Crafty Display

I really didn't mean for over two months to pass between posts.  School started, soccer season started, and sales really picked up on Etsy.  But I did manage to get signed up for my first ever craft fair, which went pretty well.  I don't think I would've done so well without tips and pointers from friends and other crafty bloggers, so I figured I'd leave my trail of breadcrumbs for the next set of first time craft fair folks.

Here's the finished product.  Materials for the display ran about $75, which is not too bad considering I was starting almost entirely from scratch.  The two blue display shelves are actually stretched canvas, painted to match my color scheme, and some balsa wood hot glued in place.  (I did place them at intervals specific to my packaging.)

Of all the things I bought, the sign was probably one of the best overall investments.  My items are really small so I needed something that would bring people to the table.  I really wanted to have the sign out front on an easel to draw people in, but it ended up serving its purpose right smack in the center of the table.  People came over to read the sign, take a look at what stuff I could find on the beaches around here (there really isn't much, but I'll get to that some other time), and chat about their time in Hawaii.

The frame came from the thrift store.  It was a collage style frame, marked $5.99 but since there was no glass, the lady was willing to give it to me for $3.  Lettering was cut out of two sheets of vinyl by my Silhouette.  I meant to put the letters on a piece of stretched canvas but ran out of time.  This is the backside of the paper that comes under the mat with the fake pictures and stuff.

The pendant tray is an expanding bamboo utility drawer organizer that I got from Zulilly for $17. I actually got it to organize my items at home, but couldn't think of a better way to display all the resin pendants.  I thought about putting a book or something under it to put it on an incline, but I didn't want to block the sign.  If I had more space, I would have set two trays so that more than one group of people could flip through pendants at once.

Bracelet stands are really expensive and to be perfectly honest, they are not really user friendly.  These bracelets are pricey but very well made and I want people to be able to touch and pick up these bracelets so they can see the workmanship.  Anyway, these bottles are great because they're wider than the average wrist but have flat sides.  (Closest shape comparison I can think of is one of those small glass Heinz ketchup bottles.)  I thought it would be fun to put a small scroll in the bottle with funny nautical quotes, but as you can see, I didn't quite get there this time.

I got a set of these wired photo holders several years ago and actually got rid of the rest of the set because I never used them.  This one was discovered as I unpacked from our most recent move.  I kind of wish I still had the other two, since you can typically fit three 6ft tables under your standard 10x10ft tent.  Oh well.

And last, but not least, the tiered crystal plates.  I actually got these thinking of doing a tea party for my daughter's birthday, but we haven't had a party since her 2nd birthday.  Long story.  So I finally got to use it to display the "high end" items.  I didn't actually sell the most expensive silver smithed ones, but I did sell some of the wire wrapped pieces.  It seems like people are looking for the lower price points at craft fairs, but I did get a lot of compliments.  Maybe the next step is to find a boutique or something to sell those on consignment.

Anyway, there you have it.  I'm not planning on doing any other craft fairs this year, but I do have some ideas for other displays.  If I figure out how to make them work, I'll post them here!  ;)

Tips, pointers, questions, and other ideas welcome!


Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!