Sunday, August 22, 2010

Second Saturday Display Ideas

Testing the setup at home
If you’re considering beginning to sell at Second Saturday Sacramento, you may be thinking "darn, if only I had a display booth that was cheap to make and quick to set up and tear down, yet small enough to fit in my car!" Well, no fear, fellow Etsians- I’ve converted this how-to write up I made awhile ago to this handy blog post. The following is a suggestion for creating a display that’s easy to make, take and adjust with bolts and pegboard. (Please forgive the poor quality photos. :)

Cost: About $40-$45 for the basics

Tools you will need:
-Small drill bit/drill to pre-drill screw/nail holes
-Screwdriver/hammer (I suggest a motorized/power one as opposed to standard)
-Pen/Pencil


Materials you will need:
-2 or more panels of pegboard [Home Depot sells these in four foot tall by 2 foot wide pre-cut panels in plain, white and silver]
-(2) 1 inch square by 4 foot tall wooden "dowels" per pegboard panel
-At least 2 small hinges per set of 2 pegboards
-Screws/nails
-1/4" bolts and nuts

Home Depot sells pegboard and these square "dowels" (I don't know what to call them, but they are squared off and not rounded) in four foot lengths in the wood section, so no cutting is necessary, and four feet will fit in the back of most sedans. Pegboard can be flimsy, so the majority of the work here is taking these "dowels" and screwing/nailing them onto the back edge of each tall side of the pegboard for stability.

Find fun ways to display your items that will add height to tabletops.
I bought a small drillbit and pre-drilled the holes because I didn't want to crack the dowel. I actually ended up using these ribbed nails that hold better than regular ones because I already had them. You can use screws or nails (as long as they are not too long and won't go through the one inch dowel) and even glue the dowel in place first if you have some c-clamps. I nailed it in every few pegholes or so, with the nail head on the presentation side. Make sure the dowels are as close to the edge of the board as possible and straight, because when you put your hinges on, you will be affixing them to the dowel wood. Put the dowels on what you want the "back" of your display to be. (For example, I bought the silver painted pegboard, so I put the dowels on the non-silver side)

I mainly use my displays for canvases.
Once your panels are fortified with the dowels, you can connect them with the hinges. I suggest buying thin hinges and they are cheaper in packs, plus they come with the screws. You can use two or three (I used two) to connect two fortified pegboard panels. Check the way the hinge moves before attaching them. The hinge will close flat in one direction and then open to an angle in the other direction. You want the faces of your pegboard panel "sandwich" to meet flat so that it's easier to store and set up/take down, so make sure you are putting the hinges on so that they close the right way.

You can connect 2, 3, 4 or more panels this way. I used four panels, then connected them in pairs so that I could take them apart and make them easier to carry. (You may get crappy parking and need to walk a long way.) When affixing the hinges, trace them onto the wooden dowels first, including where the holes are, and preferably pre-drill the holes with your small bit again to avoid cracking the dowels. The round pin part of the hinge should rest in a small space between the panels as you put them together. Your "booth" should stand on its own when at least two panels are hinged. It will be sturdy when open as long as it's on semi- level ground.

Now, I don't suggest buying tons of the pegboard hooks specifically made for that because they are expensive. I bought 1/4" by 1 1/2" inch bolts. The 1/4 inch bolt should fit through the pegholes perfectly (either by twisting in or just pushing it through with a bit of force). The bolts will droop, however, so you can either use a washer/ nut system or just two nuts (putting one on the bolt first, all the way down, then pushing it through the pegboard hole, then putting another nut on and tightening to keep it straight), depending on what you are displaying. These are quick and easy to use, and cheap if you get them by the box/bag. And since bolts have a head, you can also display items on the rear of your display.


Coincidentally, the 1/4" measurement is also what a standard hole punch uses, so those of you with tags or jewelry, this is an easy way to make your items fit nicely and orderly onto the bolts.

Easy display with a hole punch and bolts.
Use business cards instead of blank tags!
Bear in mind that most people do not want to bend way down to look at stuff. A small table (like a tv tray- $9.99 for a nice wood one at Walmart) can be placed in your 90 degree angle of pegboard display, and you can place items that need to lay flat on it. You can also get a table runner or tablecloth or make one and put that over the table for added display panache. This will also allow you to potentially put boxes under the table while hidden by the cloth.

Set it up at home with your items before you head out into the world to make sure you can fit what you want. Make sure you can put your most eye-catching goods at eye-level so people will want to walk closer. Make sure you have places to display pricing or other signs. Walk back and forth as you look at your display- people will be coming from both directions and you don't want to miss any opportunities. You can even leave the bolts in if you want to save yourself some setup time, just be aware that they could scratch painted pegboard if you handle them roughly.

OUTDOOR NIGHT LIGHTING TIPS:
 
Remember that since this happens between 6-10 pm, it is DARK most of the time. Home Depot also sells battery operated lights (flourescent tubes and room-style emergency ones). The fluorescent tubes are $10- $14 each depending on the length you want and even have sticky backing plus nail holes. They could easily be added to the top of your pegboard display to provide some night light. A larger, room-light (also around $10) like people have in their emergency kits can be placed on the ground and pointed at your display as well.

CREATIVE DISPLAY IDEAS:

I displayed bracelets for sale on this cool vintage wood shoulder-press thing, and made a display for rings by gluing felt to dowels in the top of a shoebox. I've seen the fun and interesting setups of several team members- if anyone else has any suggestions, feel free to share them in the comments! Happy selling!




Tuesday, August 3, 2010

How to use a "how to" to drive traffic to your shop!

Hello team! If you're like me, I'm sure you've spent some time at your computer, staring at the monitor with your Etsy shop open, wondering how to magically make more visitors and sales occur. One of the great things about being part of a team is sharing information with one another. When one of us tries something new and has success with it, we can tell each other all about it!

So one suggestion I'd like to make to you that I've tried recently is to publish a couple of  "how tos" on crafts you have skills in. One great site for this is Instructables.com. I recently joined this online community that I've used a lot in the past to learn things. All three of the instructables I've posted so far have been featured by the editors, and the first one I published has had over 15,000 views!

Sites like Flickr.com discourage you from outright linking to sales in your images, and it's likely Instructables.com has a similar spirit. Be sure to check the terms of use for every site you're on. What I did with my instructables is mention how I've made art with these techniques as part of my daily art challenge, and asked visitors to check out my blog- ArtProject2010.info. There are therefore indirect links from my blog to my art shop, and it gives people a chance to get to know me and see my new art as I post it on the blog first.

While I can't say with certainty that it has translated directly into sales as of yet, I know it's brought new readers to my blog, and I have had a few sales through my blog, since I post new art there before I put it in my etsy shop. Like everything, this is one option that may or may not work for you, but I wanted to share my experience with it in hopes it can be of use to you. Happy crafting!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

How-To 3


Hello All, I hope you are doing well on this rainy May evening.
I know it's not Saturday, and I could just wait to post until then, but chances are I will forget and so -It's Tuesday and today we will have a how-to(ish) post. :)
This upcoming weekend in my daughter's 4th birthday - she's super excited and we're having a tea party(juice and cupcakes) to celebrate. With the day coming quickly,I find myself perusing girly themed Etsy stores quite often in the hours of the night when I should be promoting my own space or knitting, but I do believe that part of being an Etsy seller, is supporting other Etsy sellers where I can and I found such a cute little shop while I was browsing for goody bag items for the tea party guests:


See those??! They're paper cakes!!!! - each triangle is a slice of cake shaped box that is perfect for packing those goody items. Anyway - I think they're great and I thought I'd share - the seller was amazing and responded to my purchase and asked color questions and such directly - my package was shipped the next day and made it to my house in 3 days - absolutely lovely. She is the kind of seller that I hope I can be when I make customized sales one of these days!!!!

Along with the paper boxes, I have started making a bunch of tissue paper flowers. I've made these same kind of flowers previously for a friend's wedding, and this time I'm making them not only because I think they're cute, but also because I'm trying to be frugal in planning a party for a 4 year old and they are definitely on the low end of expenses....a pack of tissue paper at Target costs about $1.50 and will make 24- 5" flowers, which makes them all of about $0.07 each when you add the price of the pipecleaners used to make the stems...- absolutely lovely :)

You can find a proper How-To on these flowers here:

http://crafts.kaboose.com/flower2.html

but I wanted to share a few pictures of my flower making fun, so thanks for taking the time to read my post, I hope if nothing else, it makes you want to make some paper flowers, or order a cake!


ps.
If you're in need of a fun way to package your Etsy items when shipping, these flowers might be a fun way to add little extra padding while making your shipment all the more memorable!

Friday, April 2, 2010

What's old is new again: Bags, baskets, pockets and more

People have been making 'something' to carry things in ever since time began. What was the first container? We'll probably never know, but it was most likely out of some kind of natural materials like leather (an animal skin) or a netting of grasses or twigs (a basket). Once that first ingenious person figured out to make a container, I wouldn't be surprised if she (I'm willing to bet it was a woman) decorated it to be more attractive or just to identify it as hers.

What do you use to carry or store things? There are so many options! Baskets, bags, boxes, purses, bins, pockets, etc. I've often given boxes, tote bags or baskets to friends or family. And people seem to like to buy these things too - I wonder why that is? Are we just being organized? Is there some kind of psychological meaning? Putting our love in a box and giving it to the other person? Or is it compartmentalizing?

Just curious.....

Friday, March 26, 2010

Sac Etsy AND SactoMetro Etsy to be in Craftastic Sale


Hey everyone! I'm reposting Rhonda's post from the Sac Etsy group - my how-to today can be thought of as:


How-to support local crafters!

Here's the info! hope you can make it out!

CRAFTASTIC SALE

Date: Saturday March 27th
Sale Times: 9am til 2 pm
Address: 5912 Beech Ave., Orangevale near Hazel and Greenback
Contact: OddArtist


There will be a dozen Sacramento vendors in attendance, both from SacEtsy and SactoMetro! We're super stoked to have our team together! While we've been together at craft fairs before, this is a first for so many of us to be together as once. :)

Please help us promote this event by FB'ing it, blogging, and Tweeting. Please Tweet:



#SacEtsy Craftastic Sale in Orangevale, CA. 9 AM-2 PM March 27th featuring some awesome products. http://sac-etsy.blogspot.com for more info


Want to know which vendors are attending so you can scope out what they might be selling? Please stop by and say hello to the following members:


prairieprimitives
BKD Signature
mchristo
Oh My Posh
Bailoutabarista
oddartist

Rockknitmomme
Annette-DazDogz
mrstalbott
maleaab
beegrl88
Bailoutabarista



Your support of this team is much appreciated! We hope to see you there!


To get there:
From Hwy 50 go north on Hazel past Madison and make a left at the light on Pershing. When you get to Beech turn right.

From Folsom go down Greenback to the first light past Hazel and turn left there onto Beech.

From Hwy 80 get on Greenback going east until you have passed Illinois. Start looking for the light at Beech and turn right.

The house has a tall cedar out front along the road near the top of the hill, a large deep concrete driveway and a black mailbox with grapes painted on it. OddArtist will be there early and will have put signs up so you can't miss it!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Rocklin Craft Fair!!!

Hi all! Spotted another craft fair on craigslist...



Vendors/Crafters invited to participate: 4/10/10 (Rocklin, CA)


Date: 2010-03-15, 12:50AM PDT
Reply to: ruhkalaspringthing@gmail.com


Ruhkala Elementary School PTC presents:
"It’s a SPRING THING!”

RUMMAGE, CRAFT and VENDOR SALE!

Saturday, April 10th from 8am – 1pm
@ Ruhkala Elementary School
6530 Turnstone Way, Rocklin

Only $20 per space! Interested participants should contact us for a vendor form as soon as possible. Space is limited!

We are advertising in the Sac Bee, Craigslist, Rocklin City calendar, Rocklin/Roseville neighborhoods and more to drive in the crowds.

Also featuring: Big Spoon Yogurt, Java City Coffee, wood-fired Pizza by Bella Familia Pizza, balloon twisting, face painting and maybe even a special visit by ELMO!

Got questions?
Email us @ ruhkalaspringthing@gmail.com

Monday, March 22, 2010

stubbornwoman - Crochet Patterns - Carmichael, CA, United States - iCraft.ca

stubbornwoman - Crochet Patterns - Carmichael, CA, United States - iCraft.ca