Artists for Animals Faire

I will be a part of the Artists for Animals Faire in Apex, NC on April 21, 2012. A lot of work has been done to make this festival come together. It should be awesome. There will be music all day, wine tastings, animals to see and some to adopt as well as more performers and artists than you can count.

 Here's the Press Release on the event.

Apex, NC - 16 March 2012 - The Apex Arts Council (AAC) soon will host the Artists for Animals Faire, one of the largest art shows ever undertaken by the group. Well over fifty artists of all types have already booked space to show and sell their work, and enough bands and musicians to provide continuous live music for the entire day. The event is scheduled to take place from 10:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at the Cloer Family Vineyards in Apex.

The name of the show indicates the AAC will donate half of the profits to three local animal rescue groups. The groups to receive the official donations are Carolina Tiger Rescue, Paw Prints Animal Rescue, and the Triangle Chapter of the US Equine Rescue League.

"The community response to this event is phenomenal!" said AAC President Bob Crowley. "We are expecting a record number of visitors throughout the day, and that provides local businesses with some intriguing opportunities as sponsors." 

Sponsorships are still available at all levels for the show. These can take the form of gift cards, merchandise, and even cash donations from anyone interested. All sponsors will receive recognition at the event with announcements and signage, and appear on the Apex Arts Council website for the next year. Donations of gift cards and merchandise will be raffled at the event with drawings done by local celebrities such as Town of Apex Ambassador J.C. Knowles and Mrs. Eastern Piedmont Heather Bruno.

Artists expected to display their talents at the event will include painters, sculptors, photographers, poets, dancers, bands, and many others. The concept is to fill the day with as many artistic disciplines as possible. Along with this, since the focus will benefit animals as well as art, a number of cows, horses, cats, dogs, and other species will be attending and available to meet our human visitors. Art and literature will be available for purchase, puppies and kittens will be available for adoption, and the vineyard will have wine for tasting and purchase.

Admission to the event is FREE! This day at the Faire should prove to be entertaining, educational, and fun for all. Selected vendors will provide coffee, soft drinks, snacks, and ice cream for purchase.

For more information, please visit the Artists for Animals official page. 

 You can also SIGN UP FOR ART CLASSES AT THE FAIRE! CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION

What I've Learned in My First Year of Craft Shows

Craft shows in North Carolina have been a bit tricky in my first year. There are busy periods of time that I had to decide which to choose and other times when there was none. My personal life keeps me from traveling to other metropolitan areas so my lessons are based on shows in the Raleigh-Durham area of NC.

Craft shows are seasonal. Many patrons of craft shows tend to visit during the spring and fall. Our summer weather is usually in the 90's, a temperature that keeps people inside or by a pool. Right after Christmas there is a 3 month lull that coincides with the winter weather. There is a lack of interest and of sheltered venues.

Between spring and fall, fall is the best season for craft shows for products like mine. Customers are interested in Holiday gifts. If you have garden related items such as yard art and birdhouses I would imagine that spring would be a stronger season for craft shows.

Advertising is everything. I remember being involved with a show that was the first show for a local group. The venue wasn't the best. We were in an environment that didn't have a lot of passerby traffic; some of us were inside and some were suppose to be outside. I decided to be outside so I could use a standard space of 10x10 instead of one 6' table. I also felt that being outside would draw more attention to the show and bring more customers to us all.

We barely had any traffic and by 1:00 I packed up.  On my way out, I looked for the signs that directed traffic to us. I was very disappointed when I saw how my application fee was applied. There were signs alright. Little 18x24 signs with curly Q lettering in pink. The signs looked like it was directing people to a private party for a little girl, not for a shop-worthy show.

You can advertise like crazy in local papers and social networks, but if you don't have signs that screams "here we are" all that previous talk is for naught. People who are interested in you will drive right pass if the sign is not an eye-catcher, especially when its a new show. Looking back I'm not sure if it would have been better if I had been more involved and educated about what steps the coordinators took or to stay away from start up shows and visit them instead for future shows.

Big shows don't necessarily mean better. Everyone who vends at craft shows has asked themselves at one time or another whether its better to choose a church or small town show or a larger city show. Many of the larger shows are juried which means you have to adhere to the category that they accept you in.

I applied to one that was a really large show that I knew would bring crowds. I was accepted in the Fiber Art Non-Wearable category only. For someone who likes to make what I like, this was a hard category to fill but I felt I was up to the task and was soon producing products that I thought would work. Unfortunately, Hurricane Irene had other ideas for that particular weekend. Subsequent shows proved that some of my items were on target, others were way off base. Interestingly the more popular items were the most wearable. My Kitty Cat Kindle Case is now widely regarded as a purse. And purses are considered outside of the category I was accepted in.

Would I apply to this show in the future? I’m not sure, honestly. It was a great learning experience as it was. It forced me to grow in ways I hadn’t thought of before. But the enforceable limitations makes me consider not applying again.

The alternative to this setting is working with shows in smaller towns and churches. These are usually associated with themes. Here in NC there are a lot of farm related theme shows and churches have shows associated with community yard sales and child-friendly events. You have a smaller amount of participants and potential customers. But, word of mouth is a great way to advertise.

People are excited about the opportunity of doing something outside the norm at their small town festivals. The church’s congregation is openly supportive and many times this support applies to extended family members and friends. I’m not sure how this venue would be for other types of craft but for me, it’s a wonderful way to meet new people who would never drive to the big city for the larger shows.

This coming year I will push the limits on the seasons. I want to involve myself with a farmers market. There are several in the area and they inherently run through the whole summer. This is one event that does bring people out in the summer and many close as the pavement heats up. I can successfully set dates in advance when other types of shows are in hiatus. It’s going to be a great year of growth and I’m really looking forward to it.

What have you learned? I'd love to hear from you if you have any advice you would like to pass along.

Have You Walked Your Art Today?

This Sunday there is a art and craft show in historic Boylan Heights area in downtown Raleigh.  This is an unusual concept; there will be 'stalls' on the porches of these grand southern homes. This is their 19th year hosting this show.

Imagine being able to stroll down the sidewalk under giant oak trees visiting all the bungalow houses and shopping on their large porches. Fascinating. I'm really excited about being there.

It will be from noon to 5pm on Sunday December 4th, 2011. Here's a photo album of who will be a part of the show. For more information, please visit their site. Lastly here's a map to help you get there.

Hollyfest 2011 is This Weekend

If you are looking for something to do on Halloween weekend, may I suggest you take a look at Hollyfest in Holly Springs, NC.  There's free children entertainment including rides and bouncy houses plus so much more including:

• Robinson's Racing Pigs
• Hollyfest 5K, 1-Mile Fun Run & Tot Trot
• Pirates
• Costume Parade
• Pumpkin Carving Contest
• Fire Truck & Police Cars on Display

I will be there, of course, and I'm really looking forward to the day's events. Here's a quick glace of my market bags, kindle cases and purse charms I'll have with me.

If you want more information about this weekend's festival in Holly Springs, NC, please visit their website.

Chapel Hill's Festifall

Next week, I will be participating in the Festifall Arts Festival in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It's just a hop away from the UNC campus, Tarheel Land.

Accuweather.com is predicting the day to be partly sunny and 76. Can't beat that with a stick. After the weather pulling stunts on the last two shows I'm so ready to have a day to work out well.

Here's some information I gleaned from Town of Chapel Hill's Festifall's website:
Voted Chapel Hill Magazine's Best Annual Event

Sunday, October 2, 2011
Extended Hours: 12pm - 6pm 

Chapel Hills Festifall, Orange County’s premier outdoor event takes place along the tree lined streets of West Franklin Street in Downtown Chapel Hill and hosts over 15,000 attendees.

Download an Official Festifall Event Guide Click Here

There's plenty of places to eat at kiosks at the show plus many restaurants close by. There's several shows and activites for the family to enjoy when it's time for a respite. The schedule is here.

It's going to be a great time, I hope to see you there. I'll leave you with more photos from previous shows.

   

SPARKcon 2011

SPARKcon is a showcase of creativity, talent and ideas of
“The Creative Hub of the South,” the Triangle of NC.

Less than one week to go until the BazaarSPARK!  It's a part of a larger celebration of the diverse arts found in North Carolina and I am so ready for this. This will be the 6th annual SPARKcon. It is a  program of Visual Art Exchange, a Raleigh non-profit whose mission is to support emerging artists and connect the community to the arts.

This will be my first show since early summer. I'm beyond excited to be face to face with people and talking about all the happenings of the beautiful day. 

The celebration starts September 15 and lasts until the 18th. For more information about all the happenings, visit the SPARKcon website.

Lazy Daze 2011 Are we there yet?

It's almost time for Lazy Daze!  This is one of the best arts and craft festival around. It's been confirmed as Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 Events for August 2011!

Last year there was 50, 000 people there enjoying the festivities. This year I'll be there as a vendor and not as a customer for the first time. It's going to be awesome!

Inaugural year of Lazy Daze

What's really cool about this is that I remember riding my bike to the festival as a kid. I only lived a couple of blocks away and it was one of the few events that my mother would let me go to unattended. I'd spend all day there shopping and looking and shopping some more. I'd come home with trinkets and charms. Still have some in fact. But I digress.


I've got alot of new items never before seen. Here's a little bit that I'll have.



Amigurumi Cat with a little heart on its chest



While Lazy Daze has the Where's Jerry Contest, you can ask me "Where's Perry?"



There's a monster with a strange little smile waiting for you.

Cupcake Ereader Case for your Nook Color or Kindle

Roomy wallet style case for your cell phone or passort

Cotton washcloths for your bath or kitchen

Deluxe Spa Set perfect for gift giving

Can't wait to see you!

What Should I Do? or, I Love Feedback!

2011 has been a busy one and there's no end in sight. There’s many wonderful craft shows and festivals in the Raleigh-Durham area of NC that I’ve been hopping from one to another. It’s been great meeting so many people and getting instant feedback about my products. I love feedback; whether its good or bad, feedback tells you what you are doing right and what needs to be changed.

I started out the season with just owls. When Easter came, there was an instant interest in bunny rabbit keychains. Once I had those two choices, I’ve had requests for other animals. Cats and dogs topped the list for great amigurumi keychains.

I also received requests for lots of spotted animals like giraffes and ladybugs. I’m still ciphering how to make these without any raising the prices. Every little extra thing takes more time and who wants to buy a $30 keychain? If you do, leave a comment and tell me so, I love feedback.

Lazy Daze Festival in Cary, NC is coming up in August. This is one of the biggest and best shows around. I’ve been accepted but I can only show fiber art items, not fiber art wearable. So no brooches and necklaces for Designing Impressions this year. That leaves just the keychains.

I have been playing with other fiber art items. They are toys I’ve made that are suitable for kids and adults.  They have no plastic pieces that can be chewed on or popped out. Plus the are small enough to keep in or on you desk at work and you can squeeze the life out of them when you’re stressed out.

For information about where I’ll be, you can check out my calendar that's now set up on the second page of this blog.

And if you like to get involved with what I should be making for Lazy Daze, I have a question on my Facebook page. Stop by and give you input. I love feedback. =)