Last week, Friday evening to be exact, I had my 2nd Open House for lil' alice.  The first Open House was held in December after my craft show that I organize & participate in at my church but before Christmas!  Genius I say!  

It's all about the timing!

Which is why I schedule this last one, also after a Spring Craft Show, but before Mother's Day & end of the school year!

Hooray for end of the school year!


So what are the benefits of an Open House & how do you prepare for it!

Let's begin with the benefits.  
* No table fees
* No early rise & shine times
* Schedule it around your schedule
* Sell extra inventory (therefore, you don't need to sew your brains out making more!)
* It's in your home
* Customers can see where you spend a lot of your time
* No postage or packaging
* Relax & Mingle

How do you prepare for an Open House.
* Set the date close to a holiday such as Christmas or Mother's Day.  This will draw the crowds in that like a handmade gift.
* I set up mine in my basement, right outside my shop doors.  I am not moving my products very far at all.
* Price everything, either individually or place signage by the products.  No matter how well you price your items, people will ask, "How much is this?"  At my last show I priced items individually & that was a waste of time & pricing cards.  I like signage better, such as small chalkboards.
* Have a few snack foods out.
* Set up an event on Facebook about 3-4 weeks in advance. This is a great place for you to communicate with the invitees & post pictures & upcoming deals.
* Set up sales or bundles deals.
* Offer a discount if they bring a friend (& give the friend  the same discount)!
* Accept Credit & Debit thru Square or something similar
* Have change on hand

I do well at the Christmas Craft Show every year!  I have a sweet friend that runs my table while I assist the other crafters.  But I have done even better at my Open Houses too.  

I have participated in shows where the tables are +$100.  That's a large chunk of my change.  But I make it back & then some, but wouldn't it be nice not to have to recoup that hard earned cash?  

I strive really hard to get my products out there with minimal fees involved.  Facebook has been good to me, that's how this whole thing started!  I am available on Etsy (goal for 2013 was to give it another chance & focus on it more)!  I am in Breads & Threads in Lake Orion.  I am also in The Eyrie.
I submit articles to magazines.  I participate in Giveaways on other Blogs.  

All that to say, there are ways to get out there without paying large fees to do so.

And having an Open House, in the comfort of your home, inviting others in is the perfect way to do it & it's FREE!

(I am cautious about inviting strangers from my Facebook Fan Page.  I will post on there that they are invited & if they would like to come to message me & I will give them directions if I feel comfortable doing so.)

Okay, here's the big news ladies and gentlemen!

lil' alice went wholesale!!!! {insert small celebration}. If you are keeping track like me, that's another 2013 goal that has been reached. It's okay I don't expect you to keep track, it was a joke.

First let me explain wholesale before I tell you about the super adorable, pure Michigan store.

Wholesale is simply selling products at a discounted price in larger quantities. The seller {store} pays the supplier {me} for my products upfront. They sell them at "suggested retail price" and they make a bit of a profit too.

Okay now on to the important details: The store.

It's called The Eyrie and the owner is Janette. Opening day is April 25th, yep this Thursday from 11-7. It's located in Depot Town of Ypsilanti. She has the end store that has a beautiful yard off to the side and a garden on the side, which can be seen from the inside of the store. Her store property meets with the river walk and bridge. The location is very quaint!

Inside the store, Janette has worked so hard at getting her inventory built up. She has scoured etsy for local artists. She has found beautiful handcrafted pieces such as plates and mugs from Artists that are members of the Ann Arbor Art Guild. The handmade soaps were beautifully displayed on silver trays that she has thrifted.

So many talented artists are featured in this quaint little store. Janette is opening this store to offer people the chance to buy unique items that are made locally.

How often do you go on vacation and you want to buy something unique to that trip and it's hard because it was Made in China? 

Yep, me too!

Stop in to Depot Town and pick up a unique treasure for yourself or someone special! You will fall in love with The Eyrie and its owner, Janette!

Shop Local.
Support Handmade. 

Connect with The Eyrie
Website Facebook Pinterest Twitter

I have a show on Saturday. I don't do many these days. I will get to that in a minute.

I'm pretty pumped about this show though at Plymouth High School. They have great publicity. It's very organized and its juried.

Because I'm pretty organized and time management comes naturally to me, I have been sewing and planning this show for about 2 months. I don't work in a panic. I don't pull all nighters. In fact, it's Thursday night and I'm ready to roll right now!

How do I do that?

I have a white board in my studio. I make a list of all my items I want to make and take. Then I choose one item and make it start to finish. Once totally completed I move on to the next.

I work in mass production (mass for one person). About 20 of the same of one item.

This is the best method that works for me.

Why is it that I don't do many shows, you ask!

Well, not all shows are equal. I found this out by experiencing it for myself.

I participate in shows that are going to give me sales that will exceed the price of what I paid for my table. Do I know that for sure? Of course not. But I can ask lots of questions to make a informed choice as to whether its a good fit and worth my time.

What was your total for people that walked thru the show last year? They should know this number if there is an admission fee.

Do you advertise? With all our resources to FB, twitter, good old signs on the corner, postcards, newspapers, fliers etc, there's no reason not to get the word out. A good organizer will work for you!

Is the show juried? Submitting pictures of your work in the process of being made and as a finished project is a good indication they are looking for quality and unique items.

I enjoy participating in shows. I enjoy connecting with people. I find great joy in connecting with others that make their goods. Everyone has a story on how their biz/hobby began.

I also value my time too. I have a family that I have left at home so I can be at the show so I want to make it worth my time.

As I finish preparing for the show, I have a list of goals to meet. I have them written down and that drives me to accomplish them. Because I find great pleasure in checking off goals as they are met.....no matter how small or big.

Here's a few glimpses into my life. It's fairly boring. Nothing exciting. It's messy. It's real. Far from perfect, but it's my life and I love it.

I adore make up and I order the majority of it from Sephora on the Sephora app on my iPhone. I only bought the 2 powders. Everything else were freebies. True.

I ate the whole jar. It is in my sewing room. I just bought a new jar last week. I don't share it either.

Boys laundry. The clothes r getting bigger and the basket is getting smaller therefore it fills up quickly. Too quick.

I work out 3x a week at a local gym. I go every time at the same time. I haven't missed a day since Feb. I follow rules even if I made them. :) I don't thin I have lost a pound either but I'm not giving up. When I started I could only walk fast. Now I can run. Even though the scale doesn't move I can see physical improvements.

My nasty winter feet. I went for a pedi on April fools day and it was 30*.

Crazy pic.

The teenager celebrating Spring Break with Root Beer.

I'm sad it's almost over!

Happy Friday!

Spring Break has arrived & I think I am more excited than the offsprings.  I'm thrilled that I get a week off from packing lunches, monitoring homework & stalking Zangle, the parent connect for the jr. high kid.  

First, up is AdamVaughnDesign Etsy Shop!  Adam is my younger brother & he's super duper talented.  He's an artist in every sense of the word.  He can draw anything & everything.  He designs the images for his t-shirts.  My kids always get a custom designed tshirt from Uncle Adam for Christmas!  

He has sold his products on other sites, but last night he just opened up his own Etsy shop.  So stop by & visit his shop.  

PHOTO CREDIT: AdamVaughnDesigns

The next shop is The Golden Sycamore.  Allison is local & very close to me distant wise, but we have never met in person.  Allison rescues the old & worn out furniture & breathes new life into them.  Visit her blog, she amazes me as she creates furniture with power tools!  Allison & I both have our products in a shop together & that is how we have connected.  Be sure to drop in & visit her!  You will leave wanting to paint & restore something!

PHOTO CREDIT: The Golden Sycamore

The last stop on our local shop visit is Little Green Guy!  Brittany, the sweet face behind Little Green Guy, just opened a shop in Wyandotte, MI to showcase her handmade items along with many other beautifully crafted handmade items.

Stop in & see what all the Monsters are up to as they wait to be adopted!  

PHOTO CREDIT: Little Green Guy 

I hope you enjoyed the tour of local shops in my area!  

I love connecting with other handmade people through social media & in real life.  It's not a competition about who has the best, who has the most & who is doing what.  

Instead, we cheer each other on & we chase our dreams & we encourage others along the way! 

Although the calendar says Spring has arrived, it doesn't feel like it at all.  You should see my facebook feed..... people are really cranky about it too.  Why is it that Winter overstays it's welcome but Spring & Summer come for short visits?  

With Spring comes lots of craft/art shows.  Today I am going to share tips with you about my experience as a crafter selling my craft & an organizer of a craft show.  

lil' alice use to do a lot more craft shows when I first started out.  I thought that was where it was at.  The money, that is!  And the people that have the money!  

Some of my experiences were: I would pay money for a table only to barely make it back.  Other shows I did really well at.  There were reasons that I didn't do well at some shows & there are reasons why I did do well at others.  Most had to do with the effort that was put into advertising & promoting.   Some were great at promoting & advertising, other's it never occurred to them that they should advertise & promote, (no joke!)

Craft Show Tips:
~Find out how they publicize their show.  Do they promote it via social media, newspapers, local cable station, signage on corners, postcards etc.  If they don't publicize it, it may be a waste of your time.  Who is going to know about it if they are not shouting it from the roof tops!  Don't waste your time!

~How many spots are available for crafters?  Big sounds great, but it's just more competition for you.  If you make & sell jewelry, how many other jewelry tables will be there?  Small isn't a bad thing, less competition = more sales.

~What is the cost of the table?  Cheap isn't always better.  If you are paying $100 for your table, then that means you believe you can get that $100 back & then some from your sales that day.  This weeds out crafters that won't make their $100 back.  This brings in crafters with beautiful items that will sell.  If a table cost $15, that means that you may be sitting next to a crafter that is selling her toilet paper roll holders that were popular in the 80's.  

~Promote the show yourself.  Shout it from the roof tops!  Add it to your social media sites & make others aware of it!  The craft show that I am participating in in April gives crafters 20 postcards to pass out!  Genius!  

~Have business cards available.  Spend some cash on these.  Make them personal, use a picture of your craft or your own logo.  Get quality pictures with something more than your iphone camera!  Add a QR reader to the biz card that will link them to your blog or etsy site!  Use both sides of your business card with pictures & information!  Use all the space that is available, you are paying for it!  
Set your biz cards on the edge of the table for people to grab!  Attach one to each of your products!  I use a hole puncher & ribbon & tie it to each item!  

~Do you only accept cash and checks?  If so, you are limiting yourself to a small selection of people who may not have cash on them.  Personally, I don't have a check book that I carry around either.  Check into getting a Square or something similar.  It hooks up to your phone or iPad & you can accept debit or credit cards.  Let's be honest, you & I spend more if we are charging!  So will people that are coming by your table!  If you accept credit cards & debit cards, you have widened your customer base!  
I had an open house at my house right before Christmas.  Several ladies charged or used their debit card while there.  Pssst..... I made more money there than I did at the December craft show & I did really good at the December craft show!  Truth!  

~Don't blame the coordinator for no sales.  Let's break this down folks.  I organize a Holiday Art Fair at my church the first weekend in December.  It was already established when I took it over 4 years ago.  A lot of people in the area know about it etc.  That is helpful, but that doesn't ease the pain of a crafter who hasn't received a sale all day!  But don't blame the coordinator that you haven't received a sale.  If they have done all their advertising & promoting, then that's all they can do.  If people are at the show, but you still are not making a sale, you  need to analyze your presentation or your product!  If the people are not showing up & they have done the advertising & promoting, ask why are they  not there.  Location? Weather? If it's really bad, don't do that show again!  

~Deals!  Everyone likes to think they are getting a great deal or a sale!  Have deals that are only available at craft shows! 

~Have a bowl of individually wrapped suckers or candy.  This will draw the kids, then it will draw the parents that are getting their kids away from the candy!  This is your chance to strike up a conversation with the adult!  

~Clear Pricing.  I have struggled with this.  No matter how or where I put the signs, people still ask, "How much?"  So for my upcoming show on April 13, I am pricing each item.  But I know I will still get asked, "How much?"

~Smile :)  Be personal with people!  Give a compliment!  Something to start a conversation.  By nature, I am not a talker.  Shy.  Reserved.  But over the years I have had to bust out of my box.  In certain environments I am okay, others I want to crawl in a corner & rock back & forth!  Craft shows are one of those places.  It's a lot of strangers in one place & it's hard for me to chat it up all day long with strangers.  But try as I may on April 13th!  

~Dress professional.  Craft show set ups are early.  I get it.  But don't wear your cookie monster pj bottoms unless of course you are selling cookies..... maybe!  Dress for success & look presentable!  

Do you have some craft/art show tips?  I'd love to hear them!

lil' alice has a craft show in a few weeks.  April 13 (9:00-4:00), to be exact.  I'm hoping it's a bit warmer by then.  It's at Plymouth High School in Plymouth Michigan!  

Squeal! Happy Dance! & repeat!

lil' alice is in the March issue of Orland Family Magazine.  

But don't think for a minute it just dropped in my lap!  Nope!

Don't think for a minute that I wasn't disappointed when it didn't work out with another magazine & I thought it was going to. 

Don't think for a minute that there was not any blood, sweat or tears involved.

I am reminded every day that  lil' alice consists of me, myself & I.  Those are the 3 employees of lil' alice.  

When you want something, you make a way & that involves lots of research & more research. 

When I am sewing away at my machine or pressing fabric, I pray for lil' alice.  It helps me keep my focus.  It keeps me grounded.  It reminds me that I am not in this alone!  Doors get closed & windows get open.  

I love the above statement so much because it shows that "she" doesn't just dream up plans & wait for them to arrive at her feet.  Work is involved in bringing dreams to plans.  

Do you know how many times I have submitted things to various magazines?  Do you know how many times there's not a reply (insert crickets chirping)?

When something like this happens to lil' alice, it's exciting.  

When something like this happens to other small handmade businesses that I "know", I celebrate with them.  There's not any room for jealousy & envy.  Instead, I throw virtual confetti all over them & I get excited for their accomplishments because I know what it took to get there!  

Do you celebrate with others in the accomplishments, big or small?  Do you throw confetti their way & do the happy dance with them?  You should!