I Try My Hand At a Craft Fair (A catch up!)

A catch up blog from last year!!

One of my friends from the crop decided that she was going to organise a craft fair and credit to her for organising it and doing it well.  As I hadn't at that point returned to work I thought I would have a stall and see what would happen.  My stall would sell artificial flower arrangements - as that would be the best way to show off my skills, generate some interest and hopefully raise my profile for my flower business - as it has now turned out selling flower arrangements is really more a hobby but more of that in another blog.

I came up with some simple designs, and made up some inexpensive arrangements - I think its vital to remember your audience when creating items to sell - you need to ensure you have a variety but all within the budgets of the clientele of the craft fair - so most of my designs were priced from around £4 to £12 with most at the lower end.  Although I could have sold the poppies in the jug at least 6 times - market research done (!) - as we were near Mother's Day too - arrangements to suit that occasion were a priority - so lots of pink which is not my own personal preference.

I was pleased as I sold 4, although making money was probably the least important aspect of the event and I spent what I made buying cupcakes for home and some crafting materials from another fellow cropper - who has masses of stock from when she ran an online craft store.  I was more interested in gauging responses and to see whether craft fairs would be a worthwhile avenue to pursue and what styles price ranges sold the best or market research as I would call it with my students now (ha ha!!).  For me the jury is still out on that, but as other events have taken over at the moment not something I can devote much time to anyway.

One of the best outcomes for me was bumping into one of the fellow cub Mums who is a friend of the organiser too, so we are now good buddies and I'm looking forward (for Jamie) when her son joins Scouts too.  So we spent a lot of the afternoon nattering and Jamie was happily nattering away to his old cubs buddy.  Thank you to Jamie for the photos from my phone as I'd forgotten to take them at home!!  An enjoyable afternoon.

Ciao

Sue

Reading challenge 4/20 - currently reading on Kindle Tower of Silence by Sarah Rayne and in print Drop Dead Beautiful by Jackie Collins

Christmas Flower Arranging

It was time for another visit to 'The Monday Club' I'll call it from now on, to do some Christmas arrangements and this was going to be lots of fun, the members of the group really could let their hair down and use lots of Christmassy embellishments such as candles, baubles, cranberries, cones and tons of ribbon.  And they did, they all seemed to have a really great time and made some pretty arrangements to take home.

It's a busy session but lots of fun, especially with dogs there too, the cake was again amazing and overall it was a very enjoyable afternoon.

Ciao
Sue
XX

Reading challenge 15/16 - Learn to Be An Optimist by Lucy MacDonald

Flower Club - December - Christmas Spectacular

Christmas flower club came around and we moved venue to the bigger Catholic Church Hall and the demonstrator was a very funny lady called Glenis Smith and these are her wonderful Christmas designs, each one representing an aspect of Christmas past or present and all equally stunning in their individual ways.

Her roses were stunning and the above arrangement mixed fresh and dried, some sprayed too.

This arrangement was to represent the Christmas fruit bowl, overflowing with lots of Christmas goodies.

Ciao
Sue
XX
Reading challenge 15/16 -Learn to be an Optimist by Lucy MacDonald

Christmas Flower Arranging Demonstration at Earls Barton, Northants

Despite the bad weather leading up to Christmas and plenty of germs doing the rounds in the house, I headed over to Earls Barton with some other flower arranging ladies for a Christmas demonstration by two Nafas National Demonstrators and another Nafas demonstrator, it was called 'Aspects of Christmas - Three Wise Men' as all the demonstrators were men - Lee Berrill, John Chennel and ?? (sorry).  The arrangements were all stunning, of course and there was a lovely tea provided for us afterwards too.  So onto the important bit the photos .....

Ciao
Sue
Reading challenge 15/16 - currently reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (not off my reading challenge)

Christmas Flower Classes

Not to much to say just some photos of the brilliant work of 'my students' really really proud of what they managed to achieve on this short course.  Great fun despite the atrocious weather and amazing work from total beginners, they were all very pleased with their achievements and rightly so!

 And some from a class where I covered for another tutor.

Ciao
Sue
Reading challenge 15/16 - currently reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (not off my reading challenge)