A downside to being a Doctor of Chiropractic is that you know when something is really wrong with your own body. A few weeks ago, I started having trouble with my right elbow. I've had minor problems with it in the past and have jokingly called it "stamper's elbow." However, this time it was bad and I knew that I had an ulnar nerve entrapment. I also had a Stamp-a-Stack coming up and was worried that I would not be able to cut card stock for my guests.
With some rest and therapy, I was able to help my elbow pain. However, I didn't want to irritate it more by cutting tons of paper. You'll see that the cards I designed for this class are super simple. Almost all of my guests were finished within 1 hour. We made 2 each of 4 designs. The other card was featured in this previous post.
The picture above may give you some indication of why my elbow was hurting.....so, the first card was a simplified version of one of my recent swap cards.
Stamp Set: Christmas Postcard
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Kraft (sponged around edges)
Paper: Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
The finished size of this card is 3" x 6". The main question everyone asked is if we have envelopes to fit this size of card. The answer is "yes!". Item # 107286 Small Open-End Envelopes.
Stamp Set: Word Play
Ink: Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive markers
Paper: Very Vanilla, Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper
Accessories: Big Shot, Ovals Originals die, Dimensionals
And I just had to throw one Halloween card in the mix. My customers LOVED the Spider Web embossing folder, but are wanting ideas for using it at other times of the year. We decided it would be good for an "Over the Hill" birthday. If you've got a creative idea, share it by adding a comment at the end of this post.
Stamp Set: Wicked Cool
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Wicked Fun Specialty, Whisper White, Basic Gray, Basic Black
Accessories: Big Shot, Spider Web Embossing Folder, Raven Lace Trim
The Holiday Mini catalog is here and I have been having so much fun with my new goodies. This card features the Christmas Postcard single stamp (only $9.95!) and the Deck the Halls designer series paper. But the real show-stopper is the Champagne Glass Glitter.
How cool is that?
I just love the shimmer and texture that the glass glitter adds to this card. After I stamped and colored the main image, I adhered everything to the front of the card. I thought it need something extra, so I grabbed some sticky strip and placed it around the edges of the card stock. I sprinkled the glitter onto the sticky strip, pressed it into place, and shook off the excess.
Be sure to add the glass glitter to your next order! It comes in 2 colors--champagne and silver--and it's only $3.95 for a generous container of bling-y goodness.
The show has started....now what? I find that shows start off one of two ways: a slow & steady trickle of customers or a mad rush. I prefer the mad rush because you are busy right out of the gate, but what if you experience the slow & steady trickle?
Keep in mind how you like to be treated when you are shopping. Most of us don't enjoy being pounced upon by an overly-eager salesperson when we enter a store, right? Now I know you are excited, but do try to contain yourself just a bit. My strategy is always to give off the appearance of being busy, but accessible. I'll often take Christmas cards to work on. Many customers will stop to see what I am doing, and that is the perfect conversation starter. One year, I took my Big Shot and cut out dies all day. I actually had a couple of new people sign up for a Big Shot class because of it.
Now, don't get so busy that you fail to acknowledge your customers. Greet EVERYONE that enters your booth area with eye contact and a smile, plus a simple "hello", "good morning", etc. This probably sounds like common sense to you, and I haven't met too many Stampin' Up demonstrators that are unfriendly. However, I have seen some pretty poor customer service at craft fairs.
At one show, I experienced a crazy mad rush of customers the first hour of the show. I think I sold almost $300 in that one hour, and most items were priced around $15-$20....it was busy. When it finally slowed down and I was able to catch my breath, I noticed that the three women working at the booth across from me were "shooting daggers" in my direction. They were sitting at the back of their booth, arms folded, frowns on their faces, and not acknowledging anyone that went near their booth. At the end of the show, they complained to the show's organizer that they did not make any money. They chewed her out pretty good, and she came up to me after that to see if I had done alright. I told her that I had done very well throughout the day and had no complaints whatsoever. Your attitude is everything! Be pleasant, no matter what.
At some point during the day, you are going to want to take a break. If you didn't "hire" someone to work with you for the entire day, you might just want to have someone give you a break at lunchtime. Potty breaks throughout the day can probably be covered by asking the vendor next to you to keep an eye on your booth for a few minutes. They can let customers know that you are going to be right back.
I highly recommend that you get out of your booth for a short time during the day.....for lunch and marketing. You are amongst fellow crafters, so don't let this opportunity pass you by. I will take packets filled with a mini catalog, door prize entry form, business card, hand-stamped card, my class schedule, and any specials with me when I leave my booth. As I visit other booths, I will introduce myself and give the vendor a packet. The conversation goes something like this:
"I love your ________(sincerely compliment their craft/something specific in the booth). My name is Melissa Stout and I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. My booth is right over there. You probably haven't had a chance to get out of your booth today, so I wanted to bring you some goodies. (hand them a packet) There is a door prize form inside, so just drop it by at the end of the day and I'll get you entered to win."
Now what usually happens is that they will look through your materials whenever the show slows down and many of them will visit you at the end of the day with questions, orders, and sometimes an interest in hosting a show or the business opportunity. How great is that?
Hopefully, you have been collecting customer contact information throughout the day. You must contact these people within a few days of the show to establish a good relationship with them. Now, I hate making phone calls, but if you want to grow your business, it is a necessary task. I schedule a free introduction to stamping class within 2 weeks of the show and invite them to attend. Everyone likes to be extended an invitation, so this is a wonderful reason to contact them. If they are not interested, okay. You probably will get a few that are interested and that can really grow your business.
One final note.....I always have some items leftover from my holiday craft fairs. In early December, I will hold a Holiday Open House for my customers and make these items available for sale, sometimes at a discount. You can also put your items on ebay or Etsy, give them as gifts, donate them to charity, or store them for the following year.
SNOWMAN JIFFY POP GIFT CARD HOLDER
I posted this project on my blog several years ago and I always get emails asking for the directions. I'm a little embarrassed because he is so simple to make, you may lose all creative confidence in me. LOL!
This is a great gift to give to a teacher. You can add a gift card to her favorite store or restaurant.
This would also be a nice gift to give a family or your neighbors....add some cans of soda, boxes of movie candy, a gift certificate for a DVD rental.....and you've got "A Night at the Movies".
Here are the card stock measurements and a quick video to help you make your own snowman:
Nose: Pumpkin Pie card stock 1-1/2" x 3", cut diagonally
Brim: Basic Black card stock 2" x 6"
Hat/Gift Card Holder: Basic Black 4-1/4" x 8", scored at 2-1/2" and 5-1/4"
So you've made up a lot of great items to sell, and now it's time for the craft fair. Before you go, you will want to make sure that you have everything priced and stamped with an Angel Policy stamp, if applicable. It will be easy to stamp some of your items directly with an Angel Policy stamp. I try to stamp it in an inconspicuous place and I will usually use Versamark ink. For those items that you cannot or should not stamp directly, I use price tags that I can tie onto the item. I'll stamp one side of the tag and place the price on the other side. You can purchase a nice supply of price tags with strings from office supply stores.
I pack the majority of my items into rubbermaid-stye totes. You will want to make sure that your items will be protected from the elements as you transport them from your home to the craft show. The totes are easy to carry or transport on a dolly. Speaking of a dolly.....if you don't have one, I would recommend that you try to borrow one or purchase an inexpensive one. You can expect to be on your own for unloading and re-loading all of your stuff at the show. I can only think of one show that someone offered me assistance of any kind......and I was 7 months pregnant.
Most shows will have specific times that they will allow you to set up your booth....usually the night before and/or the morning of the show. I prefer to set up the day before, if possible. If there is anything that I feel is missing from my booth, I will then have time to take care of it before the show starts. Make sure you are comfortable leaving your booth unattended overnight. I will often set up the inexpensive items first, then set up the more expensive items last. Your ultimate goal should be to have everything ready to go at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the show.
There are a few other items that you will want to take with you:
Cash box/bag with plenty of change
Receipt book
Order forms
Calculator
Pens
Shopping bags
Business cards
Catalogs
Upcoming class information
Hostess & recruit packets
More price tags
Table coverings
Signage (if allowed)
One more consideration for you is how you would like to collect contact information from the customers visiting your booth. Offering a door prize is a great way to gather this information. I will put together a simple gift basket with some stamping items, and have door prize entry forms available for people to fill out. This helps me add a lot of people to my mailing list and I can follow up with them after the show to tell them more about the services I have to offer them. Another method I have used is to have a simple newsletter sign-up sheet. I always get good contacts from this because all of them are interested in Stampin' Up....they aren't just trying to win something for FREE. You'll have to decide which method you prefer, but either should help you build your Stampin' Up! business. As I mentioned in Part 1, you will want to check with the show's organizers to make sure that they will allow you to promote your business.
Holiday Planner
Here is another super easy project that is a great seller at craft fairs. It is a holiday organizer/planner made from a simple white school folder. I was able to score a bunch of these at Back-to School time for just 10 cents each!!!
One of the great things about this project is that you can easily use up your scraps of designer series paper, even the retired papers, to create an eclectic look.
You can find several forms & lists to insert into your planner at Organized Christmas. Print them out on Whisper White card stock and place in the pockets.
In the last pocket, I decorate envelopes for receipts and coupons.
I've had a lot of questions about how to put this planner together, so I created a short video to explain it a little better. Hope this helps!
My final article on craft fairs will be posted on Friday. I'll also be announcing a fun contest to challenge you to come up with more creative craft fair ideas.
If you have any questions that I have not answered yet, leave a comment or use the chat box. I am working on answering emails, so if you have sent one, you should hear from me in the next 24 hours.
To prepare plenty of handmade items for a craft fair, you need to be ready to make a commitment of time, as well as money. Keeping your designs simple will enable you to mass produce your items in a relatively short amount of time. As I stated in my covered legal pad video, even the non-embellished legal pads have sold very well for me at craft fairs.
All the items you make should be high-quality, unique gift items. I find that most of my craft fair customers are searching for gifts for teachers, co-workers, kids, the postman, etc. They want something inexpensive, but impressive. When you are thinking of projects to make, consider what you would like to give and receive at the holidays.
Some items to consider:
Greeting Cards
Coasters
Candles
Magnets
Candy gifts
Altered Office Supplies
Home Decor Pieces
"Soups" and "Poops" (see below)
Bookmarks
Mini Scrapbooks
Games for kids
Paper Dolls
As far as how many of each to make, that will depend on the size of the show that you are doing. If it is a show that I am not familiar with, I try to make 6-12 of each item....not too many and not too much. If you sell out of an item, you can display a sample and take orders to make more. I always love it when that happens!
You'll also want to take into consideration the type of show that you will be participating in, and what price points those craft fair customers tend to expect. I have one show that I always sell out of items that are priced at $5 or less. At another show, I can't give those same items away. Those customers want items priced at $20 or more.
It can be challenging to determine a price on your handmade items. Many times, we as crafters tend to undervalue our work. However, if you price your items too high, it will be difficult, if not impossible to move your items.
A common pricing strategy that I often hear is to double the cost of your supplies. You might also want to consider giving yourself an hourly wage. I'm going to use the example of the covered legal pads again.
I purchased 12 junior legal pads and 12 RSVP pens for $8.89.....that means that each set costs me approximately 75 cents. Add on the paper and adhesive costs, and the total cost to make each covered legal pad comes to $1.75 without embellishments.
Using the double supply cost strategy, I would charge $3.50 for a simple covered legal pad, and up to $5 for a heavily embellished legal pad.
It takes me approximately 7 minutes to make one of the simple covered legal pads. I give myself an hourly wage of $20 an hour (33 cents/minute). Using this strategy I would add the $2.33 wage to the supply cost of $1.75 to come up with a total cost of $4.08.
I will generally use a combination of both strategies to set my prices. I will sell the simple legal pads this year for $4 each and the embellished legal pads will sell for $5.
A tool that I use to keep track of the cost of my consumable supplies is the cost analysis spreadsheet available on SUDSOL. It is definitely worth the price of membership to have access to this resource. SUDSOL is a website for Stampin' UP! demonstrators that are business-minded and you can sign up for a free trial by clicking below.
Buy items such as legal pads & pens while they are on sale. Always be on the lookout for a bargain! You may also want to check out sites such as Freecycle to see if you can find items to alter. Today's project is a great example of how to use your recycled items to create a great gift that people will want to buy.
Soups & Poops
For this project, I filled an empty Starbucks frapuccino bottle with cocoa mix and topped it with mini marshmallows. I cut a square of the Candy Cane Designer Fabric with the Big Shot and Scallop Square die. The fabric covers the lid and was tied with a 1" x 12" strip of fabric. The cute tag was made using the Candy Cane designer series paper and A Cute Christmas stamp set.
You can do an online search for snowman soup recipes and you'll find lots of good cocoa recipes and poems that will work for this project.
An item that sells good for me during the months of September and October is pumpkin poop. You can also find poems online for snowman poop, reindeer poop, and more. All of these are quick,easy, and make great gifts.
I am attaching two files here, so that you can easily make your own poop. The first is the template to make the box, and the second is a sheet of the pumpkin poop poems that will fit perfectly inside your box.
This is a close-up of the inside of the box. I bought the small packages of candy corn at Wal-Mart.
The box is made from Basic Black cardstock and measures about 2-1/2" square. I layered 2-1/4" squares of Ghostly Greetings DSP on the lid.
The pumpkins and the pumpkin faces were created with Sizzix dies and the Big Shot. I added the wiggly eyes for fun.
On Wednesday, I'll have another great project for you and more craft fair tips. Be sure to subscribe to receive email updates, so you don't miss anything.
Third time was a charm. Here is the video on the covered legal pads.
Jr. Legal Pad Cover Paper Measurements
Cover: 8" x 11.5", scored at 5.5", 6", and 6.5"
Front Cardstock Layer: 4-3/4" x 7-3/4"
Front Designer Series Paper Layer: 4-1/2" x 7-1/2"
Top of Legal Pad Designer Series Paper: 1" x 5"
Designer Series Paper for RSVP pen: 1" x 3-3/8"
Here is another legal pad cover for the Holidays. I used the Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper and the Christmas Postcard single stamp. Both of these items will be available to order September 1st. The corners of the front panel are accented with the new antique brads.
This legal pad cover features a few of my favorite new items from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog. I used the Playdate Designer Series Paper, the Greeting Card Kids stamp set, and Brights Designer Buttons. I like to have a few items for sale that would be nice for teachers and I think this fits the bill.
If I do any shows before Halloween, I like to throw in a few spooky items and they usually sell like hotcakes. For this legal pad, I used a combination of products from the big catalog and the upcoming 2010 Holiday mini. The Wicked Cool stamp set, Bat punch and large scallop circle punch are from the big catty. You'll be able to purchase the Nite Owl designer series paper on September 1st when the Holiday Mini goes live.
I'll be back on Monday with another great craft fair idea and I'll be discussing what to make and how to price your items.
Last Friday was the Got Treats Stamp-a-Stack. I've already shared the cupcake card, so it's time for you to see the other 3 cards.
This card would be great for an anniversary or a fun wedding/engagement card. It uses the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, and a little bit of the Play Date designer series paper.
I am soooooo holding back on sharing all of my Halloween projects with you, but I was able to sneak this card in. Wouldn't this stamp image be perfect on the Pumpkin Poop boxes? I've got your wheels turning, don't I? The designer paper is called Wicked Fun Specialty and it features black flocking. Some of the black circles are fuzzy....love it!
And last but not least, GINGERBREAD MEN!!! Something about these little guys just makes me smile. The large stamp image is from the Got Treats stamp set, but the smaller gingerbread man image is from a Holiday Mini stamp set called Jolly Bingo Bits. The designer paper is called Jolly Holiday.
On all of the cards, I used the 1-3/4" circle punch and the 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch. I just changed the layouts and the designer paper choice to fit the occasion. Most of the stamp images were inked with markers. I just love it when you can create many different cards with one stamp set and a limited number of supplies.
In just 2 short weeks, you'll be able to see all of the exciting new products being offered in the 2010 Holiday Mini catalog. I think my jaw dropped when I saw all of the gorgeous stamp sets & accessories, but then there was....
FABRIC!!!!
Oh my goodness, I just about fell out of my chair! It is absolutely stunning and I know you will love it, too!
My customers have been wanting to have a class on the rag quilt purses, so obviously that had to be my first project. I've been a bit nervous to teach a sewing class--it has been 20+ years since I have touched a sewing machine. Apparently, it's like riding a bike...just comes back to you.
One of the things I love about stamping is that it can be very forgiving and you can always cover up mistakes. This purse is like that. Even if your lines aren't perfect, it still turns out cute!
The first purse I made was with the Deck the Halls fabric. The colors in the fabric are Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Always Artichoke, and Crumb Cake. It has a vintage, shabby-chic look. LOVE IT!!!
The next purse was made with the Candy Cane fabric. The colors in this fabric are Garden Green, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, and Real Red. It has a very playful look--lots of dots & stripes. I think it would also make a cute mini-diaper bag, don't you?
Each set of designer fabric comes in an assortment of 3 fat quarters that measure 28" x 18" each.
Check out the buttons! There are coordinating Big Designer Buttons for each of the fabric collections. And they are really BIG.
To make the purse, you need to have a Big Shot and the Scallop Square Clear Bigz Die. The die can easily cut through about 8 layers of fabric, so you'll have your purse panels cut out in no time at all.
After you've cut all your panels, you build a sandwich with 2 panels and batting in between. Sew an "x' pattern on each square, lay out your purse plan, and sew it all together. It's a little more complicated than that, but not much. The first purse took me about 3 hours from start to finish, but the second one took me less than 2 hours.
The "rag" look is achieved by clipping the seams, then washing & drying the purse. Here is a before and after shot so you can see the change. I like it both ways.
If you are ready to try your hand at making one of these fun purses, check out the RAG QUILT PURSE CLASS page. I will also have class kits by mail available to those unable to attend the local class.
Stampin’ Up!’s exclusive Large Square Scallop Bigz clear die lets you can see the image you want and position it precisely before cutting. This die works wonderfully for cutting photos in a fun shape or for creating a focal point with a specific area of a Designer Series paper pattern. The scallop square shape is perfect for many projects, such as frames, journaling blocks, and accents. ■ Creates a 4-3/8" x 4-3/8" scalloped square ■ Can cut through multiple sheets of card stock, Texture Cuts wood sheets, window sheets, and more ■ Use with Sizzix Big Shot machine and standard cutting pads ■ Die size: 5-1/2" x 6"
