No Storefront for Me :-(

The craft fair/store I was planning to participate in this holiday season is a no-go.

The woman who was putting it together is a good friend. She's also my officemate at the dayjob 3 days a week, so I got to watch the whole process from idea -- I had no clue how much is involved in renting a retail space, from utility negotiations to insurance & accessibility concerns--to finished plan. This week I saw it fall apart when the landlord decided to turn down 3 months of guaranteed rent for the chance to get a longer term lease in the space (which has been vacant for quite some time...) She had a couple back-up locations, but they all fell through.

I feel really bad for her; I ~know~ exactly how many hours she devoted to making this happen plus the hours of time she spent building product for her own booth. And, *poof* it's gone.

I have a confession, too.

While I am NOT and NEVER WILL BE glad her business venture was crushed, I am a little relieved.

I'm slow. I figure somewhere between an artist and an enthusiast when I craft -- I like to make beautiful things, but they have to be beautiful to me; I don't really care what others think, and I don't like to make the same thing more than once, for the most part. Which meant that building inventory for my little corner/shelf in her store was stressing me out. Alot. I thought I was doing well (I was still making the last three weeks I haven't been updating) building supply.

I saw a formula somewhere indicating that your inventory during the holiday season should be roughly 3x what you hope to sell (dunno where the hell the math for that came from).

I was planning to rent a 1' x 4' wall shelf for my stuff, nothing big. Last weekend I bought a big wheeled 45gal plastic tote to store the stuff I was making for the holiday store.

Spatial awareness is not my forte. The tub was too big to fit in the trunk of my VW. I got it in the backseat, just, but it took some doing. Will fit fine if I put the backseat down, but still. Yea.

Lugged the box up the stairs to my office/craft room/disastrous pit/home of all lost objects ever and loaded it up with my inventory. Which is to say I was unable to cover even the bottom of this 4'x2'x2.5' tub. Well, I might have, if I unstacked the scarves... But you see what I mean. What started as an enthusiastic purchase to help me get organized for the craft bazaar quickly turned into a graphic visual reminder of how impossible this was in the midst of everything else I do.

So while the news of the bazaar's cancellation was unexpected and disappointing, it was also a bit of a relief.

On the other hand, now I'm wondering what the heck to do with all these scarves and wine charm sets!

Tally Time!

Okay - so, a semi-productive week on this front, but a disaster on most others... Ever wonder if the universe is telling you something? Even though two different people told you this week that you should be selling your stuff? No? Just me then...

But I did get a few things done:

- 5 scarves
- 1 pair earrings
- 1 wire-wrapped stone pendant
- 1 set (of 4) wine charms
- 2 necklace/earring sets

I'm trying to do more with the jewelry, but now that I have a probable venue (pal is learning all the ins and outs of retail, utils, insurance, etc., and it's not as definite, sadly, as it was a week ago -- she's meeting with the owner of the location this weekend so I hope to know more next week) my ideas have dried up. No pressure (ha!)

Weekly Tally

So, I'm definitely going to participate in my friend's holiday bazaar. Just a 4x1 shelf, though, not a full booth, seeing as how I have a full-time job, a family, a life, some freelance gigs, and November (month bazaar opens) is National Novel Writing Month.

Plus crocheting little tiny things, one of my favorite ways to pass the time, is more time consuming than stringing beads...

So, this week I bumped up production a little, to the detriment of getting any reading or housework done, but, oh well!

Total stuff added to the "For Sale" stash:

-- 8 sets of wine charms (2 sets of 8, 2 sets of 6, 4 sets of 4)
-- 3 scarves
-- 3 necklaces

Wow. It felt like more before I made a list. Now I'm glad I did so I don't get too complacent. No pics for now, it's dark outside :S

Off to make some earrings!

What I Did This Morning

It's prettier on than it looks in this pic -- looks like tiny pearls :-)

Now if only I could figure out how to make matching earrings I like. I've designed, tested, and discarded at least half a dozen options, which were all AWFUL, so I've set it aside for today and moved on the scarves ;-)

Crafter-Lite

I like to make things with my hands.

I took up crochet again a few years ago as a way to keep my hands busy while watching TV (too busy to snack). That part didn't work out so well (until recently) I snacked anyway.

I also made a lot of scarves. Then small blankets. Recently I made my first wearable garment -- a cardigan for my I-don't-need-a-jacket daughter to wear this Fall.

My family, friends, co-workers, and all the teachers at my daughter's elementary are scarf-ed out.

Then, two years ago my office mate at the day job introduced me to beading.

OH BOY

Now my home office is divided into obsession-based zones -- bead corner, yarn stash, desk (I still write and edit when I can), and coffee corner (it makes the other three possible :) )

I'm two years in, have tons of pretty things to keep my hands busy, and a lot of friends and family who are tired of handmade gifts already.

Which brings me (at last!) to why I'm here. I make a lot of stuff. I give a lot away, but I've hit the point where I wouldn't mind selling some of it, if only to pay for more supplies, but I'm NOT hardcore.

Etsy -- too big, too many items regularly featured at CraftFail, and too many crafters undervaluing their work -- making it hard for anyone who wants to sell to set realistic prices.

ArtFire -- As of next month they will be pro-only. I'm not a pro. I have a full-time dayjob and an intermittent freelance writing and editing career. I do NOT need another job, which is what paying for AF membership would have to be to justify the expense ($10-$12/mo plus commission, in case you're curious) for what amounts to a hobby.

I have a friend, a talented and entrepreneurial crafter who is putting together a small store for the holidays this year (Nov-Dec) for area crafters to hawk their wares. I probably can't justify the expense, but she's a pal and it's better than a poke in the eye with a stick.

Plus, umm, I'm not really a people person. I don't like approaching people to ask if they will carry my stuff, nor do I produce the kind of volume a regular retail agreement requires.

Hence, the new blog. A place I can put pictures of my crafty goodness -- since I am willing to do custom pieces and I like to show off my hard work. Here I can talk about things I don't talk about elsewhere for fear of boring my non-crafty friends.

Welcome and thanks for stopping by!