Our beautiful recycled life: a patchworking income, green living, dfw adventure!

Keiss_21

Karmacat wrote: »

KK, you don't sound well at all - I've been feeling a bit dizzy, actually, I wonder if there's a bug ...

Keiss - did you check out the other stalls at the fair? How were they doing? How does your stuff compare pricewise? What I was thinking, it might be priced really keenly for the amount of time you put into it, but that may be more than people want to pay, especially if it *is* unique, sadly - might take people a while to get used to something new. Does that make sense?

Most of the stalls did poorly as well, only the tombola did a roaring trade.

Another stall was selling the same scarves as me and I was £1 cheaper. I am pretty sure I was keenly priced, a few thing @ 50p, then £1 and £2. Only the purses and scarves were more expensive, but competitively priced. Just think it was a poor set-up and not many "public", only families of the playgroup kids, who watched the performance, before the fair. It was tipping it down outside, so that probably reduced other visitors. Also, it didn't seem to be very well advertised about the village. I did this fair last year as well, and did much better, but not spectacularly. Oh well, live and learn

Karmacat

Then its not you! Or your stuff! Sorry you're down about it all, Keiss, I can understand that you are... I don't know what the answer is, your pricing sounds fine.

Things that I'm asking myself about who to sell to ... who has money? Which shops are doing well, and what do they sell? If I made that stuff, where could I sell it (I'm a very online thinking person, I have to say, but maybe there are *other* fairs?) What about festivals in the summer? Music festivals? There are thousands all over the place these days - and stalls with stuff for sale are an important part of the atmosphere....

Just trying to think outside the box for you, apologies if you've already gone this route yourself.

xxx

Keiss_21

Karmacat wrote: »

Then its not you! Or your stuff! Sorry you're down about it all, Keiss, I can understand that you are... I don't know what the answer is, your pricing sounds fine.

Things that I'm asking myself about who to sell to ... who has money? Which shops are doing well, and what do they sell? If I made that stuff, where could I sell it (I'm a very online thinking person, I have to say, but maybe there are *other* fairs?) What about festivals in the summer? Music festivals? There are thousands all over the place these days - and stalls with stuff for sale are an important part of the atmosphere....

Just trying to think outside the box for you, apologies if you've already gone this route yourself.

xxx

Thanks KC, I've already been asked to do a few fairs over the rest of the year already. Going to look at selling things on-line too, which will save me lugging things about to fairs, much better for me in my present physical state.

Mis lil'sis is talking about me doing Kl££neze to bring some extra pennies in, so I can concentrate more on building up my stocks and expanding my range of stuff. Still need to work out what people want and are prepared to fork out money for!!

Ultimately I would like to teach people to knit/sew/craft...much more my thing.

MrsMoo2U

Keiss, do you have a blog and an Etsy/Folksy shop? I have been following Kandipandi who I came across on shabby chic thread. She started to show some of her makes over there, then started a blog, then an Etsy shop and she now has 400 followers on her blog. It takes some networking but if you have a blog and start following other crafters (same types of craft as you to start with) do a giveaway when you get to so many followers etc then you might start to make some sales that way. Also there are people like Mary Poppins who ended up in House Beautiful and winning a national blog award. Oh, and then there is Vintage Amethyst.

Sorry Pippi. Just wanted to pass the information to Keiss and got carried away.

Hope all is good with you.

Pippilongstocking

Hello all - slumps in from a lovely bath - toast on the table and puts the kettle on - boots the dog out for a mo!

KC tonight I'm having an early night - all tucked up after my supper! Red, hey up lass - when I type womble into my ipad - I get wobble - always makes me giggle. Hope you're feeling not too yikky. Mrs M- brown fishboxes are so cool - they go with lots of great plants like calendula, nasturtiums and red lettuces - well done you - Madame chorlet indeed - I do need a proper womble name......and lovely advice there for Ks - you're a sweetie - no such thing as butting in - tis a communal space after all. x

sfrd - Hope the hospital was OK? Keiss (Ks) I wondered if the others at the fair had been slow too - you can't know can you. Its OK to have a pleep and a girrn lass (moan and a groan) = gets it out and gets fab ideas like MrsM's etsy/folksy thing.......................

LT - peedie on ski's thats not something we need to put him through - I'm sure he'll happily be abandoned and spoiled. Now - slow food - its an international organisation which promotes the enjoyment and connection we have with food - put simply its exactly the opposite of fast food (which can be shovelled in without thought or much enjoyment) - its a movement from Italy keen to embrace and relish enjoyment of food, local food, cooking at home, sharing food, eating out - putting the passion back into our food to try and reconnect us with it - which may lead to more folk eating seasonally, sourcing local etc. For example - a bit like the difference between a cupasoup eaten on the hoof or a bowl of soup eaten gossiping with a chum. (nowt wrong with cupasoups, I love them, but they don't compare to a lovely bowl of soup gossipped over) did that make any sense - I've volunteered to be the local leader here to try and get a group off hte ground - Orkney does great food - mostly we're really there on that front and we're lucky we don't have any fast food chains/coffee places up here, lots of local places with local food - but engaging folk on any level would be such fun and so yummy!!!!! Thank you for asking - I've to get 10 members to have a launch - I've got 3 so far - we're hoping to have a meeting in Jan thrash out what folk would like from a local group (ie food discounts, food evenings, talks, workshops etc) and try and work out a way to acheive it to promote/help both producers and consumers. If it involves eating/cooking/talking about food - I'm in! I started a group on FB - but not many followers - I'll get my thinking cap on. ( Promise to take on no more unpaid work - but this job I get to eat at, bonus!)

GV hello me dear hows the darling Max? I love audio books - hope you got those cards written - I've done NONE! Nor any crackers I need get that sorted out! Lionhearted girl (LHG) - I like to think of this place as a kinda virtual kitchen - rayburn in the corner - big table battered but loved, folk popping in here or out peeking over the garden fence - thank you for the womble congrats, I'm very excited! Feel free to pull up a chair and grab a cuppa/scone anytime - no worries about catching up - lifes too short for getting in a fankle.

Messy Mare (MM) - headbox - I love it! And, railway sleepers - oh my how utterly delightful - the height of recycled gardening luxury! KK have a hug lassie, awa' tae yer bed hen.

OK did I miss anyone - off to find out - and batten down the hatch I'm hearing alot of wind out there.

Pippilongstocking

Today
Big ticks for
Getting lunch actually to work
Posting ebay parcel with correct stamps thankfully as po was queued out at lunch
Walked to po with mutty and then walked back - good half hour walk up and down hill
Did 7 hours paid work at college
Did 1 hour paperwork for womble land and talked to the old treasurer about the paperwork I need to finish a job for the end of the week
Got stuff on FB re the yard and got lady to email about xmas party too
Worked on my 'local recycling guide' identified areas where we need to find out who does what and the gaps we might be able to plug to get more folk to our site
Wrote a huge work to do list for all my jobs
Emailed about my website too
Delivered 1 1/2 doz eggs
HM tea (fish)
DD made a chore list which we're trying to stick too
Audition for cellist appeared to go OK
Bought a coffee at work 90p but could have made one for free - need mind on tomorrow
DW on overnight and emptied
Need to blog comment answers but am quite tired, I think it can wait
Talked to Mr F made him call me.

Need to do a pad to the card and then go sleep!

Have a good one guys last one up put the light out and the hen food on in the slow cooker!

lucielle

Gosh you managed to do a lot. Hope the winds aren't too bad
L

Karmacat

Thank heavens lucielle put the light back on ... it was a bit dark in here!

Good ideas from MrsMoo for Keiss - it would be lovely for your stuff to take off, Keiss, it really would. It must be so difficult to keep at it, when the sales are disappointing, but anything light in weight like hand made crafts, I honestly think the internet is a really important percentage of your sales ... keep at it!

Pippi, that sounds a full day, but a focussed, good'un, you know? Love the idea of a local recycling guide, when I was going to the tip in summer a lot with my sister, I was *horrified* at what people were throwing away.

Hope you don't get blown away up there - lots of rain and wind here overnight, but actually I think it was focussed down here - seems to be a lot calmer now.

Pippilongstocking

Thank you lL, morning kc

You're right great advice there for Ks, and yesterday was pretty productive.

Today another 7 working in town, a friend popping in for lunch, meeting cellist later for boot shopping, she's decided converse and wet weather don't work, lips sealed I said nothing, previously I'd mentioned boots for winter and was scoffed at!

Mince and tatties for tea, Xmas things to put up. No tree this year may take similar inspiration to kc

Itsadogslife_2

Keiss (sorry Pippi to butt in!), we have a WI newly set up in our village and crafty things seem to be a very popular choice for topics that people want to hear about. Whereabouts in the country are you? Speakers who attend meetings to give a talk get paid

Pippi, what a jam packed day you have today