Last Minute Craft Show Prep

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Yesterday my wonderful sister-in-law watched my kids all day so I could get some stuff done for the Rocky Ripple Festival.  I know I've said it before, but it is amazing what I can get done in an empty house!  I got everything tagged and ready to sell.  I also made some cute aprons - whatever's left after Saturday will go up in the shop next week after I bribe my little model with suckers.  I couldn't help but make myself a little apron to wear while manning the booth too.

I do have to run to Cash and Carry and pick up bags for those hundreds of sales that are surely coming my way.  I've been trying to prepare myself for the worst and hope for the best - even if I make (God forbid) no sales, at least it's practice selling at a craft fair, and it's getting my name out to people.  The weather is supposed to be beautiful - sunny and 72 - so if nothing else, I'll get to enjoy being outside all day.

Today I'm going to pile everything I need in the kitchen so Kenny can help me load my car tonight.  I went through this ridiculously comprehensive list yesterday and made my own (somewhat) shorter list of things to bring.  Let me tell you, I love a checklist - they make me feel organized.

Disappointingly, my SEO experiment seems to be headed toward failure.  My views are back down to where they were, and yesterday was even slower than normal.  It may be a combination of factors, though - yesterday I didn't add a new listing until almost noon, and my traffic peaks at 9 am.  Then, I was having Photoshop issues and didn't get my second listing up until 6:30 or so.  I'll give you a more detailed recap next week.

This weekend will be slow for views for sure - I'm going to put my shop in Vacation Mode Saturday so I don't have to worry about selling something on Etsy while selling the same thing at the festival.  For those unfamiliar to Etsy, Vacation Mode makes your listings inactive for a set period of time so no one can view them.  I'm pretty sure that's going to put quite the damper on my weekend page views.

Speaking of vacation, I'm not sure what to do when I'm actually on vacation.  Do I leave the shop open with a note that I won't be able to respond for a few days?  Or do I put the shop in Vacation Mode?  I probably won't have much traffic coming through when I'm not posting new stuff, but I'd hate to miss a sale.  I know sometimes buyers don't even read the shop announcement, so should I put a note in each listing?  If there are any Etsy sellers out there with advice, I'd love to hear it!

Look out for the Show Recap on Monday and have a good weekend!

Like a machine

Tweet Early last week I had set a goal to finish 15 inventory items by the 31st, thinking that meant Friday.  Friday night I wasn't quite finished... then realized SATURDAY was the 31st.  So I made my goal and then some - a total of 20.  Holla!

• 2 cute little roll-up changing pads
• 5 stuffed bunnies
• 1 painter's smock
• 2 flower necklaces
• 10 dahlia pins

The necklaces and the dahlia pins were for my first batch of product for the Irvington Iris Tea Room.  I don't think I've mentioned it before, but the products Miranda's carrying are kind of a departure from my planned line.  Both the necklaces and the pins are for adults, and I'm planning on bringing her some vintage-fabric aprons to sell as well.  Here's the store display that my awesome hubby built for me:

It's is a piece of stained birch plywood with dowels to hang product on and my logo Mod Podged to the top.  We put it together with materials we already had (except for the piece of dowel rod).  I am trying really hard not to spend very much money until I'm making money, which might actually be a good thing.  It's making me very creative and I'm certainly making use of what I've got on hand.

I'm pretty happy with my level of production last week, so my goal this week is two items a day.  I'm doing well already - four sweet crayon toolbelts are happily resting in my inventory closet - but it is only Tuesday.  This is a slow week at home, so I can keep up as long as I don't just sit around and daydream about State Fair food!

Fairs galore

Tweet I don't know if you noticed, but I added a business goal on my sidebar - add 15 inventory items by July 31st, which just so happens to be tomorrow.  I've added 8 since that goal was set, so I have my work cut out for me.  I also have my culinary entries for the State Fair due Saturday and photo shoot with my beautiful new niece tomorrow.  I am counting the felt flower corsages that I will be selling at the Irvington Iris Tea Room in my inventory goal, so I think I'll probably make it.

If you visit your local fair every year, it's definitely worth entering some of your own creations if it's anything like Indiana.  For $35 I can enter up to 35 (!) items in Home and Family Arts, which includes sewing, painting, photography, antiques, knitting, culinary... pretty much anything I'd even consider entering.  You get a shot at the cash prizes for the top awards, plus 6 tickets to the fair.  The tickets alone are worth more than the entry fee.  The cash prizes aren't huge - I think I won a grand total of $14 last year - but it's still fun.  Oh, and for some culinary categories the awards are in pounds of butter!  How awesome is that?!  

On to some big business news - I officially signed up for the Irvington Halloween Festival.  The hubs talked me into it.  He made a good point; if I'm not ready for it inventory-wise, I don't have to do it and I'm only out $32.  This will be my first craft fair on my own since I'm sharing a booth with Mom at the Rocky Ripple Festival in September.  I gotta say, it makes me a little nervous just thinking about it.

Yesterday the Groupon here in Indianapolis was $15 for $30 worth of merchandise from Skreened, a custom screenprinting website.  Kenny and I both ordered one so we can make Bobaloo tshirts to wear to the craft fairs.  I'll let you know how they turn out when they get here.  I think they look so cute on the website's preview that I might wear it around town.  I figure it's advertising, right?