Here's the three of us in our booth after we set it up. We had a nice lady two booths away take our photo. She was selling lots of holiday earrings, and I think Emily and Jessica were two of her BEST customers! The lady right next to us was also very nice! In fact, we bought the cutest Christmas gift for my very good friend Kathy! It's a . . . I can't tell you! Kathy checks my blog! Hi Kathy! You'll just have to wait to see!
This is the same photo, just closer. I love my photo browser on my computer! My girls are the BEST, and they were the greatest helpers!
So, let's take a look around the booth! Here's our small tree with all of our ornaments. The ones I made are the Hugs & Kisses, Jingle All The Way, You're Sweet (candy canes), and Snowman Poop. I was really surprised, but the ornaments didn't sell well at all. I didn't sell a single Hugs & Kisses, and only one Jingle All The Way! I honestly thought they were both very cute, and I can't understand why they didn't sell! I did sell quite a few Snowman Poops!
These are the Hershey Kiss tents. We only sold three of them! That's OK, I'll put these at everyone's place setting when we host our two gatherings this holiday season!
The Snowman Soup didn't sell at all! We sold four of them to a mom that is going to give them in addition to her treat bags when she hosts a boy's birthday party this month. This is also OK, because my youngest is going to take the rest to give to her 5th grade class for a Christmas gift.
This is my Bind It All book display. Pretty clever putting that box underneath the sheet!! We sold seven books. Once again, I can give these as stocking stuffers to all of the females we know this season! Plus, my girls LOVE these books, so they'll use them too!
So, I'll tell you exactly how I did. We sold $62.50, it cost $25 to be there, so we made $37.50. Was I disappointed? Well, yes, I would have liked to have sold EVERYTHING! Would I do another show? Sure, I would try it again. What would I do differently? I'm not sure! The things that I thought would sell didn't! I thought for sure the inexpensive ornaments would go like crazy!
I do know that the set up at this school wasn't the best for the crafters that were in the gym. The PTA had all of their merchandise in the common area that sits right in front of the gym. You HAVE TO walk through the common area before you get to the gym. I heard a couple of people say that they didn't even know there were craft booths in the gym! There was a sign telling them that there were crafters in the gym, but if they didn't see the sign, they didn't know! All in all, you can't predict or control what people want or will buy. It was a fun day with my girls, and it was something that I've wanted to try for some time now. Now, I need to switch into "getting ready for the holidays" mode! I'm way behind! I have a lot to do to finish up decorating, cleaning, and getting the house ready for TWO family gatherings that we're hosting! I don't have any of my own Christmas cards made, but considering I didn't sell a lot of cards, I can use the ones that I made for the craft fair. All in all, I need to get moving this week in preparation for the holidays!!
Thanks for all of the interest in the craft fair! You are all such wonderful blogging friends! And Andrea, our dog is an Australian Shepherd. She's spoiled but a sweetheart! I hope you're all having a fantastic weekend! Thanks for stopping by!
16 comments :
Oh gosh Carol! I don't understand why your things didn't sell very well either! I loved them ALL!!!! But at least you can use what you have left. I think you did a fantastic job, and I would have bought tons from you. :)
I dont understand either! I thought all your projects were supercute! at least you get to use whats left, and I'm glad that you had a fun day with your girls.xx
Aw. I'm sorry your crafts didn't sell well at the craft fair. They were all cute. Maybe it was that particular crowd. Hope it's lots better next time!
NEVER MIND CAROL,A PROFIT IS A PROFIT! IM AGREE WITH THE OTHER GALS,I THOUGHT YOUR ITEMS WERE ALL FABULOUS & WELL THOUGHT OUT.I JUST THINK THE PEOPLE THAT CAME TO YOUR STALL & DIDNT PURCHASE HAD VERY BAD TASTE INDEED...LOL.ITS THE SAME AT GARAGE/YARD SALES AS WELL THINGS YOU THINK WILL SELL DOESNT & THINGS YOU THINK WOULD NEVER SELL DO..GO FIGURE? AT LEAST YOU HAD A LOVELY DAY OUT WITH YOUR GIRLS.
Well I can only echo what everyone else says....
You had a fun day with your girls & I think your work is great <:)
Sorry your day didn't go better....but glad you had fun with your girls....that's worth a lot right there....these years are precious! ;)
awww...{hugs} they were great craft ideas! Maybe you can use them for teachers gifts or something...next year you should make a HUGE sign for all to see! Although with such a fun display, I don't know how anyone missed it! Glad you had fun w/ your girls....that alone is priceless!
Sorry you didn't sell a lot at the fair. I found that I sold more birthday cards, than Xmas ones which was ok as it has saved me making any more. I think people tend to just buy what they need at Xmas and I'm hoping to have a stall at our Summer fete as when I did that 2 years ago I sold lots more. Thanks for letting me know what breed your dog is, we have a cross breed who is lovely but still a bit of a problem at times - she was a rescue dog
It is good that you sold some things and you can always put the rest to good use. I wish I had some handmade gifts ready, I think I have already ran out of time, I haven't even finished my xmas cards yet!
thanks for the update and the photos, it is great to hear and see how you did after all the weeks of hard work!
At least you know what to expect next time if you decide to do it again!
Thanks so much for letting us know how your day went. We have been thinking of you all the way over here in Australia. I think your ideas were amazing & at least they will all still be used for a good purpose!
ENJOY
Jules
Carol, I did craft shows for about 30 years until I just flat burned out ...each show had their own tag size and number, and there was the inventory going in, the retagging, loading it up, and unpacking it at the craft show, packing it up again and back home...and so it went, sometimes 5 shows a year.. I was weary. Then I took my stuff to the Crafty Apple and Especial Shops where the entire shop was filled with handmade wonders from ladies who, like I, had just gotten tired of the circuit and all the work. I whittled down to one show a year and after 5 years, I burned out on that one as well. I will say that I enjoyed meeting new people each year, and waving and chatting with the same ole' same ole' vendors like me. And I learned quickly that one can never plan on selling anything. As Crafter Jen used to say "John Q Public is not reliable". I've gone to shows where I had thousands of lookie lous and no buyers. One of those "in the hole" shows. Your stuff was really cute and should have sold. But you have some really awesome Christmas gifts now.
Gallant effort and what a great experience with your children! Deb
Glad you had such a fun time with your girls, I guess you can use this one as experience if you decide to do another one. The upside is that you will have some very lucky friends and relatives who will now receive fabulous handmade goodies this Christmas!
Wow your things looked so amazing ,sorry they did not but them all xxxx ,
you did have a good time though with your beautiful girls and that means more than anything ,Dawnxxx
Carol, I am so sorry, your crafts are amazing and beautiful! Perhaps the next time the planning will be better and everyone will see how talented you are! Thank you for sharing the story and the pictures too!
Take care now and have a wonderful day.
((hugs))
malieta:)
I can't understand why your stuff didn't sell. I think you had some really cool stuff! I'm glad that you all had a great day anyway! Better luck next time!
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