to the phrase "shop at home"! That is what my dd's will be doing shortly...shopping from home for their teacher/coach/scout leader etc gift for the holidays! All these items were made, by me, for a craft fair in early October...believe it or not, I did sell some things but this is what is left over...Pretty sad, huh?! The only consolation I had (although very tiny) was that most of the other vendors were not all that pleased with the outcome either.
As you can imagine, it was very disappointing...I have done this same fair for three years prior to this one...the first year was a flop because of the location and the last two years I was quite pleased. The fair is actually part of a charity event where my dh works...the table fee is a percentage of whatever proceeds you make that day and that in turn is donated to the charity.That is the thing with fairs - one day you could completely flop and the next hit the jackpot! I know that and yet I was still pretty let down after this...so much so that I have decided not to participate in the childrens fair and my dd's school (in addition to kid type purchases the school also allows a handful of vendors to come in and sell to the parents while the kids shop for family gifts..a very cute idea...I was not the originator of the idea but I did run the fair for the three years) which is to take place next week. I just didn't feel like putting myself out there again...having to drag it all over there, set it up, have people paw the items, listen to the various comments of "I can do this" or "why would someone want that?". If you have never done a fair of your own, YES, people will say that with you standing right there! Of course, we all think those things at one time or another, especially crafters thinking they can do that same thing but I for one never say it out loud!!! geesh!
So, this year, my dd's get to shop from home - they don't like to shop anyway (maybe because we always make a side trip to the craft store? hmnn, I wonder!) and this way maybe I can reduce my stash! Know anyone that needs gifts??? I have to say though, that I did enjoy doing the fairs...of course the early stages of preparing is a blast...purchasing supplies, deciding what to make, etc...(Thank you Target $1 spot for providing wonderful bases for alot of my ideas!) and as it gets closer a little stressful! It is fun to actually sell something you have made...it is worth trying if you have an inclination to do so...I think at this point though, I may take some time off from the fairs and just craft for myself and see how I feel in a couple of years when the girls are bigger and I don't feel like I am taking so much time away from them...
If you look closely (SCS'ers), you might be able to see some of the $1 spot items that alot of us have coveted over that last year or so! I tend to purchase things I think I can do "stuff" with and then it sits in my closet for a while until I actually get around to it...check my gallery on SCS if you want to see my craft room and closet! We have a dollar store very close to us as well...another great sources of frames, etc... Those fuzzy things in the above picture are actually scarves! I call them soup can scarves because they are made from soup containers! They have the look of being knit, which in a way they are, just not with needles. I don't know how to knit but this comes pretty close and if your attention span is longer than mine, you could probably get one done in a night of watching tv! Hey, maybe I'll do a tutorial! Anyone interested? I wish the pictures were closer (I'm not exactly a whiz with the camera) but most of the items are pictured individually in my SCS gallery...just follow the link on my side bar over there -->
Well, I haven't made any cards since my last post...between getting back in the swing of work and trying to decorate the house, oh, yeah and typing a mile long post on my blog!...I haven't had much time. How come, when you have more time (kids at school, dh at work) you seem to have less time??!! Go figure...
Well, if you lasted this long...THANKS!! I just thought I would give you a little background on myself/my hobby/my fair experience...Hopefully the next time you visit I will have a card or two posted!!
2 comments:
Sorry to hear about your let down at the craft fair. Looks like some really neat stuff. I think you should still do the kids sale. It's like you said you never know from one time to the next how it will go.
Have a Great Day!
HI,
I just wanted to tell you I feel your pain about the craft fair. I did one last weekend with pretty much the same results. I noticed the crowd was not buying anything last weekend. I have had better luck this year demoing and booking parties!
Your stash looks great btw!
Kerri
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