Not Another Arts and Crafts Show?
Not ANOTHER Craft Show?
Craft Shows… So much fun to walk and gawk but work you say? No… Never! Although it may seem like a thorn prickling your creative side, Craft Shows are 100% beneficial and a great outlet for passing out business cards and putting your crafty little name out there.
You will need to find a Craft Show that is right for you. I have several questions handy when trying to locate the perfect Craft Show for my niche and personality:
1.) How big is the show? How many people did they have attend at previous shows?
2.) What are their entry fees? Do they have a flat fee for your booth or do you have to pay a percentage of sold items?
3.) How do they promote the art show?
4.) How many vendors do they usually have and how many are selling similar items to yours?
5.) Will your product blend in? Does it feel right? Follow your gut instinct.
Once you determine if this is the craft show for you then you will need to come up with a plan for how to set up your booth and how to display your craft items. I usually define my space with display boards. You can decorate these as you wish while outlining the areas of your booth.
Make sure your space is easily accessible to your customers and that they are free to move about in a comfortable position. Avoid overcrowding, this will make your customers feel tense and not want to stay and linger. I prefer a “Y” shaped design with my tables, although a “U” or “L’ shaped design would work as well. Don’t place too many items on your tables, you don’t want your customers overwhelmed and just give up and leave.
When placing your items on your tables for display, place them in a way that your customers can visualize the product as if it was in use. For example, light your candles and place them in a beautiful arrangement. If you are selling a vase, place flowers inside. If you are selling jewelry, invest in jewelry display busts, writs, etc. If it’s clothing, invest in a mannequin. If you are displaying baskets, place beautiful fruits or practical items such as magazines. Work with levels, everything lying flat can appear boring or drab. Make sure your table cloths are in colors that compliment your items and not drown them out, making visualization difficult.
Last, but not least, offer sale promotions. Sales such as buy 1, get 1 free. Pair like items for 2 for 2 specials. Offer coupons if customers purchase to keep them coming back. Always include your business card so that customers are able to become repeat customers with ease.
With a little hard work and some creative juices flowing, you can really have a successful craft show experience and gain a tremendous amount of exposure for your special products!…
Online do-it-yourself graphic arts is on the rise for many reasons, but two are primary:
The power of man has grown in every sphere, except over himself. ~Winston Churchill 
This article is all about mixed martial art training, but first let me tell you what MMA really are. It can be defined as a fighting style in which the fighter is allowed a wide range of moves and techniques, which are a mixture of traditional as well as non-traditional fighting styles. Therefore, it’s the use of both the grappling and striking moves and techniques while standing as well as on ground in competitions so that all the different backgrounds could compete on a single platform. In simple words mixed martial arts can be defined as the blend of diverse fighting styles that creates an all-round good fighter.
In this year 2011, January 22 would probably remain a unique day, not for any other reason but for the fact that, it ushers an event that has historical connotation to Nigerian artists based in Zaria. On that Saturday morning around 10:00 am, amidst the harmattan weather with its penetrating cold wind which has little or no respect for people wearing light denims, a teeming number of artists were brought together to partake in an art workshop titled: Scapes and Forms. The workshop pulled artists from their studios into an open environment where creative talents/endeavors were artistically harnessed in a delightful manner to produce different forms of visual representations. The occasion was more or less like a midpoint for both lecturers and students especially of the twin-departments (Fine Arts and Industrial Design) in ABU Zaria, to refresh their artistic skills but largely in various two-dimensional forms: painting and drawing. Over sixty artists, who responded to workshop with enthusiasm, gathered in front of Samaru market, Zaria, to artistically take the Scapes and Forms of the activities going on in the area.
Do you want to be a master ninja? I can certainly understand why. But, let me say that, after having that same goal myself for more than 20 years, it’s not as easy as you would think.
Have you been looking for some quality time to spend with your family that involves imagination, creativity, and a sense of accomplishment? Parents are always looking for new ways to connect with their children and teach them something new. Why not create something that’s unique, and original from simple items that may be lying around your home?
In part 1 of this article we discussed some of the negative aspects of martial arts teachers. I would prefer not to dwell upon this since there are so many good instructors out there. So, let’s continue with what makes a good instructor.