boot.

I wanted a cream sheet with tan trim for my table, which I found immediately. I also got a few tops and this gorgeous blue merino wool yarn from Louet, a major yarn brand in Canada. It was marked $9.95 per skein and there were 4 skeins. I picked it up thinking I'd pay $2 for 4 balls of crap yarn but when I saw what it was I was stunned. I don't know what I'll do with it but needless to say it belonged in my stash.

I also got all of my scarves priced and tagged. I used the Moo cards on all of the nicer scarves, when I ran out of those I just used my old business cards. I have 2 big tubs, 1 medium tub, 1 small tub, and a basket of inventory. I've decided to put out a basket of $5 items with some little girl scarves and things that didn't turn out perfect. I know I'm always a sucker for a deal and if I'm already buying something I will often find something else to add onto it.

I bought this rack at a flea market for $2 and I think it works perfectly for my wrist cuffs. It fits almost all of them since it goes all the way around with the little shelves.





I bought this spice rack at Goodwill for $3 and it holds all of my barrettes perfectly. I struggled for awhile with how to get them to stay put but I finally got it figured out. The great thing about it is that it spins so you can turn it to see all of them. I also have a few other racks that I'm going to use for my other items but those were the 2 I thought were most creative.

I'm getting excited now and feeling a little less anxious as I'm getting things ready. Thanks to everyone for your encouraging words about the show. I'll post pictures this weekend when I get back.

Fair Expectations

I did a few little craft shows last year with some friends for fun. The picture is from the Pattonville show I did with my friend Leslie. We hung out, I sold a few scarves, and it was all pretty low key. This year I'm doing 3 different fairs and it is causing me a fair share of stress. I know everyone blogs with tips and lists for preparing for shows. I'm going to talk about my worries and get them out there so I don't have to dwell on them.

The first is next weekend, http://www.strangefolkfestival.com/. It was my first juried process which was the first round of stress. When I got in I was totally excited but as it has gotten closer and closer the worry has gotten more realized. The process of having other people look at the fruits of my labor and creative process always intimidates me. What if I'm not good enough, cool enough, or just don't sell anything. I know I'm not the only one who goes through these emotions. It doesn't matter how prepared you are and how well you set up your booth if they don't like what you're peddling than you're not going to sell.

I don't have incredibly high expectations but I do want to make enough to make it worth my while. My goal for this years show season is to make enough to pay for my trip to France next year to visit my brother. He just moved there for work and it will be the perfect opportunity to see some of Europe, which I've never experienced before. Last year my goal was to make enough to cover what I spent on other people's crafts that day. So there is a bit more pressure this time around. It is certainly not as though my mortgage or dinner depends on how much I sell, thank goodness. I think that would take the fun entirely out of it.

I don't know why I'm so worried. I have plenty of inventory and I'm taking 3 days off work this week to make sure I'm plenty prepared. I will post some pictures when I do my sample booth on Wednesday. I want to get a feel for which of my display racks I will use for which items. I've been picking up spice racks, quilt racks, and boxes throughout the last year for displays. I spray painted most of them a nice glossy tan color for consistency and I'm going to use a white sheet over the table with a tan and brown table cloth over that.

I signed up with Propay to take credit cards and bought a knucklebuster to use with a name plate. I'm a little worried about that process but I might do a practice purchase with my husband's credit card this week to see how it works.

I'm going to use my Moo cards that I was not very happy with as price tags. I bought them on sale and they just didn't turn out how I was expecting. The pics are all cut off awkwardly and the quality wasn't what I thought it would be. I know other sellers are ga-ga over them but not me. So I will have very expensive price tags this year. My info is all printed on them and I will have to hand write the price, yarn content, and washing instructions on the back. I have pretty terrible hand writing so it will take me a long time to get all of them written legibly I'm afraid. I'm just going to price the scarves not all the smaller items. I will make up some signs for the smaller items.

I'm really concerned about how to price things for the fairs as well. I think I'm going to make all of my small items $7. This is less than I charge on Etsy but I just don't think I will be able to get $9 for a barrette or wrist cuff there. I want this to be a success so I'm going to charge what I think I can get not what it is absolutely worth. I don't think I'm going to do a deal for buying in multiples. I've given a lot of thought to this and I don't think the few extra sales it might garnish is worth getting $5 or $6 for something I put time into. I may still change my mind between know and them however.

I also have my standard worries about interacting with people. I'm an introvert and having to spend 2 days sitting next to someone I don't know is intimidating to me. I will bring knitting to work on and I'm sure I will be fine but it is a worry. Then there is the fear of getting lost on the way. I'm helplessly direction dyslexic and despite having directions already printed I'm afraid I will get hopelessly lost in East St. Louis on the way there.

I think that is it. It feels better to get it out there.

Strange Folks

I feel pretty guilty about neglecting my Etsy shop lately. Over the summer I let a lot of scarves go inactive since I didn't think anyone except for maybe a few Australians, would be shopping for scarves. Well, I have continued to be lazy and I now have over a hundred scarves finished and unphotographed, not to mention all of the necklaces and wrist cuffs sitting around.

Luckily I have my first craft show of the season coming up. I'm very excited about it and will probably be talking about it a lot in the coming weeks. It's called Strange Folks and it is Sept. 27-28 in O'Fallon, IL. This is what it says in the press release:

Strange Folk is the heartland's largest indie craft show, having been featured in Readymade magazine, on Craftzine.com, and numerous other online and print publications. Modern handmade goods appeal to people of all ages and gender. It's a way to bring genuine art into everyday life, and directly support those who create it.

From the list of vendors it looks like I'm the only knitter, with one crocheter and one spinner, so that is a good thing. It is focused on using environmentally sustainable materials so I have been working on items in hemp and cotton for the show. I hope it will open me up to a new group of shoppers.