big bang lessons

Ever since I started vending at craft shows, I used brown paper bags for buyers to take their purchases home with them. I normally stamp them with my Life In Progress stamp, to keep the handmade and eco friendly theme going. Last week I came across this tutorial. My mind was jumping with ideas and I was thinking, What! I can use my home ink jet printer to print my logo and contact information. Why didn't I think of this? Well, my attempts failed miserably. After ten tries I only had four printed bags. The brown paper bags kept jamming my printer. At that point I gave up. I believe I have an extremely sensitive printer. I even adjusted the printer settings. As great as I think the above photo looks with my design printed on my ink jet printer, I'll have to keep thinking of ways to make it fancier within a timely matter and keep the look I'm going for. Does anyone have any suggestions? Until then I'll keep brainstorming. 

The photo above is from last weekend at the Big Bang Bazaar. It was fun to do an out of town fair. The anticipation was a great thrill. Right before the fair my anxiety level was high because I was worrying about small details. How would people react to my display and my items? 

This fair was well organized.  I'm glad Life In Progress was a part of it. It's nice to know I was part of something that was promoted at a local newspaper and on groupon. Every fair has been such a different experience, I'm learning it can't always be valued in dollar signs. Which would make it very shallow if it was. However, making money is the big picture goal. This particular fair reminded me that I'm doing this for the passion. I keep telling myself as long as I'm learning something it becomes worth it. And right now, I'm still learning and growing. I learned that I forget to let people know I've also made boxes which I've screen printed on as shipping boxes. I'm learning that most of my towels and screen printed items are given to people as gifts. It would only make sense to promote the boxes as gift boxes too. Practice makes prefect, whatever that means. 

gearing up

Where has the summer gone? Around here, I've been gearing up for the Big Bang Bazaar, my first out-of-town fair. It happens this Saturday, for one day only. There is a little more pressure than usually because the cost is higher (driving to the fair, paying for the hotel and the booth space).

 

Regardless of the extra pressure, I'm extremely excited. I've prepared and planned as much as possible. At this point I just have to let things play out. I'm hopeful that it will be a successful fair and people will like my items and want to make a home for them. I've taken most of the summer off to regroup from my "fair adventures". Slowly but surely I've been getting things done. The photos above show a few of the things I've been keeping myself busy with. Here are descriptions of the photos, from left to right:

 

Business cards:  I added more color to the look of my business cards. The last ones were good but I wanted more “pop”. I still stamp the back of them with my life in progress stamp.

 

Tags: I used an old typewriter I found at a thrift shop to write the name of the items with the prices. I also stamped them with a stamp I found at a craft store. I used manila tags that I got at a local art store.

 

Cotton Muslin Drawstring bags: I used the same screen print that I use for the Canvas Tote - Life Is Sweet bags. I love these bags because they become useful when traveling. I've also made some Lady Bags.

 

Notepads: These little tiny notepads are new, I screen printed them with the word “WRITE” and stamped them. It's really a reminder for me to remember to write more blog posts. I'm also willing to do custom orders for anyone who is interested.

 

Pouch's with Zippers and Vintage Wood Pepsi Crate: This is the first time my pouches with zippers will be available at a fair. I needed a place to store/ place them and I found this great shop on etsy and purchased the vintage wood pepsi crate.

 

Paypal: I've made the switch to Paypal from Squareup. I know I said this. But I like the fact that my money sits in one place, Paypal. My shops are linked with Paypal and it only makes sense to keep the money all in one place.

 

My bags are packed and the car is loaded. I'm ready for this great event opportunity. Unfortunately, my Esty shop will be closed this weekend. However, it will be back on Monday.

 

Have a great weekend!

update

There is joy in receiving a tag with the word "vendor" on it. And I wear the "vendor" tag proudly.

This is from the fair I did with Art Rock a few weeks ago. My re-purposed jewelry was more popular than my screen-printed towels at Art Rock, which was unusual for me, as generally my costumers prefer the towels to the jewelry. The Art Rock fair made me realize that I also have a niche with jewelry. Therefore, I'm going to continue making jewelry. I've been brainstorming some new ideas to move the line forward. Stay tuned, folks. 

Hop over to Craftbaby where you'll find images of Life In Progress by jesslope at the Art Rock event, as wells as pictures of all the other fabulous vendors that were a part of it. It's pleasant being in a room full of creative minds.

happy friday

I've upgraded the look of my table for fairs. I think I nailed it and I'm very happy with the outcome. There are a few other items missing but for the most part this is the look. The wooden crates are from Michael's. Mike and I stained them to give them the used and rustic look. The crates also are useful than the bags I was  using for storing and transporting the products. My towels, prints, and everything else fit in nicely. Easy access is key. 

If you haven't noticed from the side bar, I have two fairs tomorrow: Indie Craft Bazaar: Spring Fling 2012 and The Trouble with Girls All-Female Art Revue! I've worked hard all week for both. I'm excited. If your in the neighborhood please be sure to stop by.

If you'd like more? Like Life In progress by jesslope on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for all of my random post and pictures. 

not ready

On Friday evening I thought I would be at a three day fair all weekend. However, the river-gods were mad that night and it rained most of the weekend. At the fair on Friday night, a couple of my items got wet and I decided to take this as a sign and cancel my weekend attendance at the fair.

So instead of the fair I took care of family time (which was on my list of things to do) and I had a major brainstorming session about my displays for indoor and outdoor fairs (more on that later).

Next weekend I have two craft fairs on Saturday. Indie Craft Bazaar: Spring Fling 12-5 and then I have to be ready at 7 for The Trouble with Girls. I want to bring my game up since that last Indie Craft Bazaar. I'm going to bat this week, so watch out!

ready

 

I've felt like an elf at times during this week. I rush home after the 9-5 to design new layouts, setup the screen for the yudu, start production, email photos of my products and/or pay for upcoming fairs. I keep telling myself this will all calm down once "whatever fair is coming up" is over. But that hasn't been the case lately. I've grown so passionate about this hobby/small business. I didn't account for how much time it would consume and how it would affect other aspects of my life. I'm in need of balance. 

The photos above are  new designs. My mother-in-law gave me the idea for the towels. Other new items include the muslin bags I've been producing this week. It won't be until next week that I add these new items to the shop. I'll be showcasing both at my very first three day fair this weekend. Click here for more information about where I'll be this weekend.

still learning

This is what my booth looked like on Saturday at the Odd Duck crafty fair. The event was great; there were lot's of different, unique vendors and a good amount of traffic. There was even a food truck. I did fairly well.

 

However, I over-looked something very important that morning. I forgot my table. As we parked the car and got ready to unload, Mike looked at me and said "You forgot the table". My anxiety level was at a all time high. I rushed to talk to the promoter with my tail between my legs, crossing my fingers I wouldn't be judged, hoping there was an extra table some where. No luck and there was less than an hour before the event started. Lucky, I was able to make a call to friends that came to the rescue 5 mins before the event. I had the table I needed. And the show went on.

I learned that a list is a must for me at this point. There is just no way to remember everything. This way the start of a fair doesn't have to be so rocky. I'm not 100% sure I'm happy with the setup of my booth. There was a man that came by and told me that my booth was very different from what he has seen. I asked him if that was a good thing or a bad thing and he simply said he wasn't sure. I know that my tent is different from every other vendor.  I'm a minimalism. And that is very clear. But I kinda of like that too. This was my second fair with a booth so I'm still learning. It's life in progress. 

table manners etiquette

 

This is new to the my online shop and is a personal favorite. It is one of the first images I screen-printed on my Yudu. I'm glad to share it for the first time and I'll also be selling it at the Odd Duck fair this weekend. I particularly like this piece because I can always use a cheat sheet for table setting according to proper etiquette. The piece is printed on paper, size 8.5 x 11 (1/16"think). I also printed the image on flour sack dish towels.

business cards

I'm gearing up for Odd Duck Bazaar fair, which is next weekend. This will be my first fair of 2012. I've come a long way from my first fair.  I now have an idea of what works and what doesn't. This fair, just like my first fair, is outside and I'll be bringing my own tent. So I'll have a lot more room to fill my space (and therefore a lot more product to make).

I wanted to do something special for the people that stop by or buy something from me. And I needed new business cards. So I  decided to give 15% off my online shop on their entire purchase. On the back side of my business cards I printed a coupon code. I made the cards with my home printer and used white avery business card sheets. On the front side I used my custom stamp because I love simplicity. I figure people can come to my blog and use the links to my shop, twitter and so on, instead of having all that information on the business card itself. I also kept in mind that these fairs are about handmade (and vintage) products. I thought it would only be right to somewhat handmake my business cards instead of sending a design off to a printer. 

a merry indie craft

This is what my table looked like at my last fair of the year. Its been a great learning experience this year being new to the fair world. I've come a long way from my first fair back in October. I now know that I want to grow a business based on screen printed tea/kitchen towels. I started the fairs with 30 towels, three different designs and I sold out at the Indie Craft Bazaar. By far the "tools of the trade" towel is the best seller. I plan on reprinting those for sure and making a series of different ones. I've also been selling handmade and upcycled jewelry made of old mac keyboards and those did very well. I also plan on getting active an etsy shop, which up to now has taken a back seat because of the fairs. I feel the fairs have given me direct interaction with my customers and I now know my target audience. All in all, this fair was a great way to end the year. 

My local readers. Come shop handmade. I really hope to see you at my last fair of the year. I have a feeling this going to be a great event. Please mention jesslope at the door. Check back Monday for details. Have a great weekend!

square up

Now I'm really in business. I can except visa, mastercard, amex and discover, with square up. It's perfect for the upcoming fairs. I can slide the credit card, the customers sign on the screen and that's all folks. Square up does take a small fee but it works better than not selling because I don't take credit cards and it's cuter than paypal. Besides now I feel like a little business lady.

As seen from the picture, we are getting ready for Thanksgiving around here.

dada bazaar

Looking forward to tomorrow and being part of this local artist craft fair. Maybe I'll see you there?

first fair a success

Here are my thoughts:

Wow, what a thrill and success my first fair was. All the hard work and preparation of the last two months paid off. ahhh (I see more in my future).


Setting up the tent and pegboards would not have gotten done so smoothly without Mike's help. Two hours of setting up was plenty of time to have everything ready. I must say I'm glad I took the extra steps days before to make sure I made zip bags labeled with the necessary hooks, binder clips and price tags for each display on the pegboards as well as for the table. It also made it easy for breaking down time too. We opened and closed our new tent the day before to make sure we knew what we were doing beforehand.

This was my first craft fair and I came out well over even. Craft fairs are one of those things that take time to perfect, but I'm happy with the first effort. I think that I was very thorough. I might change the position of the pegboards and put the table on the left side of the tent for the next fair.

As far as the people my tent attracted, I approve. They looked a little shocked when I mentioned it was my first fair. Anyway, people who bought my canvas paintings enjoyed talking about the underlying meaning of each painting. There was even someone who related to my roster gallo towels. I think it took her back to a nice time in her life. So the one-on-one connections were a bonus. (I honestly wasn't looking forward to it at first).


Overall, this was a great experience. Thanks to my family and friends for the support and most of all to my husband who sticks by my crazy crafty ideas.

t-shirts

                        

I made us t-shirts for the fair. Mike will be my helping hands (lucky me). We went to american appeal and picked up a pair of pink shirts to draw the lease amount attention to us. (haha) I went ahead and add the doodle face I've been obsessing over the last couple of months. I'm really getting the hang of my screen painting yudu machine. How cool does my painting look behind him?

getting ready

       


As I mentioned before, I'm doing my first crafty fair this weekend. I signed up and was approved by DOWNTOWN OPEN MARKET two months ago. The way I broke it down was by making all my products during the first month and taking the second month to work on branding and displaying my product. (it over lapped a bit but I have a one track mind)


Top photo is how i'll set up my table with my earrings, bracelets, necklaces and notebooks.
The other three photos are my towels, tote bags and paintings. They're on pegboards.

The count down is on. I'm so excited/nerves.
(I'm still that little girl that thinks no one is coming to her party)