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It has just occurred to me that today is August 11th...I am exactly 1 month away from my first craft show! I am both very excited and very terrified. I am feeling a little less anxious about the amount of stock I'll have ready. I've passed my '50 item' goal and with a month left and the 2-3 items a day rate I've been going, I'll be close to 100 in no time. I have a lot of little details that need attended to however, printing of signage, sorting and putting price tags on all the stuff I've done recently, figure out a final layout for my booth, make my t-shirt with my awesome new logo on it :) the list goes on and on.
I did get my AMAZING banner in the mail last week though and should be seeing Mr. UPS man sometime today with my credit card machine. That's right folks, Warm Fuzzies by Cortney will take your plastic! lol I did a lot of debating about that one detail and ended up getting a great set up through propay.com with a very very nice low rate for Etsy sellers, and purchased a 'knuckle buster', aka tabletop old school credit card imprinter, from a company on eBay for less than $20. From most everything I've heard and read from other craft fair vendors, their sales double if they are able to accept credit/check cards and customers are 75% more likely to purchase more than one item for the same reason. I know I never have enough cash on hand at these kinds of things and would dent my pocketbook quite a bit more if that was an accepted method of payment at some shops.
My care instruction cards are here (free deal from kodak.com!) and I snagged some great little lined baskets in purple and teal from a Michael's clearance, not to mention an adorable vintage suitcase at Lazy Daze last month. My plan is to sort the hats my size, not style like I'd originally intended, so I have a basket each for NB-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, toddler, child and teen/adult. I have made the hangers for the ribbon lined clipped that I finished last month, those will hand from one of the supports. I've decided to try and hang a clothes line along one side (up high to avoid anyone hanging themselves but still able to be reachable) to hang the little headband and sets of booties I'm making, along with a misc. hat or two.
Such details, who knew? Really, when I signed up I thought to myself, 'I have the tables, what more could I need?' I've been swept away! I want to look professional and inviting though so, like most everything I do, I'm getting anal about details and have spent many afternoons planning with my mom on how to set everything up.
I will have almost my entire stock of yarn with me (under a table in a nice dust protected plastic clear tub) and was very lucky when I contacted Caron, the company that makes the yarn I dearly love, and they send me a very professional looking color chart with swatches of every yarn they make. Yay! I plan on taking custom orders and love that people will be able to see for themselves what the colors look like because believe you me, it can be quite a different shade from a picture.
So if you've made it this far, bravo! This was a very long and probably boring to you all post. I hadn't intended to be so detailed and rambly but my fingers took me along for the ride and I was helpless to stop them. My break is over though and I must continue toiling over this ball of red yarn that the cat knocked off the couch and across the floor when I wasn't looking!
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