Craft Show Packing Checklist

For way too long, I had pages and pages of possible things to pack for shows. Pages I downloaded off the internet, pages I hand wrote, pages pages pages. All of which just left me feeling panicky that I had forgotten something.
Well, no longer! I finally bit the bullet and condensed all those pages full of things that only half way applied to me, and made them ONE.
And I'm sharing it with you.
Behold! The one page show packing list!
Click here to download the Craft Show Packing List!
It will open in a new tab. To save it, click on File, then Download As. Pick your favorite format, and you're good to go.

A caveat, of course: Look over this list. Personalize it. Everyone brings slightly different stuff with them to shows. Take the time, and your future self will thank you. (It's really not that much time.)

Best wishes for all your future craft shows!

It's Show Season! Get ready!

The recent realization that all my silver cube pieces are currently being used to bunny proof the house led to this post. What am I going to do for my show set-ups this year? What are you going to do?
First, I like to take a look at what other people are doing. Seeing other people's tables and booths is a great way to learn what works and what doesn't. (Of course, you would never want to copy someone else's table!)
Here are some useful Flickr groups:

• Indie Craft Fair Guide


• Show me Your Booths Pool


• Arts & Crafts Fairs & Shows


• Felt Club Event Photos Yes, the last Felt Club was in '08, but that doesn't mean there isn't stuff you can learn.

Another great resource is the Etsy forums, of course. A quick search on craft shows will provide more information than anyone could possibly use.

Now the hard part- digesting all that information and applying it to yourself. Naps help. But more importantly: test run, test run, test run. It's the best thing you can do for your booth.

What are some of your best tips for booth set ups? I'd love to hear them!

Why not head to San Francisco tomorrow?

Because if you do you can catch Absolutely Small in person this Sunday the 24th at the Mission Indie Mart. I'll be there with my whole herd of creatures.
Come on by and say hello! Bring your friends. There will be indie fashion, snacks, and oh yeah, drinks.
details:
Sunday 2/24, 12-5pm @ 12 Galaxies
2565 Mission Street @ 23rd Street
www.12galaxies.com
www.indie-mart.com

Chaos? Frustration? Overwhelmed? Must be show time again...

Daily Photo 8.08.07
Originally uploaded by chicken widget.

Hey, yeah, it is! I'll be at the Midtown Boutique Sidewalk Sales next weekend in front of Cool Cat Gallery. (Sacramento)
I'll also be at Handmade Parade in October.
Anyway, all the crazyness is making me question something. And that question is "Do I really still need to make jewelry?" I came to this question after a particularly frustrating piece had me nearly banging my head on the table. Not that I actually was. All the head banging would mess up all the tiny beads lined up just so.
A brisk walk after this little meltdown got me thinking. Do I actually enjoy creating jewelry any more?
The answer came almost instantly, and it wasn't all driven by frustration, "NO." I'd rather be painting, or creating a little plushie. Those things (mostly) calm me down and make me happy.
Why not just leave the jewelry making to the people who actually enjoy making the jewelry?
The funny thing is, I used to really enjoy making jewelry. My first stab towards an artsy-craftsy business was making jewelry. I'm not sure what changed, and it's certainly not a slight to all the fantastic jewlery makers out there, but it's just not for me anymore.
It's time to clean off my work table.

The Craft Fair

Daily Photo 7.14.07
Originally uploaded by chicken widget.

This weekend held the first craft fair type thing I’ve ever vended at. It also held a bunch of nervousness and busyness, naturally. Would I like it? Would I hate the experience? Would people try to haggle with me? Would anyone buy my stuff? Would anyone even show up?
A million what ifs later, I had my answers. I did like it. Very much. People did buy my things, people did show up, and thankfully, no one tried to haggle. This was actually fun.
So if anyone has any leads for more craft fairs in the Northern California-ish area, let me know. I have my giant table cloth and displays and I am ready to roll.