Saturday, February 16, 2013

Bye Gonzolyn :(


Gonzolyn was the best cat that ever lived.  A little ball of fur perpetually on my lap. A presence 100 times as big as her mere 4 pounds and a heart even bigger.  She was named after Speedy Gonzalez because she was mostly just a blur when she was little and I know she's back to chasing all things shiny in kitty heaven.








Sunday, February 10, 2013

I survived!!

Yes, my anxiety had me a little neurotic this last month or so waiting for my first craft fair.  I started making my unique jewelry designs less than 4 months ago and even though I have not sold much it has been a whirlwind.  I started a website, a shop on Etsy and I'm trying to master the world of on-line sales (much more complicated than I could have ever imagined).  I was able to get my jewelry displayed in a store and I am involved with the group that is working on establishing a community market in the small town I live.  Then I was in a craft fair for the first time.

The fair was in a gorgeous new building in down town Madison WI.  The parking was very limited and apparently the organizers did very little advertising.  The only advertising anyone knew about was ads in the student newspapers.  We all know that college students are not known for having a lot of money.  So, the turnout was very low.  I have some mixed feelings about this.  If it had been really busy I would have been really anxious and may have felt really overwhelmed and unprepared.  BUT, as it turned out I just barely sold enough to cover my booth fee and I did not cover the cost of transportation and food for the day.

I was able to meet a lot of the other vendors and enjoyed getting to know some really remarkable artists.  I still have to go through the business cards I collected and I will make sure to give a shout out to them.

I am fairly happy with my display and got a few positive comments.  I few people really liked the business cards, tags and banners my amazing husband designed for me.






Overall, I loved the set up, the other vendors and how my display turned out but I definitely would have liked a better turn out.  I'm signed up for another fair in March for a fundraiser craft fair and fashion show.  So, we will see how that goes.  I'm still debating whether or not I want to apply for any more for this year.  If I do I also need to make sure the times are shorter.  Seven hours in a chair I am not used to is too hard for my Fibromyalgia.  I am still very sore today so I probably shouldn't put my body through that again.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Yikes!

Tomorrow is the big day...My first every craft fair.
Art from the Heart at Memorial South in Madison WI


I'm so nervous!  What if no one likes it?  What if no one buys anything?  What if my fibro pain is too much to bare?

I took 2 days off of work so I can make sure I am ready to go first thing in the morning.  My amazing hubby also created new business cards for me and a banner to hang.

I should just title every blog "Another First" because I keep delving into new adventures.  Yesterday I met with a group of people who are interested in doing a farm market in my little town of Edgerton WI.  Some people tried last year but it flopped.  This year we are hoping to be a little more organized.  My hubby wants to do social media and other marketing and I'm going to have a stand for my jewelry.  I can't think of anything more lovely than sitting outside on Saturday mornings, talking to my neighbors and possibly selling a few items.  I can also bring my supplies and create while I'm out there.

I am also working on some new designs which have become really popular.  Some really loopy necklaces and headbands which I don't have any pictures for yet.

This first one sold within a few hours of listing it at www.AlyxAndreaDesign.etsy.com