Spring, Butterflies, and Behind the Scenes

Hello everyone!  I hope y’all are well.

You know I wanted to say that spring has sprung.  Except that we never really had any winter.  We literally had about 2 days of cold weather back in December, and that was it.  The rest of our “winter” has been spring like.

All this spring weather has made me anxious for craft show season.  It is finally getting close!  It is getting close to crunch time and as we get closer, my excitement level goes up.  Do you remember getting butterflies when you had your first date or first kiss?  I kind of get the same thing as each show season, and each show, arrives.

 

In fact, dh and I have been looking at options for updating our booth.  I had seen some ideas online and shared it with my husband.  He found a very similar option to buy online, and we almost did buy it.  Then this evening we were at Hobby Lobby and saw a shelving unit like we had bought for our house a while back.  The shelving unit is a pretty metal unit painted a turquoise color and distressed.  It is collapsible and easy to transport.  Dh and I were talking about buying this 2^nd one to take on the road to craft shows.  I mentioned we could unload the one we have and try it out before we buy one.  He agreed that it was worth trying out the one we had before spending money on one … just in case it does not work out like we hope.

Whatever happens with the metal shelving, the booth update will be a gradual process.  Like most artists, it is hard to change it all at once.  We don’t want to throw off our customers with a totally new booth and they think they are in the wrong booth.  It is also a little more fun to try out something new for a season and see if we want to keep it.  Dh and I are not married to our booth, but to each other.  So remembering that helps ease transitions in the booth décor.  😃

We are blessed this spring that all three craft shows we are doing are indoors.  We like it because our customers get to shop in a climate controlled venue or at least out of the elements.  Shoppers don’t have to deal with wet grounds, rain, or wind.  In fact, the advantages for the shoppers also benefit the sellers.  It is much more pleasant inside when the weather is iffy.  Now, when it’s a nice day, I do like being outdoors for a show.

Having craft shows indoors also saves a little room in our vehicle and saves time having to put up a tent.  We still put up our “props”, and the pipe and drapes we use to delineate our booth.  The drapes are a honey color and our table covers are black.  The black helps the merchandise to pop.  For those who are die hard New Orleans Saints fans, you would be right at home in my booth with these colors!  LOL

I have been out looking the last few day for silk flowers for painted vases, decorative balls to fill some pretty bowls I’ve painted, and so on.  It is fun to match up flowers or greenery to a vase.  The colors are so pretty and each floral stem may come in several colors.  The greenery has such great texture and adds some interest to a vase even when used without flowers.  On Monday I will make final decisions on the last few floral stems and greenery selections I need to make.

This afternoon I have been working on some behind the scenes stuff.  I have gotten our box packed that has a few office supplies, small tools like screwdrivers, garbage bags and so on.  I have also been working on pricing some coasters holders.  Unfortunately, I have run out of tags for certain ones.  I am just a few short!  ☹  I have also have decided to put some color on a certain line of coaster holders to give them a little pizzazz.

The show season is quickly approaching and I feel like I have a million things to do to get ready.  However, it is all good because I am working hard at being very prepared.  I love doing this.  I get great satisfaction seeing and hearing customers’ reactions to our products.  I am still amazed when someone loves something enough to want to purchase it for themselves or as a gift.  I feel like a flower ready to bloom … come out of my shell from the winter.  It is time to get face to face with old and new friends, fellow artisans and crafters, potential new customers and those who have been around a while.

Selling in the public is quite different than selling online due to the face to face interaction.  I don’t have to imagine what the customer like because I can see it in their face or in their voice.  It is hard to feel the excitement a customer feels in finding an object they love when they are behind a computer screen.  When it comes down to it I am grateful for all my customers---those I meet in shows, those who purchase online, and my friends who send a text or a PM letting me know they want a certain piece.

Well, I must go for now but I’ll return next Sunday with another installment.  I look forward to us meeting here again in a week.  Have a happy, joy filled week.  May God bless in you in all your going and coming.

In the meantime you can follow what is going on in the following social media.  If any of the links give you trouble, just leave a comment in the comment section below.

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaWelchDesigns

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ FansOfCynthiaWelchDesigns

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/cynthiawelchdesigns

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/CynthiaWelchDes/

God bless,

Cindy