Last show of the season!

My show season is over, I did it! Well, I did it with a lot of help :) I made bunches of cute goodies and Dell helped me at my show. And Candace helped me by carrying things down to my car and making a sign to post on my studio door during the Open Studios I had to miss this past weekend. And everyone else helped me by wishing me good luck, which totally worked, thank you!

This was my first big holiday show season since I came back to doing shows. I was totally freaked out by the huge table money ($400!!) I paid for shows I'd never even been to, never mind set up at. But it turned out to be worth the risk, even in this lousy recession. If this was a slower year, as some people have told me, then I can't wait for boom times :)


Actually, the pace was perfect for me, steady sales but not overwhelming. For this last one, the SOWA Holiday Market in Boston's South End, we set up Friday night for a Lola Magazine preview party.

Dell
figured out the exact location (thanks again Google Street View!) which was just up the street from the Open Market they run all summer.


We found a spot for my little Focus in line amongst the other double parked crafters rapidly unloading in the frigid weather. The party wasn't a huge selling event, but it was great to be set up and ready to go for Saturday and I did make a few sales, so certainly not time wasted. Plus I got to schmooze with my neighbors; Marie from GALVIN-ized Headwear and Harmony Jusseaume.

I also got to meet the absolutely adorable Tomoko who is the artist behind TADworks, the cutest shop on Etsy!



Seriously, have you SEEN THIS?? *faints from the cuteness* And so it was no surprise that Tomoko is a delightful person. I love the Po cards I got, thank you!

So Saturday was great! Non-stop crowds and lots of sales. My pincushions were a HUGE hit!


But so were the felt nests, flower pins and earrings.


And everyone just had to squeeze my felty balls :)


I always sell a little of everything at shows, it feels great. I love when the right item connects with the right person. Just makes me want to go make more!


I had put the kielbasa soup in the slow cooker that morning so we were greeted by a wonderful aroma and a hot dinner when we got home exhausted that night. We gave Chester credit for cooking us a nice meal. We're goofy like that.

Sunday had a different vibe. Slower to arrive, the shoppers were more cautious. But we still had good consistent sales, if not up to Saturday's mark. All the vendors had gone home Saturday night and made more goods, I somehow managed to make 6 more pincushions. I heard someone say they'd gone to sleep as soon as they got home from the show, then set their alarm for 1 AM and gotten up to make more items, I could never do that!

So now my show season is over, but many things that I postponed to prep for these events are still waiting to be completed. And I can't wait to get back in the studio to make more of what was popular at my shows. My Etsy shop will be full of new goodies in the coming year!