One of my resolutions for this year is to participate in one art/craft fair each month from May through December. I have just sent in my jury package for the first one and, feeling optimistic of my chances, am working on my booth display.
I did do a couple of
small local fairs last year and my display was haphazard, at best. Here's what I was working with last year:
I was going for that "bohemian" vibe but sometimes I think it landed somewhere between "vagabond" and "homeless" (and I'm
not referring to the handsome guitar player in the back - that's my uber-cute hubby there to help me for the day!). This year I'm hoping for a more streamlined and tailored look. For starters, I will get my own canopy tent with sidewalls. This tent was borrowed and I was very appreciative but walls just look nicer and I want my own so I always know what I'm working with!
One thing I did get right was to make leg extenders for the table on the left in the photo above. I bought the 4' x 2' banquet table at Staples and then made leg extenders out of PVC components to bring it up to a nice height - I think it's about 40" tall now, which is a great height for customers.
So, I am getting started by taking the ONE thing I have (the banquet table) and making it better. I have spent the past few days making a nice table cover. It's fashioned from a great crushed velvet (machine-washable!!) in off-white with a cotton muslin lining. I am hand-sewing the whole thing - call me crazy but it's easier than trying to find a spot to sew it on the machine when you live in as tiny a house as we do! There's still work to do on it but here are some shots of it so far:
Here you can see how I'm gathering the front panel. I'm leaving lots of room along the hem so I can add weight - probably a length of chain - along the bottom to foil any winds that might want to blow up my table's skirt! (That's one of our puppies, Freckles, peeking around the corner)
In this shot you can see the front is finished and I'm adding the side and back panels. I will eventually close the corner seam but I am leaving the skirt open in the middle back so I can easily access anything I want to store out-of-sight at the shows. You can also just see a glimpse of one of the PVC leg extenders :)
I'm pretty excited about doing shows! I know it will be a ton of work but worth it, I hope, to get my creations in front of people. I know I don't like to buy things I haven't touched or held up or tried on - I don't think I'm alone in that. I'll be sure to keep you posted on the development of my booth design - now I'm off to price canopies (*eek*)
I like the bohemian look, especially since that is what my display looks like.
ReplyDeleteI think, however, that it needs to be cohesive. The same colored table cloths is a start. Your table cloth looks great.
My displays are different and the items I use to raise the height are different.
I try to stick to very small patterns or solids. I don't think I have anything plastic. I don't have anything too busy with decorations.
Be sure to post a picture of your finished booth. I need more inspiration for when I will actually have an inventory again.