Handmade Spotlight - Poppytalk Handmade

Ever hear of Poppytalk Handmade? I hadn't, until today.

Poppytalk Handmade is a monthly online street market curated by www.Poppytalk.blogspot.com to showcase, buy and sell handmade goods of emerging design talent from around the world.

Check out some of these neat items I found...

igloo press

nico papergoods

sunshine and ravioli

la bouquiniste

I'm definitely heading back over to www.poppytalkhandmade.com to look around some more. - If I'm not here next week, you'll know where to find me. ;-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Deena Davis

www.byyourhands.com

Getting Ready For A Craft Show -- Part Two

Today our guest poster, Jodi Williams of Crafts by Jodi,  is back to share more great info on doing craft shows  with you.

Hi, I'm from Western PA. I've been crafting for over 20 years now. I am married and have an 11 year old daughter.  At Crafts By Jodi, we are proud to say that everything is handmade in my country home. We make wood signs, seasonal wood decorations, fabric crafts and we also do vinyl lettering.



Getting Ready For A Craft Show --Part Two

Checklist for Craft shows

Here are some items that we take to the shows with us. It's nice to keep a list handy from year to year and you can add to it. It is usually so busy by the time the shows come around that you may forget something. I like to keep a little plastic tote with a lot of these items in it and then I just pack it with my cash register.

tent
display
chairs
tables
desk
fabric for covering tables
broom /dust pan
bags- we have regular sized bags and then we take garbage bags in case it's raining out and they buy larger items.
tissue to wrap fragile items
extra price tags-for mark downs or items you missed
cash register/ register tape/ batteries or electric cords
Change- always take lots of extra change. Every year we write down how much we took and if we ran low on anything, then we know to adjust it the following year.
calculator
tax number to display- I use an old picture frame
tape
notepad
pens
business cards/holder
flyer/brochures
scissors
glue
wire, tools, and nails for fixing broken items
paint/brushes- for touch ups
paper towels
wet wipes/ antibacterial soap
aspirin
hand lotion
cooler/drinks
snacks in case you can't leave your booth
sponge- I keep a damp one in a plastic soap dish so that I can dampen my fingers while handling money to keep dollar bills from sticking together

These are the basics. We also take items for decorating our booth. We get a lot of people asking if they can just buy our decorations!! In the fall we just use grapevine and some fabric pumpkins that my mom makes and at Christmas we use grapevine, clear lights and pip berries. We don't like to put too much up because you want your crafts to be the main focus.

When we set up our booth we put all the fall items together and the winter/Christmas items together. I got a great display that holds 9 baskets and we put our ornaments and bowl fillers in it. Make sure to keep your booth looking neat. Anytime we get a few quiet minutes we go around the booth and fill any empty hooks and move things around. It's funny when we move something that hasn't sold all day, it always seems to sell as soon as it's in a new place.

You might want to print out this checklist and keep it with your supplies, and add to it after each show.
Good luck at your shows!

If you have any questions about craft shows, please leave a comment.
Have a great week!
Jodi

To visit Jodi's website, click on the banner below.

Memorial Day...

Normally we feature an organizational tip or two on Mondays. But with today being Memorial Day, we felt that it would be a good to stop and think about what today really stands for.

While searching for the right words to post today, we ran across this poem and found it very suitable.

The Ultimate Sacrifice:

A Memorial Day Poem

We set aside Memorial Day

Each and every year

To honor those who gave their lives

Defending what we hold dear.

In all the dark and deadly wars,

Their graves prove and remind us,

Our brave Americans gave their all

To put danger far behind us.

They made the ultimate sacrifice

Fighting for the American way;

We admire them and respect them

On every Memorial Day.

By Joanna Fuchs

We'd like to say thank you to those that have served and to those that continue to serve our great Nation. Without you, our lives wouldn't be as they are today. 

THANK YOU!

Deena and Bette

www.byyourhands.com

Blog Party Sunday, Show Us Anything Creative

What did you do lately to satisfy your creative muse? Let's throw this party way open and show us anything you made as long as it is family friendly.

Did you bake a dessert for the holiday weekend, plant something in your garden, sew, paint, weave, sculpt, make jewelry, make soap, the list could go on and on because there are so many different ways to be creative.

Here is what I made this week.   I  finally got around to making a cover for my chaise with some vintage chenille bedspreads and then made this pillow to go with it.

Show Us Yours:
So, now it’s YOUR turn for the party this week! What did you make this week?

Our guidelines:

1. Just click on the Add Your Link button below, and add your Etsy, Artfire, Blog or website url for the link.

2. Add a picture of your item.

3. If you are a blogger, please add our button to your blog and invite your readers back to join the party.

4. Family friendly items only, please.

<a href="http://www.byyourhands.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy110/ByYourHands/blogparty.jpg" /></a>

Selling Online

You've probably seen that Bette and I both talk about selling on www.Etsy.com and www.ArtFire.com. While those two websites are probably the most popular selling venues for handmades right now, they're not the only ones.

I ran across this awesome list of 84 places to sell your crafts online.
www.craftazaar.com/84-places-sell-crafts-online
What a great resource! Some of them are even FREE.

If you have the time to list your things on several websites, it certainly wouldn't hurt to try it, especially if it's FREE to add your listings. The more you get your name out there, the better.

A few tips for selling handmades.

1. Keep yourself branded by using the same logo design on all sites.

2. If you have a full website and can link to it from the other selling venue, do it. Just make sure it's allowed.

3. List items frequently. No one wants to visit a shop they visited 2 months ago and see the same things. Keep things fresh and current.

4. Keep your prices and shipping priced fairly, but don't sell yourself short. Your items have worth so make sure you get what you deserve without being over priced.

5. Use great photos. Blurry, dark and out of focus photos are unappealing. If they can't see how great your stuff is, they won't want to buy it. Use several pictures from various angles.

6. Use clear and concise descriptions. Explain exactly what it is they'll receive if they buy your item. Tell them when and how it will be shipped. You have to explain IT ALL.

7. Watch for trends that are selling. If you're making pink polka dot hand knit socks because YOU like them, it doesn't mean they'll sell. Make what the consumer likes.

8. Be prompt in answering questions about your items. If the buyer is ready to buy, they'll want the info quickly.

9. Be patient (my biggest obstacle). It takes a while to get noticed.

10. Promote yourself without going overboard. Use the social networking sites to your advantage. You'll have to interact with others about other things, but throw your link out there every once in a while. After all it is a part of who you are.


Thanks for visiting today.
Deena Davis
www.byyourhands.com