Friday, July 31, 2009

Craft Show Tent Shopping

I am currently in the market for a good craft fair tent. I have looked at a ton of tents it seems. I want to spend around $400 on the tent in the hopes that it will last for several years without replacing it. I know that Trimline has probably got the best tent but with shipping the tent would end up costing $1000 which is way out of my budget.

So it looks like I'm pretty much stuck getting an EZ Up tent. I have looked at a bunch of their tents and I am thinking of going with their dome tent which looks very similar to the Trimline tent and is within my budget of $400. I will probably be buying the tent this coming week because of how soon my outdoor fair is coming up.

Do any of my readers have any experience with this tent or do you know of a better tent that will fit within in my budget. Any comments or suggestions would be welcome. Thanks

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

New Catalogs

I got a few new catalogs yesterday which is always fun for me. I love seeing new products and making a big wish list - most of which I never get around to buying.

One catalog I was really happy to receive was the new Nashville Wraps catalog. It is a catalog of all kinds of bags, boxes, wrapping paper and such. When I got my first catalog some months back I put in a large order for recycled Kraft bags with handles to use at the craft fairs.

I got the blank bags so I could stamp my own and make them unique to me. I bought this awesome custom stamp from terbearco on Etsy that I use as well as a roller stamp that has a swirly design. With ribbon I tie one of my business cards to the handle so that every customer gets a card. It has worked out very well for me.

So now I need to put in another large order with them so that I will have plenty of bags to get me through to the end of the year.

Nashville Wraps new catalog is filled with wonder Christmas bags and boxes and things. As well as more everyday designs. You can really put together a great signature look with what they have to offer. Their prices are reasonable too. I highly recommend them if you are in the market for these types of items.

Their website is www.nashvillewraps.com and the catalog is free.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Gearing Up

I have put in a bunch of orders and will be getting lots of new goodies over the coming week. I am excited to get them and start working on new things. I am gearing up for the coming craft fairs and new online offerings.

I have actually started to make Christmas cards already. I would like to have 6 new designs for the upcoming season so that I can retire some that I have had for a couple of years now. Don't want to get stale at the shows. I am also working on new journals, note pads, note cards and everyday occasion cards. The only thing I don't seem to have the time to fit in right now is new scrapbook pages. I would ike to get one or two new ones made for my online shop.

Even starting this early I always feel like I won't have enough time to get things finished in time. I usually do make almost all of what I set out to make but I can't seem to stop the nagging doubt in my brain. I just have to keep plugging away.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Bind It All

I used my new Bind It All machine for the first time yesterday. I went in with the thought that it would be pretty easy to use and I would have a wonderful masterpiece of a journal when I was finished.

Boy was I wrong. It is not that easy at all. I had a hard time lining things up (probably operator error) to punch more holes as I went along. I went through a ton of paper just trying to get some of the holes to line up. I never did get one that was totally right. I was totally disappointed that at the end of a long afternoon I had a journal that was barely useable and a large pile of paper that will now have to be used for something else.

I now know that I have to do a lot of practicing before I attempt to make another journal. i won't give up on it that is for sure. I am sure with time I will be a pro and I will look at my original attempt and laugh.

So for any of you out there that are thinking about getting one of these please know that it will take a lot of practice before you try a big project. I'm sure some of you will do better right from the start than I did. I do love the machine and I just have to get used to it.