Labor Day

Hi everyone,

OK I am a few days late, but happy Labor Day to all!  

Labor Day marks the end of summer and the start of the new school year.   The holiday celebrates the contributions of the American worker, it is on the first Monday of September.  It is one of the few holidays that does not have a religious tradition, even the first Labor day was celebrated with parades and picnic and fun!  For over 100 years we have continued marking the Day with parades, barbecues, picnics and now a 3-day weekend of sales!  Hope you all enjoyed the holiday!

Striped Tube Beads

These beads are yet another variation of the tube bead.  I think they will look great  as a bracelet in either a stripe or checkerboard pattern.  Nice fall colors, right?  I'll make a few bracelets from these beads and post them on my Etsy site.   Later I will post a tutorial for making these beads.

And finally, with the help of my most trusted advisers, I am trying to develop more "shopper friendly" displays for my bracelets.  Bracelets in my original display are difficult for potential customers to handle or try on.  With this new three-tier display, the bracelets are lying in a bed of dried beads.  Now they are easy to pick up and try on.  What do you think?  I'll try it out at my next craft fair this fall.

Three-tiered Bracelet Display

Well that's it for tonight, talk to you all soon.  Check out my Etsy site and let me know what you think.  My next craft fair will be the Croton Fall Arts Fair on October 27th.

anne

Glorious Saturday

Hi to all,

Anne and Tori

What a glorious Saturday for the Jazz and Craft Fair. It was wonderful and would have been totally impossible without the help of my daughter Tori and my sister Kaye Lynn. There were over 2000 participants listening to live music, dancing, browsings the crafts and eating! By the way, our new canopy worked prety well, only one snafu we have to check out.

Anne and Tori setting up

Tori and Kaye Lynn

Later on, we are tired!!

 Now I'd like to give a shout out to one of my fellow Etsy artists--Emmy Williams.  She believes in recycling and reusing to create her art.  Emmy makes her pieces from recycled paper, plastic, glass,and metal  You can check it all out at her shop on the Etsy site Emmysgreenthings.

And finally my new item of the week.  I have reworked my memory wire bracelets to include paper beads and wrap around your wrist six times. The bracelet forms a cuff about 2".

Please check the bracelet out my Etsy site this week. 

Talk to everyone soon,

anne

Phelps Hospital Craft Fair Tomorrow

Chunky new necklace

Hi to all,

Just a quick reminder for those of you in the Hudson Valley, NY area--the Phelps Memorial Hospital Craft Fair is on for tomorrow!  The chunky new necklace will be one of the items I will be featuring.


Here are pictures of my new displays, the Beach Art Beads and I'll have tons of new earrings! Also all of the new Jane Eyre collection will be there.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Rain or Shine!

10 am - 4 pm

at

The James House Mansion

on the grounds of

Phelps Memorial Hospital Center

701 No. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY

free admission  free parking

 Music  Prizes Refreshments for Sale

 Silent Auction  James House Tours

My table space will be on the veranda, hope to see you all there.  I'll  have a bead kit giveaway for tomorrow

Still have lots of work to do, so this is short.  Talk to you soon.

anne

Croton Spring Arts Fair

Setting up my table for the Croton Spring Arts Fair yesterday

Hi everyone,

Here I am setting up the table for my second craft fair!  It was yesterday in a Croton-on-Hudson park.  What a beautiful setting and a beautiful day for a fair. One note to all of you who are are new (like me) to the craft fair circuit, be sure to have wind proof set-ups.  Displays and even tents went flying in yesterday's wind.

And just like they say, each time you set up your table or booth it does seem to get easier.  I think you are more organized and a lot more confident that it will all work out.   Of course the best part of the fair is meeting other crafters and several "etsyites" too.  I even reconnected with a jewelry maker from the fair I attended last weekend.

Another fun part was the giveaway contest I had.  I ran a drawing with a simple entry blank and picked one name to receive one of my bracelet kits.  It is a good talking point when people come to your table and just filling out the entry slip gives them a chance to spend some time with you and look at what you have. Not to mention, the contact list you build!

For this fair, I made a few more bracelet kits including one Tropical Pink Bracelet Kit, which I just listed on my Etsy site.  Also I crafted some black beads and combined them with beads made from the pages of my French grammar book from many years ago.  I think this bracelet has a completely different look made this way.  It is listed as Vintage French Language Book Bracelet.

Paper Bead Bracelet Kit-Tropical Pink

Vintage French Language Book Bracelet

These items and every thing on my Etsy site is available with FREE SHIPPING until Mother's Day.  So take advantage of the offer.

Later this week, I will be participating in an Earth Day Fair for the local school.  I will be leading a workshop for middle school students, teaching them how to make paper beads.  Sounds like fun, doesn't it!

Talk to you all soon,
anne

My First Craft Fair

Tori and me at the John Paulding School Fund Raiser

Hi to all,

Yesterday was my first craft fair.  It was so much fun.  What an experience to actually talk to your buyers.  They can give you a lot of new ideas.  But I was exhausted when it was finished.

I have a few pointers for anyone doing their first show.  First remember the duct tape and scissors, there are a million things duct tape can fix!  And be sure to bring plenty of water.  If you have wonderful friends like I do, bring them along too.  Having an extra set of hands is invaluable. Try to walk around the show, I saw some great displays and even met some fellow Etsy shop owners.

Next week, Sunday April 29, I will be at the Croton Spring Market.   Read all about it at this link.

And finally the update on the guest room makeover.  Take a look.

I think we all like it; it was a lot of hard work, but worth it.  There are still a few finishing touches to be done.   It's a real comfy guest room now! 

And finally, remember Mother's Day!

Take a look at my Etsy shop, free shipping until Mother's Day

See you soon,

anne



Craft Fair Displays

Hi everyone,

I've been working very hard on designing and making the displays for my up coming craft fairs.  I have decided to put most of my signage in frames; I think it looks more professional and is sturdier against the wind.  Here is a look at what I have so far:







I also ordered a 6' banner to hang above my shop.  The banner will look just like my annemadethis business cards. The guys at Vista print were so very helpful in getting the banner made.  Be sure to check them out for any business printing needs.  I might add some balloons to give the booth some height.  I want it to be attractive, colorful and fun.

I know there are lots of you out there who know a whole lot more about this than I do, so do please weigh in.  .Send me any suggestions you have. I watch an Etsy webinar craft fair ideas last Friday, any one see it.  Some of those were a little elaborate and advanced for me.

Simultaneously with designing displays,I am trying to craft as much inventory as I can.  Below are a couple of new bookmark designs.  You are seeing them first.  They are not even in my Etsy shop yet.

And I am sure all of you are anxiously awaiting an update on the room.   My parents can strip a room down to the walls and rebuilt it with new closets and window treatments in less than a week; that includes wallpaper!  I guess that's not me or my daughter.  She delivered three very heavy boxes from Ikea last Friday, so far one has been assembled into a bookcase.  Another is half of a bedside table.  I am assembling new furniture as I am disassembling her old furniture; the room is truly a mess.  There won't be a picture of that.  The room has to be a bonafide guest room by April 23rd, when my sisters and my mom will be visiting.  Nothing like a time crunch.

Please check out my shop and we will talk soon!
anne