Silver Christmas Tree

Getting the finishing touches on my holiday cards for my BIGGEST craft fair of the year. This craft fair attracts buyers and sellers from miles away. In a good year, we can see upwards of 3000 people. This is an event where I make sure I go in well prepared. I check the weather leading up to this day like a bride would for her wedding day. Seasonal weather brings out extra shoppers, sunshine drives in bigger crowds yet, while rain may keep some people away.

I CASE’d this card from the Simon Says Stamp website. While I didn’t copy their design exactly, I took the basics from the card design and added a little of my own flair. I love the shadow/word bubble that comes with this die, because I feel using the vellum adds just a touch of depth and dimension. In this card I love using the softer colors as it is a break from the traditional red and green color hues. 

Here are the supplies I used:

Stamps:

None 

Paper:

Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink)

Brushed Silver (Recollections)

Perfectly Plaid Winter (Lawn Fawn)

Vellum (Stampin Up)

Ink:

None

Accessories:

Sizzix Big Shot

Believe Wafer Die (Simon Says Stamp)

Corbel Tree Collage Wafer Die (SSS)

Making the Cut

Making cards is one of my favorite outlets…  I was invited to a Close to My Heart party almost 20 years ago. That single invitation has cultivated into this wonderful hobby. 

When I make my cards, I rarely make just one. If I do, it’s because the card was a disaster and I will not make it again. I find that when I have my supplies out it is easy to make multiple cards. Four just happens to be my default number. Partly because then you need a base layer, you can get four from one single sheet of cardstock. If I like the card and am likely to make it again, I save it in a box marked “master cards”. Sometimes I will reproduce these cards, other times I will use the measurements or just duplicate the layout. It’s nice to have the measurements already done for you. 

I work a full time Monday thru Friday job plus I am an avid runner and reader. So in order to fit all these things in, I sometimes have to do my cards in stages. This is where it may take me 1-2 weeks to get my cards done for a craft fair. I will figure out how many cards I need to make, and make my samples and set them aside. I start by cutting out my card bases and other base layers. This also helps me figure out if I need to order more paper or if I need to change a color scheme to suit what supplies I have on hand. I try to use up colors that are going out of circulation (with Stampin Up, it would be retired or retiring colors). From there, I proceed to move up the card.  I will move on to embossing layers, punching out pieces or die cutting, stamping, etc. Once all the pieces are finished, it is not uncommon for me to spend an entire weekend assembling my cards. This is the best and easiest way for me to get this done, especially when you have a four legged fur baby that wants to help. Did I mention that crafting and audiobooks make a great pair?

Let’s start with ways to save money when making cards. My biggest one is… if my card needs a white, black, or cream colored layer I use Michael’s brand cardstock. It is the one that is commonly on sale 5/$10. Why use name brand card stock that is going to cost you five times as much? This can really add up and take away from your profit. Only you will know the difference.  

I keep all my sizeable paper scraps… white scraps go in a separate box and have multiple uses. For example look at this card… I did not have to cut full piece of white card stock to make the penguin, snowman, or their accessories. It was all scraps. Colored cardstock are stored with in different place.

When using glitter, mirror board, or other shimmery paper… make it a faux layer. What this means is that if your fancy paper has a layer over it, cut out other images from it to use on other cards. Does the image below help you understand better? Your recipient will never know there is a piece missing!

I have a very specific storage system for my paper that keeps my colored scraps with the full sheets of cardstock. This organization system has reduced unnecessary purchases by allowing me to see my inventory at all times. I also keep my cards to the A2 size, so I can get two cards from one sheet of 8-1/2 x 11 cardstock. Again, keeping my cost down and paper waste to a minimum. 

I don’t use pop dots, bling, ribbon, or other items that add height when selling my cards. These items could add extra postage, get damaged in the mail, and it simply takes extra time to make. I keep my cards minimal. No one has ever complained about the lack of “pizzazz”… because the never missed it to begin with.

I hope this information was helpful. Feel free to follow my blog as I post weekly card creations and blog posts about crafting. If you have further questions, please leave them below and I will happily answer them for you.

Thanks for reading!

Hanging In and Hanging On

Just like with any new adventure… life can be filled with trial and error. I saw this first hand with my mom over the years as she ebbed and flowed with the tide of pop culture. You may have the desire to want to make what is trending and popular, and if that is your style go for it. I found that if people know that you make a constant and reliable product, they will come back to you year after year.

Craft fairs are pretty much a dime a dozen between October 1^st and Christmas. They are at churches, fire halls, and can even be done as fundraisers. Application fees start at about $25 and up. 99.9% of venues will require you to have a tax identification number. Some places allow direct sale vendors, while others do not. Some require handmade only, while others are juried for entry. While one may argue that crafters and vendors should be allowed at the same event, a person who sells mass produced jewelry at a cheaper cost will undervalue the work of someone who has hand beaded a necklace for sale. Get my point? It’s a broad rule, but a fair one in my opinion. Juried craft fairs are also difficult for those whose items are compared against other like items. If you are the only one selling a specific handmade item, you are usually allowed entry to the show. They do this to keep the show from being overrun by too many of the same thing.

My main staple and my favorite product to make has always been cards. Early on with Pinterest, I would save all sorts of things that I would make and TRY to sell. Altered notepads, gift tags, gift card holders, candy favors, etc. I found that these took a lot of time to make and use a lot of my supplies. In order to make a profit, even a small one, people wouldn’t always pay the mark up price on my items. Whatever candy items I had left over at the end of the year would be given away. Same thing with the notepads or gift tags… and they weren’t the easiest to store either.  Also, making these items took away from my main source of craft fair revenue… my cards. The items that rarely sold seemed to just clutter my table space. Since these items didn’t really sell, I decided to focus on what did sell and revamp my display. I simply was not making money unless I focused solely on making cards. So that is what I decided to do, and have been successful at it ever since.

On the final installment of my craft fair blog series, I will discuss my “formula” on how I make cards, keeping them as affordable as possible for my consumers while maximizing my profit. Hopefully these are tips you can use!

Balloon Bash

This fun card was created to play along with the Make it Monday challenge over at Papertrey Ink. I love these challenges, but I am not always able to participate. The tag line on my blog is crafter, reader, runner … just not all at once. Outside of work, those three things are my outlets. I have been able to tie two of these things together with audiobooks, but running still remains something I do solo. With most of my running races behind me, that means the cold weather is soon to be here and my crafting will be in full swing. 

The challenge this week is sentiment windows. Even though I am caught up on birthday cards, I always say special people get special cards. This also was cause for me to try out a technique I had seen before AND a new stamp and die set I recently purchased. The card came out somewhat how I planned, thankfully I was able to practice on scrap paper first to get the look right. 

Here are the supplies I used:

Stamps:

Balloon Bash (PTI)

Paper:

Stampers Select White (PTI)

Funkytown (PTI)

Ink:

Simply Chartreuse (PTI)

Pool Party (Stampin Up)

Melon Mambo (SU)

Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Accessories:

Sizzix Big Shot

Spellbinders Ovals

Balloon Bash dies (PTI)

Craft Fairs Part One

This is the first part of a three part segment on craft fairs. I started doing craft fairs about four years ago. My mom had been doing them for years, so I was no stranger to the craft fair circuit, but this time I was joining her. We were sharing table space, equally displaying our handmade crafts. My mom is a fabric crafter and I am a paper crafter. She taught me her craft, and I taught her mine… but we each chose to stay with what we knew best. 

I started with handmade cards, gift tags, gift card holders, altered notepads, and a variety of other paper items. My display has changed over the years to what has become my display now. I have also eliminated items from my inventory that didn't sell, didn't display well, or otherwise just didn't flow with a clean and simple display that would be attractive to the eye. I had worked many years in retail, so I have some tricks to make my area very noticeable. 

You can have the best display and the best prices, but if you don't have what people are looking for, people won't buy. Stay tuned for my next blog post on “hanging in and hanging on” and why you shouldn't give up. 

Below is my current card display as well as my best selling Christmas card… four years running. 

Here are the supplies I used for the reindeer card:

Stamps:

Petite Pairs (Stampin Up Retired)

Paper:

Real Red (SU)

Very Vanilla (SU)

Early Espresso (SU)

Soft Suede (SU)

Crumb Cake (SU)

Old Olive (SU)

Ink:

Old Olive (SU)

Accessories:

Cricut Die Cut Machine

Create a Critter 2 Cricut Cartridge 

Scallop Oval Punch (SU Retired)

Oval Punch (SU Retired)