Handmade Monday #13

I cannot believe that it is Monday again!   This means two things: 1.  I have one helluva lot to do before my next fair at the weekend (and no time to do it in!) and 2.  It is Handmade Monday time over at Wendy's blog.

The past week has been all over the place - with Bank Holidays aplenty and a three day show to attend which was a 2-hour drive each way, there and back.  Oh and look... more Bank Holidays are looming!  Jeez, I struggle to keep up with what day it is at the best of times but with extra holiday days thrown in here there and everywhere, my head is about to explode!!

We were at Fort Purbrook in Portsmouth - a venue which boasts some of the most stunning views on our craft fair circuit.   Whilst visitors were down on previous years - blame the hottest/sunniest Easter of all time - the weekend was actually pretty good in the end.  

We were positioned (as requested) next to a window which showed the peelable suncatchers (the clue is in the name folks...) off really well and certainly attracted lots of attention.   Especially the sunset cat which positively glowed in the sunlight...

Sunset Cat Suncatcher
A sunny window showed this off perfectly!



One of my brand new designs which got lots of attention (and a new home) was my large owl frame.  Owls are one of those things which seem very popular and I am always on the lookout for new ideas and patterns to try.   This one certainly seemed to do the trick so I am planning to make another before next weekend to see if the trend continues!

If you fancy your own owl to watch over you, it is of course available in my online shop (or at least it will be when I get five minutes spare to upload it to there - told you it was new!)

I have also added two of the most popular colour ranges to the new small individual butterfly sets - pink/purple/blue and blue/green/turquoise (both seen below)

Blue/Green/Turquoise
Peelable Window Clings



Pink/Purple/Blue
Peelable Window Clings


Again, both of these designs sold well this weekend so more are in the pipeline for next weekend (hope I can work out how to double the number of hours in a day and days in the week to be able to fit everything in!)

There will, I am sure, be many crafters this weekend who have been disappointed with turnouts and sales at shows up and down the country - this weather has been a killer for most events as beaches and outdoor lazy days were calling louder and louder as the days went on (even I thought I was starting to hear the calls!)  

However I am naturally a positive 'glass-half-full' kind of girl and as the saying goes - when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.   There are positives to being able to give lots of time and attention to the few customers you may have as well as networking with other crafters - this is how many of us hear about other fairs which may be worth giving a go.   I am sure that I am not alone in having seen at busy shows many a good potential customer/sale lost to their feeling pressured into moving along before making a purchase simply by the feel of people 'breathing down their necks' and pushing to get to the stalls.   Having time to have  a proper look at your wares and ask questions can often turn a browser into a buyer.



So, Happy Easter to you all, I do still hope that this lovely weather continues at weekends (happy to have rain during the week as this helps Hubby in his work) and I hope you have all had a great weekend be it working at a fair, in the garden (which we also had a go at - thats a whole other story but I did consider making up a sign explaining why we both spent the weekend looking like we had been self-harming!) or relaxing at the beach.   

Wonder how many lobster-people we will be seeing tentatively moving around in the next few weeks?

So, thats it - another Handmade Monday post done and dusted! I actually feel quite proud of myself that I could think of anything to write about and managed to string two words together at all - three day shows are enough to drain the energy out of anyone (especially when you have a two-hour drive each way added on top of the opening times)! 

I have a number of orders to complete ready to be posted out when all the bank holidays are out of the way, a major show at the end of this week to prepare more stock for, more gardening (see also self-harming) to do and one day less than normal to do it all in!   Suggestions on the back of a postcard please....

  Phew!!  Stop.... breathe.... and relax....