Brukner's the Best!!!

I just returned home from the Brukner Nature Center Arts and Crafts Show and it is by far the best one I've been to yet. It is a juried show, so after applying and sending pictures of your items, Brukner decides if they want you in the show . There were so many different and unique things there.
I LOVE meeting other crafters at craft shows! It's so fun to talk to other people who understand the addiction of crafting, whether it be beading, quilting, carving or glass making. People who don't think you're crazy for spending an hour looking at and flipping out over cool scrapbook paper!
I got a lot of ideas from different people today on pendant making, display set ups and even Etsy. Almost everyone I talked to had an Etsy site.
There was a never ending crowd at Brukner and we had a great spot. I'm going to try to get that same spot for next year. This is the best I've done, sales-wise, of any of the four shows I've been to.
It was a different crowd at Brukner, too. Where the other shows were mostly women out shopping while their husbands were home watching football, this show had a lot of couples and families. There were many older couples too. A lot of the shoppers, I think, were affiliated with Brukner in some way, whether it be as a teacher, member, or supporter. I really enjoyed it. It had more of an artisan exhibit feel as opposed to just a craft bazaar. And the fact that it was in a beautiful setting helped also.
Well, I think this is my last craft show for a few months. I will now concentrate on getting my Etsy shop to prosper a little better and start working on doing home shows.
My plan for home parties will include "Create you own pendant" as well pre-designed cash and carry items. I will have stations where guests can choose a pendant, cord or chain, and an optional charm to create their own style and reflect their personality. I have a home show in the works for sometime in January or early February. Can't wait!

Bradford Craft Show

The Bradford Craft Show has come and gone and was a lot of fun, although not as profitible as the Sidney show. There weren't nearly as many vendors and people were doing a lot of looking and not a lot of buying.
At this show, I put out a basket of clearance items (beaded bracelets and necklaces that I wanted to get rid of). Everything in the basket was $5.00. Shoppers went crazy over this! People weren't as interested in the "Wearable Art" and "Snowflakes Under Glass" as they were at the Sidney Show. It's interesting how shows are different in that way. The one thing that was a hit at both shows was the Twilight Stuff. Scrabble pendants, pins and magnets; the girls love that!



My next craft show is this Saturday, Dec. 5 at Brukner's. I stopped out there yesterday to find out where and what shape my booth space is, and it turns out I got just about the best space there!! The woman in charge, Deb, said, "Oh yeah, I put you smack dab in the middle of the lobby because I really liked your stuff and wanted you to get a lot of traffic!" COOL!! So...make some plans to check it out!

Craft Shows!!

It's been awhile since I've posted but not because nothing is happening! I'm still making pendants. Glass tiles, Rummikub and Scrabble game tiles and dominos! I've also been making magnets with Twilight characters (which I love) and vintage-look ones.

I've been working on earrings, too, and have really taken a liking to ceramic/porcelain glazed beads. The big chunky ones that look a little like Fiestaware?!? (see pics) They look really good with antiqued gold or copper earwires.

I've been to two craft shows now. Fort Rowdy Gathering in Covington, OH and the Charity League Holiday Craft Show in Sidney, OH. The second one had 150 vendors and really gave me an idea of what it is like to participate in craft shows. I actually loved it!!! Now in addition to all the ideas of pendants and jewelry rolling around in my head, I'm thinking of creative displays, table covers, efficient ways to set up tables!

I didn't do bad in sales. I was actually pretty busy, but with my price point being between $5 and $20, it takes awhile to accumulate some cash. I ended out the day with about $400 in sales. Not too bad, I guess. I just pictured myself coming and saying to my husband, "Count the digits, baby. That's right, 1,2,3,4!!" Not so much. Maybe next time, which happens to be Nov.21st at Bradford High School.

My New Obsession

I have always loved making jewelry and actually got quite immersed in it a few years. I had different collections that I sold to friends and coworkers and at home parties. Eventually eating meals in the living room because the kitchen table was covered in crimping beads, wire and freshwater pearls, got unnerving. Getting beads stuck between my toes while walking across the kitchen floor got old as well, so I decided to go on hiatus from beading. I must admit that it was a little difficult to not be drawn to the jewelry making section at the craft store. And when the bead catalog arrived in the mailbox every few months, it took some willpower to "just say no." I really felt I had my addiction under control when I discovered something called "glass tiles". Now my kitchen table is covered decorative paper, vintage prints and Mod Podge. I'm just in the practicing stages right now, but one of my pendants is pictured above. I call it "Key To My Heart." My mind is now going crazy with ideas. Who has time for dishes, yardwork and washing the dog? I've got pendants to make! An added perk? No beads stuck between my toes!