Arts and Craft Booth ideas

My mother and I decided a few weeks ago that it's time to start participating in some arts and crafts shows and show off all of our beautiful jewelry pieces while making a few bucks on the side. Well, hopefully more than a few bucks. I already have a Vendor tent (white, 10x10 pop up canopy style), 3 six foot tables, but no table cloths, no jewelry displays, NADA! So...we went out in search of ideas and inspirations; besides, that's what we women do for each other INSPIRE and we came up with a ton of great ideas that I would like to share with you. I will post our actual pictures after we do our first show because everything is packed up and ready to set up..YEAH!!!  Since I'm right in the middle of a major move, we won't be doing our first show until Aug 2012 or maybe Sept but stay tuned for more pics. If you want to be added to my mailing list, please sign up and we will keep you updated on our website specials, current shows, etc., etc. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

First we will start with the tablecloths. I had purchased some lime green denim material (like a ton of it) at Walmart about 12 years ago for $1 a yard! (Gone are those days) I hung onto it thinking one day I was going to use it. It was perfect...I had just enough to make 3 table skirts. But, I did find out that 'I'm no seamstress'. I know why they call these people seamSTRESS. It took hours and hours to press, and pin, and sew these babies and they are not perfect, but they will work.



 For the tops, I just used some old curtains that I will probably regret cutting up one day, but for now, that's all we had between us and with money tight, they worked out fine. I made mine longer than the example since most shows need them to go all the way down to the floor.

 One other helpful hint: My cheap Walmart/plastic gear sewing machine crapped out on me before I even began this tedious task and  just as I was about to give up, my inner voice told me to check the sew/vac places and see if they have any used machines. I did, and I came back with a $75 relic. It was like a 1980 Kenmore or something (maybe older) and I was a little embarassed walking from my car and into the house with it in fear of the neighbors giggling behind half closed curtains. But, I have come to appreciate the durability and strength of this machine. Money well spent. I'll post pictures of my relic soon.


So this was my inspiration for my Lime Green Denim table cloths. Aren't you excited to see mine?

Isn't it just adorable? Find instructions on how to make this great tablecloth here
Like I said above, I will update this post later on in the year with our pictures after we do our first show. We're so excited!


Next, we were clueless on what we would hang our jewelry on so after searching all of our old purses and sofa cushions, we came up with enough money to purchase  a bunch of junk..I mean treasures.
Here are some photos of what inspired us. We will post our finished products in late August or September :-)

I love the clipboards! I almost wish I had one of those poster displays like you see in Walmart that you can hang like 6-9 small clipboards on each one and have customers flip through them. You can display a ton for just a fraction of the cost of a jewelry form and, I'm always finding boxes of clipboards at goodwill :-)

 All jewelry booths have to have a bust but they are about $100 + for a decent one. Below you will see a link that will show you how to build your own bust using a small framed woman/girl, T-shirt, saran wrap, and duct tape :-) I figured that I could wrap the duct tape form in torn strips of gauze like the picture above. Or, maybe I will just break down and buy one off of Ebay...but then that's no fun?

Click here for instructions. I just wonder how sturdy it is???

Next is Signage. You want people to know who you are. Remember to keep things bright and cheerful. People will spot your booth from a distance and make their way to see what you have. Keep their eyes moving around. Mom and I try to keep things lightweight so we are not having to weigh ourselves down with big, bulky items each time we do shows. Simple, practical, and easy is our motto. Here are a few examples of what we found online. We haven't done our signage yet, but soon!

I just love the rag ribbon banners. They are so fun and you can make them so cheap. I probably have 500 lbs of old clothes in my closet that I can shred up. Remember! Keep it cheap (recycle) and keep it simple and lightweight!

Here are a few websites/blogs that you should check out if you are thinking about venturing into the arts and craft show world. Mom and I did it when i was in my teens and it was rough. But, it's been several (and I mean several) years since then, and we think we want to give it another try. Join our mailing list to keep up with our whereabouts and learn about our website specials.

http://marellen.hubpages.com/hub/More-Tips-and-Suggestions-For-Art-Craft-Vendors

http://www.borsheimarts.com/booths.htm

http://www.flickr.com/groups/715724@N24/

http://ask.metafilter.com/48153/Looking-for-advice-on-selling-goods-at-a-popular-artcraft-fair

http://www.smartfrogs.com/articles.html

I have a ton more info to share with you regarding our inside secrets (what works and doesn't work) and will do so through out the year. Look for additions to this post in the future months. If you wanna see what kind of stuff I create, click here.  Thanks for visiting.