Ahhh, Spring is here! That means the "crafty" season has begun! I have always loved strolling through a craft fair marveling at the wonderful things created by true artisans. Now that I am one of those "crafty" folks, most weekends I am somewhere out selling my wares. But, I have a hard time staying behind my booth. I am still interested in checking out other vendors' creations.

One thing that draws me to a table are the displays. I particularly love when artists choose unconventional objects. Interesting displays are always an eye-catcher, and I took a few pictures while I was at a craft fair last weekend.

Kam, who owns Kamspots had an interesting display for her ceramic hanging planters. First of all, her planters could have been displayed on a paper plate, and still gotten a second look (they are absolutely beautiful!) I was intrigued by the display, and she told me that it was a towel rack...yes like the rack in your bathroom...That's what I call creative!

Angela Colombo, designer and creator of EnchantraGirl injected a bit of nature into her display. Turning a bit of driftwood into something to showcase her delicate bracelets, was a smart move. It is a nice change from the black velvet busts that so often adorn a jewelers craft table.

Lisa LeClaire of Lisa LeClaire Designs highlighted her jewelry with some colorful shot glasses. They were the perfect fit for her eye-catching, sparkly jewelry. Her entire table was shining, and it was hard not to take a second look!

And finally, a little creativeness from Nordea Soaperie (yes, that would be me!) I had a hard time figuring out how to display my lavender sachets. I embroider each design by hand, and didn't want to throw them in a box. I found this display meant for cupcakes! It was perfect because each design can be seen, so customers can check out all of the designs without sifting through a box!

Remember that the annual Spring Handmade Cavalcade is coming up in a couple of weeks (May 4th.) I would bet that there will be a lot of creative displays to be seen. Of course it goes without saying that those displays will be showcasing some wonderul crafts too! Hope to see you there!

Until next time....happy crafting!

Nordea / nordeasoaperie

The 1st Annual Beat-The-Crowds Handmade Holiday Happening being put on by Two Fair Ladies is coming up on November 17th and I’m a bit nervous. It is also the 1st Annual Selling-My-Work Papercut Vending Freak-Out being put on by Me.

This event will signify my entry into real life, face to face, yes-you-can-touch-that selling and the more I attempt to prepare the more I realize I am seriously unprepared. It’s hard to know where to start, but I figure a good place would be getting over the idea that people will be touching my work. Quite frankly, I’m a little overprotective of my pieces and all you guys seem sticky.

What a great sign from My Zoetrope

On a more realistic level, an obstacle that definitely needs to be addressed before the show is the table display. Customers are going to be coming right up to your table (or not), touching things (or not) and buying things (or not) all based on how you present your work. If you don’t do it right then you're not going to sell anything, which is sort of an important part of selling things…the selling part.

The display is essentiallyYou on a table and figuring out how to convey this, while making your products shoppable is the thing that has me ignoring Hurricane Sandy while I sift through page after page of photos in the Show Me Your Booth group on Flickr.

My starting off point is pretty simple. Determine which ones catch my eye and separate out the weakest parts (much like watching lions hunt in the wild…or dating in high school) Once I’ve figured out which aspects work for me I can keep an eye out for those qualities.

Eye-catching, quirky props from (from left to right) Lisa Orgler Design, Meeni and Crinoline.

Wandering Laur adds corkboard for a beachy feel

Lauren Rogoff from WanderingLaur shared her approach, “I've been working bit by bit on my displays, and hopefully they're improving! I sell mostly seaglass jewelry (…), so I try to keep my display looking beachy and not overly cluttered.”

I’ve got a long way to go still and all I know for sure is that I really love the things I make. After a few conversations with veteran vendors about they’re initial forays into the craft fairs it seems that overcoming your own misgivings about whether your work is good enough is actually a pretty important first step…but it will have to wait. Hurricane Sandy is coming and I have to buy this awesome spinning display before it knocks out the power. Until next time!

Jessica Alpern

Thinking outside the box...

Don't Touch That: Fears-of-a-First-Time-Vendor Part One