Episode 52 Ready. Set. GO!

This episode is all about the holiday season – from selling to buying and everything in between.

Big tent invites open again!

Hey everyone – the BEEN There DONE That! project is alive and well.  I will be posting the last of the seams of opal videos as soon as I can.

Then – it looks like we are on to the quilted coasters!  After having made a bazillion for the bazaar – I can tell you that they really sew up quickly and the quilted is a lot of fun because it is such a small area to manage!

Come on over to the big tent by sending me an email to mail@withinaquarterinch.com and request an invite!

The Jewish Mother Fairy Doll

I love these little pin dolls that I created for the bazaar.  Now available on Etsy.

Don’t forget to enter the contest!

As mentioned on Episode 52 “Ready. Set. GO!” I am having a co-giveaway/contest with my valued sponsor, Valerie Moss of PastimesOnline.ca

Please go on over to her forum and post that you heard about her gorgeous shop and don’t forget to mention the ’secret code’ from the podcast!

Contest Ends December 31st.

We need at least 10 visitors to make the cut-off point AND something new here

FOR EVERY ADDITIONAL 10 VISITORS TO PASTIMES ONLINE I WILL HAVE ANOTHER GIVEAWAY.

So for the first ten - a free quilt.  The second ten – another freebie (as yet to be determined… think magazine) The third ten (ie 30 entries) - another GIFT!!!!

Please let your friends know about this contest – and if you have a blog – please post about this and link here:)

The winner of the finished quilt will have a choice of two and they are:

Thanks!!

Another Store Listing – the woolen birds

I still have a few woolen birds left for sale.

Click on the photo to see them in the shop.  Thanks:)

I will be posting items for sale in the Etsy Shop! or here…

I have decided to list some of the items from the Holiday Bazaar in my Etsy Shop.  I figured, heck it’s already made, right?

Link to Shop.

If you would like any of the items for sale and don’t want to sign up for Etsy – then just shoot me an email and we can work out any details.

Lots more to follow…

Don’t make me voodoo you!

During the crazy of creating madness I was having a tough time with seam binding turning curves since I had neglected to cut it on the bias – I resorted to casting spells and pins!

(by the way I have a new podcast recorded and it will be up TODAY, if all goes well – ie. they actually take a nap).

A happy ending….

So – I worked right up until the very last second and only arrived at the show location ONE HOUR ahead of opening! Stressed! Until – A few other vendors showed up that were late as well – whew; and it turns out, this ain’t no quilt market booth set-up extraordinaire!

Another stress reliever was that my friend offered to bring tables to the venue for me earlier than my arrival and they were already set up when I arrived.  Thank you Danielle.  Truly – a giver.

And then I started to do ‘my thing’.  I (personaly although I am biased) think my booth was one of the nicest in terms of little displays and merchandising. I had a lot more traffic (people actually coming inside) than any of the vendors around me and once I got to kibbitzing with them (chatting them up) I found that a lot of really cool people, young and old alike, were ‘getting’ my stuff – which is always rewarding.

So – did I have a good show?

Here are my criteria:

1 – have fun – check

2- meet the other vendors and maybe make a crafty friend or two – check

3- experience what it is like to (well not really but sort of) work retail – why? Because if I want to open a retail shop, I should like it! – check!

4 – have fun merchandising the items – I think I was driving the other vendors a little crazy as they just sat there in their little chairs BEHIND their tables and looked a little glum while I was a busy little bee moving this to there and that to here.  Loved it. – check!

5- talk about my love of quilting/crafting to (no offense listeners) ‘real’ people; you know what I mean? – check.

6- Network – I think I handed out about 70 business cards to people.  Of those, I would say that about 60% expressed real interested in what I had to offer, 10% I expect to hear from and the other 30% – goodwill – check.

and finally, and really, this was last on the list of what I thought would make a good show for myself

6- sell a couple of things, at least cover my booth costs and maybe a little extra – check. We didn’t rock the bank or anything like that and I can go into details on the next episode of the podcast as to my theories why…. but heck – 5 out of 6 ain’t bad!

I didn’t even look at fabric today.  All I wanted to see were two little faces who like to play ‘two babies’ with me and they jump into my arms and laugh and play and giggle and play and dance and, of course, hug and kiss like the dickens! Then we went grocery shopping – need I say more?

So – I’m pooped.

here are a few photos of the booth and the wares – more to come with the next podcast!

So – here are a few photos to tide you over.

Today is the big day

The Holiday Bazaar is today!

I only have to finish up 55 items this morning and then figure out what to use for the booth space and then pack the car and get there and forget something and come back and go back again and then set up and try not to be too harried and frazzled by the time 5 pm comes along (it’s an evening sale tonight and all day tomorrow).

Hopefully I don’t get so tired that I just give eveything away tonight so I don’t have to go back tomorrow!

Is it possible?

That I am all crafted out?

I do believe that I am officially nuts.  Last night I was physically ill because I am so wound up over this holiday bazaar (how bizarre).

This is the last time I give myself about 3 weeks to fill up an 8 by 10 booth.

Can’t believe I’m down to Wednesday and Thursday to finish everything I’ve got in my head.  My head hurts.  Too many things are screaming ‘I can be cute – look at me, I’m an index card but picture me with little check boxes that say ‘merry christmas’ ‘happy channukah’ ‘happy kwanza’ ‘enjoy the laktes…’

Stop. Breathe.  Don’t start anything new Allie.  Just ‘try’ to finish off what you have already bitten (ie: sew what you’ve cut – dress the little dolls (oy are they cute) – bind, bind, bind….)

Look forward to life AFTER the bizarre holiday bazaar!

And next time? Start earlier.