After the Fair

First I need to apologise for leaving you hanging last week. After the stress and lack-of-sleep from the craft fair I picked up a nasty head cold which is only just starting to go now. Whilst I didn't exactly take the week off, I did carefully prioritise what needed to be done and cut back quite a bit and the blog was one of the things which suffered.

Me, at my table, looking remarkably awake!

Anyway... how was the fair, you ask?

Well I was very pleased with it. It certainly wasn't the busiest fair I've ever seen but, for my first fair, I was quite happy with that! I did manage to make a profit, which was more than I was hoping for, and I was very encouraged by the number of customers I had on the Sunday who said that their mothers had seen me on the Saturday and sent them down!

A view of my whole booth

My booth display held up to the challenge and there weren't even any major changes I could think of to make for next time.

We put the banner above the window behind so people could still see it even if there were other people at my table. However, I'm not sure that was the best plan because I think it was a little too far behind my booth and a bit disconnected.

2 of my large, upright display boards

I loved the way my display boards turned out and how well my little, coloured price circles worked.

I do think one or two of my boards may have been a little cluttered and the actual arrangement of the jewelry on the boards is something I plan to work on. I will also be designing new jewelry with display in the back of my mind, to make sure my lines include some dramatic pieces to break up the boards.

Slatted, cedar boards

I wasn't sure anyone was going to sign my guestbook but I was pleasantly surprised to get a few :)

I loved the flexibility of the slatted boards and used them to display my business cards, coupon cards and informational signs. I also displayed a few of my stud earrings on their cards after I decided that they might be getting a bit lost on the burlap pads.

A last minute idea was to sprinkle some of the blank price circles across the table to add some interest and it worked really well.

Dried grasses in jars

My dried grasses were a great finishing touch, especially tying in with the name so well. My only problem with them is trying to keep our cat away from them so he doesn't rip them to shreds (and trail the seeds all over the house!).

The view from behind my table

Here you can see a little peak behind the scenes at the mess behind my table! My careful design for the risers worked really nicely. As you can see I was able to keep my tools, spare jewelry and packaging materials on the table but hidden away from view.

I have the post I promised you, about how to make the display boards and risers, planned for later on this week so keep and eye out for that if you are interested.

All in all it was a good experience and I feel much more prepared for future shows, now. I had help on both days from friends - many thanks to Abby Stopper and Ali Constantine who helped me all day and also to my husband who helped us setup and stayed for moral support on the Saturday. If you have any questions or comments for me, feel free to post them below.