The Extravaganza Craft Productions

Coast West-Pacific Beach, Washington

Wed, 01 May 2013 20:32:25 GMT

Coast West
Pacific Beach, Washington

Don’t forget to to visit Coast West in Pacific Beach, Washington this Jun. 22 & 23, 2013.

Handcrafted arts and crafts festival vendors contact Jen at 360-591-2482 to reserve your show booth now. Remember to tell her thank you for listing his show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Washington each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

To list your show with The Extravaganza Craft News and advertise directly to art and craft vendors visit our Art and Craft Show "Promoters" page.

Extravaganza Craft Raises Funds for Muscular Dystrophy Association

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:37:14 GMT

Did you hear the news … They finally caught me! I’m going to jail … but it’s for a great cause — MDA!

Shasta McLaughlin of Extravaganza Crafts has been asked to go to "LockUp" to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on April 11, 2013.

Muscular dystrophy is a disease where the muscles of the body get weaker and weaker. The Muscular Dystrophy Association raises funds for research, medical treatments and therapy, wheelchairs, and for kids with muscular dystrophy to attend MDA Summer Camp.

In the state of Montana

100% of every dollar stays in Montana to benefit over 600 local children, adults, and families living with neuromuscular diseases.
77.4% of every dollar goes directly to research, health care and education.
MDA clinics are located in Billings, Great Falls, and Missoula
MDA provides $34.3 million this year for research funding over 350 projects worldwide.

I have just 23 days left to raise $1,600 "bail" for the Muscular Dystrophy Assoc. Please donate to "Shasta's bail" and to the MDA by clicking here.

CHUN Capitol Hill People's Fair Denver, Colorado

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 20:02:43 GMT

CHUN Capitol Hill People's Fair
Denver, Colorado

Don’t forget to to visit CHUN Capitol Hill People's Fair in Denver, Colorado June 1 & 2, 2013.

Arts fair and crafts festival vendors contact Nicole Anderson at 303-830-1651 to reserve your booth now. Remember to tell her thank you for listing this juried art and craft show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Colorado each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

Artsfest '13 Fine Arts Festival Dowell, Maryland

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:15:31 GMT

Artsfest '13 Fine Arts Festival
Dowell, Maryland

Don’t forget to to visit Artsfest '13 Fine Arts Festival Dowell, Maryland happening September 21 & 22, 2013.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Melissa Langley at 410-326-4640 to reserve your booth today, craft vendor booths fill up fast. Remember to thank Melissa for listing her show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on art and craft fairs
each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News

Riverton Community Christmas Craft Fair Riverton WY

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:03:17 GMT

Riverton Community Christmas Craft Fair
Riverton, Wyoming

Visit Riverton Community Christmas Craft Fair in Riverton Wyoming on December 7, 2013.

Arts fair and crafts festival vendors contact George Burns at 307-856-1423 to reserve your booth now. Please thank him for listing his show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Wyoming each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News.

How to Advertise A Craft Show

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 06:43:38 GMT

How to Advertise A Craft Show

Advertise your craft show to two groups of people, artists and crafters also known as craft show vendors, and art and craft buyers. You must advertise your show to both.

Advertise to Art and Craft Vendors

Advertise many places to artists and crafters including newspapers, radio, television, and art and craft show guides. Bulletin boards in local restuarants, gas stations, banks, and grocery stores are also great places to advertise for craft vendors.

Send press releases regarding your art fair or craft festival to local newspapers well before the show include the website address, email address and phone number for vendors to contact.

Radio stations and newspapers often work together ask them if they will sponsor your show, then find out who they work together with. The more advertising you buy the better the packages they offer ask them what the best deal they can offer you is.

Ask the venue where your show will take place to include your Name, Address, Phone Number, Website and Email on their calendars of events. There's nothing worse than finding a show date and not being able to contact the promoter for a booth.

There are many art festival and craft fair guides serving various areas of the nation. List your art show or craft show in the guides that cover your area.

The Extravaganza Craft News lists:

art festival
craft show
bridal fair
antique show
farmers market
trade show

in Washington
Oregon
Idaho
Montana
Utah
Colorado
North Dakota
South Dakota
Wyoming

Your website should have a section where craft show vendors can get more information about the show including floor plans, instructions, downloadable applications. Include ways to sign up for your social networking posts-Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and MySpace, etc. Don't forget to give craft show vendors all the information they need to contact you. They need your phone number and email address to contact you if they have questions.

Advertise to Buyers of Handmade Art and Crafts

Advertise in newspapers, radio, T.V., and local bulletin boards at least 8 weeks before the show. Advertise more often in the few weeks before the show. Check newspapers and local publications for community calendars.

Bulletin boards (ask for permission before hanging your ad) can often be found in banks, restaurants, gas stations, libraries, and grocery stores. Most places will hang your ad in the front window if you ask nicely.

Your website is a terrific place to give buyers information about your fair. Be sure sections for vendors and the public are clearly defined. You don't want people to leave your site confused, without the information they are seeking. Give buyers a map to the show, information about other events, links to show merchandise and more. Include ways for craft buyers to follow your show-have a separate Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or MySpace account for buyers of handcrafted items if vendor information will confuse or annoy them.

Where do you advertise your art festival or craft show?

Art and Craft Vendors Can't Find Your Art Festival, Craft Fair

Art In The Park-Kalispell Montana

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 05:27:20 GMT

Art In The Park
Kalispell, Montana

Visit Art In The Park in Kalispell, Montana July 19 to 21, 2013.

Art festival and craft show vendors contact Erin Sprunger at 406-755-5268 to reserve your booth now. Please thank them for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Montana each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News below.

Boardwalk Arts and Craft Festival

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:29:40 GMT

Boardwalk Arts and Craft Festival
Dillon Montana

Don’t forget to visit the Boardwalk Arts and Craft Festival in Dillon, Montana this August 31 to September 2, 2013.

Handcrafted arts and crafts festival vendors contact Jamie Cottom at 406-683-5511 to reserve your show booth now. Remember to tell her thank you for listing his show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other festivals in Montana each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News below.

How Often To Post To Your Craft Fair Facebook Page?

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:12:45 GMT

How Often To Post
To Your Craft Fair Facebook Page?

Got a Facebook business page for your craft fair business? Selling handcrafted items online using Facebook?

I've noticed the more I post to The Extravaganza Craft Facebook business page the more my reach and talking about it insights increase. Consistency is also a key factor as when I don't post often enough or every day my reach drops significantly.

How often should I post on my handmade craft Facebook business page?

Facebook Marketing All-in-One For Dummies

Amy Porterfield author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One For Dummies says

Post 2 to 5 times a day.
Keep posts short and use questions.
Use images
Be consistent.

I've been following Amy's tips on my Facebook page for craft show vendors, art and craft fair promoters, and art and craft suppliers and my page has been gaining "Likers," and reach steadily when I'm consistent. I've seen my page go from struggling to get the first 25 "Likes" to almost 400 fans quickly by following Amy's suggestions.

How often do you post on your Art or Craft Facebook page? Comment below.

Jeffco Holiday Craft Fair Golden Colorado

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 23:10:29 GMT

Jeffco Holiday Craft Fair
Golden Colorado

Don’t forget to to visit Jeffco Holiday Craft Fair in Golden, Colorado happening December 6 & 7, 2013.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Iris McIntosh at 303-934-3171 to reserve your booth today, craft vendor booths fill up fast. Remember to thank Iris for listing her show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on Colorado art and craft fairs
each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News

Art Jewelry Forum Emerging Artists Grant

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 18:27:45 GMT

Art Jewelry Forum Emerging Artists Grant

Would you like to receive $7,500 dollars and public recognition that will further you handcrafted jewelry business?

Art Jewelry Forum supports contemporary artists by offering a grant, the Emerging Artists Award.

As well as receiving the grant their handcrafted jewelry will be shown at SOFA NY or COLLECT in London. The jewelry artist will participate in a lecture series and be featured in an Art Jewelry Forums advertisement.

The purpose of the award is to acknowledge promise, innovation, and individuality in the work of an emerging jewelry artist and to help to advance the artist’s career.

The competition is open to makers of wearable art jewelry who:

have completed their academic/professional training,
have been out of school for one year or more, and
have not had a solo artist exhibition in a commercial gallery or museum.

Submitted work must have been unsupervised if from an academic setting.

Information is available on the AJF website.

More information about the award may be found on the AJF website, www.artjewelryforum.org. Applications may be submitted at www.callforentry.org.

Applications are due September 30.

Point of Purchase Displays Sell Handmade Crafts

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 04:36:32 GMT

Point of Purchase Displays
Sell Handmade Crafts

What are Point of Purchase Displays?

According to about.com point of purchase displays are:

"Definition: Marketing materials or advertising placed next to the merchandise it is promoting. These items are generally located at the checkout area or other location where the purchase decision is made.

Also Known As: Kiosks, End caps, Point of Sale Display

Examples:

The checkout counters of many convenience stores are cluttered with cigarette and candy POP displays."

YourDictionaryBusiness says point-of-purchase displays are:

"Signs, window displays, counter pieces, literature racks, or other attention-grabbing devices located near a product in order to attract consumer interest and promote sales of the product."

Why use POP displays for crafts?

POP displays filled with less expensive handmade crafts encourage buyers to make impulse purchases increasing sales and profits. They are a great place to place discounted crafts and sale items like buy-one-get-one-free offers. Change offers regularly to keep urgency to take advantage of the sale on the customers mind.

POP displays contain small add-on purchases buyers are likely to purchase as they are checking out. They've already decided they like and trust your company enough to spend their hard earned money so it's easy to sell them additional complimentary crafts.

If you sell handmade blankets, and handcrafted stuffed animals and teddy bears make smaller less detailed animals and doll blankets from leftover scrap fabric from your other crafts. Place these smaller inexpensive items in a basket near the cash register as a point of purchase display.

What do you think?


Point of Purchase Displays	Silent Selling: Best Practices and Effective Strategies in Visual Merchandising, 4th Edition	StoreSMART® - Point-of-Purchase Literature Boxes - 4" x 5" x 1 1/4" - For Tri-Fold Brochures - 5-Pack - PLB4F-5

Art and Craft Vendors Can't Find Your Art Festival, Craft Fair

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 19:04:21 GMT

Help I'm An Art Vendor.
I Can't Find Your Fair, Festival, or Show

Help I'm An Art Vendor. I Can't Find Your Fair, Festival, or Show.

Okay, I am not an artist looking to reserve a booth for your show but...

I do have a newsletter for artists and craft vendors and search the Internet for shows often.

Many times I find show listings online for shows that happened in the past. There is no contact information for the show promoter, applications for next year, or information on next year's dates. I want to receive more information on this art fair but there is no place for me to contact the show promoter and have them stay in touch with me.

Other times notices for shows arrive just a few days before they occur, there is no time for artisans to register as a vendor at this event.

Imagine an artist looking for art festivals online comes across your website and finds your festival happened last week. There is little or no information on when your show will happen again next year. Your art fair looks interesting so the vendor wants to apply next year but the applications aren't available yet.

They write down your show name and contact information (if they find it on your website) in a notebook or on a piece of paper. Then go about their usual business, get busy, and forget when they were supposed to contact you. The paper they wrote your contact information on gets lost and they never contact you to reserve a booth.

You missed the sale have open booths at your art festival and the artists missed a quality art show they wanted to attend.

How can you prevent this from happening?

Have a Facebook page, Twitter account, and LinkedIn profile where you share information about your festival. Include links to your social media sites on your website. Make the links large and easy to find so they are easily visible. This way when art vendors visit your site and it doesn't contain the information they need right now they can give you permission to continue to send them information about your art and craft festival. Essentially telling you they want to receive your sales message and giving you permission to send it to them.

Don't miss another opportunity to book a booth again. List your Art Festival or Craft Show with The Extravaganza Craft News today.

Art Festival and Craft Show Expert

Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handmade crafts who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales at festivals.

Now she is revealing how to collect your art vendors contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net /promoter to list your art show, craft show, fair, festival or bazaar. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when promoting your craft show.

Blackberry Arts Festival -Coos Bay, Oregon

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 04:06:07 GMT

Blackberry Arts Festival
Coos Bay, Oregon

Don’t forget to to visit the Blackberry Arts Festival in Coos Bay, Oregon this August 24 & 25, 2013.

Arts and crafts show vendors contact Beth Clarkson at 541-269-5312 to reserve your booth now. Remember to tell her thank you for listing his show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Oregon each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News below.

Autumn Festival -An Arts and Crafts Affair -Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 03:17:30 GMT

Autumn Festival-An Arts and Crafts Affair
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Visit Autumn Festival-An Arts and Crafts Affair in Sioux Falls, South Dakota happening October 25 to 27, 2013.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Jennifer Foland at 402-331-2889 to reserve your booth now. Please thank her for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in South Dakota each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News below.

Tigard Festival of Balloons -Tigard, Oregon

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 02:59:37 GMT

Tigard Festival of Balloons
Tigard, Oregon

Visit Tigard Festival of Balloons in Tigard, Oregon happening June 21 to 23, 2013.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Cindy at 503-612-8213 to reserve your booth now. Please thank her for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Oregon each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News below.

Steamboat All Arts Festival -Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 19:04:35 GMT

Steamboat All Arts Festival
Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Visit Steamboat All Arts Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado on August 15 to 18, 2013.

Arts fair vendors contact Sarah Leonard at 970-875-7006 to reserve your booth now. Please thank her for listing her show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft festivals in Colorado each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News below.

Made In Montana Marketplace -Great Falls, Montana

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 18:42:49 GMT

Made In Montana Marketplace
Great Falls, Montana

Don’t forget to to visit Made In Montana Marketplace in Great Falls, Montana happening March 22 & 23, 2013.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Paul Lloyd-Davies at 406-455-8510 to reserve your booth now. Remember to thank Paul for listing his show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Montana each month. Subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News below.

Under the Big Sky Arts & Crafts Festival -Missoula, Montana

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 05:11:22 GMT

Under the Big Sky Arts & Crafts Festival
Missoula, Montana

Visit Under the Big Sky Arts & Crafts Festival in Missoula, Montana June 14 to 16 and November 22 to 24, 2013.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Jim Bice at 406-207-6502 to reserve your show booth now. Please thank him for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Montana each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News below.

Commonwheel Artists 39th Annual Labor Day Arts & Crafts Festival-Manitou Springs, Colorado

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 04:49:26 GMT

Commonwheel Artists 39^th Annual Labor
Day Arts & Crafts Festival
Manitou Springs CO

Visit Commonwheel Artists 39^th Annual Labor Day Arts & Crafts Festival in Manitou Springs, Colorado happening August 31 to Sep. 2, 2013.

Contact Julia Wright at 719-577-7700 to reserve your booth for this Juried Art Show now. Please thank her for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Colorado each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News below.

Art of Gardening-Anacortes, Washington

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 20:19:39 GMT

Art of Gardening-Anacortes, Washington

Visit Art of Gardening in Anacortes, Washington happening April 27 & 28, 2013.

Contact Nicole Johnson at 360-299-1967 to reserve your booth for this Juried Art Show now. Please thank her for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Washington each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

Art in Public Places Project Manager -Washington State Arts Commission

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:04:25 GMT

Art in Public Places Project Manager
Washington State Arts Commission

The Washington State Arts Commission is hiring an Art in Public Places Project Manager to work in Olympia, Washington.

They are looking for someone with a 4 year degree to work full time with previous experience in the arts and other art business fields.

The salary will be $48,000-52,000.

Learn more and apply at: http://jobbank.artsusa.org/jobs/#/detail/4994253

Craft Show Display Risers

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 23:26:19 GMT

Art and Craft Show Display Risers

Looking for portable risers to add height to craft show displays?

While shopping I found perfect portable folding risers for craft fair displays- folding pet stairs.

Why Use Risers in Show Displays
When displaying handmade crafts for sale bringing them up to the customers line of site and adding height to your displays keeps customers from having to bend over to see crafts, and gives the eye a place to focus increasing sales.

Risers keep the items in the back visible to buyers and reduces clutter in your art festival booth.

Risers for Art Show Displays

Solvit STEP Wood Folding Stairs, Large	THREE STEP - Fold-Away Steps and Ramp in One	Studio Ramp Folds Flat Carpeted 3 Step Stairs

Choose steps that:

fit on your show display table
are secure when set up
fold small to fit in your vehicle
and are light weight.

Cover folding steps with cloth if the color doesn't match your display. Non-slip steps are a bonus as they keep handmade crafts from slipping.

Looking for folding art show display risers on the internet use the keywords:
Riser Craft Show Display	wood folding stairs riser craft show display portable craft show displays craft show display ideas

Buyers of Crafts Imagine Themselves Using Them

Craft Show Booth Displays-Retail Success Secrets Revealed

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:54:36 GMT

Craft Show Booth Displays
Retail Success Secrets Revealed

Your art festival and craft show booth display is your brick and mortar retail store. Don't guess at art show booth displays hoping to increase sales. Don't hire professional retail designers to create show booths that sell crafts.

Now learn from professionals trained in displaying crafts for sale. Every vendor can have professional art and craft festival booths that sell handmade crafts and increase profits since retail layout secrets are available online and in books.

Knowing how craft buyers shop helps create the perfect craft show booth display. Learn how from Fire Mountain Gems:
Bringing Customers in: Retail Layout Secrets from the Big Box Stores-The Science Behind Shopping
Bringing Customers in: Retail Layout Secrets from the Big Box Stores-Making the Science Work for You

Read these books to Discover How to Make
Your Craft Show Booth Sell Crafts Like Retail Stores

Discovery-Based Retail	Start Your Own Successful Retail Business (Start Your Own Retail Business)	Inside the Mind of the Shopper: The Science of Retailing

What do you think?

Power Options for Craft Show Booths With No Electricity
Do you need to pay art fair and craft show promoters for electricity?

10 Things to Take to Art Festivals and Craft Shows
Don't forget the essentials for fairs, festivals and shows you are attending.

Attending Craft Shows Isn't About Selling Arts and Crafts
If art and crafts shows aren't about selling handmade crafts what are they about? Learn here.

Art Festival and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

LinkedIn Profiles Sell Art and Crafts

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:22:32 GMT

Sell Crafts Using LinkedIn Profiles

When my LinkedIn profile wasn't complete and was full of generic information everyone else had it did nothing for my Art and Craft Newsletter and Small Business Consulting. I bought a $47 product from Kristina Jaramillo and Eric Gruber of http://www.GetLinkedInHelp.com.

Now people ask to join my network and groups, ask questions that help me sell my services to them, endorse me, and more importantly say great things about me (I can use as recommendations and testimonials in my marketing-if only I could find the time to use them).

Not every artist can afford $47 to fix their profile but everyone can use common sense and fix little things.

Go to Profile, then Edit Profile.

The heading right under your name needs to tell people who you are, what you are doing, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT-How you can help them!

Further down under edit contact information, edit the links to Company website.

Click Edit contact info, under each link click edit.
Next to websites click the arrow in the drop down box, go to other.

Every artist and crafter has an Etsy shop, telling buyers of handmade crafts you have Etsy doesn't set you apart from other artists or tell buyers why they should visit your craft store. If you have an Etsy Shop don't say "Etsy shop" instead if you sell "Hand Knitted and Crocheted Garments and Accessories" say so. Don't use your business name unless it tells people what crafts you are selling, use keywords buyers of handmade crafts use when searching for your crafts online.

Make LinkedIn profiles relevant to what you are trying to accomplish-selling arts and crafts.

Join our LinkedIn group and subgroup talking about LinkedIn and how we can improve our LinkedIn profiles and get more sales by using it effectively. Join today and make LinkedIn Sell Your Arts and Crafts.

Art and Craft Group "Facebook Like" Exchanges
How to make Facebook Like exchanges on LinkedIn profitable for your business.

Facebook Giveaway Guidelines

Art Festival and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Power Options For Craft Booth With No Electricity

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 20:53:48 GMT

Power For Craft Booths
With No Electricity

Should I pay show promoters for power for craft show booths?

Do you need power in your art show booth? Need cash registers, electronic displays, laptops, or cell phones, extra lighting to highlight handmade crafts or handcrafted jewelry, a fan or heater?

Extra lighting increases sales by attracting the eye to craft show booths and allowing craft buyers to see quality and details of your craftsmanship.

Will paying for electricity increase craft sales more than power costs?

Power Options for Craft Shows

rent electricity from show promoters
portable generators (outdoor fairs and festivals only)
rechargeable portable power supplies

Do you need AC or DC power? How many watts electricity do you need? Be sure the power supply you buy produces what you need. What other safety features are needed?

Generators are heavy, loud, require gasoline, and produce exhaust (must be kept 6 feet from your booth-use outdoors only). Not all art and craft show promoters allow generators, ask before booking craft show booths.

Some portable power supply stations include other safety features-car battery charger, AM/FM radios, lights, and air compressor/tire pump.

Does it cost less to rent power or buy a portable generator or rechargeable power supply, which will be easier for you? You don't have to charge or carry power supply stations to shows if you rent it from craft show promoters.

Which power supply will work for your craft show booth? Why?

Power Supply Options

Black & Decker Electromate 400 Jump-Starter with Built-In Air Compressor	Energizer 12V All-In-One Jump-Start System Built-In Air Compressor and Power Inverter	200-Watt Power Dome Jump Starter Emergency Power Source Built-In Air Compressor

10 Things to Take to Art and Craft Shows
Don't forget the essentials for art and craft shows.

Portable Closet Shelving Makes Instant Craft Booth

Artists and Crafters Creating Through Grief

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 19:03:00 GMT

Artists and Crafters Creating Through Grief

Death eventually strikes everyone. We all face grief at some point in life.

Your memory is a keepsake, from which I will never part

“I thought of you today, but that is nothing new. I thought about you yesterday and days before that too. I think of you in silence, I often speak your name. All I have are memories and a picture in frame. Your memory is a keepsake, from which I will never part. God has you in his arms. I have you in my heart…”

- By Unknown

March 2003 our baby (our fourth child) died before birth, it felt like the world should stop but... of course it didn't.

Most days I barely functioned, getting out of bed and dressed were exhausting, other everyday activities were accomplished in a haze. All creative activities stopped. It took forever to get back into life, then January 2008 another baby died (our sixth child).

Today I read "Working" through grief - 7 tips by Angela Di Cicco. She shared practical advice for Artists and Crafters working through grief.

Artists and crafters I suggestion creating through your grief. It's okay to create unique art in memory of the loved one you lost. Create handmade crafts that remind you of your loved one for instance angels that look like them. Lost a pet? Create sculptures, ornaments, paintings or figurines of your beloved dog or cat with angel wings and a halo.

Don't sell crafts in memory of your lost loved one right away, however it may be comforting to know your memorial artwork is being loved by someone else so the memory of your lost loved one lives on.

Donate memorial arts and crafts to local organizations. Hospital nursuries give memorial gifts to mothers whose babies died, veteranarians might give little gifts to pet owners whose pets died. Funeral homes, casket providers and headstone makers would also be good places to donate your handmade crafts.

Handmade crafts are good memorial gifts including candles, sympathy cards, scrapbooks, journals, angels, butterflies, baby blankets, afghans, preemie clothes and hats, handcrafted mugs with a comforting drink mix, memorial jewelry, sun catchers, dream catchers, wall hangings and more.

The Big One Art & Craft Fair -Fargo ND

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:58:19 GMT

The Big One Art & Craft Fair -Fargo ND

Visit The Big One Art and Craft Fair in Fargo, North Dakota happening Oct. 19 & 20, 2013.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Stacy and Lisa Frank at 701-837-6059 to reserve your booth now. Please thank them for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in North Dakota each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

The Big One Art & Craft Fair -Bismarck ND

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:47:34 GMT

The Big One Art & Craft Fair -Bismarck ND

Don’t forget to to visit The Big One Art and Craft Fair in Bismarck, North Dakota on Nov. 23 & 24, 2013.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Stacy and Lisa Frank at 701-837-6059 to reserve your booth now. Remember to tell him thank you for listing his show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in North Dakota each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com

Selling on Etsy-How To Sell Handmade Crafts on Etsy

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 18:32:08 GMT

Selling on Etsy
How To Sell Handmade Crafts on Etsy

Sue Mongeon of Etsy Members - Professional Shop Owners Group on LinkedIn shared this tip for posting photos of your handmade crafts on Etsy.

Sue said, "I have been trying to fill in those blank spaces in the photo boxes with pertinent things when I run out of photos that actually pertain only to the object being sold on that page. I have added pictures of my gift certificate and a note about them in my listing and then in my tags; I've added things that might coordinate with the item on the page with it's link if necessary. I want to avoid, if possible, just the same picture repeated 5 times.

Be sure to add a photo of your unique packaging, if that is something that fits your product. Just try to fill all of those place with links that keep making your shop name show up in the search engines."

Facebook Giveaway Guidelines For Craft Show Vendors

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 17:26:50 GMT

Facebook Giveaway Guidelines

Facebook has its own guidelines when it comes to giveaways. This is very important because if you do not follow their rules your Facebook page could be deleted. To put it simply, Facebook does not want to have anything to do with your giveaway.

You must use a 3^rd Party Application to hold a giveaway on your Facebook page. What this means is that the giveaway will be held on a tab of your page. If you are confused about the term ‘tab’ this just refers to the different sub-pages you have. Pictures, Likes, Events are all tabs on your Facebook page. I use Rafflecopter to facilitate my giveaways but there are other applications you can use as entry form as well. Rafflecopter is an entry form. Your fans will click the different entry options (ex. Like your page on Facebook) and complete the task. On the Rafflecopter website you can see all the entries and the entrants information. Once the giveaway is over you can select a winner at random and email them to let them know. Rafflecopter is a free service.
You must have a disclosure on your giveaway tab that states “This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.”
Your giveaway can NOT be held on your main page.
You can NOT have your fans like, write or share a picture, post or status update on Facebook as a way to enter.
You can NOT notify or contact your winners through Facebook.

Aprile Mazey
The Steady Hand Blog
The Steady Hand Website
The Steady Hand Etsy Shop
Steady Miniatures Etsy Shop
The Steady Hand Facebook Page
The Steady Hand on Twitter

Part 2 of 3 in Series Facebook Giveaways by Aprile Mazey of The Steady Hand

When to hold A Giveaway on Your Facebook Page

The Minot Big One Art & Craft Fair-Minot, North Dakota

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:46:44 GMT

The Minot Big One Art & Craft Fair
Minot, North Dakota

Visit The Minot Big One Art & Craft Fair in Minot, ND happening Nov. 1 & 2, 2013.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Stacy & Lisa Frank at 701-837-6059 to reserve your booth now. Please thank them for listing their art and craft fair with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in North Dakota each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

Holiday Email Marketing For Artists and Crafters

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:20:59 GMT

Holiday Email Marketing For Artists and Crafters

Thinking about sending Christmas emails to buyers of arts and crafts? Wondering how to send emails to customers and what will be most effective?

Data and infographic by AWeber Email Marketing

Call for Art -Virginia City MT

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:46:55 GMT

Call for Poster Art—Virginia City, MT

Virginia City Area Chamber of Commerce invites artists to submit original artwork for a festival poster to commemorate the event which will occur throughout Virginia City during the summer of 2013. Posters must fit the dimensions of 18”x24”. Interested artists should send a brief resume and their design idea for the festival poster along with artwork examples on a DVD disc of their relevant original works for consideration by December 15^th, 2013. The selected artist will receive a cash award of $400, and will receive 20 posters, and will be asked to participate in an event which will include poster signing and an Art Opening scheduled for May 23^rd & 24^th, 2013 kicking off the celebration in Virginia City. For a full description and criteria: send a request and S.A.S. E. to the address below, and for more information on Virginia City and the 150^th Celebration, please visit www.virginiacity.com. Send proposals and inquiries to Virginia City Area Chamber of Commerce % Elling House Arts & Humanities Center, 218 West Wallace St., PO Box 104, Virginia City, MT 59755
Proposal Deadline: December 15^th, 2013.

Thanks to Kim Hurtle of Montana Arts Council for sharing.

Call To Artists -Seattle WA

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:41:11 GMT

Call To Artists -Seattle Washington

Seattle City Light Facility
Budget: $300,000

The Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, in partnership with Seattle City Light (SCL), seeks an artist or artist team to develop permanent, site-integrated artwork for SCL's proposed new Denny Substation. The substation will serve electrical power needs in the South Lake Union and Denny Triangle urban areas. The artist will work closely with SCL and the substation's design team to develop the artwork. The artist will also develop proposals for opportunities for artworks by other artists that can be incorporated in and around the facility in the future. The artist will join the project team in January 2013. The design phase of the project is in design development, with construction to be complete in late 2016.

Application: here. A link is also available at www.seattle.gov/arts. Info: Jason Huff, public art project manager, (206) 684-7278
Deadline: November 2, 2012, 11:00 PM (Pacific Daylight Time)

Thanks Kim Hurtle of Montana Arts Council for sharing.

10 Ways to Gain New Pinterest Followers

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:37:00 GMT

10 Ways to Gain New Pinterest Followers

Why Having Pinterest Followers Is Important

Having large numbers of followers is important on social marketing sites because on most social marketing sites posts your followers repin, like, comment, or follow are shown on their friends feeds.

The more followers you have, the more people who will see your posts and the more likely your posts will reach your target audience.

How to Get Art and Craft Buyers to Follow You on Pinterest

Ways I have gotten followers are:

Join LinkedIn. Optimize your profile for the keywords people use when searching for your handmade crafts or service.
Join a like exchange on LinkedIn. Instead of listing your link and being obligated to like and follow everyone take a look at who is participating. Like or follow only those who are prospective clients or competitors etc. Check out their Pinterest pages.
When people like, comment or repin my pins I visit their boards. I look specifically for boards of theirs that I want to follow and for pins I can comment on or like. The goal is give them a reason to check out my boards.
Create boards that are specifically information that your clients are looking for. For instance photography businesses should have a board for wedding hair and nails ideas, one for wedding dresses, one for wedding photo ideas. Create a board for photos of kids, clothing ideas, scrapbooking ideas, and for party photo ideas. You get the picture! Pin a few of your handmade crafts or services to these boards.
Create a community created board. The people who accept your invitation to participate will have the community board displayed on their pages expanding the number of people who will see it. Be sure and pin a few of your crafts to the board.
Add a Pinterest page to your Facebook business page.
Use keywords that target your product or service in posts, pins and tweets.
Use hash tags in your pins.
Tell everyone you have a Pinterest page.
Write an article sharing useful content directing readers to your Pinterest page.

Follow The Extravaganza Crafts boards on Pinterest and join our group on LinkedIn.

Want to learn how to use Pinterest to sell your crafts? Click here to read Are You Using Pinterest to Sell Arts and Crafts?

Buyers of Handmade Crafts Imagine Themselves Using Your Crafts

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:59:49 GMT

Help Buyers of Handmade Crafts
Imagine Themselves Using Your Crafts

Buyers at craft shows pickup, touch, feel and inspect your handmade crafts for looks, feel and quality.

Buyers online can't touch the items and try them on to see how they will look in your hand sewn dress or handcrafted jewelry. You need to describe not only how the item looks but how the buyer will feel using your crafts.

Describe curling up in a new warm handcrafted blanket on a chili fall afternoon sipping hot apple cider while reading their favorite book.

Describe how handcrafted furniture will change the look and feel of the room it's in. Help the buyer imagine sitting at their new table eating meals as a family, discussing the days events or hosting a stylish dinner party.

Customers will be more likely to buy handmade crafts the more pleasant and vivid picture they imagine.

Handmadeology shared Let Your Customers See Themselves in Your Product.

Portable Closet Shelving as Craft Show Display
Help craft show buyers imagine themselves taking your handsewn clothing items out of their closet.

When to hold A Giveaway On Your Facebook Page

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:53:00 GMT

When to hold A Giveaway
On Your Facebook Page

When you own a small business the best way to attract customers and keep them involved is to keep them entertained. This should not be done on your shop website as that is for the sole purpose of displaying your items. Most of us (online vendors) have turned to Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

I prefer to use Facebook to engage with my customers since it is very user friendly. You can share new items, link back to your shop (most important), share sales, coupon codes, etc. Even though your Facebook page will be for your shop it also helps to show your personal side. Share what you are working on or your latest crafty purchase. Talk about your inspiration and share some of your favorite things (food, drinks, people, etc.) Your customers will love to learn about you and you about them.

To hold a giveaway on Facebook is very easy but to get the results you are looking for try to follow these 3 simple rules:

Hold a giveaway once you have enough fans (to bring you in more fans). I think the magic number is 1000.
Only hold a giveaway if you engage with your customers at least weekly (hopefully more) on your page. If you rarely write anything on your page and all of a sudden throw a giveaway on there no one is going to notice. The more you post the more your posts get seen by your followers. Watch the posts you write and see how many of your fans ‘Like’ your post or comment. You want those ‘Likes’ and comments are even better. Then you know that your fans are paying attention to you.
Be prepared and organized. Before you start your giveaway make sure to have everything ready. Once your giveaway starts, it is your job to promote, promote and promote. Mind you, don’t be posting it on your Facebook wall every 10 minutes. 3 times a day is a good number. You will want to post it on giveaway sites, your Facebook groups, your shop website, etc. Giveaways are a great way to bring in more potential customers but you have to find them first.

Before you even think about holding a giveaway you should know about the laws and rules that you should follow. You can read my post Blogging Tips: Giveaway Rules and Restrictions to learn about the 2 types of giveaways, what each giveaway should include and some laws you should follow.

Read Facebook Giveaway Guidelines.

Aprile Mazey
The Steady Hand Blog
The Steady Hand Website
The Steady Hand Etsy Shop
Steady Miniatures Etsy Shop
The Steady Hand Facebook Page
The Steady Hand on Twitter

Christmas Moment Gift Fair -Kennewick WA

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 16:55:00 GMT

Christmas Moment Gift Fair -Kennewick WA

Visit Christmas Moments in Kennewick, Washington happening Nov. 16 to 18, 2012.

Contact LaVette Mehess at 971-600-3281 to reserve your booth for this Un-Juried Art and Craft Show now. Please thank her for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Washington each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

What Wedding Tradition Teaches Artists to Blog?

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:34:25 GMT

What Wedding Tradition
Teaches Artists to Blog

Did you know they were teaching you how to blog when you got married?

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue actually tells you how to keep your crafting blog alive and well.

Something Old-Post an old post from your blog to remind people of it's existence.

Something New-Write a new blog post include it on your art blog.

Something Borrowed-Post something borrowed. How to use borrowed articles, posts and information:

Always give credit where credit is due.
Include quotes from the piece and talk about why they are right (or wrong).
Link to the original information
Write your own article and use quotes from the piece to reinforce your point.

Something Blue-Rewrite something that didn't receive as much attention as you would have liked the first time

What do you think?

Sun Valley Center Arts & Crafts Festival in Ketchum, Idaho

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 23:03:35 GMT

Drop by 45th Annual Sun Valley Center Arts & Crafts Festival in Ketchum, Idaho happening Aug. 9 to 11, 2013 for a fun day.

Contact Britt Udesen, Festival Director at 208-726-9491 ext.19 to reserve your booth for this Juried Art and Craft Show now. Please thank her for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Idaho each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

Craft Fair Tips

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 05:16:13 GMT

Craft Fair Tips

by Wendy Hitchins of On-line Venue for Handmade Arts & Crafts, and Invention group on LinkedIn

I use a custom fitted black cloth that completely covers the table to the floor that I made. Then I cover that with a white organza cloth. I find the white really picks up the ambient light and makes it all easier to see. The only drawback with white is it shows dirt so easily which means you must wash it after every show. If your show is outside and you'll be in a tent, try (if you can) to use a tent that has a white top. The dark tops tend to darken your space, even if they have a white lining. No matter what colour you go with having it fit well and to the ground means you can store all your containers, etc. underneath and no one will see it. Your space is tidy and organized and does not take away from your work. And, it's quick and easy to put on the table.

Other tips - make sure you have adequate change, packaging and business cards. When you get rolling, being able to accept credit cards will definitely boost your sales. Greet your customers and make eye contact when it's appropriate. Then don't talk! Let them look. Don't be discouraged either. Sometimes your first show can be discouraging. Have faith and confidence in what you do and be proud.

I HATE seeing vendors reading books! As a customer I won't even look at what they're selling if they're reading. So, try not to look bored if it slows down. If you can work on another piece of jewellery, that's fine. But keep looking up. If you're totally absorbed in whatever, people don't want to disturb you and won't stop at your table. Another No No in my books is chatting too much with other vendors and WORSE complaining about whatever (the weather, costs, set up problems, etc.). Customers hear that and again, won't stop at your table. There's no easy answer to finding the right craft show/fair. It's all trial and error so take whatever other vendors tell you with a grain of salt. What works for them, may not work for you.

Good luck and most of all Have Fun!

Thank Wendy for sharing her craft fair tips with all of us by visiting her website and Facebook.

Don't miss How to Display at a Craft Fair for more great craft fair tips.

How to Display at a Craft Fair

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:53:00 GMT

How to Display Crafts at a Craft Fair

The secret to displaying crafts at a craft fair are shared here by Erin Proctor Herb of LinkedIn group Handmade Jewelry.

She has some really great tips on displaying at a craft fair that will increase your craft show sales.

My personal school of thought is to follow an acronym I came up with “SHOP”
S – Spotlight your work
H – Height – incorporate levels
O – Organize and highlight each piece or a small group of complimentary pieces
P – Presentation

Spotlight: Light your work and visually frame each piece. Two lights at each end of the table work well. Carpenter lamps are great as they can sit on top or clip to your table, while providing directional light.

Height: incorporate levels – this can be done with tall busts in the back and shorter ones in the front or as simple as using an inexpensive tier system comprised of long narrow cardboard boxes roughly 2” high, 12” deep by your desired length, stacked/ layered 2-3 high with fabric draped over it. If you are looking for a clever bust - RioGrande has a great “Natural Linen Cone Necklace Display” – these are great as they unsnap to a flat form for travel.

Organize: Edit what is on your table and create a layout that provides focus for each piece or group of similar pieces – make it visually easy to shop your table. I have done this by using a variety of sizes of small square & round modern white dishes to frame, and provide an order to the table. CB2 & target have great options.

Presentation: The backdrop for your work should compliment what you are showing. If it’s too bold it will overshadow. I like using a neutral material that has texture and a small subtle pattern in a monochromatic pallet (one color in several shades – light to dark). I found (2) contemporary opaque fabric shower curtains at TJMaxx and use these as they provide a somewhat wrinkle/stain resistant option that affordably cover the table.

Hope this helps! Wising you the best!

RINjuel
contemporary architectural jewelry | erin + matt herb
www.rinjuel.com
facebook.com/RINjuel
twitter.com/RINjuel

Check out Art and Craft Fair Display Pictures here.

Do Me a Favor?

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Please do me a favor and answer a short survey below regarding what you would like to see us teach at teleseminars.

Click here to take the Teleconference Survey

Thanks so much for your opinions.

How to Display Art in Galleries

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 06:00:16 GMT

How to Display Art in Art Galleries

Thinking about displaying your art in galleries? Wondering what to do before meeting with art gallery directors?

Gary Boyler of Gary Boyler Fine Art shares 6 Important Things To Do Before You Approach an Art Gallery.

Create a Clear Artistic Vision

This is the big one.

Gallery directors are looking for mature artists and mature artists have a clear artistic vision.

A clear vision of what you are trying to do with your art will set you apart from artists who are unsure of themselves in this regard.

You have to follow your heart and instincts on this one. No one can tell you what your vision should be. You are essentially following the guiding North Star of your soul. This is your calling, your life’s work. This is what you were called as an artist to bring into this world. No small thing."

Don't miss the rest of Gary's terrific tips for preparing to meet with art gallery directors. Read his article 6 Important Things To Do Before You Approach an Art Gallery.

Portable Closet Shelving Makes Instant Craft Show Booth

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 01:04:31 GMT

Instant Craft Show Booth

This Portable Closet Shelving unit from Target makes a terrific instant craft show booth. Display several handmade crafts from clothing and accessories to home decor using shelves and hanging rods.

Display handmade quilts, aprons, table cloths or runners on the hanging rods and dish towel sets, pillows and hot pads on the shelves. Use the shelves to store different sizes or colors of crafts or clothing displayed on the hanging rods.

Don't need to hang crafts? Use the hanging rods to install your banner for your craft show booth then set a small table underneath in the space between the shelves. Use baskets or boxes to keep smaller crafts together and give them height.

Want art fair or craft show booth display ideas?
Check out Art and Craft Fair Display Pictures.

Power Options for Craft Shows With No Electricity
Do you need to pay art festival promoters for electricity?

Need versatile shelving for professional art festival booth?
Versatile Shelving Makes Craft Show Booth Display Easy

Holiday Craft & Bazaar Gladstone Oregon

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 02:48:50 GMT

Holiday Craft & Bazaar Gladstone Oregon

Visit 3rd Annual Holiday & Craft Bazaar in Gladstone, Oregon happening Nov. 9 & 11, 2012.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Sue at 503-621-8921 to reserve your booth now. Please thank her for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Oregon each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.net.

How to Find Time to Make and Sell Handmade Crafts?

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 13:27:52 GMT

It's hard to find time to make handmade crafts for a craft show booth. It's even harder to find time to market and sell crafts. How do you find time to make and sell crafts?

Make Time for Crafts by Saving Time

One way to make time for crafts is to save time doing the things you have to do every day. A time saving trick I learned a long time ago was to put dinner in the crockpot (a.k.a. slow cooker) as I was making breakfast in the morning.

I then cleaned up all the dishes from preparing both meals. This left the rest of my day free to spend as I chose, of course I spent my new "free time" doing arts and crafts. The only dishes to clean up from dinner were the dinner plates. Clean up from dinner was so much easier I was much more likely to do it leaving my home clean and ready to craft in the next day.

I've been thinking about using this idea again in my life and expanding on it. I'm going to buy a crock pot with 4 removable crocks and separate heat controls like the one at Amazon below.

You might not need so many crocks if your family is small or your children are in school, there are several 3 crock options available as well.

My crock pot is going to find a permanent place on my counter. In one crock I will put breakfast, one will cook lunch, the third will cook dinner, and the fourth will contain either a side dish or dessert.

Dishes that I thought could be made in the crockpot for breakfast were:

scrambled eggs
rice pudding
breakfast casseroles

Slow cooker lunches could be:

soup
chili
baked potatos

There are thousands of ideas for crock pot dinners including:

roast with carrots, potatos, onions, celery
hundreds of chicken dishes with gravies or sauces
BBQ ribs-our favorite way to eat them. The crock pot makes them so tender and juicy, they just fall off the bone.
mashed potatos
gravies
stuffings

There are tons of crock pot cook books and slow cooker related items at Amazon. I've also pinned many slow cooker recipes on my Crock Pot Kitchen Pinterest board.

What breakfast and lunch foods could you cook in your crock pot? What's your favorite recipe to put in the crock pot? Do you do freezer meals as well? Your thoughts?

Are You Using Pinterest to Sell Your Arts and Crafts

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Are You Using Pinterest
To Sell Your Arts And Crafts?

Who Are Pinterest Users?

Pinterest users are generally young females busily pinning and repinning images of hand crafted works of art to their favorite boards. Females are known for being purchasers for their families making this the perfect place to meet your target market.

I've been using Pinterest a few months. My website and blog for craft show vendors are getting a few clicks from my boards. I'm not using it effectively so I know it could bring much more traffic.

Using Pinterest to Sell Arts and Crafts

Some articles to help you get started selling your handmade crafts on Pinterest are:
10 Ways to Gain New Pinterest Followers
7 Creative Ways Your Brand Can Use Pinterest
3 Primary Pinterest Marketing Strategies

Follow The Extravaganza Craft on Pinterest for pins on craft show booth displays, craft room and studio organization, art and craft fair information. Art and crafting patterns, techniques, recipes, and craft supplies, color palettes, marketing tips and so much more are also included.

Share favorite tip for selling crafts on Pinterest. Comment below.

What is a Farmers Market?

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:48:27 GMT

What is a Farmers Market?

A farmers market is a good place to buy or sell whole organic food, baked goods and handmade crafts. Markets are often held on Saturdays early spring to late fall and there are some Sunday markets. Some farmer's markets are held on weekdays and most are not open on holidays.

What Handmade Crafts Sell at Farmer's Markets?

Buyers at farmers' markets often come expecting to spend a few dollars on organic fruits and vegetables, plants and a few crafts. They don't expect to spend large amounts of money so sell crafts that are priced under $50.

Handmade crafts that might sell well are farm themed and country crafts. Kids crafts should do well at the markets, but high quality hand made furniture probably wouldn't. Other hand made crafts that might sell are crocheted towels and dish cloths, knitted hats, scarves and socks, antique barnwood picture frames and light switch covers, bath and body products, baby blankets, small coin purses, and candles. Handcrafted jewelry might also sell well at markets if there aren't too many competitors.

Scheduling a Farmer's Market Booth

Farmer's Markets often allow you to reserve a booth one week at a time which is great to fill out your craft show schedule. Try out a booth at a local market and see if it works for your crafts.

Subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News for a list of art and craft show, farmers markets, fairs, festivals and more in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota by clicking here.

See Us On Facebook

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 14:06:00 GMT

The Extravaganza Craft Productions wants to help your art or craft business grow.

In an effort to stay in touch with you better we have started a page on Facebook.

Join us at https://www.facebook.com/ExtravaganzaCraft.

Come tell us about yourself and your business. Ask the questions that have been plaguing your art or craft business. The group can help answer your questions. Tell us what you think about the art and craft show business, how the economy is affecting arts and crafts, tell us what you’re hearing on the streets regarding arts and crafts etc.

Don’t forget to tell your friends that are trying to make a living selling their arts and crafts to check out The Extravaganza Craft Productions.

When To Have a Facebook Giveaway.

How Often to Post on Craft Fair Facebook Page?

Getting People to Buy Handmade Crafts The First Time

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 17:11:44 GMT

Pricing Crafts Correctly Sells Crafts

As far as pricing your handmade crafts go you need something called a loss leader.

A loss leader is a handcrafted item or a few items sold at a loss. They get buyers of art through the door to your craft show booth or online craft store and getting out their wallet. After they've gotten out their wallet they are easier to sell to.

Keep a few items as loss leaders, adjust some of your prices to be more inline with the real market price (for crafts similar to yours) but not at it, and adjust the majority of the items to be real market price. Your competitors will also have to do so or be out of business soon so why do twice as much work for half as much money?

Use your loss leaders as the links in your advertising so they come to your handmade craft store feel they are getting a good deal, get out their wallet and buy, then you upsell/downsell to them again and again up to 7 times for this one purchase.

Need To Know If You Priced Your Crafts Too Low?
Are You Pricing Original Art Too Low

Want To Turn Craft Show Lookers Into Buyers of Handmade Crafts?
Art of Turning Lookers Into Buyers at Art and Craft Shows

Art and Craft Show Expert Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handcrafted products who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales at festivals. Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less. Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter, The Extravaganza Craft News, that will help you avoid mistakes, save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

7 Things to Consider When Licensing Artwork to Companies

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:53:44 GMT

Ask companies for references of other artists they have worked with. Reputable companies should have many references to share with you.

Art Licensing Contracts

Don't license art work to companies without a contract. A contract protects both parties it's in your best interest to have one. Contracts state what is expected of each party and what each party will receive when the contract is fulfilled.

What is in an art licensing contract?

What the artist will be expected to provide?
- How often will you need to provide new art?
- How many pieces of art?
- What quality of work (what dpi will be required)?
- Any other special requirements?
Length of agreement-How long is this agreement going to be in effect before the terms need renogiated?
Royalties-Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines for Industry Standard Licensing Rates.
- How much money do you get each time an item with your artwork on it is sold?
- Are royalties based on retail or wholesale price of the item?
- Will you receive a non-refundable advance on royalties or design fee?
Reporting-How will you be notified of sales?
Payment-When and how will payment be made?
- Will payments be weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly?
- Will you be paid by check, Paypal, direct deposit?
Ways to cancel the license contract and the penalties/consequences of doing so for both parties.
Contracts to license art should include warranties that the product will be free from defects. Who is responsible if the product is defective? Will the company carry insurance to cover you if they are sued because the product is defective?

Do you work with an art agent? What percentages are you getting and for what products? What do you want included in your contracts?

Photography and Descriptions Are They Killing Online Craft Sales?

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:08:43 GMT

Are Photographs Keeping People from Buying Your Handmade Crafts

People buying art in a brick and mortar store can pick up and inspect an item for quality of construction, details, etc. They can pick it up, try it on and see how it looks on them etc.

When buying crafts online your pictures are all they have to see the pieces and imagine themselves in or using it. They can't see the quality of your workmanship or the details, such as how a piece will lay when it is worn.

Stevie Sacks owner of Micro Mainstreet & Cottage Industrialists group on LinkedIn said,

Do:
Use all images allowed - 5 for Etsy
Use a light background for thumbnails
Use free and simple software to do simple editing
Use a background that makes your item pop
Use consistent lighting and background to create a brand image
Include close ups of key parts
Include an in-use photo
Include a photo on an alternate background

Don't:
Use backgrounds that are too busy
Use wrinkled sheets
Use dark photos
Use out of focus photos
Are too far away to show detail

Always include in descriptions
Materials used and their care instructions if appropriate
Size of materials and finished product
Any pertinient information to attract a buyer
Include your keywords for SEO multiple times in the first paragraph
Any invitation to special order for a similar item
If a picture - where and when
Shipping Info

Optional
Why you made it, why you love it, what prompted you to make it

I have photoshop but use mostly the picture editor that comes with office 2007 it usually allows me to crop and lighten the photos which is about all I do.

I went out and spent the money for a Canon DSLR and a Macro Lens - yes to take better pictures but also because it was a birthday present to myself :) I also bought a short telephoto so I could take pictures of landscapes but also the in use pictures of my sun catchers. Before that I was using a point and click.

I also bought a tent that came with lights - I find that any white light will do or sun light if you have a good place that you can filter the sun so you don't get harsh shadows. The bulbs I get at Home depot and I bought cheap clip on light fixtures.

I use a 11x14 peice of glass suspended over white paper for my close ups - I don't get the shadows and I can use a light underneath for pictures of crystals.

Oh and another thing - if you are using a point and click and there is not enought light (your eye might think there is) the camera won't be able to focus correctly - so if you pictures aren't as sharp as you think they should be this might be the reason why."

Please thank Stevie for sharing her tips with us by visiting her sites below:
Etsy
Blog
Pinterest
She belongs to the following groups, teams and pages
LinkedIn - Etsy Members - Professional Shop Owners Group, Micro Mainstreet & Cottage Industrialists
Facebook - Handmade Shops Online Directory, Stevie Sacks
and Micro Mainstreet & Cottage Industrialists
You an also find her on Google+

For a video tutorial and pictures read Selling Your Art Online-How to Take Better Pictures. Click here for more handcrafted jewelry photography tips.

Buyers of Handmade Crafts Imagine Themselves Using Your Products

More Tips for Selling Handcrafted Art on Etsy

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 04:50:00 GMT

How to Sell Handcrafted Art on Etsy

Susan Little of the Etsy Members group on LinkedIn shared this tip for making more sales on Etsy.

I had a very slow start on Etsy, at first I didn't have too many items listed, and was working, so kinda forgot about it and went months without selling anything. Etsy is so saturated with so many items, it can be very discouraging, but don't give up! Now I've been out of work & only working part-time for 2 years so I'm concentrating a LOT on ETSY!T

...for my first 2 years I didn't sell hardly anything, but then I wasn't listing new items much either. Last year was a little better, but not really great....and finally this year my sales are really beginning to pick up. I think like any business, it takes time.

I understand about spending more money, in hopes of sales, as not working makes it even harder, but, once I started listing more stuff, my sales increased. Look for things you might could make with fabric that won't cost too much so then you don't feel so bad about spending money. One thing I have learned is you have to spend money to make money! Your stuff is really cute and your feedback is really good, but I think if you search for some different things to do with fabrics in your own unique way and have more variety it might help, so if people aren't looking for clothing, but want something with fabric you'll be showing up. Then once their in your shop they will see your cute clothes and want those too.

One of the things I did was to go through Etsy and see what is selling, what are people buying...and if there is something you like and would like to do your version and your own style....then GO FOR IT! This will help you spark your creative juices to come up with new stuff...or the same stuff in a whole new look.

The more variety of items you have, the more you might hit on something that sells well and then you can expand from there. Another thing I do is pay a lot of attention of not only what sells, but how much it sells for. I don't want to be the lowest priced items, but I don't want to be the highest either, so maybe experiment with pricing while still being comfortable with your profit.

I also constantly rearrange my listings in my shop, you will be amazed how that helps. Its just like in the stores, they are moving merchandise to different areas all the time. If there is a particular item that isn't moving, I even deactivate it for a while, and then later reactivate so it shows up in my shop again. This gives appearance of being new stuff.

Also, I constantly search my items by my search tags and if they are ending up on page 2 or 3 or lower renewing them will bring them back to 1st page. It may take a few minutes for them to show up, but after renewing them, research for them again to make sure they are on page 1. I have done that and things will start selling. Unfortunately, but Etsy is so saturated with listings, that you can be on page one today and on page 3 the next. And renewing is only .20 so your not spending a lot.

....I will say I too thought of giving up, but am now glad that I stayed in. I still have weeks with little or no sales, but I have been very encouraged this year... But I am putting a lot more effort in my shop and its beginning to pay off!

Best of luck to you....you can do it...hang in, and when you get discouraged, take a little break from it...and then when you go back to it....you'll be refreshed with new ideas and new energy! Have a blessed week!

Susan

Please thank Susan for sharing such great tips by visiting her cute Etsy shop Impressions by Susan.

Click here to read Tips for Selling Crafts Online by James Dillehay. Improve Sales of Handcrafted Art on Etsy is also interesting.

Ensuring Sales Before and After Art Festivals

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 21:46:49 GMT

Ever had a craft show that seemed like a total failure, like you had totally wasted your time and money attending it?

Ensure every art festival will be a roaring success.

8 easy things you can do are listed below.

Send out information about the festival you will be attending by mail, email, blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn to your friends, family, and acquaintances. Send an occasional reminder.

Read Reasons to Stay In Touch With Craft Show Customers and Is Facebook and Other Social Media Selling Art?

Send out press releases to local newspapers, radio stations, etc.
Press Releases for Art Festival and Craft Show Booths

Give festival fliers to everyone you meet, leave them at the doctors office, hospital, dentist, in the lobby of office buildings, hang them on bulletin boards in gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores etc. Offer to hang posters for the promoter.
Advertising Art Festivals is Everybody's Business

Practice setting up your display. Don't just lay items flat on the table, a professional display that draws the eye and helps your customer imagine them wearing your jewelry is a must.
Craft Show Booth Display Ideas or How to Display Crafts at a Craft Fair

Prepare to take the contact information of those who enter your art festival booth (and especially those who buy from you). Ask people if you may add them to your mailing list.
Simple Inexpensive Ways to Collect Customers Contact Information

Do your research and set prices accordingly.
How to Price My Art or Craft Show Product and Are You Pricing Your Original Art Too Low?

Take as many forms of payment as possible. Make it obvious that you do.
How to Double Craft Show Fair Booth Sales and Make More Money

Contact the people whose information you collected after the show to remind them they saw you at the show.
Attending Craft Show Isn't Just About Selling Arts and Crafts

Include Links to Your Other Sales Venues

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:15:00 GMT

David Salerno of one of my LinkedIn Groups shared the tip below.

Putting Links on Ebay, Etsy and Handmade Selling Sites

"... your idea of putting an Etsy link in your eBay listings is a great idea and certainly something I would not consider "unethical" but unfortunatley eBay will not allow it. Not unless they changed their policy over the past few years since I stopped listing there.

Most selling sites will not allow any link that redirects away from their site.

I have learned this the hard way because I have well over 100 storefronts on various sites and I never liked "bulk uploads" so i would list each item individually on each site, but since i have over 10,000 different items my main supplier allows me to use their "catalog" site where their entire inventory is viewable.

So I figured since it was impossible to list my entire inventory on every site, I started putting a link to the catalog at the end of each item description stating something to the effect......"If you haven't found what you are shopping for here in this store, click on the enclosed link to my daily updated discount catalog to view my entire inventory" I would then include the link to the catalog.

Every place I tried this pulled my listings and told me it was against their terms of use. However, there IS a way around this.

Although not as effective, I now add in my item description ....'Contact me for the link to my daily updated catalog to view my entire inventory!' Most people were not taking the time to contact me though, so as an "incentive" I started adding..."My inventory consists of over 10,000 different items so if you haven't found what you are shopping for just contact me for the link to my catalog and be sure to title your email 'COUPON CODE" to receive a 10% discount on any purchase!

THIS works well. So....in theory you could add to your eBay description that you "have many more items on Etsy and if you would like to see them, contact me for the link to my etsy shop and I will include a discount off any purchase you make from my Etsy shop!"

Improving Sales of Handcrafted Art on Etsy

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 04:10:00 GMT

There are many things you can do to increase sales of your handcrafted art on Etsy.

Magic Number for Selling Handcrafted Art on Etsy

List many items (it appears the magic number is over 100 as many Etsy sellers state their sales increased to almost 1 a week when they got over 100 items listed), relist items often, participating in forums, creating treasuries etc.

Ooh Lala Beadtique offers a great list of ways you can bring more traffic to your Etsy store and more traffic translates to more sales.
How to Bring More Traffic To Your Etsy Jewelry Store

Thanks Ooh Lala Beadtique for sharing!

More Tips for Selling Handcrafted Art on Etsy

Jewelry Sizing Charts for Handmade Jewelry

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 01:06:21 GMT

Handmade Jewelry Sizing Charts

I've been searching for information that would help you create handmade jewelry. Here are jewelry sizing charts so you better understand what sizes to make your handcrafted jewelry.

Bracelet Size Guide-From How to Make Beaded Jewelry
Reeds Jewelers-Bracelet, Necklace and Chain, Ring, and Watch Size Guide

How to Sell More Jewelry From Your Blog

How to Sell Handmade Jewelry on Facebook

How to Sell More Jewelry Directly from Your Blog

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 21:39:39 GMT

How to Sell More Jewelry Directly from Your Blog

Your blog is an excellent tool for selling your jewelry online. In fact, many jewelry artists sell their work exclusively from their blogs.

You can stir up your readers' interest in your work by blogging about how your jewelry is created, what's unique about a particular piece or component, what the piece signifies to you, what happened while you were creating it, etc.

Basically, give the piece of jewelry a history and an interesting story. Let the tale unfold over a few blog posts.

Stories sell jewelry. And stories told in episodes gain more readers with each new episode.

Use your blog to build up anticipation for each new piece of jewelry or new design you're working on. Build suspense and desire – and then unveil the piece. Launch it with a bit of fanfare. Invite readers to comment.

You can put a discreet “buy now” button right there in your blog, directly beneath the photo of the newly unveiled piece of jewelry. Many artists are able to sell each new piece they make, directly from their blog, with these techniques.

Remember that your jewelry blog visitors don't just want information; they want to be entertained. And the better you entertain them, the more they'll bring other people to your blog – and to your jewelry.

It's sort of the modern version of being a traveling artist in Medieval days – you gather an interested crowd by spinning stories and entertaining your audience as you make jewelry.

When the jewelry is finished and its story has been told, there's always a well-entertained customer eager to buy it. And the rest of the crowd spreads the word to tell their friends and family about the entertaining jewelry artist.

Repeat this process indefinitely. And once you really develop a following and people see how fast your new stuff disappears, your new pieces will go even faster.

People will pay for things they love, regardless of the price. Your job is to help them fall in love with it, and feel the urgency to buy it before someone else does.

Occasionally post blog entries to tell stories about other things that your audience would laugh about or care deeply about. But make it into a personal conversation with them, putting your own words and heart into it.

This kind of story can be triggered by something you saw in the news, or in another blog or forum. For example, if you're making mothers' bracelets and your market is moms, you might share an emotional story you read about saving childhood memories.

Make your readers laugh, make them cry, make them feel.

Emotions are powerful, and if you can make your audience feel something, they'll come back for more – and share it with their friends.

----------------------------------------------

Discover more ways you can sell your jewelry directly from your blog, in Rena Klingenberg's ebook "Social Networking: Sell Your Jewelry Online" -
Click here to view more details.

Jewelry Sizing Charts for Handmade Jewelry

Wholesale Craft Show Do’s and Don’ts – Tips for Artists

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 16:05:10 GMT

Wholesale Craft Show Do’s and Don’ts – Tips for Artists

By Alice Horrigan

This is a companion piece to my article, “Fine Craft Wholesale Shows: A Review of the Philadelphia Buyer’s Market Visiting Artists Program,” also on this site.

In June, 2006 I attended the Philadelphia Buyer’s Market of American Craft Visiting Artists Program. The presenters offered lots of wisdom and nuts-and-bolts tips on wholesaling for artists just starting out in the wholesale market. Here are a few of the golden nuggets I picked up:

Craft consultant Bruce Baker and gallery owner Nancy Marcoe suggested finding markets not just at craft shows, but also at professional association conventions and special interest shows – anywhere potential customers may be. To keep on top of trends, watch TV commercials and subscribe to three magazines – such as Real Simple, W Magazine, and Vanity Fair – just to look at the pictures: “The trail to the market is through trends.”

Common markup for galleries is 2.2 to 3, especially in higher rent areas. Your wholesale prices should reflect that. Tell customers that if a line doesn’t work for them, they can trade it back. While a grouping of your work might sell well, the last stranded three will likely sit there forever, said Baker. Rather than let those pieces wend their way into the “Sale” basket, why not offer to trade them for fresh inventory with new designs?

Inside your shipping box, pack a list of selling points for the sales staff (along with a couple of chocolate truffles). The staff will get instant sales training tailored to your work when they put your pieces on display.

In a tough economy, artists are smart to have low price points as well as high. To keep artists’ production costs down, lower priced pieces should require very little finishing.

One benefit to wholesaling over retailing is the relative ease with which one can build a national reputation (“The banks will love it, and so will Mom and Dad,” said Baker).

Baker also touched upon key operational strategies – from sourcing inventory (“Play hardball with your suppliers”) to shipping (“Keep all promises”). Merchant card services have phased out the “proforma” method of order taking. Today, all you need to do is take the customer’s credit card number and run it through when you ship.

Good contracts are vital to operations, noted Judie Raiford of Raiford Gallery. “Don’t leave anything to chance.” Fulfilling your responsibilities is paramount: “Deliver on time, and deliver what you promise.” Spread out your work across the country. “Don’t be in two galleries within emotional distance from one another,” said Raiford.

Omit contact information from your “care cards” (the information cards passed out to customers). Gallery owners bristle at the idea of customers using their space as glamorous showrooms for your online store. I heard this message repeatedly during the weekend: If you’re trying to wholesale and you have shopping cart capability on your website, you will be shunned.

Wendy Rosen explained that multiple revenue streams are often a must for artists. Think about selling some production pieces under a separate company name (a la Dale Chihuli’s Portland Press sidelines), writing books, and developing specialized products for narrower markets. For example, at the National Baptist Convention there’s a market just for fancy hats, selling for $1,000 each.

Alice Horrigan is a glass artist and writer in Ithaca, New York. Her first wholesale show: the American Craft Retailers Expo, Las Vegas, May 2-4, 2007.
Wholesale inquiries:
http://www.fingerlakesgifts.com
http://www.wholesalecrafts.com (artist #23436)
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alice_Horrigan

Seeking Experts at Selling Arts and Crafts

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 21:20:52 GMT

Craft Show Experts We Need You

The Extravaganza Craft Productions is looking for artists and crafters who are experts in their field to guest write articles to be included in the The Extravaganza Craft News. Articles may also appear here on the blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Articles need to fit on 1 – 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper when divided into 2 columns approximately 600 to 750 words long. All articles will remain the intellectual property of the author (artist expert) and may include a blurb about the artist and links to the artists website/blog. Pictures may be included as space allows. Articles may be edited to correct spelling and grammatical errors, or for space. All changes will be approved with the original author.

This is a great way to get the word out about your art and craft business and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Please click here to email articles. Please include you name, mailing address, email address, and phone number with each article. I will contact you with questions and let you know if your article is being published in the newsletter.

Craft Vendors Don't Lose Craft Show Sales

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:13:05 GMT

Craft Vendors Don't Lose
Craft Craft Show Sales

I received calls from craft show vendors and promoters with questions about my craft newsletter. They needed information about the newsletter and asked how to buy. I lost the sale when I referred them to my website because I’m not set up to take orders over the phone. What could I have done better?

I could have walked them through the process. I should have guided them through the purchase rather than leaving them to visit the site on their own. I should have collected their name and address while talking to them so I could contact them if they didn’t sign up right away.

Craft show vendors know when customers are ready to buy and guide them to the cash register. Don’t walk away before the sale is completed.

To order The Extravaganza Craft News visit our website.

Craft Show Tower Display

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 21:58:32 GMT

Craft Show Tower Display

Large Craft Show Display Tower

Don’t be fooled by the name, ‘The Cupcake Tower’ is not just a stylish display for cupcakes. Imagine candles, bath and body products, jewelry, you name it – this tower can display it. Take it from Lori Ward, owner of ‘Miss Ruby Sue’, a wildly successful designer of women’s couture accessories who recently wrote “This is the CUTEST. The FUNNEST. THE BEST PROP for my work at the San Francisco International Gift Fair. These are easy to put together and take apart. I love my Cupcake Tower!”

Melissa Challeen, a Team Leader for ‘Wildtree’, a direct sales company of all natural gourmet blends, oils, dressings and sauces recently purchased a tower to show off her product at her home parties and open houses. Is your product potentially messy like hers? No problem, the tower has a thin laminate coating similar to a countertop so that it wipes clean easily. The tower is handcrafted from durable, sustainable materials so it can be used for years to come.

Keep in mind the tower folds flat for easy storage/transportation. In addition, the ribbon detail can be custom matched to your product or logo colors. Because no glue or adhesive is used, your ribbon can be easily removed and replaced with other colors and patterns for different occasions. It’s hard to find a creative, fresh approach to displaying arts and crafts at shows and fairs but The Cupcake Tower will undoubtedly catch people’s eye and draw them to your table. The owners, Jennifer and Joy take pride in their quality product and have gone above and beyond for their customers.

Check them out at http://www.thecupcaketower.com. Various sizes available.

Oh, and last but certainly not least, good karma comes with each purchase as 10% of proceeds are donated to Habitat for Humanity.

The Extravaganza Craft Productions is not affiliated with The Cup Cake Tower and did not receive any compensation for this post. We’re just helping you find the best craft show displays while supporting a great handcrafted product.

Easy Packaging for Craft Show Products

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 19:37:23 GMT

Packaging Your Craft Show Products

Need ideas for packaging crafts at craft fairs?

Packaging crafts has always been a simple concept to me it never occurred to me to share. This wonderful post inspired me to share this packaging idea. Most scrapbookers and rubber stampers probably use this concept already. How many of you have thought to use it to package your handcrafted arts and crafts for sale?

http://lifeinthethriftylane.blogspot.com/2011/09/packaging-your-goodies.html

Thanks Life in the Thrifty Lane!

Fair Market Broadus MT

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:19:45 GMT

Visit Fair Market in Broadus, Montana happening Aug. 10 & 11, 2012.

Contact Sarah McGill at 406-436-2778 to reserve your booth for this Un-Juried Art & Craft Show now. Please thank her for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Montana each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

How to Sell More Jewelry with Volume Discounts

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 17:13:20 GMT

How to Sell More Jewelry with Volume Discounts

Customers love to feel like they’re getting a good deal, so offering some items at “volume discount pricing” can net you a lot of extra sales and repeat buyers.

For example, I have a big selection of very simple gemstone bead earrings with sterling silver earwires. I price them at $16 for 1 pair, $14 each for 3 pair, and $12 each for 5 pair. You’d be amazed at how many people automatically spend $60 buying 5 pair just because that’s the best price per pair.

If a customer comes to check out with just 2 pair, I mention that they’ll receive a discount if they get 3 pair – and nearly always they go back to pick out a third pair of earrings, spending $42 instead of $32.

I know that without the volume discount, most people would buy just one pair and spend only $16.

Why not try volume discount pricing on a selected group of your jewelry pieces? I think this tactic is most successful with a group of similar items that are regularly priced under $20.

You can increase people’s urgency to take you up on your special pricing with a sign mentioning that they can take care of all their holiday shopping today with this special jewelry bargain. Include a free gift pouch or box for each piece, and you’ll probably make all the sales you can keep up with.

Some quick tips on successful volume discount pricing:

- Be sure to calculate your volume discounts so that you’re still earning a good profit per piece at your lowest pricing. (Even at the lowest price, $12 per pair, I make a very tidy profit on the volume-priced earrings).

- Post obvious signs next to the items listing your pricing discounts.

- If anyone comes to check out with just one, ask if they saw today’s special savings on this group of items.

- This kind of deal is most effective for you if it’s for something you can turn out quickly and in volume, with slight differences from one piece to another (such as changing bead color or shape).

- A “rummage bin” increases the sale of volume-discount items. Put the items in mini-ziplocks in a pretty basket, tray, trunk, or box and observe the power of rummaging!

You can experiment with volume discounts till you find the right jewelry items and pricing that make this a guaranteed, profitable bread-and-butter item for you.

——————–

Sell your handcrafted jewelry like crazy at shows, fairs, and festivals with Rena Klingenberg’s step-by-step guide, “Ultimate Guide to Your Profitable Jewelry Booth” -
http://www.jewelry-books.com/jewelry-booth.html.

How to Sell Handmade Jewelry on Facebook

Art Fair and Craft Show Business License Requirements

Tue, 22 May 2012 22:58:30 GMT

Need a Business License
for Your Art Fair
or Craft Show Booth?

Have you read:
License Requirements for Art and Craft Show Businesses

Starting Your Art of Craft Business-Legal Requirements to Start Your Business

I also found these answers:
Do You Need a Business License to Sell Crafts?

I want to sell crafts at a craft fair. How do I get a tax id?

How Your Art or Craft Business Is Like Playing Facebook Games

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:06:32 GMT

How Your Art or Craft Business
Is Like Playing Facebook Games

I admit it! I’m addicted to Sorority Life on Facebook. It's a game where you do things like the girls in a sorority would. You must add a certain number of new friends every level or you are bound to be beat. You send your friends gifts and vote for them etc.

What does this have to do with my art or craft show booth?

You only have so many friends you can invite each day. You need to add that many or suffer the consequences. Many people that you invite will not be interested in playing the game with you. A large percentage of people you invite will not respond at all and many will not respond right away. Like your craft show customers!

It is important to contact the people most likely to buy your craft. The more people you contact who are interested in buying your product each day the more chances you have of finding people that will buy the most handmade art from you. Contact people who truly aren’t interested and you waste time and money.

Contact a certain number of the prospects you (should have) collected at your last art or craft show each day. Remind them gently who you are. Offer them useful-useful to them, not to you-information about your handmade craft or service. Offer an incentive to buy right now for instance a coupon that is good for a limited time.

The people who aren’t prepared to buy your art or craft right away will appreciate the reminder they still planned on buying your merchandise. Contact them when they are ready and they are likely to become buyers. Forget to contact them and when they are ready to buy they might buy from your competition.

Like your friends in Sorority Life your craft show customer enjoys receiving gifts. Gifts make them feel appreciated and help them trust you. Gifts can be small things like discounts, buy one get one xx% off, or a free newsletter or information about the product they bought.

Be aware of customers rights when collecting contact information. Ask customers permission to add them to your mailing list. Let them know the valuable information you will be sending. Don’t ask and just like in sorority life you will be banned from sending messages to them.

The friends you add in Sorority Life also often add you as a Facebook friend and if done respectfully you might find some new prospects and customers there for your craft business.

What have you learned about marketing from the games you play?

How Do Social Media Sites Help You Research Art and Craft Trends?

Fri, 18 May 2012 20:01:58 GMT

Research Art Trends Using Social Media

Wondered what arts and crafts are selling well at craft fairs this year? Need to know what colors are in style this season? Want to know if one neckline is more popular now than another, for your jewelry or clothing festival booth?

Facebook and Pinterest can help.

They have derived ways to make people tell them exactly what they like. With some research on your part on Facebook or Pinterest you can also know what crafts people like. Using insight on who exactly is your target market you can even narrow your research to just them so you know exactly what crafts your target market does and doesn't like.

It can be as easy as asking your Facebook friends or followers to share pictures of their favorite sweater, favorite color or clothing style and asking why it is their favorite.

Another way to know whats trendy this season is do a search. Search for popular styles, stylish women's clothing and look at what people are saying about what's in and out.

Create your own boards or posts. Invite people to comment on which color, style, pattern they would prefer. It gets your followers interested, allows you to know them better and provide for their needs.

This comes in handy when creating handcrafted works of art knowing which colors, styles, pattern and stitches are popular this season.

Create Crafts That Will Sell

Say you create handcrafted home decor items for the kitchen and want to sell them to friends and then spread outward from there. Look at your friends boards on Pinterest, many of them will have boards labled for the home, my dream home, my dream kitchen etc. A glance will tell you if your friends styles are country, elegant, formal, informal and what colors they are drawn to. Some will even pin color combinations that they like together.

Now you know if you should create pot holders that are simple elegant colors or cute and country. You already have a good idea of exactly who they appeal to.

Have you read How Your Art or Craft Business Is Like Playing Facebook Games or Is Facebook and Social Media Selling Art?

Do you use Facebook or Pinterest to research the popular and not so popular trends?

Is Facebook and Social Media Selling Art?

Wed, 16 May 2012 20:28:24 GMT

Is Facebook and Social Media Selling Art?

Social media is working for my art business but...

I have gone to where my customers (artists and crafters) are on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. and that is where I post.

Search keywords related to your product in the Facebook search box.

Want to know how many people like fine art? Type in fine art in the Facebook search box and go to fine arts-interests.

Check out your competitions pages from the search above. See what they are posting and where, visit businesses that sell art or crafts like yours and see what they are doing, where they are selling (for how much), what they are saying and where.

Try putting some posts in some of those places and see what happens. Knowing where my customers were looking for information has greatly increased my businesses exposure and profits.

What do you think?

Entry 6 of 6 in the series Social Media Networking for Artists and Crafters. Other entries in the series are:
Use LinkedIn to Build Your Art or Craft Show Business
How to Setup Your Art or Craft Show Booth Facebook Business Page
How Your Facebook Page Helps Your Art or Craft Business Know Who Your Customers Are

Craft Show Booth Display Ideas

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Inexpensive Craft Show Booth Display Ideas

I found these inexpensive craft show booth displays ideas while researching my blog. I thought you might want to see them.

http://blah-to-tada.blogspot.com/2012/04/more-craft-fair-ideas.html

Thanks blah to TADA! for sharing.

Great Organizational Ideas for Art & Craft Supplies

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:08:00 GMT

Great Organizational Ideas for Art & Craft Supplies

I was looking for Blogs to comment on, link to, write guest articles for etc.

I found this post on organization of art and craft supplies.

http://pixiepaperarts.blogspot.com/2008/06/show-tell-sunday.html

Hope it helps you get some ideas for organizing your art & crafts.

The Big One Art & Craft Fair Fargo, ND

Mon, 07 May 2012 15:46:01 GMT

The Big One Art & Craft Fair
Fargo, North Dakota

Don’t forget to to visit the The Big One Art & Craft Fair in Fargo, North Dakota this Oct. 20 & 21, 2012. Also reserve your booths for the shows in Minot, ND on Nov. 2 & 3, 2012 and Apr. 5 & 6, 2013.

Handcrafted arts and crafts festival vendors contact Stacy or Lisa Frank at 701-837-6059 to reserve your show booth now. Remember to tell them thank you for listing their show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in North Dakota each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

Places to Sell Handmade Arts and Crafts Online and Off

Fri, 04 May 2012 15:32:00 GMT

Places to Sell Handmade Arts and Crafts Online and Off

Where do you sell your hand-crafted arts and crafts?

Do you sell crafts online at places like Etsy, Artfire, Ebay or have your own website?

Do you sell your crafts at art and crafts shows, fairs, festivals, bazaars, boutiques? Do you license your art to companies or sell it in specialty shops like gift stores?

Places to sell your works of art include:

art fairs, festivals, craft shows, bazaars and boutiques, flea markets (not a good choice for higher priced crafts), antique markets
local restaurant and hotel lobbies
local gas stations
small hometown grocery stores
libraries
gift shops, visitors centers, and other tourism sites
specialty stores including Bridal shops, flower shops, salons
Online places like Etsy, Artfire and more. Read this great list of places to sell crafts online. This article tells you about them http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/10/29-places-sell-handmade-creations.html.

Where do you sell your arts and crafts? What places have the best results for you?

Shasta McLaughlin is a lifelong artist and crafter. She has attended craft shows as a vendor and produced them. Her life has been dedicated to improving her families living conditions through building her business. She believes all problems have a solution that can be found through greater creativity. Her goal is to share with you the things she has learned, to give people greater confidence in their abilities to provide for themselves, to improve the world one crafter at a time. Visit her website The Extravaganza Craft Productions at www.extravaganzacrafts.net.

How to Do Live Demonstrations at Art Festivals

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:45:00 GMT

How to Do Live Demonstrations at Art Festivals

Want to do craft demonstrations in your art festival booth but...

Don't have a helper to watch your booth and sell your crafts while you do them?

Veronica Campos-Hallstrom of one of my LinkedIn groups shared this tip and gave us permission to share it with you.

She said, "To take the place of live demonstrations, I use a digital photo frame, a photo book, and displayed photos of me at work for "proof" that it is actually me as the artist creating. You can show a step-by-step process in those means without loading up all the needed materials.

Depending on the space, I do also display a newspaper feature article so that locals can further connect my face with my art and read details about my art for themselves if I am engaged with someone else at the time they are interested in looking or speaking."

I think this is a great idea or you could take your laptop and play a YouTube video of you making your craft or a Power Point of you making them.

Also Read Karen's tip Crafts That Sell-Selling Customized Arts and Crafts and Holly's tip How Giveaways Sell Arts and Crafts.

Please thank Veronica for sharing this great tip with us by visiting her sites below:
Hand-crafted beads created by hand in clay and glass. Art That Sets You Apart.
One-of-a-kind beaded jewelry and home decor items.
Club Creative Studio Blog- Learn About Creativity
Follow the artist as Veronica interacts and shares information about her unique beaded art on Facebook

Are You Pricing Your Original Art Too Low?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:26:11 GMT

Are You Pricing
Your Original Art Too Low?

Price your original art too low-You are doing yourself and others a huge disservice.

Pricing handmade crafts too low implies low quality decreasing sales. Don't wrongly assume if you sell crafts for what they are worth you wouldn't sell any.

What happens is you sell less works of art at greater profits making more on each piece driving up profits on your craft business overall.

Find customers willing to pay that price and sell to them again and again. They expect to pay these prices, value your art and are more likely to share your handmade crafts with others raving about how great they are. Customers who just want the best deal will never give referrals. They don't spend time on referrals.

Read How to Price My Art or Craft Show Product for a formula to know if you are pricing your original works of art too low.

We found some artisans are charging prices we thought were outrageous for some crafts yet they were getting their price more readily than those charging much lower prices. Our curiosity got the better of us so we are doing a survey of artists and crafters pricing strategies. Please participate in our Pricing Survey for Handcrafted Goods by clicking here.

If you are charging the correct price what are you doing after the sale? When you have a customer buying handmade art, what do you do at that moment with that customer? What do you do after the sale is over, do you do something to keep that customer involved in and coming back for another purchase in the near future?

Books On Pricing Handmade Crafts

Simple Inexpensive Ways to Collect Art Festival Customers Contact Information

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:16:00 GMT

Simple Inexpensive Ways to Collect Art Festival Customers Contact Information

Are you collecting contact information of people who buy your one of a kind works of art, why not?

Collecting customers contact information is simple and makes it easier to make sales increasing profits.

Here's how:

Use duplicate receipts. Ask customers if they want to be added to your mailing list as you complete their purchase.

Write the information you need on the receipt like their email and mailing address. Record on receipt if they want to be added to your list.

Keep one copy of receipt, give them the other. Use labels or stamps include your phone number, and links to your Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter on their copy of the receipt.
Have a guest book in your art festival booth that tells them what they are signing up for and an incentive to sign up. A sign on the guest book should say, "Sign up for our mailing list. Receive important information regarding use and care of our products, specials, discounts, and sales, and a 10% discount for first time purchases."
Your first email should include the coupon for the 10% discount.
Sign up customers who bought your handmade crafts, include ways for them to opt out.

Trusted Email Marketing
and Online Surveys

Have a purpose for emails include calls to action.

Send lists useful, relevant, and important information to keep them engaged.

Follow the Can-Am Spam Act include your company name, address, phone, website, and email address in each one.

Use programs like AutoWebBusiness, Constant Contact and Streamsend to send emails.

Need to Contact Your Customers By Email
Why Add Art and Craft Buyers to Mailing Lists
How to Add Art and Craft Buyers to Mailing Lists
How to Email Your Craft Show Booth Customers
Reasons to Stay in Touch With Your Craft Show Customer

Get Jewelry Buyers to Purchase at Craft Shows

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:33:00 GMT

Get Jewelry Buyers to Purchase at Craft Shows

Found this fun idea for getting customers to buy jewelry (or any art or craft) at craft shows.

How to Get Your Jewelry Customer Buy at Craft Show Event.

Thank you Ooh-la-la Beadtique for sharing such a fun idea!

Also read Do Sales and Discounts Hurt Craft Show Sales? and 5 Places to Market & Display Your Handmade Jewelry for Free

How do you get your customers excited about buying?

Public Art Opportunity -Missoula Montana

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:24:00 GMT

Artists in Montana, Idaho, Oregen, Washington and Wyoming-Missoula Public Art committee is looking for artwork for their parking garage.

Previous proposals either had various maintenance or security problems or were too small in scale for the size of the building.

Be sure that the proposals you submit are in scale with the size of the project and that they would be less likely to be subject to vandalism.

To be notified when the city's Public Art Committee is accepting proposals for public art pieces in Missoula visit http://mt-missoula.civicplus.com/list.aspx?Mode=Subscribe#bids.

Thanks Kim Hurtle of Montana Arts Council for sharing this with us.

Why Add Art and Craft Buyers to Mailing Lists

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:22:39 GMT

Why Add Art and Craft Buyers
to Mailing Lists

Are you collecting the contact information of the people who enter your Art Festival booth and buy your one of a kind works of art? If no, why not?

Collecting a customers contact information is simple and makes it so much easier to make sales increasing profits greatly. Why?

Well let's start with the fact that the person who just bought from you has told you that they like and want your product, trust your service, and are willing to spend their hard earned money with you.

Customers who've already bought from you have the money (and desire) to buy them. This insulates your craft sales from changes in the economy, costs of entering your favorite high quality craft shows, and new competition in the market place.

Also read How to Add Art and Craft Buyers to Mailing Lists and Simple Inexpensive Ways to Collect Your Customers Contact Information.

I started The Extravaganza Craft News without this knowledge and I spent most of my time chasing new customers. I struggled because I really didn't know who was interested in buying my products. I felt like a dog chasing my tail-going around and around in circles but never getting any results.

As I learned about marketing I found that you will spend more time and money always chasing new customers than you would if you just sold and resold to those who had already bought from you.

Now I'm focusing my time and attention on ways to get people to tell me they need my products and services and then sign them up for email marketing.

I send slightly different emails (designed to keep my current customers coming back) to people who have bought from me and the results have been much better profits and less work.

Art Fair and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

18 Things to Add to Your 30 Day Plan to Greater Craft Show Profitability

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:02:42 GMT

18 Things to Add to Your 30 Day Plan
to Greater Craft Show Profitability

I’ve told you the things I did on My 30 Day Plan to Greater Profitability and I promised that I would let you know some things you can do to increase the profits your art or craft show business receives.

Draw a marketing map that shows how the people you meet at craft shows are going to move from cold contacts, to warm prospects, to hot buyers. Include on your marketing map all of your sales tools including your craft show booth, your fliers, business cards, website, blog, social networking, advertising, and more.
Make sure each sales tool mentioned above (and any others you use) moves your customer through a process that leads to them buying your art or craft.
Get a website. Click here for easy instructions on how to build a website.
Get your website search engine optimized.
Arrange to take credit cards.
Offer a payment plan.
Get email marketing (auto-responders). See my post on following up with your customers by clicking here.
Create emails for your current customers. Remember to follow the Can-Am Act for email. Send your customers useful relevant information. You want this to help your business reputation not hurt it.
Create emails for your warm prospects.
Create emails for your cold contacts.
Sign up your customers to the proper groups above. Ask permission before signing up people for your emails.
Check if your business cards, fliers, etc. look professional and are updated. Be certain they have current contact information. Make sure they mention your website if you have one.
Collect names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of the people who are interested in your product. Ask if they would like to be signed up for your emails.
Sign up for Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Fast Pitch Networking or many others. Let your customers and prospects know they can follow you there. Post regularly.
Create a blog. Post regularly. Mention your social networking sites and your website often.
Make sure your posts to your blog automatically post to your social networking sites.
Pick up the phone and call a customer that you haven’t heard from in a while. Renew your relationship with them. Tell them the news from your business. Offer to send them free information or ask if they would like to sign up for your newsletters.
Send an email to customers that haven’t bought in a while. Renew your relationship with them.

How to Add Art and Craft Buyers To Mailing Lists

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:01:15 GMT

How to Add Art and Craft Buyers
To Mailing Lists

First read Why Add Art and Craft Buyers to Mailing Lists.

Collect Art Buyers Contact Information

Decide what information you need to mail and email your customers useful information that will encourage them to buy your one of kind handcrafted art work. Information that is generally collected includes:

First Name
Last Name
Address
City
State
Zip Code
Phone Number
Email Address
Birth Date

The more information you try to collect at one time the less likely your customer will be to give you any information at all. Try to collect small bits of information at a time but...

collect information that makes sense together all at once. For instance mailing address, city, state and zip code. It wouldn't make sense to ask for the street address and not get the other information.

Begin to collect your customers contact information. Read Simple Inexpensive Ways to Collect Your Customers Contact Information.

A database program will make it simpler to mail your customers. Many people use a spreadsheet program like (Microsoft Excel) and that will work but may have some flaws that could cause you hassels as your database and needs grow.

I'm using Microsoft Excel successfully for now.

Don't have money for expensive database software or Microsoft Excel? It's free to download Open Office (which includes a database, word processing, a spreadsheet, a simple graphics program, a power point like program, and more at http://www.openoffice.org/.

All that is left to do is create mailings or emails sharing valuable information (valuable to them-not you) with customers about your handmade crafts. Merge their information into the mailings or use it to print address labels and send.

Need to see examples of email messages that give your customers valuable information? Visit http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net, on the right it says Get 6 Articles Free put your email address in that box and hit Sign Up. You will receive my marketing emails, including 6 articles that will help you make your art festival or craft show booth more profitable, some bonus articles etc. Don't forget to think about how you can make your emails valuable to your customers! Comment below and let me know how I can make my emails more relevant to you.

Art and Craft Show Booth Display Pictures

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:41:38 GMT

Art and Craft Show Booth Display Pictures

Looking for photos of art and craft show booth displays as inspiration for craft show booths?

Flickr has many art and craft show booth pictures. View them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/37771513@N02/favorites/.

I haven’t included copyrighted art show booth pictures or merchandise.

Search these keywords for art and craft show booths pictures:

handmade
arts market
arts & crafts
holiday craft show
holiday
art
show booth
show booth ideas

art show
craft show
farmer’s market
market
craft
indie craft fair
show booth display
show booth pictures

Get your craft show booth featured on our blog with links back to your sites, social marketing and more? Read Show Off Your Craft Show Display to find out how.

For more ideas on displaying your arts and crafts visit Craft Show Booth Display Ideas and Craft show display and art fair booth pictures on Pinterest. http://pinterest.com/craftshowextra/craft-show-booths/

Build a beautiful 3 Tiered Craft Show Display Tray.

Interview with Artisan Blacksmith David Robertson

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:10:29 GMT

Interview with Artisan Blacksmith
David Robertson

Interview with artisan blacksmith David Robertson
www.artistblacksmith.com

Shasta: Tell us a little bit about yourself i.e. how old you are? Where you grew up etc.?
David: I grew up just outside of Hamilton Ontario Canada and I turned 44 this year. Once you get into your 40′s time seems to pass pretty fast.

Shasta: How long have you been doing arts and crafts?
David: Ever since I was a kid I have worked with my hands. Most kids do crafts but mine quickly escalated into wood working with the available hand tools, electronics, and making rustic clothing. Very diversified interests.

I could often be found modifying something I had bought to make it work just the way I wanted.

I finally opened my business in 1987.

Shasta: How did you get started?
David: As you can see I have always enjoyed working with my hands. One day I was in a tourist town just being a tourist, and stopped in an artistic blacksmith’s shop. He was working on some project at the time but I was entranced with the fire and the ease of manipulating the metal when it was hot. I watched for several hours fascinated.

When it was time to leave I saw that he gave classes so I signed up for his basic course. That was followed by his intermediate course, then I ended up working for him.

At the time I was going to university to become a geological engineer, but working for the blacksmith to pay my way.

When I got my degree there were not a lot of jobs in my field where I lived but I still needed to pay my bills. The part time blacksmithing became a full time occupation. A sink or swim situation. Fortunately starting part time I had narrowed down some selling products, and some craft shows that paid well for me.

Shasta: What products do you make?
David: Artistic blacksmithing is not your average craft. It takes a number of years to acquire the skills and tools to create really interesting work. The good news was I could make simple low cost items, and these are ideal for craft fairs and markets.

When I started I made 100′s of hooks and candle holders. These were my bread and butter items. In essence these were simple rods of steel shaped and forged a bit then bent into the required shape. Very functional and more esthically pleasing than what you buy from the hardware store.

Think of one man mass production.

Over the years my skills and markets evolved. I still produce some hooks and similar items but now I do more sculptural art pieces and home furnishings, and custom window grills.

Shasta: What types of shows do you find work best for selling your product?
David: There are three types of shows that work well for me.

The first is the common “juried” art and craft show. Juried is in quotes because I have found the non-juried shows pulled in a buying crowd that really didn’t want to spend the money for hand crafted items. In a juried show I at least stood a chance of not being set up beside someone who is importing their product.

Some juried art and craft shows were better than others. A lot depended on location and the education level of the people attending the show. I also use this type of show to advertise for my custom work and the blacksmith classes I teach. Usually lots of people through, giving maximum exposure.

This type of show was for not only targeting immediate sales but future sales. A cheap form of advertising and make money at the same time.

The second type of show I use is a wholesale trade show. For me this is the most enjoyable show to do. I only take sample products and only store owners are allowed to attend. These are well educated people who know exactly what will fit in their store. They don’t waste your time.

Qualified store owners order my product months ahead of time from my samples at the show. I take my orders home make the products ship them out. 30 days later the store sends me a check (called net 30). I don’t have to deal with retail customers have a huge inventory of stock and be constantly looking for new shows to do.

There is one day to set up and a day to tear down. I don’t have to do a show every weekend.

The third type of show I do is the high end art or designer show. This is completely different than the other shows. I take only a couple of high end art pieces. This show is not about sales. It is all about handing out business cards. Or now in some cases portfolios on CD’s.

Virtually no sales are made at this type of show. It is all about the contacts. Galleries, designers, architects, and knowledgeable end use customers. Things are discussed in abstract terms, such as can you do such and such. When can you complete this project. It is a lot of fun but there is a good deal of pressure to be polished and not how I am in the workshop.

Shasta: Tell us some of the other avenues you use to market your crafts for instance internet, gift and specialty stores, catalogs etc.
David: The internet has had a huge impact on my business. For literaly pennies you can have 24/7/365 advertising. The down side is there is a steep learning curve and the computer will use up a huge amount of time at first.

I strongly recommend to every craft person that they have a webpage. One that they pay for and either set up themselves or have someone build, not a free one. The most common question I use to be asked at shows was “Do you make all this your self?” Now the most common question “Do you have a web page?”

What do we commonly do, when we want something or want to learn about something. The first thing typically is hop on the internet and go to google and type in what we are searching. I am guessing that if a person has internet access this is what they do first 99.9% of the time.

So if your craft page comes up in the search listings boom you are right in front of a potential customer. This customer could be anywhere in the world. Don’t be afraid of shipping things outside your country. It increases your market potential hugely.

Ebay is another vast source of customers. Easy to set up and sell an item in a few minutes. You can even set up an online store through ebay for your craft. No shows, storefront overhead, less staff to pay, works for you 24/7. All kinds of plusses.

Shasta: If you don’t mind sharing how your income breaks down by percentages of income sources, in an average year.
David: That is a bit tricky and it has changed over the years. When I first started 90% of my income was directly through craft show retail sales. The other 10% was custom work that was generated at the craft shows. This was my only outlet and only advertising.

After a couple of years things shifted a bit. I took on the wholesale trade shows and dropped a number of smaller craft shows. The wholesale shows accounted for 40%, craft shows 20%, teaching blacksmithing, 30% and custom work 10%.

Now with the internet there is a new mix. 20% from wholesale shows, 80% income from the internet. See how important a website is. Of that 80%, 40% is for custom work, and 40% is related to teaching.

I do very few retail shows now.

Shasta: What tip do you feel has improved your business the most?
David: Learn html and build your own website. If you absolutely dread learning code (html is not that hard) hire a high school student with the html ability. A web presence is so important now.

Shasta: Tell us about the book you wrote and how it can help us improve our businesses.
David: I wrote How to Be Successful in Your Craft Business to help people recognize when to get help and what they can do by themselves. It is not at all about blacksmithing.

When I was just starting out I was on a shoe string budget for everything. Remember I had just finished university with a rather large debt, and many other commitments. Anything that cost money to do I usually shied away from.

This meant that I did everything with my business. Making the product was the work that actually paid, but I did the accounting, the photography, customer calling, advertising, product development…. the list goes on and on. Later I realized I would have made far more money (had I just done what I like the most, the smithing) if I had divided up these responsibilities and yes even paid for people to do them.

Over the years many good friends have helped me with suggestions from booth design to marketing principals to product suggestions. They just wanted to help out. This book is my way of giving back to the community. I do believe that you need to balance things in your life.

The book covers many of the mistakes I made as well as areas I would still recommend people tackle themselves. I detail the different selling options I have used, areas for advertising, accounting, show planning, collecting overdue accounts, and much more. It is really the nut and bolts of everything that I didn’t get paid for. The whole running of my craft business.

How to Be Successful in Your Craft Business is equally applicable for someone doing stained glass, stuffed teddy bears, or blacksmithing.

I am hoping to help a few people save their time and headaches by giving them my insights from over 20 years in this business.

Shasta: As I said feel free to tell us anything else that you think is pertinent.
David: Any sort of craft business is not the easiest business to be in. It is directly tied to disposable income. It can be profitable but there is often more behind the scenes work, than what you do that actually pays your bills. Many of us start our craft business for a love of the work. Taking a few moments every now and then to remember what inspired us in the first place helps keep our craft fresh.

David Robertson is an Artist Blacksmith who has been working in the craft industry for over 20 years. He makes his living creating sculptural art work and teaching.

Help Fund A Project to Help Wisconsin Artists Thrive

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 04:37:30 GMT

Meet Matt & Tonja Sell who plan to convert a two story Quonset building into an artist's gallery & workshop.

Matt & Tonja are working artists who teach classes for adults and children in their community. They hope to fill a need by offering free art classes to area children affected by cuts in the arts programs at school.

With experience in architecture, building a business and raising children this is an advernturous couple.

The new studio space will allow for equipment for a variety of mediums that wouldn't be available locally otherwise including ceramic kilns & glass working equipment, metal forge and more.

Learn more about Tonja in these online interviews Ten Minutes with Artist Tonja Sell Part 1, Ten Minutes with Artist Tonja Sell Part 2

Tonja and Matt expect the project to need $12,000 start up costs and are offering lots of great items for your pledges.

See their Kickstarter project and help fund their project.

7 Ways to Protect Your Art and Craft Show Investment

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:21:11 GMT

Today while working on my site I came across this information that will help artists and crafters be more aware of tactics thieves use when stealing our one of a kind works of art.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_jersey&id=8520395

Some tips to help keep your art fair or craft show booth secure:

Be aware of what's going on around you.
An open safe is as good as no safe at all.
Have someone you trust with you in your booth at all times.
Have two adults make bank deposits during the show. Have them carry pepper spray.
It's better to give them the merchandise or money than to be killed if someone threatens to harm you. Give them what they want and call the police when they are gone.
Don't leave large amounts of money where it's visible.
Showing alone. Ask a vendor nearby to watch your booth while you unpack, pack and eat etc. Offer them a small piece of merchandise and to watch their items when they need.

Read "Put Down that Book!" & 7 More Tips for Interacting with Craft Fair Customers for more tips on ways you can interact with your customer increasing sales and reducing theft.

How to Get Art and Craft Vendors to My Show

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:41:00 GMT

How to Get Art and Craft
Vendors to My Show

There are several ways to advertise your art and craft event to vendors. Find the most effective ways and stick with them. Test and record results of your advertising to know what was most effective.

The best advertising reaches your target audience. Your target audience is artists and crafters who sell handmade crafts at art and craft shows, advertise where they are most likely to see it.

Places artists and crafters look for craft show listings include (but are not limited to) Art and Craft Show Publications, local Chambers of Commerce, visitors centers, fairgrounds and events centers, bulletin boards, the internet, newspapers, radio, and TV. Have a successful art show already? Maintain a mailing list. Art and craft vendors ask other artists and crafters at events they are attending if they know of other great shows.

Art and Craft Publications
Art and craft publications are known as craft fair guides, art and craft show listings, and event calendars. Search the internet using the right keywords and you will find many. Craft publications contain many listings of art and craft shows. They usually contain advertising for event insurance, outdoor canopies for shows, displays, and art and craft supplies. They might cover a specified area such as one state, several states, a region, or the nation. Some will contain hints and tips, checklists, book and product reviews, craft show booth display ideas, etc.

Now for a quick message from our sponsor, smile:
My favorite artists newsletter, The Extravaganza Craft News, covers Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota. List your show now to rent more art festival booths.

Places Artists and Crafters Look for Art Events
Local places artists and crafters look for events include the Chamber of Commerce, visitors centers, civic centers, fairgrounds and events centers, any where art and craft shows are held. Ask when booking your event if they will include your event on a calendar of upcoming events. Be sure they inform their employees of your upcoming event so they will be ready to refer artists and crafters your way.

Bulletin Boards
Artists and crafters check bulletin boards in grocery stores, gas stations, art and craft stores, on college campuses, in salons, at local restaurants, and many other businesses.

Hang posters, postcards, or business cards on bulletin boards everywhere you go. Be sure advertising has a headline guaranteed to get the attention of artists and crafters who want to sell their merchandise. Don’t forget the basics-date and time for your show and a way to contact you including (at least) your name and phone number.

The Internet
The internet is a great resource and you don’t have to spend a fortune on a webpage or web designer anymore. You can buy a website and everything you need to run it for under $100/year. Get one that has a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get editor) so you can design and run it yourself or hire someone to run it for you. A website is a great place to tell artists, crafters, and customers about your upcoming shows, and to upload your applications. Need simple instructions for building a webpage visit Build a Website.

Newspapers
The problem with advertising anything in newspapers is reaching your target audience. Reaching thousands of people who don’t sell their art and crafts at shows probably won’t help your business as much as reaching 100 people who do.

Newspapers have resources other than paid ads. Call the paper and ask about their policy for press releases, people in business, guest written articles, and calls to artists and crafters. Ask who you send them to and the correct address. Send a press release and call to artists to many local newspapers. The free resources will probably benefit your business more than paid advertising at this time, but if they won’t run your articles ask if they offer a deal on paid advertising with submissions.

Ask if they have a (printed/online) calendar of events and how soon your event will begin appearing on it. Don’t forget your contact information.

Press releases are informational articles sent to the newspaper. They inform the public of events (art festivals, craft shows, bazaars, musuem openings, and so much more) happening in the area. They are free and printed in publications as space allows (so send yours early and often). Learn more about press releases at Press Releases for Art Festivals and Craft Shows.

Radio and TV
Radio stations often offer a discount on large numbers of ads. Ask them if they can offer you a deal if you order ads now to advertise to artists and crafters and again later to advertise to customers. They also offer package deals for onsite advertising. Ask the radio station if they will sponsor your event and have their logo included on all your advertising.

I have never used TV advertising but I hear cable ads aren’t expensive and can be targetted to reach people in the area of your show. Ask a TV station if they might like to sponsor your event. Feature a happy artist or crafter in your ads looking for vendors.

Don’t ask more than one radio station, TV station, or newspaper to sponsor your event and ask them if they only work with specific people i.e. ABC Radio only works with XYZ News.

Mailing List
Tell crafters which publications they can find your listings in. Contact art and craft exhibitors who have attended your show in the past. Keep them happy and they are likely to return. Keep your list updated so you don’t waste money mailing to bad addresses.

Email autoresponders make it easy to stay in contact with vendors. I highly recommend you check out these companies if you don’t already have some kind of automated follow up/email system in place.

Streamsend Email Marketing
Constant Contact
AutoWebBusiness
AWeber

Word of Mouth
Many artisians still only hear about shows through word of mouth. Keep your vendors happy and they are likely to tell others only good things about your show.

List your show with The Extravaganza Craft News now!

Need to Know How To Stay In Touch With Art Festival Customers?
Simple Inexpensive Ways to Add Art Festival Customers Contact Information.

Art and Craft Supply Storage-Wire Cubes

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:35:49 GMT

Art and Craft Supply Storage-Wire Cubes

My adjustable shelves are really deep (18 inches) and my craft supplies are much smaller. Even 12 x 12 paper doesn’t use the space well. One thing really made the shelves much more versatile for me – Wire Storage Cubes!

Black Wire Cube
Storage Display

We found wire cubes at Target. They are the organize-it brand and they measure 14 in. square.

Wire grid for Wire Cube Storage

Certain colors were on sale get more than you will need. They are versatile and you can change the configurations (I’ll explain my configurations in a post tomorrow). Why have an extra set? They look much nicer if they are the same color (see example below).

Empty Wire Storage Cube

Do you think of big wire boxes when you thing of wire cube storage?

I use plastic zip ties, also known as plastic cable ties to make them into several more useful configurations.

Plastic Zip Ties

Purchase plastic zip ties at home improvement stores, store automotive departments or online. Use the almost clear color and the smallest size for this project. They are easy to use and inexpensive.

Get Extra Wire Cube
Plastic Connector Sets

See pictures of my wire storage cubes read My Art and Craft Supply Storage-Wire Cubes Part 1 and My Art and Craft Supply Storage-Wire Cubes Part 2

Selling Custom Arts and Crafts

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:40:00 GMT

Barbara Perelman of one of my LinkedIn groups had this great suggestion on how to sell custom arts and crafts on Etsy. I feel her suggestion could work any where you post your items for sale.

" I do 90% custom knitting. I don't think many people read shop policies.

What I do is post, say, a blanket that has been personalized. The title should say personalized or custom as should the tags and the description. In the description list how you would customize an item, give a link to your FB page that shows all your customized items that you have done. Use the pictures in your listing to show what you have done.

If you have small items that you repurpose see if you can get on a blog, use it as a give-away. I get a lot of traffic from that sort of thing.

Good Luck! - Barb "

Please thank Barb for her tip by visiting her sites:
www.blazingneedles.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/YORKnits

Also read Karen's tip Crafts That Sell-Selling Customized Arts and Crafts and Holly's tip How Giveaways Sell Arts and Crafts or Veronica's tip How to Do Live Demonstrations at Art Festivals

Reasons Your Art or Craft Business Needs Social Marketing

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:25:31 GMT

Reasons Your Art or Craft Business
Needs Social Marketing

The idea behind a blog (and other social media) for your handcrafted arts and crafts is if someone comes to your craft show booth or online craft store but isn't ready to buy for any reason such as they don't have money right now, planning for a future purchase or occasion, love your product but don't need it right now, or are just looking...

They follow you and you can continue to market to them. They have asked to follow you, meaning they want to receive your advertising and are more likely to purchase your handcrafted works of art.

It's also a way to keep your current customers engaged and coming back (they are easier to sell to than constantly looking for new customers).

5 Ways to Use Facebook to Sell More Arts and Crafts

Art Festival and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

How To Make Handcrafted Barefoot Sandals

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:16:00 GMT

I just found this fun tutorial for handcrafted Barefoot Sandals and I wanted to share it with all of you. I thought it might give jewelry artists some more ideas for their handcrafted jewelry.

Otherwise it's just plain fun for those of us who want to run around barefoot this summer.

Becoming a Better Art and Craft Salesman

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:59:44 GMT

You need to be a great salesman to make money selling arts and crafts. The problem is how do I become a great salesman without becoming the pushy salesman?

I have to admit I haven’t been the best example of a good art and craft salesman. Why, because I was always afraid of being too pushy. So, when I heard the word no I took it to mean no and I didn’t push the issue any further.

A good salesman of arts and crafts will have already contemplated all of the reasons someone would buy their product as well as the reasons someone wouldn’t buy.

They will already have answers ready to overcome the objections made by people considering buying their arts and crafts. They won’t take no personally and will simply see what they can do to gently persuade the customer to make the purchase, without being pushy.

So what are the reasons people should buy your art or craft?

high quality
price-affordable vs. good value for the money
handcrafted
great customer service
support local economy – local artist
help a good cause – charity

What are the reasons someone might not buy your handcrafted merchandise?

poor quality
price – not affordable or not a good value for the price
poor customer service
not ready to buy right now
not what customer is looking for -salesman needed to offer something else
salesman didn’t ask for the sale

So now you know why someone might buy your handcrafted art and you know why they might not. You are now prepared to offer the customer the sale several times through out the sales process and work to overcome their objections.

Also read 6 Reasons Your Art Festival Customer Won't Buy

What other objections do you face? How do you overcome these and other objections? What do you say when faced with these problems?

How to Know What Crafts Sell at Craft Shows

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:19:53 GMT

How to Know What Crafts
Sell at Craft Shows

Determining which handcrafted items will sell at craft shows is a hard process requiring research and testing.

Every craft show buyer will have their own experiences, styles, tastes, and needs. Other factors play roles in sales such as local economy, demographics of residents, other events happening in the area, etc…

How can you know if your art or craft will be a profitable business?

Determine if there is a market for the craft you’re making. Be sure there is a large enough market for your specific product not for a broader category that includes your product. For example…

While there is a large market for handcrafted jewelry each buyer of one of a kind (OOAK) jewelry has their own individual needs.

Not every jewelry buyer will buy EVERY kind of handmade jewelry.

Jewelry buyers have varied styles-Western, Oriental, Vintage, Classic, Contemporary, Magnetic, and more.

You will waste time and money trying to sell Vintage jewelry to every jewelry buyer. Unless you’re extremely talented and have unlimited time and resources you probably won’t be able to create OOAK jewelry for every style.

Making vintage jewelry, determine how many jewelry buyers are buying vintage creations and then determine where they go to buy it. Remember if they go to flea markets looking for vintage jewelry they will expect the price to reflect the “flea market idealism” which might make the product unprofitable. Yet if vintage jewelry buyers go to up scale, high end boutiques in a classy area, you might be able to make the same product very profitably.

How do you guarantee that the craft you sell will be profitable?

Do your research.
Choose a niche market. Choose a specific group of people to serve, meet a specific need they have.
- For instance: Meet the needs of women who buy handcrafted vintage jewelry, create and sell vintage jewelry. Don’t just create jewelry in general and try to sell it to vintage jewelry buyers or create vintage jewelry and try to sell it to everyone.
Verify that the niche market you choose has a large number of buyers and a small number of competitors providing that service.
Sell your product to the right people, in the right place, at the right time, and at the right price. Read How to Price My Art or Craft Show Product
Offer a complimentary upsell to every purchasing customer at a small discount.
Collect your customers contact information (with their permission of course) and continue to contact them regularly with relevant product information, discounts, services, your show schedule, etc. Also read How to Add Art and Craft Buyers to Your Mailing List

Don’t abuse this or you will do more damage to your business than good.

Another good resource is Ideas for Easy Crafts to Make & Sell at Home.

Share your tips. Which handmade items sell well at art fairs and craft festivals? Comment below.

Crafts that Sell-Selling Customized Crafts Online

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 15:11:00 GMT

Crafts that Sell-Selling Customized Crafts Online

Karen Hornsten of my LinkedIn group The Extavaganza Craft Productions shared this tip for listing customized crafts for sale in your Etsy shop.

"If you go to your Etsy shop settings you can Go to the left side and look for Options. Under the options tab be sure and check the two customize features and save these changes if it is noted to save. Then on your shop page it will list that you do customized work. Also, as Barbara stated, list an item that has been customized. Do you have a sale section on your shop main page? You could also have a customized section with a few items in it. I would try to offer a few pieces that are a little less expensive. And link your shop to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you haven't done so already. Good luck with your shop. It seems to be a never ending uphill ride. Success is measured in relevancy and search terms."

Please thank Karen for her tip by visiting her sites.
Facebook.com/gracelineshop
Gracelinepaperstudio.etsy.com
Twitter.com/#!/gracelinepaper

Also read:
Barbara's tip Selling Custom Arts and Crafts
Holly's tip How Giveaways Sell Arts and Crafts
Veronica's tip How to Do Live Demonstrations at Art Festivals

How Long Tail Keywords Sell Arts and Crafts

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:40:00 GMT

Have you used Google's Adwords keyword tool to find out what words people are using when they are searching to buy arts and crafts? https://adwords.google.com/o/Targeting/Explorer?__u=1000000000&__c=1000000000&ideaRequestType=KEYWORD_IDEAS#search.none

I visited an Etsy store and right clicked to view the source code which is what the search engines use to view your store. What I found is:

< meta name="keywords" content="fancy stone necklaces, wire wrapped pendants, hangings and suncatchers, stone bracelets, stone chain necklaces, men's collection" >

I typed those keywords into Google's Adwords Keyword tool and learned.

stone bracelets High 9,900 5,400
wire wrapped pendants Medium 2,900 1,900
fancy stone necklaces - - -
hangings and suncatchers - - -
stone chain necklaces - - -
men's collection - - -

So what this tells me is that the keywords stone bracelets has high competition (meaning many other people are using those keywords to sell their stone bracelets) but only receives 9,900 global monthly searches and only 5,400 local monthly searches not enough to support any business.

I didn't see the keywords metaphysical jewelry (which the owner of the site often uses to describe her jewelry). The results for metaphysical jewelry were High competition 590 global monthly searches and 390 local monthly searches.

The key to using Google Adwords and selling art online is finding long tail keywords that buyers use not browsers.

Browsers get online and start their research using general terms. If they are looking for jewelry they may search for the keywords "jewelry" then as they learn that what they really want is jewelry made of a certain element they add that word to the search. For instance if they want a semi-precious stone or silver, gold or a pearl. When they learn the specific name of that element their search gets even more specific. At this time they are probably using a 3-4 (sometimes not always) keyword phrase known as long tail keywords.

They are using keywords that specifically describe the product, they are now ready to buy. This is when we want them to visit our website, Etsy store, or Artfire.

Using general search terms like jewelry, jewellery or jewellry gets 13,600,000 global monthly searches but these people will generally not be prepared buyers and by the time they are prepared buyers they won't find your shop using these general keywords.

Very rarely is anyone going to find your site if you use keywords that people either aren't searching for or there aren't enough monthly searches for.

Keywords with high competition will mean that your site has to be highly optimized to be listed high enough on the search engines to rank.

The ideal keywords would have low competition, 10,000-100,000 local monthly searches, and describe your product exactly in 3 to 4 words.

All of the information above tells me either people aren't looking to buy metaphysical jewelry or the site owner hasn't zoomed in on the correct keywords people are searching for when they are looking to buy her product.

This information holds true whether you are selling on Etsy, Artfire, or your own website.

Learning where to place keywords is as important as using the correct keywords to optimize your site for both search engines and for your human visitors.

To receive a free 30 minute review of your site like the one above or to get help learning what keywords are best for your site and where to place them email me.

Hi Shasta,

I think of you so often. I hope your website, email and all are ok now and that you were able to restart everything ok. Hope everything is ok with the children and your family.

I want to thank you again for all the help you gave me in the fall even though a lot of the time I now feel like I am going under the radar screen with my shop. My sales are improving and I got over 3000 views in dec and made $800+. It was busy for a while. It got busy again last week for some reason and then now nothing.

I will need eventually to connect with you again to try to understand the shop stats etc. I am not sure how to track where people are coming from and what gets their attention.

Jeanne Costello of the Passionate Pearl

Do Sales and Discounts Hurt Craft Show Sales?

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 06:09:16 GMT

Do Sales and Discounts
Hurt Craft Show Sales?

Sales are tools in your tool box used correctly they will only help your craft show business, used incorrectly they can hurt.

Use sales to push undecided buyers into buying crafts. Does this hurt your art business?

The answer is based on many things:
Everyone loves a bargain

You get a sale you wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Take this opportunity to upsell and downsell.

Continue to market to this buyer.

Use sales to fill down times and seasons.

Sales increase the $$ amounts people spend when you take the opportunity to upsell, downsell and cross sell.

Discounts create cash flow for a business when there isn't any.

Sales can be used to celebrate special occasions such as holidays, birthdays, special recognition, grand openings, or re-grand openings. Remember that by offering your customers a discount on their special day you make them feel special and like they are important to your business.

Sales can be designed to encourage customers to buy from our business the first time, become repeat buyers, get prospects to sign up for email marketing or social networking sites, or give us more information about themselves.

What do you think? Have you used sales and discounts? How did they work for you?

Get Jewelry Buyers to Buy at Craft Shows

How Giveaways Sell Arts and Crafts

Sewing Techniques for The Blind

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:49:00 GMT

I want to thank Heather and her home economics class (especially Rebecca) for sharing this very interesting resource.

Sewing Techniques for the Blind from National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska.

Singer Brilliance 6199 Sewing Machine Review

Advertising Art Festivals is Everybody’s Business

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:09:09 GMT

Advertising Art Festivals is Everybody’s Business

I struggled as craft show promoter figuring out the perfect mix of advertising for shows. Nothing is guaranteed with cable TV, internet, and satellite radio advertising has become more difficult. My advice to vendors and art festival promoters alike is this:

Advertising craft shows is everybody’s business.

Artists and crafters remember the more advertising promoters do, the more festival booths cost.

Vendors at my shows asked how they could help and decided they could help by telling everyone about the upcoming shows they attend.

Artists and crafters:

Create a flier on your computer with your upcoming art show schedule. Take show schedules everywhere to kids school, after school activities, lessons, work, church, and out to eat. Give interested people a copy of your show schedule. Ask restaurants, grocery stores, work and church to hang it on their bulletin board or lay it on an informational table or counter.

Use 30 vendors for an example:
30 vendors tell 10 people about a craft show=300 people know
30 vendors tell 50 people about an art show=1500 people know
30 vendors tell 100 people about an art festival=3000 people know

Write a press release to local newspapers. Press releases are free as space allows so write early as a few months before the art show and again just before the show. Tell about your handmade craft and what makes it unique. Send a copy of the schedule of your upcoming art shows.

Art festival promoters:

Make a four up flier (four ads to a page) mail or e-mail the flier to vendors as they sign up for your show. Suggest making copies and handing them out or hanging them everywhere they go. Send them early so artists and crafters have time to help promote your art festival and their craft show booth. I take the four up with me to activities etc. and talk to people about the show. I found new vendors this way and it has been well received.

Send press releases 8 weeks to show time, 4 weeks to show time, and every week after that.

Everyone use automated email systems, StreamSend Email Marketing, AutoWebBusiness.com, AWeber or Constant Contact to keep in touch with clients, let them know of your upcoming events, offer product information etc.

Show Off Your Craft Show Display

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 19:43:00 GMT

Show Off Your Craft Show Display

We are always being asked how to display different arts and crafts. We can't come up with a way to display every craft but we know you can.

Send us pictures of your art festival or craft show booth and pictures of your products displayed on them. Include instructions on how you built it.

If your display is chosen we will put together a blog post featuring your booth pictures and pictures of your products, instructions, and links to your Etsy, Artfire, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Pinterest.

Send us your links and pictures by email.

How Giveaways Sell Arts and Crafts

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:44:24 GMT

Holly Sennott creator of Kooky Critters had this great idea.

"I have a large FB fan following and it brings loads of traffic to my Etsy shop and my website. I have not tried Payvment yet, but will certainly check that out.

One thing that I have found effective in Facebook marketing is giveaways. I do my own little giveaway each month and also do larger giveaways on other pages (they must have 2000 fans or more). You can typically expect to gain 5 − 10% of their fans during a giveaway period. I just completed one last month and gained 500 fans from it!

This is how the give away works... I am approached by a business to enter the giveaway. I then check to be sure that they have a large fan base. I offer a small product of mine (typically a $5-10 item) for their event. I will also offer free shipping to US and Canada. People are then required to "like" my page in order for the chance to win it. When the giveaway is over, the organizer lets me know who won and I then mail it directly to them.

It only costs me between $5-10 dollars in total and I can gain 100+ fans. That seems like pretty inexpensive advertising to me.

You can go looking for giveaways to enter if you are not approached. It has really worked for me and I always get orders from participants who did not win. BUT, be choosy about which ones you enter, be sure that they are your target audience."

Please thank Holly for her tip by visiting her pages:
www.kookycritters.com
www.etsy.com/shop/kookycritters
kookycritters1@gmail.com

Pin It

Also See Barbara's tip Selling Custom Arts and Crafts
and Karen's tip Crafts That Sell-Selling Customized Arts and Crafts

Summerfest Art & Craft Show -Evergreen CO

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:50:40 GMT

Visit Summerfest in Evergreen, Colorado happening Jul. 21 & 22, 2012.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Becky Guy at 303-674-0056 to reserve your booth now. Please thank then for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Montana each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

Omak Western & Native Art Show -Omak WA

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:48:11 GMT

Visit Omak Western and Native Art Show in Omak, Washington happening Aug. 9 to 12, 2012.

Contact Ester Hinger at 509-422-2826 to reserve your booth for this Juried Art Show now. Please thank her for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

List your art and craft fairs in Washington in The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.net/promoter.

How Doing Arts and Crafts Makes You Healthier

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:40:00 GMT

I was going through some old information I had gathered for my business when I found this article on how doing arts and crafts makes people healthier. In this time of economic uncertainty and worry we could all use better health.

Other ways that arts and crafts make these times better for us all. They give us a job and income that only we control (job security). They also give our local economy a boost as the more money we make selling arts and crafts the more money our city, county, and state will have circulating in it. So buy local handcrafted items and enjoy selling them for your health.

Can Quilting Really Promote Good Health?

May 2005 – La Mesa, California – Around the world, there is an increasing awareness of the health benefits derived from participating in various forms of art.

In hospitals across the US, doctors, nurses and patients are discovering that participation in the arts – including quilting, dancing, listening to music, and working with beads, clay and collages – is beneficial to the healing process, and in staying healthy. As a matter of fact, last year more than 300 health and arts professionals gathered in Alexandria, Virginia for the 13th annual conference of the Society for the Arts in Healthcare (SAH). This group is slated to meet in Alberta, Canada in June 2005, and will combine its conference with Partners in Healthcare.

Stories abound of patients suffering from cancer, ALS, Diabetes and stress-related diseases, whose recovery has benefited tremendously from their participation in various forms of art. Once considered on the fringe of healthcare, the arts are being used by a growing number of healthcare institutions around the globe. Here in the US, the University of Washington Medical Center uses art in its entrance to create a friendly, welcoming environment and reduce the stress of actually walking in to their hospital. Quilts, paintings, sculpture and musicians scattered throughout the hospital continue the theme of relaxation and reflection through art.

Frequently patients are given directions to offices or labs with references to sculptures or the Healing Garden. Nurses are known for taking a piano break, and providing soothing live music in the corridors. Artists work with patients teaching them new art skills so the patients can express themselves creatively during their stay in the hospital.

And what’s the Quilting Connection?

The Society for the Arts in Healthcare sponsors the Healing Gardens Quilt Show, a collection of 27 quilts made by Northern Virginia Quilters. These quilts are currently on tour and available for members to display in their healthcare facility. Each quilt depicts a plant currently under study or being used as a potential source of cancer-fighting drugs. This display uses art to educate people about a healthcare issue.

While men and women find joy in making “happy” quilts – baby quilts, wedding quilts, graduation or friendship quilts – many find relief in making quilts that depict life’s tragedies such as divorce and death. A case in point is the AIDS quilt project which now contains more than 44,000 quilt panels; each panel memorializes the life of a person who died of AIDS.

And, if quilts and making quilts can be helpful in healing, won’t it be helpful in preventing illness?

It must! Advice from healthcare professionals around the world includes engaging in constructive, creative activities as well as contemplative activities. Quilting is all of that. During the planning and construction of a quilt, all of your contemplative and creative talents are tapped into. As a matter of fact, many quilters report that they get completely “lost” in their quilts time and time again, thereby providing relief from life’s stresses and promoting good health.

So, the next time your spouse or other family member asks you about your quiltmaking activities, just say “I’m doing it for my health!”

© 2005, Penny Halgren. Penny is a quilter of more than 24 years who hosts www.How-to-Quilt.com, Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters, and seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to have a positive learning experience.

Are Art and Craft Show Reviews Worth Their Weight in Gold?

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:23:12 GMT

Are Art and Craft Show Reviews
Worth Their Weight in Gold?

Attending an art fair a few years ago I visited with artists and crafters. We discussed if I should include art and craft show reviews in The Extravaganza Craft News.

The positive to artist and crafter show reviews is craft show vendors don’t get suckered into bad craft shows where the promoter is not doing their best to advertise.

Many factors affect if a craft vendor has a good show. Ranging from financial and emotional investment, what happened in their lives-before, on the way to, during, and after the art show, what they are selling, how they display their crafts, artist's marketing skills, their attitudes and actions in their craft show booth, to the purchasing habits of the customers at the show. Even the placement of your craft show booth and weather (too good or bad) affects sales at a show.

The artist who prompted the conversation pointed out crafters who know of really good shows wait years to get juried in. They don't want extra competition getting in, competing for sales so might not tell you everything they know about the show. Yet everyone who has ever experienced a bad craft show is quick to tell you about it.

Can you trust a craft show review? Use your best judgement. Reviews by someone selling merchandise similar to yours should be more valuable than those by someone whose product sells in a whole different category, but then again they are your competitor.

Compare the number of bad reviews to good, remember it’s impossible to please everyone all the time. Ask why people felt that way about the show and what factors played a part, while talking to crafters about shows. Consider the values and motives of sources when possible.

Attend art and craft shows as a customer before entering as a vendor. Look closely at the number of people attending, look at what booths are busy, what is selling, how much money is being spent. See if the set-up allows for proper flow of traffic to all the booths if booths in one area of the show are making lots of sales while others aren’t. Is your most likely customer in attendance, are people buying products the same style as yours and in your price range? How many competitors will there be in your category?

Remember while it is the promoters job to advertise the show, it is your job to advertise your product. How much better would every art and craft show be if, every vendor told 100 other people about the show?

What do you think are art and craft show reviews worth their weight in gold?

My 30 Day Plan to Greater Craft Show Profitability Review

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:17:00 GMT

Recently I’ve been working to make my business more profitable each and every day. Today it occurred to me that I should share with you how I plan to do that.

Week one I worked on catching up on left over unfinished projects from previous weeks to prepare for my 30 days of greater profitability. As usual I accomplished some of the things I intended to do, did some things I planned to do later early, and didn’t accomplish some of the plan.

Week two I learned new things about my email marketing to keep my messages from being flagged as spam. I joined a networking site I’ve been meaning to join for months when they ran a special I couldn’t pass up. I did a client consultation which was a new service for me. I blogged about what I was doing and I did all this while keeping up with requests for information about my business.

Week three I mailed coupons to show promoters, had a second client consultation, worked on Facebook profile and group pages. I created a profile on Fast Pitch Networking and added a few contacts there. I worked on cleaning out my email box, and signed up for a MySpace account, and I blogged about what I had done to make my business more profitable this week.

Week 4 what I had a new member join my Linked in account and contacted her right away with other places she could get more information. I found my friend that was already on MySpace and reconnected with her. I created an email I can send to all my customers and prospects reminding them that they can follow me on my blog, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and LinkedIn. I still need to finish formatting it and send it to everyone. I remembered to tell a client over the phone that they could follow me all these places. I also worked on creating my profile on Fast Pitch Networking and added a few contacts there. I blogged about my experience working toward greater profitability this week.

This last week while checking my email and cleaning out my inbox I made a horrible mistake and downloaded a malicious file. I spent the whole last week trying to back up my files so I can reformat my computer. I didn’t accomplish many of my goals except blogging about this weeks experience.

What I learned over this 30 days is that although I didn’t always accomplish everything I set out to do by having a goal every day and working toward it I did improve my business. I am confident that my business will be more profitable in the future because of the efforts that I made this month.

Next time I will blog about the many things you can include on your 30 day Plan to Greater Profitablility.

Entry 4 of 6 in the series My 30 Day Plan to Greater Profitability.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

How Working Together Multiplies Your Craft Show Sales

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:05:00 GMT

One day I was riding in my sisters car. The roads were slick and the car slid off the road into a deep snowbank. The car was very stuck and trying to drive it out did no good. Along came a car with 5 guys in it. They couldn’t pull the car out using their car. They all got out and stood at different points around my sisters car then lifted up her car and put it back on the road.

One guy couldn’t have lifted the car alone, but together the 5 of them easily moved it.

Business is like lifting heavy objects. Doing it alone it’s too heavy but with many people working toward the same goal it becomes light.

Craft businesses often go out of business before they even get a good start when business owners try to do it all alone. There is just too much work to do and too many things to learn for one person.

Have you noticed that KFC and A&W teamed up? Have you thought about why they would do that? I have.

KFC and A&W are in direct competition with each other.

They chose to work together because they share costs and reach a wider customer base.

They rent/own one building instead of two as well as sharing equipment.
KFC and A&W share advertising costs. They put out one ad with both chains specials mentioned.
They both use one set of employees rather than each company having to hire their own.
KFC and A&W foods compliment each other. You might want rootbeer and ice cream with your fried chicken and mashed potatoes. You might want fried chicken and mashed potatoes while your friend wants a coney dog and tator tots, and everyone wants a rootbeer float. Both companies get more sales by working together.

In the business world working together is called a Joint Venture (JV for short). Jeff Dedrick says doing a joint venture isn’t like if I would make $1000 selling jewelry and my friend would make $1000 selling hair bows that we would make $2000 together. He says that if I would make a $1000 working alone and she would make $1000 working alone it’s possible that we would make $5000 working together.

So how do you make joint ventures work for your art or craft show business?

Choose someone with similar products but not exactly the same.

Jewelry-Handbags-Accessories-Clothes-Other Types or styles of Jewelry-Makeup
Woodworking-Furniture-Home Decor-Pillows-Curtains-Florals-Pictures-Light Plate Covers-Wood Carvings
Pottery-Table cloths and place mats-Furniture-Florals
Body Care-Embroidered Towels-Bath Fixtures
Rugs-Furniture-Lamps-Curtains

Choose someone with a different style than yours if you choose a product that is very similar to yours. For instance two Asian jewelry artists can work together if one does very elaborate work and the other does only very fancy work. They would be able to offer products that closely match their target audience but would be able to offer a wider variety of price ranges, making more sales. Both jewelry artists would be experts in the same field and able to share information on the use and care of Asian jewelry.
Ask show promoters if it’s okay to share a booth or rent two booths next to each other and mix products.
Make an agreement to know each others products and to offer them equally if someone is looking for that item. Offer each others product as an upsell or downsell.
No one likes to work for nothing. Be honest with your partner and keep good records making sure they get paid for their items that sold.
Evaluate partnerships and adjust or discontinue as necessary

3 Easy Steps to Make Your Hand Crafted Website Sell More

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:46:15 GMT

I have had a website for just a few years now. When I created my own website I knew that websites existed, that if you were looking for one you could type in the address or you could search for keywords to find them. I must admit I was pretty good at finding what I was looking for on the internet to. However I knew nothing about how sites were created, that you needed a host and domain registration, let alone anything about HTML, PhP, CSS, XHTML, javascript or anything else needed to create a website. Beyond that I knew even less about how to make people able to find my site, and how to sell to them.

Despite my lack of knowledge I found a program for under $100 and created a website in less than a week. The first year my site was online, I made just enough money to cover the costs of having it there. I kept it, figuring those customers were more than I would have reached without it and that the repeat business from them would make it worth my time.

In the meantime I kept looking for ways to make my business more profitable. I don’t know how it happened but I came across the site of an Internet Marketer named Derek Gehl. I signed up for his free newsletter and began reading them. I figured, “What the hay?” it couldn’t hurt my business. What Derek said seemed to make a lot of sense and so I put a few of his tips to the test. They were working so when he offered a trial to Internet Entreprenuer Club for just a few dollars, I figured I would give it a try. Well to make a long story short they quadrupled my sales in the one month of the trial period. My business still wasn’t making enough to be able to afford staying with the club, but I tell you what, that was some of the best money I’ve ever spent on my business.

So on to the point of this message there were a few things that I was missing on my website. They were search engine optimization, search engine submission, and long sales copy a.k.a. a long sales letter.

Search engine optimization means that you use the right keywords for your customers to find your website and put them in the right places on your website. For instance in your domain name, page titles, headlines, and subheadlines, etc. Read How Long Tail Keywords Sell Arts and Crafts to learn more about SEO for your art and craft website.
Search engine submission means that you tell the search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN and thousands of others that your site exists and where to find it. You give them some basic information like your website title, description, and URL (which is just the address of your site). Then they list it, so that people looking for your keywords can find you.
Long sales copy also know as a long sales letter is usually the most effective way of giving your customer the information they need about your product so that they are more likely to buy from your site.

You can do as I’ve done and search the internet for the keywords which are in bold above and come up with some pretty good resources on how to make your site sell. You can also go to the library and look for books that will teach you how to do these things. I am sure that you will find quite a few.

You can also click on “How to Start Your Own Internet Buisness” below and have Derek Gehl and his team of experts help you along the way. I did and it was truly worth it!

How to Start Your Own Internet Business
Discover the “missing ingredient” that thousands of people with no technical know-how or Internet marketing experience have used to start their own moneymaking Internet businesses from scratch…

Art of Turning Lookers into Buyers at Craft Shows

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:51:06 GMT

Art of Turning Lookers into Buyers
at Craft Shows

Just as creating arts and crafts is an art, getting a looker to buyer at a show is an art. Encourage lookers to imagine themselves at home using or wearing your product.

Every person is bombarded with advertising/marketing materials for hundreds if not thousands of items every day. They may need or want handcrafted arts and crafts but don’t have time to sift through all the information they see to find the ones they need.

How do you bring customers who are most likely to buy your crafts into your festival booth?

Before Art and Craft Show

Send postcards to customers who’ve visited your craft show booth in the past. Offer a discount for bringing the postcard and a friend to the show.

AutoWebBusiness.com, Streamsend or Constant Contact are good ways to let customers know about upcoming events by email. I highly recommend you check out these companies if you don’t already have some kind of automated follow up/email system in place.

Craft Show Signage

Make signs visible from all sides of booth customers will approach from. It should be clean, in a clear font and tell the reader exactly what you have to offer them (not your business name).

For example:
If your product is baked goods your sign should say, “Delicious home made muffins, pies, candies, fudges, cakes, and cookies,” not Lacey’s.

Woodworking signs should say, “Woodturned pen and pencil sets, handcrafted wood utensils, unique wooden dishes, and original knotty pine picture frames,” not Jake’s Crafts.

A customer who has never seen your show booth before should know what you are selling before they arrive. By telling buyers exactly what you offer you remind customers interested in your product not to miss your booth from across the building.

Booth Layout and Traffic Flow

Consider the layout and traffic flow of your booth. Arrange your art and craft show booth so that customers can enter (and exit) easily where they will be approaching from. Is there enough room inside your booth that many customers can shop and move easily or will people feel trapped inside?

Selling large items or have a large variety of items to sell, ask the show promoter for an additional half (or whole) booth. You need plenty of space to display your handmade crafts properly and still have room for customers to move freely. You need a place for customers to make purchases that is out of the way of shoppers but where you can keep an eye on your investment.

Craft Show Booth Look and Feel

Your booth needs to complement your products. Use western style decor for western products, oriental style for oriental jewelry, if your make beach hats and bags you might use a beach cottage theme.

Color can add to or distract from your handcrafted art so choose colors carefully.

Customers become attached to items through their senses. They see something they like, touch it and feel the texture, and finally try it on. Part of turning a looker into a buyer is to encourage them to see themselves using or wearing the item.

Encourage this process through your craft show display by:

Selling wearables include a mirror in your display so customers can see what they look like wearing the item. Display hand crafted clothing and accessories in a way that encourages people to try them on.

Selling furniture or home decor display your items as though you were decorating your own home with them, so customers can imagine how the items would look in their own home.

The smell of food is one of it’s biggest selling points next to a sample of the product.

Display your handmade crafts with these things in mind and see your sales increase.

Make Money and Beat the Economy

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 01:37:09 GMT

Found this great article containing 6 Simple Tricks to Make Money and Beat the Economy when selling your arts and crafts.

How To Reduce Craft Show Costs

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:23:28 GMT

By Natalie Goyette

It’s not always easy. You have to be creative with how you pare your craft show costs down. That’s what I’m going to help you with. I think there are 4 main ways you can do this, without sacrificing the quality of your craft, nor affecting the overall sales.

1.) Buy in bulk – You do it for your groceries in order to save a few pennies, so why not on your craft supplies? If you are buying pipe cleaners (for example) and you only need 10, it might cost you $2 – because you are paying for nice packaging and the convenience of only purchasing 10. But, if you bought 100, in a dull cardboard box – you might pay $4. The individual cost for the first 10 is $.20 each; the individual cost for the 100 is a measly $.04. All of a sudden you have dropped your cost by $.16 cents on each craft. That’s smart business.

2.) Less frequent trips – We live in an instant gratification world. If we need something right now, we go and get it. It’s no different when you need a couple of things for a few crafts that are unfinished. We often take for granted that there is fuel in the vehicle and that we can travel across the city to the specialty craft store that carries our supplies. What we don’t realize is that each time we pull the vehicle out of the garage, it costs us money. If you are going to go out for just a couple of supplies, why not take stock of all of your craft supplies and see if you are near empty on a few other ones? By doing it all at once, you are going to save a great deal of time and money – reflected in your craft show business bottom line.

3.) Reduce and reuse – Reduce the amount of waste you create with your craft show items and you are most certainly going to cut down on the costs of producing them. Similarly, try to reuse some of the tools or supplies that have previously gone unused. Be creative – find ways to make a little go a lot further – without sacrificing quality for your crafts.

4.) Plan – If you take the first three steps and put them together, what do you have? That’s right – it is a craft show plan! By planning how, when and how much, you are going to give yourself a chance to make good decisions and reduce the cost of producing your crafts. Those without a plan are going buy less, spend more, travel more, and likely in the end waste more. That is not a way to run a successful business.

Each penny you can save when you are making your crafts is a penny that is back in your pocket. If you can reduce your costs by $1 for each craft, and you sell 100 crafts, that is $100 extra dollars in your jeans. All of a sudden, reducing costs seems well worth the work.

Natalie Goyette shows you how to make your craft show business profitable in her best selling ebook: Craft Show Success Secrets. Visit her site: Craft Shows

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Goyette

My Art and Craft Supply Storage-Wire Cubes

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:42:29 GMT

My Art and Craft Supply Storage
-Wire Cubes

Standard wire cubes divided vertically.

We were talking about how the wire cubes are nice if the things you need to put in them are 13 x 13 but most of us need some different configurations for our storage. I used plastic zip ties to add shelves to my wire cubes. While I was looking around the internet today I noticed that some sets of cubes come with clips to add shelves.

I divided my cubes into fourths, third, and even eighths by attaching a shelf to the grid on all 3 sides of it using the plastic zip ties. I also added little plastic drawers. The plastic drawers fit perfectly and add a lot of versatility to the shelves. Unfortunately I can’t remember where I got them.

Wire cubes divided every inch for 12 x 12 paper storage.

My Art and Craft Supply Storage-Wire Cubes

My Art and Craft Supply Storage-Wire Cubes Part 2

Booth Etiquette for Artists and Crafters

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:11:38 GMT

Art and Craft Show Booth Etiquette for Artists and Crafters

From the perspective of both a show promoter and artist one thing craft vendors at art and craft shows do that bothers me is not including the legs of their displays into the size of their booth.

Having legs of art festival displays sticking into the aisles and booths next to them is hard for show promoters, dangerous for customers and inconveniences craft show vendors in booths nearby. Show promoters are then pressed to find acceptable compromises for everyone.

Keeping all parts of your display in the footprint of your booth keeps everyone happy.

Also read Attending Craft Shows Isn't Just About Selling Arts and Crafts.

What is one thing other art & craft vendors do that tick you off at craft shows?

Ridgway Arts & Crafts Rendezvous -Ridgway CO

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:59:06 GMT

Don’t forget to to visit the Ridgway Arts & Crafts Rendezvous in Ridgway CO this Aug. 11 & 12, 2012.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Kentee Pasek at 970-318-0056 to reserve your booth now. Remember to tell her thank you for listing her show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Colorado each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

16 Great Tips to Increase Artists and Crafters Sales

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:51:00 GMT

I was out looking for great resources to share with you all and came across this article. It is written for #Indie crafters selling books but contains great tips that many artists and crafters can use to improve their sales.
Selling Your Wares: 16 Tabling Tips
http://nomediakings.org/books/selling_your_wares_16_tabling_tips_.html

Is Your Home Properly Zoned for Your Art or Craft Business

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:10:00 GMT

I just came across this article Making Sure You Have Proper Zoning For Your Art or Craft Business by Maire Loughran of about.com.

It's important to be sure that any building you do business in is properly zoned to avoid potential legal problems. I strongly suggest you read her article and check out your own zoning laws.

Also see:
Starting Your Art or Craft Business-Legal Requirements to Start Your Business
License Requirements for Art & Craft Businesses

Taste of Fort Collins -Fort Collins CO

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:19:04 GMT

Visit Taste of Fort Collins in Fort Collins, Colorado on Jun. 9 & 10, 2012.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Katie Schultze at 877-328-2783 to reserve your booth now. Please thank her for listing her show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in South Dakota each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

Traveling the Circuit-Improving Fuel Economy for Artists and Crafters

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:40:00 GMT

Traveling the Circuit
-Improving Fuel Economy for Artists and Crafters

High fuel prices affect profits of handcrafted art or craft businesses unless you adjust craft prices to account for them, either way someone pays the difference.

FuelEconomy.gov -Maintaining your vehicle for maximum fuel efficiency makes driving to craft shows cost less.

Keep craft show profits in your pockets:

Attending quality art and craft shows while visiting nearby friends and family makes the trip accomplish two purposes. Save receipts-it is a business trip which is a tax write off. Save money on hotels and food by staying with friends and family.

When traveling long distances to shows attend other art festivals on the way to and from the show. The more craft shows you attend increases the number of people who see your product and hopefully your sales. Reducing distance between events reduces the number of gallons of gas used per show. Spend less time driving from place to place, leaving more time to see sites and rest between shows. Keeping distances short between stops helps you plan ahead better. Don't look for hotels between 10pm and midnight when most are full. Make reservations in advance when rates are better saving money.

Do shows close to home. The closer to home the events you do are, the less money you spend on gas getting to them. Tie a string to a pin and place the pin in your city on the map. Use it to draw circles on the map at distances of 30 miles, 100 miles and 150 miles. Check out shows happening in the cities inside your circles. Where the population is dense you should be able to find quite a few shows happening. In areas where there aren’t a lot of shows happening consider starting one, pick up business cards of artists and crafters off of bulletin boards, at farmers’ markets, and at shows in the area. Contact them and ask if they would be interested in attending a show. Some of the most successful shows I’ve seen were held in a large back yard with 4-6 crafters participating.

Get a website. Some of you are probably afraid of computers and some don’t own one. Don’t let fear of technology stand in the way of profits. Many adult education classes offer the basics of computer usage. You don’t need to know special computer languages to create and maintain your own website anymore. My website cost me under $100/year and came with a what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) editor with great tutorials. Your website works 24/7 to sell your product and inform your customers. You can’t get a salesman as dedicated to selling handmade crafts for a better price. Include your website address on your business card. Give your card to everyone who purchases from you at events. Have them available to anyone who visits your booth. Use your website to inform customers about your crafts, where to find your one of a kind (OOAK) handmade crafts, and to sell your product between art and craft shows.

Create a mailing list. Ask customers permission to add them to your mailing list. Mail a postcard to customers in the area you will be doing shows letting them know where they can find you. Offer a discount for bringing the card and a friend to see you at the show. People who’ve already bought your crafts are more likely to buy your product than the average Joe. Staying in contact with them increases sales and profits.

Introduction to Artisan Blacksmith David Robertson

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:22:00 GMT

Introduction to Artisan Blacksmith David Robertson

David is a 44 year old blacksmith who grew up just outside Hamilton Ontario Canada. He has always been an artist who developed his talent for blacksmithing in college, and sold his work at shows to pay for school. He has had his own blacksmith business 20 plus years.

David wrote the book How to Be Successful in Your Craft Business which I can’t wait to buy for myself after reading this powerful interview.

David’s upcoming interview with us will share what types of shows work best for his product and a breakdown of what percentage of his income comes from which marketing efforts for example craft shows, trade shows, art shows, and the internet. This is must see information.

Bookmark this blog so you don’t miss the debut of the interview with David Robertson.

Art and Craft Group "Facebook Like" Exchanges on LinkedIn

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:49:13 GMT

Art and Craft Group
"Facebook Like"
Exchanges on LinkedIn

Leslie shared this tip on LinkedIn for "Facebook Like Exchanges" that are common in Art and Craft Groups. It's funny I had done this all over the internet and hadn't used it on Facebook.

Leslie's Tip, "When you LIKE a page, be sure to leave a comment and include your page link. It will bring in more return LIKES. Moreover, it activates the "talking about this" algorithm and increases your chances of receiving more internal Facebook LIKES!

For those new to Facebook, you can leave a link to your page by typing @yourpagename. You'll notice as you begin typing this a drop down menu will appear and you can select your page."

Leslie's strategy increases Facebook exposure.

Tell Leslie thanks for the tip by visiting and following her pages at:
www.facebook.com/BlythHouseCreations
www.BlythHouseCreations.etsy.com
www.BlythHouseVintage.etsy.com

Setup Art or Craft Show Booth Facebook Business Page

How Your Facebook Page Helps Your Art or Craft Business Know Who Your Customers Are

5 Ways to Use Facebook to Sell More Arts and Crafts

Use LinkedIn to Build Your Art or Craft Show Business

How to Sell Handmade Jewelry on Facebook

BetterSofts Software Company Rips Off Software Buyers

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:27:00 GMT

I recently went looking for OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Software online since software is so expensive and I can very rarely afford it. What we found was Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 on sale from a company known as BetterSofts for $109.99.

The software I purchased was supposed to include Microsoft Word 2010, Microsoft Excel 2010, Microsoft Powerpoint 2010, Microsoft Access 2010, Microsoft Publisher 2010, Microsoft One Note 2010. As well as Microsoft Outlook with Business Contact Manager 2010, Microsoft Info Path 2010, Microsoft Share Point Workspace 2010, and Microsoft Communicator 2010.

I purchased Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 from BetterSofts on Monday July 26, 2010.

What tipped me off to the fact they were ripping me off was that I purchased this software mostly for the Business Contact Manager function. When I discovered it wasn’t functioning I tried to contact them (Aug. 12 and 16, 2010) at their email address joyshoppingnow@gmail.com several times they never responded.

After my third attempt to contact them with no response I contacted Microsoft to see if they could help me install the software properly. They said that the seller was reselling software under their own user license and weren’t licensed to sell me the software at all. Microsoft did not do anything to help me resolve the matter or get my money back.

After contacting Microsoft I tried to contact BetterSofts to get my money back. For a while their website was down. Now it seems to be back up again with a new address.

Do NOT BUY Software from BetterSofts their only purpose is to rip you off.

http://www.thetopbuy.info/

http://www.bettersofts.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=21&zenid=ecd74cba580b9fb630041c9b782c0225

http://www.linkedin.com/company/bettersoft

Get Your Handmade Art In Seattle Storefronts

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:32:00 GMT

Seattle seeks artists for temporary storefront art projects
Artwork to be installed in vacant storefronts in various Seattle neighborhoods

SEATTLE — Storefronts Seattle, in partnership with the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, seeks artists to develop art projects for vacant storefronts in various Seattle neighborhoods, including Pioneer Square, the Chinatown-International District, Capitol Hill, South Lake Union and Rainier Beach. The projects will be programmed in available spaces throughout 2012 and into 2013.

Storefronts Seattle is accepting applications in three tracks, open to all artists and arts groups. The Installation track is for artworks in any two-dimensional, three-dimensional or new media. The Artist Residency track is for visual and performing artists to create work, rehearse and perform in vacant storefronts. The Creative Enterprise track provides a storefront as a place to experiment and test out new and creative business ideas, such as a retail art gallery, boutique or museum.

Artists selected for the Installation track will receive $250 to $1,000 per installation. Participants in all tracks will receive the use of a retail storefront space at no cost for three months, with a possible extension in the Creative Enterprise track. The request for proposals is intended to create a roster of projects from which to program storefront spaces as they become available. Roster inclusion does not guarantee placement in the program. Application deadline is 11 p.m., Wed., Feb. 22. A link to all three online applications is available at www.storefrontsseattle.com/opportunities.

Storefronts Seattle is a program designed to activate vacant storefront and display spaces in Seattle’s various neighborhoods by providing temporary space to artists, creative businesses, organizations and community groups. The installations, creative enterprise and artist residencies will produce destination-quality displays, increase foot traffic and encourage the presence and work of artists and other creative professionals.

Storefronts Seattle began in early 2010, when members of the Pioneer Square neighborhood sought solutions for the growing number of vacant storefronts in the area, as well as the lack of foot traffic and community engagement. The program has now expanded to include five Seattle neighborhoods, as well as neighborhoods in Auburn and Tacoma, Wash. In its first year of programming, Storefronts put more than 70 arts projects into nearly 25 spaces in Seattle.

The Storefronts Seattle community partners are the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Seattle Department of Planning and Development, Seattle Chinatown-International District Preservation and Development Authority, Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area, The Alliance for Pioneer Square, SEEDArts, Vulcan Inc., Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, Broadway Business Improvement Area, Sound Transit, 4Culture and Shunpike.

For more information on the Storefronts Seattle program, visit www.storefrontsseattle.com.

The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs promotes the value of arts and culture in communities throughout Seattle. The 16-member Seattle Arts Commission, citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and City Council, supports the city agency.Seattle seeks artists for temporary storefront art projects
Artwork to be installed in vacant storefronts in various Seattle neighborhoods

Craft Show Canopies are a Weighty Issue

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:41:00 GMT

Craft Show Canopies are a Weighty Issue

Weather can really affect how your outdoor craft show goes. Wind, rain, and sun are all considerations.

A plastic cover and tarps can be put on sides of craft show canopies in case of rain. Weights for all four canopy corners are necessary, don’t count on driving tent stakes into the ground at most shows. Considering the overall weight is important as you must be able to lift them.

Examples of home made canopy weights are: small buckets with PVC pipe in them then filled with concrete, or a piece of PVC pipe filled with concrete. With all weights safety must be considered be sure weights are firmly attached to canopy not swinging in the wind and paint them bright orange so they can be seen. Make sure containers used are sturdy enough to hold the weight inside before using. Check manufacturers recommended weight and use enough weight that your tent doesn't go any where in a brisk wind.

How to make home made bucket canopy weights:
Put length of PVC pipe over bottom of canopy pipe. Drill holes in the PVC pipe and the canopy pipe at the same time (so holes will align). Mark canopy pole and PVC pipe with colored paint or electrical tape so each of the four corners is a different color. Repeat for each corner. Put PVC pipe (hole up) in small plastic bucket fill the bucket with concrete being careful to keep the concrete outside the PVC pipe and below the holes. Let dry. Place these on the ground slide in canopy poles. Line up holes, slide screws through and place a nut firmly on the end.

How to make PVC canopy weights:
A short length of PVC pipe filled with concrete can be made by drilling a hole through a pvc cap and threading through an eye loop. Glue the pvc caps on one end of the pipe.

Carefully fill the pipe with concrete, be sure the eye loop is secured into concrete. Let dry then glue on pvc cap on other end. String a sturdy rope through the holes and tie a secure knot. Hang these on the corners of your canopy.

See pictures of these weights at http://pinterest.com/pin/112167846940146197/

You can also:
Fill an empty milk jug or brightly colored laundry detergent bottle with sand. Thread a rope through the handle and tie knot tightly. Hang on the corners of your canopy.

Gallon jugs of water can be used as home made weights. Take empty jugs and fill with water at the event for ease of packing and carrying. The handle of the jug makes a natural place to tie to the canopy.
-Family Comforts

Do you have ideas for craft show canopy weights or pictures of how to make them?

Send us pictures of your weights by email and we will share them with our readers including links back to your store, social networking and more.

Don't forget there are many things you need to take to art and craft shows besides canopies. Click here to read 10 Things to Take to Art and Craft Shows.

Super Bowl Ads for Your Arts and Craft Show Business

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:22:00 GMT

Super Bowl Ads for Your Arts and Craft Show Business

How many of you watched the Super Bowl just for the advertisements? Do you know how much advertisers paid to have their ad displayed during the Super Bowl?

I admit I didn’t watch the Super Bowl, not even one second, not even one ad. I’m sorry if this upsets you.

I almost missed this opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the big boys and use it to help my art and craft business grow.

These questions that have been bothering me ever since:

Were the ads displayed during the Super Bowl effective?
Did the advertisers get what they paid for?
Did their advertisements bring in the sales they were looking for?
Did the ads leave you with a positive idea or feeling of their product?
Were you more or less likely to purchase their product after seeing their ad?

I’ve heard a lot of comments about the Doritos advertisement so the ad was memorable. However most of the comments weren’t very positive. I’m wondering if the ad really made people more likely to buy Doritos?

See the Doritos ad on YouTube

“that commercial will haunt my dreams for weeks.”…”I was eating a Dorito at the time and put it down.” ~Ron Bean

“I will forever be traumatized by the man who licked off on another man’s finger….and if I ever buy Doritos again, I will always remember the licking…..so, I will probably buy Pringles from now on because you can’t find any special “dust” and no one will likely “lick” your finger after you are finished. So, to answer your question…..I don’t think Doritos left me with a good impression.” ~A. Moncur

What I’m getting at is…

if you are going to pay anywhere near a million dollars for an advertising slot (or any $ amount for that matter) you should do research to make sure your advertising will be effective and accomplish a goal for your arts and craft show business.

Step number 1. Set a goal for any advertising you do for your craft show business.

This ad will…

drive traffic to my website, blog, or email course
encourage sales of handmade crafts
encourage people to visit my craft show booth
bring back previous customers for a second look at my arts and crafts
encourage people to bring a friend to my craft show booth or refer someone to my arts and craft show business
encourage multiple purchases (such as buy one get one half off sales)

Step 2. Choose a target audience (which could be swapped with step 1).

New customers
Old customers
People who buy handcrafted jewelry, woodworking, quilts, blankets, etc.
People with kids, people without kids, retired people, teens, mothers of teens, etc.

Step 3. Make your ad attract the attention of your target audience and accomplish your chosen goal while appealing to their emotional needs.

Step 4. Be sure your ad leaves a positive impression of your company and product.

Would it change your opinion of the commercial if they had the really nerdy guy finish the last of the doritos and the really sexy girl come over and lick his fingers (or vice a versa for the girls in the audience)?

Call for Artists - Lewiston Idaho Public Arts Initiative

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:44:29 GMT

The first Public Arts Initiative Call for Artists is now available. This call is for entryway artwork located in the 5th Street corridor. Application deadline is March 15, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. PST.

Download Request For Proposal Document

For more information about the new Public Arts Initiative in Lewiston, Idaho, please visit: http://www.downtownlewistonstreetscape.com/category/arts/

Breanne Durham
Executive Director

Beautiful Downtown Lewiston
www.beautifuldowntownlewiston.org
PO Box 617 | Lewiston, ID 83501 | 208.790.1148

Thank you Montana Arts Councils

7 Ways for Your Art or Craft Business to Outsell the Retailers Part 7

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:04:00 GMT

Parts of this 7 part series have been reprinted with permission from the article “7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business” by Pam Grimm of Ideaco.

7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business

By Pamela Grimm, Ideaco

7. No asking for the business: Not once did anyone say… “We want to be the store you come to for your crafting needs….we want your business!” There was no attitude of we want to impress you and guarantee your return to keep you as a customer. No one asked “Have we met your needs today?” They would say… “Did you get everything you needed?” instead of asking if there was more that they could do to meet my needs today! I was surprised at just how little interest there was in gaining my business.

How to Ask for Business

Remember that the value of every customer is equal to the total of their purchases over the length of time they will be your customer. When you remember the potential value of every customer over a life time of purchases it’s easier to offer exceptional customer service. Customers are looking for exceptional customer service something that sets your business apart from everyone else.

Remember make a positive impression, show your interest in your customers, share your product knowledge, and find the customers needs. Present the customer with the benefits of the product as they apply to them, offer the options they need like customization, ability to pay by check, money order or credit card, free gift wrapping and shipping to any address.

Ask the customer if you have met their needs and listen quietly to what they say. Take notes if necessary and carefully consider if you can provide their needs. Is the value of that customer worth the time and money that you will spend to meet their needs?

Meet the needs of your customers with a wow and they will keep coming back for more!

Entry 7 of 7 in the series 7 Ways for Your Art or Craft Business to Outsell the Retailers. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Week 4 -My 30 Day Plan to Greater Craft Show Profitability

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:45:00 GMT

Recently I’ve been working to make my craft business more profitable each and every day. Today it occurred to me that I should share with you how I plan to do that.

Week one I worked on catching up on left over unfinished crafts and business projects from previous weeks to prepare for my 30 days of greater profitability. As usual I accomplished some of the things I intended to do, did some things I planned to do later early, and didn’t accomplish some of the plan.

Week three I mailed coupons to show promoters, had a second client consultation, worked on facebook profile and group pages. I created a profile on Fast Pitch Networking and added a few contacts there. I worked on cleaning out my email box, and signed up for a MySpace account, and I blogged about what I had done to make my business more profitable this week.

Week 4 what I accomplished.

Power Pay contacted me but then never got back to me. I guess I still need to call them next week.
I remembered that I had a Linked in account and had a new member join there.
I found my friend that was already on MySpace and reconnected with her.
I created an email I can send to all my customers and prospects reminding them that they can follow me on my blog, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Linked in. I need to finish formatting it and send it to everyone. I remembered to tell a client over the phone that they could follow me all these places.
Worked on creating my profile on Fast Pitch Networking. Added a few contacts there.
Worked on cleaning out my overly full email box which got even fuller despite my efforts.
I blogged about my experience working toward greater profitability this week.

Here is what I didn’t accomplish.

I still didn’t get my accounting done.
I didn’t call the people I just mailed free newsletters to in the last few weeks to ask them what they thought of the newsletter. It is probably too late but I will try to fit this into next week anyway. Call your prospects right away they are only interested about 7 days!
I didn’t create any articles to send to show promoters that will encourage them to list their shows with me.
Since I didn’t write the articles I also didn’t start calling my huge list of show promoters. Obviously I didn’t sign them up in my email marketing system.
I didn’t get the article written for my newsletter although I have some very good ideas to write about.

I hope that this series is inspiring you to work along with me to improve your businesses profitability by doing something each day that will make your business stronger. I know that I’m a bad example but I would really suggest that you write your goals down on a calendar. This way you can truly see what you did accomplish and will remember what you didn’t get done so you can work on it in your spare time or in your next 30 day plan.

The plan for the next 8 days:

Day 24-Write and send a quick email to all my customers from the past asking them how their businesses are doing? Tell them how my business is doing and showing them where they can get more information from my business. Sort of bring them back to take another look at my business.

Day 25-Write the article for my newsletter.

Day 26-Finish writing my book.

Day 27-Clean out my email box.

Day 28-Do my accounting

Day 29-Create articles to send to show promoters who haven’t listed with me yet.

Day 30-Call show promoters and ask them if I can send them free articles.

Day 31-Blog about my 30 days to Greater Profitability for my art and craft show business.

Entry 4 of 6 in the series My 30 Day Plan to Greater Profitability.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

7 Ways for Your Art or Craft Business To Outsell the Retailers Part 6

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:10:00 GMT

Parts of this 7 part series have been reprinted with permission from the article “7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business” by Pam Grimm of Ideaco.

7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business

By Pamela Grimm, Ideaco

6. Lack of service options: In many stores, customer service failed miserably. Most think that service equals sales explanation, however it doesn’t; it equals a sales pitch. When we did gather and pile up products that we might want to purchase no one offered to take our pile up to the counter, or get us a basket or cart. We were not offered to have a product explained to us to ensure that we knew how to work the new “gadget” we had just bought. When a product was out of stock, rarely was there an option to have it ordered in and we would be called when it arrived. Overall, there were no WOW factors being provided in the customer service end of retail.

Improve Customer Service

As mentioned earlier in the series customers want to know how a product or service improves their lives. Explain to the customer how the product or service will benefit them. When the customer has narrowed down their choices, offer to carry their purchases to the counter.

If your craft needs explaning take the time to show the customer how to install and use it.

Offer to create a customized product for your customers if you don’t have the perfect one for them. Offer to ship it to them.

The more ways that your service stands out from the competition the more likely that customers will purchase from you instead of them. Think what service options you would like if you were a customer and provide as many as you can. Every time you offer a new option-whether it’s another way to make payments, gift wrapping, customization, or shipping to the customer-you set yourself apart from the competition.

Entry 6 of 7 in the series 7 Ways for Your Art or Craft Business to Outsell the Retailers. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 7

7 Ways for Your Art or Craft Business To Outsell the Retailers Part 5

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:55:00 GMT

Parts of this 7 part series have been reprinted with permission from the article “7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business” by Pam Grimm of Ideaco.

7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business

By Pamela Grimm, Ideaco

5. Lack of sales skills: Too often a salesperson could give information, but not transition the conversation into a sale. More than not, staff members would walk away with apparently no regard for whether the customer had actually picked up the product or were going to purchase anything. We were given a very informal information session that did not inspire or motivate us to purchase that product. 90% of the stores did not even show us a sample or give a mini demo on how the product could be used or create an urgency to purchase. In many stores we walked in, asked questions, got brief answers and walked out without purchasing anything.

How to Transition to a Sale

Be sure to answer customers questions with the benefits of the product to them not the features. Remember they want to know how the product will solve a problem for them, save them time or money, or make their life easier. People make emotional purchases, help them feel this product will help them in some way.

Show your art or craft in the setting it will be used. It requires less imagination for your customers to see it in use in that setting. Demonstrate the benefits of the product to the customer.

Artists and crafters are often afraid of being too pushy and possibly driving customers away. Fear makes us too reserved and passive. Be assertive not aggressive. Remember when customers enter your booth they are interested in buying your product. Asking them to make the purchase isn’t being pushy as long as you take, “No” as well as you take, “Yes.” Remember the worst thing they can say is, “No.” Be as grateful for the customer who doesn’t purchase as you are for the one who buys. Not every customer is going to make a purchase, so don’t take it personally. Remember that every NO leads you one encounter closer to the big sale.

When the customer seems to be standing there looking like they’re lost, ask if you have answered all of they’re questions. If you’ve answered all their questions they may need some prompting. Ask if you can ring up their purchases for them? Ask them if you can bag them up for them? Ask if you can take the crafts to the counter for them?

By asking the customer if they would like to purchase you’re giving them one more opportunity to think about the product without allowing them to talk themselves out of the purchase.

Entry 5 of 7 in the series 7 Ways for Your Art or Craft Business to Outsell the Retailers. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, Part 7

CHUN Capitol Hill People's Fair -Denver Colorado

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:22:08 GMT

Visit CHUN Capitol Hill People's Fair in Denver, Colorado on Jun. 2 & 3, 2012.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Andrea Furness at 303-830-1651 to reserve your booth now. Please thank her for listing her show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in South Dakota each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

7 Ways for Your Art or Craft Business To Outsell the Retailers Part 4

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:05:00 GMT

Parts of this 7 part series have been reprinted with permission from the article “7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business” by Pam Grimm of Ideaco.

7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business

By Pamela Grimm, Ideaco

4. Assuming not Assessing: When a staff person could speak about products, she often told everything she knew about it before asking any questions. Most of the time the information was not even relevant to the question or need. We found most staff members don’t bother to probe for information to meet a customer’s need; they download all they know in hopes they have covered it.

How to Assess A Customers Needs

They say to assume makes an @$$ out of you and me. To assess what a customer needs you need to ask questions and hear the answers. Don’t get ahead of yourself and spill everything that you know about the product instead simply answer the question. When you’ve answered the question if they don’t say anything wait a few seconds and ask another question, it could be that they are considering one product over another or how much money they have to spend or it could be that they are waiting for you to ask for the sale.

Questions that might help you know what they would like are:

Are you buying for someone special today? This tells you if they are looking for childrens items, items for teens, adult items or items for the elderly.
Are you buying for a special occasion? People need different kinds of things for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and everyday.
Are you looking for a particular style? Depending on your craft your merchandise will have some varying styles some things might be more modern or contemporary, others might be more country, some things will be Victorian or classic. Things like jewelry will vary from an abstract random pattern to a symmetrical pattern that repeats itself. Some of your items may have an Americana flair while others might have an ethnic flair from other regions. Some items will be more natural while others may be more synthetic, some may be recycled.
If they are buying for themselves you can ask if they are buying to match a particular outfit? What color is it?
What are their favorite colors?
When the choices have been narrowed you might ask if you have answered all their questions.

Your job at this stage is to discover their questions and answer them while narrowing the choices. It’s a fine art but you’re a creative person you can do it!

Entry 4 of 7 in the series 7 Ways for Your Art or Craft Business to Outsell the Retailers. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

7 Ways For Your Art or Craft Business to Outsell the Retailers Part 3

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:43:00 GMT

Parts of this 7 part series have been reprinted with permission from the article “7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business” by Pam Grimm of Ideaco.

7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business

By Pamela Grimm, Ideaco

3. Lack of product knowledge: With so many products coming and going it is understandable that you can’t know everything about everything. However, many stores could not even explain the basic details of what are considered staple products of the craft. These are the products that don’t change out often…they are essential to doing the craft. Most often, we were shown the area in which to find the product we were looking for, then left to fend for ourselves.

Share Your Product Knowledge

You obviously know all about the products that you create. The question is do you appropriately convey that knowledge to the customer. Do you know the difference between the benefits and the features of the arts and crafts you create? The features are what the product does, the benefits are what the product does for the customer. If you were considering buying something what would you want to know first, the benefits of course. Customers want to know how this product will save them time, save them money, make their lives easier, or solve a problem for them. What are the benefits of your art or craft? Tell your customers first the benefits and then the features.

The benefits of a towel rack are

Keeps your bathroom organized saving you time because you no longer have to pick up smelly wet towels.
Dries your towel saving you money because now you don’t have to wash your towel every time you use it.
Towel warmer which makes stepping out of the bath a luxurious experience.
Quick warming and energy efficient saves you money.
Never gets too hot so it won’t burn your child or your towels.

The features of a towel rack are

Silver color so it matches any decor’-which might double as a benefit.
Three towel bars so you can hang a towel for each person in the family.
Towel warmer.

You can improve on the retailers mistake here by realizing it won’t work to sit in your booth waiting for your craft projects to sell themselves. Show off the benefits of your product by demonstrating it. Show people how your towel rack matches the toilet paper holder and the hand towel rack. Plug in the towel warmer and hang towels on it so customers can feel how nice a warm towel is. Help them imagine using your product in their own home and you’re on your way to a sale.

Entry 3 of 7 in the series 7 Ways for Your Art or Craft Business to Outsell the Retailers. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

How to Stage Your Art or Craft Show Booth

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:51:58 GMT

What does Real Estate have to do with selling arts and crafts?

The way I see it your art or craft show booth is kind of like trying to sell a house. If you try to sell an empty house people can’t see in their minds what the house will look like when it’s all finished, painted, furnished, and decorated. You will also have a hard time trying to sell a house that is full of clutter, people can only imagine that the rest of the house hasn’t been taken care of well. They will see that the house will be too much work and cost too much money.

Your art or craft show booth is like selling your house. The booth will help your customers imagine using the product they have purchased from you. You have to do the imagining for them. How?

First you need to think about your product, who is it designed for, how and where will it be used? The answers to these questions should affect the theme and design of your booth.

Is what you’re selling for boys, girls, men or women? Is it for children, preteens, teens, young adults, or mature adults? Don’t present children’s items in an adult setting or adult item’s in a child like setting. Use colors that appeal to the ages you’re selling to. What ideas and themes appeal to them?

For instance fancy jewelry for teens might be presented as if at a prom, towel racks might be presented as in a high class hotel bathroom, and clothing needs to be presented as if it were in a fancy closet but also as outfits on the person.

When you created your product you had a vision of how people would use it, your booth is your opportunity to present them with that picture. Want to see pictures of art festival and craft show booths? Read Art and Craft Show Booth Display Pictures

Stage your booth just like you would a home that you were trying to sell. Imagine yourself as a customer walking into your booth. Critique and criticize as if you were the customer, ask friends and family to do the same. Ask for them to point out things that are distracting, look odd, and especially anything they feel is not safe.

Sell Your Finely Crafted Art Wholesale to Galleries and Museums

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:32:00 GMT

Looking for wholesale tradeshows for selling finely handcrafted art? Want your works of art displayed and sold at fine art galleries and museums?

The Buyers Market of America is scheduled for Feb. 18-20, 2012 in Philadelphia and NICHE: The Show is scheduled for Jun. 1-3, 2012 in Las Vegas.

http://vimeo.com/8842063

Fine craft exhibitors get more information at: http://www.buyersmarketofamericancraft.com/exhibitors/

Facebook Page Helps Your Art or Craft Business Know Your Customers

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Facebook Page Helps Your Art or Craft
Business Know Who Your Customers Are

Have you ever wondered exactly who your craft show customers are? Who to target in your advertising? How to find out if your target market is male or female, what age they are, or where they are located? Ever wondered who was most likely to walk into your craft show booth?

Your art and craft based Facebook business page can help.

First of all if you don't have a Facebook business page I suggest getting one. Learn how at How to Setup Your Art or Craft Show Booth Facebook Business Page.

How does my Facebook business page help me know who my art fair customers are?

Your Facebook business page allows you to converse with people about your business. It gives you statistics called insights about those conversations and others taking place about your business. When done correctly-meaning most of your conversations are with people who will benefit your business in some way prospects, current clients, partners, affiliates, etc.-you will see some trends in those statistics.

You can see these statistics when you click on the graph at the top of your page.

Click Likes to see age and gender of the people who "LIKED" your craft Facebook page, where they are from, how they arrived at your Facebook business page through organic, paid or viral and more.
Click Reach to see who your page "REACHED"
Talking About This to see who was "Talking About Your Page." Demographic data for People Talking About Your Page are only available when more than 30 people were talking about the page in the past 7 days.

For instance the likes The Extravaganza receives are mostly (78%) from females ages 25 to 55+. I also receive likes from males (13%) ages 25 to 55+. The age groups are broken down further but you get the point.

Looking further at the break down of ages of females who like my page tells me most of my customers (44%) are going to be females between the ages of 45 to 55+. I now know where the focus of my marketing should be. I would totally waste my time and money doing any advertising to males or females under the age of 24 as 0% of my likes are in those categories.

Take a look it's free and gives you a place to examine the demographics of your buyers.

Do you agree?

5 Ways to Use Facebook to Sell More Arts and Crafts
Art and Craft Group "Facebook Like" Exchanges on LinkedIn
Is Facebook and Social Media Selling Art?

Singer Brilliance 6199 Sewing Machine Review

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:15:00 GMT

Singer Brilliance 6199
Sewing Machine Review

We bought a Singer Brilliance 6199 Sewing Machine for Christmas.

I'm new to sewing as I had bad experiences learning to sew on Junior High sewing machines.

I wanted to learn to sew (again) after a fun experience sewing with neighbors. When I saw the Singer Brilliance on sale for a really good price, we bought it. Okay having a coupon made it irresistible.

The sewing machine was easy to set up and use once I understood how to check needle tension. Before that I picked out several projects but afterward very few.

My first project, Barbie clothes, was much too small. Make your first project on any sewing machine a pillow or simple bag as they have long straight lines to practice.

I haven't used all the stitches yet, there are many options available. I used the needle position and it made it a little easier to sew close to the edge of the tiny clothes I was making.

I had trouble with the machine sucking in fabric if I sewed too close to the edge of the fabric while backstitching.

I made a few Barbie doll clothes and found The Singer Brilliance Sewing Machine to be very easy to use for an almost beginner to sewing. The instruction manual was fairly easy to understand and follow. I was set up and sewing quickly. Read about checking needle tension it will save picking out your first project over and over and ... well you get the picture.

I rate the sewing machine on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. I give The Singer Brilliance:

4 for ease of use for beginners.
5 for quick setup and time to begin sewing.
5 on quality of stitches

Singer Brilliance 6199 Sewing Machine - Automatic Needle Threader, Automatic Stitch Length & Width, Extension Table, 8 Presser Feet included

Dimensions 16" long x 8" wide x 12.5" high
Weight 14.5 lbs
Adjustable stitch length 0-3 mm and width 0-6 mm
Built-in needle threader
Adjustable tension
Adjustable Needle Positions
Simple bobbin winding system
Large extension table and removable accessory box
8 Presser feet including
- All-purpose foot
- Zipper foot
- Invisible zipper foot
- Buttonhole foot
- Button sewing foot
- Blind hem foot
- Overcasting foot
- Roller foot
100 Built in Stitches
6 Automatic 1-Step Buttonholes
Hard-sided machine cover
Also includes:
- Needles
- Bobbins
- Thread spool cap
- Auxiliary spool pin
- Spool pin felt
- Darning plate
- Needle plate screwdriver
- Seam ripper/lint brush
- Instruction manual with stitch guide
- Foot pedal and power cord

Power Options-Craft Booths With No Electricity
Do you need to pay show promoters for power in your craft show booth?

Sewing Techniques for the Blind

How to Setup Your Art or Craft Show Booth Facebook Business Page

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:59:32 GMT

How to Setup Your Art
or Craft Show Booth
Facebook Business Page

Does your craft business need a Facebook business page?

Facebook has 800 million plus active users.
More than 50% of active users log on Facebook on any day.
Average Facebook users have 130 friends

More Facebook statistics https://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

Facebook business pages appear on search results on their site.

800 million people with 130 friends they interact with and influence in some way. Who wouldn't want their art or craft business interacting with them?

Craft business pages give you places to post business related messages including but not limited to:

links to blog posts
links to online craft web site or web store (Etsy, Artfire, etc.)
upcoming art festivals and craft shows you will be attending
sales, specials, or discounts on handcrafted works of art or services you offer
community events and fundraising you are participating in
places people can get your crafts
materials and workmanship of each piece of handmade art
pictures of yourself creating your art-show your creative process
discussions relating to creation of your crafts
business happenings, awards, contests, recognition you receive etc.
ask questions about your customers, your handmade crafts or services

How do I get my Facebook page for my craft show business?

Create your craft business page on Facebook by clicking here.

Help your art or craft show booth flourish read Why is a Page Better than a personal account?

Is Facebook and Social Media Selling Arts and Crafts?

Learn How Your Facebook Page Helps Your Art or Craft Business Know Who Your Customers Are click here.

5 Ways to Use Facebook to Sell More Arts and Crafts

Art and Craft Group "Facebook Like" Exchanges on LinkedIn

Use LinkedIn to Build Your Art or Craft Show Business

Get Your Art and Crafts Into the Hands of Celebrities

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:03:00 GMT

Want to get your Art or Crafts noticed and mentioned by Celebrities?

You know those swag bags that celebrities get at The Oscars, Emmys, and The Golden Globes?

Artisan Group helps you by getting your handcrafted artwork into them.

Be sure your work is high quality as you wouldn't want a celebrity to pick up your piece for pictures and have it fall apart. Make your packaging exquisite as presentation can make a big impression. Don't forget to include a high quality business card and brochure.

Get celebrities talking about and using your hand knitted scarves and hats, your handcrafted jewelry, hand carved sculptures and more.

Who wouldn't like to say their art was in the swag bags at The Oscars?

What is a Jewelry Shopping Service?

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:00:00 GMT

What is a Jewelry Shopping Service?

I first stumbled onto the “jewelry shopping service” approach to marketing my handcrafted jewelry a few years ago.

I couldn’t believe I’d never heard anyone talk about this before – because it’s a wide-open field with TONS of opportunities to sell your jewelry. It’s the main way I sell my jewelry now. Personal shopping services are a growing trend in all kinds of market niches.

Typically a personal shopper helps clients determine what they should buy, locates the best deal on an intended purchase, or finds the perfect gifts for customers to give. Personal shoppers tend to specialize in a particular area of expertise, where they know a certain market and its suppliers inside and out.

Above all, personal shopping is a service business, and as people get busier and shopping options get more overwhelming, there’s an increasing demand for specialized personal shopping service businesses of various types.

What if you operated your handcrafted jewelry business like a personal shopping service?

There are absolutely immense opportunities for jewelry artists to sell their work this way, as you’ll see in “Secrets of a Handcrafted Jewelry Shopping Service”.

A jewelry shopping service could easily be your entire jewelry business, or just one income stream of it.

It’s a very flexible way to sell your jewelry, and I’ve found that it’s very easy to fit it in around all the other things going on in your life.

Why It’s Such a Profitable Way to Sell Your Jewelry

By operating as a jewelry shopping service, you’ll be selling directly to your clients at full retail prices, so you won’t be paying any booth fees, shop commissions, party hostess incentives, wholesale discounts, etc.

In fact, one of the best things about it is that you have very few sales-related expenses, because there’s no “middleman”. Nearly 100% of the proceeds go directly to your business.

And what’s more, many of your clients will be fairly big spenders. They’ll shop from you over and over again because they love your customized products, personal service, and the way you take their problems out of their hands – and they’re willing to pay quite well for it.

The book also has a chapter describing a clever strategy that will increase your profits even more; I give an example of this strategy from my own business, and explain why it’s so profitable.

Everything You Need to Know
to Start Your Own Jewelry Shopping Service

In this ebook I share my entire successful business model with you. It’s easy to do, and it really works. I’ve tested and refined my jewelry shopping service strategies, and I describe them in detail in this step-by-step guide.

I also share dozens of real-life examples of successful products, services, marketing methods, and stories from my own jewelry shopping service, to help you get started.

You don’t have to re-invent the wheel and go through the same learning curve I did to figure out what really works (and what doesn’t!). It’s all in the book.

———————————————-

Unlock the secrets of a new way to sell your jewelry to customers who are VERY willing to buy from you, again and again, in Rena Klingenberg’s ebook “Secrets of a Handcrafted Jewelry Shopping Service” -
http://www.jewelry-books.com/shopping-service.html

How To Sell Handmade Jewelry on Facebook

Difference Between Creating Interest in Arts and Crafts and Getting People To Buy Crafts

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:29:00 GMT

Difference Between Creating Interest in Your Arts and Crafts
and Getting People To Buy Your Crafts

To have a successful full time business selling arts and crafts (defined as making enough income to support yourself or your family without having a part time job) two things must happen.

There must be enough people interested in buying your arts and crafts.
You must be able to persuade people interested in your art to buy.

These are two very separate and distinct problems with different solutions.

One needs to realize to be very successful selling their handcrafted art they must chose to create a craft that is wanted and needed by a large enough group of people to support the number of sales the artist needs per day, week, month or year.

Most artists choose crafts to sell based on which ones they like to create most, they get the most compliments on, or the one they like best. This is backward and can be detrimental to your business ever succeeding.

Crafters spend too much time looking for those who want their crafts this way. Artists don't realize they are trying to make people who aren't even interested in their art not only like it, but buy it-a losing game to be sure.

They are always looking for people interested in their handcrafted merchandise and have no real direction to look... instead of going to groups of people who are already interested in their handmade crafts and persuading them to buy.

It's like trying to tell your customers their favorite color is purple when their favorite color is green. They aren't going to stand around and listen.

Like trying to sell hand tatted doilies to every child, teen, and young single adult that comes near your booth rather than slightly more mature married adults and grandmothers.

Let's be honest we can't make people like what they don't like or want. They just won't buy it and our time and money will be wasted in the effort.

If your artwork meets the needs of a large group of people but still seems like people aren't interested the problem may be:

is the group of people who want, need, and like your product large enough?
- one caveat here is that you want to target a very specific group of people. Get too generic and you go back full circle.
are you targeting your prospects well in your advertising, marketing and offers?
are they are willing to pay your price to get it?
are you selling where your buyers are, where they are prepared to buy, when they are prepared to buy?

What successful crafters do is choose a large group of people with common needs then meet the needs of those people.
They can do research and see if there are enough buyers in the group to support their dream of not having to work part time jobs that detract from a craft business.

You can still succeed selling your artwork this way if

there is a large enough group of people who want, need, and like your product.
they are willing to pay your price to get it.
you learn where your buyers are and go where they are to sell your product.
you don't mind that your business will be less profitable than it could be.

Persuading a person to buy handmade crafts when they are already interested is much easier. It requires skill but most of them are small and can be learned over your career.

The skills you need include:

correctly pricing crafts.
using signage and tags effectively.
proper displays.
learning to make small talk that draws out needs of your buyer.
recognize needs of your customers from clues they give in conversation.
not over selling or underselling -giving the customer just the right amount of information so they don't feel overwhelmed or that their questions haven't been answered.
recognizing when a buyer is on the fence-knowing what will get them off the fence and on the buying side.
using coupons, discounts, sales, samples, upsells and downsells effectively to persuade an undecided buyer. Read Do Sales and Discounts Hurt Craft Show Sales?
staying in touch with and following up with customers so they will buy for the first time, make repeat sales, and refer you to others.
using your business documents, fliers, business cards, to sell more handcrafted works of art.
asking for the sale and calls to action.

The difference between creating interest in your crafts and persuading people to buy your crafts is: You won't be able to create interest in your crafts where there is none! You will be more successful trying to persuade a large group of people who want, need, or like your craft already to buy.

If people really aren't interested in buying your artwork you have 3 choices:

Go where people are interested in buying your crafts.
Find a craft they are interested in buying and sell it.
Find a job working for someone else.

What do you think?

Art Festival and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Quilters Save Time with New Calculator

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:35:00 GMT

I was looking on the internet for cool things to share with you all when I came across this calculator for quilters.

FabriCalc - Using this convenient little tool, you will never again need to guess how much fabric to buy, how many strips to cut, how wide to cut your strips or how much your fabric will cost.

How to Sell Art Online-Take Better Pictures

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:15:00 GMT

How to Sell Art Online
Take Better Pictures

When selling art online little is more important than quality of your pictures.

You won't get many sales if the quality of the pictures make it hard for the buyer to see the quality of your art or craft. Worse yet bad pictures can make the buyer imagine your art is poor quality because you didn't care if the photos were low quality.

Taking pictures of handcrafted art is something that overwhelms many artists and crafters. It's complicated and our photos are never good enough causing us frustration.

I was excited to learn of an inexpensive tool that can help us all take better photographs of our crafts. Thank Nancy for this wonderful information please visit her sites below.

Nancy's blog
My Artfire shop
Nancy's Etsy shop
Find Nancy on Facebook

Nancy uses a light tent by CowboyStudio on Amazon.com to take pictures of her handmade jewelry. I found quite a few and was pleasantly surprised at the price.

Nancy's described her lights as "just clamp lights, about 8 bucks at Lowes, with 23W 5000K natural daylight compact fluorescent bulbs.

She also shared with us this link to a great video tutorial on handmade product photography. http://www.prophotolife.com/prophotolife-instructional-video-diy-studio-product-photography/

Thanks again for sharing such great information with us Nancy!

Articles that shouldn't be missed The Ultimate Picture Taking Style Guide by The Wolf's Treasure.

Photography and Descriptions Are They Killing Online Craft Sales?
Fix common mistakes crafters make that kill online craft store sales.

Art Fair and Craft Festival Expert

Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters selling handmade crafts who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales in online craft stores.

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when selling your handmade crafts.

Lighting a Fine Craft Trade Show Booth – Options for the Budget-Conscious Artist

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:10:00 GMT

Lighting a Fine Craft Trade Show Booth – Options for the Budget-Conscious Artist

By Alice Horrigan

Good lighting is a main ingredient of a successful trade-show booth. Just the right lighting system can help an artist create the atmosphere of a fine-craft gallery. This will lure gallery owners off the isles and into your booth – the first step toward making a sale.

Lighting is a relatively expensive investment. So how does the budget-conscious artist find the right solution?

When it comes to choosing a lighting system, artists new to the trade show circuit often become overwhelmed. Prices vary wildly, and each convention center may have its own lighting rules. Lighting technology is changing rapidly, making the choices harder still.

This article details what I learned while tackling the challenge of lighting my 10’X10’ booth at the American Craft Retailers Expo (ACRE), a large wholesale show for American and Canadian craft artists. As I am new to trade shows, this information is meant only as a pointer for artists in the process of choosing lighting, and perhaps also for more seasoned artists looking to update their systems.

In examining many different lighting options, my objective was to illuminate my glass jewelry beautifully but inexpensively. I wanted the lights to be lightweight and modular, to fit in boxes for shipping to the show. I was looking for contemporary styling, in silver or black. And I wanted to have at least one special lighting effect – not too flashy – to give my booth a unique element.

In his CD on booth design, art business consultant Bruce Baker suggests 1,000 watts will light up a 10’X10’ booth very effectively. I decided to stay at or under 500 watts, however, because the ACRE show includes 500 watts with the booth price, and the halogen lighting I ultimately decided upon illuminates my displays very well. Since I bought the lights at a “big-box” store with sites in virtually every city in the U.S., I can add more lights once I’m at the trade show if necessary.

The Battle of the Bulb

Contractors Choice Lighting (www.ccl-light.com) says a light fixture is simply a “bulb holder.” The bulb, therefore, should drive one’s choice of a fixture. This is somewhat true for trade-show lighting, although the fixtures may dictate the types of bulbs, depending on the choices available at the store where one shops for the lights. The CCL website offers a “Bulb Photometrics” page (http://ccl-light.com/photometrics.html), whose graphical representation is a refreshing departure from the complex descriptions of lighting options that have proliferated on the web.

Halogen is the bulb of choice for many trade show exhibitors. It offers a crisp, white light. Although people commonly refer to halogen as non-incandescent, it is in fact a kind of incandescent lamp. It generates light by using a thin filament wire made of tungsten, heated to white by passing an electric current through it. According to General Electric, the first halogen lamp was developed in 1959 – not too long ago for many of us!

Halogen bulbs differ significantly from the traditional type of incandescents we grew up with. The halogen bulb’s filament is surrounded by halogen gases (iodine or bromine, specifically). These gases let the filaments operate at higher temperatures. The end result is a higher light output per watt.

The gases also do something rather miraculous: Tungsten tends to evaporate off the filament over time, and the gases actually help re-deposit the tungsten onto the filament. This extends the bulb’s life way beyond that of the traditional incandescent bulb, whose evaporated tungsten clings to the walls of the bulb like a smoky apparition and eventually the uncoated filament snaps. Who hasn’t rattled a burnt-out light bulb and enjoyed the jazzy cymbal sound of the broken filament inside?

In addition to giving off more light than traditional incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs emit a whiter light that provides better color rendition. “For highlighting and bringing out true colors, use halogen lamps,” suggests USA Light and Electric’s website (www.usalight.com). “Nothing looks better than the drama brought in with halogen lamps.”

Baker also suggests halogen lights – floodlights in particular – for a contemporary look, especially for jewelry and glass. It’s important to consider that other fine craft materials such as ceramics and wood might be better enhanced with halogen spotlights, or even with some of the more traditional incandescent lights that emit a warmer color.

Having decided upon halogen lighting, my next task would be to choose bulbs. The ACRE show takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which has instituted a strict halogen lighting policy. Each light cannot exceed 75 watts, and all halogen bulbs must be factory sealed in glass (not in a removable lens or linear shape).

Thankfully, there is plenty of factory-sealed halogen lighting, in the form of PAR halogen bulbs. PAR is an acronym for “parabolic aluminized reflector.” PAR bulbs have a built-in reflecting surface made of pressed glass. The glass provides both an internal reflector and prisms in the lens for control of the light beam.

PAR bulbs are numbered, as in PAR 16, PAR 20, PAR 56. The PAR number refers to the bulb shape. Bulbs.com has a halogen section of the site where you can quickly compare the various PAR bulbs visually. Within a given category of PAR bulbs there are various wattages, wide and narrow spotlights and floodlights, different base sizes, and even different colors.

Fortunately I was able to skip the process of deciding on a PAR bulb by deciding first where to shop for my lights (more on that below).

Power Issues

When you go to shop for track lights, you’ll notice there’s a choice between 12-volt and 120-volt fixtures. 120 is the standard voltage that comes directly into most homes and offices – and convention centers.

For a lamp using 120 volts, no additional parts are necessary beyond a regular socket. 120-volt fixtures generally are lighter than 12-volt fixtures because they don’t need a transformer. They also cost less and can use halogen or regular incandescent bulbs.

I stopped short of investigating 12-volt fixtures, except to find out that they step down the amount of energy being used to a lower voltage, and thus are more energy efficient. They require a transformer to convert the 120-volt household current to 12 volts, and they may require hardwiring (although one artist I know found a 12-volt fixture with a built-in transformer which she was able to plug into a 120-volt outlet. A 12-volt fixture accommodates very efficient bulbs that offer a variety of wattages and beam spreads, including the 50-watt MR-16, which is popular in galleries.

I decided on 120-volt lighting for the trade show, because I wouldn’t have to worry about transformers and could just plug it in.

Choosing a Store and Track Lighting

I read the ACRE online forum for clues about where to buy lighting. What one artist said struck me as eminently sensible: He buys all his lighting at Home Depot, because if anything goes wrong at the show, he can find a store nearby for replacement parts.

This was something to consider: Tempting as the gorgeous designs might be, special-order lighting of any kind introduces the risk of having a malfunctioning light for the duration of a show.

Another artist on the ACRE online forum said he buys his lights from Lowes. It probably doesn’t matter which big-box store one chooses, as long as there’s one in every city.

Since I was new to trade shows and this was to be my first lighting kit, I resisted choosing from the many good suppliers on the web. I settled on the limited but attractive selection at Lowes. A side benefit of this was that my choices were comfortably narrowed.

Within the category of halogen lighting, you can get either track lights or stem-mounted lights (with arms extending outward). I went with track lights. This was partly because the stem lights I found on the web were relatively expensive and Lowe’s didn’t offer them, and partly because with track lights I could have one cord instead of several hanging down.

The Lowes lighting salesperson was helpful in putting together a full package from the track lighting on display and in stock. I decided on four, two-foot tracks to keep the size of my shipping boxes down. Here’s a rundown of what I bought:

· 4 two-foot track sections, Portfolio brand, black finish, Item #225678. Each section holds 2 lights, for a total of 8. Total: $23.12

· 8 Flared Gimbal Track Lights, Portfolio brand, Item #120673, with a satin chrome finish for a contemporary look. They are easy to attach to the track by following the directions. Total: $80.76

· 8 halogen bulbs, Par 20, 50-watt, for bright, crisp light. I bought several floodlights and a couple of spotlights. The bulbs are very packable, at a little over 3” long and 2.5” in diameter. Total: $60.00

· 2 Miniature Straight Connectors by Portfolio, Item #120716, for joining two of the track sections end to end. The idea is to have only one cord to plug in from a row of four lights. Total: $5.92.

· 2 Cord and Plug Sets, Portfolio brand, Item #120827, to power track from a standard AC wall outlet. I connected these to the end of the two of the track sections by unscrewing the covering on one side of the track. Total: $17.06

· Various Multi-Purpose Ties (cable ties), by Catamount, for attaching tracks to booth pipes. Total: $5.00

· 2 heavy-duty extension cord/power strips – 14-gauge, 15-feet, with three outlets each, Woods brand, from Lowe’s, Item #170224, model 82965. Total: $22.00

Grand total: $213.86

The Gimbal lights I chose only accept a 50-watt, PAR 20 bulb, which made it easy to pick out the bulbs. So in this case, the fixture drove the choice of bulb, not the other way around.

According to the Bulb Photometrics page at Contractors Choice Lighting, a PAR 20, 50-watt halogen flood bulb will emit a beam of light with a 5’4” diameter when it reaches 10 feet away. It offers about 12 foot-candles worth of light at 10 feet away from the bulb (a foot-candle is the level of illumination on a surface one foot away from a standard candle.)

For the sake of comparison, a PAR 30 beam offers a diameter of more than 8’ at 10 feet away, and you still get about 14 foot-candles at that distance. What happens if you notch it up to a 75-watt bulb? You get a lot more foot-candles (38) at 10 feet away. This suggests that larger trade-show booths might want to take advantage of higher PAR and higher watt bulbs.

All together, the track lighting system I chose uses 400 watts of electricity. This left me another 100 watts to add specialty or accent lighting to my booth, while still remaining at the 500-watt limit.

Cords, Plugs and Hanging Lights

The Las Vegas Convention Center has very strict rules for cords, plugs, and hanging lights.

The two-pronged, 18-gauge cords that the manufacturer has attached to your lights are acceptable (leave the UL tags and labels intact). These lighting cords cannot be plugged into the convention center outlet, however. Instead, you must plug them into a three-pronged, heavy duty, 14-gauge extension cord – or a breaker strip with a 14-gauge cord. You can then plug that 14-gauge extension cord into the convention center outlet.

A 14-gauge extension cord is capable of handling 1,825 watts. It’s helpful to read the brief extension-cord sizing and safety information on the web pages of the Underwriters Laboratories (www.ul.com/consumers/cords.html) and the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FY800) before purchasing a cord.

Bruce Baker suggests the cord be 20 feet with six outlets, and that it include a cord reel. I couldn’t find this type of cord at Lowe’s, so I decided on two 15-foot, heavy-duty, 14-gauge extension cord/power strips, each offering three outlets. If you have a larger booth, you can find a 25-foot cord with three outlets at Lowe’s.

There are so many different approaches to hanging lights, and so many variables to consider, that it could be a topic for another article. In general, you can hang or clip lights onto a cross bar or onto the “hard walls” of your display if you have them. Depending on the rules of a particular trade show and the size your lighting system, you may be permitted to attach the lights to the booth’s existing pipe and drape.

Since my booth design does not include my own walls, my lights will attach either to the existing pipe or to a cross bar. Cable ties (commonly called “zip ties”) appear to be tool of choice for attaching tracks to the pipes or bars, and even for attaching additional cross bars to existing pipe and drape. One artist I know uses Velcro strips, followed by cable ties to secure the attachments. There are a few entire websites for cable ties. One of them is http://www.cabletiesplus.com .

I purchased Multi-Purpose Ties from Home Depot. They can bundle 4 inches in diameter, withstand temperatures up to 185 degrees Fahrenheit, and hold up to 50 lbs.

Accent Lighting: LEDs

There are many ideas for accent lighting – although a fair treatment of the topic is beyond the scope of this article. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting is one technology that is experiencing breakthroughs and growing fast. It takes many LEDs to equal the light output of a 50-watt bulb, and LEDs are fairly expensive, so LEDs aren’t ready for prime time when it comes to lighting a whole booth.

There are several close-up applications for LEDs, however, that are worth looking into now. An example is the in-counter light bar sold by MK Digital Direct at www.mkdigitaldirect.com (at a whopping $175 per foot). The more affordable MK Sparkle Light Pocket ($30) is a portable device that has extra long-life of over 100,000 continuous hours and promises to give jewelry “maximum sparkle and scintillation.”

The Nexus mini LED light system (www.ccl-light.com), meanwhile, offers a lot of illumination for its size – a puck shape not much bigger than a quarter. The company says it is for direct display lighting of crystal and glass, and it can even be submerged in water. The light is attached to a 12’ cable that ends in a plug, and has “mode switch” with seven different color choices. Unfortunately, white is not one of the color choices, and at $25 it’s a bit expensive. Still, a few of these lights combined with room lighting could draw viewers into your booth and toward your most dramatic displays.

LEDS also include tube lights, flexible lights, linear lights, and bulbs. Superbright LEDs (www.superbrightleds.com/edison.html ) has a collection of 120-volt screw-in LED bulbs for accent and other low-lighting applications, as well as a host of other fascinating products such as “plant up-light fixtures.”

At this writing, the search was still on for accent lighting to give my booth an extra special glow. Stay tuned for a future article on the results.

Online Resources

The following list is not an endorsement, but rather a starting point for research on lighting systems, cable ties, and accent lighting.

www.ccl-light.com – inexpensive and many choices, has “Bulb Photometrics” page to help determine how much light and what kind you want from a bulb

www.direct-lighting.com – stem-mounted and track lights

www.usalight.com – large selection of lighting and bulbs

www.bulbs.com – quick visual comparison of PAR bulbs (in halogen section)

http://www.cabletiesplus.com – Cable (zip) ties for securing track lights to pipe

www.mkdigitaldirect.com – LED lights for jewelry cases

http://www.american-image.com/products/lights/lights.html – a nice selection and visual layout of stem-mounted and other lighting (but not cheap)

http://www.brightmandesign.com/products/wash-super.html – good technical information and images of lights set-ups for trade shows; several stem-mounted clip-on designs

www.superbrightleds.com – LED accent lighting, including screw-in bulbs and light bars

Alice Horrigan is a glass artist living in Ithaca, New York
http://www.fingerlakesgifts.com
http://www.wholesalecrafts.com (Artist #23436)
Retailers may see Alice’s work at the American Craft Retailers Expo (ACRE) wholesale show, May 2-4, 2007, Booth #333. Pre-show appointments call 607-351-3284, or write to alice@fingerlakesgifts.com .

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alice_Horrigan

Power Options for Craft Show Booth with no Electricity

Producing Vegetables and Crafts For Farmers Markets

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:45:00 GMT

Producing Vegetables and Crafts
For Farmer's Markets

For all of our Farmer's market vendors who love to have all the books on gardening but don't have space to keep every one there is a new solution.

There are tons of free Gardening Books for Kindle on amazon.com.

I love Kindle for PC (as I don't have a Kindle) and love having all the free cookbooks, books on gardening and craft show displays, etc. I must have downloaded a hundred free books by now-wonder when I will have time to read them. I haven't yet looked for books on arts and crafts, what was I thinking?

Craftsperson’s Seven Deadly Sins

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:15:00 GMT

Are you committing the Seven Deadly Sins that kill sales for artists and crafters? Are they actually deadly sins?

Find out at Handmade Lives.

What do you think are you committing these sins? Are they deadly?

5 Ways to Use Facebook to Sell More Arts and Crafts

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:55:00 GMT

Ways to Use Facebook
to Sell More Arts and Crafts

Facebook is a great place to drive art and craft sales when your posts are providing value to the reader, but will harm your reputation done incorrectly.

Being a professional artist or crafter is having an idea, talent, and skill and developing that into a business. It's learning proper ways of marketing those skills and when done properly any business can succeed to some degree of success. It's knowing how you define success-as each person defines it differently.

The stigma surrounding home based businesses comes from the many mistakes you see home based businesses making. For instance:

posting hard sale messages
posting numerous sales messages
lack of marketing skills
lack of salesmanship
lack of customer service skills
the idea that all home based businesses are MLM
the idea that it's impossible to make a living selling your own hand crafted arts and crafts.

Many hand crafters make the mistake of posting self serving messages with no benefit to their readers. When posting messages on social media sites like Facebook be sure your messages benefits the reader on their path to success. Gear posts toward providing value to the readers not toward yourself.

So my piece of golden advice would be when you post on Facebook think about 5 things:

Don't try a hard sale with people who aren't interested in your handmade craft or service instead try posting in a place where people are looking for your crafts. Hard sells don't work and are why people receive complaints about self serving ads. Instead...

Give relevant information to the topic at hand tie it into why your product is necessary to the reader and include a link to your site.

Why am I posting here? What am I trying to accomplish? Am I trying to drive someone to visit my online craft store, my craft blog, get them to follow or like me on Facebook, LinkedIn etc.?

Am I in the right place to do that?

Have I given the reader information that is valuable to them?

Did I include a clear call to action that accomplishes my goal in #1?

Am I developing a relationship with the reader or am I pushing them away?

Guide prospects gently to the desired goal. Don't expect anyone to buy handmade crafts from you when they first meet you. Give several chances at getting information that is relevant and valuable to them with each piece taking them a little closer to the desired goal-buying a craft from you.

Entry 1 of 5 in Series
Social Media Networking for Artists & Crafters

Art Fair and Craft Festival Expert

Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handmade crafts who want to save time looking for shows, packing for art shows, and get more sales at craft festivals.

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your art show booth.

Week 3 -My 30 Day Plan to Greater Craft Show Profitability

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:14:00 GMT

Recently I’ve been working to make my business more profitable each and every day.

This week I got less accomplished than I had intended but what I did do I feel good about.

Week 3 what I accomplished.

I did mail coupons to show promoters.
I had a second client consultation.
I learned something new about my facebook profile and group page. Added links to my group from my profile page.
Worked on creating my profile on LinkedIn. Added a few contacts there.
Worked on cleaning out my overly full email box.
Signed up for a MySpace account. You can follow our posts at http://www.myspace.com/extravaganzacrafts.
I blogged about my experience working toward greater profitability this week.

Here is what I didn’t accomplish.

I still didn’t get my accounting done.
I didn’t call the people I just mailed free newsletters to in the last few weeks to ask them what they thought of the newsletter. It is probably too late but I will try to fit this into next week anyway. Call your prospects right away they are only interested about 7 days!
I didn’t create any articles to send to show promoters that will encourage them to list their shows with me.
Since I didn’t write the articles I also didn’t start calling my huge list of show promoters. Obviously I didn’t sign them up in my email marketing system.
I didn’t contact Power Pay and get signed up to accept credit cards.

The plan for the next 7 days:

Day 16 -Call the people I sent newsletters to. Ask them if they would like to receive free articles. Sign them up as prospects.
Day 17 -Create articles for show promoters.
Day 18 -Call show promoters and ask them if they would like to receive free articles to make their businesses more profitable.
Day 19 -Call Power Pay and get set up to accept credit cards.
Day 20 -Find my friends who are already on MySpace and try to connect with them.
Day 21 -Do my accounting!
Day 22 -Write article for my newsletter.
Day 23 -Blog about my accomplishments this week.

Entry 3 of 6 in series My 30 Day Plan to Greater Craft Show Profitability. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Public Art -Call for Artists Rapid City SD

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:17:47 GMT

The Rapid City Arts Council (RCAC) along with Destination Rapid City (DRC) is looking for an aritst or team or artists to sculpt the 21 granite boulders at Main Street Square in downtown Rapid City, SD.

Individual or team of artists to create a stone sculpture expected to be completed on-site by the artist(s) during the next 3-5 years.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 17, 2012

Up to $2 million dollars is already set aside apply on-line at www.callforentry.org.

Thank you Montana Arts Council

7 Ways For Your Art or Craft Business to Outsell the Retailers Part 2

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:23:30 GMT

Parts of this 7 part series have been reprinted with permission from the article “7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business” by Pam Grimm of Ideaco.

7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business

By Pamela Grimm, Ideaco

2. Lack of interest in customers:

It surprised me how often I could walk into and out of a store without having a single conversation with anyone. No one seemed interested that I was even there. When we did come in contact with staff, they really didn’t know how to conduct small talk to establish some kind of personal relationship connection. It was all business. Why is this important? Because the personal connection made with the store is the core of a positive experience…making a connection that makes you want to come back to that store, think of that store,and become an advocate for that store. Another “dropped ball” was in the lack of gathering contact information. In over 95% of the stores, we walked out with no way for the store to ever follow up, market to us, or make another connection with us.

How to Overcome a Lack of Interest in Customers

As I mentioned in part 1 everytime a retailer misses a sale they leave an opportunity for you to make the sale, if you have a product of similar quality and value. I feel like it is obvious that if a customer walks into your booth and leaves without even a greeting that you have missed an opportunity, but since it happens so often in every industry it bears repeating. If a customer walks into your booth and walks away without having a conversation with you, you have missed an opportunity for a sale.

I admit it is hard to find the motivation to happily greet every customer when a show has few customers and sales are slow. Remember it is more expensive to find new customers than it is to sell to those who have already purchased from you. It’s not the purchase one customer is making that will make your business profitable it is the many purchases they will make in the future that will. Retailers who fail to greet their customers aren’t seeing the full potential of each customer. Every customer has the possibility of one sale or one thousand sales depending on what you do to earn their business. If you follow up with correct marketing principles with the customers who have purchased from you approximately 20% of them will make 80% of the future purchases from your business. By treating each customer like your best customer you won’t miss your next golden opportunity.

A customer walked into your booth, saw something there that interested them, your job is to establish a relationship of trust with the customer. Find out what is was that brought them into your booth, and ask for the sale. How do you establish trust with someone? What makes you trust someone? Establish trust by getting to know them, find out what it is that they want and give it to them. You can’t establish trust if you haven’t spoken to them. Start off with a simple, “Hello.” Don’t ask, “How are you today?” unless you truly want to know, customers know when you care and when you’re just asking to start a conversation. If you ask, “How are you today?” you must truly care how they are today. Ask where someone is from, or what brought them to the show today, ask what they are looking for, or if you can help them find something. Ask if there is someone they are shopping for or if they are shopping for a special occasion. Ask if they are looking for a particular style or if they are looking for something in a certain price range. Listen carefully to their answers without trying to figure out what you are going to say next. When they are finished speaking then take a moment to consider what to show them. When you have narrowed the choices to a few of their favorites ask for the sale by saying, “May I wrap those up for you?” or “May I take those to the counter for you?” If they’re having a hard time deciding, offer to give a small discount (10% off) the lower priced item if they buy them both.

When ringing up the a customers purchase always offer an upsell. An upsell is an additional complimentary product for example McDonalds offers a larger fry and drink with every hamburger (or hamburger meal) purchased. Done correctly chances are some customers will make the extra purchase, but no one will if you don’t offer. Don’t forget to collect the customers contact information during this step. They have purchased from you showing a need or want for your products so you should follow up with them to find out if they have additional needs, You can’t follow up if you have no way of contacting them again. You can collect their personal information by using duplicate receipts and including their name, mailing address, phone and email on every receipt you make out. Be sure to ask if you may include them on your mailing list and mark that on the receipt. Only mail to those that gave permission to be included.

Treat every customer like a golden opportunity. Follow up with them multiple times and soon you will be able to sort out the customers who will make many multiple purchases in the future and focus the largest part of your marketing budget on them and your profits will definitely grow.

Entry 2 of 7 in series 7 Ways for Your Art or Craft Business to Outsell the Retailers. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

Craft Show Booth Jewelry Display Options

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:40:00 GMT

Craft Show Booth
Jewelry Display Options

Handmade jewelry is one of the easiest arts to create and the hardest to sell. There is much competition among jewelry artists.

Buyers of jewelry are highly individualized-everyone buys handcrafted jewelry they like. Buyers prefer one type of jewelry over others. Each buyer has their own taste.

Have a sign telling buyers exactly what you offer them. Your business name on your sign doesn’t attract buyers as well as telling them exactly what you offer. Selling kids jewelry, oriental jewelry, ancient Chinese jewelry, Native American beaded jewelry, western jewelry, or vintage jewelry? Tell the buyers, be specific include the materials you use.

Professional displays are very important to show sales.

Unique jewelry displays attract buyers while showing off your handcrafted jewelry well. Use driftwood, elk or deer antlers to hang handmade jewelry from or drape jewelry over cowboy hats if it's western style.

Think carefully about how the color of displays affect the way buyers see your jewelry. Most jewelry displays well against a black background which usually looks professional and clean.

I’ve seen wooden drawer dividers (or deep picture frames) filled with rice, beans, or split peas to fancy wrought iron displays.

Your jewelry booth display needs depth to draw buyers to the booth. Don’t just lay jewelry flat on the display table.

A site with jewelry display and boxing ideas is http://www.jewelrydisplay.com/

What are your favorite jewelry display ideas and sites?

How to Sell Handmade Jewelry on Facebook
Do you have a Facebook page for your handmade crafts?

Get Jewelry Customers to Buy at Craft Shows
Want to know the secrets to getting people to buy handcrafted jewelry?

Sell Handcrafted Jewelry by Making Your Booth Stand Out at Shows
Are art festival displays killing jewelry sales?

Art Festival and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Grant and Funding Sources for Artists

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:46:00 GMT

I’ve been looking for sources of grants for artists and crafters for a very long time. This week Dee Bishop the craft shop examiner for examiner.com contacted me and when I asked about grants she posted an article that I wanted to share with you Grant and funding sources for artists.

Week 2 -My 30 Day Plan to Greater Craft Fair Profitability

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:44:27 GMT

Recently I’ve been working to make my craft fair business more profitable each and every day. Today it occurred to me that I should share with you how I plan to do that.

Well last week I worked on catching up on left over unfinished projects from previous weeks to prepare for my 30 days of greater profitability. As usual I accomplished some of the things I intended to do, did some things I planned to do later early, and didn’t accomplish some of the plan.

Here is what I did accomplish.

I kept up with incoming orders and new requests for information while getting my kids ready to go back to school.
I published my monthly craft newsletter that I try to accomplish the last week of the month (although it won’t be due out until the next week).
I learned something new about my email marketing that will keep my messages from being flagged as SPAM as often.
I worked with a new client doing a phone consultation on building their website (this is a new service I offer).
I blogged about my experience working toward greater profitability this week.

Here is what I didn’t accomplish.

I really didn’t get my goals written down on a calendar although I do have them planned out in my head.
I didn’t get my accounting done and it has been falling behind a few months now.
I didn’t get my office really clean (instead I worked on my daughters room and it is greatly improved).

The plan for the next 7 days:

Day 8 -Get my coupons sent out that I mail to show promoters each month.
Day 9 -Call the people I just mailed free newsletters to in the last few weeks. Ask them what they thought of the newsletter and if I can sign them up for a free report and to receive further information from my company. Sign them up as prospects in my email marketing system if they say yes.
Day 10 -Do my accounting.
Day 11 -Create a few articles to send to show promoters that will encourage them to list their shows with me.
Day 12 -Start calling my huge list of show promoters and ask them if I can send them free articles that will help make their businesses more profitable as well as articles that will make their vendors businesses more profitable. Sign them up in my email marketing system.
Day 13 -Continue calling my list of show promoters and sign them up for the articles in my email marketing system.
Day 14 -Contact PowerPay about getting a system in place to be able to accept credit cards.
Day 15 -Continue getting PowerPay set up and blog about my experiences this week.

What are you doing to increase sales in your craft fair booth?

Entry 2 of 6 in series My 30 Day Plan to Greater Craft Show Profitability. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Commonwheel Artists 38th Annual Labor Day Arts & Crafts Festival -Manitou Springs CO

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:28:22 GMT

Don’t forget to to visit the Commonwheel Artists 38th Annual Labor Day Arts & Crafts Festival in Manitou Springs, CO this Sep. 1 to 3, 2012

Handcrafted arts and crafts festival vendors contact Julia Wright at 719-577-7700 to reserve your show booth now. Remember to tell her thank you for listing her show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Montana each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

FTC Guide Concerning Use of the Word "Free"

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:36:44 GMT

If you're a customer of The Extravaganza Craft News or have followed my posts for a while you know that I:

Encourage you to follow up with your customers
Encourage you to use special offers in your marketing

When you use special offers marketing arts and crafts you push buyers who are sitting on the fence off to the buying side by giving them a deal or adding value to your craft offering.

I recently started using coupons for nearly everything I buy. Coupons and special offers have been the deciding factor when I bought many products I considered unnecessary luxuries (In other words I never would have bought them without the coupon, deal, or special offer). I definitely believe that special offers will increase sales of arts and crafts at festivals, shows, and on your craft website.

When encouraging a consumer to buy our arts and crafts it is important to follow the FTC GUIDE CONCERNING USE OF THE WORD ``FREE'' AND SIMILAR REPRESENTATIONS to be sure our offers are clear and easily understood by the purchaser. We want to effectively sway the buyer to purchase our handcrafted art but we don't want to deceptive or deceitful in our offer.

Learn New Crafting Skills

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:01:00 GMT

Love to knit, crochet, bake, garden crafts, create home decor, make handcrafted jewelry, do paper crafts, quilt or sew?

Then Craftsy is for you! Looks like a lot of fun and has some deals on craft supplies to.

Check it out at http://www.craftsy.com/!

Resources For Women In Crafts Business

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:42:00 GMT

Women Empowered Businesses is a resource you can use to help keep your art and craft business growing.

They have great articles on taxes and tax liability at http://welcometoourweb.wordpress.com/taxes/.

My Art and Craft Supply Storage-Wire Cubes

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:22:59 GMT

My Art and Craft Supply Storage-Wire Cubes

On my wire cubes I have little plastic drawers with the Boy Scout emblem on them. I don't know where I got them but I have all kinds of craft supplies in them. I would take better pictures of them except something happened and my phone camera isn’t synchronizing correctly with my computer. Hope to get that fixed soon.

They contain roller stamps and ink, pop dots a.k.a. thick foam tape for scrapbooking and rubber stampers. They have boxes of paper clips I used to make angels, baskets of shells, juice can lids and scratched CDs saved for various kids art projects, corner rounders, stickers for kids projects, and so much more. I also have several of these little plastic drawers in a cupboard full of rubber stamps.

I love these little drawers on my wire cubes because two of them side by side perfectly fit the width of the cubes. You can also do as I’ve done here and use the plastic drawers as a shelf. Another option would be to stack 3 plastic drawers on one side of the cube and use the wire cube pieces to divide the rest of the cube vertically.

Also see
My Art and Craft Supply Storage-Wire Cubes
My Art and Craft Supply Storage-Wire Cubes Part 1

101 Reasons Your Customer Should Buy Handmade

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:51:00 GMT

101 Reasons Your Customer Should Buy Handmade

Customers at craft shows often balk at the price of handcrafted works of art. One reason is they are used to going to Walmart and buying imports at half the price.

Help your customers realize the value of buying arts and crafts by sharing this article 101 Reasons to Buy Handmade.

Why do you buy handmade?

Help Your Art or Craft Show Customer Get What They Want

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:48:00 GMT

Help Your Art or Craft Show Customer
Get What They Want

How many times has someone trying to help you hurt your chances of getting what you wanted? Has someone with good intentions tried to help you reach what they saw as your full potential but actually stood in the way of reaching your dreams? Has a pushy salesman stood between you and the car you wanted trying to sell you a different one?

Help buyers of handmade crafts who have an idea what they want, find it and sell it to them. Don't stand in the way of them buying your handcrafted art.

Art and Craft Show Don’ts. Don’t stand in front of your craft show booth (or anyone’s show booth) catching up with people you haven’t seen. Get their number, call later and allow them to move on. Don’t read in your booth. If you work on a project in your art festival booth talk about what you’re doing even when no one is around. Don’t get so caught up in the project that you become unapproachable.

As an art or craft vendor it should be
your goal to discover what every customer
who walks into your booth wants.

Establish a relationship. Smile, say hello, and introduce yourself. Give craft show customers an idea of how things are arranged in your booth. Say, “Hello, my name is Shasta. Necklaces are here, bracelets over there, and rings are by the checkout stand.” Tell them your special of the day. For example, “Today we’re having a sale on handmade pearl jewelry buy one necklace (valued at $x) and get a free pair of pearl earrings (valued at ($x).” Some art show promoters don’t allow sales be sure you are not breaking the rules. Not allowed to have sales, show customers the featured item of the day. Don’t always run the same special, but if you find one works particularly well for you, use it often.

Narrow the choices. Allow customers to shop a few minutes or try to help them narrow their choices. Ask if they are shopping for themselves or for someone else today. When you know who they are shopping for you narrow down which questions to ask to help make their choice easier.

Establish a casual conversation by asking where a person is from giving clues to what styles they might be looking for. Ask if they like the style most common to their area. People from Montana might like a western or outdoor theme, people from Florida might like a beach theme. They might like that theme but be looking for something different because they like to be different. The question is meant to give them a way to express what they do and don’t like and what they are looking for.

Ask if they had a specific item in mind, or would like you to show them some of your ideas.

Close the sale. When they seem to be stuck ask if they would like to see more options or if you can ring up their selections? They might be waiting for you to ask for the sale.

Offer an Upsell. Never let a customer who is purchasing your crafts buy the one thing they have picked out. Offer an additional item similar or complimentary to the one they purchased at a small discount. For instance if they bought a platter ask if they would like the matching gravy pitcher for 10% off or offer two platters for $x.

Keep in contact. Collect every customers name, address, phone number, and email address. Ask their permission to add them to your mailing list. Tell them you will be sending relevant product information, specials, notices of where to find your crafts. If they will share their birth date send a special discount on their special day. Only mail relevant information to customers who give permission. Remember how much you hate junk mail and spam!

Use automated email responders I highly recommend you check them out if you don’t already have some kind of automated follow up/email system in place.

AutoWebBusiness
Constant Contact
Streamsend

Listen carefully for clues buyers of handmade crafts give you, that indicate what they are looking for. Watch sales increase now that you’re an expert in helping them find what they want.

I found this great resource and wanted to share it with you. How to Sell: Eliminating Obstacles to Sales

Versatile Shelving Makes Professional Craft Show Booth Display Easy

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:25:00 GMT

Versatile Shelving Makes Professional
Craft Show Booth Display Easy

Make your craft show booth more professional-the key is portability, ease of set up and clean professional look.

I wanted to share this versatile shelving system from Candy Concepts.

The supports and shelves can be set-up in any configuration. Supports can be set up further apart or closer together, facing or away from each other. Shelves can be added at several heights to bring your crafts up to your customers eye level and add interest to your display.

With extra pieces available you can add extra supports or shelves or subtract them from your set up to make shelves fit in any size craft show booth.

Art could be hung from the outside as well as set on shelves.

Versatile shelving systems can be set up in different layouts to create perfect art or craft show booth displays.

Need Craft Show Booth Display Ideas?
Portable Closet Shelving Makes Instant Craft Show Booth

Helping Artists Become Artists

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:25:00 GMT

Read Helping Artists Become Artists
by Agnes Gund
International Council of the Museum of Modern Art

Thanks State of the Arts

7 Ways Your Art or Craft Business Can Outsell the Retailers Part 1

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 00:29:00 GMT

Parts of this 7 part series were reprinted with permission from “7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business” by Pam Grimm of Ideaco.

7 Common Disconnects In Retail Business

By Pamela Grimm, Ideaco

Many of you have contacted me wondering where I have been; as you may have noticed, I haven’t had an article in this magazine for several issues. Well, here’s your answer. For the past several months we have been working with a major financial institution analyzing why their stock value has decreased and where they are going “wrong” in their front line business. We identified some major issues that have simple solutions; these changes will ultimately have a huge impact on their business practices and their front line behavior, but will require a paradigm shift in their thinking.

Our results were not a surprise, however the reaction from the company was interesting. They basically indicated that they had moved from being unconsciously horrible at the business to being consciously horrible at the business. They couldn’t see what they were doing wrong even though it was right in front of them. Sometimes it requires an “outsider” to come in and take a good look around. Our end results brought us to 7 key disconnects in their business practices that needed to be addressed. These problems have been seen both in mainstream retail and independent stores, so we decided to do an “unofficial” business audit and note similar business practices. Here are the 7 common disconnects found on the retail level within the craft industry:

First Impression Failure: When a customer comes into a store, she is either there for the first time, is a repeat customer or she has come in with a problem. Regardless of the reason, every time a customer comes in, she gets a certain impression of the store. We found, in the majority of the stores, that the first impression failed miserably. Often staff members were too busy to say hello and didn’t know how to approach a customer to see if she needed assistance. Many times, the staff wouldn’t even talk to a customer and she could walk out as quietly as she came in. Sometimes the atmosphere of the store was uncomfortable, like a fight had just happened between the staff and the management, and everyone was in a terrible mood. It showed on faces and in the manner they moved products around, or just in the way they spoke to each other.

First impression from a physical standpoint failed horribly in the independent store sector as products were disorganized and crammed in anywhere…or there was a great lack of products. Samples seemed old and tired, and handmade signage promoted classes that had already been taught weeks prior. Many stores had no personality or flavor, leaving the feeling that you had walked into an overpriced dollar store.

How to Improve the Customers First Impression of Your Booth

Recognize retailer's mistakes are our opportunities. When retailers fail to make the sale they leave the door open for crafters with similar products to make the sale. What is the first impression you are creating?

Greet every person passing your booth. Your greeting may be the only reason they see your craft show booth. Ask if you can help them find something. Point them toward whatever they are looking for even if it’s somebody’s show booth.

Remain positive no matter how slow craft sales are, don’t discuss the slow show with other art vendors or customers. Opportunities are everywhere so take them with a smile and positive attitude.

Set-up your craft show booth display at home and take a good look at it? Consider the first impression you’re creating. Is your show booth professional, clean, organized, warm, inviting, interesting and attractive? Is it cluttered or empty, disorganized, confusing, and unprofessional? Ask the show promoter for an additional space (or half space) if you need more room to keep your booth looking it’s best. A larger booth makes it easier for customers to enter and leave making it less claustrophobic as long as there is enough product displayed to fill the space. Display more arts or see about sharing booths with another artist, if your booth looks empty. Set-up products between knee and eye level for best visibility. Don’t lay things flat on tables, use packing boxes under table cloths to add height. Arrange items that have something in common together and display attractively. For instance all T-shirts should be together, then all large T-shirts might be together on the rack, then medium, small, and extra small.

Are the colors of your booth showing off your crafts well or are they distracting from and competing with them? Make corrections now to improve craft show sales.

Set-up early at craft shows use the extra time before the show to get the opinions of other artists and crafters. Ask them to tell you as much about their first impression of your booth as they can. Record what they say in a notebook for reference after the show. Carefully consider their opinions and you will know which ones make sense for your business. Take a good look at booths around you record the things they are doing right and the things they aren’t in your notes for later.

Do informal surveys of your customers. During your conversation with them at the show tell them you are working to improve your customer service. Ask if they would spend a few minutes telling you what they thought about your booth. Always take notes.

If art and craft show promoters won’t allow surveys or drawings in your booth print simple business cards with a link to your online survey. As customers purchase crafts include the card with their purchase. Tell them it’s in the bag and they will be entered to win a prize or receive a small gift for answering the survey. Ask about first impressions, colors, displays, greeting they received, how prompt service was, price of product compared to value, etc. Make the survey as simple as possible while collecting the information you need. The survey will be skewed if you only ask people who purchased, ask people who check out your booth and a few passers by to take an extra look at the booth and do the survey as well.

Make signs on the computer for a more professional appearance. Check them for wear and tear. Update them occasionally be sure to make them timeless, simple and as clear as possible.

Part 1 of 7 in the series 7 Ways Your Art or Craft Business Can Outsell the Retailers. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

Customer Service 101 for Your Art and Craft Show

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:32:00 GMT

Recently I signed up to do business with a big company and have had nothing but a terrible experience. They have however helped me to realize what good customer service is and what it is not.

Good service is delivering what was promised, on time. It is realizing that as a business person it is your job to deliver value for your customers dollars.

Good customer service is having a way for your customers to reach you regarding any problems they are having with your art or craft, your policies or your business in general. It is having a clear effective way for them to report problems. It is listening to them and valuing their opinions.

Customer service is NOT giving people the run around. It is NOT making them call and leave several messages to resolve a problem. Customer service is NOT WAITING two weeks before returning phone calls. It is returning their calls within 2 days of them calling even if it is only to tell them you are sorry for the problem and working to resolve it. Then resolve it and let them know.

Providing good service ISN’T about correcting customers misconceptions about your business after they happen. It is preventing them in the first place, or taking responsibility for them if they do occur.

Great customer service is having a 100% satisfaction guarantee that states:

If you are unsatisfied with our product or service for any reason we will refund you money completely. No questions asked. However if you would like to tell us what is was wrong with our product or service we would be happy to listen so we can improve our business in the future.

It is informing all your employees of this policy. It is telling them that listening means not talking. It is giving them the authority and resources they need to refund the customers money.

Lastly customer service is about seeing upset customers as an asset. Upset customers can do the most damage to your business OR you can see that they are your best opportunities to grow. By hearing your customers complaints you know the places that your business needs improvement. If you resolve their problems with your business satisfactorily they may even become your best customers.

Do You Want to Know What Other Artists and Crafters are Doing?

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:15:00 GMT

Well today I was checking the polls and there have been a lot of you respond to them. So I will let you know what the results are as they currently stand.

What is the average price of your product?

1 person answered $20.01-$30
1 person said $100.01-$125

What are the 3 biggest obstacles your business faces?

1 person answered How to Market/Advertise My Business
1 answered Displays
2 said it was How to Make my Website Make More Money
1 said Cutting Costs
1 said How to Make More Sales at Shows

What seasons do you do shows?

1 said they do Fall Shows
2 said they do Winter Shows
2 of you do Spring Shows
2 do Summer Shows
1 only does Holiday Shows
2 or you do Shows All Year Long

When do you start selling Christmas and holiday merchandise?

1 said I sell holiday merchandise all year round
1 starts selling holiday merchandise right after Halloween
2 start selling holiday merchandise right after Thanksgiving

Do you change the look of your booth to coordinate with seasons, holidays, and other special occasions?

2 of you said Yes, I decorate my booth for the holidays and seasons
3 said No, my booth stays the same through out the year

What is your average income at craft shows per year?

4 answered Between $0 and $10,000
1 answered Between $30,000 and $40,000
1 answered Above $50,000

What do you sell at shows?

Note: I changed some of the answers to this poll so some of the answers are skewed just a bit.

3 answered Fine Art-Painting, Sculptures (this is where I made some changes, I divided Sculpture into it’s own category so some of the answers here might have belonged in the new category).
1 of you does woodworking
1 sells candles
1 sells health and beauty
1 pet items
2 of you sell jewelry
3 answered Other
1 answered Sculpture
1 answered Photography, Scrapbooking, or Paper Crafts

What types of shows do you usually sell at?

2 answered Juried Fine Art & Craft Shows
3 said Unjuried Art & Craft Shows
1 said Fair or Festivals
1 of you sells at Gem and Bead Shows
1 of you sells at Other Specialty Shows

Do you sell your arts and crafts on the web?

12 of you said Yes, I have a website
5 said No, I don’t have a website

Do you do any marketing outside of craft shows?

Is this poll working? So far only 1 of you has answered this poll. I wonder if this is the same person that is making over $50,000 a year. Do this one thing to out compete your competitors.

1 of you answered Yes I follow up with my customers outside of craft shows.

Do you do arts & crafts on the side or as a regular 9 to 5 job?

6 people do arts and crafts to make an extra income
2 people said Arts and crafts are my regular 9 to 5 job
5 people said that they want arts and crafts to be their regular 9 to 5 job

How much of you time is spent looking for quality show?

2 said 30%
1 said 50% or more
2 said 10%

So that is the results of the polls. I hope that gives you some insight into your business and your competitors. Please participate in the polls on our home page.

Free Books From Interweave

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:42:12 GMT

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Art and Craft Fair Taxes Due

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:37:00 GMT

With the New Year just around the corner I'm reminded it's tax time.

We have more taxes withheld from our personal income than what we will owe. This way we can plan on getting a substantial return and therefore are motivated to get out taxes done early.

How do you handle taxes for your art festival and craft show booth?

Are you organized and have everything in file folders or do you have everything in a shoe box? How is your system working for you? Do you file yearly or quarterly? Do you know what is required of your business?

Things you might need to help get your taxes filed in an orderly fashion are:

I'm working on being more organized next year but honestly this year haven't done my accounting all year. I guess I should get started so I won't be the one holding up our tax return.

Do Your Crafts Stand Out from The Crowd

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:11:00 GMT

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love HGTV. This week I was watching Unsellables and Sofie Allsop said something that made sense to me for craft show booths. Sofie said that in order to sell our house we have to make it stand out from the crowd.

How do we make our craft show booth stand out from the crowd?

Make your craft show display professional. Make it highlight your crafts not compete with them. Don’t over crowd or clutter your booth, also don’t let it get a picked over look.
Make your crafts the best quality.
Collect your customers contact information and respectfully contact them with information that will be valuable to them.
Offer the best customer service. Develop a relationship with them.
Offer the best guarantee.

These are just a few ideas of how you can make your handmade craft business stand out from the crowd. How do you make your handcrafts stand out and make an impression that people will remember positively?

Pilot artist space program launches in Pioneer Square

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:45:04 GMT

Pilot artist space program launches in Pioneer Square, International District
Artists invited to attend space workshop Jan. 7, take survey and apply for space consulting services

SEATTLE — The Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs has launched the Artist Space Assistance Program (ASAP), a pilot program designed to provide relocation and placement services for artists and arts organizations seeking affordable studio, live/work, exhibition, performance and/or rehearsal space.

Nonprofit arts service organization Shunpike is developing and managing the program, which is focused in the Pioneer Square and Chinatown-International District neighborhoods. The program, also supported by 4Culture, grew out of community concerns related to the recent loss of artist studio space in Pioneer Square. The 619 Western Building, home to about 100 artist studios, closed in October to make way for construction of the Highway 99 tunnel below.

“One of the primary goals of ASAP is to connect property owners looking for tenants with artists in search of space,” said Vincent Kitch, director of the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. “Arts and culture play an important role in sustaining and building active, engaged neighborhoods that attract visitors, residents and businesses.”

Shunpike will assess artist needs and space opportunities, offer direct services to artists and arts groups and develop a model for expanding the program to other Seattle neighborhoods. Artists and arts groups working in Pioneer Square and the Chinatown-International District – especially those displaced by the closure of the 619 Western Building – will receive priority for participation in a small pilot group, which will receive free planning and placement services in January and
February 2012.

To help determine current art space needs citywide, Seattle artists and arts groups are invited to take an online survey available at www.shunpike.org/artist-space-assistance-program/. Artists and arts groups who want to be considered for the pilot program must complete the survey and check a box indicating their interest in the pilot group.

Shunpike will host a free art space workshop, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 7 at Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave. Real estate broker Richard Hesik will give an overview of commercial real estate issues for artists. The event will include roundtable discussions, where artists will work with facilitators from Shunpike’s Arts Business Clinic. Registration is required. For more information and to register, visit Shunpike’s website: www.shunpike.org/artist-space-assistance-program.

Shunpike’s mission is to fuel innovation in the arts by building productive partnerships, cultivating leadership and providing direct services to arts groups of all kinds.

The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs promotes the value of arts and culture in communities throughout Seattle. The 16-member Seattle Arts Commission, citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and City Council, supports the city agency.

Are You Making Money Selling Your Crafts?

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:23:00 GMT

I was just wondering if you are making any money selling your crafts in this economy? What crafts are you selling, are they selling well? Have your sales improved or dropped off with the “recession” and what are you doing differently that has helped or possibly hurt your business?

Successful Handcrafts Business-Defining a Successful Craft Show Booth

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:33:00 GMT

“Your ability to discipline yourself to set clear goals, and then to work
toward them everyday, will do more to guarantee your success than any
other single factor.”
~Brian Tracy

How do you know if your craft show booth is successful if you haven’t defined what success means to you?

Does success mean money to you, if yes how much money? Does success mean time to spend with your family, how much time? Does it mean working fewer days and hours a week, how many hours a week is success to you? Does success mean working from a constant vacation-where, working from home, quitting your other job, or having a really great car -what kind? Does success mean talking to 100 people and getting the contact information for 25 so you can follow up with them?

Write down your goals for your handcrafted art and craft business. Define success for your craft show booth.

When you achieve your success who do you want to be there with you? Write it down.

Set goals both for your handmade craft business as a whole but don’t forget each time you are doing something for your craft show booth or business to define success for it. Remember if it’s not accomplishing something to help you reach your long term goal it is just a waste of time and money.

Haphazardly wandering through your business is like wandering aimlessly through the wilderness without knowing which peak you are trying to climb. You won’t ever reach the top if you don’t know where the top is. Choose a goal and know where it is then choose a path to get there.

Now choose a path that will take you to that place. Choose a narrowly defined path one that keeps you on track to achieving the goals you have set for your craft business. Wider paths can take you many places and are less likely to take you straight to your goals. Break down your large goal into the smaller more specific steps you can take to get there. Get out your calendar and write down 30 things you can do to help your business reach your goals. One on each day for the next month. See my series My 30 Day Plan to Greater Profitability to see some of my goals.

Your plan to reach your business goals is like your map to reach the top of the mountain. So choose your path to success and let everything you do for your craft business lead you to that goal.

Building List of Best US Art and Craft Shows on Twitter

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:26:00 GMT

Dear Readers,

I’m working to build the best list of art and craft shows in the US that Twitter has ever seen.

I’ve already started a list of artists and crafters that show promoters could visit looking for vendors of handcrafted items.

Help me get the two groups together if you are an artist or crafter on Twitter follow me at http://twitter.com/#!/TheExtravaganza and message me to that affect.

Message me your favorite art and craft shows that tweet and I will follow and list them for all to see.

Thanks,

Shasta

Art & Craft Show Vendor Money Management

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:35:00 GMT

Art & Craft Show Vendor
Money Management

How to manage money for art and craft shows baffles artists and crafters.

Read Business License Requirements. Business licenses are assets to craft business allowing you to open business accounts, buy wholesale, do business in your location and more.

Get a business license and register in your state as DBA (Doing Business As) go to the bank and open a business account. Mine was inexpensive ($5 if I remember correctly plus an initial deposit). My bank included a stamp that says:

Pay to the order of xxxxxxxx Bank
For Deposit Only
Business Name
Account Number

Get a checkbook register, record your deposit. Put this in a safe location that won’t easily be forgotten.

Get a secure lock box. A fairly heavy keyed lock box will provide more security at shows. Get petty cash before craft shows so you can make change for your customers. Read 10 Thing to Take to Art and Craft Shows. Record how much cash you put in the box.

When a customer makes a purchase write them a receipt include your business name, address, web address, email and phone number. A stamp or printed address label can make this easy to add. Write the customers name, address, phone and email (ask if they want to be added to your mailing list and write it on the receipt with a simple “Y” or “N”). Include a memorable description of the handmade crafts purchased, for instance jade and pearl necklace and earring set. Recording an accurate description of the crafts will help you determine your best sellers later on.

If they pay in cash place the money next to or on top of the lock box and make the appropriate change. You will know if they handed you a $1 bill, a $10 bill, a $20 bill or even $50 or $100, no confusion or debates. Don’t forget to place the money in the lock box and lock it.

If they pay with a check immediately take out your stamp and stamp the back of your check. Place checks in the bottom of the lock box.

Follow the procedure defined by your credit card merchant account and place all slips in the bottom of the lock box.

After shows:

run credit card purchases if they aren’t processed automatically at shows.
Count cash, checks, and credit card purchases.
Subtract petty cash from the total and verify nothing was lost or stolen.
Deposit cash and checks into business account.
Transfer funds from merchant accounts, wait for check, or wait and verify direct deposit for all credit purchases.
Record all transactions in your business account register and on any accounting software you run.

At the end of the month balance accounts with statements from the bank or have your accountant do it. Immediately correct mistakes.

That is it if you use good accounting software. Print a profit and loss statement at the end of the year and give your accountant invoices from your income, and receipts you’ve saved for all craft business purchases. Create a handmade profit and loss statement if you don’t have accounting software (I recommend free trials of accounting software though). Profit and loss statements should include all sources of income broken down by categories such as purchases, interest, rebates etc. It should include all expenses such as craft supplies and materials, travel, discounts given, donations, and more. Add all the income, add all the expenses, subtract the expenses from the income.

KEEP ALL PERSONAL EXPENSES SEPARATE FROM BUSINESS EXPENSES

Art and Craft Show Expert Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handcrafted products who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales at festivals. Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less. Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.com to get her newsletter, The Extravaganza Craft News, that will help you avoid mistakes, save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Commenting Etiquette For Craft Businesses

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:10:00 GMT

On January 7, 2011 I received this message from electric fence wire:

“Thanks admin for sharing this and link back to http://www.xxxxxxxxxx.net website that can help people to know about an advantage of electric fence wire.”

Why am I posting about this message? I am posting about this message because it is the kind of comment I get on my art and craft blog all the time. It proves that people are destroying their business reputations because they don’t know how to use blogs to draw attention to their business.

What did they do wrong?

Their business had nothing to do with the purpose of my blog?
Their post had nothing to do with the post or blog? They obviously didn’t even read the original post.
They gave no information that was relevant to my blog, post or customer.

Frankly I find it conceited and rude that they think I would just link to their site. I have no reason to recommend electric fence wire to my art and craft customers, they wouldn’t find it relevant to them. I have no reason to trust them or do business with them, so why would I risk the reputation of my business to link to them? The only thing I know about their business is that they treated me like a fool assuming I would just post such a link.

Comment correctly to build links and drive traffic to your site.

Visit blogs and communities that are related to your craft business.
Keep your comments relevant to the purpose of the blog and the individual post.
Share information that will be useful and valuable to the customers of the blog and to the original poster.

Use good commenting etiquette to build traffic to your craft business.

Find Thousands of Loyal Art and Craft Vendors

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:51:00 GMT

I have an account on Twitter with 800 followers mostly artists and crafters. Each of them has several to several thousand followers mostly people who buy the arts and crafts they produce.

What does this mean for your Fair, Festival or Craft Show?

If you are not on Twitter you are missing a huge opportunity to build a loyal following of artists and crafters who are potential vendors for your shows as well as missing the potential customers that buy those crafters products.

What is Twitter? It is a place people get together and share bite size bits of information about themselves, their business, and things they find interesting.

Why is Twitter a powerful tool for your business? Twitter allows you to establish a relationship with your customers by sharing fun tidbits about your events in a tweet. Your followers will receive those tweets, but the key here is that they can retweet (share) those tweets to their followers who can then follow you and retweet your posts to their friends. This means that you have access to hundreds and thousands of potential artists, crafters and the people who buy their arts and crafts.

How do you effectively use Twitter?

Sign up for a Twitter account. It’s quick and easy.
Let your loyal customers know you have a Twitter account and let them know where they can follow you.
Create a list for each type of craft you include in your show. Add each follower to the correct list so that you can contact just woodworkers, quilters, knitters, etc.
Follow The Extravaganza on Twitter and message us letting us know how we can categorize you in our lists.
Check out and follow some of our followers. Quality is as important as quantity in who you follow. Also check out their followers and follow them if appropriate.
Tweet post) fun tidbits about your art and craft show often.
Set your settings so you receive an email each time you get a new follower. Each time check to be sure you are following them if they are appropriate to your business type. Remember to check out their followers followers and follow them if appropriate.

Visit our website to list your show now,
remind us to tweet about your show
to our followers on Twitter in your comments.

Week 1 -My 30 Day Plan to Greater Craft Show Profitability

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:40:00 GMT

Recently I’ve been working to make my business more profitable each and every day. Today it occurred to me that I should share with you how I plan to do that.

Day 1-Set a goal to do something to make my business more profitable each day for 1 month.
Day 2-Make a plan. Get out a calendar and write down the goal for each day until calendar contains one goal for each day. Make each goal one that can be accomplished in a time frame of 1 day to 1 week.
Day 3-Finish writing down goals on calendar. Breaking larger goals down into step by step goals if necessary.
Day 4-Clean office so I can find everything I need to accomplish goals.
Day 5-Do projects I’ve been putting off for the past month or so especially accounting.
Day 6-Finish projects I’ve been putting off for last month.
Day 7-Blog about my experiences this week.

PS. This is not my office! LOL

Entry 1 of 6 in series My 30 Day Plan to Greater Craft Show Profitability. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Art and Craft Show Expert Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handcrafted products who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales at festivals. Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less. Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.com to get her newsletter, The Extravaganza Craft News, that will help you avoid mistakes, save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Brief Introduction to Pam Grimm

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:03:00 GMT

Well before I use Pam Grimm’s article on the blog for the upcoming series I wanted to give you a brief introduction to her.

Pam is a lifetime crafter but got into the paper arts business 17 years ago. She ran a successful retail and manufacturing business which had retailers seeking them out to help them break into the then new Scrapbook business. Ten years ago Ideaco was formed and has helped hundreds of retailers from independent to franchise in many different retail industries with their business development from ground up to expansion. Pam has written for many magazines, TV spokesperson and is a speaker/trainer for leading retail institutions and conferences.

Ideaco is known for it’s leading edge, innovative direction that takes retailers into a strategy for success.

The Extravaganza Craft Productions would like to publicly thank Pam for allowing us to use her article in our upcoming series

Remember to bookmark the Extravaganza craft's Blog. Don’t miss a single post of “7 Ways For Your Art or Craft Business to Outsell the Retailers” this great series that will improve your sales in simple ways that even the retailers are failing in. We will tell you how to overcome poor first impressions, lack of interest in customers, lack of product knowledge, assuming not assessing, lack of service options, and not asking for business.

What Type of Show Are You Most Likely to Attend?

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:16:00 GMT

Just wondering what types of shows everyone is most likely to attend? So I would like you to comment with art show, art and craft show, juried craft show, unjuried craft show, fair or festival with commercial vendors allowed, rodeo, home and garden show, bridal show, or other specialty show. You can comment here or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ExtravaganzaCraft.

What type of show does your craft sell best at?

6 Reasons Your Art Festival Customer Won’t Buy

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Reasons Art Festival Customer Won’t Buy

Customers won’t buy art from you if:

They don’t know where to find your handmade craft.
They aren’t prepared to buy now. For instance they weren’t expecting to see a handcrafted product they wanted so they don’t have money right now.
They don’t know what you are selling.
You aren’t selling what they want.
Your handcrafted art is hard to get, the wrong price or poor quality.
You haven’t asked if they would like to buy.

We were selling World’s Finest Chocolates as a fundraiser to earn our trip to Jamaica with ROC Wheels in March 2011.

The first day the kids sold chocolate bars, they sold very few. The next day more people knew they were selling them and several bought. The third day their sales increased again because people knew they could count on them having them and had their money together.

Problem: Not knowing it was available!

Solutions: Consistency, advertising, marketing your finished crafts to correct market, having a website or blog to show case your art work, email marketing.

One day my son took the chocolates to school. A child asked him if he had Mint Meltaways. He answered yes and was swarmed by kids who wanted the mints. They hadn’t bought before because they didn’t know he had them.

Problem: Not knowing what was available! Not offering enough variety.

Solutions: Better advertising and signage, having a website or blog, email marketing. Offering the right product to the right customer.

We arranged to sell the chocolates at a grocery store in town, set up a table and sat down to wait for our first customer. We were directly in front of the door yet people walked right by or bought a product next to us without even seeing us. When we asked if they could use chocolate for stocking stuffers many people checked out what we were selling.

Problem: Not knowing where to find you. Not knowing what you are selling.

Solutions: Consistency, better advertising and signage. Not being afraid to offer your product and ask for a purchase.

The favorite chocolate we are selling seems to be the caramel candy bar. Chocolate sales increase when we keep those in stock and decrease greatly when we run out. Some people will buy another variety, some won’t.

We noticed however that when we sold to a wider variety of people (at the store instead of the school) the different flavors all sold about the same.

Problem: Not selling what the customer wants.

Solutions: Find the right market for your handmade product by selling to a different group of people. Change your product to meet the needs of the group you are currently selling to. Offer a variety of products or narrow your products to the ones your customers buy.

People at the store weren’t expecting to see us so they didn’t have a few dollars cash on hand. They usually went to buy groceries and came back with money to spend.

Problem: Customers aren’t prepared to buy now.
Solutions: Follow up through mail, email, online craft store, craft blog or phone call. Remember follow up respectfully giving the customer something they want for instance information they need, a discount, or special just for them.

Read How to Add Art and Craft Buyers to Mailing Lists to find out how.

One problem we didn’t face was resistance to price or quality. The problem is that a low price can give the idea that a product isn’t high quality, but if the price is too high customers won’t buy. The solution is to do your research and carefully set your price within a range the customer will pay. Decide if you want to have the lowest price, the highest price, or some where in the middle.

Don't miss How to Price Your Art or Craft Show Product

Art Festival and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Press Releases for Art Festival and Craft Show Booths

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:20:00 GMT

Press releases are informational articles sent to the press. They are meant to inform the public of things happening in the area. They are free and will be printed in most publications as space allows (so send them early and often).

Press releases are a great way to advertise your art festival schedule and your craft product. A press release includes certain necessary parts:

Exciting and newsworthy headline
Summary that clarifies and defines the rest of the release
Body answers where, when, who, what, why and how

The body contains 6 parts they include:

Include your schedule of art fair, holiday arts and craft show, street fairs, and festivals and shows.

Lead paragraph
- City, State – Month Day, Year – Your Business Name
- What is happening
Quotes – From previous newspaper articles, quotes from show promoters, other crafters, or previous customers about your product.
The Why and How paragraph – Tell the reader why you are attending this craft show, why you make your product, why someone should come see your product and how to attend the event.
Call to Action – Ask the audience to do something i.e. See me at The Extravaganza or at my other upcoming shows.
Corporate Summary – Include a short summary of your art festival business here.
Contact Information – Name, Business Name, Phone Number, E-mail Address, Website

For samples of press releases look in your local newspaper, also examine the People in Business Section to determine the best place for your advertising.

Also read Advertising Art Festivals is Everybody's Business here.

Art and Craft Show Expert Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handcrafted products who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales at festivals. Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less. Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.com to get her newsletter, The Extravaganza Craft News, that will help you avoid mistakes, save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

How to Know If I Should Attend A Trade Show

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:00:00 GMT

The biggest difference between craft shows and a trade show is the buyer who comes into the show.

Craft shows buyers are end consumers-the person who will use the product. Trade show buyers are representatives or agents of retail stores. They come to trade shows to buy large quantities of various crafts which will be resold to end consumers.

Representatives expect to pay lower prices than customers at craft shows (wholesale-usually half) because they need to mark up the price to make a profit on resale.

Things to Consider About Trade Shows

1. Will I be able to make my arts and crafts quickly enough to fulfill many wholesale orders in large quantities? Will I have space to create, pack and ship large orders?

2. What price should I charge for my product wholesale?

Most retailers mark up the price you give them at least 30%, in some industries up to 700% is standard. To know what price to charge do some research.

Call owners or managers of retail stores selling products like yours tell them you are doing market research on your craft. Ask about the product you are considering, it's usefullness to their customers, the style and other design elements of the product. Ask the price they would expect to pay for such a product and what they charge for similar products.

The most common rule for wholesale pricing is to charge two times the cost of producing the item (don’t forget to add costs not directly associated with the item like studio rent, travel, shipping, electricity). Expect retailers to at least double your wholesale price, when setting retail prices.

3. Am I able to create my product for this price and still make a reasonable profit on my business overall?

4. Do I want to offer:
• A discount for buying larger quantities?
• A guarantee, how long is my product guaranteed, and what is covered?
• Additional materials to help with the sale?
• Samples?
• Marketing materials?
• Case prices and packaging?
• Product buy back if it doesn’t sell?

5. Am I going to continue to sell my product retail? How am I going to set my retail price without competing with my wholesale buyers?

Trade Show Pros and Cons

Pro: Larger orders
Con: Lower price

Pro: Larger orders
Con: How to produce those large orders in a short time?

Pro: Trade shows may target my exact industry or customers for instance a Toy Trade Show would be perfect for selling handcrafted toys.
Con: Cash Flow -Cost of preparation and having enough supplies on hand.

Pro: Less time spent selling. I now sell my product to one person whose job is to sell my product.
Con: Less connection/ feedback from/with the customer.

Pro: Selling to a wider audience.
Con: Chance of creating competition with people who bought from you. In essence competing with your self.

How Face Shape Affects Sales of Handmade Jewelry

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:47:00 GMT

Lets face it selling handmade jewelry is tough. Handcrafted jewelry artists need every advantage they can get. I found an article I think will help.

Face Shape and Jewelry Choices by Barbara Van Look of Fire Mountain Gems is a very informative article. I thought it might help jewelry artists suggest the most flattering jewelry choices for their customers faces and increase their sales.

http://www.firemountaingems.com/encyclobeadia/beading_resources.asp?docid=A21B&WT.fmg_linksection=1K2B4BPKRVB81&_rid=173300.1704.459736&WT.mc_id=NL100511H_2#roundface

License Requirements for Art and Craft Show Businesses

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:30:00 GMT

License Requirements
for Art and Craft Show Businesses

Is a license required for your art and craft show booth, art and craft show, or online art and craft business?

It depends on your city, county, and state. Every city, county and state creates their own rules and regulations regarding business licenses and special event permits etc. Each location has it’s own rules on tax collection at art and craft shows.

How do you know if you need a business license or special event permit for your craft business? Call your city offices and ask what department handles business licenses and special event permits. Type your city, county, state and the keywords business license requirements or special events permits into a search engine.

My business is outside city limits so my city won’t issue me a business license. My county and state don’t require business licenses for my type of craft business. I visited a neighboring city and was issued a business license.

You will need a business license to buy wholesale. You benefit from a business license even if one isn't required.

Register your business with your state as a DBA (Doing Business As) this allows you to get a business checking account which will make doing taxes so much easier.

Visit the State Resources page at Extravaganza Craft Productions for more information if you live in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, or South Dakota.

Know the requirements for your city, county or state and live in the areas mentioned above?

Comment below with the address, phone number and website of places artists and crafters can contact for more information. I will add it to the State Resources page to help other crafters in your area.

Start Your Art or Craft Show Business The Right Way-The Legal Way!
Starting Your Art of Craft Business-Legal Requirements to Start Your Business

Art Fair and Craft Show Business License Requirements

Art Fair and Craft Festival Expert

Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handcrafted products who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales at festivals.

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.com to get her newsletter, The Extravaganza Craft News, that will help you avoid mistakes, save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Places to Look for Art & Craft Shows-A Getting Started Guide for Beginning Artist or Crafter

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:16:00 GMT

Places to Look for Art & Craft Shows
A Getting Started Guide
for Beginning Artists or Crafters

How do I find craft shows in my town?

Looking for art and crafts shows occupies large amounts of time for craft show vendors selling crafts at shows. One time saving hint: knowing where to look for art fairs and festivals, and craft shows is key to saving time.

For the longest time the only place to find quality shows was attend a craft show and talk to vendors about festivals they attended. Unfortunately these events often happened two weeks previous or were happening the next two weeks. There wasn’t time to register and the information was forgotten by next year.

A brief message from our sponsor:

If you’re looking for shows in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota or South Dakota…The Extravaganza Craft News, an artists and crafters newsletter is a great place to look!

Okay enough tooting my own horn, smile!

Places I look for art and craft shows for vendors:

The internet-using combinations of keywords will come up with many different results. Search for combinations of: arts, crafts, fairs, festivals, antique shows, jewelry shows, gem and bead shows, trade shows, farmers’ markets, shows, show listings, bazaars, boutiques and words associated with your craft to narrow the search. Include the name of the city and state to search the area where you would like to sell crafts. Include Christmas or holiday if you’re searching for seasonal shows.

Many sites will give you sample listings, some have free listings, and others have paid memberships, newsletters etc. Hint: Find a list covering your area and purchase it. It helps you find information you need before considering which shows to apply for. Saving you time to do more profitable tasks.

Chamber of Commerce, Visitors Centers, Community Centers, Fairgrounds-These are places art and craft shows are held or they often sponsor local shows. They usually know which shows happen yearly and might have phone numbers for vendor contacts of many art and craft festivals.

Local Newspapers-Newspapers often carry advertising for shows happening in their coverage area. Look for calls to artists/crafters in press releases as well as in community calendars, etc.

Grocery stores, gas stations, local restaurants, store windows-You will find bulletin boards in businesses around town. Many will hang posters in their windows so open your eyes and look.

Ask show art festival and craft show promoters-Ask show promoters if they hold other art and craft shows or if they know of any other local events they recommend.

Word of Mouth-Word of mouth is a good way to find art and craft shows. Ask friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, and church groups about their favorite shows/events in your area. Ask other artists you meet, attend shows and ask craft vendors what other shows they attend. Keep a log and you’ll be prepared to find shows again next year.

Another article to read is How to Find Local Craft Events to Sell Your Handmade Goods by the bottom line. Also read Places to Sell Handmade Arts and Crafts Online and Off.

Craft Festival Vendors Make Your Business Card Do Double Duty

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:28:00 GMT

Craft Festival Vendors
Make Your Business Card Do Double Duty

I received an email from Give to Get Marketing expert, Joe Gracia, that shows how Mullen’s Ice Cream Shop uses their business card do double duty.

The business card includes Mullen's contact information and an offer to their customers.

The card is a coupon for $1.00 off purchases of $6.00 or more, $2.00 off purchases of $12.00 or more, $3.00 off purchases of $18.00 or more, or 2 scoops for the price of one. They easily fit this information on one side of a business card.

This could be adapted to any handmade arts and craft festival vendors businesses several ways.

Different craft vendors should use different offers.

Lower priced handmade jewelry might use an offer similar to Mullen’s offer with just a small increase in savings for a slightly larger purchase. Instead of two scoops for the price of one you could use get a free pair of earrings valued at $x.xx with every necklace valued at $xx.xx purchased. Higher priced items like fine art or handcrafted furniture might want to increase the size of the discount (or use a % off offer) and purchase to fit your items.

The idea is encourage customers purchasing one item at craft festivals to purchase additional complimentary items as they will receive larger discounts or savings the more they purchase.

Offers to include on a business card:

$x.xx off offers
x % off offers
buy x get x -1/2 off and other similar offers
buy x get x free

The back of the card should have a picture of your best seller and say, “Bring this card and a friend to any show and receive xx offer. See our website for current show schedule.” It should then list your website address. NOTE: Your online craft store should tell what art and craft shows you will be attending, have other places they can purchase your items (such as galleries, specialty shops, etc.), and have pieces for sale. Include a coupon code beneath each offer on the front so they can use the coupon on their online order to encourage larger online sales.

HOW TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS LIKE A MAGNET
Marketing is all about ‘helping people get what they want.’ Simply do that and you’ll have all the customers and sales you’ll ever need. Learn this simple formula and your business will begin to grow instantly. For more information, visit: Give to Get Marketing

Art Show and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Rocky Mountain Arts & Crafts Festival -Billings MT

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:24:44 GMT

Rocky Mountain Arts & Crafts Festival

Don’t forget to to visit Rocky Mountain Arts & Crafts Festival in Billings, Montana this Mar. 10 & 11, 2012.

Handcrafted arts and crafts festival vendors contact Doug at 406-696-6585 to reserve your show booth now. Remember to tell him thank you for listing his show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Montana each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

To list your show with The Extravaganza Craft News and advertise directly to art and craft vendors visit our Art and Craft Show "Promoters" page.

How To Double Craft Show Fair Booth Sales and Make More Money

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:13:00 GMT

We all face the same problem how to sell more handcrafted arts and crafts and make more money. Want to know the easiest way to double sales on your website and in your craft show fair booth?

People want what they want and they want it now! Make it easy for them to get your items now and in the future.

My family sold fireworks the past 3 years. The first year I noticed something that held true the other two.

I noticed that 50% of sales at the fireworks stand were made on credit cards. I also noticed that people who had decided they had already spent their limit often decided to purchase more when they learned we accepted credit cards.

More people buy when they hear that we accept credit cards because psychologically they are separated from the feeling of spending money. Taking out a piece of plastic and handing it to someone feels different than taking out a dollar and handing it to someone.

People spend more money when buying with a credit card because they can. They want something right now and they can get it now by putting it on a credit card.

People have been conditioned to forget about the payment involved with a credit card, because… they can pay for it later.

Lori Mulholland of Stitch a Book (www.Stitchabook.com) says,
“My experience at shows are your HAVE to take CC’s. Some of my shows are 50 % CC income.

I started out with the old Knuckle-buster hand push-pull contraption, and was recently told about SQUARE. It’s a white square that has a divot in it. You attach it to your smart phone, and you can slide the CC in the divot and process it that way. You get the customers email address, and the reciept is sent to them via email. Google “Square” and you will see it. The Costs of accepting CC’s is way better than the alternative. I have used Propay for many years and it has worked well, but it was brought to my attention at a recent show, that the use of the knuckle-buster is now illegal, for identity theft purposes. Having access to the whole number is OUT-Dated and Out lawed. The Square takes all that off your plate.”

When people pay cash for an item they may have to wait six months or more while they scrimp and save up for it. Giving them the feeling that they will have to work and sacrifice for it, something they don’t want to do.

In the meantime they will probably forget that they wanted the item or where they saw it. Save yourself time, effort, and profits by making it easy for customers to purchase now.

What does this mean for your arts and craft shows booth? It means that you can double your sales at fairs with this one simple solution, accept credit cards!

Why don’t we all accept credit cards?

Most of us look at the cost of accepting credit cards and it seems that it’s going to cost us more than we can afford.

We look at the options available and we see that it’s going to be seemingly inconvenient for us. With new solutions like SquareUp (https://squareup.com/) that work with our mobile phone there are no excuses.

The costs of accepting credit cards becomes unimportant when you consider that you will double your sales and profits by accepting them.

PS Don't forget to have a sign saying you accept credit cards. People will actually stop by because they can use their card with you.

Art and Craft Show Expert Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handcrafted products who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales at festivals. Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less. Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.com to get her newsletter, The Extravaganza Craft News, that will help you avoid mistakes, save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Quick, Easy, Inexpensive Christmas Crafts

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 06:31:00 GMT

Quick, Easy, Inexpensive Christmas Crafts

With the economy everyone is strapped for cash. Artists and crafters always create inexpensive gifts for Christmas, but it helps to have ideas on hand for inspiration.

It was nice to have this link shared with me. Thanks Jasmine.

100 DIY Gift Ideas for the Cash-Strapped College Kid

Sell Handcrafted Jewelry by Making Your Booth Stand Out at Shows

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:52:00 GMT

Sell Handcrafted Jewelry
by Making Your Booth
Stand Out at Shows

How can you make your booth stand out at jewelry shows?

1. Specialize in something!

Artisans can specialize in:

* gold or silver jewelry
* vintage pieces
* bridal jewelry
* jewelry from natural gemstone, precious or semi-precious stones
* Western, outdoor, rugged, or nature jewelry
* Silverware jewelry
* Pieces inspired by any race or nationality
* Beaded jewelry
* remake antique jewelry

Your pieces can be inspired by a place such as all your pieces having the colors of the Grand Canyon or your favorite mountain scene. They might be inspired by your favorite city, or even by an industrial building.

The key in specializing is to choose a large group of people with similar tastes in handcrafted jewelry and design jewelry specifically for them.

Art Festival and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Make Your Craft Show Display Stand Out From The Crowd

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:54:00 GMT

Make Your Craft Show Display
Stand Out From The Crowd

By Amrendra Singh

If you have decided to try your hand at setting up at craft shows, festivals, or flea markets, then you’ll need to have the right craft show display to make your wares stand apart from the rest. This is especially important if you are selling something like jewelry or any other staple craft show item. Having a great craft show display can make a big difference between having someone walk right by you or stop for a look and hopefully a sale. Here are some great ways to create an eye-catching craft show display.

Craft Show Display Basics

When you first get started you will have to purchase the right equipment and this can be a bit of an investment, but if you think you will continue doing shows then you’ll need the following:

Canopy or tent – The proper canopy or tent will protect your goods from rain and sun. Delicate crafts made from fabric, paper or handmade clothing can become damaged from just a few hours of direct sunlight.
Tables – Most craft show displays require at least table or two for their set up. Buy the lightest, easiest thing to carry around. You can find many aluminum models that fold up with ease and can be tucked away in almost any vehicle. Don’t forget a small chair for yourself.
Weights – Make sure you carry weights, large water bottles that can be filled, or small sand bags. You will need to tether these to your tables or tent with bungee cords in case of a windy day.
Display cases – No matter what you are selling you can find the right craft show display case for your items. Look at retails suppliers or ask other vendors. A thrift store can give you some great items on the cheap.
Quality fabric – Cover your tables in bright fabric. Take your time to come up with a great color scheme for your craft show display. Work your tent color, table covers, and products into a harmonious craft show display.

Beyond The Basics

Once you have the basic equipment that you’ll need for your craft show display then you’ll need a few creative ideas to get people into your booth.

The set up – Make sure that your tables are positioned in a way that is easy for customers to see. Keep your tables near the front of the tent so people can walk by casually. Don’t expect people to walk to the back of your booth, it may seem obvious, but people want to keep going unless something really interests them.
Height – Try hanging things from the tent to catch people’s eye from afar. This can work for a lot of items. If you can’t do that, make sure you vary the height on your tables. Use small shelves, boxes, or other display items to give the tables a richer feel.
Mirrors – Always bring a mirror for people to look at things they may want to try on.
Signage – Have a banner or business cards on display is a great idea. Even if someone doesn’t want something today, they can come back and find you or email you.
Pricing – For many people seeing clear price tags on items is very helpful. Lots of shoppers don’t feel comfortable engaging in chitchat over every item in the booth. If you are getting really busy, this will save you lots of time from answering questions.

Hints To Keep You Ahead

If you are a newcomer to the festival scene then you may not yet realize what an ally other vendors can be for you. Although they may seem like the competition and in some cases they are, they can also help give you invaluable advice. Remember to always respect your boundaries with your craft show display. Most arguments between vendors center around just an inch or two! When space is at a premium people can become very territorial, just remember to take care with your craft show display and stay on your neighbor’s good side. He’ll be the guy you entrust with your craft show display when it’s time for a bathroom break. Follow these tips to have a great craft show display no matter whether you’re a newbie or a festival regular!

http://www.fairsandfestivals.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amrendra_Singh

Power Options for Craft Booths With No Electricity

How to Sell Crafts Online

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:50:00 GMT

How to Sell Crafts Online

Artists and crafters are learning to succeed at your hobby as a business you need to market your crafts well.

Marketing involves engaging your customers in a relationship building trust. The most cost efficient way is to use the resources the internet provides us. For instance online craft stores, web sites, e-mail marketing, and more. Click here to read Reasons to Stay In Touch With Art Fair Customers.

Selling crafts online gives customers who want to buy but don’t have money right now another place to buy when they are ready. Include a coupon and link to your online store or website on your business card give it to every customer who enters your craft show booth. Tell customers if they visit your online craft store and enter the coupon code they will receive a discount.

With more crafters than ever looking to sell crafts online, more places to sell crafts are popping up all over the internet. I’ve created a page to help you sell your crafts online.

Get Your NewbieQuick Start Guide to Internet Marketing!

Buyers of Handmade Crafts Imagine Themselves Using Your Crafts

Art and Craft Show Expert Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handcrafted products who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales at festivals. Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less. Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.com to get her newsletter, The Extravaganza Craft News, that will help you avoid mistakes, save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Craft Fair Vendors-Benefits of Hiring Your Child

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:48:00 GMT

There are many benefits to hiring your children to work in your art or craft show booth. Your children will learn responsibility and business skills while your craft business will reap the tax benefits. You can teach your child about scheduling, work ethic, entrepreneurship, setting goals and accomplishing them to the best of your ability.

Give your child clear tasks and hold them accountable for accomplishing them.

The law is simple treat your child like an employee :

Have your child do tasks that are appropriate for their age. Choose tasks they are already good at, for instance a computer savvy teen might be able to type letters to your clients, or even build websites. Artistic teens could design brochures and younger children could place address labels and stamps on mailings. Children who enjoy crafting might help assemble less technical parts of the jewelry you are creating or paint base coats on the
Document the tasks and hours that your child works. Keep good records just like you would with any other employee.
Pay your child the same wage as you would pay any other employee doing the same task. Pay your child minimum wage for stamping envelopes if you would hire an employee to stamp envelopes at minimum wage. Pay your child per envelope if you would pay a temporary employee per envelope.
Pay your child regularly with a check.
All assignments completed must be necessary to the business. The child must actually be doing work for the business.
File state and federal quarterly payroll reports, a W-2, and a tax return for the child at the end of the year, even if no taxes are due.

The long and short of it is that the IRS when performing an audit needs proof that the work your child did for your business was a necessary business task, that was actually completed by your child, and that you paid them a fair and reasonable wage. Waiting to pay your child until the end of the year will cause suspicion that you are just trying to avoid paying taxes.

Visit the US Dept. of Labors website at http://www.dol.gov/whd/childlabor.htm for more information.

Building Your Art or Craft Show Blog

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 06:45:00 GMT

Buyers at art and craft shows love to hear the story of the person creating the crafts. They love to feel that they know person they are doing business with and that they are doing business with a real approachable person. This is an important part of the trust building process that must go on between a buyer and seller.

A craft blog (short for weblog) is a great inexpensive way to share your story with buyers at the markets, both before and after they attend craft shows. There are many different providers of free blogs including WordPress. I used WordPress because when I built my website I had no technical knowledge of HTML, installing blogs, etc. WordPress was fairly easy for me to figure out and install, yet it has many different plugins that add functionality. You pick and choose what you need your craft blog to do.

Your blog is a great place to let people know what craft shows you are attending and what booth number you will be in. It’s a wonderful place to announce new products and services, as well as to share tips on product maintenance. Share bits of your personal story, as well as information about the techniques and supplies you’ve used.

Key to getting a lot of traffic to your blog stay on topic giving your customers the information they are looking for, and post search engine optimized posts often. Be sure your blog points your visitors back to your website if you have one.

One last tip that was shared with me recently join blogfrog at http://theblogfrog.com I joined a few weeks ago and new people follow my blog every single day.

Art and Craft Show Expert Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handcrafted products who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales at festivals. Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less. Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.com to get her newsletter, The Extravaganza Craft News, that will help you avoid mistakes, save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Explaining What You Do In 15 Seconds with Your Marketing Message

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:08:00 GMT

by Charlie Cook
©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved.
www.marketingforsuccess.com

You’re in the elevator and your friend John introduces you to Barbara who is the CEO of one of the companies you’d like to do business with. Barbara asks, “What do you do?”

Here is your chance to make a connection with a prime member of your target market. You want to get her attention, make a positive impression and get her interested enough to continue the conversation. You’ve got about fifteen seconds to do this.

Do you have an elevator speech?

Whether you are in the elevator, or on the phone, the way you start the conversation will determine whether or not it will continue. You could tell anyone what you do if you had half an hour, but with fifteen seconds you’re likely to simply label yourself, as most people do.

Labels don’t tell us much. Imagine you told Barbara, in the elevator, that you are a coach or a consultant. Are you talking about working with high school kids, senior managers, or actors? Few job labels tell your audience who you work with. Most labels are not only vague but don’t help to prompt the conversation to continue.

You could be more specific and tell your prospect you are a tax accountant or an automation specialist. That gives people some idea of what you do, but still doesn’t explain why your prospect should care.

Instead of using a label, you could tell your prospect how you do your work, the processes you use. You might say, “We analyze light manufacturing companies to identify areas where the addition of a programmable logic controller could boost throughput.” If she understands what you are talking about, you still haven’t given her a reason to contact you.

Whether you are an executive coach, lawyer, accountant, or automation specialist, when you start talking about the processes you use eyes glaze over and minds shut down. While you may have developed processes that no one else uses, prospects don’t car about the process, at least not initially.

One of the most common mistakes people make is assuming their message should be about themselves. If you are in business to provide services and products to clients and customers, your marketing message should be about their needs and wants. Here’s the difference:

• “I’m a marketing coach.” (It’s about me, and who really cares?)
• “I help independent professionals attract more clients and make more money.” (It’s about what I do for others and should prompt the question, “How do you do that?”)

Your prospects’ primary concern isn’t you. They want to know what you can do for them and how you can help them profit, financially, physically or emotionally. They want to know if you can solve a problem for them.

To get attention with a short sentence about the problems you solve, you might tell Barbara you “help reduce manufacturing operating costs and increase profits”. Cost containment is a continual problem for any CEO and should pique her interest and prompt follow up.

Stop shutting the door to new business with your business marketing message. When people ask you what you do, avoid using a label or a discussion of process. Instead, quickly clarify who you help and what type of problems you solve. One sentence should do the job.

Talking about what you do in a new way takes a little getting used to. The first couple of times you stop yourself from saying, “I’m an executive coach or consultant” and replace it with a marketing message or elevator speech that describes how you actually help clients, it will feel awkward. Keep using and fine tuning your small business marketing message and soon it will not only give prospects a clear idea of what you do but you’ll be comfortable using it.

Once you have a 15 second marketing message that works you can use it in the elevator, in the airport, on the phone, and at parties and watch your business grow.

You’ll b e more successful with a brilliant marketing message and elevator speech. You’ll be able to quickly help people understand how you can help them so they’ll buy from you.

The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, ‘7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business‘, full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Creating a Marketing Plan For Your Craft Show Business

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 06:32:00 GMT

Creating a Marketing Plan
For Your Craft Show Business

People usually require 7 or more contacts with an artist or handcrafted business to become comfortable with them.

Most people only buy from craft show businesses after 7 contacts although there will be the rare person who will buy the first time they come into your show booth.

Does the same customer walk into your craft show booth very rarely, rarely, sometimes, regularly, often? Are those contacts daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly?

You are making a common mistake if you very rarely, rarely, or sometimes see the same customers at craft shows. Many crafters spend too much time and money chasing new art and craft show customers and don’t spend enough on turning people already interested in their crafts (prospects) into buying customers.

You are losing most of your sales if you don’t follow up with customers who come into your booth.

Follow up with your customer by creating a marketing plan.

A marketing plan is a very simple guide for your business. It shows you what you are doing to guide prospects through your process to buying your arts and crafts.

Quickly make a list of everything you use to create contacts with buyers including business cards, fliers, emails, website, blog, art and craft shows, direct mailing pieces, phone calls, and social networking. Leave lots of space between each item so you can write down the goal of each thing. Decide on and write down a single goal for each marketing piece.

Goals can include things like getting prospects to:

visit your blog
follow you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social marketing
visit website
give you their name and contact information
share their email
tell me their needs
getting a testimonial
visit your craft show booth
buy something

The goal of each marketing piece helps you determine where that piece of marketing will go in your marketing plan. Emphasize the desired action you want customers to take in each piece of your marketing so that your prospects can easily tell what action you would like them to take.

Customers aren’t likely to trust you enough to buy handmade crafts from you on the first contact. Draw a map of how you would like to encourage customers from their first contact with you down the path to buying crafts. Continue to encourage those who come into your booth and have purchased crafts from you before to come back to your craft show booth or online craft store.

Art Festival and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Does Your Art and Craft Business Need a Business Plan?

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 05:20:00 GMT

A business plan can help direct your business in it’s advertising and marketing efforts, help you get a small business loan, find investors, apply for grants or scholarships, or even help you sell your business.

A business plan can consist of many things but a simple formula to create your own business plan is to write a few paragraphs about each of the following:

The history of the business (if you’re purchasing an existing company or creating a business plan for a company that has been in business a long time).
Your experience as a business person in the industry.
A plan for the future-The Mission Statement and goals of your Business
Who you target market is and how you plan to reach them
Expenses and income (in general) over 3 to 5 years.

A business plan is sort of like writing down your long term (3 to 5 years) goals and then breaking them down into bite size chunks. You can then break down each short term goal and set a date to accomplish those things that well help you achieve your long term goals.

Your plan helps guide your advertising and marketing decisions because there is no point spending thousands of dollars advertising if your goals aren’t that big. It helps you remember what your goal is and sort out if the advertising and marketing you are planning will help you reach that goal. It keeps you on track doing what is really important… to accomplish what is really important to you.

Looking for business credit? Banks and other lending establishments know that most businesses fail in the first few years. They want to lend to those businesses that are most likely to succeed. A business plan helps to set your business apart from all the others. It shows that you have a goal and that you have a plan to accomplish it. It makes your business more likely to succeed so lenders and investors will be more willing to work with you.

Many grants and scholarships are may be available and will require copies of your business plan as part of the application process.

People planning on buying an arts and craft show business will have a better idea what they are purchasing if you have a business plan in place. When buying your business they will need a business plan to give to the bank. They can base their plan off of yours just adding their own experience in the space where yours was and adding their own goals for the craft business.

In other words, “Yes, your business probably does need a business plan.”

Get Your Business Plan Guide and Workbook for Business Success!

Get Your Business Planning System Here!

Do-It-Yourself Guides, Tools & Templates! + Support for Business Plans

Reach Your Art or Craft Business Goal

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:18:00 GMT

Reach Your Art or Craft Business Goal

Set a goal for your art or craft business, then set a reasonable amount of time to accomplish that goal in. Working on it a little bit every day makes it nearly impossible not to accomplish it eventually.

Setting a goal for your art or craft business is like climbing a pyramid you can’t do it in one giant step. Instead break it down into smaller steps. Promise yourself to at least try and do one smaller step a day. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t, instead try to go on the next day and celebrate the days you accomplish more than one step.

Work on one of your business goals at a time until you get really good at doing it consistently. When you are really good at reaching your current goal add another goal without dropping the first one.

Goals to work on to improve your handcrafted business:

Learn to know your customers and market better.
Improve profits-set correct prices or cut costs.
- Don't forget to read How To Price My Art or Craft Show Product
Improve the customer service your customer receives.
Sell more at art and craft shows-become a better salesman.
- Read 7 Ways Your Art or Craft Business Can Outsell the Retailers and Help Your Art or Craft Customer Get What They Want
Follow up more with customers-collect contact information and follow up respectfully.
- See Why Add Art and Craft Buyers to Mailing Lists
Improve marketing plan or pieces. Draw a marketing map.
Build a website.
Promote my “handcrafted” website.
- Use article marketing, social networking-LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, other people's blogs and forums.
Automate more of the sales process.
Make business paperwork including business cards, fliers, brochures, catalogs, invoices, etc. more consistent to build brand awareness.
Make sure all business paperwork has correct information on it including business name, contact name, complete mailing address, phone, website, email, and social networking sites.
Improve displays.
- Check out Craft Show Display Ideas and Art and Craft Show Booth Display Pictures
Find new places to sell my arts and crafts including gift shops, galleries, specialty shops, and handcrafters boutiques, etc.
- Read Places to Sell Handmade Arts and Crafts Online and Off
Improve online craft sales.
Improve offline sales.
Improve accounting techniques.
Organize workshop, studio or store for a better customer experience and better efficiency.

Grow Your Craft Show Business During Tough Economic Times Published

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:06:00 GMT

The Extravaganza Craft Publications would like to thank State of the Arts for publishing their article Grow Your Business During Tough Economic Times. Check it for great tips on how you can grow your business even when times are bad financially.

Thank you Montana Arts Council

Attending Craft Shows Isn’t Just About Selling Arts and Crafts

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 05:07:00 GMT

Attending Craft Shows
Isn’t Just About Selling Arts and Crafts

If attending craft shows isn’t about selling crafts what is it about?

It is about selling crafts and many other things. A craft show is about knowing your customers, building a relationship with them, collecting your customers contact information and following up with them, and getting feedback about your handmade crafts.

You are missing the boat if you base the success of a craft show solely on number of customers you saw, number of sales or dollars you made there. Attending a craft show means much more to your business.

Let’s start with market research. A craft festival is a good place to try new handcrafted product ideas without large investments of time or resources. Create enough product to fill a booth and create a nice display. Create a few signs stating the benefits (to the customer) of handcrafted products. Rent a booth at a show where the type of person who would buy your product would attend. Pay close attention to who comes into your booth:

what age are they?
are they men or women?
are they well educated?
what seems to be their income level?
do they have children?

Make notes about your observations and a pattern will emerge. You now know what kind of person to market your product to. The type of person who enters your craft show booth most often will be the person to buy your product most often so pay close attention.

Now you know who you customer is focus on that type of person with all of you advertising and marketing dollars.

People want to buy from companies they trust. They want to know if they have customer service issues that someone will resolve them. Attending craft shows is your opportunity to show customers the customer service they will receive when they buy your handmade crafts. Treat every customer like your best customer and they just might become, “Your Best Customer.” Get to know the customer, establish a relationship with them. Learn their name and use it during the conversation. Remember it the next time you see them, they will be impressed.

Your best customer is the person who just bought from you. Devise a way to contact them, a simple way is use a duplicate receipt book and include their name, address, phone, and email on the receipt. Ask permission to add them to your mailing list write it on the receipt. Include your contact information on the receipt and they have everything in one place to contact you if they have a problem or need to make another purchase.

A customers contact information doesn’t do you any good if you never contact them. Send birthday discounts (tell customers you will send them a birthday discount if they put their birthday on the receipt), special occasion and holiday discounts, notices of where they can find your product, and relevant merchandise information. Tell them to bring your mailing and a friend to see you at craft shows to receive a small gift.

AutoWebBusiness.com is an inexpensive way to follow up with your customers through automated email series a.k.a. autoresponders.

The best part of a craft show is getting feedback on your product. You can be offended by criticism or see it as market research. Anyone who comes close enough to criticize your product was probably interested in it. Criticism helps improve your product and make more sales. It is worth it to implement the changes suggested if many of your customers would want what was suggested. Instead of getting down about criticism enjoy the compliment that they were interested enough in you and your product to help out.

Smile genuinely and thank complaining customers for their advice, and write it down. Consider the benefits and risks of implementing them when you have time and energy to deal with them. Write down the compliments as well and remember you don’t want to change these things unless you can improve on them.

Do you agree? Comment below.

Art and Craft Fair Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

How to Build a Website for Artists and Crafters

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:27:00 GMT

Easy instructions for creating a website are located at:
http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net/build a website/

Know Who Buys Jewelry at Art and Craft Shows

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:02:00 GMT

What would be easier trying to make everyone aware of and want your product OR trying to sell your product to people who already want it?

A key building block to a successful business is knowing who your target audience is. Without knowing your target audience it’s likely you will spend your money trying to make everyone aware of and want your product instead of trying to sell your product to those people who already want the product you are offering.

Demographics is the word used to describe the characteristics a group of people have in common. For instance the people who most often buy jewelry have many things in common that will help you know exactly how to market your product to them.

I’ve found that getting the demographics for any particular group of people could be especially cost prohibitive for artists and craft persons. Most of us can’t afford the $2500 it costs us to get a professional report on who our target audience is. I was thrilled when I found so much free information about the demographics of jewelry buyers on Google Answers http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=339097.

Of course you might find that your exact customer doesn’t fit the mould of most jewelry buyers.

The best way to obtain exact information about your target customer is to survey the people who buy from you. Ask questions like age, average income, amount spent on jewelry a year, who they usually buy for, how much they are willing to spend on one piece, time of year they spend the most on jewelry, if they usually buy one piece or multiple pieces, etc. Asking this many personal questions will probably require an incentive so you might consider offering a coupon for a free or discounted piece of jewelry to respondents.

One thing is certain your business will be more successful if you gather the demographics of your customers and then market specifically to that group of people.

Also read How to Know What Crafts Sell at Craft Shows and Sell Handcrafted Jewelry by Making Your Booth Stand Out at Shows

5 Ways NOT to Get Invited Back to Art and Craft Shows

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:21:00 GMT

Everyone probably remembers the artist or crafter who bugged them so much they asked not to be placed near them again… Don’t be that person.

Don’t put together a professional display. Make sure the legs of your booth stick out into the aisles, don’t use sturdy tables and don’t cover them. Don’t make things secure. Just bring cardboard boxes and let people rummage through them.
An unstable display will not make your business profitable, is dangerous, and might get you and the show promoter sued. Remember to keep all parts of your booth including the legs and storage in the space the show promoter provided, everyone paid for their space and no one is happy when their customers are tripping over the legs of your booth.

On the other hand a professional display will be safe for you, your customers, the artists around you, and the show promoter. It will also increase your sales. Ask show promoters for an extra booth or half booth if you need more space to create a safe display.
Refuse to hand out fliers, postcards, or to hang posters saying this is the job of the show promoter. When sales are slow go around asking everyone if they made back their booth price. Then accuse the show promoter of taking advantage of the artists and crafters.
OR

Imagine there are 100 artists at an art and craft show, each one mailed 100 postcards to their customers in the area asking them to come see them at the show. They also told everyone they talked to about the show. More than 10,000 people knew about the show before the show promoter did any other advertising. The show promoter also advertised the show in the newspaper, radio, TV, on every bulletin board, and on the internet.

Every artist and crafter at a show benefits from the word of mouth advertising any other vendor does. Being a responsible vendor means doing your part.
Don’t bring the things you need and then ask everyone around you for them. Don’t bring tools to set up, don’t arrange in advance to rent tables, don’t bring change for customers.
Set up your display at home in advance, as you do make a list of things you need and pack the things you have. Careful planning can make it so you don’t get a reputation as the show pest.
Block the aisles, stairs, demonstrations, or other displays while visiting with friends, family, and even customers.

Blocking the aisles makes it so customers can’t get to the booths. It also makes it unsafe for the customers if they are in a hurry to get out. Remember, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If you wouldn’t like someone to keep customers from being able to see your merchandise, don’t keep customers from being able to see theirs.
Leave a mess in your booth.

You’ve worked hard all day at a show and you’re tired, but so is the show promoter. Don’t clean up after yourself and you cost them extra time and money after they already had a long day. Chances are you won’t be asked to come back.

Art and Craft Show Expert Shasta McLaughlin provides articles, hints and tips, checklists and more for artists and crafters that sell handcrafted products who want to save time looking for shows, packing for fairs, and get more sales at festivals. Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less. Visit http://www.extravaganzacrafts.comto get her newsletter, The Extravaganza Craft News, that will help you avoid mistakes, save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Use LinkedIn to Build Your Art or Craft Show Business

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:35:00 GMT

Use LinkedIn to Build Your
Art or Craft Show Business

LinkedIn connected me with many professional artists and crafters.

I love when artists ask questions I never thought to ask, I learn from the answers they receive. It’s a great place to learn from those who are successfully selling their arts and crafts.

I checked out LinkedIn this morning and came across this article on using this professional networking tool effectively.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/6-powerful-linkedin-marketing-tips-for-small-businesses/

I admit I joined LinkedIn and had a blank profile for months (was it years?). I wasn’t getting connections, or gaining anything from my LinkedIn account. I came across another article like this (and bought the product it was promoting).

I filled out my profile and BAM! I started making connections, getting referrals, making sales, and even appointments for consultations.

Not everyone can buy a product to fill out their LinkedIn profile. Use the tips in the article above and see what a difference it can make in your art festival booth.

LinkedIn is a great resource for artists or crafters and to connect with craft show customers. Share good information with your clients about things that interest them and they will share you with their professional connections.

Start a LinkedIn Group invite family, friends, clients and social network followers.

Use your group to:

start conversations and build relationships
tell your customers about upcoming art shows and craft festivals you are attending
inform buyers of places to buy your arts and crafts
inform your group of materials used in the creation of your crafts
offer product maintenance tips
give valuable information and discounts
share blog posts
learn what customers really want
promote your customers and their products (what goes around comes around)
refer the businesses you enjoy

LinkedIn is a great place to establish yourself as an expert in the art and craft industry. Use it to promote your craft show booth.

Get Your LinkedIn Training Course!

Fast Social Marketing Fan Pages!

Follow the series Social Media Networking for Artists and Crafters

Use Facebook to Sell More Arts and Crafts

Getting More Sales from Your Craft Show Customers

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:45:00 GMT

I was reading a post by Carla of Cobweb Corner and it got me thinking how she got her prospects (people in her craft show booth) into the buying mood making them buying customers.

Read her post here:
Jewelry Shows – There’s Something about a Sale

The internet marketing gurus I’ve been studying suggest creating a loss leader (a product you lose money on in the beginning to get people buying). They often offer a free product to gain the trust of the prospect and charge shipping on the product because if the customer would pay for shipping they are a qualified buyer.

The thing I didn’t see in her post was after she had her craft show prospects in the buying mood, what she did then.

The thing I’m learning as I study marketing is always offer an upsell or a downsell when a customer is making a purchase.

When you have a customer making a purchase always offer them a complimentary product (meaning a product similar in style or nature to the one they are already purchasing) as an upsell. You can even offer a product that is twice the price of the original one they are buying. Keep offering additional upsells as long as they keep saying yes.

When they say no, offer them a down sell. A down sell can be another lower priced product, a discount on the whole set, or a payment plan.

Tell me what you offer as an upsell or downsell.

How to Price My Art or Craft Show Product

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:31:00 GMT

How to Price My Art or Craft Show Product

Pricing art or craft show products is more science than art. Don't just set a price you think is okay and expect to sell a lot of your handmade crafts for profit.

Cost to Create Crafts
What does it costs to make your crafts? Include costs of supplies used to create your product plus a little more to buy extra craft supplies.

Artists Wages
Next include your wages. What price per hour do you want for creating handmade crafts? How many hours did it take to create your craft?

Add the price of your other expenses. Include costs of your studio, electricity, advertising, cost of travel, art and craft shows, in this figure. Spread costs out over the price of your arts and crafts.

NOTE: Recover a small portion of miscellaneous costs each time one of you sell your handmade crafts. Your miscellaneous costs equal $2000 a year and sell approximately 1000 products a year that means you should add $2 to the price of each work of art to recover costs.

To make a profit build one into your price. Adding 1or 2 dollars profit to prices probably won't hurt sales but...not doing it can hurt your craft business.

Market Price
Last and definitely not least you need to know what price the market will support. Your price can’t be higher than people who buy your product are willing to pay for it. Visit stores and see what price products like yours sell for IF you sell a craft that is similar to a retail product.

Will it be profitable to sell your handmade crafts for that price?

Formula to Price Crafts!
A. Cost of goods used x 1.5 = cost to replace craft supplies used + costs of new supplies
B. $dollars per hour I would like x #number of hours it took me to create crafts = my wages
C. Miscellaneous expenses for the year divided by approximate number of works of art I can sell a year = cost of miscellaneous expenses per product
D. Profit you want to receive.

Wholesale Price of Craft
E. Add A + B + C + D=Total wholesale cost of crafts. This is the price you receive if you sell crafts to someone who resells them to someone else at a significant markup.

Do not charge retail customers this price, that price will usually be almost twice your current figure.

Retail Price of Handmade Crafts
F. E x 2=Approximate Total retail price

Compare the answer from F to area retail prices to know if your price is inline with market expectations.

Adjust the price to find the price point that sells the most product at the best profit. Read Are You Pricing Your Original Art Too Low? to know why pricing your handmade crafts too low isn't a good idea.

Here's a link to an example of how this works http://www.whatthecraft.com/arts/pricing.htm

Books On Pricing Handmade Crafts

Art Festival and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

Starting Your Art or Craft Business-Legal Requirements to Start Your Business

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 16:15:00 GMT

Legal Requirements and Licenses for Your Art or Craft Business

Are you just starting your art or craft business and don’t know what the legal requirements for your new business are?

The IRS has a Checklist for Starting a Business located on their site http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small.

Also read License Requirements for Art and Craft Show Businesses

Grow Your Craft Show Business During Tough Economic Times Published

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:23:00 GMT

The Extravaganza Craft Productions would like to thank Montana Arts Council for publishing the article “Grow Your Business During Tough Economic Times” by Shasta McLaughlin in their November/December issue of State of the Arts.

The article contains suggestions that help you cut costs at craft shows and market your business to grow your craft show business during tough times.

View the article at http://svcalt.mt.gov/art/soa/pr.asp?ID=1289

Thank You Montana Arts Council!

Meet Jewelry Artist Angela McKenna

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:34:00 GMT

Name: Angela McKenna
Shop name and address:
AMDesignsbyAngela http://amdesignsbyangela.com
Blog: http://amdesignsbyangela.blogspot.com
Twitter http://twitter.com/amdesignsangela
Facebook http://facebook.com/amdesignsbyangela

What type of jewelry do you make?

I make artfully handcrafted OOAK artisan jewelry employing a variety of techniques including metalsmithing, wire weaving, etching, with plans to add others as I continue to learn new methods.

What materials do you use?

The materials I use include sheet and wire metals including sterling, fine and argentium silvers, copper, brass and bronze, semi-precious and mineral stone beads and cabochons, pearls, shells and sometimes lampwork glass. I prefer to use materials from the earth although I will occasionally include a synthetic material.

What brought you to jewelry making?

It all started when I wanted a turquoise necklace and was put off by the retail prices of the things I liked. I then decided that I can make it…and I did, and I was hooked…my first addiction was collecting a wide variety of semi-precious stone beads. I haven’t looked back since.

How long have I been making jewelry? I started on this journey in February of 2006 and after five years I am still passionate about learning and creating. There are many roads for me yet to explore and look I forward to each bump and turn along the way.

What did I forget to ask?

Do you have an art background?

Well I never received any formal training in art but I have always been a creative soul. I loved drawing as an adolescent, studied Fashion Buying and Merchandising in college, worked as a menswear designer, interior decorator and graphic designer in my professional endeavors. I spent five years creating hand built and wheel thrown pottery as a hobby before I got hooked I jewelry.

Did you study with someone, or are you self-taught?

I haven’t taken any organized classes. The knowledge I have was attained through research done online and in printed media, networking with other jewelry artists on forums, like Starving Jewelry Artists, and in person at gatherings with other jewelry artists. I am always amazed at the generous sharing of knowledge and experience other artists are willing to share. It serves as an inspiration to me to pay it forward to new jewelry artists just starting out.

Do you have a philosophy behind your jewerly making?

My only philosophy is to offer good quality, primarily One of a Kind, designs that will become treasured pieces to my customers.

	The Black Agate Druzy Viking Knit Bracelet is also another first…my first Sterling Silver viking knit project. This is a completely metalsmithed piece…Ficus Cuff. Sterling Silver wire and sheet completely hand fabricated and forged by me.
	This is a beautiful Chrysocolla Lapis cabochon bezel set pendant done in Sterling Silver. The backplate is textured and oxidized.

Tell us about your life: work, hobbies, family, friends, etc.

My life is simple…I am foremost a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and aunt. My family is the most important part of my life…I really love being with them. Currently, my primary interest outside of them is my passion to create jewelry. I am working on developing this passion into a small business that will help to supplement a greatly reduced “full” retirement income.

Red Jasper Turquoise Necklace

This is the design that started it all. My very first creation, a simple strung triple strand necklace of red jasper and turquoise with sterling silver accents.

Where do you get your inspiration for making jewelry?

Much of my inspiration comes from nature, but in reality I am inspired by my total environment which includes all people, places and things.

It’s not easy. Although I like to believe I am semi-retired, I actually work from home on a daily basis managing my husband’s HVAC service business…so it all really depends on how much energy I have left at the end of the day to get into my studio. Most recently, I have found that I can more easiHow do you find the time to make jewelry?

How do you hope people feel when they wear your jewelry?

Special!

Angela aka Beady Eyes

7 Habits of Highly Successful Crafters

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:55:00 GMT

7 Habits of Highly Successful Crafters

1. Take risks-Highly successful people know you can’t get any where without some risk.

2. Make quick decisions. They know that you can start out in a direction and if they don’t like the results they can correct their course and head for another destination.

3. Don’t pass up opportunities. Successful crafters know opportunities don’t disappear they are snapped up by others.

4. Learn from their mistakes. They don’t keep making the same mistakes over and over again for long periods of time.

5. Get a guide. Highly successful artisans don’t go into the wilderness without a guide. They look for someone who will guide them around the dangers of the wilderness making their time there more pleasurable, profitable and enjoyable.

6. Measure-Highly successful people have a way of measuring if things are working to improve their lives or businesses. They know the statistics when they make changes they use these measurements to decide if the changes made improved their profitability/chances of success.

7. Active. They don’t wait for things to happen to them-they make things happen for them.

How can you make your craft show booth more profitable by using these characteristics? What other habits do highly successful crafters exhibit?

What do you think?

Folding Shelf Makes Professional Craft Show Booth Display Easy

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 16:37:00 GMT

Folding Shelves Make Portable
Craft Show Display Easy and Professional

Wood Stackable/Folding
3-Tier Shelf

4-Tier Iron
Sqaure Tower Shelf

4-Tier Metal
Stackable Shelf

Proper displays make your craft show booth more professional. Art fair displays must be portable, easy to set up and have a clean professional look.

These portable shelving systems come from Amazon and fold flat for transportation.

Available in Stackable Wood 3-Tier Display Shelf, 4-Tier Wood Shelf, 4-Tier Iron Sqaure Tower Craft Show Display Shelf, 3-Tier Metal Stackable Shelf or 4-Tier Metal Stackable Shelf there are lots of ideas for your art or craft show booth display.

Buyers of Handmade Crafts Imagine Themselves Using Them
Techniques to help people at art festivals and craft shows see themselves buying and using your handmade crafts.

Follow Up With Art Festival Customers

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:59:00 GMT

Follow Up With Art Festival Customers

I apologize for my lack of posts. I’ve been establishing an email follow up system for my artists and crafters.

Successful marketers keep saying follow up with craft show customers. As much as 80% of sales are lost due to not following up with prospects.

It is more important than ever to follow up with customers reminding them of their interest in your crafts.

This is the key thing I harp on through out this blog-Build a Mailing List and Follow Up With Craft Show Customers!

A few programs I felt were in my price range to provide email follow up with my customers.

AutoWebBusiness.com Increase your sales by 100% GUARANTEED! CLICK HERE

Streamsend Email Marketing

Trusted Email Marketing
and Online Surveys

Each provides scheduled emails and/or autoresponders that turn leads into prospects, prospects into customers, and current customers into repeat customers.

I highly recommend you check out these companies if you don’t already have some kind of automated follow up/email system in place.

Do you agree?

How To Follow Up With Customers And Add Buyers To Your Mailing List?
Read Add Art & Craft Buyers To Your Mailing List

Chart Your Craft Show Booth Course for Success

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:05:00 GMT

Chart Your Craft Show Booth Course

Why do 20% of artists and crafters make 80% of the money?

The reason is 20% of artisans set goals and take steps that take them to their desired effect.

A ship's captain decides the destination of his ship, charts his course mapping out each stop along the way. He departs from the docks and sets course.

Define your goals for your craft show booth to achieve success. Your goals (your definition of success) are your final destination. What do you want from your craft business?

Want to do crafts to make extra money for the holidays?
Do you want handmade crafts to be your full time job?
Want to create handcrafted products to supplement your income?
How many craft shows do you need to participate in a week, month, season or year?
How much money do you want to make at shows, a month/year?
When do you want to achieve these goals?

When you’ve chosen the final destination for your craft show booth decide on the course you are taking to get there. The course you chart will vary depending on your final destination? You will have to do more to achieve greater success.

Places you might need to stop along the way to achieve your success:

A certain number of shows each week or month.
Know which shows are best for your product. Juried, unjuried, art festival, craft fair, antique fair, festival, bazaar, boutique or commercial trade show. Which one best suits your handmade crafts, has products in your price range, your customer in attendance and the least competition? Do you want to do wholesale and retail shows?
Know which crafts are most profitable and at what price you sell the most while still earning the most profit.
Ways to collect customers contact information and incentives to encourage them to give you their information.
Ways to follow up with prospects and customers.
A website.
A blog and other social networking sites.
Email marketing system
Mailed advertisements
Participate in contests
Press releases, call to artists, and other publicity

You’ve chosen your destination, and charted your course-next step is leave the dock. Like the ship's captain you are never going to get anywhere if you never start out. The sea is always threatening and unpredictable but the captain and his crew put on brave faces, prepare the ship, untie it from the dock, raise the anchor and set sail.

Like the ship at sea you are going to get blown off course a little every time the wind blows and the waves threaten so as captain of your ship you need to check your compass make sure you are on course and adjust accordingly.

That’s what 20% of artists and crafters do that earns them 80% of the money. They chart the course of their ship, set sail and correct their course as necessary.

What do you think?

10 Things to Take to Art and Craft Shows
Don't forget to take the essentials to shows.

Attending Craft Shows Isn't Just About Selling Arts and Crafts

7 Habits of Highly Successful Crafters

10 Things to Take to Art and Craft Shows

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:47:41 GMT

10 Things to Take
to Art and Craft Shows

Taking essentials to art and craft shows is well… essential (excuse the pun). Take these 10 things to art and craft shows your experience will be much more pleasant.

1. Enough merchandise-Take more merchandise than you can sell. Art fair booths not well stocked look picked over. Customers imagine the good stuff already sold and won’t even stop to look.

2. Tables and Chairs-Bring your tables and chairs unless you’ve made arrangements with the show promoter to rent them (expect to pay for this service). Choose sturdy displays, tables, and shelving you don’t want them to fall injuring customers or damaging merchandise.

Cover tables with a table cloth or a sheet. Make sure coverings fit tables properly and extend all the way to the floor.

3. Professional Displays-I have seen displays from uncovered falling down tables to artfully and carefully thought out booths. Booths should help customers see themselves buying and using your crafts. Help their imagination by creating a theme that goes with your product. Pack any tools needed to set up your display in a rubbermaid tote and keep them there.

4. Change-A secure coin box can discourage thieves at shows. Have a jewelry artist make you a necklace/keychain you can wear at all times. Keep keys to your lock box and car on the necklace around your neck at all times.

Having enough change for customers is really important. Take at least $100 (maybe 2 or 3) in small bills and coins. The exact amount needs to be determined by your prices and if you’ve included sales tax. You need less pennies or nickels if you round prices up to the next even number. If prices are closer to $20 expect people to pay with bigger bills so include in your change box more 5, 10, and 20 dollar bills. If you price handmade crafts at $19 instead of $20 so that customers perceive them as being under $20 you will need to take more $1 bills.

5. Canopies/Awnings-For outdoor shows take a canopy or awning to protect yourself and your crafts from the weather. All canopies fly with enough wind, check the manufacturers recommendations for canopy weight types and sizes.

Discuss with show promoters when to take down craft show canopies so you know when it is okay to close up early. Use common sense when it becomes dangerous it’s time to take down pop up canopies.

6. Helpers-Take someone who knows your crafts to shows. They can watch your merchandise while you unpack the car, watch your craft show booth while you go potty or eat, run to get more change, etc. Offer a neighboring craft vendor a small piece of merchandise to help out if you can’t find someone to go with you, offer to do these things for your neighbors.

7. Food and Water-Food at shows is often greasy, messy or expensive. Take your own if this will upset your tummy or pocket book. You can still treat yourself if there is something you want in your price range.

8. Emergency Phone Numbers and Cell Phone-Take a list of places you need to call in case you are late, your car breaks down, or there's an emergency.

9. Your Identification, credit cards, and wallet-They are necessary to check into and pay for hotels, gas, car repairs, extra tools or supplies, food and water.

10. Luggage and Medication-Take extra clothes even for local shows you never know when you might spill on yourself. Take clothing needed each day plus a few extras. Don’t forget your medications.

What’s your best tip?

Power Options for Craft Show With No Electricity
Do you need electricity in craft show booths?

Art Festival and Craft Show Expert

Now she is revealing how to collect your customers contact information, follow up with them and make more money while working less.

Go to http://www.extravaganzacrafts.net to get her newsletter. The Extravaganza Craft News, will help you avoid mistakes, and save time and money when preparing your craft show booth.

How to Email Your Craft Show Booth Customers

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:19:50 GMT

Need Someone to Set Up Your Email Autoresponders

7 Lessons from Social Media and Inbound Marketing All-Stars

Email Marketing + Contact Management = One Easy Interface

How to Write a Super-Sized Autoresponder Series

Marketing to the Millennial Generation

Build Your List On Tumblr

Winterfest Arts & Crafts Festival-Evergreen Colorado

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:08:51 GMT

Winterfest Arts & Crafts Festival
Evergreen Colorado

Don’t forget to to visit Winterfest Arts & Crafts Festival in Evergreen, Colorado happening Nov. 12, 2011.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Becky Guy at 303-674-0056 to reserve your booth now. Remember to thank Becky for listing her show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Wyoming each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

Holiday Happenings Craft Show-Great Falls Montana

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:06:43 GMT

Holiday Happenings Craft Show
Great Falls, Montana

Visit Holiday Happenings in Great Falls, Montana Nov. 19 & 20, 2011.

Arts and crafts festival vendors contact Nanc or Rachel at 406-590-0042 to reserve your booth now. Please thank then for listing this show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Montana each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

Made In Montana Marketplace -Great Falls Montana

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:45:52 GMT

Made In Montana Marketplace
Great Falls Montana

Don’t forget to visit the Made In Montana Marketplace in Great Falls, Montana this Mar. 23 & 24, 2012.

Handcrafted arts and crafts festival vendors contact Paul Davies at 406-455-8510 to reserve your show booth now. Remember to tell him thank you for listing his show with The Extravaganza Craft News.

Want more information on this and other art and craft fairs in Montana each month subscribe to The Extravaganza Craft News at www.extravaganzacrafts.com.

CPSIA-New law regarding safety of Children’s Products

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:14:00 GMT

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act is a new law coming into effect soon concerning the phthalates and lead contained in your arts and crafts. It will affect what art and craft products can be manufactured and sold especially to children.

It will require the testing and certification of your crafts although all the products you use to create your art or craft should already be tested and certified for your own safety.

Here is where to find more information: http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/cpsia.HTML

What can you do?

Write to your Congressman and Senator. Tell them how this law will effect your business!
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is taking comments... Comment on this law if you feel it will effect your business.

Coming Up On Arts & Craft Show Extravaganza

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:16:00 GMT

I am writing to tell you about a few exciting things in the works for the Arts & Craft Show Extravaganza.

First of all I just finished a very inspiring interview with an inspirational artist and crafter, James Dillehay. I can’t wait to post the full interview. James tells us about how he gave up what was pretty much guaranteed to be a successful future to start his own business following his passion and how that led him to feel more successful. He pulls out all the stops and holds nothing back.

Next we have a great 7 part series coming up “7 Ways For Your Art or Craft Business to Outsell the Retailers.” I found a wonderful article about how retailers in the art industry aren’t serving their customers as well as they could be. The author, Pam Grimm, has given me permission to quote portions of her article and point out how we as artists and crafters can outsell the retailers by improving on their mistakes. The series will take place over a period of at least 7 days (as my time allows) and will be broken into 7 sections. Don’t miss this series designed to help you Outsell the Retailers.

Art Jewelry Forum's Emerging Artist Award

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 20:50:00 GMT

This is the twelfth year that Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) will be providing the Emerging Artist Award of $5,000 to a contemporary jewelry artist.

The purpose of the award is to acknowledge promise, innovation, and individuality in the work of an emerging jewelry artist, and to help advance the artist’s career. The competition is open to makers of wearable art jewelry who: • have completed their academic/professional training,
• have been out of school for one year or more,
• and whose submitted work must have been unsupervised;
work from BFA or MFA shows may not be submitted.

Beginning with this year’s award, artists who have had a solo exhibit in a gallery or museum may also apply.

DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

For more information about the award, visit the AJF website, www.artjewelryforum.org/programs. Applications may be submitted beginning in May at www.callforentry.org.

The winner will be announced at SOFA New York (International Exposition of Sculpture Objects and Functional Art), April 2012, where the artist’s work will be exhibited at one of the AJF member galleries.

The artist’s work will also be featured in an AJF ad.

Reasons to Stay In Touch With Your Craft Show Customer

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:26:00 GMT

Reasons to Stay In Touch With Your Craft Show Customer

Happy Independence Day! I’m grateful for this nation and all the freedoms that we enjoy.

I was writing to my customers, artists and crafters, wishing them Happy 4th. I realized I should write a quick note for every holiday and include them in my auto-responders (I can set the day they go out so they will deliver automatically). I used the same formatted note, copied and pasted it to each one, then edited each one for the holiday it should go out on.

I will set up pages with a free article(s) for each holiday so when my customers get the note they will also get a free goody. The free information will let them know that I care.

Reasons to send notes to craft show customers telling them you care:
New Years
Valentines
St. Pattys Day
Easter
Mothers Day
Fathers Day
Grandparents Day
Secretaries Day
4th of July
Halloween
Thanksgiving -Send Thank You Note for being your customer
Christmas
Customers Birthday

Send information about your crafts or services, updates and exciting news about your craft fair business. Staying in touch with craft show customers reminds them of your business when they are thinking about buying. Sending personal notes builds relationships and trust.

Art Jewelry Forum’s Emerging Artist Award

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:40:00 GMT

The purpose of the award is to acknowledge promise, innovation, and individuality in the work of an emerging jewelry artist and to help to advance the artist’s career.

The competition is open to makers of wearable art jewelry who:

have completed their academic/professional training,
have been out of school for one year or more, and
have not had a solo artist exhibition in a commercial gallery or museum.

Submitted work must have been unsupervised if from an academic setting.

Jurors for the 2009 competition are: Ursula Neuman, jewelry curator at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Gail Hufjay, long-standing member of AJF and a collector of contemporary jewelry; and Masumi Kataoka, jewelry artist and recipient of the AJF’s 2008 Award.

Information is available on the AJF website.

More information about the award may be found on the AJF website, www.artjewelryforum.org. Applications may be submitted at www.callforentry.org.

The winner of this year’s competition and $5,000 cash award will be announced at SOFA Chicago November 6-9, where the artist’s work will be exhibited at an AJF member gallery.

Application deadline is June 14, 2009

The Extravaganza Craft Productions

Coast West-Pacific Beach, Washington

Coast West Pacific Beach, Washington

Extravaganza Craft Raises Funds for Muscular Dystrophy Association

CHUN Capitol Hill People's Fair Denver, Colorado

CHUN Capitol Hill People's Fair Denver, Colorado

Artsfest '13 Fine Arts Festival Dowell, Maryland

Artsfest '13 Fine Arts Festival Dowell, Maryland

Riverton Community Christmas Craft Fair Riverton WY

Riverton Community Christmas Craft Fair Riverton, Wyoming

How to Advertise A Craft Show

How to Advertise A Craft Show

Art In The Park-Kalispell Montana

Art In The Park Kalispell, Montana

Boardwalk Arts and Craft Festival

Boardwalk Arts and Craft Festival Dillon Montana

How Often To Post To Your Craft Fair Facebook Page?

How Often To Post To Your Craft Fair Facebook Page?

Jeffco Holiday Craft Fair Golden Colorado

Jeffco Holiday Craft Fair Golden Colorado

Art Jewelry Forum Emerging Artists Grant

Art Jewelry Forum Emerging Artists Grant

Point of Purchase Displays Sell Handmade Crafts

Point of Purchase Displays Sell Handmade Crafts

Art and Craft Vendors Can't Find Your Art Festival, Craft Fair

Help I'm An Art Vendor. I Can't Find Your Fair, Festival, or Show

Blackberry Arts Festival -Coos Bay, Oregon

Blackberry Arts Festival Coos Bay, Oregon

Autumn Festival -An Arts and Crafts Affair -Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Autumn Festival-An Arts and Crafts Affair Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Tigard Festival of Balloons -Tigard, Oregon

Tigard Festival of Balloons Tigard, Oregon

Steamboat All Arts Festival -Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Steamboat All Arts Festival Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Made In Montana Marketplace -Great Falls, Montana

Made In Montana Marketplace Great Falls, Montana

Under the Big Sky Arts & Crafts Festival -Missoula, Montana

Under the Big Sky Arts & Crafts Festival Missoula, Montana

Commonwheel Artists 39th Annual Labor Day Arts & Crafts Festival-Manitou Springs, Colorado

Commonwheel Artists 39th Annual Labor Day Arts & Crafts Festival Manitou Springs CO

Art of Gardening-Anacortes, Washington

Art of Gardening-Anacortes, Washington

Art in Public Places Project Manager -Washington State Arts Commission

Art in Public Places Project Manager Washington State Arts Commission

Craft Show Display Risers

Art and Craft Show Display Risers

Craft Show Booth Displays-Retail Success Secrets Revealed

Craft Show Booth Displays Retail Success Secrets Revealed

LinkedIn Profiles Sell Art and Crafts

Sell Crafts Using LinkedIn Profiles

Power Options For Craft Booth With No Electricity

Power For Craft Booths With No Electricity

Power Supply Options

Artists and Crafters Creating Through Grief

Artists and Crafters Creating Through Grief

The Big One Art & Craft Fair -Fargo ND

The Big One Art & Craft Fair -Fargo ND

The Big One Art & Craft Fair -Bismarck ND

The Big One Art & Craft Fair -Bismarck ND

Selling on Etsy-How To Sell Handmade Crafts on Etsy

Selling on Etsy How To Sell Handmade Crafts on Etsy

Facebook Giveaway Guidelines For Craft Show Vendors

Facebook Giveaway Guidelines

The Minot Big One Art & Craft Fair-Minot, North Dakota

The Minot Big One Art & Craft Fair Minot, North Dakota

Holiday Email Marketing For Artists and Crafters

Holiday Email Marketing For Artists and Crafters

Call for Art -Virginia City MT

Call for Poster Art—Virginia City, MT

Call To Artists -Seattle WA

Call To Artists -Seattle Washington

10 Ways to Gain New Pinterest Followers

10 Ways to Gain New Pinterest Followers

Buyers of Handmade Crafts Imagine Themselves Using Your Crafts

Help Buyers of Handmade Crafts Imagine Themselves Using Your Crafts

When to hold A Giveaway On Your Facebook Page

When to hold A Giveaway On Your Facebook Page

Christmas Moment Gift Fair -Kennewick WA

Christmas Moment Gift Fair -Kennewick WA

What Wedding Tradition Teaches Artists to Blog?

Coast West
Pacific Beach, Washington

CHUN Capitol Hill People's Fair
Denver, Colorado

Artsfest '13 Fine Arts Festival
Dowell, Maryland

Riverton Community Christmas Craft Fair
Riverton, Wyoming

Art In The Park
Kalispell, Montana

Boardwalk Arts and Craft Festival
Dillon Montana

How Often To Post
To Your Craft Fair Facebook Page?

Jeffco Holiday Craft Fair
Golden Colorado

Point of Purchase Displays
Sell Handmade Crafts

Help I'm An Art Vendor.
I Can't Find Your Fair, Festival, or Show

Blackberry Arts Festival
Coos Bay, Oregon

Autumn Festival-An Arts and Crafts Affair
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Tigard Festival of Balloons
Tigard, Oregon

Steamboat All Arts Festival
Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Made In Montana Marketplace
Great Falls, Montana

Under the Big Sky Arts & Crafts Festival
Missoula, Montana

Commonwheel Artists 39^th Annual Labor
Day Arts & Crafts Festival
Manitou Springs CO

Art in Public Places Project Manager
Washington State Arts Commission

Craft Show Booth Displays
Retail Success Secrets Revealed

Power For Craft Booths
With No Electricity

Selling on Etsy
How To Sell Handmade Crafts on Etsy

The Minot Big One Art & Craft Fair
Minot, North Dakota

Help Buyers of Handmade Crafts
Imagine Themselves Using Your Crafts

When to hold A Giveaway
On Your Facebook Page

What Wedding Tradition
Teaches Artists to Blog

Are You Using Pinterest
To Sell Your Arts And Crafts?

Craft Vendors Don't Lose
Craft Craft Show Sales

Need a Business License
for Your Art Fair
or Craft Show Booth?

How Your Art or Craft Business
Is Like Playing Facebook Games

The Big One Art & Craft Fair
Fargo, North Dakota