Time for Jammin'....

Yesterday we picked the strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries that have grown in abundance in our small garden. Time to make jam for the next fair ( Groby Street Fair and Ceilidh on 25th June) I've designed some lovely labels, all cut out and ready to be pasted on the jars, which are sorted ready to be washed and sterilized. I love making jam... it's really therapeutic... and these filled sparkling jars fill me with a great sense of pride and achievement, specially when, on the stall, customers come back for more. Sometimes we get regulars who remember us from other fairs, and who have bought from us in the past. At least jam smells LOVELY when it's cooking - not like the overpowering eye-watering chutney pongs !!!!!

               VERY BERRY.....a combination of strawberry, raspberry & blueberry.

                                                   Nicely finished and ready for the stall !

General advice with exhibiting at craft events

Stall finder advice

Finding and Booking Events

Many events are found via word of mouth, in local press, the internet or on community noticeboards. For an up-to date list of UK events and local events, you can use Stallfinder to find events by county, find events by type or find events by month. If, having found where you wish to craft using stallfinder.com, because all us crafters are courteous folk, leave a mention of where you found the information, thankyou.

A valuable source of information regarding most subjects concerning crafting and events will be found at http://www.stallfinder.com/

Booking Events
 
There are a number of things that need to be considered when booking into an event.

·         Is anyone else going to be selling similar products? 

·         Is the event suitable for your products e.g right target market, handcrafted/handmade items only  

·         How much is the fee or commission rate?

·         Booking form - if possible, doublecheck cancellation/refund Ts and Cs and any deposit details.

·         Is a raffle prize required?

·         Is a stand/table provided and if so how large?

·         Are there any arrangements for parking and unloading?

·         Are directions available to the venue?

·         Is there an estimated  number of attendees?

·         Advance publicity - how well has the event been advertised? Can you help to display/distribute any flyers etc.?

·         Is access to power available if needed?

·         Have you exchanged contact numbers in case of any questions or problems either before or on the night?

·         Is public liablity insurance required? See below for more details on this.

Public Liability Insurance

Many larger events and venues now insist that all stallholders provide proof of Public Liability Insurance coverage.

If members of the public or customers come to your premises or you go to theirs, you should consider taking out public liability insurance. This type of insurance covers any awards of damages given to members of the public because of an injury or damage to their property caused by you or your business. It also covers any related legal fees, costs and expenses as well any hospital treatment costs (including ambulance costs) that the NHS may claim from you.

If you work from home, and customers or members of the public visit you there, you may also want to think about taking out public liability insurance.

Premiums depend on the type of business you run, your turnover and the number of employees you have. There are many conditions, exclusions and warranties that can be applied to public liability policies so it is important to discuss any that are applicable to your policy with your insurance advisor.

Making the Most of an Event

There are many ways to make the most of an event or booking and promote both yourself and your business in a positive way. Events are an opportunity to promote you, your company and your goods and services to a new customer base. You will hopefully get sales on the day but also repeat business in the longer-term.

·         Be positive about your business when dealing with customers, organisers and other stallholders.

·         Smile, look approachable and be polite.

·         Move around and mingle - don't sit behind a table looking fed up if the event is quieter than you'd hoped.

·         Exchange business cards, publicity etc. with other stallholders.

·         Take a diary and try to get event/party bookings.

·         Display publicity, business cards etc prominently on your stall.

·         Have a visitors book or clipboard for customers to leave their details in order to receive further information, brochures etc.

·         Chat to the event organiser and ask to be considered as a stallholder for any future events.

Preparing for an Event

Preparing for an event really is just a matter of making sure that you are ready to show off your goods and services to their best advantage. Obviously you need to ensure that any stock required will be available in good time for the event. You may want to cellophane or package items to protect them or display them more attractively. You should think about how you intend to display items and whether you have the necessary stands or baskets etc. You might find it useful to practice your display and take a photograph which you can then use to recreate it - useful for a quick set-up under time pressure.
Doublecheck that you have all the contact information, timings, venue details and directions that you need. It may be worth a quick phonecall to the organiser a day or two before to make sure the event is still going to plan.
What to take to events

There are a number of things that are useful, if not essential to take along to events e.g. 

·         Own table if not provided

·         Tablecloth - often useful to have a spare in case of extra, large or unusually-shaped table

·         Cash tin, float and calculator

·         Notepad, pens, bluetac, Sellotape, scissors

·         Bags

·         Receipt pads and order forms if applicable

·         Display equipment, baskets or stands

·         Flask and refreshments

·         Business cards & publicity

·         Price signs

·         Brochures or leaflets

·         Stock

·         Clipboard or visitor's book

·         Diary

·         Canopy, gazebo, all weather protection

·         Sunscreen and hat

·         Chair if not provided

Networking

Networking basically involves making connections and building relationships both socially and commercially. There are many online communities, local business and social networking groups that you can join and extend your network. Well known networking sites include Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo and Linkedin and Ecademy.

There are many other sites which have forums specifically aimed at small business owners or parents working from home such as Netmums, Mumsclub, Mumszone, Giant Potential, Webmums, ivillage, Mumsnet, and BabyCentre where you can exchange ideas and information.

You may find local business networking groups who meet regularly in your area and events such as this are a very useful way to make contacts and build your business locally.
 Events are an excellent way to network as, even if you haven't managed to book a table or stand as a stallholder, you can try and chat to the organiser and ask to be added to their list of potential stallholders for future events. You can also hand out your business card and chat about your business to as many people as possible.

Family, friends and work colleagues are a great basis for forming a network of potential customers or useful business contacts. Try to think of everyone you know and who they know and so on. Talk about your business to as many people as you can and look for opportunities to promote what you do.

UPDATE:

Our next event is Groby Street Fair and Ceilidh, on 25th June 2011. We'll post pictures !

Bottesford Primary School Scarecrow Festival, 12th June 2011

Up at 5.30am, breakfast, packed a lunch, and into the pre-packed car... 1 hour 15 mins later we arrive at the lovely village of Bottesford. The sun was shining... not a hint of a breeze...going to be a lovely day.... I spoke too soon....

We just finished erecting the gazebo and the heavens opened.  Some of the crafters, who arrived WITHOUT gazebos, packed and went home. I felt SO sorry for the group of organisers, who bent over backwards to help us all, who organized the event to perfection ( specially Gina...who seemed to be in 10 places at once!!!!) And bless the children and teachers who danced well-choreographed routines in the rain, and the young trumpet players.

This is why it's SO important to take a gazebo with you on an outdoor event... our British weather is so unreliable, it went from hot and sunny - to freezing cold and wet - in a matter of an hour. At least we are reasonably sheltered, here's Richard with his hot coffee, so at least we are DRY !

These brave children were Maypole dancing in the rain.

This interviewer was brave enough to sample DRAGON SNOT, which he declared DELICIOUS ! Then he interviewed Richard ( while I photographed it all ) and asked lots of questions about Cornstalk Crafts.

Because of the inclement weather, not as many visitors turned up as were expected - and I don't blame them !  Hopefully we'll be invited back for the Christmas Fair, which I'm sure will be INDOORS!!!!   Thank you Bottesford Primary School for making us so welcome... see you soon !   xxxxx

Transportation to events

My little Renault Clio

Richards bit!

Being able to transport all of our crafting accouterments to the various events and shows can prove challenging. when packing my car, i have a small v.economical efficient vehicle to keep running costs to the minimum, my trusty steed is a Renault Clio diesel, always delivers 70+ miles to the gallon driven at road legal speeds and sometimes above!



Starting with an empty car makes life easier

 To increase the carry capacity I have removed the rear seats which have helped to make loading easier by giving a flatter and unobstructed area to work in.
"Starting with an empty car makes life easier"

Full complement for a crafting event

After a little thought and invention everything is installed in the vehicle, let me see????? kitchen sink, lawn mower and pond fish, no seriously some thought needs to go in to what you need as opposed to what you want to take.

Even with the amount on board there is still room for some small items.

When packing the vehicle any items that you will need to take out last will need to be packed in the car first this will make for stress free set up when arriving at your destination, especially if the weather is inclement and you need to erect that gazebo quickly, if the weather is raining getting everything out to get to the gazebo will allow your crafts to get wet, and you don't want that?

All  is well and good when the weather is warm and dry, but when packing away wet at the end of an event this will be different, if you do need to pack away the gazebo when wet it probably will not fit in the bag wet as well as when it is dry (water takes up more room),  this is when careful packing of the car isn't possible, it's a case of putting the gazebo where you have available room and is still needs to be the last item to pack away, you need the cover of the gazebo to pack all your crafts into boxes before loading the vehicle.

Like everything in life no two packing's or packing aways are the same, so when you think you have cracked the vehicle packing along comes that extra box/larger table or just more of everything and you have to start again, then of course if you are at the limit in carrying capacity you may have to upgrade to another vehicle that is suitable for carrying extra, or purchase a trailer to help ease the load, or maybe a roof box for the lighter items.

Trailerdom arrives

Well it finally happened, our crafting wares and possessions has now grown and can no longer pack all the items we need into the car, we made the decision to go down the trailer route to carry our gear.

Firstly I needed to source a tow bar for the Clio, not difficult there are plenty of approved type tow bars on the market, look on EBay best prices and advice without to much searching, located and purchased one, free delivery in two days from ordering, easy peasy.

On arrival checked out supplied parts were all complete and set to work fitting, full instructions were easy to follow if you are competent with a spanner and d.i.y, no drilling or cutting of body work either, after the tow bar had been fitted and weatherproofed with waxoyl the electrics needed to be sorted, again instructions supplied along with a selection of scotchloks and connectors, step by step instructions to follow, to test the circuitry as you complete each section either and trailer board, if you have one, or a dedicated tester that test each connection you make is the correct one that will power the different lights on the trailer.




Finished tow bar and single electric socket

 

Close up of tow bar and electric, no cutting of body work





Trailer on hard standing area resting on axle stand
have now fitted a jockey wheel to make manoeuvring  when unhitched easier and safer



Our little trailer, 5x4 feet and 20 inches deep load area, wooden floor and metal body carried on and A frame chassis, plenty of room in there for Hobbity to travel in, can get all crafting in the car now! (joking).

Now able to keep the gazebo and associated bits, pegs, mallet, poles, ratchet straps, raisers, chairs and tables separated from any soft or sensitive crafting items that aren't secured in hard plastic boxes. When we have to pack away a wet gazebo we are assured by packing it away in the trailer any water seepage won't interfere with other items that may spoil.

Pine cone hunting....

Today we went pine cone hunting, and returned with a sackful. Last year's pine cones are well seasoned and perfect for making scented firelighters. We fill a basket with these scented gems and put them by the side of our open fire in winter - it fills the room with a divine smell of spicy mulled wine ( we use a blend of spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cloves etc, in the winter months, but use opium or patchouli in summer months.)  Unfortunately these are very expensive to make, 2kg of wax is £17.00, plus candle fragrances and wick.  We DO sell them, and visitors regularly comment on them, it seems they aren't seen very often on craft stalls!

UPDATE:

We will be exhibiting at Bottesford Scarecrow Festival on 12th June  ( 12 noon til 4pm )....  come and say hello !

It's beginning to look a lot like......

 

Christmas !    Yeah, we know, it's months away yet ! But we make our crafts by hand... and it really is time-consuming, so we start early, making a few things here and there, inbetween summer fairs. All the novelty boxes and bags are already printed, made up and stored til November, when the Christmas Fairs begin.  The photo above shows a plate of snowman faces, made in cream fleece with bright orange Fimo clay noses and black bead eyes, In America these types of decorations are called "bowl-fillers."

                                                                   Christmas stall, 2010.

OMG.... the smell........!!!!!

Today we made Plum & Chilli Chutney,  ready to mature for our next fair on 25th of this month (Groby Street Fair and Ceilidh.)  For anyone who has never made chutney, be warned - the smell is so pungent it makes your eyes water. A mixture of hot vinegar, spices and enormous amounts of chopped onions, chilli peppers and assorted veg fill the whole house with it's evil stench, even if you shut all doors tightly...phewwwwwww ! Windows wide open, back door ajar, and still it lingers!   It takes 7 hours to cook down, which seems to be forever when you're flippin' chokin' on hot vinegar fumes! Hopefully tomorrow we can take the gas masks off ! We did lose the budgie for a while, but he tasted better when we fished him out.

Jewellery... charm bracelets.

We now have a range of handcrafted jewellery, depending on what we have in stock. We have the components imported, and make up the items ourselves. Sparkling charm bracelets, unusual watches,  and even our own paper bead necklaces, which little girls love.

Christmas 2010

               Here's proof that Santa CAN be bribed...!!!!!   Richard offers a truffle to our special visitor.

                                                      Sweets, dolls, tags and jewellery.

                                                 Broughton Astley Christmas Craft Event, Leics     

                                   And this year we aim to improve the stall with lots of new treats!

Chocolates...

You must try our fabulous sweet creations part produced by my loving hands (Richard). Trouble with being chief product tester you don't notice how quickly they vanish! still my dentists loves me. Inspiration comes in many forms for our creations and is mainly down to our own individual tastes and what we know people like and have expressed a preference for. Some of our best sellers are chocolates and fancies, and who doesn't like a treat once in a while?  I'm really proud of Richard, he's learnt to roll truffles and make marzipan fruits. White choc truffles are divine, lovely creamy smooth texture that just melts on your tongue. The dark truffles have a bitter cocoa powder coating that offsets the sweetness of the centre. Marzipan fruits and veg are hand-shaped and coloured. Then we have Turkish Delight, Coconut Ice, Chocolate Harlequin, Peppermint Creams, Rose Creams, Coffee Creams...we could go on ! We only use best quality ingredients, and we design our own bags, or boxes, which we print out and put together ourselves.

Designing....

Half the fun in crafting is designing bags and boxes to put your treasures in.  It's SO important to make bags and boxes DIFFERENT from any other stallholders table. We design, print and make our own bags. It's all printed on glossy or matte photo paper for top quality images. Christmas is our most favourite time, we have so many seasonal boxes and bags to make. We won BEST STALL last Christmas on one craft event - and won a prize!

Some of our crafts....

All our craft creations are bespoke, so even when you choose seemingly identical objects they will be unique to you and no guarantee can be made that two will be the same, you will always have a unique and special gift for yourself or to give as a present to a loved one. If you want a particular idea realising discuss with us to see if it can be accomplished.
If you have any questions about a project we can help you with don't hesitate to ask and we will endeavour to answer them.

Quiz - with a prize !!!!

Ok... Richard's title for this was...  " It came from outer space"... now....  what the flippin' eck is it?  The first person to guess correctly will win a bag of luxury white truffles, with our complements ! Get thinking... xxxx

Fairs coming up....

We will be attending Groby Street Fair and Ceilidh on 25th June, followed by Thorpe Arnold Craft fair on 3rd July... come and say hello, and browse the stall !  Try our own hand madechocs...mmmmmmmmm you won't be disappointed.

First.... catch your dragon.......

Radio Loros has mentioned us a couple of times, due to a tasty little treat..... DRAGON SNOT.... do you realize how hard it is to wrestle a dragon to the ground?  LOL  We reckon little lads would love this. Anything to do with bogeys, pooh or bums will always pull the lads !

How easy is it to erect a gazebo?????

When we started exhibiting outdoors, we decided to buy a gazebo. Oh gosh - a 3m x 3m gazebo seems as big as a circus tent (or Tardis) when it's all laid out...!!!  It took a few trial runs to synchronize our 2-person team to set it up.  The difference inside it on a cooler day is amazing, no draughty winds, all toasty warm, nice comfy chairs and a vacuum flask - can't beat it !

This is a must if you intend to exhibit your stall out of doors when the English weather can be so unpredictable, nobody wants their handicrafts to be damaged or lost to wind, rain or sun, not only protecting the wares but ourselves benefit from staying comfortable while giving our customers a degree of shelter if the weather is temperamental.

Cornstalk Crafts

Hello everyone !  Cornstalk Crafts began in September 2010, with just a flat table with handmade crafts. Now we have lots of items - and you can't believe how much fun it is to attend craft shows. There's a sense of camaraderie amongst crafters, that you make new friendships all the time! When I find out how to put pictures on here - I'll put some on !  As you can see - I found out !!!!

This was our very first stall - and, looking back,  I can't believe how messy it was! Everything piled up, nothing priced - more like a jumble sale than handcrafts! I cringe when I look at this picture.  Now look at the difference...

The stall is now so inviting! Richard, bless him, spent so much time in the garage building the raisers, and sawing up the banner poles, which he cleverly constructed to fit the raisers, giving the stall added height and room to hang the banner and garlands, etc. I ( Sheila)  made bunting, which cost pennies, because I used left-over fabrics and bias binding.  The completed stall is now covered with a long black tablecloth, overlaid with a shorter gold one - the effect is just lovely!  Our overworked printer is put into action for the labels, boxes and bags. We DO try to make EVERYTHING on the stall.