Successful Sale

Last year I didn't run any type of holiday sale in my etsy shops, FourDogDay and MyOtherShop. I just really didn't feel it would make much difference for me since at that time, I didn't see my things as being "gifty".

This year I had some things that I thought would make nice gifts and decided to have a sale. I had some free shipping, some discounts and a couple of clearance sections. I have to say that I am pleased with the way things went. I certainly sold a lot more than I normally do, and I tend to think that the free shipping and discounts helped.

I ran the sale over Thanksgiving weekend and then left it in place. I will most likely end it this weekend.

I have so many things I will be changing in my shops over the winter that I am really raring to go. I know I will be offering aprons, tote bags and my clocks....but beyond that....I'm not really sure. It will be a surprise.....for you.....and ME!!

If you have an etsy shop...did you have a sale? If so, how did it go?

Make it an awesome day for yourselves and we will chat soon!

Pondering and Planning

I sat in bed last night, clipboard in hand pondering and planning my business strategy for 2010. I am so excited right now. My sales have increased this holiday season, and after 18 months in business....I think I am finally starting to understand what I need to do and NOT do to make my business the success I want it to be. Okay....so I'm a little slow...what can I say?

I have some things I am going to do immediately...like opening a separate checking account with a debit card and a savings account for the business. It's so awful at the end of the year trying to separate personal and business expenses. I also think I spend money for the business when I shouldn't be, because there is money in our checking, and I also leave money I make in our personal account where it quickly gets spent.

Besides the fact that I love creating things, and FourDogDay has filled a tremendous creative void for me...there was another reason I started my business. Irv and I don't have a nice pension sitting there waiting for us when we retire...in fact, at times we wonder if we will ever be able to retire.

My thought was that if between now and retirement, I could build a successful craft business that would eventually bring in a nice little profit....that we could one day use that profit to supplement our social security. I now see that as a very real possibility.

In order to do that though, we need to know where our money is coming from and where it is going. We need to know what works and what doesn't work when creating and marketing my products. So, like I said....I sat with the clipboard in hand and started to map out my strategy...and let me tell you...I am excited!

We will start at the bank this weekend by opening those accounts. I will close up MyOtherShop as soon as I can, so that all of my attention and energy can be devoted to FourDogDay. I will clear out things I don't plan to make anymore to make room for the new things that I can't wait to start on....and we will carefully select some craft shows for spring and fall.

We are taking control of our business rather than allowing our business to take control of us!

How about you? Do you have business or personal plan in place for 2010? Have you ever done a personal or business financial makeover? If you own your own business, did it take you a while to really figure things out? Please share.....

Happy Veterans Day

First, I want to thank all of our service men and women for all they do and our Veterans for the sacrifices they have made. My dad was in the Army and both of my brothers retired from the Navy. The commitment these men and women make to their country never ceases to amaze me. My dad carried the burden of war with him his entire life. His nightmares were the most terrifying thing I can recall as a child. You can read about it here. Yes, their sacrifices are great.

Because of those awesome men and women....I have the day off today, and it couldn't have come at a better time. I can't even begin to tell you how many things I have made since spring that I have NOT listed in my shop. No....you have no idea. I have cake stands, and brooches, and wine bags, and pin cushions, and pillows, and coasters, and tote bags, and picture frames and I'm not even sure what else....and I'm not talking one or two of each, I am talking MANY of each.

The sun is supposed to shine all day today, which means I might be able to capture some well lit photos in the morning in my workshop window and then in the early afternoon in my kitchen window. I figure if I can get most of it photographed...then over the next couple of weeks I can touch up the photos and get things listed in time for the holidays. That is the plan. We will see how it goes.

I also have given a tremendous amount of thought to my etsy shop situation and have decided to keep FourDogDay and eventually close MyOtherShop. Your comments were very helpful and gave me much to think about.

I really don't have time to promote two shops, and now that I know that fabric is really my thing..I plan to concentrate on that. I will list all of my new items in FourDogDay and slowly move other fabric things over. I feel SO great having made my decision!

So, without further hesitation....I am out of here today! Glad I charged all of the batteries for the camera. I will need them!

Have an awesome day everyone!

Craft Show Calamity

Irv and I were on our way to the craft show and my main focus was on how I was going to set up my booth. We weren't taking my big set up. The show was only five hours long. We were going to use the bookshelf, a clothes rack, a coat rack and the two tables they were providing. I was trying to figure out how to arrange everything in my 10 by 10 space. Irv was in the truck in front of me as we made our way to Hoffman Estates.

We arrived, loaded up the cart and made our way in. A nice lady greeted us at the door, checked us in and lead us into the gym. As we entered the gym, I quickly looked around and thought, "Uh oh!" Really, the words I thought were more like WTF???

The booths, were not booths at all....they were spaces with 2 tables and 2 chairs. I looked at the lady and said, "These aren't 10 by 10 booths." "Oh, I know, we ended up with SO many people....we were here late last night trying to figure it out and this is the best we could do."

THE BEST THEY COULD DO?? How do you advertise a 10 by 10 spot and have people pay...thinking they are getting a 10 by 10 spot, and bring things that can only be accommodated by a 10 by 10 spot and then give them a 6 by 8 spot???? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

Okay, calm down Kathy. There has to be a way to make this work. They did their best. It's a tough job. This is the school where Irv works. Be nice. Breathe, breathe, breathe.....all Irv could say was, "I told you there was no way they could fit over 40 crafters with 10 by 10 spaces in this gym."

He had said that, but I told him they couldn't sell you a 10 by 10 spot and then not give you a 10 by 10 spot....silly Irv! HAHA!

The best they could do was to move me to a corner near one of the back doors and the bleachers.

It allowed me to set up the rack with my aprons and the bookshelf with my cake stands in a little indentation by the door. We were all packed in like sardines and most people were not happy.

There was no where to go with the coat rack with my tote bags on it. It ended up in back of the tables with me and no one even noticed them....in fact, you couldn't even tell who they belonged to! Can you see how much space there is between my tables and the tables behind me? Our chairs almost touched. It was NOT very comfy.

The lady kept apologizing and I kept telling her that we would make it work, and make it work we did. Everyone was practically bumping into the person in the booth behind them, and for someone like me that isn't into small talk...it was a long day. The girl behind me was nice, but I know more about her life and her family than I ever wanted to. :)

The day was long and the customers were not in abundance. It was 72 degrees and gorgeous outside and that is where most people understandably wanted to be. After all this is November in Illinois and those kind of days are a rarity for sure.

I had a sale here and there and over the course of the five hours had sold enough coasters, aprons and light switch covers to pay my fee and make as much as I have at any of the big expensive two-day shows that I've done so far. I didn't make a ton, but it was a descent show.

As a craft show novice, I always try to learn something from each show I do. This weekend I learned to "expect the unexpected" for sure, and that the small shows may not have the crowds that the big shows have, but the fees are a fraction of the big shows. When you tally it all up at the end of the day....those 5 hours could end up being more profitable than the 15 hours you spent at the big show. Something to think about for next season.

I am done with shows for this year. With this being my first craft show season, I did two in the spring and three this fall. Next year I will choose carefully and do shows closer to the holidays. The ones I did this fall were way too early in the season. Maybe I'll do one early and a couple later. We'll see.

I have so much to do now. I have a ton of things to photograph and list in MyOtherShop on etsy. I didn't sell a single brooch or wine bag at the show! Go figure! I am off on Wednesday this week and have a HUGE photo shoot planned. Be watching for the brooches, wine bags and holiday coasters soon after! Have a great week everyone.

Off And Running

Today is the little craft show. We have to leave at 6:15 a.m. so we can be setting up at 7:00. The doors open at 9:00. I really don't know what to expect. This is the type of event where people stroll over to the "market" in the gym after church. Not sure how many will stroll over...it's suppose to be 70 again today. That isn't usually a good thing for craft shows, but we will see.

My 10 by 10 space will have two provided tables and then I am bringing my book shelf, a clothes rack and a coat rack. I am bringing a bunch of stuff from MyOtherShop like small cake stands, all of my coasters, light switch covers, pin cushions, ornaments, aprons, tote bags, my brooches and my new wine bags. Something for everyone and hopefully there will be lots of everyones!! :)

I will post tonight when we get home if I can and let you know how it went. Enjoy your Sunday and I will chat with you soon.

I Am Having So Darn Much Fun

I am almost ready for the little show I am doing Sunday. I am having so much fun making things. The lady called me today to confirm times and things like that. I was up early Wednesday morning and made some holiday cake stands and last night I made some awesome red wine bags.

I still have a few more that I would like to do, but I really need to finish them up tonight.

I wanted to make more of my pins too, but I'm not sure if I will have time before the show. Here are a few of them. Sorry for the bad pics, but I took them at night with a flash. :(

I have plenty of stuff for the show...it's just never knowing what the people might want that makes me nuts.

I am going to be selling my little sled ornaments. I had no idea how I was going to display them and then Irv came home with this.

He actually made it for me. He's painting it red. I think it will be perfect! :)

Well, I still have more to get done here so this is going to be short. Have an awesome day today!!

Sneak Peek

Good Morning Everyone!

I actually write most of my blog posts the evening before and then schedule them to post in the morning....so it's really 7:00 p.m. as I am writing this. It's been a long and productive day and I am running out of steam.

I started my day giving blood. If you recall, two weeks ago when Irv and I went, my iron was too low to donate. Today it was fine. I use to feel perfectly fine after donating blood, but the last couple of times I feel kind of light headed and a bit on the yukky side for part of the day. Not sure why that is, but it's worth it to be able to donate. It's probably because I've been eating like crapola lately.

When I got home, Irv was already painting trim. He got so much done today, that he could very well finish it up tomorrow if he is able to move. Funny how things that wouldn't have bothered you at all just a few short years ago, can cause you tremendous pain now!

I headed into my workshop when I got home. I had to clean up the coasters and get them banded together and ready for the show next weekend. The holiday ones are just too cute. I hope they sell well. I'm hoping people will see them as a great gift for teachers, friends and neighbors and maybe purchase more than one set. We shall see.

After the coasters is was time to get going on those wine bags. I don't drink wine, nor do I buy wine, or wine bags, so I had to ask my daughter and my sister some questions about the bags and then wing it. I am really pleased with the ones I got done today. I have to go to the store tomorrow and get some things I need for their finishing touches, but I'll give you a sneak peak.

These two are cotton. The red one says Jingle Bells, so I'm going to get bells to hang on those pieces of cord you see hanging from the bow. The black one with the little gifts on it will have big red or green buttons on the sides where the handles are attached.

I plan to get more fabric tomorrow when I'm out. I would like to do some quilted ones and I'm trying to think of some other cute ones I could make. I'll put them out at the little craft show next Sunday and see how they do. If they do well, I'll make more and list them in MyOtherShop on etsy. A couple of people have already expressed an interest, so maybe I will get a few orders as well.

I like these a lot. The winter white one has little gold stars all over it. I'm hoping I can find some gold stars to hang from thin gold cord. The burgundy one is actually a layer of cotton covered with a thin fabric that has an awesome design embroidered on it. Not sure what else I am going to do with that one. I'll see what I find tomorrow.

Here is a close up of the fabric and the bows.

I've made some new fabric brooches for the show too, and I'll try to show those to you during the week. Have a wonderful Sunday! Chat with you soon!

Decisions, Decisions

One shop, two shops, old shop, new shop....

Woe is me.....I am just starting to think about what I am going to do with my etsy shops this winter and already I have hit a wall.

Do I want to keep both shops or do I only want one shop? I am not doing anything with FourDogDay at all. I haven't added any new photos or cards in ages. It's just sitting there. Not that just sitting there can hurt anything, but if I am going to leave it open, then I need to do something with it. Matt was my photographer, but his camera is broken, so no new photos. I don't want to make cards anymore....so what does that leave? Nothing.

I love MyOtherShop and all of the awesome fabric things that I can make for the shop, and I know that is the direction I want to go. The shop really just needs some cleaning up. I need to remove the things I'm no longer interested in making or put them on sale, and then I have tons of new items to photograph and list over the next few weeks.

The problem with closing FourDogDay is that it is on my double sided business cards and I still have a lot left. It's also the name of my blog. The problem with that is that we just got another dog, which I never expected to do....so now the name doesn't even work and the banner is all wrong in both the shop and for my blog.

Oh dear me! I really don't know what to do....

Got any suggestions?

Creative Countdown

I am SOOOO ready to be done making things that I feel I NEED to make, so that I can start making things that I really WANT to make again. Don't get me wrong....I LOVE what I do, but I seem to be in this rut of making things that I think I should be making rather than the things I love to make. I am counting the days.....

Right now I am making some Christmas ornaments I really don't feel like making. It's just a silly little mouse in a walnut shell. It's darling, but it's tiny and it's hard to work with and I am really just don't feel like making them at all. Therefore, I'm not going to!

Wow! I feel better already. Liberation is awesome!

I bought some great fabric to make wine bags and that is what I really want to be making right now....but I can't because I need a wine bottle to make the pattern. Irv is picking some up for me from Michael and Bern tomorrow. Then I can start those. I would like to make about eight of them for the upcoming show.

The holiday coasters are drying, and the cork is cut. I'll put them together in a couple of days and they will be ready to go too. I have fabric to make a few holiday aprons.......that is on the list for this weekend.

I have totally neglected my shops since spring, and I have a ton of work to do this winter with both FourDogDay and MyOtherShop. I am so off track since deciding to do craft shows that I am actually looking forward to cleaning up and reworking my shops. Throwing around some ideas....just not sure what direction to go.

Do you have any special plans for your etsy shop if you have one? Any creative ideas you just can't wait to get started on? Please share.

Roller Coaster....

Wow! I feel like I'm on a roller coaster and they won't let me off!

First...I am busy at work making those 6 Halloween costumes, plus keeping up with my regular work. I made good progress today on the Hand Sanitizers. Story and photos here. I'll try to take a picture tomorrow so I can show you.

Second...I am busy at home listing, and listing, and listing in etsy, all of the things I made during the spring and summer that are sitting here and never made it into MyOtherShop. I am having trouble getting good pictures of the tote bags and that is always so frustrating. I'll try again when I get some good light. I've probably listed over 50 new things in the past few days. It's good because I have even sold a few of them too. Remember....you can't sell what you don't have listed!

Third...we plan to start painting this weekend. Irv has to patch a recurring crack in the ceiling and then we will be ready to go. I think I am going to go with the Sassafrass Green. It's a bit on the mossy side and I like that. Then I can accent with brown, yellow and of course a touch of blue.

Fourth...we are looking for another dog. (See yesterday's post) We aren't in any hurry. We're just perusing Petfinder.com and seeing if any little face pops up that says, "Here I am!" Actually, they all say that, but we are looking for a particular mix, size, sex and age...so it might take us a while. Still, I think about it daily...not with worry, just thinking.

One nice thing is that I don't get too worked up, even when I have a lot on my plate. I'm working to stay centered and only focus on whatever it is I am working on at that moment, and not get distracted by what's waiting in the wings. That usually works well for me.

The only thing with a true deadline is the costumes and they will get done....somehow.

So, how does your fall look? Anything fun and exciting going on or anything that causes you to burst into tears when you think about it? Feel free to share!

Monday, Monday...So Good To Me.....

Happy Monday! Thanks to Christopher Columbus...I am off today! Bless his little exploring heart!

Sunday turned out to be a pretty good day. We went grocery shopping and on the way I got a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks and then stopped and picked up a Pumpkin Bagel from Einsteins. Mmmmmmm....good!!

After not shopping last weekend because of the craft show, I really expected to fork out about $230 at the checkout, especially since our cart was overflowing....but we got off easy at $176!! I never thought I would say $176 was good, but we didn't shop last week so that is really good!

We had to listen to a young female...I won't even call her a woman...because it would be insulting to the word...it's hard enough to call her a female....yell and scream across the store from our checkout to her husband or boyfriend that he got the wrong macaroni and that she told him to send back $2.00 with one of the little kids and not $1.00...when everyone in the friggin' store heard her yell $1.00.

She snapped at the kids for nothing. She was the rudest most obnoxious young "thing" I think I have ever seen, and the fact that she had three darling little kids made me physically ill.

I get very uncomfortable when people are rude to other people and degrade them, and she did one heck of a job. I came so close to telling her to zip it up. I wanted to ask the guy if he was married to her and if he said yes, I was going to tell him how sorry I was. It took me a while on the ride home to get the whole scene out of my head....but I finally did.

The rest of my day was awesome. I took another 180 photos of things for MyOtherShop. This time it was aprons and tote bags. What a job it is when you are so behind....

The pins and the coasters in the photos are already listed, the aprons and totes will get listed today....I hope! I will be SO happy when I am caught up!

Did I tell you Irv wants another dog? We'll talk about that another day......

Super, Super Saturday

What a great day I had yesterday. I went to Walmart to pick up poster board and foam board for the Halloween costumes for work. Next stop was Hobby Lobby for some pin clasps for my new pins and some holiday paper for coasters. From there it was over to Hancock Fabrics to take advantage of their big pattern sale. I got 12 patterns for a buck each! I love those sales!

Next I headed over to the two resale shops. I didn't find much there today...just a couple of plates for cake stands and some neat candlesticks.

Then I stopped at a garage sale in our neighborhood. I didn't find anything for my shops, but I found some awesome stuff for ME!!! I love old wood picture frames. I like to sand them and paint them and use them. I found a couple of those, a very old little standing mirror frame...missing the mirror, a very rusty old metal candle holder for outside on the deck, and couple of cute little candle holders that I will probably make soap dishes with AND I got 2 wicker chairs and a little table to go with them. The grand total....$17.75!!!


Irv is going to paint the wicker pieces next spring for the deck and I'm going to make some cute cushions for them. The picture frames and mirror stand I'll work on during the winter.

When I got home I took over 250 photographs of items I made during the summer and had not had time to list in MyOtherShop yet. I will be on a listing frenzy for a while. I still have to photograph the totes and aprons and I hope to do that today.

It was a super Saturday! Hope you all have an awesome Sunday!

Craft Show 101

I had Matt on my mind yesterday, but I did have a few things to tell you about the craft show this weekend.

My location was pretty good. It will be a while before I earn my way into the prime rows, but we were in the middle on an aisle and it worked out well, except for an hour or so each afternoon when the sun blasted in the skylights right on my check out table! We joked around about it just being my "heavenly glow", but it was seriously blinding at times.

Instead of the "teaser table" I had out front at the other show, Irv added awesome shelves to one side of the front of the booth and they worked beautifully. I had a couple of cake stands, some coasters and some light switch covers on them and people would stop, look at those things and come in. It was great!

I did learn a couple more very important things. One is that signs are a must. I kept thinking they would look like clutter, but when I was busy talking to someone and another person looked interested in something....even though I couldn't talk to the second person right then....a cute sign with the right words....spelled correctly would have worked. So, Saturday night I made some cute signs and put them around the booth with little bits of info about my totes, the aprons and the coasters. People actually read them! I did them on the computer on card stock and accented with scrapbook paper. Easy, inexpensive and useful!

The other BIG thing I learned is that even though I am not a seasonal decorating or dressing type person...hundreds of people are. I saw so many people walking around with Halloween and Thanksgiving stuff. It's not my thing, but that doesn't really matter. I must learn to please the masses. So, on that note, I will be making some holiday themed coasters and aprons for my shop and for the little tiny show we are doing at the church/school where Irv works. We'll see how it goes.

Here is a funny for you....this was my fourth show. At shows one through three, my cakestands were by far my best seller. I had decided that I probably wouldn't make any more light switch covers or coasters because they just don't sell. HAHA! Guess what sold the most at this show? Of course, coasters and light switch covers. So, what do I know?

Craft shows are a whole lot more than I ever thought they were. They are like a little business venture of their own. I am having fun, I'm learning, I'm meeting so many wonderful people...customers and other vendors and I can see where with time, this could become a nice way to supplement our income.

Oh, I have to say hi to my sister Karen in Tennessee who informed me yesterday that she reads my blog every day. I never knew that. So, hi Karen! Love you!

Now I need to go make some Christmas coasters! Chat with you soon!

I LOVE the Weekends!!!!!

I was SO looking forward to this three day weekend!! Today I will be locked away in my workshop, music blasting, window open....as I finish up a custom order for two vendor aprons, make a ton more ornaments and experiment with some different pins. I want to make some out of cotton for people that live in warmer climates that don't need or want a brooch made out of wool, and Angela from Pickles on Pizza sent me an awesome "how to" for a really neat one!

Included are some pictures of some of the new things from MyOtherShop.

Hobby Horse Ornament

I might throw in some laundry and do a little house cleaning if I feel like it.

On Sunday we are having dinner at Michael and Bernadette's house with Tresa and Chris. I haven't seen the house in a few weeks and since then they have done some landscaping, got their new appliances, painted the kitchen, refinished the cabinets and I'm not sure what else. They have been really busy working on their first house and I'm sure it looks awesome!

New Ivory Brooch

Monday is a holiday in my school district. It is Yom Kippur and even though I am not Jewish....many of our students, teachers and office staff are, so it is a holiday for us and I happily accept any and all holidays they want to give me!

Monday I will finish what I don't finish today....music blasting, window open etc. etc. etc.

New Brown Brooch

I am looking forward to this weekend of family and fun!! I hope your weekend plans include some fun too.

When Life is A Big Bowl of Cherries

Let me tell you....things are just rolling right along....so very smoothly right now.....everything is cool and calm.....there is a quiet sense of peace in the air. So, what the heck is going on? This is not what my life is normally like. It's usually....When life hands you lemons....

Not sure what's up, but man is it sweet. When I really think about it...I'm not sure that anything has changed though.......I think it's just the way that I am looking at life that has changed. Whatever it is...it feels oh so good! I even woke up to another etsy order. I sold my only vendor apron. Man do I have a lot to do!

I got so much stuff done yesterday that I am on top of the world. I got my little sleds listed in MyOtherShop, and I am anxious to see how they go over the next few months. I decided to offer them "naked" and personalized.



I also made a couple of brooches! I was given a ton of old jewelry and it was driving me nuts to see it just sitting here. Most of it was parts of necklaces or single earrings and some old buttons. Then my darling daughter-in-law sent over this brooch she had bought and said that I should make them. It was really cute, but I haven't seen it for a while and couldn't remember exactly how it was made. I bought some wool and just started playing around. Mine aren't nearly as awesome as I recall hers being, but it's a start. I listed them on etsy yesterday too, and the ivory one already sold to a really awesome etsy buyer. :)

I also got this little hobby horse ornament done last night. My kids use to love these on our tree. We had them in all different colors.

Now it's time to get to work. Make it a fantastic day for yourselves!! Chat with you soon.

And the Winners Are.....

Leilani Lee of Ozark Oddments and Jen of jdavissquared. Leilani and Jen guessed a sleigh/sled so I decided to have two winners! Chee hoo!

I made my first little craft stick sled back in 1984. My kids were 10, 4 and 1 at that time and Christmas decorations were a big thing at our house. Everything on our tree was handmade by either myself, the kids or another crafter. I love the way the old one has darkened with age!

I will be listing the sleds in MyOtherShop later today...hopefully. They will come completely naked, or with the holly and the 2009 painted on them. If people want a person's name or their family name on them, I can do that as well. The one with "The Krolls" on it is a reject that didn't pass inspection, but at least you can get an idea of what they look like.

I had fully intended to make these and a couple other ornaments last year and just never found the time to get them done. I am doing a tiny little craft show at the church/school where Irv works in November, and I thought they might be cute to offer there too.

For being the first ones to guess, Leilani and Jen get to choose an item from FourDogDay, which is my other shop....not to be confused with MyOtherShop which is my other shop. What on earth was I thinking when I named my second shop, My OtherShop? Anyway, they will get to choose a photo or a card or gift tags from FourDogDay! Congratulations Leilani and Jen. Just visit FourDogDay and leave a comment on this post to let me know what you would like and I will be in touch.

Thanks for playing along everyone and now it is time to get to work! Other ornaments are in the works! I'll show them to you when they are done.

It's Guessing Game Time!

Last week I mentioned that after the craft show I was going to start working on a couple of new things....well, I have been. The new items will be for MyOtherShop.

Let's play a little guessing game! I actually hate games, but since I'm not the one playing, I think I can get through it.

Here are the materials I will be using for one of the new items I am making. Looks rather primitive and childish if I do say so myself! Not very artsy either!

You have to guess exactly and not just a category. Fair enough? The first person to guess will win a little prize.

If no one guesses, I will give you a clue tomorrow.

So.....what am I making?

Still Learning

I am SO glad that I took today off. My workshop is filled with boxes and bins and bags and I was way too tired last night to do anything about it!

Irv and Michael setting up Friday afternoon

Sunday was definitely better than Saturday at the show. I did manage to make enough to pay my fee plus a couple of dollars....and I mean...a couple of dollars, but once again I am not discouraged at all. I learned more at this show and we will put some of it into play at the next show in three weeks.

Me trying to figure out where to put it all

If you factor in the cost of all of the fast food meals and Irv's flat tire yesterday and the cost of my new booth....we are way, way, way in the hole....but it's all part of building a craft show business and it's an expense we are willing to incur. Irv and I both agree that we will make money with this eventually.

Me wishing I had some clips for my hair while setting up Friday

I think people were a little "frightened" to come "into" a booth like mine....maybe they were afraid we wouldn't let them back out. We had to do some encouraging at times, but when we noticed people not even getting in far enough to see the things on the sides, we remembered what Tresa told us last show...and that was to showcase a little of everything out front where people can't miss it. We did and when people saw the "tease" it drew them into the booth.

Arranging and rearranging on Friday

We had to use my check out table to put the little assortment of items on and it was a bit difficult to check people out without that space. I think what we are going to do is add shelves to the front end panel of the booth and display an assortment of things on there rather than on my little check out table. On the other end panel, we will leave the hooks so I can hang some tote bags...oh yes, the tote bags. I sold one. Chee Hoo!

Saturday morning...almost ready

People loved the girls, but I didn't sell a single apron. I did have a lady looking for a style that I have the pattern for but just haven't had time to make. I might find the time now. She took a card and asked when I thought I might have some done.

I had a girl at another booth ask about the vendor apron I was wearing. She needs two of them. It turns out she lives a few miles from me and we are going to be in touch, so I might get a couple of apron orders from her.

Some of the tote bags

Once again, I sold 5 cake stands. People really seem to like them...and the more unique the better. I guess I will keep making those.

Cake stands and one tote bag that was falling off the hook

I did sell some coasters and one little light switch cover. I'm finding that with the light switch covers, no matter how many you have of each style, you never have the right style in the right fabric....I might not be making any more of those.

I thought this looked really cute

I had to laugh when I looked at the pillows after I set them up. First of all I set them up facing the left which is how the compulsive side of me has to have the clothes hanging in my closet....the front of the booth was to the right! Then by facing them to the left, all you could see was price tags! UGH! I got them turned around before the show started and they looked great. I didn't sell any.

How NOT to display pillows!

So, I am headed to the craft store today. I have new things I am going to be working on. I'm not sure if the show coordinator will let me bring them to the show in three weeks since I didn't include them on my application, but if not...they will be on etsy soon and I'll take them to the little church show I'm doing in November.

This is the little "teaser" table we set up. It really helped get people into the booth.

The shows are a lot of work and it is a long weekend. When you are packing up and you know you didn't make a profit....it's a tedious job. I am still waiting for my "break out" show....maybe in three weeks!!

I have to send out a HUGE thank you to Irv, because there is no way I could do this without him and I love doing this! I also want to thank Michael, Bernadette and Tresa for coming to the show and lending their support. I love you all.

I am happy I was able to cover my fee and make a couple of bucks. I'm thrilled that each show I am learning more and more about what I should and shouldn't be doing. I'm excited that I get to do it again in three weeks. I'm not sure Irv is as excited as I am though!!

Almost Done and Dog Gone Tired

We worked hard yesterday and finished up everything for the craft show, except if I want a vendor apron....I'll need to make it in the next four days. I have the fabric......Zzzzzzzzzz.....but I am SO tired. We'll see.

Our trial run setting up the booth went really well...better than we expected. The booth went up smoothly. While it was up, Irv did a little touch up, we figured out where all of the hooks had to go and my little Welcome and My Other Shop signs and we are good to go...and it is only Tuesday!!! Chee Hoo!

The girls look kind of cute hanging there, even though they are naked!

Wrigley kept peeking at us through the gate while we were working.

We finally brought her out to the driveway. She has to be tied to something or she just wanders off and manages to not hear you when you call her. Even dogs can have "selective hearing".

I do need to get some props like bars of soap and candy to display on my little baby "cake stands," and that's it. I put all of them on the kitchen table so I could pack them up. Just don't anyone sneeze! Aren't I daring? HAHA! With some very creative packing and a lot of bubble wrap, I managed to get all of this into one large and two medium bins!!

I looked at everything I've made and smiled. It looks good. Then I looked at the little bin of old buttons and jewelry pieces sitting on my desk....and smiled again, because I can't wait to start on my next project.

Have an awesome day today and I will keep you posted on my vendor apron progress. I put the fabric next to the sewing machine...maybe some little elves will come and complete it for me while I am at work today!