Advice for the Craft-Lorn...

One of my favourite blogs is created by Carol at "The Polka Dot Closet," here's a link...http://thepolkadotcloset.blogspot.ca/

In her latest entry,  Carol has resuscitated a past posting (referring to her own little antiques shop/booth) called "What Sells and What Doesn't," and  thought it would be a great starting point for  my first entry of January 2013...

Because I make what I sell,  it seems like I'm  working just as hard as when I worked full time at a regular job...but the money is certainly different.  I often wonder if  buyers assume that  my work is a 'hobby' or that I really don't need the money..both assumptions are untrue, sort of..
If I had to depend solely on my crafting sales, I would be in trouble.  I am single and self-supporting, so that puts me at a major disadvantage for  being able to ride it out when sales aren't going well.
Therefore,  try and stick to what I know will sell (or what I hope will sell!) all within the loose framework of desire...
What I mean by that is I refuse to start turning out an assembly line of the same old same old just because it will sell...I would get bored, hate myself, etc.  I prefer to be inspired by  my ideas..and I have way too many of them  to keep up.
Still,  I do want to sell what I make, so there is a constant  discussion in my tiny brain about what to do, what to do? This quandary is  thankfully relieved by those who approach me for custom work..which is of course my favourite...
I sell every Saturday at an outdoor farmer's market, and yes, even in the Winter..I live on the West Coast of Canada, so we are usually more temperate than the Prairies or the East., in late Spring and Summer, .I also sell at a weekly market (Wednesdays) in a nearby town called Chemainus, which has a brisk tourist  trade,  and is famous for its murals.  Wish that we could sell there in the Fall and Winter too, since the tourists keep coming all year and I do well there, but the town's business community still feels as if we are 'stealing' business form them..not true, our market is part of the attraction of coming to Chemainus..nonetheless..these are the sorts of things that are constantly changing, so always expect  the unexpected when you sell to the public in a publicly-controlled space...
As for the actual subject of  all this, what sells and what doesn't, I can only say that it ebbs and flows like  the tides...
Hats, right now, are in seeming decline, and I'm selling lots of scarves..and fingerless gloves are finally starting to sell for some reason, after being a waste of time for so long...used to sell booties, too, but they aren't working for me at all since last summer, and kid's hats always seem to attract buyers...the reason, I'm fairly certain, being because they are unique.
Price point is important, and because I spend  lots of time on my stuff, and use the best  materials I can, I charge what seems  to me a moderate amount..but many find my stuff expensive.  As most sellers of  just about anything know, if you can keep your price point at or near $20 or less, you will sell more..but I really can't do that, so have accepted that  the chances of people lining up to pay for my work are gonna be few and far between.  You, as a creator and seller, have to decide what  you need for yourself to  keep  going...
I truly believe that what sells  is what you loved making..maybe not the minute you put it out on the table, but if you are happy with it, it  will find a home.
I've come so close at times to taking certain hats  and putting them in the bin (for women's  fund raising) that I keep , but the minute I'm convinced that a hat is unsaleable, sure enough, that is when it sells. so  if you are interested in instant gratification, one  of a kind creations may not be the  way to go for you.
If you can find a tourist hub, that will probably work for you..I only sell my handmade jewelry in the Summer, but have been selling so many hats in those warm months that I'm starting to believe that I should add jewelry to the mix in Winter, too...who knows?
Part of the job is constantly editing what you have, and  keeping an eye out for what is happening with your work on a seasonal basis..
I also do seasonal craft fairs (indoors) and I'm finding that they are not worth the  much higher costs, at least not last season, but then, the economy may or may not have something to do with that, as all of last year was down from the year before..
If you can, keep records of  sales that you can refer back to..it's astounding how much information these simple  records really can provide.
Whew, this is really longer than I had planned...I  think that to sum it all up, what sells and what doesn't (for me)  is more about what you love doing and the patience and knowledge to offer only the best, because your best is the only thing worth doing.

Autumn Has Been Unavoidably Detained...

It's a weird Autumn here in Paradise..no leaves turning beautiful colours, warm days where folks are still in shorts and sandals...
The only evidence of the season so far is cold mornings, and it's a good thing that I make big comfy circle scarves...I needed one  while setting up my booth at the Duncan Farmer's Market this morning...
Thought I'd share a  few pictures of the people selling near me...the colours of all the lovely vegetables and fruit will have to stand in for what is normally going on this time of year..we aren't sure when, if ever, the rains and cold weather are coming, but our lakes and rivers are drying up too...so the only people happy about what is happening right now are the farmers..it's been especially nice for pumpkins...
Right next to me from the local corn maze and pumpkin patch farm is McNab's, and Halley is covering cashiering while Bruce is BSing in the back with another farmer...isn't the colour wonderful?
Then there's Ben's Backyard, with Ben nodding and smiling behind his bumper crop of tomatoes, etc.
Finally there's Dina, who has been at this Market for many, many years..she makes beautiful sheepskin-lined slippers and polar fleece  Canadian Maple Leaf  Flag Coats, baby sized to big adult...
Finally, a glimpse of my Autumn/winter booth (last two images)..no jewelry this time of year, strictly hats and scarves...
To my few but fabulous readers, have a wonderful Thanksgiving..we celebrate ours on October 8th..early I know, but then we are farther from the Equator, and have a shorter growing and harvesting season than the US...

Duncan Market - Alive and Well...

Recuperating (muscles very sore, it's like I'm really not 20 years old anymore ( :o\)
after my first outdoor market..actually had a great time, reconnected with a few old friends and had lots of positive feedback on my hats and scarves from customers, as well as some actually paying customers! Yippee!
It was a cold and blustery day, but I don't mind, just happy to be back outside after the three month winter hiatus..there is something about fresh air, tabletops flapping in the wind, the colours and scents of the market that make it a joy to return  to every season...and of course the opportunity to pet and  gush over everyone's dog..the market is a kind of social place for what we call the dog people, who come here to parade about with their puppies, as well as purchase from our market...I've seen some gorgeous pooches here, and it's an aspect of the market that I enjoy...unintended consequences
Had some great positive feedback from a couple of professional photographers who bought baby hats..and they promised e-mails of  their work  when available..
I'm starting up a "Rogue's Gallery" of pictures of past customers in my hats to display in my little 'shop'...folks always fret about how the hats will look on people when they are thinking of gifts, so having some concrete examples can only help..and it will be fun to have previous buyers come by to show off their pics to others, etc.
Happy Making and selling to all of you....

It's the Great Outdoors For Me...

It's gonna be that time of the year again..when we go back outside for our Saturday Farmers/Crafters Market..and I can't wait!
I'm getting to the point, usually about this time of year, when I can't bear to be inside all day, trying to sell  and trying to take a decent breath..it must be the antsiness of Spring, but, personally, if I lived in a place where I could sell outside all year, I would be happiest there.
Just spent way too much money buying some really outrageous yarn from a store going out of business here..it's one of my main locations for yarn purchasing so all of us  who are involved in fibre arts are really feeling nervous about where we will go in the future, since we live on an Island (albeit a big Island, not exactly the UK, but still, big) and we have few choices within an hour's drive...and with the cost of fuel, our options are shrinking..
Tried buying online but the shipping charges are prohibitive too..we may end up doing that again, this time hopefully  in co-operative mode,  buying in quantity to save a bit of cash on supplies..I really hate raising my prices!
It is one of the costs of living in Paradise, I guess...
Happy Making, everyone, and wish me luck for the coming season...♥

Random Thopughts, Burps, and Lamentations for Autumn..

Can't help but notice that I am close to the oldest person I blog with...in the sense of who reads my blogs and responds, and those whom I read.
I used to be the youngest person around, but my height and looks made folks assume I was much older, so I teneded to get away with a lot of things, that, in retrospect, may have done me not much good. But I wouldn't have it any other way; our experiences, good and bad, make us who we are...
Thinking about a blog I always read - and my friend was writing, as she has before, about the shock and sadness inherent in Empty Nest Syndrome..As a childless person who had to pretty much run away from home to escape my 'family', I find it oddly reassuring that there are parents out there who care in a positive, and not a possessive way, that their nestlings are flapping their wings and ready to fly, perhaps not completely away, but further afield.
As Autumn comes sauntering along, I often take stock of what I'm up to and where I seem to be going...the Canadian economy certainly hasn't suffered the same way the Yanks' has, yet it affects us in things like food prices and a lack of tourism numbers like the past years, which, of course, directly affects my weekly Market business.
At the same time, Autumn means that folks will start seriously considering keeping warm in the future months, not to mention holiday prezzies, so, it seems to balance out.
Just because I spent an exhausting, frustrating morning trying to photograph all the new stuff I've been making for the upcoming season, I am going to inflict on my reading public pictures of hats and scarves I haven't even listed...this will motivate me to get them listed, in case someone actually likes something I've made enough to buy it...
Enjoy this beautifully-coloured transition period, before Winter sets in with any seriousness..kick a few piles of leaves and think of me...

Taking a Moment to Consider..

As the craft fair season winds down, and I'm back outside for my Farmer's Market for 2 more Saturdays, I have noticed an odd thing..I keep selling camouflage patterned hats and scarves..
I try to consider that this is nothing new, and like animal prints, camo has been trendy for a few years..but never so much with women as now..
I've illustrated this posting with my 'tools', and two types of camo yarn, as well as some finished pieces, available from my Artfire shop or at my Farmer's Market on Saturdays, but I would like to spare at least a thought for what camo represents..in reality.
This season, as so many before it, my country and other countries are at war; now I really hate everything about war, but with just as much passion, I support the women and men who go and serve in our Forces..
This year, let's make it stylish to think about our troops, and hope against hope that we bring them all back, alive and well..
Now that would be a Christmas present worth having...