Battlecreek Boutique - Fall Show

After a long (LONG) summer of the Farmer's Market, I'm pleased to say that I am doing Battlecreek Boutique once again. Why does this make me so happy? Well, for one - I don't have be there the entire time, as it's based on a cashier system. For another - I get to sell more stuff, silly.

No, but in all seriousness, some may remember that I did Battlecreek this past April. It was my first ever experience of selling in an open venue. Sure, etsy is safe and relatively unattached, but in a place where people can actually see and touch your creations? So exciting!

And sometimes a little disappointing. Last time, there was a moment in which I was "pretending" to look at my stuff so other people would come and be interested in what I was looking at (let's be realistic, it happens). I didn't tell anyone that it was my booth unless they asked. One lady (who did not ask) said some hurtful things about my jewelry, and I was astonished that she would even go as far as to say something like that out loud, but much less to someone she didn't know. But, regardless of her atrocious attitude, I did remarkably well for my first experience and then decided to continue on with other venues - such as the Farmer's Market.

When the opportunity arose to do Battlecreek's Fall show I jumped on it. I knew I wanted to improve upon what I had going last time, even if it still isn't top-professional grade like some other people's booths tend to be. I'm here to make money, not spend it on outrageously expensive walls and decor to present my stuff. That being said, I still tried my best to make it look presentable.

(ignore the unfinished corkboards, please :) Those were to be my project earlier this week, but I had some unavoidable issues with school that came up and made it impossible for me to doll them up)

Angled view of the booth. I had the 5x8, but it ended up being about 6x8 in most areas.
We got a little cut off on the far left side due to an unexpected table placement on the other side.

This N That Creations by Nikki

Crocheted hats by Touque

Adorable magnets by This N That by Nikki - Only $1!

I forgot to take a picture of my own display... the easiest explanation I can think of to that is that I am running on dangerously low levels of sleep right now ;) I will take one and be sure to add it to this post later. Special thanks to Allison J. for making sure everything looks as good as it does. Without her, I would have... well, I don't know what I would have done.

Everyone, please come by! Even if you aren't interested in what my booth has to offer, there are other fabulous finds at Battlecreek.

New Inventory for 8/18/2012

I ordered new inventory pieces a couple of weeks ago, and a few (or 12) came in the mail yesterday. I was starting to get worried that I wouldn't have the time (or anything) to put anything together for the market this weekend, but I fortunately did.

Here are just a few:



Miniature bronze bows, steampunk bronze robots, and Tibetan silver Eiffel Towers.

Sexy lady cats & elephant heads.



Pirate themed! Or gothic. Or emo. Or whatever. Skulls, helms, and a combo!



It's never the wrong time to be patriotic... or just wear a funky hot air balloon on your head.



And finally - old fashioned steampunk high wheel bikes.
(I actually thought I ordered the miniature version, but I kind of like the large size!)


See you on Saturday!

Luke Wilson = Mary Ann Angell Reincarnate?

According to the photo that The Cultural Hall put up on facebook this morning, my great-great-great-great grandmother - Mary Ann Angell looks just like Luke Wilson.

They're right.

P.S. Mary Ann Angell was the second wife of Brigham Young.

Provo Farmers Market

This year has been interesting. Among normal yearly activities, I started my own jewelry business while taking an 18 credit semester. Not the wisest timing, but it has turned out to work in my favor. I got all A's and A-'s in my classes and was ready to do my first craft show on the very last day of the semester. Sure, I had next-to-no life, but I gained life-experience, and there's something to say for that... right? Who needs friends when you have flat back posts, industrial strength glue, and resin flowers to piece together? ;)

 (sorry for the poor quality - almost all of these photos were taken on my phone)

That show went okay. Yeah, just okay. I'm proud of the mediocre success I had, considering it was my first time selling in a public venue, and it at least made me back enough to have spending money on my much needed Caribbean cruise. But, in retrospect it was a dump. I think I knew it at the time, too, I just didn't want to discourage myself, so I kept telling myself that I was doing AWESOME. Awesomely bad.

I almost stopped my business venture right there. I was in the hole financially and I knew I would have to spend quite a bit of money to make it to a good place with my finances... but, was I prepared to do that? I don't know if it was pure-dumb-luck or straight up lack-of-self-control addiction but I decided to give it another go.

I took a month off to prepare new inventory before opening a booth at the Provo Farmer's Market. If you haven't been yet, you need to go! It's small, but it's eclectic and fun. There are craft vendors, farmers (yeah, for real! ;)), and amazing food: stone-fire pizza, authentic Mexican tacos, waffles, crepes, etc... And everyone is prepared to give you a killer deal. Me included. 

See my booth there? Cute, in'it? My regular prices range from $1-$14, and I often times have 50% sales. Got your attention? That means that the majority of my inventory is sometimes only $1.50, and some even only .50 (those are a popular seller!). I'm glad I decided to keep going. I currently bring in more money from six hours on a Saturday than I do during an entire week of part-time work during the semester, so it's been a huge blessing in my life. 

That pure-dumb-luck has paid off :)