Lookback on the holiday craft show season

This past September was my first craft show ever! And it was a big success! After that... it just kept rolling from there. :-) Luckily, the fall is the busiest time for craft shows because of the holidays, so I never had to search very hard for opportunities. I set my goals fairly low so that I wouldn't get discouraged and could give myself a bit of a learning curve. And learn I did! I am very excited to build back up my inventory, and start the spring line of shows bigger and better than ever!

Some things I learned:
- Shows aren't only for selling, but also for networking. You don't know how successful a craft show is, because someone who picked up your business card might order something six months later!
- I loved getting to know other artists and share our ideas, businesses, art, and other awesome opportunities we know about!
- I got so many cool ideas about how to set up my booth so that it stands out (and already have the hubs building away for me) :-)
- I learned where I want my booth cost maximum to be, and what type of venues my items do well at.

A look-back in pictures:

Practicing my setup for the very first show!

The final product - First show

Christmas Crafts

My husband and I have had a tradition, since we were first married, that each Christmas he would choose a craft for me to make and add to our Christmas decor. It has a been a lot of fun for both of us. We both love Christmas, I love crafting and he likes watching me craft. :-) I thought I would share the 4 crafts I have made over the 4 Christmases we have been married:

2008 - Painting for front door

 2009 - Advent Calendar

 

2010 - Pillow

2011 - Crocheted Ornaments

About Me: Part 2

My specialty and why I chose it.

This I am actually just now figuring out. :-) The problem with me is I love EVERYTHING arts and crafts related. I do maybe 2 or 3 of one thing, then want to move on to something else crafty I am thinking of! My mind is just way ahead of my hands. But, I don't want my shop to be a miss matched frenzy of randomness.....so I have recently decided to narrow it down to three categories: crocheted items (blankets, headbands, scarves, etc), paper goods (cards, journals, etc.), and painted wooden items (wall hangings, puzzles, etc.). As my husband Michael said to me: you don't want to be a jack of all trades but a master of none. I want to be able to pick something and really master it.

I chose these three things because: they are things I really love, I feel like I could master them, I can think of a lot of avenues to take these categories, and I feel like at craft shows..those three items are fairly unique. (They aren't jewelry and they aren't floral arrangements) :-)

So, I watched the move Fame for the first time the other day...and I absolutely LOVED what the character Jenny says at the end...so I have to share:

“There are a few things that Success is not…

Success is not fame, money or power

Success is waking up in the morning so excited about what you have to do that you literally FLY out of the door

Success is getting to work with the people you love

Success is finding a way of connecting and binding them together

Success is connecting with the world

Success is falling asleep knowing you did the best you could

Success is joy, friendship and freedom

Success is LOVE”

 

I will leave you all with that :-)

New items added to Etsy yesterday:

Here are some new items from Bringing Sunshine!

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82870302/journals-spiral-bound-blank-inside

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82870302/journals-spiral-bound-blank-inside

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85589381/yarn-boxes-no-more-yarn-rolling-on-the?ref=v1_other_1

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85589381/yarn-boxes-no-more-yarn-rolling-on-the?ref=v1_other_1

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85589381/yarn-boxes-no-more-yarn-rolling-on-the?ref=v1_other_1

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81304497/crochet-purses

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81304497/crochet-purses

About Me: Part 1

In the next couple of posts, I wanted to let you guys get to know me a little more. So, this is Part 1 of 5: How I became an artist.

I can't tell you when I became an artist, because as far as I can tell I have always been one. I have always loved art; it has been one of my passions in life. I was in Honors Art in middle school and also went to a summer art camp, which I absolutely LOVED.

Created sometime in middle school at summer art camp: charcoal

In high school I was in the Art Club and also went to the Governor's School for the Arts summer program (well, until I got homesick and begged my mom to come get me. lol)

Created in high school art class: watercolor and colored pencil

Then in college I majored in Graphic Arts. I would have loved to major in visual arts....but I figured I needed something more marketable. :-) I really liked my major and when I graduated I had a job as a graphic designer for about 3.5 years.

A flyer I created at my previous graphic design job.

I still did small projects for my house or for friends and family. But I soon realized that a cubicle setting just isn't for me (still do some freelance graphic design though). And I still longed to create with my hands rather than technology. So I took a leap of faith, quit my job for a part time job at a cupcake shop, so that I could also work part time as an artist/crafter. And I have loved every minute of it :-). This has only been in the past 6 months-ish, but I have already had ups, downs, made lots of contacts, and had to figure out my business logistics. I am pretty excited about what the future holds for Bringing Sunshine!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for Part 2: My specialty and why I chose it.

Coloring Book Gift

Wanted to share with you guys this really cool, handmade gift I gave to a couple of friends with young kids. It is a personalized coloring book. I took about 20 pictures of them with family and at momentous moments and used Photoshop to turn the picture into what looks like a coloring book page. The children can color in it and have a memory/scrap book!

NEWS

Wanted to share a couple of exciting things happening in the world of Bringing Sunshine.

1. Bringing Sunshine now has its own facebook page! You can even "like" it right here on the website! (Down on the right hand side). Here is the link:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bringing-Sunshine/254243204617932

2. I was recently interviewed on a blog! So cool! Talked about my studio, my artistic process, etc. Here is the link if you would like to read it!
http://statteamartistsonetsy.blogspot.com/2011/09/challenge-winner-bringingsunshine.html

Love you guys and all your support!
Stacey