Ski Barn Lawrenceville, NJ

This is a photo collage of the scarves and hoods that are available at the Ski Barn in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. They are located at 2990 Rt 1 North. The phone number is 609-530-1666. They would be delighted in your patronage, either in person or online at http://www.skibarn.com/.

Happy Holidays!

This is a show of items available at the Ski Barn in Eatontown, New Jersey. They are located at 305 Rt 35. The phone number is 732-578-9460.

As always, these items are One of a Kind. Stop by, or contact them soon, if you are interested in any piece shown.

Happy Holidays.

Hello World, Philadelphia

This is the collection available at Hello World in Philadelphia.
They are located at 257 S. 20th St, between Spruce and Locust. The shop number is 215-545-5207.
Remember, these items are one of a kind. So if you see something you like get there fast!
Happy holidays.

Bazaar-O World

I have a 10' x 10' space. There is a red line of tape that marks the entrance. No one has crossed it to enter my booth. It's 6:45 pm. This holiday shopping bazaar opened at 5:30. I'm wondering who the heck even starts their holiday shopping before Halloween. Being here was such a mistake. I never should have spent all that money to do this. No one likes my stuff. I'm going to have three more days of standing here, like this, looking stupid with my handmade neck warmers. It's Alabama. What was I thinking?

Oh..oh..Someone just stepped over my red line. False alarm. She continued walking. She probably just lost her footing. Could ideas get any worse than me thinking to come here? My booth is supposed to be in a good spot. I'm right across from the hometown candy company. They've been doing this show for 20 years. People love them. I'm also next to a guy giving out margarita samples. Everyone is flipping for the stuff. Maybe between the two I'm canceled out. I'm thinking margarita....with wine? What ever happened to good, old fashioned tequila? Arbor Mist is not my style. Tequila is. Tequila and handmade scarves. No one here understands me.

It's 6:55. Two people just crossed my line. "You must be real smart to think of an idea like this."
No purchase was made.

I bet people would buy them if I had them made in China rather than doing it myself. They don't understand...

"Ooh, what is this?".....
"Rocket Science. Keep moving."

7:10. I finally had a nice conversation about my product. Still not one sale. The candy booth has a line around the corner.

Next year I'm going to paint tiger eyes on scraps of wood and sell them.

7:28. They're playing jingle bells. Wow. Christmas music already. And the place is decorated up like Whooville. Normally I like Christmas music. Really, I usually love everything about the holiday. But when I'm at a craft show not selling anything I turn into the grinch.

7:45. And just like that, the wind changed, started coming out of the east. I made $100 from one person on one sale. She was so excited about what I do. There are people here that understand me.

This is an excerpt from a journal I started at a recent holiday shopping bazzar. I did it because I was bored, and defeated, from not having immediate action in my booth. This is as far as I got with the entry because after that I was busy for the next three days. I'm continuing the entry here. When I go to shows to sell my product I turn the event into such an emotional rollercoaster. I can't be the only one who does this. For that reason I wanted to share these thoughts in case anyone else feels alone.

Making stuff is the easy part. Putting yourself out there for the scrutiny of the general public is a whole different ball game. Going to this show was a tremendous learning experience for me. I was so disheartened in the beginning. By the end however, I had sold a ton of product, learned about my new customer base in Alabama, got a few offers to sell in stores, got some great tips, drew in funds for donations, met a lot of great people, and recieved more compliments than I knew what to do with.

The moral of the story here is don't kill it before it even has a chance to get good. Take risks. Make yourself nervous, but don't sike yourself out.

Because my first night had such a fabulous turn around I maintained a great attitude, even when bull started hitting the fan....my shoe broke, I ran out of wrapping, ran out of receipts, found out I was responsible for 10% sales tax, ran out of change, drank too much water and had to pee but couldn't leave because I was by myself.

Now that it is all over, I would definitely do it again. I encourage you to do the same. It's like bootcamp. See what you're made of.

New Sign

So the whole point of this post is that I made a new sign for when I go to craft shows. From the photo you can see it is much more than just a sign. There is sculpture in there. I'm stoked on it. Here's why.

For the past couple of shopping seasons I have done holiday craft shows. They have always been pretty low-key. This year I tried a big show on for size. By a "big show" I mean $$$ entrance fee, four days, vendor ammenities... the whole nine. As I was reading over the criteria for the show they had a lot of rules. One that caught my attention was that you couldn't have a hand-written/stenciled sign. It had to be professional. At the time it was two days before the show and I'm reading that thinking I'm screwed. I can't afford to pay to make a sign for the show. I've already paid to be there, and paid for transportation, and lodging. It all adds up and I was starting to feel in over my head. Then I changed my thought track. (a good practice to remain sane) The sign I use to use definitely falls into the "unacceptable catagory", but why can't I make a new one? Why do I think professional means plastic and laser printing? Once I relaxed I remebered I am a professional. It just so happens that I make things with my hands, not a computer. And that is totally fine. So here is my kick-ass, handmade, professional sign. I thank the show host for the encouragement. Otherwise I would still have my old sign, which was pretty amateur. I taught myself a lesson here and I hope the experience will be inspirational for others too. Try new things, and grow, and get in over your head. What you'll find is that you can bring yourself and your product to the next level more effectively than you think.

Busy Making Friends

I would like to start by saying I can't believe it's Friday. Again. Already? Wow, time flies when you're busy making new friends. Mind you, all of these "new friends" I've never met face-to-face and probably never will. This is the power of social media. When one starts a small crafting business they must be equally as crafty about advertising and promotion. And in the past couple of months I feel like there has been a boom in networking and blogging and tweeting...etc. in order to successfully market. I'm sure it's been like this for a while and I'm just late. It is amazing to me how many people there are, out there, that are just like me. They are great artists trying to make a living and help others do the same thing.

Recently I have joined two new Etsy Teams. Members of the teams work together to try and promote each other. I'm using this morning to shout them out.

                                      
                                         The first is a team with a simple concept: promotion.
This team is worldwide so there is a lot of diversity in who you meet and what they make. Here is an example of one of my favorites.

 dominicanlounge.etsy.com.

 They have larimar and dominican amber, all very reasonably priced. The color in this particular piece is gorgeous.

The next team I recently became a member of is the HomeFront Street Team. This team is a bit more exclusive. It is still worldwide, but you must be the spouse of a uniformed serviceman. I think this group is great because there are so many military families trying to make it work.

I just joined this team last night and I've had five welcome notes and emails. These girls know the real meaning of support. I'm really excited to be a part of this community. I hope I actually meet another member that lives at Ft. Rucker. Then we could have craft parties. Anyway, here is a member I'd like to promote:

                                                       smokeymountainscents.etsy.com

This is definitely soap I'd accidentally eat, even in the shower, especially if I'd accidentally taken my coffe in there with me too. Supporting these crafters is especially important. They have very interesting circumstances they work under.

In addition to the Teams, I've also been working on scoring a "buddy" on Etsy. This is just an individual you work with. The goal here is to give/recieve support and encouragement on marketing and productivity through the holidays. Here she is.

                                                                 sofisticata.etsy.com

This is Hir. She makes elegant adornments and accessories. Sometimes it just isn't enough to put on your Manolo's. You have to make them even more chic. I've really been having "a thing" for peacock feathers lately too. Anyway, Hir is fabulous and her fashion is fabulous. check her out.

                                        Last, but not least, me. Here's what I've been up to lately.
This is a new scarf. It has great print and texture combos. The color palette gives it a lot of richness too. The sweater material is Italian New Wool, so it's really warm. The backing is a fun Giraffe print velboa. There is an accent of vintage tiki trim, my favorite part. You can't not love retro tiki.

That's all for now. Have a great weekend!