The DIY Trunk Show Preview

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The one and only great and fantastic DIY Trunk Show is this upcoming weekend – on Saturday, November 20th from 10am to 5pm in Wicker Park’s Pulaski Field House. Pierogi Picnic will be there – in the same spot as last year – hawking our wears. Though I’m always excited about showcasing my work in person – this is the show where I shop till I drop. Everything from Christmas presents, to housewares, to clothes – the DIY Trunk Show is the whamy of craft fairs.

The secret to the Chicago Craft Mafia’s bazaar’s success lies in one of the underlying premises – all vendors must live within a 100 mile radius of the city. So not only are you buying handmade – you’re truly supporting local artisans! So be sure to pencil in this coming Saturday into your calendar as the day you shop till you drop. Until then – here’s a sneak peak at some of the new goodies I’ll be bringing.

Devising Strategy

Fall is by far my favorite season. Some people consider Spring a time for renewal – but autumn is my time to shine and muse and focus on the coming months. Perhaps it’s knowing that another Chicago winter is upon me, and this pushes me forward to breathe in all of nature’s fading smells. It’s also my last chance to prepare for the holiday retail season. In the past two years I never went forth with a specific strategy towards making an easy flow for production, promotion, and product prep. But this year I am devising a plan. Continue reading

Staying Inspired – 11 Tips

 

"Keep it Easy" by Laura George

 

These past few weeks have been a real whirlwind between my day job and Pierogi Picnic. Renegade took months of preparation but paid off by encouraging and inspiring me in totally new ways – so the trade off worked. But September was rough on my Etsy and this weekend’s show was a bit ‘wha wha’. What normally is one of my best months of the year was a total bust this time around.

At the show I had the chance to connect with other artists and share similar thoughts about the unpredictability of crafty businesses. One week your up – the next your down – but staying inspired is a daunting task when juggling day to day life, work, and a creative biz. So here are my tips for turning things up when they’re looking south:

1) Experiment. Continue reading

Rockin’ Renegade 2010

The weekend is over and all of our preparations culminated in the excitement of the last two days! Saturday met us with a chilly and wet beginning. We packed up the car in our pajamas trying to beat the rain. Once we had things lock, stock, and barrel, we slowed down for a simple breakfast and game plan breakdown. It would be wet, we’d be setting up in the cold rain, and we’d have Peanut, our super sweet BT Frenchie mix along for the first half of the day.

Despite the hazy and chilly start to our day – Saturday turned out to be a wonderful day! Once the raindrops stopped we pulled down our tent walls to let some air flow through. We had done minor merchandising for fear of dampening – but once the sun was out we pulled out all the stops! Racks came out into the street, our lil’ vintage bench hit the curb, and an alluring accessories table was placed to peak out of the tent ‘just so.’ Peanut was also quite the attraction – luring visitors into our booth with his sleepy gaze and inviting grin. Continue reading

Up Up & Away!

I am immersing myself into a day long Renegade Retreat – and will be shutting down my computer to ward off distractions. I promise to upload some photos from the fair tomorrow night – but until then – please plan on swinging by this weekend for the one and only Chicago outdoor installment of the Renegade Craft Fair!

If you do plan on visiting us – print out this 20% off coupon for yourself and a friend – and pay us a visit in booth #254 on the Northeast side of the event.

Renegade Prep #4: Down to the Wire

Just 3 full days until the Renegade blast off! We’re almost done with preparations and are just putting the finishing touches on merchandising and signage when BHAM! A new product idea hits me! Inspiration always flourishes under pressure – does it not?

So now I’m debating whether I should give this new design a couple of go’s and make a handful for the fair? Or should I just focus on making extra designs that are tried, tested, and true?

The solution – do both or die trying! David’s screenprinting one final round of clothing tags as I type and print out a few more signs. I’m hoping that tomorrow, post ACS productivity, I’ll find some time to finalize some products that are in process and then maybe I’ll have a spare hour or two to pump these new T Aprons out.

I’ll report back at the end of tomorrow to see what came of the day. ; )