This is my booth. It was in a horse stall. FOR REALS.
Here are some other displays that were around me......
Want to see even BETTER pictures...Head on over to my friend Lori's blog.
She is a fellow artist and I was moved to tears to see her beautiful face in my booth. She has been so kind to help me along the way with many questions I had. SHE ROCKS!
If you live in the INDY area you would be CRAZY to miss out on her open house!!
I met so many amazing creative women. When things wrapped up, we got a chance to chat.
We discussed arts, crafts, our kids and how shows work out for us.
One of the awesome gals I met this weekend (Allison- of Time and again http://www.timeandagainshop.com/ )
posted a quick snippet to facebook. I could not agree more....it is as follows.
"This weekend I am reminded of how many crafty customers there are in the world. And while I absolutely appreciate that you are all amazingly talented and probably have a Pinterest board dedicated to the crafts that others make that you can...
easily do yourself, please keep your thoughts to a whisper and perhaps away from my earshot.
Petty? Perhaps.
But when someone comes into my booth and looks at a pillowcase dress and says "oh, I can just make this - the sewing is practically already done for you!" I try very hard to let it go and smile but it does slowly chip away at my morale.
Petty? Perhaps.
But when someone comes into my booth and looks at a pillowcase dress and says "oh, I can just make this - the sewing is practically already done for you!" I try very hard to let it go and smile but it does slowly chip away at my morale.
Let me just send a reminder to those of you who read this (and hopefully are not offended by this post) that the holiday season is beginning and there are a lot of us crafty girls out there peddling our wares. Please be careful about what you say and do at the next show that you attend.
Yes, you probably COULD make it. But it's already made and ready for you to take home and enjoy.
Yes, it's probably not the hardest thing in the world. If it were, I would have to charge a heck of a lot more than I am.
Yes, if you take a picture of it, it might remind you later to check the Pinterest boards for it but we have spent years coming up with creative ways to set up our displays and even longer perfecting our products to present to the public.
Could you make it for less money? Maybe. But keep in mind that there is more than supply cost that goes into most artistan's pricing. It takes in to account the time to find the supplies, the time to make the item, the machinery costs (for example, in the case of my friend over at Jilly Jack Designs. She uses an actual letterpress to create her amazing creations), and, yes, supplies but much more.
I, personally, spend hours and hours traveling around the area hunting for linens then taking them home and photographing them to catalog.
Then I lovingly and carefully restore MANY of them because most have some sort of stain on them that I do not want to pass on to my customer.
After it's been cleaned, it's ironed. Yes, ironed.
Then each case "speaks" to me to tell me what size it should be made into and then I use a pattern that I created all by myself to size, cut, sew and finish the dress with a carefully selected ribbon which is then heat sealed so you don't have to deal with fraying or chemicals because who wants a baby to chew on a ribbon that has chemicals on it?
Each step is thoughtful.
I'm not saying that you are a perpetrator. I'm asking that you remind those of you that you're with that many of us make our livings doing this. Many pay for private daycare or school. Others pay their mortgages and bills. And others do it, like I do, because I love creating and sharing my creativity and products with others and the joy it brings so many.
This is me.....jumping off of my soap box.
Yes, you probably COULD make it. But it's already made and ready for you to take home and enjoy.
Yes, it's probably not the hardest thing in the world. If it were, I would have to charge a heck of a lot more than I am.
Yes, if you take a picture of it, it might remind you later to check the Pinterest boards for it but we have spent years coming up with creative ways to set up our displays and even longer perfecting our products to present to the public.
Could you make it for less money? Maybe. But keep in mind that there is more than supply cost that goes into most artistan's pricing. It takes in to account the time to find the supplies, the time to make the item, the machinery costs (for example, in the case of my friend over at Jilly Jack Designs. She uses an actual letterpress to create her amazing creations), and, yes, supplies but much more.
I, personally, spend hours and hours traveling around the area hunting for linens then taking them home and photographing them to catalog.
Then I lovingly and carefully restore MANY of them because most have some sort of stain on them that I do not want to pass on to my customer.
After it's been cleaned, it's ironed. Yes, ironed.
Then each case "speaks" to me to tell me what size it should be made into and then I use a pattern that I created all by myself to size, cut, sew and finish the dress with a carefully selected ribbon which is then heat sealed so you don't have to deal with fraying or chemicals because who wants a baby to chew on a ribbon that has chemicals on it?
Each step is thoughtful.
I'm not saying that you are a perpetrator. I'm asking that you remind those of you that you're with that many of us make our livings doing this. Many pay for private daycare or school. Others pay their mortgages and bills. And others do it, like I do, because I love creating and sharing my creativity and products with others and the joy it brings so many.
This is me.....jumping off of my soap box.
With that said, and me agreeing. Of the comments I heard this weekend 99.9999999% were AMAZING and encouraging , wonderful and generous. It made my heart smile. HOWEVER. the few negative I hear do hurt. I understand that there will NEVER be a job that negative feedback isn't heard. I do think that the people that give it do not realize how they hurt the artists by what they say.
On a more chipper note. My art is now hiding in the Bizzy Boutique! Look at this amazing store ON WHEELS!!!
COULD IT BE CUTER??? SQUEAL!!
My art is now mobile, and traveling in very capable hands!
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