Craft Fair Schedule

ScarfCity will be at the following locations this holiday craft fair season:

November 2 & 3 Spanaway Lake High School, Spanaway
1305 168th Street East

November 9 & 10 St. Brendan's Craft Fair
10049 NE 195th St, Bothell, WA 98011

November 16 Queen Anne Trunk Show
Queen Anne Community Center
1901 1st Avenue West, Seattle 11-4

November 22, 23 & 24 Holiday Gift and Food Fair
Kitsap Sun Pavilion
1200 Northwest Fairgrounds Road, Bremerton

November 29 & 30 etsyRAIN Handmade Holiday Show
Elliott Hall Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66, Seattle

December 7 Dickens Craft Fair
Lake Stevens School District
Cavelero Mid High School, Lake Stevens

New Signage

Signage is something I have struggled with for several years of doing craft fairs. I change it every year and by the end of the holiday craft season, I am sick of my signage and am ready for a new idea. This year I am THRILLED with my latest installment.

In just a few easy steps I used floor tiles to create mini chalk boards.

First: I cut each one into quarters to make a 5 x 5 inch squares.

Then: I spray painted the squares with chalk board paint.

Finally: I purchased some big sidewalk chalk in an array of fun colors and scribbled away.

The boards are mounted on Styrofoam squares and have a very earthy look and feel. These are sure to be a hit this November arrive at my first holiday craft fair.

Not just a hooker: a whiz with fabric paint

I blogged recently about getting inspiration from fashion magazines; Today, I was truly inspired to do an exact duplicate of something I saw in Elle magazine's May edition. This is one of those times when I put my dearly loved crochet hook down and tried my hand at another craft. I think it’s important for any crafter to deviate from their primary creative outlet, and do something fun and different.

So …back to the picture in Elle. I saw this pair of jeans from Bloomingdale’s for $248. They had a fabulous gold star design to

elevate this jean from regular to fabulous with a few sparkles.  But that price tag is so far above what I’ve ever paid for a pair of jeans, it was laughable. So, I did what any crafter would do and hit the supply store. I got some glittery gold fabric paint, a star stencil and a stencil sponge. Then I hit a retail store for a pair of skinny, dark-wash jeans. About an hour of careful stenciling later and the jeans are looking every bit as fabulous as the pair from Bloomingdales. I can’t WAIT until they dry and I can stencil the backside ….and then, of course, head out on the town in my new gold-star rip-off jeans!

Finding Inspiration

My latest guilty pleasure is spending an hour in the bookstore looking at magazines. It’s the cheapest (free) and best way to get inspiration for new ideas. I’ll look at knitting magazines, craft magazines, fashion magazines, even women’s journal publications. It’s not always a literal translation; I look at color, what’s hot on the runway, what patterns are in, i.e. polka-dots, plaid and stripes.

My latest inspiration is a turban I saw in a fashion magazine. I added turbans to the ScarfCity line last year, but this picture gave me an idea on how to spice up the pattern I created for that item.  I went shopping today at a high-end boutique …well, window shopping anyway. Amongst the $300-$500 jeans, shoes and clothes I found a bevy of inspiring ideas, including using an old pair of jeans and adding some leather …irrr, pleather to make CHAPS!          

Inspiration can come from anywhere, as long as you keep your mind open to new ideas and push yourself to create them.

Getting organized in the off season

Last year was a beast. It was the first year I worked full time and still kept a grueling pace of selling at craft fairs. In the months of November and December I went non-stop. I was out of gas and near dead by Christmas. The really painful part was not being fully stocked for many craft fairs. It’s a craft show nightmare to have an empty table at the end of the day. Shoppers NEVER buy when they feel they are getting the picked over merchandise.

It’s April and I am “at it” already. I’m building my stock at a moderate pace. I’m determined to hit this holiday craft season with enough merchandise to last the entire season. Here’s my tried and true method of pushing myself to accomplish this goal.

1.       Set quotas, stick to them and reward yourself when you do. I set my quota somewhere between the rabbit and hare. I don’t want to kill myself but I want to get everything done in time.

2.       Start with you best-selling items and work your way to the fun, creative stage. I like to add a few new items each year, but I know I need to start with proven items.

3.       Bulk up your supplies before you start. If you have make constant trips to the craft store during production mode, you will waste a lot of time.

Don’t forget to be inspired…

Fall Colors 2012

It's one of my favorite times of year ...the fashion gods (sign of the cross here) come up with the list of what colors will be hot for fall. My absolute favorite on the list is Tangerine Tango. If there were yarn that color ...watch out!

The Value of a Consultation

I was feeling a little wishy washy about the direction I wanted ScarfCity to go this fall. Do I need new items? If so, what and why? Which of my iffy selling items should I cut, if any? How do I advance my line of products in the right direction without re-hashing the same old thing? As I wrapped up my spring craft fairs I ended up vending next to an old friend who knows my line almost as good as I do. In the course of our conversation I got a clear view of what my next steps should be from listening to her point of view.

It’s a good thing to keep in mind if you’re on the bubble about something. Find someone you trust and ask them to look at your problem objectively. Then, toss in your grain of salt and make a plan of action.

The result for me is this fantastic new garment that I will duplicate and add to my collection this fall. It’s a multi-functional shawl, wrap and scarf all in one. It’s one of few things I will add to my line. I will also be discontinuing some things and changing others. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.