Firstly orders started flooding in .... and about time too ! The last couple of months have been very quiet and I was starting to panic slightly. However, I think people are now getting back from their hols and are keen to start crafting again.
I then received an email from the deputy editor at ScrapBook inspirations magazine asking if I could send her samples of some of my fabric covered buttons as they were doing a feature about children's layouts in the November edition and my froggie and car buttons would look great in the feature ! Hooray - press coverage.
The next thing that happened was this. One of the orders that I received was from a lady called Wendie Rhodes. Now, if you aren't aware, Wendie is a TV presenter and demonstrator on the Create & Craft TV channel here in the UK. She purchased a couple of my Felt Ball Grab Bags. So, being the inquisitive (read nosy!) sort of person that I am, I checked out Wendie's website and found that she was running a number of workshops on "Embellishing with Felt" at the upcoming Stitch and Creative Crafts shows being held around the UK over the next couple of months. So, not being one to miss an opportunity I emailed Wendie to let her know that her felt balls were on their way to her and enquired about the show she was doing in Surrey next month.
Over the last month or so I have been seriously considering attending one of these sorts of events as an exhibitor and was planning on trying the Surrey event in January. So, I asked Wendie if I could pick her brains about the events etc and she said that I would be far better off trying to get a late booking at the Surrey event next month (arghhhhh - NEXT MONTH !) as September is generally far busier than the January event. AND, as she would be using my felt balls to demonstrate with, I would have a ready made customer base of people wanting to try out the projects she was demonstrating.
So, the upshot of all this is that I'm now an exhibitor (albeit a very little one) at the Stitch & Creative Crafts Show at Sandown Racecourse in Surrey from 19th to 21st September 2008. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can somebody PLEASE tell me I'm doing the right thing ?! I'm starting to panic that I'm trying to run before I can walk and that all these big professional exhibitors will be there and I'll be trying my best to compete with them for business (although I've been reliably informed that there is no-one else selling similar stuff to mine). I've got the smallest stand size available, although it's in a pretty good spot - directly opposite the demonstration area where Wendie will be showing off my felt balls !
I'm currently drowning in lists, lists and more lists and panicking at the cost of everything. There's me thinking of a ball park figure that I could do it all for, and I'm already at double that. Me thinks I'll have to cut back somewhere along the line and not take as many product lines as I was planning.
BUT .... I've got 4 freebie tickets to this event up for grabs !! They're good for any of the 3 days and are worth £7.50 each. All I ask is that if you are lucky enough to get one of these tickets, you pop by to say hello and perhaps collect me a nice cuppa and a sarnie (if it's near lunchtime) from the restaurant bit and perhaps man my stand for me whilst I take a quick loo break. I won't be long, I promise (the loos are quite close to my stand !) Even if you don't win a ticket, but do decide to visit, it would be lovely to see you.
So, if you would like to be in with a chance of winning a freebie ticket all you need to do is leave a comment on this post and on Sunday 31st August I'll put all the comments into a random number generator and draw the winners.
Good luck !!
Sarah x
PS. My embellisher is still up for sale (see previous post). If anyone is interested in purchasing this, I would be truly grateful as the proceeds will go towards lots of lovely new stock for my event next month !!!! You don't want me to be standing there with an empty stall now .... do you ??
7 comments:
I would love to come and give you a hand but it's just too far for me up here in the cold windy wet North!!
But all the best of British and stay positive!!
You can do it!!
fantastic Sarah. Don't be scared ... it's all obviously meant to be. I am sure you will do great there. I know who you feel as we jumped right in at the deep end when we first started as we applied for CL spring and got accepted...that was only 6 months after we started and was so scary (esp the cost), but it was really worth it.
Wishing you all the best
ginny xx
sorry... meant to say know HOW you feel not who you feel... that would be telling anyway.hee hee.
xx
Hi Sarah i will call you soon about the machine !!
Sara x
wow!
I go to that Craft fair with my sister!
let us win and i'll help you a lot (what? I'm not allowed to bribe you? well, I won't mention that I will bring cake then!)haha
sarah xxx
ps you'll do great there, it's normally heaving!
hi, I would love to win as I've been to this fair (with my sister paper-and-string) a few times now. I'm sure you will do really well there, (good luck) - after reading my sisters comment, maybe I could bring cake too? hehehe
: )
How exciting, those shows look great! You'll have to let us know how you get on and take some pictures. I think it will be really successful for you as there's so many people there all with a common interest.
Helen
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