February Fox Fair

This past Saturday I decided to have another "kate date" and wondered off to visit the February Fox Fair in Fernwood!  These craft shows combine pretty much all of my favourite Victoria artisans to one convenient and delightful shopping experience and this fair was no different. How lovely! 

This is the second craft show I've gone to solo and I must say it's growing on me. I love being able to wonder around at my own pace, take in all the booths, and then go back and make any purchases I've been eyeing!  My goal for this fair was to find something for my mom's birthday so I'm not going to spill the beans on what I ended up getting - but once you check out the pictures I took from the show I'm sure you can imagine how awesome it is! This time around I really took my time to meet and chat with some of the amazing artisans and since I've had craft displays on my mind these days, I took some pictures of my favourite tables to share with you! Hooray! Vicarious craft show attending! 

The first booth I fell for was the wonderful rustic and nature inspired goods of Barn Swallows (link).  I'm sure after seeing a glimpse of her table set up you'll know why I was swooning so hard:

Oh my! Doilies, pom poms, textures, a little plastic fox figurine, mason jars, and mushrooms (doily mushrooms even!)! Ah! All my favourites! How wonderful!  I really like the mash of materials and textures she combined in her display and the open crate and accessories really make her items pop.

Next up on the craft booth oogling is the lovely work of Hollyhawk designs (link). I was lucky enough to sell with Holly at the Bastion Square Market last summer and have always enjoyed how she takes advantage of vertical space. Her nice tall display shelf definitely is just perfect stacked full of her sweet leather goods and I love how she works the mirror in there too! What a smart lady!

Rebecca of Nook (link) drew me in with sweet knitted goods (do you see those amazing boot cuffs on that tray there!?) and I must say I am ultra jealous of her pennant flag stand!  I may need to take a lesson from her and try this out for my next indoor show and take my strung up shop name off the front of my table and up high! Once again I loved the wooden stands and use of vertical space and Rebecca even blogs! Oh my! And did you see her cute garland of crochet hearts? A girl after my own heart (check out my own version here)! 

I really loved all the details in the Wilde and Sparrow booth by Shirra and Alexis (link).  I'm not sure this set up would do very well at any outdoor shows (a sad but very real and windy challenge for anyone who sells lots of light tiny items) but the ultra feminine details, cases, stands, doilies, and ironing board really give the table a presence! I like how checking out their display felt like being in a little shop and quickly realized (once going to link to them in this post) that there's a reason for that - they have a shop in Parksville! Oh ladies! I may need to take a trip there one sunny weekend. 

The doily fun continued at Leah of Re-Find's booth (link) and just like her work, she is wonderful at combining different media and textures to create one cohesive table. I also really want to cover a mason jar in a doily and use it as a vase for pussy willows....

Last up on my fox fair virtual tour is Jennifer Riddel's table (link)! I'm sure by this point you can tell what I like from a table set up and Jennifer is great at combining textures, doilies, natural elements (owl vase with pussy willows!) and vertical elements to make one heck of a great booth. What a clever lady!

*Sigh* After looking back I sort of feel like these ladies make their display booth with me in mind as their ideal customer base - but maybe I am just being a little over enthusiastic.  I love going to shows where the artisans think of all the small details and I want to buy loads of things from every single vendor! Luckily I limited myself to a moderate cash budget for this one and focused on finding something for my mom this time around.  But, boy oh boy, was it ever one heck of a great craft fair. Now if only I could find more like this one when I move back to the interior. Heck - it even makes me want to coordinate one! What do you think? What sort of things do you look for in a good craft fair? 

My last market! BSSM - vol vii!

With summer coming to an end - so ends my run at the Bastion Square Sunday Market! It was quite adventure and I have certainly learned a lot about battling the wind at outdoor craft shows. I was prepared for a chilly day with loads of layers this week and as it turned out, the sun was nice and warm and once we got into the afternoon it was time to take some of those layers off! I had originally decided to wear some jeans for the day but after putting them on (and seeing how ill fitting they were) I switched back to old faithful (a jersey skirt and tights). Fraser later told me that, "you don't wear pants Kate - you're a tights and skirt girl!"  Thanks Fras - you're right. You just can't beat that waistband free comfort. Here I am bright and cheery and ready for sales:

Heather was nice enough to join me for the day and we had a great time chatting and enjoying all the customers and dogs walking by. Heather even helped me set up and I love the double fan she did with my blogness cards:

I always seem to want things "just so" when I set up, but it is nice to get a second person in to spice things up a bit. Plus Hetty is always a joy - just look how enthused she is here!:

Best news of the day? I bought a fold up stool last week and even though it was my very last show - I am overjoyed with how nice it was! Finally I could sit down a bit during the day and still be up high and connected to talk with people checking out my stall. Yay!

My body has certainly been thanking me for the extra time off my old lady joints and it really let me last market go out with a bang! Apparently Heather and I were on fire with the earring sales and had my most successful day yet! Go Labor Day long weekend! Hooray! Now to get some consignment sales shipped out, scout out xmas shows, and maybe even post some items on etsy! Woo woo! Thanks for the great summer of craft shows Victoria!

BSSM - vol vii!

Today is my last run vending at the Bastion Square Sunday Market this summer so I had better recap my experiences from last week before I get too far behind! Apparently Jim moving in ended up consuming all my spare time this week so I haven't got around to much photo uploading - but better late than never right? Okay! Let's start off my seventh day at the market by seeing what a fun outfit Lindsay and Hetty picked out for me:

What fun! I really liked having girls around to help me chose market wardrobes but as it would turn out, the weather was extra chilly and my teal and red polka dots were pretty much concealed the entire day under my windbreaker long coat! Oh dear! This week I'll be sure to avoid being chilly and will bundle up with loads of layers to avoid freezing. Sure it seems nice and sunny out - but standing still in the shade all day is cold work! Good thing I had lots of help from the girls:

Not only did they braid my hair and pick out my outfit, but they were amazing booth mates and really showcased some of my handmade goods. It was handy having an extra hand or two when the booth got busy with people and it also let me spend a little extra time chatting with customers! How lovely!

This week I also got to use my new stamped bags Heather and I made (link) and I even put out a nice fan of blogness cards behind my business card display plate:

It was great having them out in the open for people to snag if I got distracted and forgot to mention them (which, in all honesty, happens all the time). The little metal sign holder thing we got from the packaging warehouse certainly did the trick and although it was a bit of a tight squeeze to get all the cards in there I love how it looks all fanned out:

Yay! It turned out to be a pretty slow day for the market for some reason but with the girls by my side we had one heck of a wonderful Sunday. Heck - we even had some wonderful live entertainment just down the street (who nicely posed for me when I went to take a picture of them!):

That's right - a banjo and a horn - we were spoiled! Hopefully my last run at the market today goes well (and more prepared with extra layers) and even though I am sad that Lindsay isn't joining me, Hetty has decided to help me out again so at the very least we'll fill the day with puppy watching and socializing. Sounds good to me! Wish us luck!

Stamping Pals

Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of spending the day with my pal Hetty who moved to Victoria about a week ago.  I had forgotten how great it is to have such a good friend so close by and we had an awesome time reconnecting over slave (er, I mean..."volunteered") labor!  I have been running low on paper bags to give out at the market and since Heather is a fresh digital arts and design graduate I thought she would be the perfect partner to assist with packaging! We found a warehouse shop stocked full with packaging options and squeeled our way through the isles brainstorming which bags would work best! As it turns out, Hetty and I seem to be physically linked when it comes to packaging taste and I picked up 200 adorable (and surprisingly thrifty) craft bags! We then spent the afternoon personalizing them with my custom bacillus stamp and url! Hooray!

Heather was such a great sport doing all the stamping for me and although I was worried I was boring her with tedious brainless labor, she plugged along with the work happy as ever and we had such a glorious afternoon! Who knew packaging could be so much fun! It also left me with a whole bunch of adorable recyclable bags to pass out at the market this week! Check one out:

Yipee! I love the handmade detail the baggies add and will be perfect for loads of my small "don't get lost in my purse" items I sell!  Today I'm back at the market vending before the summer season is over and I'll be sure to let you know how these new bags go over! What do you think of them?

Bastion Square Market Recap - vol v!

We woke up to a glorious day on Sunday which was just perfect for a day at the market! The drive downtown was quite pleasant and Fraser and I enjoyed our new car pal - Mr. Bull.  I nicknamed Fraser's car "The Bull Ship" based on his license plate "BSP" so when my mom brought me this adorable little cow key chain we decided he would have to hang up in the car! Isn't he sweet?  

With heat in the forecast I decided to dress up in my best summer attire and sported a nice old lady chic skirt I bought from a thirft store last summer and overhauled. I also figured it would be a great chance to wear my vintage style geek glasses to really top the look off. We were back in our old spot this week and as always the day started off a little cool (perfect cardigan weather) and as the sun shifted onto our tent the layers could be peeled off! Hooray!

After getting all set up and ready to go our neighbouring vendor got moved to a different spot and my L shaped set up looked sort of odd without someone beside us on the right side. With little time to spare, I decided to switch up the set up and flip the entire display the other way! It turned out to be easier than I thought and opened up the tent display for customers to walk on in!

I did a little crafting this week to restock some items and also made a new card showing the contents of my postcard sets. Rather than customers trying to riffle through my neatly sorted packages they can take a glance at this baby and see the sets with ease:

I've even got my new sets on the backside:

Haha! I am thrilled with the updated card and once again appreciate the convenience and awesomeness of having my own laminater! Yay!

The market itself was a bit on the slow side, but I did make a few sales and got to meet a bunch of nice people! I also really enjoyed the cute dogs hanging around too:

If I lived near an Ikea I would totally pick up one of their rad pet dishes to bring water for the pups to drink from, but since there aren't any on the island I guess I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled for a cheap one! For the time being I will have to suffice with stuffed pets and by the end of a long hot day at the market I was stoked to have the car all packed up and see Mr. Bull greeting me again:

Aww, such a cute gimpy smile that cow has! This week I'm hoping to get a bit more crafting in and prepare for another market next Sunday! Anyone else do weekly markets? Any tips?

Bastion Square Market Recap - vol iv

Another Sunday has come and gone and I'm back again to report how the craft show went! Each week I try to improve my booth, learn from my wrongs, and become a master of craft efficiency and love to share my findings with all of you! This past Sunday was a most beautiful, hot, summery day and to switch things up, Thea (the market coordinator) moved me to the middle of the square - and boy oh boy, was it ever picturesque! Just check it out:

And if that doesn't appeal - how about some nice Victoria greenery!:

With the temperatures pushing into to low 30 C's, I was thankful I got to set up right under a big gorgeous tree:

The wind wasn't too furious this week so we skipped the tent walls and I set the tables up to avoid gusts blowing away my goods. I'm really loving how the L shape of the two tables is working out and as always I was thrilled with how bright and (hopefully) welcoming my booth turned out under the shade of the tree:

 

I even got the chance to wear my mint green dress I picked up a few months back. It was originally a maxi but with my extra long legs the length looked bizarre. Time to whip out the sewing machine and make it tea length (my fave!)! Yay! Throw in some handmade accessories to showcase items at my table and voila - a breezy cool summer craft show outfit:

As for the market itself, the inner square spot was a bit slower than the back road I usually set up on, but I did appreciate the shade! The spot was bustling with people here for the long weekend and I even got to meet a blog reader (and hand out a freebie to her)! How fun! I got lots of pleasant compliments on my items and set up and had an okay day of sales. I really enjoyed the nice ocean breeze wafting up the square and the nice atmosphere thanks to three different busker gigs in the area! 

As far as battling the outdoor elements, I think I've finally got it down. I switched the finishing nails on my bulletin board that holds earrings and combined with the "back to the breeze" placement, I didn't have a single fly away item! What a quick and effective fix that was!

I also raided the dumpster yet again and got an old cracked floor mat for some added cushioning! Standing for seven hours can certainly get tiring and mat certainly seemed to help (oh, and the price was right). Take a peek:

I think the next step would be to get a fold-able high chair/stool that would put me up at a welcoming buyers level and take the pressure off my arthritic joints. It isn't a high priority for me at this point (especially since I've got the cushy mat), but might be worth keeping my eyes peeled for in case I see one on sale one day. 

As for my plans for next week - I'm hoping I'll get to go back a busier spot and just need to make some more products to restock! I've already made a whole slew of fabric button earrings this week and now I'm onto mustaches since they seem to be a hit. I figure if I'm full of spare time I might make a few more rings and embroidery hoops but since I've already got a full schedule we'll see how that goes.

What are your thoughts? Any craft show tips for me? What do you look for when you shop at craft markets? Anything I can do to draw you in?

Adventures in Battling the Wind (and BSSM recap vol iii)!

After battling the woes of wind and the elements at my first two Bastion Square Sunday Markets, I was determined to master the art of outdoor craft markets for my third attempt! Sure I did a whole slew of outdoor markets last summer in Kamloops, but I had the joys of setting up on grass then and could anchor my tent down with pegs and a mallet. Fraser and I attempted using bungee cords and barbell weights for our first markets and although they worked well in the rain, they were no match for the 40km/hr gusts we experienced the next week! Eek! It was time to rethink the tent weights - and this time things were going to get serious.

Much like countless other moments throughout my lifetime my dear ol' dad came to the rescue on this one and donated four lovely bright orange old tubs (with lovely lids and handles)! Thanks pops! Then Fraser and I just had to take a little drive to the gravel mart and shovel to our hearts content:

Next we picked up some hardware, whipped out the drill, and voila! Two hundred pounds of tent holding awesomeness! Fraser even drew up some of my mustache cat designs I coloured and laminated to add a little cuteness to the weights.  I really love how they turned out and despite my original fears of giant orange eye sores, they work like a charm! Take that mother nature! Check them out:

We also ditched the bungee chords and hooked them on with the ratchet straps I bought to tie the tent down to our roof rack. That tent wasn't going anywhere and the final product looks pretty slick: 

See him hiding there in the corner? How charming! I figure the primary colours blend in with my pops of colour I have going on in my display and it is immensely stress revealing to not have to worry about my tent blowing away.

Once the tent was under control it was time to tackle the wind blowing over all the items on my table! I loved all the suggestions all many of you gave me last week in my comments and this time had ample anti-wind precautions. Yup - looks like it's time to list them:

1) I have pockets on the corners of my homemade table cloths that I put rocks into. They hold the fabric nice and tight and offer a simple (and cheap) solution!

2) I use C-clamps to hold down my bulletin board stands. Wendy actually gave me this idea two years ago and it works like a charm! Thanks Wendy!

3) I put up a few tent walls. With no fear of my tent blowing away a few walls do wonders for keeping those gusts at bay!

4) Take a feel of where the wind effects your table items the most and adjust your layout accordingly. I flipped my L shaped set up from how I had it the previous week and it made all the difference! From now on I will definitely take note of the wind direction before setting up!

 

and

5) I use a crap ton of masking tape. Nothing like a little (ok, a lot) of tape to hold down those pricing signs and fixtures! Yay!

Now check out those strategies in action:

Woo hoo! Take that wind! 

As for my experiences selling for a third time at the market - it was great! The day was lovely, loads of tourists were out wandering about, and I had my most sales yet!  It is so much fun being able to talk to people about my crafting and I love seeing what people pick out to buy! Hooray!

Of course it wasn't all kittens and sunshine, and despite the lovely forecast the shady morning was freezing and next week I'll be sure to bring some extra layers. Once the sun finally hit my table in the afternoon I started to thaw out and my goods looked extra happy in bright light:

I've also come to realize that when I leave Fraser in charge of the table when I go for an inevitable food/bathroom/networking break he never manages to sell a single item.  Ann (one of our favourite tent neighbours) told us it's because my table is, "way cuter than Fraser is" and I'm sure tons of ladies wonder why he appears to be making and selling such girly items. I'm not sure if there is really a solution to this dilemma, but Fraser did decide to sport an extra large yeti pin to fit in a bit at the last show:

Sadly, still no Fraser sales but I will remain optimistic for this week! 

In other exciting news, I got to give out one of my "thanks for reading by blog - here's a free button" prizes at the market! I do love my blog readers and even though it went to my sister (who probably reads my blog out of "you're family and you have to" guilt) I'm sure she still loved it!

Yay! What a great way to end the market and start off a nice visit with her! Here's hoping that tomorrow's market is exponentially successful and that hopefully I'll get to meet a few more blog readers too! Wish me luck!

BSSM Recap - vol ii

My second run at vending at the Bastion Square Sunday Market has come and gone and I've officially decided that wind is way worse than rain. Give me some nice old misty rain any day and leave those disastrous gusts at home!  Other than the weather - the show went pretty well! I set up on the other side of the street this time around and decided to mirror image my tables and display to match! Take a peek:

 

 

Yay! I love how bright and cheery my booth looks and the newly laminated cream price signs worked perfectly! In fact - Fraser bought me my very own laminater as and early bday present and I am thrilled to bits with it! Woo woo lamination!!! 

I also had a few new items to throw in the mix this time around including some fabric button earrings to replace the candy studs that got ruined in the rain last week. They really fit in with the wooden earrings and filled up the bulletin board nicely:

 

In case you weren't aware of how awesome Fraser is (which, you really should know by now) he was kind enough to make me some awesome T-shaped stands for my wooden pendants! They were much easier to see on the new display and fit in perfectly with the table:

 

It also conveniently freed up my tall jewelry tree that I put my glass tile necklaces on! So much better!

As a final touch, I made a nice bouquet of felt mustaches this week and boy am I ever happy I did! They were a huge hit with a few ladies and I sold a good handful! They even went wondering around the market posing with them that just seemed to pull the customers my way! How lovely!

To please Sarra, Fraser took a picture of me showing off my outfit (sort of) and hair I whipped up for the show. Hooray for 100% jersey cotton, kate made accessories, tights, and a bun! It may sound silly, but I haven't had long hair since 1991 and since my mom was my hair stylist then I never really learned how to put up long hair. Check out that non-pony tail (and silly facial expression):

Fraser once again saved the day by holding down the tent during the huge wind storm! Oh how I was praying for a nice day (we even played the sun song from Zelda)! Rats. No luck. The forecast called for storms, bits of rain, and big winds and that is what we got. Fraser wins the "best, most patient helper ever" award this week! Thanks sweets!

After our battle with the elements, we've decided to make some giant weights this week to prepare for the next market and try to brainstorm a few ideas on how to wind-proof my booth. The bulletin board of earrings was one of the most frustrating pieces since a gust would flick all the earring cards all over and while I scrambled to recover them the rest of the table would fall apart. Our crafty neighbour Ann suggested putting elastics at the end of the nails which I think would be an awesome idea if I can find some that will fit. I also figure I just need to hide some weights in the tea cozies and use some extra tape to deal with the rest. Hmm...good thing I've got a week to figure it out. What do you think? Any tips on combating wind?

Market Sunday - again...

I sure hope today's forecast calls for sunshine and sales because I am heading back to the Bastion Square Market from 11 - 4 today for another day of vending! I've been crafting away all week to restock for the market and even made a handful of special "thanks for reading by blog" gifts for any readers who stop by! Aren't they dear?

 

Okay, so they might just be spare mismatched buttons I had left over - but the thought is endearing right? And I do very much appreciate all my blog readers (even if I've only met a few of you) so I figure it is nice to show my thanks! I'll be giving them out all summer long (while supplies last)! Yay! So when you see this...

 

...remember to let me know you're a blog reader! Wish me luck today! I'll be back soon to spill the details on how my new items and display pieces went!

BSSM Recap- vol i!

Well I've successfully survived my first craft show here in Victoria and despite the never ending mist and rain it still turned out to be a good day! I was a little nervous about setting up since I haven't done any shows since last summer and decided to go to a two table booth this year. Luckily it all came together nicely during the prep time and the extra space was marvelous! Take a peek:

Yay! I have quite a few new display additions to the tables this time around including a bunch of dumpster salvaged wire baskets/stands and two new bulletin boards! Fraser was even nice enough to make me some new stands to go with them out of wood! What a handy (and helpful) man he is! The first board was an upgrade of my pinback button display since the old one was too small now that I have four new yarn themed sets to include. It's even got room to grow when I decide to make some new button sets in the future:

 

The second board became a new earring display for all those studs I have been working on! All I needed for this one was a package of finishing nails and a ruler and voila! Display!  I'm really happy with how it turned out! Oh, I painted the frames of the boards black as well to match the rest of the table. Take a peek:

As for the weather - it seems to have gone from June-uary to Feb-uly this year since it was cold and wet! I woke up with extra curled hair that morning (which totally negates all that flat ironing I did the night before) and spend the day relatively bundled and bright! Fraser took this picture after Sarra asked me what I wore/how I did my hair so I hope this fits the bill! I even managed to do a cute little braid on which tied into my extra curly high pony tail but I'll just have to convince you it's cute since there's no photographic evidence...

Even though the weather was miserable and my fellow craft vendors said the market had a record low turn out, it was still a bustling spot and I got a chance to walk around the square and snap some (wet) scenery:

Luckily our tent seemed to hold most of the rain off but my table cloths and the edges of the tables got soaked. My poor printed out signage certainly didn't enjoy all that moisture since they curled like crazy! Ack:

Looks like I'll be taking a trip to Staples this week to laminate those before the next market! By the middle of the day we decided to join the masses and utilize the tent walls and boy did it ever make for a cozy (and bright white!) little booth! Plus with the placement of our L shaped tables the tent turned into a dry oasis for customers! Haha - we sure suckered them in! Fraser was extra wonderful and even looked after things while I peeked around the market:

I also realized how silly it was that Fraser and I were wearing matching shoes!  Looks like we're one step closer to being an old married couple in matching track suits (one day Fraser beans, one day....)

Oh dear! Despite the cold, I ended up having a good day and met tons of interesting people!  Heck, I even got to chat about bio-remediation of petrochemicals with a couple from Nelson and we science geeked it up! Hooray! I had a few sales and although I wasn't booming with business it managed to make the wet day worth while.  I am extra excited to see how the market will go on an actual pleasant day and am looking forward to a show where I don't have to fill my house with drenched tent and merchandise afterwards!

Unfortunately my little candy studs (link) got trashed with all the mist and moisture so I'm hoping to find time to make some fabric button earrings (link) to fill in the holes on my new bulletin board display. I was a little bummed that my experiments in candy look alike jewelry was a flop, but at least I spotted the problem before selling my faulty product to anyone! Alas - that's the way things go sometimes. Other goals for the week (besides drying out all my packaging, tent, and crafts) include tweaking my price signage for added durability and *hopefully* making a nice bouquet of felt mustaches on sticks so I have some more masculine items to offer! We may as well throw "praying to the weather gods for a beautiful summery Sunday" in there for good measure too! What are your thoughts? Any craft market tips or tricks to share with me?