The workshop for this month’s South Bay Craft Group meeting was making shrines, and you could either use a wooden box or a paper one, including making your own matchboxes. I didn’t really know what to put inside of mine, so instead I focused on making and decorating a matchbox, similar to the ones I’ve done before.

I used a scrap of cardstock to create the box, and then covered it with some origami paper I happened to have with me (for making envelopes, of course). I made the lid from a cardstock tag, then wrapped a piece of a Japanese map, more cardstock, and a bit of sparkly fiber around it.

I couldn’t decide what should go inside it, so I just brought it home in that state. Unfortunately, the box is coming undone on one end, so it might need a bit of fixing before I use it. It would be perfect for a Japanese matchbox swap though. (Not that I’ve been participating in any swaps recently.)

Speaking of Japanese designs, I went to a Japanese/Asian-themed craft fair this morning. It’s a regular event to raise money for a local Japanese-American senior fund, and pretty much everything sold there is Japanese, Hawaiian, or Asian in theme. Hanko Designs was there again, and I ended up buying a few packs of yuzen washi paper, as if I need more of that. Most of the other items being sold were handmade purses and art and things like that, but nothing really stood out at me as something to have.

I did happen to see a colleague of mine at one of the tables, as she was helping her mother sell rubber stamps. She just moved here from Hawaii and illustrates some of the rubber stamp designs, which are in Hawaiian and Asian themes. You can check them out and buy them at the Mari & Me web site.

Well, my very first craft fair is over and done with, and I made it through alive!

All of the tables were set up in or near the cafeteria, including along the hallway on the way to the serving area. There were at least 20 or so vendors there, and some had already set up when I started unpacking at 9AM. Two of my fellow designers were selling, as well as some other fellow employees, but there were also “outsiders” as well, though mostly friends of company employees.

As I started unpacking my boxes, I realized that I had completely forgotten some of stuff at home, having moved things around last night. I forgot to double-check before I left, so I was without my mini envelope/card enclosure sets, freshly-printed business cards, and craft group fliers. After a momentary freak-out, I just got back to setting up, figuring I’d manage without these things.

The table was a bit smaller than I was picturing (only 4 feet long, instead of 5 or 6 feet), so I had to jam everything in so that it would fit. It was pretty much split down the middle, with my cards, envelopes, and pin matchboxes on one side, and Amytha’s accessories and art on the other. Very different aesthetics, but it at least made for interesting conversation.

In terms of my neighbors, there was a doggie treats business/pet-sitting service on my left and on my right was Cheryl, co-owner of Where’s Romeo, with a line of hand-stamped jewelry. Across from us was one of the designers in my group with her photo prints and a friend’s jewelry, as well as Jenna Mammina, a local jazz singer selling her various albums.

Overall, there weren’t really that many people that came by to look, though there were plenty of people coming down for lunch during the middle of it. Maybe 30-40 people came by and asked questions about what I had spread out, and a few did buy some items from me. I think all of my items were sold to designers I know, and I definitely appreciate their support. It was nice knowing that other people do appreciate the things I make, though I doubt I’ll ever try to make this a full-time business.

I did enjoy the whole event though, and I’m glad I signed up, even if I only made enough to have a really nice dinner. The best part was talking to other sellers, and it was nice to interact with the people who did stop by to take a closer look. A bit draining, combined with not having time for a proper lunch, but still fun. I don’t know if I’d do it again, but if the right opportunity came up, I might.

For now though, I need to figure out what to do with all the leftovers! I have way more cards than I can use myself, so I guess I’ll be spending a bit of time updating my my Etsy store soon. Stay tuned for updates!

The employee craft fair is only a few days away, and I think I’m just about ready for it. I printed up some business cards earlier this week, and though they’re not professionally done, I think they’ll do. I haven’t made any more items to sell, but I need to make one item for a raffle they’ll be holding. And perhaps make up a sign for my table. Oh, and price everything. That would probably be important.

I’m still unsure about how it will go, but I will definitely keep in mind that I can always list things on my Etsy store if they don’t sell. (I’ve actually already listed a few cards there too.)

 

They’re very simple, but I like them that way, especially with how vibrant the colors are. And these are easy enough to reproduce, so I can always make more if they do sell. No takers yet though.

Otherwise, I’ve just been collecting more lovely Japanese papers from various online sources. My favorite paper purchase came from Paper Jade; I bought the large kondo yuzen set, and it was filled with so many beautiful designs that I might have to buy another one eventually. I would definitely recommend this shop if you’re into paper though. The owner has shipped everything so quickly to me, and has been kind enough to exchange emails with me about the items for sale and even sent me a free holiday gift set.

The latest count of items prepared for the employee craft fair:

• 49 greeting cards
• 43 mini envelope/card enclosure sets
• 19 envelope sets
• 16 pins in matchboxes

Phew! Granted I’ve never sold at a craft fair before, but I think this is a pretty decent amount of stuff to have. Time to focus on the extraneous details, like a sign and business cards and craft group fliers.

I realized this morning, while getting ready for work, that I hadn’t posted any comments about my craft fair experiences this weekend. There’s not much to report, but I feel like I should at least say a little something.

The fair in San Jose Japantown was all right, with a few interesting things to look at. Some of it I’d seen before, and a bunch of it just wasn’t anything I wanted or needed, so I wandered around for about 15 minutes and just left. I headed up to San Mateo soon after, and found that the craft fair there was more like a secondhand sale. There were a few handmade items, including cards and baked goods, but the rest of the room was filled with used things, and nothing really interesting at that.

So, basically, the craft fair part of the day was a bit disappointing, but I ended up finding some items for my craft fair booth at a Japanese dollar store in San Mateo, so there was that at least. Not a very good start to the craft fair season though. This weekend, I’m thinking about stopping by the SF Craft Mafia trunk show, but otherwise I feel like giving up on the rest of the local fairs. Hopefully the shows in LA next month will be better.

Related to shopping for handmade items though, I came across an interesting challenge site the other day. It’s called 5-4-3-2…Etsy! (now defunct) and the idea is that you agree to buy something on Etsy (have you seen their new site?) each month. They suggest $5 or less per item, which sounds too little too me (why not set the $5 or another amount as a minimum?), but the idea of pledging to support craft sites and other crafters is definitely a good one. I’ve tried to do more of that, especially now that I’m working again, and since I now understand the work involved in making some of these items. I realize that I don’t have the time or patience to make everything myself, and if someone spends time making something by hand that I like and appreciate, then buying it at a fair price is the right thing to do.

Anyway, I’m still debating whether or not to join the 5-4-3-2…Etsy! (now defunct) challenge, but in the meantime, I have a personal challenge of my own. Though I’ve been working for just over 2 months at my new job, I haven’t really brought in anything to decorate my cube with, other than a pencil cup I received in a swap. Otherwise, my cube is pretty bare, and so I don’t feel very settled in my space. Especially now that we just moved to a new location, I really want to brighten it up a bit. So I’ve decided to try and do that with handmade items, at least as much as I can. They might be things I made or things someone else made, bought or traded for, but the key is that they’re handmade. I don’t intend to get it all right away, but here’s my shopping list so far:

• Push pins
• Magnets (for posting things on the metal cabinets)
• Postcards, art prints, etc., to post on the walls and cabinets
• Other decorations (artificial flowers or decorative piece to put in an extra pencil cup?)
• Small containers for holding paper clips, pins, etc.
• Mug for tea

This list might expand as I go on, but for now I’m starting with simple things to keep an eye out for. If I shop for some online, I’ll start with these sites, but will also check out individual crafter sites:

• Etsy
• Cut + Paste
• Pixelgirl Shop
• Copacetique
• My My
• Wren Eleven

As always, I’m definitely open to recommendations for cool sites or particular items to check out. And I’ll post whenever I’ve found something on my list. Maybe I’ll need to take some before and after pictures of my cube too.