I've been invited to participate in my first-ever show! I received a convo (private message or e-mail) through Etsy inviting me to join a local artists' show presented by one of our local downtown art associations. I was very surprised but quite pleased and honored.
The invitation provides me with quite a dilemma. I've been to one art show in my entire life, and it was strictly paintings. I've never attended a craft show. I've never been a vendor! So I'm having to figure out very quickly if I want to do this, first of all, and second of all, what I need to DO. I have e-mailed the organizer back and hopefully I can get some questions answered promptly so I can get my ducks in a row. Thankfully, my husband is quite arty and is already scheming displays and set-ups.
Here are some random thoughts:
- Need to find out what kind of space I will have and what type of table I need to bring
- Must use a white or cream-colored table-cloth - no black or dark colors to show lint (or cat hair!)
- Need a small, attractive mirror so people can look at my wares on themselves
- Should I swatch some of my yarn stash so people can get an idea of future items? (probably)
- How many of my items should I bring?
- How do I handle sales - can I have a computer hooked up so people can go through my Etsy store? Would that be too tedious & time-consuming for this type of event? Probably - but how else am I going to accept credit cards? They would need to at least have a PayPal account for CCs. I will need to have some cash for change. What about invoices/sales slips? This brings me into a whole realm of marketing that I haven't had to address just yet because Etsy has been wonderful.
- Thank goodness I used that particular website for my business cards; I know I can customize postcards and other little dealios for marketing purposes.
- Where oh where can I get a mannequin head or wig stand? I know I can get one off of eBay or an online retailer but for whatever reason, I'm really stuck on being able to see & touch it before I buy it. I want to be sure it's worth my money AND displaying my goods!
- Not to mention, it would be very nice to have a dress form or mannequin torso for scarves - the torso and head would be super-useful for future (hopefully) shows AND for photographing items to show on Etsy.
- I think having a little guestbook might be a genius idea for people who are interested in my products but don't have time/money/interest in current items.
Have to get back to my day job for now :-) Any feedback would be much appreciated!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
[2 weeks and counting]
And two days and counting.
I voted early on Friday, and the line was two hours long. I didn't mind at all - I had been sure to wear comfortable shoes and brought my knitting. The lady in front of me even asked about what I was working on, so I was able to chat a bit about what I was doing and my Etsy store.
I have learned how to knit socks! Knitting from a book while in line was quite interesting. I was concerned about dropping needles & stitches, but I didn't have any problems. My class sock turned out quite nicely. I'm not sure about the kitchener stitch to close the toe, but I'm sure that will improve as I knit more.
My Ravelry page is finally pretty well updated. I have some items that Bradley is going to photograph for me; once I have his pictures, I'll be able to post final pictures on Ravelry and then the items on Etsy.
The banana cozy commission is going well. I finished one with quite a few tweaks and have started the second one with even more variations. I will be stopping by the grocery tomorrow to pick up bananas to be sure they fit.
Tuesday night has me on the verge of hyperventilating. I am so ready to be done with the election season and move on to real work. At this point, I do still care who wins the presidential election, but I am hoping that after the dust has settled, we'll be able to turn purple and end all the divisiveness. I am so tired of hearing all the negative stuff on TV and the news sites. I don't want to hear the candidates tell me what the other candidate did - all of that stuff is in the past. I wish they would speak for themselves: What are they going to do for my future? For the future ahead of my nieces & nephews? For your kids & grandkids? How are they going to improve my situation? Tell me your OWN agenda and quit tattling on the other candidates. I had had enough when I saw an ad on TV the other night where the opposing party didn't even name the position the candidate was running for - it was obviously a local race, but seriously - what the heck. I hope I can stay at home and knit the night away without breaking any needles or throwing anything at the TV. I might have to pull out my Options needles or some of my old Boye needles so that I don't break any of my Takumi dpns or my new Harmony circulars!
Upcoming projects:
+ After I finish the cozies for LP, I am going to go back to Branching Out, I think. I love the alpaca I bought over the summer, and it feels like it would be a great weight for the pattern. I know I need to block the laceweight I'm using right now before I make the decision to frog it.
+ Now that I've knit a class sock, I'm planning on knitting a pair for myself. I bought 2 skeins each of three different colorways, all of which will be appropriate for work.
+ I have some ideas for using up some leftover bits; I have to flesh out the ideas, but I think they will be a lot of fun.
+ After I use up the yarn in my stash, I think I'm going to start working with lighter-weight yarns instead of bulky wools. For Floridians, wearing something cotton or bamboo would be much more feasible.
Au revoir - I'm off to bed! Busy workweek ahead.
I voted early on Friday, and the line was two hours long. I didn't mind at all - I had been sure to wear comfortable shoes and brought my knitting. The lady in front of me even asked about what I was working on, so I was able to chat a bit about what I was doing and my Etsy store.
I have learned how to knit socks! Knitting from a book while in line was quite interesting. I was concerned about dropping needles & stitches, but I didn't have any problems. My class sock turned out quite nicely. I'm not sure about the kitchener stitch to close the toe, but I'm sure that will improve as I knit more.
My Ravelry page is finally pretty well updated. I have some items that Bradley is going to photograph for me; once I have his pictures, I'll be able to post final pictures on Ravelry and then the items on Etsy.
The banana cozy commission is going well. I finished one with quite a few tweaks and have started the second one with even more variations. I will be stopping by the grocery tomorrow to pick up bananas to be sure they fit.
Tuesday night has me on the verge of hyperventilating. I am so ready to be done with the election season and move on to real work. At this point, I do still care who wins the presidential election, but I am hoping that after the dust has settled, we'll be able to turn purple and end all the divisiveness. I am so tired of hearing all the negative stuff on TV and the news sites. I don't want to hear the candidates tell me what the other candidate did - all of that stuff is in the past. I wish they would speak for themselves: What are they going to do for my future? For the future ahead of my nieces & nephews? For your kids & grandkids? How are they going to improve my situation? Tell me your OWN agenda and quit tattling on the other candidates. I had had enough when I saw an ad on TV the other night where the opposing party didn't even name the position the candidate was running for - it was obviously a local race, but seriously - what the heck. I hope I can stay at home and knit the night away without breaking any needles or throwing anything at the TV. I might have to pull out my Options needles or some of my old Boye needles so that I don't break any of my Takumi dpns or my new Harmony circulars!
Upcoming projects:
+ After I finish the cozies for LP, I am going to go back to Branching Out, I think. I love the alpaca I bought over the summer, and it feels like it would be a great weight for the pattern. I know I need to block the laceweight I'm using right now before I make the decision to frog it.
+ Now that I've knit a class sock, I'm planning on knitting a pair for myself. I bought 2 skeins each of three different colorways, all of which will be appropriate for work.
+ I have some ideas for using up some leftover bits; I have to flesh out the ideas, but I think they will be a lot of fun.
+ After I use up the yarn in my stash, I think I'm going to start working with lighter-weight yarns instead of bulky wools. For Floridians, wearing something cotton or bamboo would be much more feasible.
Au revoir - I'm off to bed! Busy workweek ahead.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)