{"id":2609,"date":"2015-11-10T13:10:05","date_gmt":"2015-11-10T18:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2609"},"modified":"2015-11-10T13:10:05","modified_gmt":"2015-11-10T18:10:05","slug":"fall-craft-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2609","title":{"rendered":"Fall Craft Shows"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been MIA lately but for good reason. \u00a0I have been crazy busy. \u00a0I have been trying to grow my business is all kinds of ways. \u00a0One of those has been to do more craft shows. <\/span><\/p>\n

First up was the Highlands Festival at Waterloo at the end of September. \u00a0It was my first two day show and the most furniture I have had to get ready all at once in awhile. \u00a0There was a ton of planning and organizing. \u00a0Not only did I have to get a bunch of product ready to sell but I had to pack and prepare for the whole family to travel a few hours away. \u00a0And yes that means my toddler with with us the whole time.<\/p>\n

I rented a tag along trailer to be able to bring a ton more stuff than would fit in the truck. \u00a0I wanted to be able to pack the trailer on Friday, go to the show over Sat and Sun, then return it Monday morning. \u00a0Since a tag along trailer is a per day charge only, with no $1.29 per mile (WTF?) like a van rental , it was a waaaay cheaper option. \u00a0I have driven horse trailers and boat trailers with no problem. \u00a0But this little one axle trailer just about drove me crazy. \u00a0I would go to turn the wheel slightly to back it up and it would just go sideways. \u00a0After a lot of cursing, we decided trying to only go forward would be the best plan. \u00a0Other than that it was a great affordable option.<\/p>\n

\"Highlands<\/a>

All of the furniture except the dresser in the front is sold!<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The show was a music festival and set up in a great big field. \u00a0Out spot was bigger than our tent and we got to park right behind it which was very convenient. \u00a0It was a nice relaxed atmosphere with great music (for the most part). \u00a0It started out so very slow. \u00a0Like I was wondering if anyone was coming at all. \u00a0But people did start to show up. \u00a0Everyone was very nice and so many nice things were said about our booth. I work from home and mostly by myself aside from Opie anf the tiny human keeping me company. \u00a0I think my favorite part of shows is just talking to people and seeing if they like the stuff I am making. <\/span><\/p>\n

The festival went until 9 but we weren\u2019t getting very many shoppers once it got dark. \u00a0Since we were in a field it was also getting buggy and chilly and since I like my kid and didn\u2019t want the tiny person eaten whole, we headed home. \u00a0It wasn\u2019t a great day but we had covered all our expenses for the show and I was trying to stay positive.<\/p>\n

The next day we told Lincoln we were going on another adventure and we were getting bagels again, although he wasn\u2019t as excited as the day before. \u00a0We arrived to find many tents blown all over which is a very nerve wracking site to arrive to. \u00a0Our tent was perfectly safe thanks to the heavy duty tent handed down from my Aunt Mary and the huge tent weights TB made for me. \u00a0It again started slow and I was getting down on the whole thing. \u00a0My knight in shining armor found the beer tent and promptly brought me one which made everything from noon on look better.<\/p>\n

And then in walked a nice couple who liked the cane backed settee I had. \u00a0I had seen them stop in earlier and tried not seem too eager that they were back. \u00a0TB was making some kind of deal and the next thing I know he is asking if I can run a credit card! \u00a0They also bought two brown cable knit sweater pillows I had made to go with it and was so happy the whole thing I had in my mind was going together. \u00a0We told them we would deliver everything on the way home from the show.<\/p>\n

And that changed the whole day.<\/p>\n

It went from being another time I went on a crazy lark that didn\u2019t pan out to – this worked! \u00a0When you are trying to grow a business with a toddler, it sometimes feels you are always behind on everything and nothing is working. \u00a0But here we were with a nice win.<\/p>\n

We went on to sell a bunch of other things from the booth including signs and other furniture. \u00a0I thought it was a great day and we packed up to go home. \u00a0We stopped to deliver the settee in the dark and all I could think was please let there be an easy place to park this trailer. \u00a0While unloading, I was asked if the dresser I had at the back of the booth got sold. \u00a0It hadn\u2019t and I wasn\u2019t looking forward to moving it back into the house since it was solid and heavy. \u00a0They said they were interested and I literally made a deal right in the middle of the street! \u00a0Thank goodness for Iphone credit card readers!<\/p>\n

Of course the dresser was the first thing onto the trailer when we packed up, so TB and I mostly unpacked the trailer onto the sidewalk and brought the dresser into their house. \u00a0I just couldn\u2019t believe it all worked out so well. \u00a0It was a beautiful dresser but with it being so heavy it might have been impossible to ship. <\/span><\/p>\n

In October we went to the Ocean Grove Fall Festival, again with the whole family. \u00a0It\u2019s a bigger show and we had a spot in the park. \u00a0Under a tree. \u00a0That would have been great in July but it was a chilly day in October and we were freezing! \u00a0It\u2019s been so mild this fall that it didn\u2019t occur to me how cold it might get so I really didn\u2019t pack enough clothes. \u00a0When Lincoln fell asleep in his stroller, I wrapped him in a blanket that we packed furniture in.<\/p>\n

\"Ocean<\/a>

Here you can see some new products that will be available soon in the shop – adjustable aprons, button down shirt pillows, childrens growth charts and more furniture!<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

This show wasn\u2019t nearly as successful. \u00a0There were a ton more people at this one but mostly just lookers not shoppers. \u00a0I thought it was just me at first until I started talking to a few other vendors. \u00a0\u00a0I also noticed that most of the people coming through didn\u2019t have any bags, meaning they probably weren\u2019t making any purchases anywhere. \u00a0But I still got to meet a bunch of lovely people, got to hear how great my stuff was and that gets you through a lot of fraudy feelings when you are working late at night. \u00a0I also got a few custom orders after the show from the contacts I met that day. \u00a0\u00a0Sometimes a show doesn\u2019t seem like too much of a success until you add in those later orders. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong>For November and December I will be at the Asbury Park Holiday Pop Up Bazaar!! \u00a0I found out about this event too late last year to get in and kept my eyes peeled this year. I submitted my application and was checking me email constantly for any news. \u00a0I got my acceptance email while TB was at a job interview (for a job he just started!) so its been quite a few weeks for good news.<\/p>\n

The Bazaar is a highly curated market for artisans and vendors being held in the Grand Arcade at Convention Hall on the Asbury Park boardwalk. \u00a0For those that don’t live in NJ, the famous boardwalk goes through the building that makes up Convention Hall on one side and Paramount Theater on the other and is covered in a huge glass arcade built in the late 1920s. \u00a0It\u2019s such a great building made better with live music, a huge tree, Santa and a bar. \u00a0Really, shop with a beer in your hand. \u00a0Maybe now you can see why I\u2019m so excited.<\/p>\n

I will be at the Pop Up Bazaar on November 28th & 29th, \u00a0the weekend after Thanksgiving, and December 12th, a big celebration of Frank Sinatra\u2019s birthday (what other craft show would have something that cool?). \u00a0Stop by and say hello!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have been MIA lately but for good reason. \u00a0I have been crazy busy. \u00a0I have been trying to grow my business is all kinds of ways. \u00a0One of those has been to do more craft shows. First up was…
Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[260,376,1],"tags":[427,426,425,420,358],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Highlands-Festival-Waterloo-booth.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1J4KT-G5","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2589,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2589","url_meta":{"origin":2609,"position":0},"title":"Highlands Festival at Waterloo Village","date":"September 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I am so excited to tell you that I am going to be a vendor at the Highlands Festival at Waterloo Village in Allamuchy, NJ on September 19th and 20th!! \u00a0 I was first told about the festival when I met the coordinator at a volunteer dinner for the Habitat\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Waterloo-Flyer.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2326,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2326","url_meta":{"origin":2609,"position":1},"title":"Reusable Wine Gift Bags & A Craft Fair","date":"October 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"So you may have noticed I haven't written as much in the last couple of weeks. \u00a0I have not abandoned you but instead been hard at work. This Saturday (Oct 11) I will have a booth at the Ocean Grove Fall Festival! \u00a0 The event is from 10-4 and is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Green Ideas"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/wine-gift-bag-a-sweater-ridiculous-redhead.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2339,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2339","url_meta":{"origin":2609,"position":2},"title":"Hurry up and wait","date":"October 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was growing up riding horses, the phrase \"Hurry up and wait\" was thrown around a lot. \u00a0It meant that you were always in a mad dash to get you and your horse ready and at the show ring to school (practice). \u00a0You would then wait around while everyone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reusable Bags"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/IMG_6644.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2389,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2389","url_meta":{"origin":2609,"position":3},"title":"A Sign Sale in the Shop","date":"December 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As you can imagine it's been a little busy around here. \u00a0I have been working on craft shows, custom orders and packaging up orders to ship. \u00a0Someone asked me yesterday if all my Christmas shopping was done and I just laughed. \u00a0I do not have even one present done. \u00a0Not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/expensive-part-of-kids-wood-sign-ridiculous-redhead-e1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2725,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2725","url_meta":{"origin":2609,"position":4},"title":"The Wavy Oak Dresser","date":"March 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I have another piece that was finished last fall and then kind of forgotten about. \u00a0I had a few craft shows to prepare for, then it was the holidays and then it was January when I was in self imposed work exile to take a break. \u00a0Now I have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Before & After"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Ridiculous-Redhead-Wavy-Oak-Dresser-After.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2600,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2600","url_meta":{"origin":2609,"position":5},"title":"Whole Food Recipes: DIY Clif Bars","date":"September 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The next whole food recipe I have for you is DIY Clif Bars from Fit Foodie Finds. We make these a lot and they are great to have on hand for snacks. \u00a0The tiny person loves them. \u00a0 It's easy to change up the ingredients to your family's liking. \u00a0In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Green Ideas"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Ridiculous-Redhead-DIY-Clif-bars-wrap.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2609"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2613,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609\/revisions\/2613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}