Tis the Season

As October seeps in , many are gearing up for craft shows, church bazaars and holiday home shows. With that comes the soft hum of sewing machines and the frenzie of creative hands working hard to increase their inventory of handmade goods to fill their booths.

Does this sound like you? For many the routine of show preparation starts early in the season, even in the summer months. But for others, October marks the time to get the creative juices turning. With each craft show season, crafters want to offer customers a new and unique product that is sure to be a "best seller" at their next show.

Some crafters opt to create small, inexpensive items such as ornaments, bowl fillers and other small handmade trinkets. While others relish in offering highly detailed wood creations, dolls, paintings and other extrordinary goods for the descriminating tastes of their clientale. No matter what type of items you prefer to offer, a good source for finding that perfect pattern to make your creations is http://www.patternmart.com/ . With almost 3,000 patterns at your fingertips, it's highly likely that you'll find just what you are looking for.

Patterns are a great investment for your crafting business. The creative designs of others affords you the ease of detailed instructions on how to make those "best sellers". Not only will it save you time, but buying a pattern also affords the elimination of having to think up a design concept yourself. Many people find this a great way to go and a time saver.

Pattern Mart Facts:

* The largest instant download craft pattern website with almost 3,000 craft patterns.
* Gift Certificates Available (upper right of main page).
* Free Pattern for signing up to the newsletter.
* Abundance of Craft and Craft Business articles.
* Advertising options for website owners.
* Main sponsor of Creative Times Magazine, Instant Printables & ECraft Classes.
* We also offer craft supplies.
* Sponsor of the Giving Project which gives back to the community.

Finding a Craft Show

So once you make the choice of wanting to do a show...you now have to FIND a show to take part in. This can be done in a few different ways. I was very lucky in that I knew someone that does quite a few shows and so I contacted her and asked a bunch of questions. Things all fell into place quickly after that.

Here are some other ways to find out about Craft Shows in your area:

~Contact nearby malls to see if they will have any upcoming shows..... you might want to start small like this to sort of get your feet wet. Most malls rent booths for a fair price. Some even have booths every weekend.

~Contact Chamber of Commerce to see if any members sponsor craft events.

~Search through local newspapers for upcoming shows...... some of the larger events take ads out in the papers. Clip them and save their information. It may not be enough time to get in on it this year but you have their contact information for next year.

~Ask local craftspeople about any local events they attend....... this is a wealth of information that you can work with. They will be able to give you feedback on shows that are "good" or ones that are worth skipping over.

~In this day and age, don't forget to search the Web for craft events in your area. Many communities have gone online to promote their area and attractions.

~Contact local churches to see if they sponsor any craft shows. A table of your goodies a few times a year thru the local church would be a great way to get folks knowing about your goodies

~If you live in a smaller community, make sure to expand your search to include show and events that will be happening in the neighboring towns. Expand as far away as you are willing to travel to showcase your creations.

Tracy(Cedara)Dunn of Thru The Attic Door

Craft Shows

Craft shows! You see them in your community all the time and have gone to a number of them yourself. Now you have made the next step and are thinking of doing a show. Seems simple enough, right?

Well I just did my very first craft show ever and I learned so much along the way. I thought it would be a great topic for some articles to share with you all. I still have so much to learn but I thought by sharing my steps and lessons, it might make that first step a bit easier.

Tracy(Cedara)Dunn of Thru The Attic Door