Where did all the street markets go?

Last year was my first journey into craft shows.

I only did two shows & half of the experience was good (with the other half being awful).

I'm toying with the idea of doing the Big Crafty again, but at the same time I thought I'd try out some of the smaller/slower paced markets.

It's been tough to find any local shows... a quick search gave me just two options; The Big Crafty & Asheville 2nd Saturday.

There used to be at least 3 others... small, monthly & bi-monthly markets with just a few vendors.
I saw on one site that vendor participation was low. This doesn't surprise me. A while back I tried to get a group together for a yearly or twice-a-year show and initial interest was high, but we never made it past the first meeting.

So I understand that a great idea just fizzles out (especially due to lack of volunteers, funds & participation). I'm glad that there are a few still available. But I do mourn the little indie shows of the past.

Any one know of any others?

Organized!

First off... I'm not dead.

While working on bags & wallets for the Big Crafty, I realized that my space was far from efficient. In fact, it was chaos.
I took a few weeks off after the show to relax, but since then I've been taking apart and reorganizing my crafty space.

So I've spent the last month re-doing it all.

And I'm almost ready for the big reveal. I'm gonna finish some stuff up this weekend and SHAZAM! All done!

This is all I'm revealing for now, but I would like to share a link I found while organizing... it's a beautiful to-do list! There is so much going on in this prinitable list... I don't know how someone COULDN'T use it to organize.

Good luck with the list and I will see you soon!

What's Up Wednesdays :: Hell Yeah!

I have been sewing like crazy!

I have piles on my table and slowly, I'm getting it all sewn (almost everything takes at least an hour to sew).

And I found out on Sunday that these piles are just the beginning.

I wasn't sure I had make the cut, especially since I heard of many others getting their approval and I hadn't heard squat... but my big news this week is I was accepted in to The Big Crafty!

Hell yeah!

It is the winter show and it's in about 5 weeks.

This is my current holy grail... I tried to get in last year and it was a no-go. But in my blog post I mentioned that it was a good thing, mainly because I wasn't ready.

Now... I'm more ready than I have ever been. I've only done one show as of this post (and one more by Dec. 5th, Big Crafty Day). It's not perfect, but in comparison to last year, I'm head & shoulders above my former self.

So this is scary/exciting.

I better get back to my piles, because after this weekend's show I have only four more weeks to sew & build up my inventory.

Hell yeah!

What's Up Wednesdays :: In Preparation

I haven't posted in a while mainly because I was off to Nebraska for my brother's wedding.

Now that I'm back, I'm getting ready for another craft show.

This time, I have a two day show November 6-7th.

So I'm gearing up & getting stuff cut, sewn & labeled so I have enough inventory. I'm also presenting a new item at the show, so I want to have a few samples for sale.

I'm also spending money! I recently got more business cards and I'm gonna purchase a bigger & better bag display for this show. I had a decent display last time, but since I mainly make bags I figured I better put my best foot forward.

I will be very busy for a while, but I will try to post more often... now that I'm home & in the craft room.

P.S., I'm still waiting to hear back from The Big Crafty... I know some have already received their acceptance... I'm sure I will be waiting up until the last moment. Sigh...

Mediocre Mondays :: The Beauty of Celery

Just celery. This has nothing to do with crafts... I just thought it was beautiful.