Retiring from the craft fair circuit...

I think I'm retiring the mosaics. It was fun for a while, but they are so fragile and labor intensive, not to mention semi-dangerous. I'm ready for my fingertips to heal, to vacuum up the glass shards, and move on. I am clearly the kiss of death for craft fairs I attend, and that fact was driven home astoundingly with last weekend's Champlin Women of Today craft fair. Total BOMB.

I had high hopes - this group has a history of highly promoted, well attended shows. They're big - 150 crafters, a whole high school gym. But clearly, the tide has turned on craft fairs.

In the week before I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to throw together a bunch more mosaics. I finally got the right grout again (white, sanded), and since the show was just before Valentine's Day, I thought I'd focus on heart shaped photo frames:



These all came out really cute, I especially love the rainbow one. This is just after grouting, so they weren't polished up yet - I was very happy with the end product.

I was not happy when I stabbed myself with a scissors during the whole process, but that's another story.



So I finished all these guys up, wrapped each one in bubble wrap, hauled everything out to my car (2 tables, 1 chair, 2 giant art stands, tablecloths, signage, extra bubble wrap, all the mosaics including 3 giant wall mirrors...)Then I arrived at the school and hauled it all inside...

And it was all for naught.

My booth looked really nice, though I was pretty exhausted by the time I got it all up. My previous craft fair experience with aprons was so much easier - they're not fragile, they require little care other than some sort of folding, and they're much lighter than mosaics. Setting up these suckers requires muscle. The show had a lot of helpers, came around with a coffee cart, and I had a nice wall space so nobody behind me would knock my stuff over - so far so good.



Then I started to look around. And to get nervous. First bad omen: non-craft booths. Lots of them. Someone selling "the best pillow you'll ever own," a bunch of food mixes (probably Tastefully Simple), a chiropractor, TWO salsa vendors...uh oh. The line between craft fair and crap fair is so thin already, I'm hesitant to waste any time with shows that are all home party plan vendors.

To my right was a custom t-shirt booth, some of their designs were cheesy (a lot of puns and grandma-esque stuff) but a few were fun (sparkly - yes, I am a Bingo Queen at heart) and they made them right on the spot with a giant heat press. That was kind of cool - definitely a toy I briefly thought about acquiring.

On the other side of me was a very chatty grandmother selling..."a little of everything" was how she described it. Her words are nicer than mine.

I was across from a guy selling soaps, behind him was someone selling fabric purses that were cute but too small for my purposes, and the rest of the show was 50 people selling dish towels. Okay, maybe not 50, but I swear there were a ton of towels.

And no customers.

Seriously, no customers. Fewer than 100 people through the doors, in my guesstimation. There were a few sales (I saw those darn pillows in a lot of hands), but I'm not sure anybody made their booth fee back. Most of the people I heard from (including myself) didn't have a single sale the entire day. It was bad enough that people started packing up early, and the show organizers even pulled the plug and "released" us an hour ahead of schedule. Clearly it was a total disappointment for all involved.

For a split second I considered just leaving the whole display there.

Then I packed it all up again and headed home. I still haven't had the energy to unpack the car and get it all back into the house, so I'm driving around with a car
packed full of strange things. The whole thing had taken a definite turn for the DEPRESSING, so it's a good time to stop. I still like making them (though I don't love grouting) so it might stay a hobby - and I don't think my products were at all bad, I just had a knack for picking poor shows. Oh well.

Moving on!

Visit me Saturday!

This group usually puts on pretty big shows, so I'm hoping for a nice turn out. Stop by if you're around!

The Much Awaited Crafting Update :)

I have EXCELLENT friends. Huge kudos to the four of you who came to visit (and entertain me!) this weekend at City Hall, and also to my mother who booth sat with me all day Saturday. It was especially nice for her to be there, because it distracted and calmed me down after the morning set up calamities. What calamities, you ask? Oh, just the usually sabotage and rudeness that comes with the evil sport of crafting. I set up Friday night, came in Saturday to find my "neighbor" had set a giant shelf in front of my display. Uh...WTF? Yeah, so that led to me having to take EVERYTHING down (can't move a table full of mosaics - they're set up like dominoes, and if one goes, they all go!) and move the table, re-setting it all again. This could have been avoided were the booth dimensions taped off, but it was sort of a loosey-goosey "give and take where you can" directive that would work fine if only all people were polite like me. They are not. Oh well. I did get my display re-set and I think it looked pretty snazzy:



I broke one of my stands getting it in the car, but it still held up - and I think they looked nicer than I had thought they would, their over-the-top-filigree blended fairly well. Had I known the exact booth dimensions I may have done some things differently, but details were sketchy...It still looked good.

Then some dingy broad came flying in with a huge cart she couldn't control and dropped a giant bookshelf off the top of it! I SCREAMED as it hurdled towards my display "OH MY GOD!!!" It just BARELY missed the edge of the table which would have sent everything tumbling, and came to rest actually half under my table. Then the woman looked at me like I was crazy for shouting. "I didn't even notice it fell" was her only response. UH, YEAH, THAT'S HALF THE PROBLEM - START NOTICING, LADY! And maybe apologize?

But, those annoyances aside, the Roseville craft fair was a MUCH better craft fair on so many levels. All of the artists were carefully screened to ensure only homemade goods (no party plans or re-sellers allowed). Booths were assigned to keep like-products apart (as opposed to having 2 jewelry vendors next to each other, like last week). It was well promoted, professionally staffed, and of utmost importance: it was much warmer in there too! Well, most of the time :)



Unfortunately, I still didn't hit the sales mark I had hoped for. I think I need to find a younger, hipper crafting crowd, and this show was aimed a little more at grandmas. People were buying, but they were buying small cheap things. My mother bought a ton of beaded librarian straps for her glasses that were like $4 - probably not even any profit built in there, let alone consideration for time. My mosaics are competitively priced, and I got lots of comments on how beautiful they are, but they're not exactly going to appeal to the crowd who thinks a $1 gold coin is a great tip.

Random aside: Saw a HILARIOUS grandmother this weekend, and could not resist snapping this photo:



OMG, are those pants even allowed out of the 80's? Acid washed, skin tight, with ZIPPERS at the ankles, I'm dying! And yes, I know I'm going to hell...

Hubby went to No-Coast this weekend, and came back raving about how I have to apply to that show next year. He is certain that is "my crowd." And it definitely is - I did some serious wallet damage there last year, picking up all the Adam Turman and Lonny Unitus prints for our living room. When he returned from the sale, Hubby was all set to go out and buy me a new sewing machine to start making aprons again. :) I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to aprons (though they were cute), but I would like to find the right forum for my mosaics. Another indie craft fair in a similar vein I've applied to is Craftstravaganza , scheduled for this spring, but won't find out until mid-January if I'm accepted (cross your fingers! It's also the closest possible location for me - @ the State Fair grounds, so I've very hopeful.

But anyways, this weekend wasn't a total loss - I managed to part with a few of my favorites, including this one which someone bought for a christening gift:

The colors don't come out as great in the photo, the flowers are a bright red, the "grass" is a light green, and the background is mirrored (it's really hard to photograph mirror!).

And then a dear friend scooped up this big (8" x 10" mirror) guy, which might have been my overall favorite:


Doesn't that just make you happy? I love it! And I'll still get to visit it from time to time, so it was quite a perfect ending :)

A couple others went as well, and I think I might put several of them into my etsy shop. If something caught your eye, there's still time to get it before Xmas - leave me a comment or drop me a line :) I might even gift wrap it for you!

Thanks again to everyone who came out to see me, and I'll keep you posted on future shows - feel free to pass along info if you know of a good one!

Heather's Mailbag: Mosaic Stands!

Prizes aren't the only packages I've been receiving lately, I've actually been on a big of a buying spree too. Mostly it's holiday gifts, but these three HUGE boxes (4' X 3' at least) were the stands I ordered for my mosaic sales! I was a little annoyed that the online tracking showed they had been in Minneapolis since THURSDAY but didn't get delivered until the next week, but at lest the guy carried them all around to the back door. Hubby actually had to dig through the barricade to get in that day!





Here's what they looked like on the website, a bit more ornate than I would have chosen but the price was right (EXTREME CLOSE OUT! - I guess that means on sale).

They were okay to put together, the instructions were ridiculously unhelpful, but I figured it out - eventually.

Unfortunately, while putting them in the car this morning I snapped off the support piece on one of them- DANGIT! It shouldn't show when the stand is in use if I just duct tape it, and I'm hoping my dad can help me solder or weld it back on.

Set up is tonight, wish me luck tomorrow! Things have worked out so that I will be there both days, and I'd love to see some familiar faces. I have some beautiful new wall mirrors done too, you should come take them off my hands before the holidays :)


Here's a poorly lit shot of the stands in my living room during my practice set up. My mirrors are actually slightly larger than the white rabbit print shown there, so I think they'll look pretty nice.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Living and Learning - and Looking Ahead

Just in case you were wondering, no, my craft fair yesterday didn't pick up in its final hours. In fact, people mostly packed up their wares early, which is a HUGE no-no in the craft community, but nobody even dared stop them. Tempers and frustrations were fairly high. I can't say I totally blame the promoters for the lack of traffic - it's bound to happen in a down economy, the Vikings were playing, it was a Sunday show...blah blah. And having put together a craft fair before myself, I know how nerve wracking it is to sit and wait for traffic after you have done all your promoting. Even the best efforts (not to say that these were the best) can go awry. C'est la vie.

So here are a few of my favorites that are STILL AVAILABLE of course :)






See all these and more in the slideshow I just set up as an application to another craft fair here.
Or, better yet, come see me at Roseville this weekend!

I'm really looking forward to this next holiday craft fair. First, it's a long standing show, with decent community support. The promoter and I worked together when I did the Women of Today Craft Fair on the same weekend as theirs (in the same community) a few years ago, we cross-promoted and shared the costs. I know she carefully screens her entries, only allows homemade crafts and maintains a good balance of vendors. AND she does smart stuff like having a local orchestra perform (bringing their parents to listen & shop then). So keep your fingers crossed! Or, better yet, come VISIT me :) My mom will be booth-sitting most of Saturday as I herd our little debaters through their final tournament, and then Sunday I'll be there all day. I'll have a few new pieces including 2 more jumbo ready-to-hang mirrors (about 18" x 24") that I'm grouting this week, hopefully displayed on my new stands which UPS supposedly delivered today!

Hope to see you this weekend in Roseville! Again, it's 10-4 Saturday AND 11-4 Sunday at Roseville City Hall, on County Road C between Snelling and Lexington.

Craft FLOP

I started the day with hopeful enthusiasm:



this was particularly notable as I had to wake up well before dawn, and after a night of painful restless heartburn (Ryan made me eat 3 lbs of cheese last night. It's a long story). So anyways, I found the Eagan Community Center, and got my booth set up quickly - and I kinda think it's cute too :)



I made my first sale!



I was really surprised at which one it was, not that it wasn't pretty, just not a very elaborate piece - forest green and mirror glass in a very random arrangement.

And that is where the good news ENDS.

Big frowny face here. :(

The show was a total flop. I'm extremely disappointed, not to mention far into the red. Boo, fail, hiss!

It wasn't that I in particular did poorly, it was just a bum show. Hardly any browsers, and even fewer shoppers. It was also a fairly weird show - a few red flags I could have taken more seriously:

*spelling errors on the promoter's website (there instead of their REPEATEDLY - seriously, who does that!?!?!)

*inconsistent listing of the times, booth sizes, and other show info

*lack of email from promoter, despite website saying they would send one with the set up info - my email inquiry went unanswered, and when I asked about it at check in I got a snotty answer that "emailing me would increase the show fees." Uh, WTF?

I think I've made an easy decision about further shows with this company. I never saw any advertising, and the show itself had no quality control. There are a million jewelry vendors, TWO Usborne vendors (such a no no to have the same exact COMPANY! EEK!), and a whole bunch of non-craft CRAP - seriously. We're talking home decor JUNK that people must have purchased really haphazardly and are re-selling like a flea market, along with a bunch of home party businesses and not one but TWO chiropractors. This is not a craft fair, this is a crap fair. I'm embarassed.

And I'm broke. At least I wasn't tempted to buy anyone else's crap :)

Here's hoping that Roseville will be better next weekend! That's a longstanding show in a great (close to my home) location, it's a fundraiser for the nature center, and it's strictly limited to ALL HOMEMADE CRAFTS. I'm really hopeful that it will be a much better show, and at least I don't have to struggle to comeup with more inventory!



I suppose something amazing could happen in my next hour and a half sitting here bored (thank goodness the hubby was kind enough to bring lunch & my laptop, or I'd be scratching my eyes out). But I'm not optimistic. Better luck next time I guess.

Visit me at the Eagan Community Center Sunday 9am - 4pm!

I am once again up entirely too late for someone headed off to a craft show in just a few hours, but it's been a jam-packed weekend. Ryan and I made mischief all day, I ordered new cute glasses (gotta spend the rest of my flex plan ASAP), finished up as many mosaics as I could (ran out of grout, and my large stands are sitting at UPS, so the big mirrors never got done - oh well, next weekend I have another show), packed up the car, hit a birthday party, and now I'm wondering what I forgot to put together for my big long day tomorrow. Hopefully nothing too huge. I will be sure to take LOTS of photos, and please keep your fingers crossed that it is a worthwhile show! It's really hard to know what to expect in another community, a Sunday show, this big holiday weekend - so many strange factors. I'll be happy just to cover my table rental, so let's aim for that. Wish me luck!

How Bizarre...

I've been looking around for a craft fair to fill the space I bowed out of this Saturday, and in my search I requested info on one being held at a local church. It came with a list of clarifications regarding what was and was not allowable (goofy in itself, but whatever), but that's not the part that had me rilling on the floor with laughter - this is too good not to post. Other than the XXX's I've put in to obscure the name, this is verbatim what I received:

Holiday Bizarre Guidelines
We at XXX Church are glad to host you and this Holiday Bizarre and hope we can make your day run smoothly and give you a true sense of feeling welcome. This being a church, however, we do have several guidelines that need to be followed.
-Nothing can be sold or depicted of a political nature
-Nothing can be sold or depicted of a religious nature including astrological symbols
-There can be no palm readers, psychics, or anyone of a similar nature represented
-Smoking, alcoholic beverages, and drugs are prohibited on the premises
-This is a family event and therefore nothing of an “adult” nature is allowed. Therefore any artwork containing nudity, adult language, anything of a sexual nature, or adult subject matter should not be displayed or sold.

Sincerely,
XXX Director of Worship Ministries

The best part is that the author wasn't even the one who sent it out - so this little note made it through at least two people without catching the MAJOR error in wording. Definitely sounds like a bizarre bazaar :)

Remember those craft fairs I signed up for?

I have tragically neglected my mosaics in wake of Halloween, but starting Sunday that is my next priority. Why? Because I have my first selling event on November 14th! Yikes, that's coming up fast too, and I have much to do. But if y'all want to come out and purchase gorgeous one of a kind hand crafted mosaic mirrors and photo frames, here are the details:


Minnesota Moms in Business "Food for the Holidays" Vendor Fair
(The MMIB group hosts this event to raise funds and collect food items for local foodshelves)

Saturday, November 14, 2009
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

National Sports Center
1700 105th Ave NE
Blaine, MN 55449

Free Admission

Donate 2 non-perishable food items for a chance to win a $25 VISA Gift Card to help with your holiday shopping.

Spend $25 or more with any one vendor for a chance to win a $75 VISA Gift Card to REALLY help with your holiday shopping!

This is really more of a vendor show than a craft fair, but hopefully that'll just mean I stick out more :) It's been my experience at these types of shows that half (or more) of your business just comes from the other vendors, who are bored and captive all day in their booths - fine by me! Now if only I can keep from buying anything myself...

Gettin' down to business...

I've made some major steps towards my holiday craft fairs, and now all my VistaPrint items have arrived! I've talked about them before, VistaPrint is a good source for cheap custom business cards, post cards, and now even banners!

I wait until I get the "free" coupon, and then I only pay for shipping - so each of these banners (ordered separately) were like $6! It was $6 more for two sets of heavy duty hanging tabs, and I'm glad I got those also. The lighting is bad in my photo, but I like how they turned out!



I think I'm going to hang these on the front of my table side by side, and if I ever do a bigger outdoor show I'll hang them from my tent frame.

Then in another separate order, I got matching business cards/price tags!



I plan to put one of these on each mosaic, then I've somewhat covered my liability with the warning (even with careful grouting, there's always a sharp edge somewhere) and put my contact info on, and I plan to write prices in the blank center space. So far I'm pretty happy with all of it! It's bright, cheery, and clean. I can use any color table cloth and shelves - right now I think I'm going with white & silver tablecloth (because I have it lying around) and silver shelves (to add more layers so I can display more work). Now all I've got to do is crank out more inventory!

We're In Business! Well, I am anyways...

So, an interesting little lunch time errand, I signed up for a Minnesota Sales Tax ID number! That means I can officially sell products, i.e. my craftacular creations, at art and craft fairs across Minnesota. It's been on my list to do for a while, but last night's mosaic fun really sealed the deal for me - it's time to do another craft fair!

This was partially spurred by a less than pleasant letter I received in the mail yesterday - the certificate program I had just enrolled in was CANCELLED, and so due to several factors I ended up dropping the course I was enrolled in, and now feel under achieving. So, I've gone ahead and filled up that time and much more :)

I'm aiming for a pre-holiday bazaar that a local non profit puts on - I need to finish up my application materials this weekend and if I am accepted, then I know what I'll be working on as soon as Halloween is over!

My mother used to have this motto, "Never be bored." I guess I've picked it up :)

Oh, and this photo has little to do with my post. I suppose True Blood's Eric Northman is a fine example of a small business owner, but mostly, he's just pretty.