Mid-October- End of the Harvest Season

I don't know how much of it is the economy, or maybe just that I go to fairs that are too small?
I'm lucky to earn as much in sales as I spent on the table.  Given that most of these ask for a Chinese Auction donation, unless these donations are tax deductible, that's even more loss...
I know that I need to keep telling myself that the point this early on- just over a month and not producing merchandise from looms yet- is to get myself out there and have as much exposure as possible, but it would sure be easier to keep enthusiastic if people bought more merchandise!
The thing that keeps me going is that I get great comments and positive feedback each time I spend a day behind a table.
"How cute!"  "That's so unique!"  "What a great idea!"  "Really?  You made all of this different stuff?"
These comments make me believe that I will be successful if I keep working, especially if I focus on the art that I am most interested in and inspired by.  This makes me stand out from other vendors.

My harvest-themed art display... I've come to really love that pumpkin in the lower right.

Soaps... guarded by Minion "Martin."

The candle side of the table- I think that I have this table-decorating thing down-
Though I will admit that the space is "busy."

I'd love to have a big plotter... I'd turn photos that I or my family members have taken into my woven wall art.  Then I'd be able to create similar items at different sizes and also handle custom orders- people could email me the image they wanted woven, and we could determine the size based on their desire and the quality of the image.

My postal scale has arrived and I'm getting ready to sell harvest goods on ebay- a new venture and another blog for the end of the month!

Review and Reflection on "The First Weekend"

Saturday, small church craft fair...
Depressing for all vendors involved.  There were probably fewer than 100 customers who walked through the hall all day.  That said, the fact that I nearly made the cost of the table is good, as about 20% of those people stopped at the table.
I was pleased with the arrangement of our merchandise.  With the exception of a few soaps and container candles, the table was different from the Etsy site.

A tray of assorted soaps I hadn't posted yet.

Making mini daisies with two colors was tricky, but I think that they are cute.

I also made what I am calling "doves of peace" soaps...

and mini glycerin hearts using an ice cube tray as a mold.

I think that the tablecloth makes a positive impact on the display.

These are "baby shower" soaps- plastic favors are embedded- strollers, rattles, safety pins, and pacifiers.

The seasonal glycerin soaps are flanked by price lists and my basket of business cards.

Minion "Fuzzy" isn't looking so good... Neither is my sign.
I'll have to make one that I can print from the computer.

I'm ready to go with fifteen minutes till the start of the day!
Thanks, everyone!

Sunday- technically, of course, I haven't made any profit at all and am significantly in the red... but according to my receipts, I made $100.  There was also tons of positive feedback.  I was invited to participate in other fairs and festivals, told that my prices were both reasonable and competitive, and there were several people who asked for a business card or told me that if money wasn't so tight, they would've bought ______.
I also sold my first art piece, something I made Saturday night just to cheer myself up!

After working on this mixed media collage on and off for months,
I thought it would make a good eye-catcher for the booth.

Woven flowers with acrylic paint, glued and wrapped around 8" square artists' canvas

Mounted 8"x8" sepia toned woven daisy

Mounted 8"x8" blurred photo woven flower

Woven daisy, glued and wrapped on 8" square canvas

Mom suggested that I try some original needlepoint-
8" square, based on bears' paw quilt concept-
I think of it as sugar maple leaves for harvest.

The pumpkin that sold!  Based on Overshot weaving and done for fun-
"Halloween Pumpkin," an original design. :)

I made this foot square piece for fun-
"Windy Sunrise" has layers of foam board and lacquered paper on a woven photo base.
Highlights and shading are acrylic paint.

Having been a math teacher, it was fun to create a tessellation of leaves.

Another diamond twill- I made two in this color scheme.

This one is based on a crazy quilt, with a focus on the same motif.

This one is so bright!  After it didn't sell, I decided that I either needed to make another, or give this one to a couple from church getting married this October.

Woven image, five inches square.

Woven image, five inches square- probably my favorite sepia daisy.

Art display, with container candles.

Seasonal display- cinnamon and pumpkin spice pillar candles are the highlight.
(Pumpkin spice cream container candles in mid-ground.)

Soap display before final adjustments.  Left side- large goats' milk assortment.

Mom snaps a photo once the booth is organized.
(Brrr! It's a chilly morning.)

Ready for the "FIRST WEEKEND"

The first weekend of October-
Saturday- indoors, cheap table at my parents' church.
Sunday- outdoors- a Harvest Festival for my own church that's been going on annually for years.  There's usually a fairly large turnout, and it's a big investment- the 10'x10' space on the town green is more than double the church table and also prompted the investment of an EZ-up tent.
Given that I'm determined to try this for at least a year, there should be plenty of times to use it in the spring and summer of 2011, and it really is a great structure.  Walls, nice canopy with adjustable height, and with multiple people pulling at the corners is does go up in a snap.
One of my friends headed to the hardware store to buy PVC and sand and created some neat weights for the corners.

I'm nervous... I have some adopted "minions" (their title, not mine- something about cool factor), 18-21 year old young men who are graduates from my former employ.  Somehow, my Husband and I had started taking them in and acting as role models before they ever graduated, so, since their parents would rather they help someone out while they are unemployed than sit at home playing video games, they come help me watch puppies, move heavy things, deal with hot wax- make sure my 3 month old puppies aren't burned by said wax...ANYWAY, I therefore have three people willing to take shifts sitting with me to help guard the cash box, let me have potty breaks, and hand out business cards.

I've added seasonal merchandise, like pumpkin spice scented candles...

leaf and pumpkin glycerin soap, (pumpkin shea butter soap,)

and both glycerin and shea butter skulls.

My Mom has been very helpful too, coming over and helping to arrange the display, picking up baskets for me- and Dad cleaned out some boxes to find trays and bags that we can use.

Here's everything laid out in the dining room.  Is there enough variety? Are the prices right?

Etsy can be depressing...

So, how would you feel if you logged on every day and there was still a full list of your merchandise online?
I mean, I realize that the listing prices are for several months, and not that much, but when you pay money, and have this website, and you get all excited- and then NOBODY seems to even LOOK at your stuff, well, it gets pretty discouraging.
Even when I thought that I had reached a pinnacle- and actually had multiple parties interested- I was crushed.
A large order was placed for multiple items, but my Paypal didn't initially accept the payment.  Well within 24 hours I had fixed it and sent two messages to the buyer, but she had already found something else.
I have sold some soap- prompting me to log into ebay to buy a postage scale.
I clearly had no idea how to price shipping.
I think that padded envelopes with "FRAGILE!" all over them may very well be the way to go.
I've also gotten some feedback- not the most professional of photos and packaging, which I knew, but I want to keep costs down, and I should work on larger pieces of artwork.
Ok- I can do that- but why didn't you custom order, Username who suggested wall art?!
<sigh>
It's easy to get discouraged since it's been a month and there hasn't really been any action.
Thankfully, my husband and friends keep trying to cheer me up- they've also pointed out that I have the website on my business cards, which will be handed out at any craft fair I go to.

I turned it into a nifty banner for my etsy site:

Time to buckle down, get merchandise together for Harvest Festivals, and see what happens!

But I need to weave SOMETHING!

Mid-September 2010
Ok, so there are some fast and easy things that I can make in the kitchen, with puppies at my feet- but I'm a weaver!  I want to be a fiber artist- what can I weave on a tabletop?
PAPER.
The best part is that I can practice color combinations and weave structures without having to warp a loom.
I've also been having an itch to paint something other than gaming miniatures (my other blog is 1 Crafty Gamer), and my first attempt at multimedia collage excites me A LOT.

I got photo scrapbook paper in a booklet that has three copies of each image.
Here's two of them woven together, with white, red, blue, and yellow acrylic paint used for highlights.
It tickled my fancy so much that I decided to use it as my avatar photo on Etsy!

Twill seems to be one of the most interesting ways to weave paper- here are my first several framed pieces:

Basket Weave

Basic 4 shaft style Twill, but with color-blocking

Houndstooth

The center of a large diamond twill- I find it dynamic.

Plaid that reminds me of Houndstooth

Just for fun- there were these great pages in the book that had splotches and splatters of color that looked like they would make an interesting abstract piece when woven together- and to help balance the result, the last strip is mounted on the right-hand side.  I suppose that it could be hung at another orientation, if someone wanted to...

Plaid based on a Houndstooth center

Plaid that reminds me of those potholders you make with loops...

Which inspired this one.

Standard twill, as with four shaft 1,2,3,4 thread and tread