Craft Show Day!

What a fun experience today has been! We packed the car last night so we wouldn't have much to do this morning. Maybe I've made a big deal about this craft show thing and a little paranoid in some areas, .. mostly because I've never done this before and had no idea what to expect. So, I was actually the first vendor to arrive and got right to work on setting up my display. Since I've done a few practice runs at home, I seemed to fly through the set up part! I was done and waiting while everyone else was still setting up and some even just showing up! Hubby said it took about 45 minutes to get it all up. 

From 10am to 3pm we didn't get much traffic. Hubby went and picked us up Ice Caps from Tim Hortons.

Yes, my Hubby was there with me the whole time! I really appreciated him being there.. for someone to keep me company, be a support, and also make sure I didn't rip anyone off {ya, I sometimes get all brain confused when dealing with money and pressure}. Anyone else drag their Hubby's to craft shows?? He wasn't totally bored....

A lot of the other vendors were starting to pack their tables up around 12:30! A couple fellow vendors stopped over to check out my table and were talking about how this craft show event probably was not well advertised. It was a fundraiser event and I thought it would have been a good idea if us vendors took it upon ourselves to do some advertising... if only we had known. Well, you live, experience, and learn! Note to self for next time! 

BUT, aside from there not being much traffic, I actually was pretty pleased with what sales I did make which was about $100. Exactly half of the sales were from family stopping in to see my table and support me! {Hubby's uncle, aunts, parents, sister and cousin}. I'm loved : ) 

One of the things I especially enjoyed about today was being able to get out in the community and see and meet other crafters. And today I met such a sweet person, Paula from The Little Carousel of Tina. We actually met online before the craft show and found out we were both going to this same event! We've been  following each others' blogs and Facebook pages now. So even though I hadn't personally met her before, I felt like we had a little connection already and it made it easier to come out of my shy shell and be friendly. So now I feel like I can totally relate to all the other blogger/crafters out there who go to craft shows and meet up with other blogger/crafters!

Paula makes really beautiful things.

And I just had to buy a few!

 Paula really likes photography and she takes such pretty pictures. Well, using some of her photos, she makes the most ADORABLE earrings!!! Are these not so different and unique!? After the show she gave me a couple pairs of earrings. She's so sweet. I picked these two.

Feeling pretty in my new earrings

Thank you Paula!! 

You should check out her shop

I'd definitely love to find some more craft shows to participate in! I thought today was a really fun and great experience for my first craft show.

Okay, off to bed I go!

Craft Show Details, Details Details!

Only 4 days left until it's Craft Show time!! I'm super excited and a little nervous. A couple nights ago I took down my whole display and did a practice run with packing it all up. I'm using my two large rolling luggage bags and we'll have to carry a couple of my larger displays. Then I set the whole display back up in my living room... ya, it's still here, crowding us out! 

I think I'm obsessed with little details! Little things that make really cute finishing touches.. I have way too much fun with all the little details! 

Like...

 I made myself a little name badge to wear for the show! 

I made a flower, cut a cardboard circle out and painted it with chalkboard paint :) 

I think it's just adorable.

... made up a bunch of extra business cards in case I run out of my nice profesh ones.

I'm keeping them all out together, so people can just choose whichever one.

... every different product has a printed photo price tag.

... I changed up my scarf display by adding a little wooden rack on top to drape a scarf over so it's not in the way of the other scarves while customers are browsing. And I also made a little chalkboard sign to let customers know they are welcome to try them on. Picked up a pack of 6 wooden rectangle pieces at Walmart, painted it with chalkboard paint, drilled a hole (ALL BY MYSELF! hehe) and hung it with twine. I definitely like the updated scarf display much better. (and I finished the other scarf I was working on).

... a bowl of free stickers!! Who doesn't like free stuff?!

Made the little chalkboard label with a piece of cardboard and chalkboard paint and glued it to a clothespin. 

... some of my products aren't labeled with my shop name, like my rings and earrings, so I made little tags to slip them onto the items when they are purchased, except for my scarves- I put them on those. I'd rather not have them already on the other items because I'm just picky like that.

... I labeled a few of my other products. 

Nutrition Facts: 100% Metsy MADE :) 

(like my all my button earrings.. I don't think I made enough of those little label tags above and I didn't feel like making more of them.. so I did it the lazy way and just cut up leftover papers I stamped and taped them on

... hand stamped "thank you" stickers to seal my customer's bags.

... And I'm bringing a little table to have behind my display with me to hold my cash box (yes the colorful little box.. got it at the dollar store) and my little pink thrifted basket for holding my packing goodies.

... and of course, I have a little tub of all my random essentials, extras, and things I might need while there at the event.

How's all that for details, details, details??? 

I think I'm officially ready for Saturday! 

Not quite sure what to expect, but I'm excited to try this nonetheless! :)

Have you already seen the rest of my display table and craft show prep?

DIY Ring Display Box

These are some little rings I started making when I had a few random tiny flowers leftover without a match. Because I use embroidery floss for my blossom earrings and I can get 5 flowers out of one bundle.. leaving one left alone. I had a few of them already made, so I decided to turn the rest of my loner flowers into rings and try to sell them at the upcoming craft sale next Saturday. But I wanted them to have their own display... SO hmmm.. I thought and thought about what I could do and I came up with this brilliant idea! I wanted something long and thin, wide enough for my rings to be in one singular line. ... What could I use to create what I had in my mind for this display???????

Well, since I like to buy every thrift store and yard sale Scrabble game I find (because I collect the tiles), I always have the tile holders left over and don't know what to do with them besides chuck them out. Good thing I didn't chuck them just yet! I took 4 of them and hot glued them all together. I used E6000 for connecting the bottom and held them for awhile since it's a slow drying glue, but that wasn't working so I pulled the bottoms apart and just used hot glue.

After that was well secured together I got out my foam curlers I just picked up from the dollar store and glued them together in the length that I needed. I made two long foam lines. Then I wrapped them both in some fabric I've had and hot glued them shut.

Then I just loaded the inside of the wooden holder with hot glue and squished each roll in place. I actually glued one side in at a time. Oh, and since the rest of my product displays are an old darkish wood look I stained the wood piece with my brown acrylic craft paint before gluing in the rolls. It worked perfect! 

And here it is! Exactly what I had in mind for these rings!!! 

Isn't it so stinking cute!!??!! I LOVE it! I'm so proud of myself! 

It only cost me $2 for the foam curlers since I had everything else on hand! 

Have you already seen the rest of my display table and craft show prep??

My First Craft Show!

Ever since I opened my own Etsy shop I've been dreaming and wishing someday I could be a part of a craft show and rent a table and make an adorable display. I drool over craft show display tables all the time! Seriously, you can see my Pinterest board here. Well, guess what?! It's actually happening now! I was thinking about doing the big fall market craft show here in town, but realized it would be way too much money and work for my very first craft show. So I found something smaller to participate in through kijij.ca under "events." It's an Ovarian Cancer fundraising event and it's only $20 to rent a 6ft table, and tables and chairs are provided, .. and it's inside. It's a show up and pay kind of thing, so hopefully I get a spot for sure! Anyway, I've been working really hard at finding and making displays for my products and I wanted to share all my work with you! I'm super excited. 

 

Hubby helped me make my necklace display. I love it! Three wooden dowels I picked up from the hardware store, and a flat piece of wood from dad inlaw's scrap pile. I stained it too. Since I have no idea if the tables provided will be by walls, I wanted to make sure all my displays were free standing.  {inspiration}

This huge frame came from the thrift store for $4 and I hot glued twine strings to the sides so I could pin on my earring cards with mini clothespins. I found a couple bracket pieces at the hardware store for cheap so we screwed them on the bottom corners so it would stand. I love it!!!! I didn't want to paint it because all of my display stuff is kind of a rustic antique wood look with whites and pinks.

I found this little silver swivel piece at the thrift store as well for like $2. 

It's perfect for my button earrings!

For my infinity scarves I'm using this thrifted basket. I don't have a lot of scarves made and I'm currently working on another. They really don't take long, but this one's taking me awhile cause I've been working on a ton of other things as well.

I made display cards for my baby headbands! I had been wondering how I could display them and I was just going to put them in little plastic baggies, but I like this so much better! Recycled cardboard, .. just like all my other product display cards!

I love that my beautiful baby niece gets to show off my headbands! 

I really like my price tags, by the way. I saw that idea somewhere on Pinterest and just had to do it too. I think it's perfect to have your product photo and price together.. no room for confusion. {although I do need to edit this price tag to include the size of headbands}

My rings are in my favorite little milkglass dish that is filled with clear filler bead things I picked up at the dollar store. Love how they just poke right in and stand upright.

I'm using a couple of my cute dollar store plates for displaying some hair accessories.

Picked up a cheap plate and bowel at the thrift and glued them to this candle holder I already had to make this super cute tiered stand for my hair clippies! I just love making my own displays! 

My magnet display is a dollar store pizza pan along with a large frame stand I picked up at the thrift store.

Look at this adorable little piece I found for .99 cents at the thrift store! It's so cute, and just had to bring it home. And it's so perfect for displaying my business cards! I love vintage bicycle things! It totally matches some of my shop display stuff, like my cardboard earrings cards {they are stamped with a vintage bike stamp, and some of my hair pin cards}

 
I thought it would be cute to display my stamped gift tags as though they were spilling from this milkglass goblet piece I have. Not sure though... 

These are the little baggies I'm using for customer sales- so cute right!?

I got a pack of brown paper lunch bags from the dollar store, cut the tops off with decorative scissors and stamped my favorite bicycle stamp along with my custom shop stamp. So adorable!

My banner is made from some burlap material I found at Walmart. I printed out my letters and then laid the letters behind the burlap triangles and because the material is kind of see through I was able to trace on top with paint! Came out so cute! I just hot glued the triangles to white ribbon and will hold it in place with little safety pins.{banner inspiration}

And here it all is together!
{ignore the wooden rack on the wall. That's what I normally hang my necklaces on}

I got a mirror from the dollar store so customers can try things on!
I thought it would be cute to use my little decor wall boxes for height and more display area.

I came across this cute little craft show apron tutorial using a pillowcase, so I found this pretty floral pink pillow case at the dollar store and my mom in law sewed it up for me. I did the ribbon ties a little different. I love love love my little craft show apron! I'll keep my calculator, pens, paper and whatever else I might need in my little pockets! I'll feel so organized!

So what do you think?!

Any tips or suggestions from any pros out there? : ) 

The event will be held Saturday, July 14th. I still have a few things to finish up before then. I'll let ya know how it all turns out.. with photos to share of course!

Stay tuned... !