THE SERIOUSLY, SERIOUSLY LATE POST

Hi everyone

I can't believe that it is nearly three weeks since my last blog post - well I can because I have just checked the date of the last one which talks about getting back to normal with blog posting.  Rather embarrassing.

The last few weeks have whizzed by and although I seem to have been non-stop busy, looking back not too sure what I have actually achieved.  What's even more embarrassing I had to check my diary to see what I have been up to.

Looking back through my diary I see the last three weeks has been a mix of card order completing, flyer designing, event promotion, stallholder recruitment, celebrating friends' birthdays, pottery sessions, kitten fostering, kitten homing.  These activities have been sprinkled with trips to the dentist!  Certainly not my favourite activity.

I carried out my first solo kitten-homing on Saturday - it may not sound a big deal but it is a big responsibility to ensure everything that the new owner needs to be aware of has been discussed, forms completed and the kitten settled in.  It went well and I am happy to say Lola has settled in really well and I will be able to see her as she grows up because she has moved less than five-minutes walk from where I live.

I managed to get Facebook agreement to merge the Godalming Independent Market with the new Godalming Bazaar page; very pleased about this as it took just over 500 of the existing 'likes' with it.  I have designed/had delivered t-shirts for the supporters to wear on the day of the event; new banners have been produced and advertising is now in local magazines and online.  I have designed a new logo for the Godalming Bazaar and that is now attached to all Facebook postings, all tweets and other documentation.  However, I completely forgot to include it in the t-shirts and on the new banners!

I use two rooms in the Godalming Borough Hall for the events, and had decided a while ago that I would use the smaller of the two as a Food court.  This will accommodate the refreshments people (trying to sort this out for the next event and it seems to be taking a long time) and I have invited lots of local food/drink growers/producers to have a stall - I am disappointed at the lack of responses, even to say now would be nice.  Is it too much to ask for a return phone call or email?  I will keep on trying to get local foodies to take part and so far have two - not a lot, but a good start.  However, if there are any local growers/producers out there in Blog-land who would like to take part in the Godalming Bazaar on 7 June, please get in touch.

Hopefully I am back into the swing of blogging and promise my next post will not be after a gap of 3 weeks and I must visit the other Handmade Monday bloggers - another embarrassing moment as I haven't been to see them recently.

Have a great week everyone - I hope you are all able to enjoy this fabulous weather.

Jill

MOTIVATING SUNSHINE

Hello everyone

Long lovely sunny and warm days are very motivating - but often in the wrong direction.  When you work for your self you know how easy it is to make excuses not to do something.  Mine seems to be 'I can do that this evening' or 'I will definitely do that tomorrow'.  The warm sunny days make me want to be outside working in the garden - I think because it is so rare to have weather like this in March, that I want to make the most of it in case we have snow, rain, wind and frost!  We have experienced this in April before now, so perhaps I will carry on gardening just in case the weather changes (see, yet another excuse).

Whether it is the experience of being a stallholder on many occasions or the prospect of being on the other end of the event stick, I am not sure, but I have spent more time this week trying to think of ideas to increase footfall, awareness and popularity of the Godalming Independent Markets.  Sadly, I have abandoned the Easter Bunny and as the Stilt-Walker was too expensive, that has also gone by the wayside.  However, in addition to the face-painter and balloon modeller, the Mayor and Mayoress of Godalming will attending the event on Saturday.  Apart from being something of local interest to event, it will also bring publicity for the stallholders as the local newspaper will be there taking photographs.

I nipped into Godalming bright and early this morning (well as bright and early that losing an hour could make me) and fixed my banner to the front of the Godalming Borough Hall.  Hirers are allowed to do this for the week prior to their event and as it is opposite Waitrose I am hoping that it will draw lots of attention and encourage people to visit us.  Here it is:

My pottery course finished this week - we have a long wait until the next term begins on 1 May.  I have been making figures recently and this is one of my most recent ones.  His (or her?) eyes are hidden by a rather large hat:

He stands about 9" tall and the top part of his hat is empty - I could either use him for a very small pot plant or place a tea light in his hat.  My plan is to make a much larger one next time that I can use as an outside planter.  There are two previous figures that I left for glazing over the break - one has three eyes.  The reason for this?  Because I couldn't get two eyes lined up so I just added a third for interest!

My floor plan is calling - it's almost complete and as with all of us who have taken part in a fair, the concern is will I (or in this case, they) like where I have been put.  I will let you know next week when I do a post-event blog.

Have a great week everyone, I  hope you have lots of sunshine but don't forget to have a break from all that relaxing in the sun and drop in on the Handmade Monday bloggers.

See you next week

Jill

LOOKING AT IT FROM BOTH SIDES

Hello everyone

Wet and windy again today, but the last few days have been so lovely.  Isn't it amazing how sunshine can make you feel?

No new makes this week - feel I am getting a little adrift from my own craft business and that concerns me, but I have included some pics of the promotional material I have produced over the last few weeks for my forthcoming events:

The 'big' banner to be placed outside of the venue the week before each event

Thousands of copies of this flyer have been produced, with the date left blank for me to add for each event.  Flyers are on their way to stallholders who have agreed to help out with promotion, lots more will be dropped through local letter boxes and displayed on notice boards and in shop windows.

I have spent a lot of time this week answering queries from stallholders, booking them in, sorting out advertising, etc.  Like many of my blog followers, I have spent oodles of time at craft events and oodles of time wondering why my things haven't sold, why so few customers turned up, why so little advertising had taken place, why the person two or three tables down seems to be doing a roaring trade.  What is the solution?

I have had lots of emails from stallholders who have taken part in previous events at the venue I am taking bookings for.  Some are pleased to be taking part again, some have decided not to because they didn't sell much.  To the 'no's' I have replied that things are changing, not because I feel they should/must/need to but mainly because when you take something on you like to put your own stamp on it.  I have added that I don't have a magic wand to improve/increase footfall, but I am working very hard to do so.

What more can I do?  I have also added that once the customer is through the door, the stallholders share the responsibility for promoting their work.  I, and I am sure many of you have too, have taken part in events where stallholders have sat and read a book/magazine when customers were at their stand, munched their way through a sandwich (sometimes a burger) while communicating with a customer and occasionally abandoned their stall to chat to the stallholder next door to them or even further away (sometimes they have left their stall without asking someone to cover for them, just assuming the person next door will help out). There are also those stallholders who have no idea of how to communicate with customers - not even a 'good morning, rubbish weather, isn't it' leaves their lips.

It's not all gloom and doom, the disappointing ones are far outweighed by the fabulous ones that you thoroughly enjoy working with.  They love their work and are enthusiastic about it, they chat to their customers, keep their stall neat, tidy and well stocked, are friendly and helpful to their fellow stallholders and rarely, if ever, moan about the event.  Thank goodness there are more of them than the unhappy ones.

I came across a great post on UK Handmade, very refreshing to have a different viewpoint from a seller and I am going to recommend my sellers have a read through as it contains some brilliant advice about how to approach and get more out of events.

That's it for today, sorry it seems to be a bit whingey, must be the miserable weather.  It is an interesting experience moving from one side of the stall to the other (and back of course).  I am thoroughly enjoying it and so glad that I am able to have a foot in both camps - er, think that is what I mean.  Now it is back to the drawing board to think of new and interesting ways of promoting my events - now, do any of you fancy getting dressed up as a greetings card?  A candle?  Bracelet?  Gloves?  These will catch peoples attention as they walk along the high street and will certainly make them flock to the event.

Have a great week everyone and don't forget to drop in on the Handmade Monday bloggers to catch up on their week's escapades.

See you next week.

Jill

IS IT SPRING?

Hello everyone

What a beautiful day!  Everywhere is still very wet and soggy, but the sun has been shining all day and it is so nice.  Makes you feel much more motivated and happy when the sky is blue and not a sign of rain anywhere.  the Pie cats love weather like this and it also means we can get some gardening done too - pruning, clearing rain/wind damage and some general tidying up.

It has been a madly hectic week.  We have experienced a cooker delivery saga: it wasn't delivered on the day it was supposed to be, when it did arrive it didn't work, removed and no replacement available on that day, replacement arrived on Wednesday and woo hoo it works!  Lots of work this week on my new venture, Independent Markets, arranging bookings with the Godalming Borough Hall, sorting out forms and emailing details out to everyone who has either taken part in the past, wanted to but couldn't get in because dates were full and new enquiries.  The week finished on a good note, a friend who had bought one of my hand-decorated jute bags took it wither her to her exercise class.  It was seen by a shop owner and they would like to stock some.  How exciting is that - and of course more panic: have I got enough bags, felt, material, glue, what more do I need to order, make, etc.  Thank goodness the first event I am organising is not until April - although I am still hoping to be able to arrange something out for Valentine's day.

I have started a blog for the Independent Markets and you can read my first post here; for some odd reason I cannot get the comment section working/set-up, but perseverance is the name of the game.

Last week was not all mad and hectic, in between was a peaceful day's pottery.  This term's project is to make a plaque with our house name or number on it.  We already have one that is built into the brickwork, so another one isn't really needed.  However, I wanted to join in and decided to make with my five cats on:

I cut out five cat shapes, as you can see the shapes got slimmer as the number of cats increased.  I trimmed round all of them so that they would lie flat on the backing.  They have been lightly covered to dry slowly and  once 'leather-hard' I will biscuit fire them, then add a different glaze to each cat (need a steady hand so that I don't end up with smudgy bits on the one next door) and then fire them at 1250 degrees.  I am still enjoying my pottery sessions even though I know my creations will not be appearing in a hundred or so years on the Antiques Roadshow.  But you never know, tastes do change.

I think it is break time now - well time to nip over to Handmade Monday and catch up with everyone.  A weekly must and I really recommend you stop by and read the blogs of those crafters taking part.

Have a good week everyone 'see' you next Sunday.

Jill