Holiday Craft Fairs

It's that time of year - Holiday Craft Fair season is upon us.  Whether you've been planning for this since summer or just decided to participate in a community Bazaar, over the next few weeks, we'll be featuring tips, tricks, and suggestions for your holiday booth success.

First - How much do you bring?

The most common advice is to figure out how much you plan to make at the show....and then bring 3-4 times that amount. 

But wait. How do you know how much you should plan to make? There are a lot of things you could take into consideration but to keep things simple right now, let's just go with booth fee.   Ideally I'd like to make 10 times my booth fee (this is just sales not profit).

So here's what all of that looks like for an imaginary show you may have coming up:

Booth fee x 10 = sales goal

                  $100 x 10 = $1000

Sales goal x 3 = amount (in sales potential) you need to bring

                  $1000 x 3 = $3000

So if you plan on making $1000 at a show you should bring at least $3000 worth of merchandise. 

But if you've decided to have a table at the local Bazaar, and they're only asking for $25, then it works out more like this:

$25 x 10 = $250 (sales goal)

250 x 3 = $750 (merchandise on hand)

So what's your experience been with stocking your booth? How do you gauge how many of each color you bring? Be sure to check in for the next post about booth set up.

This post contributed byJulia A. of The BackLoop.    

About Time

I hear it everywhere. "Wow, where did [insert month here] go?" And now they're starting to wonder where 2012 has gotten to. Which got me to thinking about time. And that lead me to thinking about clocks.  

What with the end of daylight saving time and the end of the year, time seemed an appropriate subject. First up, actual working clocks. And various team members have brought us some beauties.

Fused Glass Clock by Nor Cal Art Glass

Floral Wall Clock by Jessilyn Joy

Woodland Squirrel Mosaic Clock by Be Mine Forever

But clocks don't just have to be to tell time. Clock designs work in jewelry as well.

Cuckoo Clock Earrings by Paganucci Designs

Clock bobby pins. I had not thought of that.

Time in Paris Gunmetal Bobby Pins by The Pink Camellia

Clocks make great images. Here's one on a card.

Thinking of You Card by Quirky 'n Berkeley Cards

And this photograph is stunning. Sigh. I wish I was in Paris.

Time to Go Back to Paris Photograph by Sonja Caldwell Photography

I guess I'm just about out of time... Until next time. Yeah, I guess I could do this all day.  

This post contributed by Liz of Zizi Rho Designs. Blogger has done something weird, so the photos no longer link back to the items on Etsy. That link is now in the caption.