Busy Weekend Ahead!!

This weekend will mark my second craft show and I am busy getting organized for tomorrows event.  (Let's hope there is more people there than our last show).  I am glad, however, that the first show was very slow.  It was a great test run and provided a much needed learning experience.  The craft show market is huge and knowing where and which shows to choose from is tricky.  Luckily, crafters are always so helpful and each provided some great tips for next year!

This weekend will also mark my dad's 60th birthday!  (Sorry dad, I outed your age) I just can't believe he's 60!  The years go by so quickly & I swear he was just 45 yesterday!  And with each passing year, I too, am reminded that I am no longer 18! (although in my head I am always 18 but I just wish it wouldn't remind my body how old I am getting)!

I have plenty of orders lining up and the Holiday rush is on big time.  Each year I seem to get a bit busier which is great but it requires even more organization than the year past.  One day I will be ahead of the game one year...

This time of year also seems to get my creative juices running on overdrive.  The problem lies in the fact that I have absolutely NO TIME to work on these new ideas.  So, I end up carrying around a notebook to write down all of my bright ideas.  Hoping that when I look at it again in a few months that I will remember what exactly was so great about these roughly sketched out pictures.  Fingers crossed.

That's about it for now.
Have a great weekend all!

The Handmade Marketplace...

I was browsing in my local book shop for my usual knitting books and I happen upon this little book instead.
I decided to buy it hoping it will help me get some more traction for my little knitting hobby.  I am always looking for ideas and ways to find and interest more customers.   Lovely book filled with some great ideas that I plan to put into use this summer.

Since, summer is a slow time for knitting purchases think this is a great idea.  Plenty of time to read, research, read some more and experiment.  Ya know, throw some things against the wall and see what sticks.  I read this entire book in one sitting.  A fast read filled with Q & A's from some very talented crafters.  The husband and wife team that began Ravelry.. One of my all time favorite sites..   If you sell your goods online it might be worth your while to pick this little treasure for some light summer reading.

The Handmade Market place piqued my interest so much that I went to the library the next day to find more books to help with pricing, blogs, craft shows, etc.  This is when I found my next book "Crafting A Business, Make Money Doing What You  Love" by Kathie Fitzgerald.  GREAT Book.  Also read this one in an evening.  Very inspirational.  The book is broken down by several successful women who craft.  How they succeeded and their personal journeys that got them where they are today.  I also loved that she asked each crafter what their dreams were for the future.  This book is just great.   I found that it really got my creative juices flowing.  Also, got my hopes up because the market is a tough place to be.  I am not alone.

Each crafter is doing what they love.  They are honest with telling us that it is tough out there but if you are doing what you love and love what you are making.  Chances are there are others out there who will think your crafts are great too!  A few began their business out of need others were lucky to have a supportive husband to help them make their dreams come true.  Each runs their own successful business now.

Here is some of their quotes that I just love and found inspirational.

"There is more to life than making a living"

"Just begin. Start."

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that is most frightening us.  It is not just in some of us, it is in all of us."  Nelson Mandela

"Your success is measured by your confidence, your dependability, by your intellectual curiosity and by your bravery."