Selling your Crafts - Making money at home - Things to remember

So you want to sell your Arts and Crafts?

I've decided to post a few articles on selling your arts and crafts - for many of us stay at home parents, this may be a good way to help bring in a little extra income here and there.  I'll

be writing a lot of articles that may offer some advice to those who are looking to embark on this type of journey - bear with me as they'll be in no particular order.

Okay! Onwards and forward!!

Thing that DON'T WORK or better known as CRAFT SHOW FLOPS

1. Forgetting your hat for an outdoor Craft show (or better known as "Oh I feel sick!") - Making a List and checking it twice.

Okay so this sounds simple, but really? It all boils down to creating a list and really sticking to it. I'm an organization freak so I like to keep things all neat and tidy in their little lines. But there are times I totally mess up and forget where things are.

MAKE A LIST before you go and do a show of all the things you'll need to take with you.  (I'll be posting a list in this advice area that may give you a hand)...and keep it in a book you travel to for every show. When you forget lists? Things go terribly wrong...

I did a show last Christmas and completely forgot my push pins - TERRIBLE! I had to rush out just before the show and try and find a corner store that sold them (at $5 a box!? I was gasping!).. not only that, I was setting up alone so there was no one to continue the process WHILE I had to rush off getting push pins. (I was using push pins in one of my main display boards). 

This book should be your bible and you should NEVER forget it. Look around for something that can hold your cheque book, pen, extra papers and business cards as well - often one of those daytimers that zip closed work really great for this sort of thing. That way you ALWAYS have back up business cards and information when needed.

2. "Don't worry, the tent is tied down!"

 WAIT! STOP! If you are doing an outdoor craft show? And only have your tent pegs tied down? WAIT!! GO NO FURTHER?

Get something heavy before your tent flies away on you. Simply pegging it down does not always do the job. How do I know this? I've had tents lift off the ground and take off on me.. Over FENCES and across yards. Now I travel with cement blocks AND many many ropes to anchor down to anything solid I can find. Now when I do outdoor shows I ask if there is a tree near by - natural anchors work great for us.

And your last one for today:
3. "Pssha! We can get change the night before at the corner store!" (better known as WHO CAN DRIVE FASTER!)

I got tied up before one show and could not make it to the bank before closing to pick up change for a weekend show. Don't wait until the last minute to get your change! We had to drive around to about 6 stores one night before a show and break 20 dollar bills buying gum and such so that we had enough change to cover the float. I had LOTS of packs of gum to deal with after that incident!!

Copyright Vikki S 2005.