Paradise's Pitfalls and Possibilities

  Since my last posting, much has happened...
I have switched to a drop-in situation at  the Saturday Duncan Market, since the powers that be decided to ignore my requests for a shady spot and stick me in the most brutally hot area of the Market...a message that has definitely been received...so  they lose all that seasonal money from me...oh well....
I will still be in a  seasonal spot at the  Chemainus Market on Wednesdays...
I am currently exploring other Markets in my area, as they are plentiful and seemingly welcoming to new vendors....
One of the issues with many Markets is controlling the numbers of certain items in the crafting category..such as jewelry.  There are lots of people who wish to  sell it, but  no Market wants too much of anything...I understand this, yet,  because I sell primarily  seasonal creations like hats and scarves, I need to have an alternative to round out my sales for Spring to late Summer..and that, for me, has always been jewelry.
Unfortunately for me,  many Market Boards won't let me sell it, so I am limited to the ones that will...
Tonight I am going to an adjudication for a Market in the Greater Victoria area..
(For those of you  not Canadian, Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, a Province in Canada, and it's located on Vancouver  Island where I live.)
I am confident of acceptance, but a bit worried about their attitude regarding jewelry..everyone wants me to sell my  hats, but few want the jewelry sales that I depend on...Ironically, the busiest times for sales are the Summer months, when we get lots of tourist traffic...the time when  hats don't sell as well for obvious reasons, and jewelry sales  blossom...people are wearing less so have  a place for jewelry to show, like bare arms, necks, ears when the hair is pulled back, etc....*sigh*  It can be very frustrating, but that is a part of the Craft/Farmer's Market reality, so I have to adapt....
Wish me luck tonight...I have often read that setbacks (like the Duncan Market) should be viewed as opportunities for expansion and change in a positive way, so that is how I'm trying to approach this  year's adventures in crafting..now if only gas were  a whole bunch less expensive....

A Custom Order- One Viking Helmet...

 Saturday, December 22nd was our last day this year at my weekly craft market..and of course, for the first two hours it poured..so very little in the way of potential customers strolling through the market..cold, too, so me and everything I owned was soaked, in no time, despite the tent and some tarps for walls I threw up, in a hurry...
  The rain stopped around noon, and then at one we got a few customers..very few, because we have to stop at two...*sigh*
Still, I did okay with the hour I had, and one of the things that happened was a big burly young guy came  to my 'booth' and asked for a Viking helmet..I was really happy to do it, I'd actually been thinking about a child's version for awhile..but this guy was about 6'2", so, measurements taken, I started it that night, and today (Christmas Eve afternoon) put the finishing touches on it (I think)...
I want to tart it up a bit more, but I think he wouldn't like that..he was pretty specific about colours..what do you think of the finished product?

He wanted the back to look like chaine maille, so this was as close as I could get without making it too delicate...
He didn't want the horns too big, so...and nothing decorative, although I could have had a great time designing runes, etc. if I 'd been given carte blanche..actually the big discs in the front and the "nails" in the back are my idea, hope that is okay with him...
Kinda looks alien from the back, so, two hats in one...

They always want what you don't have....

I have recently started making booties and maryjanes, and even fingerless gloves, because it seems when anyone comes by my table at the Saturday market, they ask if I have them...of course, they also ask for washcloths and patterns, neither of which will ever happen, but the booties are sort of fun, and the fingerless gloves...well, kinda boring to make, but gotta give 'em what they want, yes?
Here are some examples..can't figure out a way for the gloves to actually look decent without my big ol' hands in them..

Just Stopped By....

Thought I'd drop in to wish anyone still soldiering on a very Happy Holiday season..
stay warm, stay friendly, and eat and drink your little faces off, because that is what all this great food and drink is for, to enjoy while we can...
I'm doing my last outdoor market of the year on Christmas Eve..can you believe it? But they are predicting very mild-ish weather (for the end of December) and who knows..there might still be some procrastinators out there desperate for a gorgeous homemade hat or scarf, right?
At any rate, being single, it sure beats staying at home and playing on the 'puter...
See you all next year, with a brave new world and a better attitude, hopefully...

Everybody Wants What Won't Work For Them..Even Me (Inspired By Bunny)

The Fall Market at Duncan (my weekly Saturday Farmers' and Crafters' Market that is) is in full force, and I've put the jewelry away until Spring, concentrating strictly on hats and scarves, in keeping with the weather..
A woman came rushing into my booth, first thing, and told me that she had been searching for me, since I wasn't in the spot I was last time (they move me around all the time) and that she was surprised I was there, because it was 'raining' (just spittin' a little, I don't come if it's heavy rain) and immediately bought a hat for her baby son who she said had a huge head, although I told her it would probably be too small.
She came back, son and 11 year old daughter in tow, and told me, sure enough, the hat was too small, didn't ask if she could exchange it, assumed she could (of course she could, still, would have been nice to have been asked) and then fussed over everything else that did fit him, finally settling on something, and trying a bunch of hats on her daughter who really wanted a bunny hat (didn't have one her size) while Mom thought she should be getting into something less childish...
I wondered at that, is 11 now considered no longer to be a year in childhood? So many parents complaining about their children growing up too fast, but what do I know?
All kinds of teenage females love animal hats, it's a 'thing' and has been trendy for a few years..I tried to explain this to Mom, who finally let her daughter settle on an adult sized bear hat, which I can't keep in stock..
Then Mom turned to me and said that she had no more money, and told her daughter that if I still had the hat next week, she'd get it then..
I have a feeling that this Mom will be returning to my booth next week, and have her son's exchanged hat in tow, because it won't be "quite right".
Well it sure beats the other little girl, her Grandma distracted in the booth next to mine, who was carefully picking her nose, scrutinizing it, then trying to grab my hats....
But then, these are the joys of selling what you make, yourself.
I don't mind, really, it's sort of part of the entertainment to explain their children to these often bewildered parents, and I'm childless...
As I was packing up to leave, two (count 'em, two) young dads came by, seperately, just a few moments apart, looking at the hats, picking up everything sort of randomly, saying nothing, and finally I asked "What gender and how old?" They were each so relieved, I pointed them in the right direction and within two minutes both had bought a hat, almost grateful that I hadn't needed an explanation beyond my two questions..I love it when men shop my booth, they don't waste a lot of time second-guessing themselves and just want to get the right 'something,' pay, and get out as quickly as possible..
I had another Mom come in with three little girls in tow, first one tried on a hat, after asking politely if it was okay (that almost never happens, especially with kids) and then the second daughter wanted to try one on too, so I picked one that would fit her, and the baby, one of the most beautiful, sweet little girls I've ever seen, about two years old, was tugging on her Mom's skirt and looking at me beseechingly, saying nothing, so I asked Mom if I could put a hat on the little one, I did and showed her what she looked like in a mirror, she gave me the greatest smile, took off the hat, handed it to me, and as they left each one said "thank you" unbidden by Mom...No purchases, didn't care....
And, not for the first time, I realized that these lovely, polite, well-mannered children would have been a great asset in my life.

Decline (and Fall?) of the Handmade Empire- A Few Notes

I've been watching some things going on in the Forums of Handmade sites, and it's very depressing to witness the corruption of what was supposed to be an informative and supportive environment..
I'm retired from full-time work, yet I am still far too busy to spend much time in the Forums of the sites I list in. Apparently, some sellers have so little to do that they have resorted to gangbanging in these sites, hooking up in little pathetic cliques and attacking individuals that they have personal issues with, and turning these Fora into sites for bullying rather than assisting, and being supportive of, their fellow sellers, not to mention the buyers who stumble in there and must really wonder WTF is going on...
Administrating these Goon Shows isn't easy, and perhaps the answer is pre-moderation, as many websites and blogs do now...a pity really, but if you can't act like adults, perhaps you should be treated like the spoilt whingeing children you present yourselves to be...

Our first indoor Farmers'/Crafters' Market was slow, as we presumed it might be, should take a bit of time for folks to get used to the idea of having it available in January and February, but the ones who came did express their pleasure, so this will probably be a good venture after all...I personally did as well as a so-so Fall day outside, so I am quite content to be patient and wait for things to pick up.
If we are talking about contentment with Etsy sales, nope..the only 'sale' so far in January wasn't a sale at all, had to cancel and go through the whole process of relisting, a PITA that should be made easier, since it seems to happen alot online.
So,finishing up some custom orders and working on getting my jewelry site operating on a less invisible level..

Her's hoping for all our sakes that everyone stays warm, and creative, this winter, without overheating....

The Fair that Got Away...

Yesterday, (Sunday), I went to the big Fair I couldn't even afford to become part of, had there been spots...
It was a real education for me.  This is a fair that is famous all over our Province and beyond, called a 'Taste of Saltspring'...
For those of you from elsewhere, Saltspring is a Gulf Island off the coast of the big Island (where I live), Vancouver Island, which, in turn, is off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, on the West Coast.
Saltspring Island is famous for it's overheated real estate market, and extremely hot craft market, so much so that many of those who wish to be part of it must resort to Vancouver Island for space.
Despite the fact that Saltspring Island has several craft markets of its own at this season,a portion of the population (and others, some from the Mainland, some from other Provinces) gather together very near the ferry to Victoria (the Provincial capital) at a huge Community Centre and spend 3 days selling at the 'Taste of Saltspring' Fair...
About 1 1/2 hours away by vehicle, I thought, as a present to myself, and to satisfy my curiosity, I'd take myself there, and, for a change, be a customer instead of a seller.

It was interesting, frustrating and instructive. So packed I could hardly move at times, it was really impossible to see every booth-not so great for potential business. I did of course manage to spend way too much money, but why not, tis the season to overindulge.
I found some crafters who I've sold with in the past, and they all said it was a good fair for them. I wonder...
It's several hundred dollars for three days, and far enough away that you'd have to rent a hotel room, plus fuel. You'd have to make a great deal of money indeed, for it to be worthwhile-and so much for adjudication...
I saw several instances of reselling of foreign-made goods, in a fair that is supposedly strictly-enforced handmade...this seems to be a pervasive issue all over, as the popularity of craft fairs has attracted those who would benefit without effort. A shame, as it really brings down the tone of the whole fair.
Glad I went? Yes, if only for a glimpse of what is in the possible future...but right now I'm content with my local Market.
I learned that bigger is not always more profitable, and after speaking with friends, found that my intuition about other fairs had been spot -on...if you wish to make a career, even part-time, of crafting, best to to stick with what feels right; you could lose everything by gambling on a "big show".
It's an old adage, in many forms, but comes down to don't gamble if you can't afford to..
Perhaps someday I'll feel confident enough to throw a thousand dollars into the wind and see where it falls, but for now I'm gonna be boring and practical and stick to the tried and true.
On the last day of that big and prosperous craft market, I saw resignation on the faces of too many sellers...I know the look and I know the feeling...