Where Will the Money Go?

Some may be asking 'What does Southwest Elementary School plan on doing with the money they earn from this Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair'? (I know the conversations in my own head are always well thought out complete sentences. ;) )
One of the most important issues on our plate right now is technology. I know, what do those whipper snappers need with technology? In this day and age, in order to keep competitive, kids need to know how to use computers and all that they have to offer from a very early age.  This goes beyond making their names scroll diagonally across the screen with simple 'go to' commands. Last year my 2nd grader made a tri-fold flyer all about sound waves.
He did all the research online. He cut and paste what he needed. He created the layout for the flyer. It was quite amazing. I was proud of my kid. I know a lot of adults who wouldn't even know where to begin.
The thing with technology is that it changes all the time. The school needs more resources in order to keep current. Each grade has their own needs. These needs range from more desk top PCs to individual laptops for each student to use. As with most things, these requests require funds. You can help us out by:

 Renting booth space at the event

Telling your friends and family about

SWE PTA's Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair

Coming to the event and purchasing from our vendors

Coming to the event and buying raffle tickets

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. Thanks for reading!

 

Some Handy Dandy Resources

I promised yesterday that I would create a post today in regards to resources I have used to help me in the land of craft fairs. Hoping some of these will be helpful to you.

1) GO TO OTHER CRAFT FAIRS. Sounds pretty elementary but you would be surprised by how many people go into this not really having been to a craft fair, art festival or even a farmers market since they went when they were 8. You can get great ideas for booth designs, see what's popular and sneak a peek at prices. PLUS it's a great opportunity to meet other artists. Go with a little cash on hand because you are more than likely going to see a too-die-for item that you simply must have.

Not sure where to find craft fairs/art festivals/farmers markets? Google can be your friend.

2) Check out Etsy. This is a wonderful place to check prices and to be able to see what's selling. You can search for items similar to yours by using keywords. Make sure to check out the actual sales along with the prices as this will let you know at what point those items actually sell.

3) One of my FAVORITE websites for the world of crafters is: Funky Finds. You can find their site by clicking HERE. They are also on Facebook HERE. They are wonderful and helpful people and have always been willing to help me find the answers to questions that I have had.
If you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area make sure you try to get to one of the shows that they sponso. They are filled with some of the coolest people and most amazing art that you have ever seen.

4) My most useful tool of all has been my copy of Crafty Superstar by Grace Dobush. I actually gave away my original copy and got the new and updated one. It's wonderful. There are checklists, display ideas, advice from other crafters, legal info... You name it you will probably find it here. The pages I turn to most are the ones that have the pre-show and day of show checklists. They have saved my behind on more than one occasion. You can check the book out HERE. It's also available at major bookstores like Barnes and Noble. It is definitely worth a read, and then another, and another and... Well, you get the picture.

Do you have any suggestions for those who may be thinking of giving craft fairs a go? Would love to hear from you.