Holiday Handmade Cavalcade!

..was a success! I am very happy with the way it turned out. We arrived early to help decorate a bit- mainly hanging hand cut snowflakes everywhere (I love them) and then set up our spot. We did run into a bit of an issue with lighting, but after a trip to the hardware store, our floor (midtown) probably was the best lit of them all, hah.

I started to sell out quick- people were definitely in gift buying mode. I got scared (& excited) because after only about 1-2 hours, my stock was getting low. I wanted to make the most of the event, so after debating, I sent my boyfriend back to our apt to pick up more soaps. It is a bit of a trek and even with him taking a car back to the Knitting Factory, he arrived with only about an hour and a half left, yet, I sold soaps he brought back! So it was worth it.

I offered single soaps or a 3 soap deal which came with a free gift box. At BUST I will have the gift boxes with gift tags with designs by Samantha Hahn on them. I love her style of art and am happy she decided to collaborate with me. In the future we may even do a soap line using her designs as packaging which would be neat.

I also brought my lump o' coal soaps, sold out of what I brought.. which wasnt too many, but 10-15? And sold out of my little soap sets which are 3 mini soaps wrapped with a ribbon. It's always good having less weight to go back home, we actually took the subway home even with 2 suitcases and a fold in half table because we had already spent almost $40 on taking cars. It would be nice to have a car to go to craft fairs..yes it would.. but then there is parking and gas.. so who knows if it's worth it.

Anyway, it seemed that my two best sellers were Green Tea & Sunrise, Sunset. Both non 'foody' scents, which I tend to have the majority of. I think I'll try to do more non foody soaps..but it's hard, they just sound so appealing to me, haha. Some of my favorite foody scents will be available at BUST- Lemon Drop Cookies, Spike My Cider & Amaretto Coffee..mmm. Snowball Fight (mint essential oils) also did very well and Hazelnut Coffee, among others. Anyway, I've noticed my best sellers really vary from show to show, so you never know.

Sadly, I did not have time to get together my lip balms.. I've been having so many issues with those things, you'd think they wouldn't be too hard, mainly melt and pour, but if you don't pour right, they either sink in as they harden or they go over the top and make a mess or they get a crack down the middle which sometimes affects when people twist the lip balm up. I've had to re-do a bunch, but, with my mom coming into town this week, I am hoping I can teach her how to make them so that she can help & I have a bunch for BUST Craftacular ; ). I am not sure quite what to expect of BUST, but after not bringing enough inventory to HHC, I am planning to bring as much as I can manage to BUST. As it is right now, I have 2 suitcases I stuff full, I'll have to add another 1-2 into the mix...

Below is a video my boyfriend took of the fair when it was just getting started. I would have taken more videos, but the battery died. I also brought my camera, but not the (newly charged) batteries I left on the kitchen table. Sad. I would have loved to get some good shots of this fair. Luckily there were some photographers around, so I will post some pictures later.



I'm not as smiley as I should have been!, but I think I was a little overwhelmed, still getting settled.

Well.. all the late nights were worth it!

Oh also.. I had some people show up specifically for me- yay! Am I getting a following? One actually read a review on my soaps and came because of that- again, yay for internet marketing. ; )