As I mentioned in my blog, “Getting Ready for the Craft Fair”, on July 18th, The Leonia Summer Craft Fair and Classic Car Show took place on July 26th. It was a bit touch and go due to the possibility of severe storms forecast for the day, however the promoters, Nikki and Christine, didn’t let the 4am thunder storm stop the festivities. We all received an e-mail with the plan to go as scheduled, and with tips on what to bring in case of rain. The show went on, and it didn’t take long to realize they made the right call. With the exception of five minutes of slight drizzle, the sky cleared up, and everyone came out to check out the crafts and classic cars.
This Is All New To Me
This is the first craft fair I’ve done, and I really didn’t know what to expect as I pulled up to the Leonia American Legion. I was thrilled to see how well organized everything was. Each space was clearly marked with the vendors name, and it didn’t take long at all to find where I was to set up. There were plenty of staff member, clearly marked as “Staff” to help anyone who required it, and of course the free coffee and donuts for the vendors at set up time was a wonderful welcome.
It didn’t take long at all for me to set up my little cat toys. I didn’t have a tent like most vendors, after all this was my first craft fair, and I didn’t know how well it would go. It didn’t make much sense to spend a lot of money on a booth, not knowing if I would do it again. So I sat back and finished sewing a quilted cat mat that I started the day before. Christine and Nikki stopped by while they made the rounds to all the vendors, and gave me a great sense of encouragement about my products. Now that I felt better about my abilities, I plugged in my IPod and waited.
One of the many classic cars at the show
I didn’t have to wait long, with the sun out, so came the people. By 11:00 the classic cars started to arrive and before you knew it, the fair was on in full force. There was a Moon Bounce for the kids, Great food, Raffles, and of course the crafts and cars. There was also a whole lot of smiling faces. I would say, the fair was a success!
Memorable Vendors
Although all the vendors had memorablecrafts, there were two that stuck out in my mind, that I would like to share with you.
Panda Bows
Amanda Newell, Panda Bows
Amanda Newell is the owner of Panda Bows. She creates handmade hair accessories for not only little girls, but babies as well. Anyone who has a small child knows that it’s not easy to find hair accessories that actually stay in place. Well look no further, Panda Bows has your answer. All bows and clips are high quality and the cutest things you’ve ever seen. She also makes bow holders to keep the accessories when not in use. In addition, she can do custom orders. It would be well worth checking out her website www.pandabows.com.
Pisces Are Dreamers
Pisces Are Dreamers
Pisces Are Dreamers sells hand painted recycled shoes. Owned by a fellow Etsy shop owner, this shop had a big must see booth. Astrologically inspired, these shoes are hand painted with glitter glue. They look like they cost $80-$100, (and that’s conservative) but guess what, they’re not. Women’s shoes go for $35-$40 and men’s shoes are $40-$50. This picture doesn’t do it justice, so please check out her Etsy shop at http://PiscesAreDreamers.etsy.com. If you don’t see your zodiac sign, not a problem. Tell her what sign you are, and she’ll make it for you. You can even send her your own shoes to be painted.
Where You Can Sell Your Crafts
On July 24th, I wrote a post about where you can sell your crafts and I gave you an overview about Etsy. Now that I’ve done this craft fair, I certainly would recommend it. I was very impresses by the way the fair was advertised, managed and set up. The success of this fair was due to the hard work of Nikki, Christine and the wonderful staff of “ The Craftique Creations and Promotions ”.
I strongly suggest you check them out at www.thecraftique.com and www.eventlister.com/thecraftique. They are located in New Jersey and you can get lists of up coming events, sign up as a vendor, get information to contact them, and see feed back from prior shows. Even if you’re not a vendor, you can check to see if there are any fairs in your area to attend.
As a vendor at one of their shows you can expect:
- Well organized set up and break down
- Help from the staff
- High quality vendors, (No Flea Market stuff in sight.), and a big variety of crafts
- Extensive advertising
- Great Locations
- Activities for everyone which brings in bigger crowds
- Up to date information about the event
- And, to me the most important feature of all, the friendliness and caring that you don’t see from a lot of promoters.
A Great Way to spend the Day
All in all it was fun for all, whether you’re a Vendor or just someone looking around at what’s going on. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
P.S. Don’t for get to check out
Posted by justmeandthecat 
One day I was at Pet Smart buying supplied, when I saw a container of catnip. I was working on a quilt at home, and thought, why not use the left over fabric to make toys for Sweetie. The first toy was a mouse. It was very primitive looking, but she didn’t seem to mind. So I made about 10 of them. Soon, the artist in me wanted more then a simple mouse, so I started to design other toys. 
, donates 10% of the profits to the Bergen County Animal Shelter. Member can choose their own charity, or donate to the EFA Charity of the month. There is great support from all members of the team, and it’s a great way to social network about your products and causes. You can even download tags to attach to your listings, shop, web side bar, and banners. 
