Nunnlea Craft Show

Susanne and I set up at the Nunnlea House show this weekend. The show was Friday and Saturday and they served a great lunch both days. The ladies of the Beautification League run this show and they were so nice to work with. There was a steady crowd both days and everyone was pleased with the turnout. We had a good variety of vendors too. My mom came by on Friday and helped me work the show. It was fun to have her join me!

I learn something new with each show. What seemed important this weekend was the type of earwires on the earrings. I mostly use sterling silver shepard's hooks but someone wanted posts, so I changed them out for her quickly. I had a nice pair of specialty earrings that I put on lever backs. The lady that bought them had trouble with lever backs and wanted them on shepard's hooks. I changed those out as well. By day 2 of the show, I had every kind of wire available for anyone who asked. I even brought clips. I may make up a sign that earwires can be changed upon request.

I did get an inquiry about some custom earrings and taking some sentimental clip earrings from deceased parent and reworking it into something more modern. I hope she contacts me as it sounds like a fun project.



Here is a very cool purse I purchased at the show from the vendor next to us. The colors are great for fall and went well with the sweater I was wearing. I put it on my shoulder and was encouraged by everyone to purchase it! There was only one like it, so I bought it. I would post the creator's name, but she stopped making these due to time constraints and it was her mom that was selling them at the show. The beads and cool fibers at the top of the purse are a total cat magnet. I know this from experience!

Busy Week & Farewell to Cosmo

It's been a crazy week. I was in Phoenix earlier this week for a work event and flew home Wed night. I had to rush to get ready for another craft fair that started today (Friday). Kinda slammed!

The show started today and runs through tomorrow. I'll post pics later in the weekend. I am not sure why, but everyone was buying today. We had a good crowd. I wonder if the election has some people feeling more confident about change? Who knows. Maybe it's just getting close to Christmas.

We had to put our kitty Cosmo down tonight. He was diagnosed with feline infectious peritonitis almost two months ago. The vet said he might last about two months and she was right. We had been giving him meds to keep him comfortable but about a week ago he just quit eating. He would not even eat his treats anymore. And that was what he loved most in the world was treats. My husband took him into the vet's office and I sat in the truck and cried. Such a baby. They said the inside of his ears were yellow which meant his liver was failing. The disease (FIP) attacks their organs and is always fatal. My husband came out with a Nike shoe box in his arms. Cosmo's breath these past few months had been wretched so I gave my husband a breath mint to slip in the box before he buried him. Just me being silly. We kept his collar and tags to hang in our hallway with those from Smokey and Sassy. We've had a bad luck streak with cats in the past 5 years or so. I hope the next one will be healthy. I wonder if our older cat Tucker will miss him.

I have another work trip coming up which will take me out of the country. But I hope to look for a new kitty when I return home.

Now I have to put on a happy face for the show tomorrow.

First Etsy Sale

Still reeling from the great turnout at the holiday show on Saturday, I opened my email on Sunday morning to find that I had my first sale at etsy. I did a happy dance down the hall and gave my husband a high five. I have been listing my inventory slowly and working hard on promoting my shop. I wondered when/if a sale would happen. I realize it takes time and considered that maybe people don't want to be your first. (For example, at ebay I would hestiate to buy from a new seller) I was so excited when I saw the email. A pair of my holiday Christmas tree earrings sold. Woohoo!

Not long ago I made some purchases from etsy to see how the process works when you are a buyer. What I noticed is there wasn't a lot of communication. I didn't get a confirmation from the seller when I placed the order, when I paid for the order, etc. This was a good exercise because I realized how important it is to communicate with buyers. My first buyer may get tired of hearing from me, but I certainly plan to keep the lines of communcation open.

I was curious about how she found my shop. I am in KY and she is in PA. I asked her about it and she told me that she likes shopping with etsy and she had purchased some holiday earrings last year from a particular shop. Her friend wanted a pair like them and she went to the original artist and found the shop was no longer on etsy. She then did a search for "Swarovski crystal" and "Christmas tree" and found a bunch to look through. She told me that mine were the "nicest and a good buy." And because they had a green bead at the top and all the others were red, her friend liked those the best as green is her favorite color. I thought that was a cool story!

Part II

The buyer received her earrings on Wednesday and emailed to say she wanted a pair for herself too. So Wednesday night I made another pair, posted them and sold them. Thursday I shipped the second pair to her.

It reminds me of my friend Lisa. When we see something that we love, we buy it for each other. And then we buy one for ourselves too. I know if I love it, Lisa will love it too!

My First Show of the Holiday Season

On Saturday I set up at my first holiday show! I was excited and nervous about it. I wasn’t sure if I would have enough things, if there would be a lot of competition, if people would buy because of the economy, if my prices were right, etc. Things started out a little slow as this was a new venue for the show. But then it picked up and stayed steady the rest of the day. To the point it was hard to get a bite to eat or take a bathroom break!


Here are some photos of my setup. I received lots of nice comments on my table and display. Several people picked up my Halloween/fall displays and I wondered if I should have had a price on those! People were fascinated with the little battery operated tealights that flicker like candles. Those were a hit, so I plan to use them in my Christmas displays too. I had a matte glass votive from Big Lots with a skeleton leaf and twine tied to it that people loved.

I was told by one buyer that my prices were too low. That was flattering and something to think about. I like to have a variety of items, with most of them moderately priced so that the jewelry is affordable. On the other hand, there were people that really deliberated spending $5 on a cell phone charm and $10 or $15 on a pair of earrings with sterling earwires. So there were all kinds. I think you’ll have that at any show.

I received lots of questions about how to care for sterling silver and keep it from tarnishing. Based on that I plan to have polishing cloths available at the next show and have a little care sheet put together on how to store sterling and clean it.

It was fun meeting everyone and helping them with their decisions on which bracelet to buy, etc. Several of my friends showed up to support me which meant a lot. All of the vendors were really nice. Some were willing to barter which is always fun. We traded business cards and discovered new friends by the end of the day! Overall, it was a fun experience. My next show is on November 7-8 at the Nunnlea Craft Fair. I am looking forward to it!

Getting Ready for a Holiday Show

I am trying not to dwell on it too much, but I am almost in panic mode. I'm sure I'll be up late tonight working on finishing touches. I have a show tomorrow and it's my first holiday show with lots of competition during a less than stellar economic time. Realizing this, I have made my items affordable. I have invited lots of friends, family and acquaintances, so the pressure is on for this booth to look great! I am using all my marketing skills and know how to make this table look really festive and professional. Watching Sandra Lee on the Food Network create "the perfect tablescape" hopefully did not go to waste on me. I have all my kraft bags and boxes stamped with fleur de lis and tied with pretty ribbon and have lots of promo items to give out to promote my etsy site. I don't have a banner so I printed out a small sign for a clear upright holder. And I have little handouts with my other holiday shows listed. Who knew this would be so much work. Wish me luck!!

Featured on Bluegrass Team Blog - How Cool!

On our team chat this week, we were on a roll and brainstormed on lots of great ideas to implement in the next few months. It's exciting to be on a team that is regional, as I have the opportunity to meet most of these ladies and gentlemen. Somehow there is more of a connection. Maybe it's that we all live in the great state of Kentucky!

Corinne, our team leader sent me a note today letting me know that I am featured on the Bluegrass etsy team blog this week. Click here to take a look!

Bernheim Forest ColorFest and Geocaching

This weekend was the ColorFest fall festival at Bernheim Forest in Clermont, Ky. We had planned to go hiking at Bernheim and packed a lunch. We managed to get there before the big crowds and do a little hiking. We stopped at the gift shop/visitor center and there were booths set up with food vendors and Ky crafts. Inside the center I found the coolest "fairy" scarecrow by artist Wren Smith. Isn't this cool? I love the 2nd picture as all the light from the windows illuminates this wonderful art. Next year they are asking individuals and organizations to create their own artistic scarecrow to be on display at Bernheim. (click pictures for a larger view)






A woodturner from Kentucky demonstrates his work as a crowd gathers to watch. Everyone loves to see an artist in action. It really seems to draw them into your booth.



A nice view from the trail. And a pretty birch tree.


We also went geocaching that day. If you unfamiliar with geocaching, it's great fun. Basically you get the coordinates for a hidden item (the cache) and enter it into your gps. You also get clues, sometimes they are in code and you have to decipher them. Most of the time you have to go off the trail to find what you are looking for. The coordinates give you the general area and are not exact. We tried for four yesterday. Three of them were microcaches which means they could be as small as an altoids tin or a film canister. We never found those, and I was pretty discouraged. We gave it one last try for hunt #4. This one was described as a tall rubbermaid container wrapped in camo tape. The clue also told us it was in a hollow tree. It was quite a steep climb to make it to this one and you had to turn around as you were climbing to see the hollowed out part. My husband spotted the tree, as I had passed it up. This picture shows the location after removing the ground cover.

Inside these containers (which are often metal ammo boxes) you will find a log where everyone that has found the cache signs in and lists the date. Some people leave calling cards, like a business card that has their geocache name. There are usually trinkets inside the container, and if you take something you leave something and list it in the log. There is usually a pen inside unless it's a micro cache. You then go online when you get home and post to the person that created the cache that you found it. This info is listed for all to see. We normally print these out as they give clues about how to find them and if other people had trouble with the coordinates.

It's great fun if you've never tried it. All you need is a gps for trails(not a car gps). You can then type in the zip code of where you are traveling to and it will give you a list of the caches in the area! We try to do this whenever we travel.