fringe stuff

fringestuff
Originally uploaded by zenbecca

Hooray! The Bank of Canada is reporting that the recession is over! You know what that means…time to go SHOPPING!

There are 4 days left to visit the marketplace at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. I was there last night to check things out and saw lots of neat things. Of course, the coolest of the cool is to be found at the Kurio Gallery tent!

I Won't Back Down

I knew it! "The Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers" t-shirt pillow was a winner. I just heard that it has gone to a good (and most-likely rockin') home via the Fringe Fest.

Apparently, though, there are more browsers than shoppers. Quite a change over previous years (I'm guessing due to the "current economic climate"), but there are still 5 days to go. I've got my hopes up and my fingers crossed for a sell-out....

Got Insurance?

The trials and tribulations of being an artsy crafter, part 86.

There are things that you think of when you are creating; design, colour, balance...even function. There are things that you DON'T think of when creating; insurance, liability, loss of profits...

I had a situation come up this week that kinda threw me for a loop. I received an email from the girl who I consigned my pillows and pins to earlier in the week. She is running a booth at the Fringe and, after being open for a day, realized that her insurance didn't cover the full replacement value of the stuff that she was selling...my stuff included. If anything were to happen to the merchandise, she would have to either tell us "too bad, so sad" or cough up the money to replace the goods herself. Understandibly, she made the decision to close the booth until she could get the whole matter ironed out. While she was working on getting better coverage in place, she contacted all of the artisans and gave us the choice to pull our stuff OR continue with the knowledge that we would not be covered for any loss or damage to our goods.

After weighing my options, seeking advice, and even playing a quick game of eenie-meenie, I decided to take my chances and keep my stuff in the sale. My reasoning is that the benefits *should* outweigh the risks. I someone comes along and sets fire to all of my pillows, the most I would be out is $100, plus the time I put in to making them. It's not like I would lose the house if that happened. If nothing adverse were to happen and 5 of the pillows actually sold, I'd be in the black. So, yeah.

Another reason that I decided to stay in the sale was exposure. I am still trying to make a name for myself and every little bit helps. There are literally thousands of people attending the Fringe over the next week. That's like a couple years' worth of craft sales! If I want to get the Ticketyboo name out there, then I have to grab every chance I can get. And If I don't have to sit there behind a table, even better. ;-) I KID!

The whole situation got me thinking, though...about insurance, yes, but also about the fact that I *hadn't* given it any thought prior to Wednesday. I guess i always just figured that if I had stuff at a show and it was lost or damaged, then it would be a case of "sucks to be me". But having it in the hands of someone else, well, that's a whole other story! I think this calls for a little more edumacation on my part...

Pillows & Pins at the Fringe

rythym
Originally uploaded by zenbecca

Look for my Re:teed Pillows and domino pins in The Kurio Studio & Gallery tent in the merchandise area of Old Market Square during the Winnipeg Fringe festival!

There are some awesome new t-shirt pillows - including one made from a super-soft vintage Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers shirt that was surprisingly hard to part with. I'm really proud, too, of the batch of pins that I made specifically for the festival. The papers that I used were so cool!

I am also planning to add some new items to the selection as the festival progresses, including domino pendants, mirrors, and altered Altoids tins. I guess I'd better get busy on those because I just heard that attendance at last year's festival was over 72,000!

Update: due to the rain, the W.E.S.T. trunk sale will be held indoors at the Costume Museum of Canada - 109 Pacific Avenue today between 6pm and 8pm.

Come out for the awesome handmade goods and stay to check out the museum's 1930s exhibit for free!

Rhymes with "Funk"

Tomorrow is the first-ever Winnipeg Etsy Street Team *Surprise* Trunk Sale!!

Thirteen of the Winnipeg Etsy sellers will be selling their creations out of their trunks/wagons/wheelbarrows in an outdoor area where everyone can enjoy the wonderful summer weather, while browsing (& buying) fabulous handmade crafts.

Because it is a pop-up sale, the location will not be revealed until the day of. I'll be posting the location here, on my Facebook page, and via Twitter. You can also visit the official sale page at
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=115371351688

Please come out and support your local crafters and meet the hugely talented Winnipeg Etsy Street Team!　

I stopped off at Michael's last night to grab another pack of pinbacks, but this time I was able to resist the paper aisles. I managed to leave there with a total bill of less than $3. Ha! I have to say, though, that they are very, very smart when it comes to ensuring repeat business. With every purchase, I get either a 40% or a 50% off coupon that is valid for the following week. How can I refuse an offer like that? And, of course, once they get you in there...well, we all know how that goes.

In other spendy news, I am starting to see the first of my Ebay & Etsy purchases from last week hit my mailbox. So far this week I have received a big pack of vintage patterns and a cute artcard. The patterns are for my collage projects, but the card is just for fun. I saw it and I *had* to have it for my awesome wall of art (aka the "nook" in our kitchen). I am still waiting on a few more patterns, a bag of silver pendant bales, and a cute little drawing from an Etsy seller in Montreal. (I know, I know...but it was free.)

After all that shopping, I'd better get busy crafting!