Counting Down!!!

OK, I am an emotional wreck right now. Craftacular is coming up and I am feeling ALL the feelings. As a planner for the event I am excited by all the response we've gotten and completely nervous about all the unknowns. Will anyone show up? Will everything run smoothly? Will the vendors be happy with how things are run? Will we have enough volunteers?
As a vendor I'm starting to panic because I haven't gotten as much stuff made for the event as I would have liked. Will anyone buy my stuff? How am I going to display everything? Is there going to be enough foot traffic to make things worthwhile? Of course the big question is: Can I eat from each of the food vendors in a 5 hour period and not explode?

Anyway, that's how I'm feeling. I hope YOU are feeling excitement and anticipation. I hope you have sent out the evites and are gathering the family and friends for a unique holiday shopping excursion. I hope you come ready to eat and shop!

If you are unsure if there will be something there for you, here's a list of who you will have to shop from: 
 Funky & Feisty Home Décor & More: Funky & Feisty Home Décor
and More specializes in unique, whimsical creations for the
home. Custom gifts also available. (this one is me. Stop by and say hi!)

 Crystal’s Posh Panache: Perfectly Posh products are spa grade
pampering products. All prodicts are naturally-nased ingredients
such as almond oil, argan oil, sunflower oil and olive oil, ,as well as
shea butter, etc. We have soaps, coconut oil, hand creams, body
scrubs, body masks, bath salts, body butters, face creams, face
washes and lip balms.

 Stitched on Canvas: Hand-made décor with canvas - anything
from wall/door hangings, coasters, ornaments, tissue box covers,
and so much more! Special orders are welcome!

 Knit Purl Pray: Knit Purl Pray is a group of women that have been
sharing their skills and ideas for nearly nine years. We will have
hats, scarves, mittens, wristlets, socks and doll clothes. We'll also
have the knitted/crocheted dish cloths that many find so useful.

 Nana’s Attic: Jewelry & beads designed by me. I have paper
beads and paper bead jewelry- Great Christmas gifts.

 One Inspired Life Shop: One Inspired Life Shop was created by
Kristin in 2014, out of her passion for encouraging and inspiring
others & her love for arts and crafts. One Inspired Life Shop offers
affordable gift options including jewelry, journals, prints and more.
In her spare time, Kristin also blogs at www.one-inspired-life.com.
Visit us online at: www.etsy.com/shop/OneInspiredLifeShop

 Jilsoph: Jilsoph handcrafted jewelry collections- Sparkling
Swarovski crystal jewelry makes a beautiful gift for others or yourself!
Please stop by to see and try necklaces, bracelets, rings and
earrings- both pierced and a large selection of clip-ons!

 The Krist Korner: Hey everyone. I'm Jeremy and the owner of the
Etsy shop TheKristKorner. I like to dabble in quite a few things as
long as It allows me to be outside or in the garage with my two
young sons. I revive old wooden high chairs, make customized
coaster sets, and build picnic tables for children. You can find me
on Facebook or Etsy by searching TheKristKorner. Contact me for
your Christmas or holiday needs, I would be happy to help!

 Back to Africa: Beautifully handcrafted jewelry crafted by Kenyan
men and women of recycled magazine paper rolled into intricate
beads. Pendants and earrings made of kiln fired ceramic. All designs
are unique to Back to Africa. Price ranges are very affordable
from $8 up to $48. Proceeds go to family preservation programs in
Kenya and orphan care around the world through Heart of the Bride
ministries. See more at heartofthebride.org.

 Kelly’s Kitchen: Homemade baked goods, mixes and gift baskets.

 Symphl Creations: Symphl Creations has handmade soap &
scents and affordable beaded jewelry.

Celtic Wolf Crafts
Bubby’s Bits
Usborne Books & More
Feel Good Kits
ThirthOne Gifts
Chilean Charm
Ivona Walker
JMCreations
Sissy Jams/Sissybeth Avon
Lisa’s Loops & Hoops
Bags by betty
Shine on with Francesca
Magnets & Mayhem
Modern Goldfish
Karen Quick
Coraline and Zeus Bath Co.
Bull City Soap Worx
Blooming Petals
Knitted Neckware
Paparazzi Accessories
Happy Skull Crochet
Tarandipity
Origami Owl
Blue Rose Jewelry
Durham Association of
Educators (DAE)
Needles N’ Thread
Michelle’s Stamping Corner
Lavender Lushions
Becky deForest
Dove Chocolate Discoveries
Big Woof Dog Treats

As for food we will have:
 Will & Pop's
Roll Dog Express
Jessica's Sweet Treats

Feel free to share this with EVERYONE! Hope to see you on Saturday!

Meet The Vendor: Michelle Irinyi- Michelle's Stampin' Corner

It's time to meet another vendor. Ladies and Gentlemen, Michelle Irinyi.

Since college, I’ve always had some type of textile craft or project started. I’ve done cross stitching, sewing, and quilting. I even made my own handmade paper for a while. 

Crafting time is me time. It’s a chance to calm my mind and be mindful. One of our most fundamental needs is to create and surround ourselves with something beautiful. The joy and satisfaction we derive from our handmade gifts is irreplaceable. 

As demonstrator with Stampin’ Up! I host paper crafting and stamping workshops and classes. More than just crafting, it’s a time for women – and men! - to come together, to laugh and share, learn and grow. 

I invite you to join me. Let’s see what we can create together!

Michelle Irinyi

Stampin' Up!

MichelleIrinyi.StampinUp.net

919.451.3556

 

Meet the Vendor: Tara Parrish- Tarandipity Designs

 Another vendor who will be at SWE's 3rd Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair. Remember to show your love by going to any of the social media sites that our vendors are sharing and "LIKE" or follow them.

 

 

 

 Hi, my name is Tara Parrish! I'm a wife & mother of two! My shop name is Tarandipity Designs. I started creating baby headbands & bows shortly after my daughter was born. I design all different styles but specialize in NFL/College/Sports teams & also Wool Bow Headbands! I'm really looking forward to participating in this years Southwest Elementary Craftacular! See you all there! 

Tarandipity Designs

www.tarandipity.etsy.com

Facebook: Tarandipity Designs

Instagram: @tarandipitydesigns

These are great photos so why not show some love for the photographers as well by checking them out at the following places:
http://www.raleighfamilyphotography.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jessi.caparella

 

http://www.momentsbymegan.com/

 

Remember Craftacular is coming up on Saturday, November 21 from 9 to 2 at 2320 Cook Rd., Durham, NC

 

Meet the Vendor: Holly Adkisson- Happy Skull Crochet

It's time to introduce you to another face you will be seeing at this year's Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair.

My name is Holly and I'm not your typical stay at home mom.  I'm the quintessential nerd.  I love sci-fi and fantasy and spent a huge chunk of my life with my nose buried in a book. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was discouraged by the lack of nerdy baby clothes and toys. Princesses were everywhere, but nerdy stuff was virtually nonexistent. So I set out to create my own. I am determined to provide nerdy stuff for all ages.  You may ask, why "Happy Skull Crochet"? The name reflects my love of skulls.  I've never thought they were scary.  They always look like they're smiling. As a seller of hats, I also guarantee my nerdy hats will make your skull happy!

I am excited about the craft fair! I'm going to have tons of stuff, including Pokemon inspired hats and key chains, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle inspired key chains, Link inspired hats, a whole line of hats inspired by Harry Potter, and much more!  Stop by my booth and get a coupon code to use online!

Check out my website here:
www.happyskullcrochet.etsy.com

Like me on Facebook to keep up with my current projects, happenings, and giveaways!

God Bless!
Holly Adkisson
HappySkullCrochet

Tell me your kids aren't gonna love these! I know mine will.

Keep It Local, Folks.

So, the beauty of an event like the Southwest Elementary School's 3rd Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair is that it gives us as a community the opportunity to support local and independent businesses. Each person that has a table at the craft fair is some one trying to support themselves and or their family in some way. They are artists, crafters, food vendors and independent consultants. They work hard at what they do; be it creating something from nothing or promoting a product they truly believe in. 

Each person has their own reason for doing this. For some, it's about making a little extra fun money. For others it's a way to support their families. Their work helps put food on the table while often times allowing them a schedule that allows them to stay home with children or another that may need their help. Whatever the reason, they work hard at what they do.

Countless hours are put into building their business. Time spent promoting themselves, their art or their product online. Not too mention creating art or displays for shows. Time is spent talking to people. They spend time talking to themselves, convincing themselves that they can do this, that others DO value their work. 

I know this because I am one of these people. I have bounced between selling my own art as well as being an independent consultant for a direct sales company. For me, I get the most joy out of creating and sharing my own work. It's just what works for me. I know how hard it is to suck it up and put yourself out there. I know how quickly the wind can go out of your sails when a show does poorly but I also know the buzz you get when a show goes well, when your items are selling or at least getting oohed and ahhed over. I know the sweat, tears and stress that goes in to this.

Because of this I want to make this show the best show it can be for all those involved. Support local and in doing so help support your community and our school.

I hope you will fill up your cars and trucks with all of your family and friends and take the time to come out and see us on Nov. 21, 2015. It means a lot to a lot of people. It means a lot to me.

I shall hop off my soap box now and leave you with this:

Meet the Vendor: Francesca - Keep-collective

I'd like to introduce you to another one of our vendors.

I'm Francesca, I'm 33, I'm originally from Italy and I moved to the States about 10 years ago. I have been working full time for my family business for my whole life, but recently I decided to venture into this new world of Keep-collective. A friend of mine was selling it and I fell in love with the product. I have never been interested in direct sales before, but between the fact that I love easy, fun jewelry and the fact that the market is not oversaturated with Keep-collective, I decided to try it out and so far I'm having a lot of fun with it! I'm looking forward to having fun at the craft fair and to share the love!

My website is www.keep-collective.com/with/francesca

 

 

Come out and meet Francesca in person at SWE's 3rd Craftacular on Saturday, November 21 from 9-2. 2320 Cook Rd., Durham, NC 27713

Meet the Vendor: Ruth Stutts, Blooming Petals - Hair Accessories & More

You know I love this part! Over the next few weeks leading up to the craft fair I will be posting more of these introductions to who you will find at our event. Please feel free to share with your friends, family, complete strangers...

Hello!  My name is Ruth Stutts with Blooming Petals - Hair Accessories & More.  I look forward to being a part of the SWE Craftacular Fair on November 21st and am excited to present my handcrafted hair clips, ponytail holders, headbands, brooches and Christmas ornaments.  For the past 30 years I've been crafting, quilting, knitting and crocheting and am thrilled to share my latest creations.

 

Want to Hear Something Cool?

I am so excited for this year's SWE's 3rd Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair. I know, it's hard to tell. LOL. We have actually shut down the application page as we have hit our limit!!! That's huge. This year filled up faster than either of the other years. That gets my hopes way up for our attendance this year.
Here's what you have to look forward to at this year's Craftacular.

More than 30 vendors selling everything from art for your home,  jewelry of all types, baked goods, bath and body items, hand-knit, hand-sewn, hand crocheted hats, scarves, hair accessories, toys and more, purses and other bags, make-up and of course a bunch of holiday ornaments and decorations. This barely scratches the surface.

There will also be food. 

We will Have Will & Pop's which features delicious grilled cheese and burgers. You can find more about them HERE --->http://www.willandpops.com/

Roll Dogs Express will be there serving up Hot dogs and Italian Ice.

Jessica's Sweet Treats will be catering to your sweet tooth with cotton candy and candy apples.

You will want to bring the kiddos as we will have games that they can play and win prizes. Tickets for these will be $.25 each or 5 for $1 each game will be 1 to 2 tickets.

We will also have our (practically) world famous bucket raffle. Each of our vendors are donating prizes valued at $15 or more. Tickets will be $1 each OR, our most popular option, your age in tickets for $20. Once you purchase the tickets you get to decide which prizes to try for.

It's going to be a good time. Grab your friends and join us at Southwest Elementary School, 2320 Cook Rd., Durham, NC on Saturday, November 21, 2015 from 9am to 2pm.

 

 

Meet the Vendor: Jessie Chilson- Usborne Books

I am SO excited to be a part of the SWE Craftacular this year!

I am Jessie Chilson with Usborne Books and More!  I help get amazing books into the hands of children.  I have a passion and a drive to help parents get high quality, educational, affordable books that their children will LOVE to read.  I have four "little" ones myself who are 4, 7, 8, & 10 years old.  My husband and I joined Usborne Books & More a little over two years ago because we all loved these books and we quickly realized we could build our children's library and earn an income while promoting literacy in our community!

We can be reached by email at UsborneGal@gmail.com, website UsborneGal.com, phone 919-413-3602 or on FB  -  https://www.facebook.com/Usborne-Books-More-Jessie-Chilson-426524757461730/timeline/

I hope you'll stop by and let us help you find some amazing books for the readers in your life!

Jessie Chilson
Educational Consultant
Usborne Books & More
919-413-3602

Can't wait to check out the wonderful books that Usborne has to offer!

Meet The Vendors: Bags By Betty 54

Now comes my favorite part of the blog, introducing you all to the people who will have tables at Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair. Today I would love for you to meet Betty & Danielle of Bags By Betty 54!

Hi everyone! We are looking forward to being a vendor at the upcoming Craftacular in November! We are busy working on new items to have at the sale but wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves to you!
Our shop name is called BagsByBetty54. We have a shop on Etsy and will also be on the new Handmade by Amazon which will be launching this fall. You can find our shop at: www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbybetty54 
The shop is named for my mom; Betty; who lives in Michigan. I'm her daughter, Danielle, and I live in Burlington, NC. My mom loves to sew and quilt. She creates everything you see in the shop. I handle all of the shipping, communications, and shop setup. She comes to visit us in NC about every 6 weeks because I have a 3-year old daughter that she loves to spoil and play with! We both love to travel and visit Florida and Disney World as often as we can! We sell baby toys and quilts, table runners, casserole carriers, and purses. Everything is one-a-kind and cannot be replicated. This makes for a very unique, special handmade gift. We are looking forward to meeting you all in November at the craft fair!
Thank you!
Betty & Danielle

I hope you will all stop by their shop and check them out. There is some REALLY cute stuff there. Also make sure to stop by and say hi on November 21 at SWE's 3rd Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair!

I'm So Excited And I Just Can't Hide It!

I am getting so excited! Every day when I get the kids home from school we check the mail and a little cheer goes up as the kids announce how many envelopes there are that say SWE PTA Craft & Vendor Fair on them. I love it! I love the response we are getting.
If you have been thinking of joining us as a vendor keep in mind that space rental goes up on October 1. Right now a single 8 x 10 space is only $35 on October 2 that same space will be $45. If you are a parent of a Southwest student you get a $5 discount.
Although spaces are filling up we still have some room. Please share with anyone you know that might be interested. Every space we rent is money that goes directly to our PTA and school. Plus, every space we rent is another vendor donating a prize to our raffle! That's good news for EVERYBODY!!

http://www.swepta.com/craft-fair.html

I Was Asked a Question Today

I know you are on the edge of your seats wondering what the question might be. Well, a friend asked me if the craft fair is only for professional crafters. In fact the Southwest Elementary School PTA's 3rd Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair is open to ANYONE who wants to try to sell their art. Tables start at only $35 so this is a great way to get your feet wet and see what it's like. It's also a great chance to talk with those who have done other shows and make money off their art work. You might pick up some great tips from these seasoned veterans.
I have made some wonderful friends at past fairs across the country. Is it for everyone? Nope. I would say that if you are relatively shy and the thought of talking to strangers puts your stomach in a knot you may want to stick with on-line shops. But if you are reasonably comfortable talking to people and won't break down in tears when Grumpy Gert starts asking about your prices and then walks away telling her friend that SHE could make that (She probably can't and never will) then I say give it a go!
If you want to find our forms and a list of FAQs just click here---> http://www.swepta.com/craft-fair.html

Things Are Starting to Get Real

Things are really starting to fall into place for this year's Craftacular! We are starting to get a ton of inquiries about spots for the craft fair. This year should definitely prove to be the best one of all. If you know of ANYONE who would like to participate in this year's Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair have them contact us at swecraftacular@yahoo.com or send them directly to the website http://www.swepta.com/craft-fair.html. We are accepting applications for artists, crafters, entertainers and direct sales companies. All the money earned from the renting of spaces goes directly to Southwest Elementary School's PTA to be used for all sorts of things that the school desperately needs.
Another way we make money at the craft fair is through a bucket raffle that we hold during the event. Each of the vendors offers a prize to be raffled off. Raffle tickets are $1 each OR, our more popular option, $20 for your age in tickets. It's a lot of fun and we always have some wonderful prizes.
Keep watching this spot. Shortly I will start featuring vendors so that you can see exactly who will be selling there wares this year.

Tell your friends!!!!

Check This Out!

So, I have created a fun new flyer for this year's Craftacular! Here it is:

We would love it if you shared this with anyone in the area that may be interested in having a booth at our craft & vendor fair. Booth spaces start at just $35! You can get a $5 discount if you have a kiddo at SWE.
You may also notice that you can color this sheet or have your little people color it and then post it to your favorite social media site with the #SWECraftacular. You can also share it directly on our Facebook page which is right HERE.
Would love to see what you come up with.
If you want a link to the forms and FAQs you can do that HERE.


Thanks in advance for sharing and helping us get the word out.

We Are Back!!!!!

I am sooooo very excited to announce that the date for Southwest Elementary School's 3rd Annual Craftacular Craft and Vendor Fair will be Saturday, November 21, 2015!!!! More details will be coming your way shortly.
I am very excited and hope to make this event bigger and better than anyone could imagine!

Here is the link to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SWEcraftfair . You can like that page and keep up with details. Vendors will be on a first come first serve basis with last year's vendors receiving first dibs.
If you applied in the past please watch your email for a message coming soon. Help spread the word and support our school!