New Vendor Call Make It Show

Applications are being accepted for the Make It Show sale which will be held at the Gladstone on June 4th and 5th, 2011. The show will help to raise money for the Furniture Bank. For a link to contact for more information visit the “Calls for Vendors” page where you will also find a full list of vendor calls.

What’s In a Name?

The name you give your business can say so much about you and your business that you want to make sure to choose it carefully and get it right the first time. Take some time, give it a lot of thought and even ask for the opinions of anyone you trust to be honest.

When choosing a name for your business here are a few things to consider.
~ You may want to choose a name that has a personal or special meaning to you but make sure that it still makes sense for your business.
~ Choose a name that is easy to remember, say and spell.
~ Decide if you want your name to give an idea of what you offer of if you would like to keep it more generic. For example if you offer photographs you may want to include “photography” in the name but if you plan to one day also offer wood carvings then you may not want your name to be so specific.

Packaging Poll Results Revealed

Thanks to everyone who took part in my poll to find out exactly how everyone feels about the packaging on a handmade item they purchase online. We all know how important first impressions are and when your customer receives their package in the mail the packaging is that first impression so I want to make it perfect.

It’s time to share the results so here they are!

In last place with 7% is the option to have reusable packaging such as a tin that would mean an increased shipping cost.

Next with 10% was the option offering a beautiful and luxurious packaging with lots of ribbon and tissue paper.

Big on Bloor Festival Vendor Call

The Big on Bloor Festival is being held Saturday, July 23rd, 2011 on Bloor Street between Dufferine and Lansdowne. The festival celebrates local business, community, arts and culture with a unique community featuring hundreds of events, activities and exhibitions. The street will be closed to traffic during the festival allowing for vendor space that is available for anyone who would like to sell something, share something or teach something. Check out the “Calls for Vendors” page for a link to more details and how to apply to be a vendor.

Last Chance to Have Your Say

I have been collecting input for the last couple weeks via a poll here on my blog to find out what customers really want in the way of packaging when they are ordering a handmade item. I will be closing the poll tonight (Sunday, March 27, 2011) at midnight so if you haven’t cast your vote be sure to enter it now! You can find the poll in the column on the right hand side of this page. I will be posting the results for everyone to read this week. Thanks to everyone who has given their input! ♥

New Vendor Call for Mother’s Day Artisan and Craft Show

Toronto Downtown Annex/Dufferin Grove La Leche League is inviting local artists and crafters to join the Just-in-time for Mother’s Day Artisan and Craft Show. Saturday, April 30th, 2011 at the Tranzac. Visit my “Calls for Vendors” page for a link to more information and for a complete list of vendor calls.

How to Get the Most out of A Craft Show

You’ve been accepted to participate as a vendor at a craft show and you know what you need to do to get ready, but how do you make sure you get the most out of each show you attend? I’m going to share a few tips with you that I’ve learned along the way. What makes a show successful will vary from vendor to vendor. Some of you will have a certain goal for sales you would like to make, others will hope to have some custom orders placed and if you’re just starting out maybe you just want to make as many connections as possible. Whatever your goals are there are a few things you can do to help reach them.

Promote, Promote, Promote…

If you think all you need to sign up for the show and when you get there the crowds will all be flocking to your table you could be disappointed. Some shows that are established will have their following and many shows also are very successful with their advertising and there will be crowds just waiting to spend their money. But you can’t always count on that and some shows might be new and need everyone’s help to promote in order for everyone to have a successful show. This is the time to put to use all of your mailing lists, social media, networking groups, contacts and anything else you can to promote the show and make sure your fans know you will be there. That way even if the organizer doesn’t promote the show well there will be people coming to see what you have and hopefully you will make some extra sales through them. If all the vendors in attendance did this then that could mean a much larger number of customers in attendance. Also use the show as an opportunity to promote your business by handing out business cards or promotional material, take email addresses for newsletter subscriptions and let customers know about upcoming shows you will be at.

New Vendor Calls Added

I’ve just come across a few new Vendor Calls in Toronto for those of you looking to book more shows.

They include the First Ever Toronto Mini Makers Faire being held May 6th to 8th. This will include commercial and non-commercial makers and they are looking for vendors who will offer interactivity: projects that attendees can try on-site, play with, see how they work, and/or build themselves.

Next is the well know Danforth East Arts Fair being held at the East Lynn Park on the weekend of September 17th and 18th. This is an outdoor show and you will have to supply your own tent and tables.

Last is a Spring Bazaar and Rummage sale held at the Central Eglinton Community Centre on May 6th.

Check out the “Calls for Vendors” page for links to more information and applications and for more vendor call listings! ♥

Front Page of Etsy!

Something so exciting happened this weekend I just had to share it with you! I made it onto the front page of Etsy! For those of you who sell on Etsy you know this is something we strive for a sellers and it’s so exciting when it finally happens!

It happened Friday evening. I was busy baking and not near my computer. When I was finished what I was doing and checked messages on my phone I saw I had a sale and a TON of messages then I checked my stats and saw I had a huge increase in views for the day so I knew something exciting must have happened. I checked Craft Cult to see past front page treasuries and sure enough a treasury I had been included in a few days ago had been featured on Etsy’s Front Page!

Thanks to Valadora Design for including me in such a beautiful treasury and congrats to everyone else who was included! Take a look! ♥

A Day at the Spa Treasury, Etsy Front Page, March 18, 2011

Best Carrot Cake Recipe

When my brother and I were kids we got to choose a special dinner and dessert on our birthdays that our mom would make for us. We both would choose carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Sounds odd that kids would choose cake with carrots you might think…but our mom made it so delicious and with the cream cheese icing really made it. When I offered to make cupcakes this weekend for my sister in laws birthday I decided to make her carrot cake with cream cheese icing. I don’t have my mom’s recipe so I had to find one of my own and I was thrilled with how they turned out and everyone at the party seemed to agree! This is going to be my go to carrot cake recipe from now on and I wanted to share it with you so you can make it for someone special! Enjoy! ♥