My First Craft Fair

Many apologies for taking tis long to share my first craft fair with everyone.  I have been a crazy person since the kids went back to school.

Preparing for the Craft fair, We packed the suburban full and arrived hours early, and in the heat of mid day, which was my downfall.  Thinking ahead, and not wanting to spend too much money at the event itself, we had a cooler with Gatorade, water, and snacks.  I had read other blogs and articles on what you should bring and even made a complete checklist, so I was ready!

Starting after 4pm, I had a LOT of lookers, and I also noticed less than half of the other vendors set up for the night before.  I did sell a bit on that evening, and enjoyed the company of my family.  Unfortunately, I got over heated and went home very sick at the end of the day.  The good news is, after a cold washcloth and sleeping under a fan, I was fine the next morning, and ready to take on a new day.  We tried to get there early, but had to wait in a tiny bit of traffic for the runners in the early morning race.  There were many more vendors there already, and we set up quickly, having had a little bit of experience.  I did take home just about everything I had brought except for my canopy and my Sock Monkey Stand since the table I brought on the first day was way too small, so we had to set everything back up all over again.  Sock Monkeys are light, so that wasn't a big deal.

Most people came through after the parade at 10am.  During the parade, no one walked around at all.  The parade was the MAIN EVENT going on there.  I wish I hadn't missed it, I saw a bit of it, but where the vendor booths were set up, we were behind buildings and had no view of the parade.  There were a fair amount of people, but not as many as I had hoped.  I was too shy, and it took a few hours for me to break out of my comfort zone to talk to more people.  I did not want to seem too pushy, but I think I may have ended up seeming more unapproachable even though I said hello to everyone that stopped.  At the end of the day, it was a success! I had made my vendor fee back and a bit more, but mostly I had accomplished my first event and learned a lot.

1. Always make a checklist
2. Set up your booth in your yard a few days before the event so spend less time setting up at the event and you know if you have everything you need.
3. Bring a cooler with (at least) cold water if it is going to be hot.
4. Have business cards/flyers ready ahead of time and a good place to display them.
5. If you bring kids, give them money to spend BEFORE leaving the house (seriously)!
6. Have a sign with your name, or product, made at least a week before, not the day before.
7. Allow yourself to be seen, be friendly, and socialize.
8. Hide your personal belongings under a table cloth or leave them in the car (it just looks neater).
9. Don't let the lack of sales or interest hurt your feelings.
10. Have enough variety in your inventory, and always have more than you will need.

Just a few of my personal tips, but there are lots more!!

I got a lot of helpful tips from the following links:
http://creativeincomeblog.com/crafters-etiquette-the-10-commandments-for-craft-shows/
http://creativeincomeblog.com/craft-fair-checklist-sales-tips/
http://creativeincomeblog.com/craft-show-conversation-starters/
http://creativeincomeblog.com/best-tips-for-selling-at-arts-and-craft-fairs-free-ebook/

I am looking forward to my next craft fair in about a month.  It's time for me to take every spare moment I have to build up my inventory, especially now that I have my own desiccated sewing space!
If you can't wait for the next craft fair, there is always Etsy! 

Click===>   Sock Monkeys By Cheryl

 



 

 

 

Craft Fair This Weekend

So I am ready for my first adventure!  I have never done anything like this before, so even though I have read blogs, I still have no idea what to expect.  So far, I have made a list, bought some snacks, packed the heavier things into the truck, and realized that I still am not ready.  I completely forgot that I need money to make change and have to photo copy a little flyer thing I made.
Still, all is not lost!  We are setting up this evening, and I still have no idea if I keep the canopy set up over night or if I have to take it down and put it back up again early  tomorrow morning.  I promise I will blog afterwards about my experience and post pics on Facebook, but all in all I do think this will be a good experience, if I can keep the family from bickering the entire time, and I'm sure we all know how hard that is with 2 teens.  I wish I had more Sock Monkeys, but I am not going to get too upset over it.  I have a good amount of different Sock Animals, so I do hope that if someone doesn't buy this weekend, they will in the future.  This even is actually a local Founder's Day event, close to home and I have never been to it, but I have heard a lot of good things.
I am bringing along with me supplies to make a few more monkeys in case I get bored I have something to keep busy, a small fan just to keep the Georgia heat from being slightly less unbearable, and a cooler with Gatorade.  The good thing is, if I do forget something vital, home is not far away, and I will have my bf with me.
I will let everyone know how awesome everything goes, and I know I will be exhausted by Sunday, but it will be worth it, even if I don't sell what I plan to, I will have done something new!

Wish me LUCK!

Maing Progress Crafting Sock Monkeys

I have LOT of photos posted on my Sock Monkeys By Cheryl FACEBOOK page!


SOCK MONKEYS FOR SALE

 

 

I also have posted a few of the socks I have on hand to be made into Sock Monkeys, Sock Bears, Sock Bunnies, Sock Cats, Sock Owls, Sock Piggies, Sock Hedgehogs, Sock Dogs, etc!  There is no limit to the Sock Pals I can come up with!!

Future Sock Pals

 

This is only the beginning!  I still have a lot of socks not pictured for the other smaller projects like Owls and Piggies.  I will soon be on more of a regular blogging schedule, but my facebook page will be getting the most attention!

 

 

 

 

 With my first fair coming up at the beginning of next month, look for lots of posts on how it goes!

 

 

New Sock Creations

So I have been trying in my every so minimal spare time to make more Sock Monkeys, stock piling them in fact, in hopes to try my hand at selling some at a craft fair this Summer/Fall.  Still looking for a table, but am not really too worried.  I figure if I can't find one, we can use sawhorses and plywood with a lovely cloth to cover it if needed.
While searching for new ideas on line, as I often do during downtime at work, I discovered how much I LOVE doing Sock Owls, Sock Pigs, and a different style of Sock Kitty!!

These pictured are my prototypes!  I love this pic of my sewing table cause you can see the Sock Monkey Mayhem going on behind! I have made about 5 more Sock piggies and 6 or so Sock owls, perfecting their look more each time.  I will put them up in my Etsy store as soon as I have about 10 or so each ready fro sale.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/SockMonkeysByCheryl

I know it seems odd that I bring my Sock Monkey box with me just about everywhere I go to work on, but last night someone asked if I sold them & wanted my number to possibly buy some!  So even though I do seem a little (a lot) eccentric in my habits, I still think its a good idea.

I do think one reason I've been making more Sock Creations is this week has been a moody sad week for me.  I can't tell you the reason, as I have no idea why, but there are a lot of sad memories that Spring up this time of year.  So I am trying to stay positive, and stay busy, (the latter has been very easy). 

I do put a lot of love in each and everyone.  I am going to have a hard time letting go of a lot of them, but I have sold quite a few before when my daughter was in middle school, and enjoyed the joy it brought those who took them home.  As long as I take lots of pictures of them before they are "adopted"  to remind me just how awesome and cute they are, I will be okay. :)

This weekend is a Fair that I did not have enough Sock Monkeys to try to sell at, but I do think I will be going if the weather holds up!

New Facebook Page

I finally decided that if I was going to start going to craft fairs to try to sell my Sock Monkeys, then I must have a Facebook Page.  I have already posted lots of pictures, and will try to keep posting more as I make more Sock Pals, but I am also trying to get a whole bunch done before I feel I am ready to commit to a craft fair.
Feel free to come like my page to help spread the word!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sock-Monkeys-by-Cheryl/556046834415484

In other news, I had decided to test the waters a little more on other Sock Animals and have come up with some good results!  I have revamped my Sock Cat, make quite a few little Sock Piggies and learned how to make a Sock Owl.  All of these were much easier than I had expected, so I will definitely be adding them to my inventory!  I will post pics of the new Sock animals soon!  As it gets closer to the Holidays I think I may even dabble with Snowmen, but that is still a few months away.

I am definitely shooting for a big festival this September as my first, but hoping I will be doing 1 or 2 before that.  Life, after all, comes before Sock Monkeys unfortunately, as well as my full time job and my 2 teen aged kids.  I did manage to get a woman custom order a Sock Monkey from me recently who had been watching me make my Sock Monkeys while waiting in an office.  Yes, I make my monkeys everywhere I go if I can.  I even embroidered a name on for her which was a first for me, and not as difficult as I had thought.

I have big plans for the future of my Sock Monkey "business" but Etsy sales are non-existent, so we will see how the fairs treat me.  I was selling quite a few when my daughter was in middle school I was selling at least 2 a week to her friends and teachers, so I know they are loveable enough!  I do think that since I have only 2 listings on Etsy and the price of shipping is so high that most people would rather buy something so loveable and cuddly in person.  I will definitely keep the Etsy store going in hopes that the craft fairs will put the word out too.

I have bought a pop up canopy and even a folding chair to ready myself for the oncoming fair!  Now I just need a table and a few signs made up.  I am so excited!

How To Make A Sock Monkey

I made this video just for fun!




Any suggestions are appreciated! I do hope this video inspires others to tap in to their creative side!

Making Sock Monkeys

So far this year I have already made 17 Sock Monkeys.  Four were  requested and bought, two more were purchased, so the rest, including another10 or so that I have had are the start of my stock pile of Sock Monkeys!  Someone suggested that if I wanted to sell at a craft fair, I should have at least 100 Sock Monkeys ready before I go.  I have no idea how realistic that number is, but I figure why not?  I have about 23 Fuzzy Christmas Socks, around 20 or so Fuzzy Socks, and 10 Red Heel Socks so far to make Sock Monkeys, Sock Bears, Sock Bunnies, and whatever else I come up with.  I am hopeful that my Sock Monkeys would sell, but honestly if I only sell 10, I would be happy with that.  Most of the fairs around here, the "booth" rentals for the weekend are usually about $40 more or less depending on the event, so if I can make that plus a little for my time, I won't complain.  I know my Sock Monkeys are adorable and I do think that seeing them in person, touching them, hugging them they would literally sell themselves.  Pictures do not do them justice!  I found some cute little mini fuzzy socks and made all 6 of them into Sock Monkeys.

 They are SO CUTE!  My daughter kept one of them, and I think I am going back this weekend to buy more of those mini socks.  I think they would make the BEST mini Sock Bunnies for Easter.  I also made a How to Make a Sock Monkey Tutorial video with still photos, so as soon as I get it on YouTube, I will post it here too!  I didn't like the Tutorials I found even though I did get a few good tips from them, I still think my Sock Monkeys look better.  I know it seems kind of like shooting myself in the foot when I'm trying to sell mine as well, but at the same time, I don't really make them to make money off of them.  I tell everyone I who sees me making my Sock Monkeys anytime I'm at the Doctor's office or waiting for a long time that this is my therapy.  And it is.  Making these cute little Sock Monkeys, Sock Bears, Sock whatever makes me happy.  It has brought me through a tough time.  I put a lot of love and care into my Sock Monkeys, I hug them, I play with them a tiny bit to make sure they are durable, and they always make me smile.  What craft or hobby do you have that you pour your heart into?

Sock Monkey Videos

Just for fun I made a video montage of photos of almost all the Sock Monkeys I have made in the past 3 years.

They are just too cute!  I am trying to organzie my time right so I can make enough Sock Monkeys for a Craft fair this year.

Now these are the ones I have for sale online.  With so many people selling Sock Monkeys, it seems that without the right kind of promotion it is diificult to sell a lot online.  Still I am not gettting discouraged becuase I absolutely LOVE making my Sock Monkeys.  Serisouly, even if they don't sell, I will still make them.  My Sock Monkeys have helped me through so much.  I did neglect them last year, though with all my time spent packing, moving, unpacking and then organizing, I barely made any!  But now I am settled (mostly) and ready to start creating more cute Sock Monkeys!

Halloween Sock Monkey

Always adding more, always making Sock Monkeys!  I know it is WAY off, but I figured why not?  I added these Halloween Sock Monkeys to my Etsy store! http://www.etsy.com/shop/SockMonkeysByCheryl

Over the weekend I went and bought a bunch of new Fuzzy socks at the local flea market.  I have decided to give a craft show/festival a try.  Realistically, though, to be able to do one, I should have at LEAST 50-100 completed Sock Monkeys (Bears, Bunnies, Cats, etc) before I put that money down for the fair.  Everyone else seems to think I will do really well, so I figure why not give it a shot.  I don't want to spend too much money out for it though.  I still need to buy a folding table which we need at home any way, and of course one of those tents.  I guess if selling at the fairs doesn't pant out, we could use a tent like that in the yard occasionally, so it wouldn't be a waste.  So lots to think about and plan to really get this going.  If it doesn't work out, at least I will have had the experience, but I have also been reading othe blogs and forums and realize that what may not do well in one show, might sell out in another, so I should try at least 3 or 4 this year.  Of course, if I did sell out completely that would be amazing!  I do love each and everyone of my Sock Monkeys, so sometimes I have trouble letting them go to new homes, so doing a show might be harder than you think!