Thursday, December 30, 2010

OK...So Cute!!

While reading the Hawthorne Threads Newsletter, I saw this incredibly sweet free quilt pattern you can find here. It is made from THE cutest Paper Dolls fabric from Studio e Fabrics. Just had to share in case you hadn't seen it!

Happy Thursday! Amy

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

This Week's Amys Giveaway

If you head on over to the Amys in the Arts blog, you'll find out what AmyCanSew is giving away this week and how you can enter.

Happy Tuesday! Amy

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A Winner and a New Giveaway!

I'm sending out a big congratulations to Justine of Justine's Jewelery as the winner of my giveaway from last week! Thank you to all of you who took the time to enter - I enjoyed reading all the comments!

This week you'll find another giveaway on the Amys in the Arts Blog. Amy Johnson of Amy Sews is giving away one winner's choice teddy bear! Check out the details in this post.

Happy Tuesday! Amy

Friday, December 10, 2010

Craft Show Setup

I recently participated in my first craft show in 2 years. It was a lot of fun getting back into the groove after taking a craft show haitus after my daughter was born. I made some modifications to the look of my booth, and thought I'd share some of the photos with you in case you are looking for set up ideas. (Unfortunately, the background is very cluttered, as my booth was in a first grade classroom right in front of the teacher's area!)

First off, this was an indoor show, so I knew I'd have a small rectangular space to work with. I chose to stick with one folding table, but also used a new grid wall section that I recently purchased. I used it to hang some of my pouches, my card case key chains, hair clippy caddies, and lanyards. And because I have a lot of color in my items I stuck with using a white table cloth to drape my table.

Once my table was set up I used several different items to create depth and height to my table. At one end was an inexpensive, plastic shelf that you snap together very easily into the configuration you need. I had used a much more elaborate version of these shelves a few years ago for an outdoor show, and after being exposed to my children since then this was about all I had left to work with, so I made do. At the other end was a cute hanging purse display that I used to hang some of my totes and purses. I kept all of the denim totes together for a uniform look, while all of the gray totes sat on the table top.

For my smaller items, I used a diverse group of serving pieces. The ideas was for customers to be able to pick up the plates and trays to look more closely at the items rather than having to bend over to rummage through everything. So rings went on black and white tiered serving dishes, and a festive gift box was available for my smaller zip pouches, and my fabric covered magnets were stuck onto bright blue tins. These I made available as a mix and match bunch so that I didn't have to worry about keeping like magnets together. Then when they were purchased I could put the sets into gift boxes for the customer.

As I'm sure you have experienced, I had tons of folks coming by telling me how beautiful my items were, but not browsing long enough to make a selection and purchase. So my goal was to right away when someone started looking was to offer them a "free bookmark". This of course was one of my Moo cards! The front of my Moo cards have a delightful, colorful photo I took of several of my pencil cases, and on the back had all of my business info. Then I hole punched them, and added a colorful ribbon to make the bookmark. People are always up for a freebie, so this at least got my information into their hands, and hopefully in a form they will be hesitant to throw away. The longer they hold onto their SewArtsy bookmark, the more likely they are to remember my product and make their way into my Etsy store at a later date.

How have your craft shows gone this holiday shopping season? Do you have any great tips for set up ideas, or for getting your business information into customers' hands? I'm pooped just from doing the one show this year, but I'm excited to see what opportunities next year will hold for me. I hope you're taking time to enjoy the season while still staying busy in your shops or doing your handmade shopping!

Happy Friday! Amy

Monday, December 6, 2010

It's My Week in the Nine Weeks of Amy!

I'm up this week over on the Amys in the Arts blog. It's week 6 of the Nine Weeks of Amy! Find out about a sale going on in my shop, and what I'll be giving away at the end of the week. There are many ways to enter, but only one winner - stop by and get your entries in today!

Happy Monday! Amy

Saturday, December 4, 2010

New Holiday Catalog Especially For Those Who Like To Shop Local

The Capital Region Etsy Street Team (CREST) has compiled an online holiday catalog representing many of the artists involved in this team. It is a great tool for those interested in doing online holiday shopping, and wanting to buy from local vendors.

Here's the link: http://issuu.com/crest/docs/crest

Vendors are listed in alphabetical order, each with vendor name, a link to their shop, a description of what they make, and a sample photo. It's very pretty and perfect for perusing just in time for the shopping season!

Enjoy!

Happy Saturday! Amy