craft fair aftermath

so, it is now days after the craft fair, and i am still trying to tie up any loose ends and catch up on sleep!

i had the day off of work today, and was able to tidy up the house (which you couldn't see the floor of, due to piles and bowls full of fabric, yarn, felt, buttons & other bits and pieces).
i fell asleep around dinnertime last night, and was able to nap today, and i think i am almost back to feeling normal.

preparing for and participating in the craft fair was much more work than i had ever thought it would be, but it turned out to be WAY more exciting and gratifying than i had imagined! the 2 days flew by so fast, and i left on sunday night feeling such a sense of accomplishment and creativity!

when i was younger, in elementary school, i used to hang out with friends and we would make beaded necklaces on the front lawns of our parent's houses, dreaming of selling them at the beach. when i was in high school, i began working for our family business, and was able to be a part of a business that my dad built from the ground up. i was aware of the hard work and long hours that it took to run a business, but felt a sense of pride to be part of something that i wanted to help change, grow & succeed. when i was in university, i was trained and pushed to think of new ideas, and to constantly question and be inspired from my surroundings.

this craft fair was years in the making. it has always been in the back of my mind: create an interesting & handmade product that other people would love to have, and that i love to make & use/wear myself.

and so, when i began this months ago, i set a small goal for myself: sell 1 item per day at the craft fair.
that would be my success.
it would mean that at least 1 person each day had liked an item, that i had created, enough to purchase it!

i am so thankful that i surpassed that goal, and want to thank all of the friends and craft fair-goers that stopped by my table to support me!

i would like to thank james for putting up with weeks of having a wife that had only 1 thing in mind: CRAFT CRAFT CRAFT!
thanks for building the sign, easel, and many many wood boxes, and for being my sounding board when coming up with new ideas.
thank you to my family as well, who gave honest opinions about pricing & products, over the wondrous technology of ichat!

my goal now is to post everything that i have made onto etsy, and to continue to create many more items to be enjoyed.
i was able to photograph some of my paintings today, and hope to photograph the brooches & hair accessories tomorrow, to be posted on etsy.

here are a bunch of photos from the craft fair!
hopefully these will give you a good glimpse into the crafty world of i heart mondays ;)