Strange Folk Festival

Pictured above is my nearly-assembled tent on day one of Strange Folk. The weather was beautiful, and everyone I talked to was in a great mood. I felt like I was among my kind of people all weekend, which was a real boost to the spirits after a long week of preparations for the show.

I'm especially grateful that the weather beckoned people to the park because the sales I made exceeded all my expectations and most daring hopes.

Thanks to every one who stopped by to introduce themselves!

Tent Prep

Sorry, no photos today. I've been toying with arrangements for an upcoming craft show, and haven't gotten it right just yet. I expected to wrangle with table placement and questions of height for display levels, but I didn't anticipate some of the other decisions I need to face. I've acquired more display items than necessary.

Now I need to winnow things down so that my space will look clean, but not sparse; full of inventory, but not junky or overwhelming. At my first show, a woman stopped and gazed at my booth for a long time. She said my space was an oasis for her eyes, restful after the cluttered appearance of others. That was the perfect compliment, and what I'm hoping to achieve again.

Craft Show Banner

I've been needing a shop sign to hang at craft shows, and I made one in my own way. It began with a plain white curtain panel from Goodwill and a fresh bottle of spray paint. Everything else was already in my possession: logo and business card design by Jelene, various paints and brushes, and gumption. See the sidebar and my page banner for a glimpse of the design I was working from.First, I sprayed blue paint onto the curtain, matching the background on my Etsy banner and business cards. For a stencil, I used a large yogurt container with the bottom cut out, as pictured.
The first step is finished!
Can you see the faint, pencil outlines of lettering? This took a long time because I laser-printed my design onto a transparency sheet, then traced it onto butcher paper via an old-fashioned overhead projector so that it would be the perfect size. I cut the pieces out, and then traced them onto the curtain. Now I have the stencils for any future needs.
I worked with the lightest colors of paint first. It was easiest, considering the mixing I was doing to create the purple and gray.
Here's a closer look at the big, buggy gray eye. (I love my cartoony scorpion sewist!)
I saved painting the lettering for last.
The finished banner! Well, almost. I've gone back and re-painted the thimble and done some more touching-up. It measures about five feet tall by three and a half feet wide.

One problem I didn't take into account is how it looks with light behind it: every paint stroke is visible, and it's distracting and unattractive. I may need to sew a heavy lining to the back.

My original plan was to applique the entire thing. The fabrics were all picked out, and in retrospect, I should have stuck with sewing. It would have required miles of thread, but it also would have matched my merchandise and looked good in any light. I thought painting would be quicker, but I'm not so sure that it ended up that way. This took two weeks of hard-fought spare time in between paint-drying time.
Just for fun, here's a Sunday Shadow Shot. (Hi, HeyHarriet!)

Garage Sale Bliss

In my area, garage sales pop up any day of the week, with many occurring on Fridays as well as Saturdays. With freedom (except for a giant to-do list) for the day, my son and I hit the road and found treasure.The first, most thrilling purchase of the day was this fantastic, free-standing slat board display. We found it in a sale chock full of items from a now-closed gift shop. I stuck three shelves on for the photo, but it came with a box of twenty or thirty shelves. This was perfect timing, as I have a (hopefully large) craft show next month.

My son found a whiffle ball and bat set, and a few other small toys. Then, the tough decision: a brand new Lazy Boy recliner with upholstery in colors that compliment our home. I deliberated, since I've never been fond of the way recliners look, and tend to favor muted, solid colors. But I have fond memories of curling up to read in my grandpa's recliner, embraced by his scent. It was a great deal, and I'm still a little surprised every time I see it here beside the window. I also found some upholstery swatches that will be fun to sew with (see below), a set of casters, and an antique blackboard/slate that will come in handy as signage.All in all, a great haul for just 5 stops, though we did spend more than usual!

My Craft Fair Effort

There's my booth--the result of all the budgeting, scavenging, carpentry and re-furbishing I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. I'm very happy with how it turned out (except for my banner, which ended up too big to use). It took me two full hours to load into the building and set up, but only 45 minutes to break down and load my car. The fair was big and busy, and most attendees carried shopping bags filled with holiday decorations and gifts. I offered items from $5 to $50: pendants, key fobs, headbands, aprons, and bags.

Many people stopped and admired my table, complimenting a variety of items. Some shoppers returned to look at my merchandise several times, but I made only four sales. It was a long, but educational day. My aprons were priced at more than double what other sellers were asking, but the fabrics used were quite different, as were the features (mine are reversible, with thick, decorators fabric). Several shoppers observed that my booth and my products didn't look like anyone else's, which I took as a great compliment, though it didn't yield sales.

I've decided that "typical" craft fairs are not my niche. Farmers' Markets that allow non-food items, or certain types of festivals may be more worth spending a whole weekend day away from my family. I'll be researching venues before devoting this much effort again. Fortunately, two of my good friends shared the neighboring booth, and that made the day more fun.

Display

I'm new to the craft show scene, and have miles to go before my booth will have the ambiance I desire. Spending money on the endeavor seems counter-productive at this point, since I'm merely feeling out the market, and whether it's spending time away from my family to sell on weekends.

That said, I did enjoy my first attempt, and want trial number two to feel even better. My goal for next time has been to improve my display quality without spending much. I'm almost ready!

Display #1: $0
I built this case with leftover lumber, paint, and clothesline. The back is covered with fabric I had.

Display #2: $22.oo
It's the picture that's crooked, not the board! I bought the peg board and pegs, then used the same paint as for display number one. The molding frame was re-purposed from an old shelving project in my house on which I'd used the wrong shade of stain.

Display #3: $0 (Not pictured here, but seen next to my sewing machine on an early post.)
This mini baker's rack held plants in my kitchen long ago. In recent years, it's held sewing supplies. I need to scrub it up with some steel wool, but it will serve as a nice unit to show purses. It's not too heavy, but it's bulky and will be a pain to transport.

Display #4: $1.00
A wide wooden dowel from a garage sale will be suspended between the baker's rack and headband case, or an old painter's ladder. On the dowel, I'll suspend wall-hangings and aprons for sale. There won't be room for this when I share a booth, but it will work if I go solo next summer.

I've also been assembling additional pieces from home and thrift stores, such as tablecloths, picture frames, baskets, and even a valance in a coordinating fabric that may become my banner if I find the time to applique my shop name to it. It's fun to work on, and certainly a challenge to do on a budget. Ideas abound for an expensive display, but thriftiness should assure me of a unique look.