Well, we survived the MCC Handmade Holiday/TAYGCS sale at the West End Cultural Centre on Friday night. I say “we” because the mascot was in attendance for the entire evening. (It’s amazing what a kid will do for Cakettes and popcorn!)
The traffic was good and the overall mood was festive, but the event lacked the frantic chaos of the TAYGCS Park Theatre shows…which was probably a good thing. With the real TAYGCS sale coming up in 6 short sleeps, I don’t know that I could handle too much more excitement. As it was, it took me a good half-day to recover from the snowy load-in/out and late night Subway dinner.
As far as the actual transactions went, I am happy with my sales, but, once again, I was surprised with which items were the hot-sellers and which were (for lack of a better term) the duds. This time around, the jewelry and pins flew off the table; the racks and stationary not-so-much. It just goes to show that these events are as unpredictable as prairie weather.
The good news/bad news is that while I would’ve loooved to have sold all of the racks, it’s actually a bit of a relief that I don’t have to high-tail it out to Habitat in ST B for supplies to whip-up* a whole new batch.
So, for the next few days, I’ll be putting all of my energy into sewing t-shirt pillows (remember the 35 shirts that I bought in August??), making another 4 dozen pins and (hopefully) figuring out my table display. I have a larger table this year, but I am losing the row of theatre seats that proved to be oh-so-useful for display at last year’s sale. Ideas?
*Isn’t it cute how I say “whip-up” like they don’t take 4 days to make?
November 29, 2010
November 26, 2010
Hoo needs sleep?
With my life-o-the-party days behind me, there are only a few things that will keep me up all night – crafts, crafts and crafts. Despite the fact that last night was a school night, I stayed up until almost 2 am* finishing five jewelry racks and two new Scrabble board mirrors for the big sale at the WECC tonight.
I think I have mentioned it before (oh, maybe about 764 times!), but this one is so big that it bears repeating. Tonight’s sale is a joint-effort between the Manitoba Crafts Council members and the fine This Ain’t Your Grandma’s Craft Sale sellers. (Technically, I fit into both, but tonight I will be there as a TAYGCS vendor.) It is the first time that the two groups are getting together to put on an event, and I think the partnership will be an interesting one, with TAYGCS bringing the funk and the MCC providing the class. (Now you see why I’m leaning one way, rather than the other?)
Anyway, as I was saying, I had to pull an (almost) all-nighter to get ready. With Sunday’s sale at Crescentwood nearly cleaning me out of racks, I wanted to be sure that I had a few more on-hand for tonight. I can’t guarantee that they’ll sell, but I’d rather have too many than miss any opportunities for sales. Any “extras” that I have will be taken to the Park Theatre sale on Dec 5th and/or the WFF sale on Dec 18th, or (god forbid) given as Christmas gifts. That’s a worst-case scenario, though, so fingers crossed that they all find homes tonight!
See you at the show!
* I would have been in bed about 2 hours sooner, but I was filling-in for a fellow Mozy Rue ECO Collective member who was feeling under the weather…and what weather it was!
November 25, 2010
November 22, 2010
Monkey in the Middle
Who was the monkey? Me.
What was I in the middle of? The Kiddlebug Shop and jake + cleo's tables at the Creative Collection Craft Sale at the Crescentwood CC this past Sunday.
How much fun was it? More than a barrel of monkeys, that's for sure.
This was my second year as a vendor at the CCC sale and, once again, it was a gooder. Had it not been a blinking winter wonderland outside, it might have even been an uber-gooder. Traffic was ok, especially compared to last week's show at the FMCC, but it still seemed like it could have been busier. I've heard it through the grapevine that other crafters (including some that were at other shows) were feeling the same way, too.
That said, I still managed to make a pretty good day of it. I left with some cash in my wallet and a much-lighter load to cart home. The big sellers were, again, pins and jewelry racks, so I have been busy making more of both in preparation for the big Manitoba Crafts Council/TAYGCS sale this coming Friday at the WECC. (It's a good thing I stocked up on supplies when I did!) It was good to see the jewelry racks get such a great response...kinda makes me think that I might be on the right track...
And, once again, thanks to the lovely Corina from jake + cleo for taking the candid picture of me (above)! You can't see it in the shot, but I was proudly wearing my jake + cleo "bellybutton" necklace, which I won (yay me!) on their blog.
What was I in the middle of? The Kiddlebug Shop and jake + cleo's tables at the Creative Collection Craft Sale at the Crescentwood CC this past Sunday.
How much fun was it? More than a barrel of monkeys, that's for sure.
This was my second year as a vendor at the CCC sale and, once again, it was a gooder. Had it not been a blinking winter wonderland outside, it might have even been an uber-gooder. Traffic was ok, especially compared to last week's show at the FMCC, but it still seemed like it could have been busier. I've heard it through the grapevine that other crafters (including some that were at other shows) were feeling the same way, too.
That said, I still managed to make a pretty good day of it. I left with some cash in my wallet and a much-lighter load to cart home. The big sellers were, again, pins and jewelry racks, so I have been busy making more of both in preparation for the big Manitoba Crafts Council/TAYGCS sale this coming Friday at the WECC. (It's a good thing I stocked up on supplies when I did!) It was good to see the jewelry racks get such a great response...kinda makes me think that I might be on the right track...
And, once again, thanks to the lovely Corina from jake + cleo for taking the candid picture of me (above)! You can't see it in the shot, but I was proudly wearing my jake + cleo "bellybutton" necklace, which I won (yay me!) on their blog.
November 18, 2010
Picture Perfect
I used to be really good at taking pictures of my craft sale set-ups. As soon as my table was perfect, I would proudly snap a few shots of it for posterity. Fast-forward a year or so and I am already slacking in that department. Now, I grab those few quiet moments before the doors open to refill my coffee and/or make a bathroom-run.
That’s why I am so glad that Corina of jake + cleo took the time to document our tables at the Bling show last weekend. Not only was this my experience sharing a booth, it was the launch of my new jewelry line (and the fabu spinning display that I made for it) and the debut of my new, racks. Take a look:
Thanks to Corina for letting me “borrow” the pic. To read about jake + cleo’s day o’ Bling, check out their blog.
That’s why I am so glad that Corina of jake + cleo took the time to document our tables at the Bling show last weekend. Not only was this my experience sharing a booth, it was the launch of my new jewelry line (and the fabu spinning display that I made for it) and the debut of my new, racks. Take a look:
Thanks to Corina for letting me “borrow” the pic. To read about jake + cleo’s day o’ Bling, check out their blog.
November 15, 2010
Nice Rack(s)!
As I mentioned in my last post, the much-blogged jewelry racks were a hot-seller at the Bling show…relatively speaking, that is. The response was fantastic and I was thrilled to sell three of the nine that I made. (Just imagine if we had been busier!)
In fact, feedback on the racks was so good that I popped over to the Habitat ReStore on my break and bought a few more drawer-fronts and knobs. If the racks sell well at Crescentwood, I’ll need to quickly make more for the TAYGCS WECC show on the 26th. With the way my schedule for the next 5 days is shaping up, though, there will be no time to go all the way back out to St B to buy supplies.
Following the "if it ain't broke" credo, I am not going to change the design of the racks, but I am going to save myself some work by using a really good, high-adhesion/high-hiding primer*. I picked some up last night and even had a can of it tinted to match my perfectly creamy, melted-vanilla-ice-cream-coloured paint (which, incedentally, I have decided will be my "signature colour"...and not just because I'm lazy).
*Yeah, yeah, yeah...I should have done that for the last batch. I have learned my lesson.
In fact, feedback on the racks was so good that I popped over to the Habitat ReStore on my break and bought a few more drawer-fronts and knobs. If the racks sell well at Crescentwood, I’ll need to quickly make more for the TAYGCS WECC show on the 26th. With the way my schedule for the next 5 days is shaping up, though, there will be no time to go all the way back out to St B to buy supplies.
Following the "if it ain't broke" credo, I am not going to change the design of the racks, but I am going to save myself some work by using a really good, high-adhesion/high-hiding primer*. I picked some up last night and even had a can of it tinted to match my perfectly creamy, melted-vanilla-ice-cream-coloured paint (which, incedentally, I have decided will be my "signature colour"...and not just because I'm lazy).
*Yeah, yeah, yeah...I should have done that for the last batch. I have learned my lesson.
All Blinged Out
Minus 1 sleep; the 2010 Bling show is all but a glittery memory (on farmed butterfly wings, no less)...
So, how did it go? Ever the optimist, I am going to say that it went GREAT. Sure, traffic could have been better, but what craft-sale vendor has never said that*? So, lack of customers aside, allow me to summarize what was good about the day:
1. I shared a booth with Emily, Corina, Ruth and Marlene. There was no hair-pulling and we all left as friends. Success!
2. I sold enough to pay for my spot and next week’s trip to Costco. Success!
3. Of the 9 jewelry racks that I brought, I sold 3! That’s what I consider…success!
4. Pins! Pins! Pins! It’s so nice to see people get excited about my pins again. As much as I love having my stuff in the shop, I really miss the fun of watching people discover the domino pins. Success!
5. The day was a good way to ease into the season, plus I got to see my new jewelry rack in action. If nothing else, I came out of the event with a solid plan for next Sunday’s set-up...and now I’m already packed for it! S-U-C-C-E-S-S!
What didn’t work? I don’t want to dwell on the negatives, but I would have to say that the show could have been advertised better, the lighting suuucked (thank god we had clamp-on table lights. Thanks, Ruth!), the $4 admission was a little (ahem) steep, and the mix of vendors/layout didn’t really suit our funky, “green” thing. We should’ve been next to dConstruct, instead of across from a cosmetics "home party" company. Just sayin’.
Would I do it again? Ehhh...maybe? Everyone that I talked to in the bathroom (which, incidentally, is where all the vendors dish at this things) was not happy, but then vendors in bathrooms rarely are. It’s hard to judge a first-time event, though, so I am going to leave it at “maybe”. Or, as they say at the Franco Manitobain Cultural Centre: “peut-etre”.
*Ok, I lie. I definitely did not say that after last year’s TAYGCS show.
So, how did it go? Ever the optimist, I am going to say that it went GREAT. Sure, traffic could have been better, but what craft-sale vendor has never said that*? So, lack of customers aside, allow me to summarize what was good about the day:
1. I shared a booth with Emily, Corina, Ruth and Marlene. There was no hair-pulling and we all left as friends. Success!
2. I sold enough to pay for my spot and next week’s trip to Costco. Success!
3. Of the 9 jewelry racks that I brought, I sold 3! That’s what I consider…success!
4. Pins! Pins! Pins! It’s so nice to see people get excited about my pins again. As much as I love having my stuff in the shop, I really miss the fun of watching people discover the domino pins. Success!
5. The day was a good way to ease into the season, plus I got to see my new jewelry rack in action. If nothing else, I came out of the event with a solid plan for next Sunday’s set-up...and now I’m already packed for it! S-U-C-C-E-S-S!
What didn’t work? I don’t want to dwell on the negatives, but I would have to say that the show could have been advertised better, the lighting suuucked (thank god we had clamp-on table lights. Thanks, Ruth!), the $4 admission was a little (ahem) steep, and the mix of vendors/layout didn’t really suit our funky, “green” thing. We should’ve been next to dConstruct, instead of across from a cosmetics "home party" company. Just sayin’.
Would I do it again? Ehhh...maybe? Everyone that I talked to in the bathroom (which, incidentally, is where all the vendors dish at this things) was not happy, but then vendors in bathrooms rarely are. It’s hard to judge a first-time event, though, so I am going to leave it at “maybe”. Or, as they say at the Franco Manitobain Cultural Centre: “peut-etre”.
*Ok, I lie. I definitely did not say that after last year’s TAYGCS show.
November 12, 2010
A day late and a hanger short.
You know what cheeses my biscuit?
When I buy a package of 6 of something (let’s say, heavy duty picture hangers, for argument’s sake), get it home, and open it to discover that there are, in fact, 5 items inside the package, rather than the promised 6. It’s especially annoying when it’s 11pm and I just want to finish my project and get to bed.
On a related note: guess who’s going to Home Depot tonight to buy another pack of heavy duty picture hangers. C’mon…take a guess. I’ve already given you a hint.
Grr.
2 sleeps!
When I buy a package of 6 of something (let’s say, heavy duty picture hangers, for argument’s sake), get it home, and open it to discover that there are, in fact, 5 items inside the package, rather than the promised 6. It’s especially annoying when it’s 11pm and I just want to finish my project and get to bed.
On a related note: guess who’s going to Home Depot tonight to buy another pack of heavy duty picture hangers. C’mon…take a guess. I’ve already given you a hint.
Grr.
2 sleeps!
November 11, 2010
Enough with the racks already...
How does that song go? "Tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen..." But, instead of pouring myself a cup of ambition, I grabbed a brush and gave the back-sides of the jewelry racks a second coat of paint. (Yay me...but it was 5am. I am really getting bad at sleeping in.)
At 10am, I popped the top off of the can of paint (again) and turned my attention to the rack fronts. (I think that makes 3 now, which makes me wonder if I should be embracing the concept of primer.) I also sat down with the big bag o' knobs and decided which ones will go on which racks; a task that I had been avoiding due to my tendancy to overthink stuff like this.
Tonight will be all about putting on the final coat of paint (I swear!) and getting the holes drilled for the knobs. I think I am going to stamp my logo on the backs at some point, too, but there's plenty of time for that...
3 sleeps!
At 10am, I popped the top off of the can of paint (again) and turned my attention to the rack fronts. (I think that makes 3 now, which makes me wonder if I should be embracing the concept of primer.) I also sat down with the big bag o' knobs and decided which ones will go on which racks; a task that I had been avoiding due to my tendancy to overthink stuff like this.
Tonight will be all about putting on the final coat of paint (I swear!) and getting the holes drilled for the knobs. I think I am going to stamp my logo on the backs at some point, too, but there's plenty of time for that...
3 sleeps!
November 10, 2010
Yvette
When I first saw Yvette in the Grumble Toy booth at Comic Con, I wasn't sure if I should be smitten or a little freaked-out. There's just something about her eyes.
That something was probably the reason that I couldn't shake her from my head and had to go back to Grumble Toy (after an hour of blissful, child-less wandering around) to buy her. Isn't she lovely?
She now lives beside the big picture window in our living room and shares Nana's chair with a Raccoon from Sew Dandee and a felt owl that I made in a MAWA stitch 'n' bitch workshop. According to her hang-tag, Yvette is quite an accomplished baker, but we have yet to see evidence of that.
To meet the rest of Yvette's Chimian family, visit The Morninglori Vine.
That something was probably the reason that I couldn't shake her from my head and had to go back to Grumble Toy (after an hour of blissful, child-less wandering around) to buy her. Isn't she lovely?
She now lives beside the big picture window in our living room and shares Nana's chair with a Raccoon from Sew Dandee and a felt owl that I made in a MAWA stitch 'n' bitch workshop. According to her hang-tag, Yvette is quite an accomplished baker, but we have yet to see evidence of that.
To meet the rest of Yvette's Chimian family, visit The Morninglori Vine.
The Early Bird
Who was that in her nightgown painting jewelry racks in the kitchen at 6 am? Yup. That be me. I was up for an early run and I figured that I would get in 15 minutes of work before changing into my sneakers. Besides, I had to move everything from the counter to the table so that the mascot could get in to make his breakfast and pack his lunch.
Today's to-do list: another coat of paint on the racks and 4 sewing-themed square mirrors.
4 sleeps 'til Bling!
Today's to-do list: another coat of paint on the racks and 4 sewing-themed square mirrors.
4 sleeps 'til Bling!
November 9, 2010
Show-vember
Well, we're 5 sleeps from the first show of "the season" and the state of my dining and coffee tables are living proof of that. The jewelery, packaging and random projects which are destined for my upcoming shows, have started to spill out of my craft area and are threatening to take over the house. At this point, only the mascot's bedroom and the bathroom are safe, and I'm not making any promised that it wil stay that way.
First up is the Bling show on Sunday. I'll be taking my new jewelry pieces, domino pins, domino and scrabble pendants, notepads, mirrors and my fabulous* new upcycled jewelry racks.
*At least, I hope they will be fabulous...right now they are only about a quarter finished. Yikes! Tonight is all aboutslapping on carefully applying a couple coats of paint and then they'll be ready for knobs and hangers tomorrow. Or Thursday. How many sleeps do I have?
First up is the Bling show on Sunday. I'll be taking my new jewelry pieces, domino pins, domino and scrabble pendants, notepads, mirrors and my fabulous* new upcycled jewelry racks.
*At least, I hope they will be fabulous...right now they are only about a quarter finished. Yikes! Tonight is all about
November 1, 2010
Awesome Possums
Two years ago, the mascot and I attended our first Comic Con and discovered Grumble Toy.
We flipped through their stack of Gocco prints, found Flapjack Monster and fell in love-at-first-sight. (In fact, I think our purchase of that print was the unofficial start of the "Wall of Awesome" in the eating area of our kitchen.)
Since buying our syruppy little friend, we have since added Wormrah (Comic Con 2009), Narwhallus (TAYGCS 2009) and yesterday's addition, the charming Possum Family (below).
I am trying not to make any assumptions, but I have a feeling that either The Happy Hedgehog or The Bonhommes will be joining the Wall of Awesome in the near future. That is, if the mascot shops for my Christmas gift at the TAYGCS show again this year. :wink:
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