new look Angels

[mac1012]

I have booked two craft fairs in the peak district in Nov and December and one at clay cross derbyshire in November , I have never done the peak district ones before so really looking forward to them , the work starts now and one of my best sellers over the past 4 years is this angel which I know some of you have seen before.

I have developed it a little to include personalised names like this and I have been on a bow tying course (hammer)

I don't cut out the letters they are laser cut (far to small) but I paint them myself with acrylic paint

Another method I am trying is oval plaques and three d gel pens , the idea is I can personalise them at the craft fair on the day , I have found a excellent fine point pva glue applicator on the internet , with the letters being flat after a couple of minutes the glue has taken sufficient for the customer to take home in the box.

I have just purchased a large sheet of 12mm birch ply for my reindeer , I made 15 last year and sold them all in one morning at Christmas craft fair so I got enough ply for about 50 which should do me for the three fairs.

I am in the process of repairing and painting my workshop while the sun still shines , looks like I picked a good day today to do it

 

[Chippygeoff]

Very impressive Mark. I like the add ons and I am sure you will sell a lot more. Being able to personalise them at the craft fairs is an added bonus and a sure way to increase sales. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I am thinking of trying the reindeer this year, got a pattern somewhere. Let us know how it goes at the craft fairs.

For a long time I have been trying to get a stall at a popular indoor market and I finally succeeded a while back. I could not believe the money I took. I sold out of many items within a couple of hours and I normally have ten of everything, it means working up to 16 hours a day replacing stock and making other popular items.

 

[ChrisR]

Good work Mark, and glad to see that you can sell your items/work.

Quick tip don’t ever waste your time booking up to any fairs in my part of the country, because craft work does not sell very well.

My wife used to have a stall at vintage rally/steam fairs, to make money for the (The Merlin, Cornwall Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Centre), half the stall would be general items that she had collected over the year, the other half would be my scroll saw work. The general items mostly second hand and tat would sell like fire, my scroll work, very little would sell.

I now give all of my work to my sister, to sell in the Cats Protection shop were it does sell well, I can only assume that because its in a shop, that it sells ?, in fact a number of times my sister has been asked by customers, if I have a catalogue of my work. :?

Take care, hope the fairs go well.

Chris R.

 

[nadnerb]

They look good Mark and should sell well, do you mind if I ask what price you sell them for?
Regards
Brendan

 

[stevebuk]

they look really good mark, particularly like the metal hearts..

 

[mac1012]

Thanks guys for your encouragement , chris I have only ever drawn two blanks in 4 years and both of them were at church halls when I tagged along with someone else.

peoples buying habits at craft fares is hard to predict , the things I focus on are quality, value for money , presentation and body language , (like never sit with your arms folded and never stare directly at people browsing your stall , don't be pushy and try to be friendly and have a bit of banter) I been working on giving my stall a new look this year I have made some rustic looking stands and I am using some chalk board little signs and I am buying a hessian table cloth I got my idea for my stands from seeing a display outside a florists using vintage French wooden fruit crates I am going for a rustic earthy feel, if ever you go in lush shop with your other half or in my case my daughter have a look at their display ideas very effective and have took some aspects of both ideas and developed it a bit.

I will put some pics up of the display when I have got it all together.

Also with the personalised Angels and clocks I will be doing while on the stall it will generate a bit of interest (hopefully)

I don't do many stalls as working full time and the normal family commitments don't allow me time although being single does allow me more than some , I am stepping it up next year though with a regular peak district slot and events that the local council put on throughout the spring summer.

My prices range between 6 and 20 pounds so a bit of something for everyone and not too expensive but enough to pay for my time and materials making them.

 

[ChrisR]

Mark.

It would be no good me standing behind a stall, as my wife and sister would verify, I very rarely smile, I would just frighten any customers away and banter would definatally be out

I always said if I was looking for a job, two would be off the list, painting and decorating , I can loose my temper just thinking about it, and selling, I would be a total failure. I would not be able to sell a hot pie to an Eskimo.

Take care

Chris R.

 

[Chippygeoff]

Mark. I fully endorse everything you said with regard to craft fairs, displays and selling points. I to have just changed the layout of my tables. Like you I saw a display in a shop and more or less copied it making several wooden boxes of varying sizes with shelves here and there supported by the boxes. It has worked really well. I have new table cloths coming today, red of course, A wood turning friend of mine has just made me a 5 inch diameter 4 high post on a stand, like a totem pole. I am putting slots in it every 8 inches and into these I will glue ornemental shelves and on the top will be some lights. I'm very pleased with the results and sales have increased in leaps and bounds.