Our Arizona weather was perfect for the day. A little chilly in the morning, but fairly warm once the sun was overhead. My Girl C was there with us all day. She kept me happy and entertained, as usual.
I had intended to do individual posts showing what I've been working on for the past several weeks, but now that the boutique is a thing of the past, and I feel fairly behind on blogging {not to mention things that desperately need my attention around this house} I'm going to slam-dunk all the stuff into this post.
Tote bags: I made 19 of these. It was a lot of cutting through thick fabric with a rotary blade and my shoulder hates me for it. I made 11 of them last week alone because I was sure this would be a popular item. Wrong.
Made: 19
Sold: 2
Magnetic frames: I showed a couple of these in a previous post, here's another one that Blogger refuses to allow me to post in landscape view:
Made: 4
Sold: 1
I Spy Bags: Remember my Rainbow Rice Tutorial? I used the colored rice to fill "I Spy" bags. These are basically a 6"x6" bean bag design with a clear vinyl window on the front - filled with rice and little trinkets to find as the rice is moved around.
I did some with rainbow rice, some with black and white, and some with pink and white.
These ended up being my best sellers. 
Made: 13
Oh, and the chalk blocks had rave reviews - so many people loved them and commented on them - I sold 3 of those.Needless to say, I came home with a lot of leftover stuff. Most of it I will use for Christmas gifts...Doug thinks I should put it all in my Etsy shop but for some reason I don't really have the energy to mess with it, at least not right now.
We were a little disappointed about the lack of shoppers flowing through. The boutique was held in the courtyard of a church that was not visible from the main road that people drive by on, and there was no signage to advertise what was going on at the church. I think that the only people who came were the ones we (the vendors) had told.
Even though I wish I'd sold more stuff, it was still a nice day hanging out with Janae and her mom, and my Carrie. We also got to see a few craft friends we haven't seen for a while so that was a bonus.
Today I need a nap and some time on the couch with a blanket and my hubby to rub my sore feet. I really need to tackle the heap that I call my craft room, but it will be there waiting for me in a few days, I'm sure.
20 comments:
I wish I had been able to 'pop over' to Arizona today as I would have bought at least one of everythingas it was all soooo gorgeous! Well done xxx
Wow, lovely stall, Deb! I'd have certainly had a good time finding some Christmas gifts amongst those gorgeous things.
Why not put them in your Etsy shop - you've nothing to lose (except the odd 20 cents and a bit of time typing!). If they still don't sell, after listing a few a day for a bit and re-listing some too, then you can pull them out and give them as gifts... They are so lovely - I would hope some will sell.
I had a similar experience with my book stall, at my first craft fair on 6th November. There were less people than I expected and I too sold much less than I hoped, after 3 weeks of hard work.
We can put it down to experience and make the best of it... I will probably try again, but I'll think hard about the number of people that are likely to come and spend money!
Well done though - your stall and stuff were lovely and you did make some sales!
.... Oh, and I nearly went away without telling you what I came here to say! Come by my blog and find out what prize you won in the Pin the Tail on the Donkey game from last weekend's Blog Party!
What a shame it was not better advertised,Deb....you had such lovely pieces to sell....I'm sure you would have done well if there were plenty of people.
I agree with Lizzie.....wait til you have a bit more energy in a few days....and pop it in your Etsy shop.
Wow - what lovely, lovely things you have. I did a craft fair last year and only sold 2 things - I didn't even cover the price of the stall space and it absolutely bucketed down with rain the whole time. So not only did I get wet my my goods got soaked too!
Your goods were absoultely beautiful I would happily buy all of them.
Craft fairs are so much fun! However, that being said, now that I think about it, I've only been to a couple and I don't ever recall people spending much money. And it's a crying shame if you ask me! Your creations are so beautiful and if people won't buy them, chalk it up to a poor economy and even poorer advertising! Would you do it again? And listen to Lizzie--I think she's got a great idea!! Love you! xo
I'm sure all of those pretties will work out well as gifts or as etsy goods. You were obviously a little too 'out of the way' in your spot and organisers should definitly do more to advertise.
Glad that you enjoyed your day anyway, now feet up and leave that mess in the craft room for another day x
I was surprised as you were explaining the lack of sales- but if it wasn't advertised or promoted well, that would probably be the reason. I would have loved to pop by and browse the stalls! It looks like it was a lovely day ... if you don't go down the etsy route at least you will have made great progress on Christmas presents for this year :-)
What a lot of work you put into all these gorgeous projects! I'm sure they'll sell better in your Etsy shop once you get up the energy to list them. Now I know why I've never wanted to get into selling my crafts. I imagine it was a bit discouraging, but I hope you know your work is fabulous!
What a shame your hard work and talent wasn't seen by a bigger audience. All those things are beautiful, you really should put them in your etsy shop.
At least it sounds as if you had a nice day in the sunshine with a couple of your favourite girls!
beautiful things and such a shame there were not more people. My parents did the craft fair circuit for several years in the 80s and they found that attendance and sales were very uneven and hard to predict. Love the I spy rice, such a fun idea
Well I think your stall looks absolutely beautiful and it would have tempted me! I did a few craft fairs many years ago with soft toys and I always found it a bit of a roller coaster - such a great high when you sell something, but a lot of time watching people walk past too!
I'm sure everyone who did buy was delighted with their purchase
I wish I lived close by, I would certainly have come to your stall. The things you made are beautiful and it's a pity the Boutique sale wasn't advertised properly. Anyone getting something as a gift will be very lucky :)
xx
Deb,
I know how you feel! We had an open studio this last weekend and had decent foot traffic but very few sales. I think people are holding on to their money these days.
Give it a day and then maybe you'll feel like posting them in their etsy shop. Always good to recover a bit of the cost for our craft, I think.
Rinda
I had a really good time and I LOVED all your stuff! I'm sad that more didn't sell, but happy that my favorite items didn't sell so that I could take them home with me! :)
It's a shame they didn't advertise more - you had some cute things! Really well done and much nicer than what I usually see at these fairs. If you get up the energy, definitely put them in the shop - they should go fast!
Everything is so gorgeous, Its such a shame it wasnt advertised properly :)
I know why you didn't want to put the leftovers on Etsy!! So you could bring them over to my house 12/12 for a Holiday Boutique!!
Oh Deb ...I totally know where you are coming from...slogging your guts out to make stuff and then it doesn't sell is so discouraging...I have 3 more craft sales coming up and just dread not selling stuff!!! I would put it in the Etsy shop when you feel up to it...Hope your grumpy mood has lifted...take care (((hugs))), Kirsti xx
Deb your stuff is fabulous, sorry you did not sell much. I will tell you that a friend of mine was doing another craft sale at her church the same day and it was slow there too.
She told me the Fountain Hills show was on as was something in Gilbert.
I think there were too many things for people to choose from that day.
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