Erica & Wes go to Tulsa, pt.1.

Mayfest 2017!

Yippee...a travel blog! \(^_^)/ Wes and I recently went to Tulsa, OK for their annual Mayfest and Blue Dome festivals. I thought it was a little weird that the city would hold two large outdoor arts festivals on the same weekend only blocks away from each other, but it made for a good mini-vacation so I can't complain. We completely disregarded the weather and drove to Tulsa in the middle of a thunderstorm. The drive was stressful but the lightning show was spectacular. (I wish I could have taken some photos or video!) We arrived mid-evening Friday, navigated through the scary parking garage of the downtown Holiday Inn, grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel's restaurant and hit the hay. An event filled day was ahead of us tomorrow!

The awful parking garage; the ceiling was held up by buckling wooden support beams and there were no arrows directing traffic.

Our first stop Saturday was Mayfest. We got there a little after the festival started so we beat the afternoon crowds. It was nice getting to stop by all of the booths, view the artwork and talk to the artists before they got too busy. I thought Mayfest had a nice variety of art mediums. There were oil paintings and glass sculptures, as to be expected, but there was also a nice mix of clocks & toys, antique jewelry and paper crafts thrown in. I liked how there was both fine art and more purchasable artwork. I preferred Mayfest to both the Blue Dome festival and the Festival of the Arts in Oklahoma City.

Highlights from Mayfest were this clipboard that I purchased (top left picture). Artist, Jeff Duerksen, creates and cuts paper silhouettes. He spray painted some onto clipboards; there were many fantastical designs to choose from and I ultimately chose a mermaid walking her pet octopus. Jeff's booth was a fortress. He had it specially designed with an office-like space in the back for him and his wife, an awning over the front and very sturdy support beams. I also noticed many booths with literal weights holding them down (bottom picture). I think that is a much safer idea than using water jugs or sand bags. I love talking to other artists who are seasoned show experts. They're always really friendly, supportive and full of good advice. We also got to participate in a artists' contest (top right picture). Four artists were allotted an hour to paint a common theme picture--something incorporating Tulsa and Mayfest--and the audience participated by casting votes for their favorite painting.

Blue Dome Festival 2017!

After a quick break, we headed to the Blue Dome Festival. The first thing we saw was a car show with whimsically decorated vehicles. My favorite was a life-size replica of a wooden toy car (top right picture). The rest of the festival wasn't anything to swoon over. My favorite part of it was the dog area. There was a section of AstroTurf (mimicking a mini dog park), local pet rescues and booths hosting spay & neuter programs and passing out flyers. There was even a food truck for dogs (selling mostly treats). We should have brought Sadie & Athena! The Blue Dome Festival was more like a craft show/vendor event than an arts festival. There were way too many similar vendors (mostly clothing/t-shirts, every other booth was jewelry and there was some wooden home decor sprinkled in the mix). It had mostly crafty and boutique items and was geared toward a younger hipper crowd. I don't have a problem with that since I own a small business that makes its living off craft shows and vendor events but I didn't find the vendors to be all that great. I saw a few things that I might have purchased but nothing that I couldn't live without. In my opinion, I think Wanderlust Pop-up Shops and the Indie Trunk Show in Oklahoma City host much more talented vendors.

Because I love to eat, we have to include a paragraph about food. Before we went to the Blue Dome Festival, we stopped at Hurts Donuts for lunch... yes, donuts for lunch! They were ginormous donuts! After the festival, we went to Seoul Bistro for dinner. It was a very authentic Korean restaurant. We were among the few non-Korean patrons. I'm not a fan of Korean cuisine but Wes is and he said the food was very very good. After dinner, we headed back to Mayfest and saw a few local bands. I also got a chocolate dipped cheesecake for dessert (I warned you that this paragraph would be all about food!) I enjoyed the convenience of both of the festivals being held in downtown Tulsa (and walking distance from our hotel). It made our time manageable and we were able to experience both festivals in one day. It was also great that both festivals were dog friendly. I saw so many adorable pups! After going to both festivals, I can understand why they were hosted on the same weekend. They were different enough that the same crowd would not likely visit both events. And if you did visit both events, you would have completely different experiences at each one.  One art filled day down, another one to come on Sunday! (As a preview, here are my three favorite things about the Philbrook Museum of Art.)

Erica & Lacey go to the Harry Potter Festival

About a month ago, a couple blocks of Western Avenue were transformed into the wizarding world of Harry Potter. The Harry Potter Festival was a free outdoor event for all ages. Thank goodness it was for all ages because I didn't want to be the oldest person in attendance who wasn't a parent or grandparent! LOL

My absolute favorite part was all of the costumes. Look how cute doggie Dobby is!!!

The event was advertised pretty heavily on social media and the turnout was far greater than anyone could have expected (or planned for). Being a local vendor, I think that the magnitude of people who showed up was great! It's always so rewarding and awesome to see your event fill up with shoppers. Every vendor wants to sell out of their merchandise and that is exactly what happened at the Harry Potter Festival. I felt so happy and proud of the vendors there. But many of the other patrons did not feel as I did. As soon as the event started, rants and complaints were posted all over the event's Facebook page. Everyone was so extremely upset with how crowded it was. I agree that the event quickly outgrew its venue, the lines were long and the streets were so crowded that you felt claustrophobic. But, none of that made me angry (and I usually HATE crowds and lines). I anticipated a large turnout so I wasn't upset when I saw over 5,000 people meandering around the streets and, as a pleasant surprise, the lines that Lacey & I waited in moved fairly quickly.

Also, it was a free festival...festivals are always crowded to begin with and throw the word 'free' on top of that and yeah, of course there's going to be a huge turnout!! And honestly, I didn't think it was that crowded once you compared it to other festivals. The Chinese New Year Festival that Wes & I went to in Dallas earlier this year was just as crowded and everyone loved it. El Rastro (open air flea market) in Spain is three times more crowded but it's still one of the most popular Sunday afternoon shopping excursions. If you've ever tried to get on the subway in rush hour, you probably know what crowded truly means... and the Harry Potter Festival wasn't even half as bad. So the haters need to shut their pie holes!

One complaint I do have is the damn hot weather. It was 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of October. Yuck! We walked from my apartment (about a 1.2 mile trek) and were instantly exhausted as soon as we got there. Gawd, Lacey, we are old! Haha. Anyway, the festival was in full swing when we arrived. At first the crowds were a little overwhelming but we were able to maneuver along the sidewalks. If you wanted to get in a photo opp (they had staged scenes and props everywhere) or to participate in an event or purchase something from a vendor or off a food truck, you had to stand in line. If you were just a spectator, you could move freely along the street. I, of course, wanted to do & experience everything but Lacey was the smart one who suggested that we just walk along the sidewalk and view all the action from a distance. We saw so many fun costumes (I was a little shocked at how many Slytherins there were... I expected most of the people would dress as Gryffindors) with all our walking around. I think we had a better experience just walking around and taking in the sights than we would have had if we stood in line to actually do the activities.   

The festival was sectioned into four parts to represent the four houses of Hogwarts. Each section had its own array of events to participate in. Gryffindor had a Quidditch tournament, sorting hat and other kid's activities. Syltherin had a photo opp in the Azkaban Prison with actors dressed as Death Eaters and Dementors. Hufflepuff is where all of the food trucks were. Ravenclaw was where all of the vendors' tents were. We poked our heads in into each vendor tent and was even able to get into the air conditioned indoor shop with no trouble. Even though we didn't stand in line to use any of the photo props and/or scenes, I was still able to take plenty of pictures from a distance (as you can see from this blog). 

One thing we actually did (instead of just watching) was participate in the arts & crafts booth. There were two tables. At one, we made quills, which were feathers attached to straws. We dipped the feather in glue and decorated it with glitter. The other make & take we did was the golden snitch. This seriously was the most efficient arts & crafts booth I have ever seen.  It was an assembly line of volunteers; one would cut the yarn, another would string a Christmas ornament onto the cut yarn and then the last would drill holes into each side of the ornament and drop the finished product into a large pot. By the time we got up to the table, there was a large pot filled with ornaments we could choose from. After picking one, we scooted down to the next station where a volunteer filled the drilled holes with hot glue. Then she moved us down to the next station where another volunteer was ready to hand us two feathers to stick into the hot glue. We were done in less than a minute. And that is how you keep a line moving!

The last thing we did was visit Honeydukes (the candy shop). The 42nd Street Candy Company did a knock out job transforming their store into Honeydukes. The window displays were so adorable and they had wizarding themed candies and decorations throughout the store. The line for Honeydukes winded all the way down the street but it, too, moved very quickly. The shop was arranged like a little maze where everyone had to walk single file and move through the entire store to get to the check out line. That way you were able to see everything and not have to worry about people cutting in line. I bought two candy sticks (or 'wands' if you want to be festive) and a stick of caramel. 

I think the organizers and vendors did an amazing job. I appreciate all the effort that went into creating an event like this. I was able to see all of its attractions despite the crowds. Lacey & I were able to participate in all of the activities that interested us and all in all, we both really enjoyed the festival.  

It's President's Day & RagsReborn is (sorta) celebrating!

Happy Presidents' Day! My place of employment observes this government holiday so I am at home on my laptop doing my homework. I probably should be out enjoying the day like the rest of my coworkers but spring craft show season is about to start and I have things to get done. I'm not exactly sure how you're supposed to celebrate Presidents' Day but, today, I've been researching Oklahoma small business and tax laws. (Fun, right?)
       Here are some helpful websites and advice that I found in my research. None of these websites are mine-obviously-and they are to be used as reference materials only. I am not giving any legal advice nor claiming to be an expert in the topic. I am not promoting these websites. They were helpful to me and my situation. I wanted to pass them along so if the subject matter interests you, please feel free to click and read. And, once I get my business name registered and tax ID assigned, we can all celebrate together!

I did a little research before I started RagsReborn last year. I reviewed the Oklahoma Tax Commission website and talked to a vendor friend of mine. I concluded that I would only be participating in occasional sales and the functionality of RagsReborn would be more as a hobby than a business. I would collect taxes and turn them into craft shows as requested but I didn't need my own tax ID. Almost all of the craft shows I attended provided a tax form at the end of the show for me to complete and remit money. I also came across this little article: How To Sell Things You Make Without A License.

Earlier this year, I spoke again with my vendor friend (so much thanks goes out to Marie of Glass Soldier Gifts... she talked me through my first year of craft shows. Her knowledge and friendliness has been much appreciated!!) and she strongly advised that I just get my tax ID. If I don't make any sales in the month, I don't have to report. If I do make sales, then it's a super easy process to report online. Many craft shows ask for your business FEIN anyway so why not have one? It's convenient to remit everything to the craft show, but it's also good to take on that responsibility yourself. 

I also called the Oklahoma Tax Commission. I spoke with Monique who informed me that anything more than three craft shows a year does not qualify for "occasional sales." She suggested that I apply for my tax ID online immediately. She echoed Marie's advice in that I only had to report when necessary and the entire process is simple & can be done online. She also stated that if I wanted to register my business name with the Secretary of State (something she highly advised that I do), I would need to get that done before I registered for my FEIN.

Then today, I delved in further. Full on research mode! I want to grow RagsReborn and participate in more craft shows. I want to have a heavier presence on Etsy. I want to really promote my sewing of custom orders and gain an actual customer base. I legitimately want to be a small business! Here's what I found:

Answers courtesy of the Oklahoma Tax Commission website.

Since I started out as a seller on Etsy, I went to their discussion forum first. Etsy has a really good community when it comes to providing knowledge and advice. Etsy advised that I consult the government so that was my next stop. 

       https://www.etsy.com/teams/7722/discussions/discuss/9799713/page/1 

       https://www.irs.gov/uac/Business-or-Hobby%3F-Answer-Has-Implications-for-Deductions

       http://www.gotogreatpanes.com/blog/sales-tax-business-registration/

So it's done... I completed the Trade Name Report and mailed it off to the Secretary of State. I will be waiting patiently as it is processed and once I am notified of its completion, I will go online to register for my FEIN. Then I will report my earnings monthly and fill out this form here next year when I do my 2016 taxes.
       Oh what fun it is to wade through legal research! At least it's done and I feel better about RagsReborn. I am crossing my fingers that this all goes live before my first craft show on Friday February 26th. That's still weeks away so I should be fine. The registration for a tax ID supposedly only takes 15 minutes online. And, I already made sure that RagsReborn Gifts wasn't taken as a business name in Oklahoma so the registration with the Secretary of State shouldn't be too much of a hassle to approve either. This is me thinking positively.

One more thing I have come across- using licensed fabric (and t-shirts, in my case).
       I was worried about this at first but quickly dismissed it since there are "junkers" and "upcyclers" all over Etsy and who participate in craft shows. I have seen numerous quilts, Christmas ornaments, coasters, jewelry & hair bows boasting college logos, movie and TV characters, etc. If you can get your hands on a yard of Oklahoma Sooners fabric, you can craft anything out of it. Very few of these crafters have licenses, myself included.
       This spring, I will be participating in a show that strictly does not allow original collegiate merchandise. I called the show organizer and explained my product to her. I wanted to be sure that I could still participate. She said that as long as I am using licensed t-shirts and fabric, my products will be fine. They are not originals and I am not reproducing the collegiate logos. But, she warned, if I sew a pillow that is orange and black with my own interpretation of the OSU logo on it, I will be asked to leave.

Fortunately, I have not had any bad experiences with copyrights and trademarks. (knock on wood) I have a sign stating RagsReborn Gifts is not associated with any of the brands or images on this item and does not own the rights to the image posted on my booth at all my craft shows and the disclaimer is listed on my Etsy shop profile and on each item description profile. 
       I have been contacted once through Etsy by a member of Fall Out Boy's merchandising team who asked me to remove a pillow I had made using one of the band's t-shirts. No problem. I immediately removed it and wrote a polite and apologetic reply. It was all handled very professionally.
       Then a few months ago, I received a message from a fellow crafter who asked if I have ever gotten in any legal trouble over my products. No, I have not lest the Fall Out Boy incident. I wouldn't even call that a bad experience since no harm was really done. She was surprised and expected that I had received numerous cease and desist letters. Since the possibility of product confiscation and forced closure of my Etsy shop is becoming a reality, I better do some research.

From whatthecraft.com

For now, I think I will be okay. I believe I am doing everything I can to stay out of trouble. But the legal landscape is always changing so I will need to keep abreast of this. If any of you have any experiences and advice to share, I welcome it.
       My apologies if this blog was a little dry but I did say in the first paragraph that I would be doing my homework today. And homework is never titillating. But it's done now and it's back to sewing for me! The spring craft show line up will be revealed next week!!

RagsReborn loves custom orders!

It's never too early to start thinking about Christmas gifts. I've said this before and I'll say it again... please consider shopping local when you're buying your holiday presents. There are so many unique artists in our great state of Oklahoma. I've met a stationery designer, candle & jewelry makers, woodworkers, a glass etcher, clothing designers, etc. Oklahoma crafters make up a wonderful community and we'll all love it if you showed us your support. <3

I'll be selling at a craft show each weekend in November (11/7- Triumph Family Worship, 11/14- PC West, 11/21- Earlywine YMCA & 12/12- The Crown Center). And there are so many more shows that I'm not a part of but I will be visiting as a shopper. (I plan to either hand-make or purchase locally for each of my Christmas gifts this year.) If you can't make it to shop in person, all of the vendors have an Etsy or Facebook page.

One goal that I have for RagsReborn is to specialize in custom orders. I love purchasing shirts to sew into pillows but getting your old shirts and ideas is so much more fun. I can sew pillows & totes from any of your old t-shirts. Or, if you have an idea of what you want, I can purchase the fabric and sew your ideal pillow. Let's brainstorm!

Below are some samples of pillows that I have done. If you are interested in placing an order, please contact me either via Facebook message or email ragsreborngifts@gmail.com

I can stencil with paint or cloth lettering to personalize your pillows. I can also do trim and other flourishes (buttons, patches, ribbon, etc). I work with a variety of fabric types. I made the pillows below as pet pillows...because dogs need love, too. I've done orders for baby showers, wedding gifts and just plain home decor.

One for puppy Athena & one for a friend of mine's dog.

I price depending on size and how much detail you would like on the pillow. I can do pillows in almost any shape & size. I'm open for price discussions and I love trades. If you also craft, I will probably just do a swap instead of actually charging you cash monies. 

 Wedding gift with lace and stencil lettering.

Wedding gift with buttons and stencil lettering. 

 Baby shower gift: small blocks with stencil lettering. Heart was done free-hand.

 A friend requested a pillow and I knew he liked the Juggernaut so I did a free-hand mask.

 This was a coworker's son-in-law's shirt that I sewed into a large pillow for her new grand-baby. 

 A coworker gave me one of her daughter's old high school shirts so I could make a pillow to pass down to her granddaughter. Old shirts from parents or grandparents make great gifts for the younger generation!

Multicolored patch pillow with painted stenciling. 

If you want to see more pictures, I have updates and photo albums on my Facebook page and Instagram. If you've purchased from me on Etsy, please leave a review. Good or bad, I want to hear it all. I want your feedback so I can keep improving. Happy shopping!! :)

Erica is going on hiatus for a while...

... because it's honeymoon time!! Wes and I got married in April but decided to wait on our honeymoon. I'm not sure why exactly but I'm sure it had to do with work (ick!), finances (double ick!) and cooler autumn weather. I don't have any fun crafts, delicious recipes or deep life lessons today. Just a bunch of pictures I stole from the Internet. Well, not exactly "stole" since I'm not claiming they're mine... so I suppose I'm only borrowing.

For our vacation, Wes & I will be taking a road trip out west.  We'll be gone a few weeks. I'll be sure to journal my experiences and take plenty of pictures so I can blog about it when I get back. In the meantime, please revisit my previous blog posts at http://ragsreborn.blogspot.com/

I can't find any pictures of cute old Asian ladies with American husbands so this will have to do.

If you've read all of my blog posts already and need something else to read, I would like to recommend "A Man Called Ove." It was the August book for my book club.  It was such a popular read that the library was completely backed up on reserves. I reserved the book in mid-June and didn't get a copy until the week after my book club meeting. LOL Once I got it, I read it in three days. It is a light read with both humor and sentiment. 

The holiday season is upon us and I would like to encourage everyone to shop locally. There are so many great artists and crafters out there who can make a much better gift than anything store-bought. Also, yours truly can make a pretty great custom order pillow. ; ) I've actually been pretty busy with custom orders lately. I will blog and post pictures after I come back from vacation. 

Here are all the shows that I will be a part of! 

       It'll be great to do ALL of your Christmas shopping locally and support vendors, artists and crafters. RagsReborn will be at the following:

Saturday, November 7th- Triumph Family Worship's Craft Fair

Saturday, November 14th- PC West Fest

Saturday, November 21st- Earlywine YMCA Craft Fair

Saturday, December 12- The Crown Center's Handmade Fair

I am unsure if I'll apply to be in any other ones this year but if I do, I will be certainly posting about them as well. It's vacation time and I'll talk to you guys in a couple of Mondays!

Erica uses an old t-shirt for something else...

...but no worries, I'm not abandoning pillows. NEVER!! (although, I am thinking about abandoning totes.) This is a project I made probably a year and a half ago. It's currently hanging in Courtney and Alex's living room, as it was part of a birthday/housewarming gift. You can tell the shirt is dated because Downtown Oklahoma City does not look like that anymore. Where is the Devon Tower? LOL I got this shirt at the first Plaza District Festival and it was my first Oklahoma shirt. I wore it all the time (before wearing shirts bragging about your state was cool) and it got old and faded. And then  it was turned into art, as all good things should be turned into instead of being thrown away. The heart is something I saw on Pinterest. I put the two together and came up with this.

Courtney with her awesome gift!

T-shirt & pushpin yarn collage tutorial:

Materials needed: canvas (a simple 8 x 11 one you can get at a craft store), t-shirt, pushpins, yarn, ribbons, hot glue, scissors, and any other decorative items (I used a bird charm and some star shaped beads.)

1. Cut the sleeves off the shirt. Then, cut out whatever part of the shirt you wish to use. I used the entire front side of my old t-shirt. Make sure the shirt is a little bigger than the size of your canvas.
2. Fold the edges of the shirt over the canvas and hot glue the edges to the back of the canvas.
3. Hot glue ribbon around the border of the shirt. Between the glue on the ribbon and the glue on the back of the canvas, the shirt should be pretty secure on the canvas.
4. Lay the pushpins upside-down in whatever size and shape heart you want. Once they are arranged in place, turn them over and push them through the canvas.
5. I'm sure you can do this with one very long piece of yarn but I opted for several smaller pieces. Take your piece of yarn and tie it to one of the pushpins. Then, pull it across from pin to pin in whatever pattern you choose. I chose no pattern at all. When you're almost to the end of the piece of yarn, tie the end to another pushpin and cut off the excess.
6. Do this until you run out of yarn. I used about 4 or 5 small pieces of yarn. I tied each one to a different pushpin and wound it from pin to pin until I ran out and had to start with a new piece of yarn.
7. Measure and cut a piece of ribbon the same size as your heart. Going from pin to pin, hot glue the ribbon to the top of each pin until your heart is lined with ribbon. This will prevent the yarn from accidentally slipping off the pushpin.
8. If you have decorative items to add, do it now. Otherwise, your are done!
9. Oh wait... one more thing... hot glue some yarn (or ribbon) to the back of the canvas so you can hang it up.

Erica is writing on the luckiest day of the year.

I'll be sharing my thoughts on The Summer Show later in this blog.

I'm writing this blog at my desk at work...it is currently 8:57 a.m on Wednesday, August 26th, 2015.  According to my coworker, Rachel (who is reading Vogue magazine online at the moment), today is the luckiest day of the year. Jupiter and the sun are aligned with Venus or something like that. I'm not a writer for Vogue so I don't really understand the logic behind this luck theory but I'll believe it. We all need some luck every once in a while. The magazine also offered us all a  tidbit of advice according to our sun sign. (Sagittarius power!!) Mine was career oriented. I'm supposed to take the "big leap" and plow forward toward my dream job. Funny thing is that I'm actually debating whether or not I should apply for another craft show. I think I should trust my horoscope & apply today and see how accurate astrology actually is. LOL

While at The Summer Show, I received a flyer invitation for vendors for the PC West Fest. Booth fee is only $40, the show is indoors and in OKC. Meets all my standards. I initially wanted to do the show as an experiment for my totes. I've brought both pillows and totes to my last three shows. Pillows are doing great but no one looks at the totes. (I've only sold 3 over all.) I want to do a show where I ONLY bring totes and see if --
       a) pillows are overshadowing the totes & that is why no one is paying attention to my tote display rack;
       b) two different products are too much for my booth and shoppers only have time to browse through one thing or
       c) my totes just suck and that's why no one is buying them. #sadface
I talked it over with Wes (who has been promoted to Operations Manager of RagsReborn) and he agrees it's a good plan. If this show bombs, I'll know totes aren't for me and I can discontinue production. Gotta find out one way or another, right?

But as I actually gather information and prepare to apply, I'm starting to have second thoughts about being a vendor at The PC West Fest. I posted on the two Facebook vendor groups I'm a part of and it doesn't look promising in the sales department. But, all the comments do mention how great the event coordinators were. Sales were dismal but the event itself was supposedly organized and advertised well, which I think is also super important.

It's the luckiest day of the year and that was all feedback from the spring show. The fall show in November could be different. So, I'm gonna go with my initial gut instinct and apply. Wish me well!

Now, on to the next topic of this blog... The Summer Show.

I will say now that I will not be participating in this show again. I actually did pretty well at the show. I sold about as much as I have been selling at shows (Yay for consistency!) and I even made my booth fee back. But, the show was crazy unorganized. It was very stressful and So.Ridiculously.Unorganized. Before you think poorly of the show, I will list three pros (followed by three cons).

Pros of The Summer Show:
1. I sold pillows and made money! Obviously that is a good thing \(^.^)/ The booth rent was only $45 so it was easy to recuperate that fee. After Indie Trunk Show, I made a new rule that I'm only participating in shows that have booth rent of $50 or less. That way, I'm almost certain I'll come out breaking even. And maybe even make a profit. Cha-ching!!

2. It was a small show. I don't want to sound cocky but my booth display & products were better than a lot of the other vendors there. That's not to say I blew my neighbors out of the water but I did do better than some of them.

I didn't feel completely out of place at The Summer Show. At last, I wasn't the newbie! I'll definitely grow and become more professional in the future (I do plan on returning to Indie Trunk Show in a year or two) but I felt like doing a smaller show really boosted my confidence. My booth looked good and I was keeping up with my neighbors in terms of traffic flow and maybe even surpassing them in sales. It felt good being among my peers.

3. I really liked the hours of the show. It was 9 a.m to 4 p.m. It didn't start too early and it didn't end too late. Wes and I got there around 8 a.m  and started setting up. My mom brought us lunch around 1 p.m and the rest of the day flew by. We were cleaned up, pack & unpacked and at home by 5:30 p.m. Short and sweet day.

Cons of The Summer Show:

1. Sales weren't as great as they could be. I felt like this was a universal complaint among the vendors there. I was happy with my sales but there's always room for improvement. I heard talk all day that sales were worse than previous years. There was overall dissent with vendor performance.

I think this is because the show was scheduled for the week after tax-free weekend (Wes actually deduced this for me). Everyone was broke! The event coordinators should have considered this when they were scheduling the date. Also, August is not a good month for shows because everyone is drained financially from summer vacations and family getaways. Plus, after spending hundreds of dollars for back-to-school, a $10 pillow, $5 piece of fudge or $20 piece if jewelry just seems like too much.

2. "Handmade" crafters were outnumbered by boutique retail and direct sale vendors. I've heard this is common so I won't harp too much on it. But I did receive two complaints from friends about this. One friend came early in hopes of good shopping and said she was surprised how little craft items there were; it was labeled as a "craft show" after all. A woman from my book club came later in the afternoon and flat out said she was disappointed with the show because it had no good handmade items (although she went on to say my pillows were nice).

3. Now for my last and biggest complaint. THIS SHOW WAS COMPLETELY UNORGANIZED!! I felt like the event coordinators did zero research before planning this show. It was a mess and it was very stressful. This was the 4th annual show so I would think all the kinks would be worked out but I would be wrong. The show organizers were young and their inexperience showed; they were also not very nice and even less helpful. Throughout the day, the vendor information table was manned by high schoolers who were both rude and unknowledgeable.

       A) there was very little advertising or social media presence leading up to the show.
       B) there was absolutely no traffic control in the parking lot for loading or unloading. I'm not saying there should have been a live person directing traffic but a few orange cones would have been nice. There were cars permanently parked on the curb even when they weren't loading/unloading. There were trailers parked every which way. Wes and I almost got hit by cars (not even exaggerating) while we were trying to load/unload.
       C) I requested electricity on my vendor application. I turned in my application way in advance (probably 3-4 months in advance) so I could guarantee myself an electrical outlet. I get to vendor set up day and guess what? I am nowhere near an outlet. My vendor paperwork is marked "No electricity." I went to talk to the staff about this and they just shrugged it off. I had to (the staff was not going to brainstorm with me) come up with ideas to get myself electricity.

       D) the layout of the show was absolute madness. The show was in a gymnasium type community center. The event coordinators wanted money, money, money so they took as many booth applications as possible. There was entirely too many booths. There was barely any room to walk through the aisles. Setting up was a nightmare. My booth was by the entry way and I was getting bumped into and stepped on. There were vendors smushed up against doors and lined up along both sides of a narrow hallway.   

       I had two friends complain to me that it was messy and overwhelming. One friend told me she just left after 10 minutes because it was too unorganized to shop. My other friend brought her young daughter in an umbrella stroller and said she couldn't maneuver the stroller around the booths or in the aisles because everything was so packed.

So there's my experience at The Summer Show. I guess I value my overall vendor satisfaction over sales made. I had a much better time at Indie Trunk Show and my sales tanked. It's hard to find a good balance of both, I suppose. I have at least 2 other shows lined up so we'll see how those go.

Erica is going to be in the Indie Trunk Show!!!

The 2015 spring Indie Trunk Show is this Saturday!! I'm going to be there...I'm going to be both a confident artist and a bundle of nerves. It'll take a lot to successfully pull that off so send me well wishes and better yet, come by and say hello.  \(^_^)/ I will be in booth #148 (booth numbers won't be posted so just look for my RagsRebornGifts signs). I'll be in my official shirt, too! I bought an Indie Trunk Show promotional tee and got my company name screen printed on the back. Snazzy!

I feel like I have a week to finish up a thousand and one things. As of now, I am one frazzled mess O_O  I have to keep passing out fliers and amp up my presence on social media. I plan to post an album on my Facebook business page with all my inventory. Luckily, I'm done with all my sewing. (big sigh of relief here!) I have about 80 pillows and 20 totes. I haven't done a full inventory count but my goal was 100 items and I know I've done at least that. Really, all I need to do is calm my nerves and think positively. Easier said than done. *rolls eyes*

This is my first show...period.  I opened my Etsy store and started this crazy adventure last November (yeah, only seven measly months ago). I'm not quite sure what I got myself into, honestly. My business hasn't even been operational a year, yet I'm going to be in one of the biggest shows in the metro. Was this a mistake? No, no, no. I can't think like that. Even if I fail terribly, it would have been a really good learning experience. On the flip-side, being in a show of this magnitude could be my gateway into a lot more successful ventures in the future.

The Indie Trunk Show has a Facebook page specifically for vendors. It's been a wonderful resource and networking tool. After reading posts and commenting on a few myself, I learned that you really need to start at small local fundraisers or church craft shows. You're not supposed to just jump into a huge show that has over 200 vendors and an expected turn out of a couple thousand shoppers. Ooops. I guess its go big or go home, right? To try to get a handle on things, I have been reading up on blogs and forums about craft shows (here's a really good one: https://blog.etsy.com/en/2008/seller-how-to-craft-fair-tips/).

Here's a fun promotional picture I made. I needed something for a transitional point in this blog post. 

Anyway, since its Monday craft night, I suppose I should share a craft.
Each vendor at the show gets a 10x10 foot block (literally a square on the floor that's taped off) of space for a booth. I have no walls. I have no display structures. But I do have crazy ideas. LOL This weekend, Wes & I built the main structure for my booth. We built it out of cardboard, cloth, craft glue and Velcro. (I know, I know, insert doubt here)

I wanted my pillows on a bed or couch (something that you would normally find pillows on). And I wanted my booth to look comfortable and homey. Remember in The Lego Movie when they had a double decker couch? Well, that's what I settled on making. I'll have other small display structures in my booth but that is what I wanted to be my main fixture. I lacked experience in furniture building but I had my vivid imagination and supportive husband. So off we went...

It was a behemoth task. I had a small breakdown in the middle of making it but I kept the tears to a minimal. Wes was wonderful to work with (man, check out that alliteration!) I ended up spending a lot more money on this than I wanted but I am happy with how it turned out. It's still not as stable as I'd like but I think it'll do the job.

I knew Indie Trunk Show would be really hard work going into it but I never imagined the magnitude of time and effort -emotionally and physically- it would take. Now I know for sure that it takes blood, sweat and tears to get something like this done. For anyone who goes to a craft fair or arts festival and remarks, "Oh, is that considered art?... I can do something like that at home and not pay $20 for it here," I dare you to apply for a show then do all the work and try saying something like that again. Trust me, you won't. Items are priced at a premium for a reason. Shows.are.hard.work! I don't want to sound like I'm complaining (it's really just the nerves talking here and causing all my negative thoughts). I really am glad I'm in a show like this because its really making me reevaluate how much I really want Rags|Reborn. to work out.  And I do. This is a goal I must accomplish. I don't want a day job anymore... I love you Delta Dental, but I have bigger things in mind! I want to be an artist. I want to do shows and make custom pillows and I want my Etsy store to be a real source of income. I can't slack off anymore. Is this a challenge? ...Yes of course but it's one I can steer the course of.  The universe loves to throw shit at you. I've had my fair share of ups and downs but I feel like this is something I can control. I can apply for more craft shows, I can network and I can sew. If I'm going to make my dream a reality, I gotta be serious about it and conquering Indie Craft Show is the first step. Its been quite the journey.  I keep going back and forth between excitement and pessimistic thoughts of crashing and burning. It's driving me crazy!!  Arrgh, can't it just be May 16th already?!?