Custom Work in all it's Infinite Variety

I would guess that probably 30% of my sales are in custom hats..and I love it.
There's nothing more fun than a newly-minted idea hatched to the customer's satisfaction..and it keeps the creative juices flowing too
Sometimes I even get custom work from past custom work..I  made a 'version' of a Dumbo the elephant hat for someone who loves the character, huge flappy ears and all..Then another  woman saw it, went nuts and  stalked me until I was at another market and she found me through email..
She wanted an identical hat, but I don't do  that, so talked her into a different version of an elephant hat, in colours she loved..she was thrilled, and told me she is designing, in her head, her next custom hat..yes!

Of course, it's wonderful to be appreciated, and I  have a new one  just finished and waiting for pick-up..a woman wanted a newborn 'hat' or wig made of dreds as a gentle joke because the young parents, according to her, are sort of nouveau hippies..I  convinced her that a hat with dreds was probably a better idea, and I  thought a rainbow hat  was the most 'hippy' way to go..I also embellished it with a peace symbol, for added credibility...here it is...

It's great fun to  create something  that works for both you and your customer...have fun with your custom orders!

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....

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.

Leopard That Can Always Change it's Spots

This isn't a tutorial, rather an unpaid endorsement of a fab new yarn I've been wishing for and fantasizing about for for awhile, called "Safari" and made by Stylecraft Yarns, which according to the label comes from the UK..I bought it online from Herrschner's.
I live in the back of beyond, have to drive many kilometers to buy any sort of yarn and what I can get isn't very exciting...I am also allergic, heavily, to  sheep's wool, so that cuts right down on what I can use, as well.  Buying  online has really helped me..
I often to try to blend different yarns, sometimes three at a time, to achieve looks I can't find  readily available.
I have a leopard hat that was created trying to blend different colours of yarn to look as though it were a leopard's fur...

But now that I have this safari yarn to work with, I'm in crochet heaven.. what I've done, so far..



I'm planning on another hat, and this one will be for me...
Found any interesting new supplies that work for you?

The Seasonal Craft Fairs Wind Down...

My holiday craft fair season is winding down, and it hasn't been what I could have hoped...
The flu followed my back problems so missed one three day fair, which, according to fellow crafters, was awful..no one wanted to pay admission, so few came, even fewer bought..
I broke my own rule on this one, which is never to spend  more than $100 per day for market fees, and never  vend at a fair that charges admission...
So, glad I missed it..an expensive lesson to learn, but then, the ones worth  learning so often are...
My next one is this Saturday at a smaller community venue...looking forward to it, a new one for me...at the Mill Bay Community Hall..
Mill Bay is a tiny but lovely town on the East Coast of Vancouver island, near where I live, and its coastline is where I go and walk when the weather is  much nicer than it has been lately...a gorgeous place..
If you are local and reading this, stop by, it's a free one...
In the mean time, here are two of my latest hats...

Is it just me, or do I seem to  have a real tendency this season to go for the purple side of life? These are both  done with multiple yarns  and both are of the purple/lavender/pink/fuchsia family...the adult hat is a medium and the child's hat sized for a 2 or 3 year old...
And what are you all up to?

Yes," Christmas Chaos" was a bit chaotic...

Not every story has a happy ending, but making lemonade is what it's all about, so...
Here are some pics from my Christmas Chaos craft fair last weekend..sorry about the lack of quality in the photos...I didn't have the camera set correctly, but you'll get an idea..
There were several good  crafters here...

I gibbled up my back on Saturday night, so missed Sunday...and I was going to go around and get everyone's name for posting here, so you'll have to be content with the pics, sorry...to the crafters and my readers


   This lady had the most interesting take on neck pillows..see the animals at the top of the display?  They are all  stuffed in the body area, and the legs, heads, tails, etc. are hanging down on either side..very cute!

This is Naomi, who ordered this custom Dumbo hat from me..she has a thing about Dumbo...what can I say?



Here is a stained-glass artist whose work I quite liked...many original designs, instead of the usual five patterns reconstituted that you often see at fairs...I put a premium on originality, what about you?

 

This woman does silver 'weaving'...don't know what the technique is actually called but that is what it looks like..if you look at the  mandrel in her hand, you can see that she uses a needle to go in and out around it with silver wire, very fine stuff, and the results are so cool....very medieval looking, and she does some nice copper pieces, too.

Here is a pic of my friend Sue's table...she does a variety of crafts, from knitted baby things to beautiful miniature orchid arrangements..they are made from polymer clay but the constant question is "..are those real?" They could be, they are so beautiful, with hand-painted details...we are always on the lookout for tiny cups and bowls to  hold her arrangements, and we have gone to beautiful Port Renfrew, on the other side of the Island, to pick up driftwood that Sue also uses in her compositions...see top row...

And lastly, my display, which looks very dark and dreary in this image, but actually wasn't too bad..

I am still in rather bad shape, back-wise, seeing a chiropractor, and keeping my fingers crossed that my other three day fair, starting this Friday, is still feasible...cross your fingers for me...

A Chaotic Winter Wonderland....

Here it is, the end of October, and  soon this never-ending (though oddly welcome) rain will end, at least briefly, and allow those intrepid souls who wander off to craft fairs to do their holiday shopping...I'm counting on it!
First is Christmas Chaos, 4 days of selling from Nov 8 through 11...and then a few days break, and it'll be Earthly Delights-Winter Wonderland...November 16 through 18..(whew!!!)

Here is some of my newest work...hoping for some 'appreciation' for these hats in the weeks coming up...
I'll be listing these in my Etsy shop in the coming week, just in case an online sale is actually in the cards for me...
And this is retirement?

Little Newbies in The Collection...

Here are my latest kid's hats for the season..

I'll be 'introducing' them tomorrow at my outdoor market at Duncan City Square...A salty little dog, the Pirate Pup..a One-Eyed Little Green Monster, a Silly Monkey and a lovely little Blossoming Earflap Hat...

Should I Stress or Should I Roll...

Oh dear, just looking at my holiday craft fair schedule...and worrying, just a tiny bit...on the one hand, if I do really well at all of them I'll be happy (having written off this year, generally speaking, as a not so great one financially, at least) but if I do too well too soon, what'll I do?
I feel as if I have to quickly create a bunch of new stuff on the off-chance that I may have little to offer by the end of November...on the other hand, if things go as they have the rest of the year, I'll have a bunch of stuff left over...*sigh*
Trying to guess what will happen is worse than the stock market, I don't quite know how to feel about any of it..besides killing myself trying to make things that take hours each to complete is sort of counter-productive...
Here's my schedule (not counting my weekly Farmer's Market, which will be all but ignored for the month of November, since these holiday (and indoor!) fairs happen, always, on weekends)
Duncan Christmas Chaos -November 8 thru 11
Earthly Delights Winter Market -Nov 17-18
Mill Bay Winter Holiday Fair- Nov 24
Shawnigan Lake Winter market - Dec 1st
Did I overdo it? Too late now..everything is prepaid (naturally) so couldn't afford to back out if I wanted to...
Silly, yes?  I know there are people everywhere who wish they had outlets to sell their work...but don't ..
Sometimes too much is simply too much..maybe I'll slow down when I'm 70....
In the meantime, here's the output (so far) for the week...

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...

It's that Time Again-My Top Ten...

Now that I  am back outdoors selling  my hats and jewelry every Saturday (that  it isn't raining)  I would like to share with you, once again, some of my favourite (!) lines, you know, the ones that you hear over and over and over again..some are golden oldies, and some are new, or modifications of oldies..keep in mind that my jewelry and my hats are original designs, no patterns used (or available) and I only make  one of everything.  That, of course, doesn't matter to every buyer, but why would they pay more than the cost of an Asian import if it doesn't?
I can't  be this sarcastic (well, most of the time I control myself) when dealing with people who just mostly aren't very original in what they have to say...but I do try and remember what it is like to be a buyer or potential customer, and to not just look at certain comments from the viewpoint of a seller. So, I'm giving you my answers to obvious ones, and their questions in others..the game is to figure out which is which...
 After all, we may all drive, but at one time or another, we are all pedestrians too - and these all too typical comments couldn't be more pedestrian....

1.  Yes, I made all this stuff
2.   Yes, I'll be here next week, if it isn't raining..
       "Hey I came by last week and you weren't here" (it was raining)
3.It's crochet, actually (when they ooh and ah about my 'knitting')
4.  "Oh, I knit too "  (No, they don't, or they would know the difference)
5.  "I'm just looking for ideas" (!)
6. "Oh, my mother/aunt/grandmother knits all this same stuff for me" (see #3 above)
7. " How much is your jewelry/How much are your hats?" (they are all clearly marked, and the hats have big paper tags..sometimes asked after they've been reading all the tags on several hats) and as if they were all a single price...there is no Dollar Store sign in my booth...none....
8.Will you hold this for me 'til next week-I don't have any money....? (of course, without a deposit)
9.  These hats are cute but they're too big (they are looking at newborn sized baby hats)
      These hats are cute but they are too small (see above)
10.  Well, this other vendor is selling hats for X$ less than you..(I always tell them that if price is their only criterion, they should definitely go and purchase from "that other vendor")
Still, love being outside, and actually quite enjoy the social aspects of Markets..great to see friends I've made, and to meet new people, hear some good live music, and eat far too much of all the things I shouldn't...stop by and say Hi...I promise not to bite your head off..

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...♥

Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home...

I just completed this ladybug hat;  it's going to be a present for a dear friend's aunt..

I was a bit worried at first, as this is an older lady, but my friend specifically wanted the ladybug theme because her aunt loves and collects the little creatures..I am hoping to get a photo of auntie in this hat for my collection of "Rouge's Gallery" pictures that I put up in my spot when i vend outside at my Saturday Market..and we are back outside again on March 17th..personally, can't wait!
I am posting this as an example of a custom request..and to 'prove' to some disbelievers that I simply cannot keep adult-sized animal or insect, fish or fowl hats in stock..they are always the first to go and the ones ordered for a custom job.
Go figure...

New Models

I have been trying for a long while to figure out how to find models to photograph in my hats..this may not sound too onerous to some folks, but I live alone in a rural area, don't know many people, and can't afford to hire someone either to model or to take pro photos, so I lucked into this mother and daughter team who agreed..
Only the first of hopefully many other people  who do this.., I want to create a rogue's gallery  in a frame for my outdoor market kiosk, since people often ask me if I have pictures of people in my hats...they want to get one as a gift, but need to  have an actual person to visualize I guess..
As well, I want to be able to have a few real people in my listings on Etsy, for the same reasons...

Bacon, a Love Story, or..If You Can't Beat 'Em, Fire Up the Fryin' Pan...

Yesterday afternoon, I got a little bit depressed about the fact that my Piggie Tuesday entry engendered not one comment, and very few views, so as a protest (well...not really..just for the sheer fun of it) I decided, for once in my life, to do what the 'cool kids' are doing, or at least my own geeky version of cool kids, and add to that fabulous panoply of smoky goodness that seems to be reproducing itself daily..that's right, bacon!

So herewith is my so-far one and only, unique contribution to that genre, a hat that is the very vision of one of my favourite sandwiches, served open faced and warm, just for your delectation...look up!!

PIGGY TUESDAY!!!

It's that time again, and my contribution to the general piggie population is a newly created hat; hope you enjoy it..haven't listed it yet, but I will now that my readers have viewed it..
It's made from mostly cotton yarn, with a bit of acrylic thrown in, and it would fit a baby from about 6 months up to one or two years, depending of course on the size of that little one's head..I did make it generous so that those of us born with larger noggins get a break, too!

Dateline: Vancouver..Adventures in Crocheting..The Third Installment..

I decided I needed to make myself a hat one day in 1995..
I was attending what was referred to at the time as a Christmas Craft Fair (*clutch pearls* *shudder*), and there were some young girls with some nice - looking knit caps in a slouch design. I tried on the largest they had, but it was like a skull cap on me..they bravely smiled and said, "Oh, that looks nice" but we all knew it wasn't true..it was supposed to 'slouch,' and it didn't.
I was embarrassed, once again, by the massive size of my noggin..and they were glum..no sale..

Okay, some background...
It has been one of my many unfortunate physical drawbacks, this gigantic head of mine, present since, apparently, birth. One of my mother's stories about me is that when he delivered me, the eminent Dr. Baldwin told her I had the largest head he'd ever seen on any newborn baby..
As I grew older, poor Mom tried in vain to find a sunbonnet for me, or just anything, but it wasn't gonna happen..little Miss Wendi had a head that would be the envy of any egotist you could name..
Mom used to threaten, when I sassed her, to "put you back where you came from"; as i got older, I never failed to point out that that it would hurt her more than it hurt me.

As I grew older, of course I harbored secret lusts for hats of all types..a nice fedora like Edward G. Robinson, a cowgirl hat like Dale Evans, or a jaunty, fabulous cloche like Ingrid Bergman always seemed to wear in every film noir..but it was not to be..every hat I tried on was too small..even in men's hat stores, the biggest hats they had were too small..*sigh* it's not easy being me..

I decided, after that Christmas Fair, that I was going to try my hand at a slouchy cap..the only problem was, I didn't know how to knit, and since I'm left-handed (what else would a giant-headed woman be?) never found anyone to teach me..
I finally got some yarn, and just played and played til I figured it out..and then, one day, found the yarn that would change my life forever..
Melodramatic? You bet! Still, it's true, because I walked into this wee yarn and sewing shop on 4th Ave in Vancouver, BC one day in 1996, and found a faux fur-ish ombre'd brown yarn that looked like an unraveled teddy bear..I bought it, made a great slouch hat for myself with it, and every time I wore it that winter, people would ooh and aah over it..and ask where I got it, and try and buy my creation right off my head..I used to entertain myself by letting them try it on, and laugh when the brim would drop over their eyes..
And, that is how I got started making my crocheted hats.

Giveaway!!! My First!!! Big Whoop!!!

I was trying to think of a reason to celebrate the coming summer, when my sales traditionally are almost nonexistent, but the weather is great, so who cares! Right? Well, maybe not...

Whatever, I noticed that I am closing in on 5,000 page views..lol..now, most of you have giveaways for various reasons other than page views, but since I can't exactly celebrate my 5,000th Follower (not that the 14 who are there aren't fabulous, gorgeous, talented, wonderful people) so I decided that, when my 5,000th view comes up (or as soon thereafter that I turn on my computer for the day) I will have a draw, and anyone who leaves a comment after this is eligible..if you mention this giveaway on your blog and link back to it, you'll get a second chance at the giveaway. You are not required to become a Follower, just to comment...although I'd love it if you decided to...
What will the prize be? How about a custom hat..you pick one from my vast selection, or send your colour preferences and measurements and I'll make one for you, or the child of your choice..you can look through the array of moving hats from my Etsy mini, go right to Etsy itself, or make up an idea of your own..it's that wide-open!

I get the feeling, quite strongly, that there is still another OCD person, this time from Nanaimo, the closest city to me, who drives the numbers up on my counter, since they seem to 'view' my blog several times every day...it used to be a 'viewer' from Aldergrove, a small town on the Mainland, which I blogged about..that 'reader' plugged in at least ten times a day..so I would guess that without these enthusiastic extra 'views' my numbers would be a whole bunch lower, but I'm gonna do this anyway..so..carry on, folks..don't know how long it will take to reach 5,000 views, but please only enter once, or twice if you blog (remember to include the link)
Thanks in advance to all of you who have been actually reading my blog, and entertaining me with yours...good luck!

Was that A Day or...?

Well! Just got finished hauling all my assorted stuff from my Market back into my storage locker...feel like a stevedore-aching and tired...I had an odd yet great first day back...

Our Outdoor Market started again today, and it is wonderful to be out of doors once more, despite all the work of erecting the tent and hauling everything in and out of the truck 4 times in 6 hours...not to mention the setting-up, which is about an hour-earrings on the earring display, pair by pair, dummy heads on the stands, hats on the dummies, set up the tables, set up the so-called easy-up canopy (ha!), then take down again, then haul out of the truck in several trips and walk to the storage locker, etc, etc. etc. Then rearrange everything thirty times or until you're happy with it, or you stop fussing...whichever comes first...
All you Etsy types will appreciate when I tell you that this is a strictly adjudicated fair, and what did I see but a reseller...that's right, someone who gets hats wholesale, sews her own label in them, and tells people that she makes 'em herself...I did speak to someone on the committee, but they weren't anxious to deal with it-shades of you-know-who!
But I know she won't get too far in this venue-people here are particular ...
My day was dragging a bit 'til the last hour, and then something remarkable happened...the most expensive hat I have went out of the booth...it was outrageous, and beaded, and other people who had looked at it thought it was too wild for them, or they didn't like the price...so that was great for my ego; that sale let me know that I can go 'over the top' when the mood strikes, and someone out there will 'get' it...
Tried to talk someone out of buying a tiny, tiny baby hat that I was sure wouldn't fit, but she said this was a tiny, tiny newborn...so, okay...
as they walked away, tiny baby hat in a lovely baby bag, I suddenly remembered that they had bought hats from me for themselves last Autumn-repeat customers! Love it!
All in all, a very educational day...and a nicely lucrative one..

What did you learn at the Market, Ms?
Well, I learned not to assume (once again) that my lack of sales on Etsy means very much...
I learned that resellers have their own karma to contend with, so I don't need to get upset, the Universe will continue to unfold as it should...

And I learned to trust the famous Murphy (of Murphy's Law)who states that when you've about given up on the day and are packing up, that's when they show up in droves and start buying...