Crafty Booth and New Coasters!

So there I am at Crafty Wonderland this last weekend (May 1 & 2).

I have to admit I am really not thrilled with my display. I have been inspired by a lot of the other vendors at this huge, amazing show, and I now have lots of ideas for how to improve my booth for next time. For starters, I definitely am in need of some kind of backdrop. I've seen a bunch of creative ways to do this and have them simmering in my brain right now, among many other things that I have been putting on the list of "things to do after May 2" for the last month or so...ah, there is never really any rest, is there? But I love what I do and wouldn't have it any other way.I wasn't really up to my usual round of photo-taking of all my crafty friends - it was all just so big and overwhelming. I think I was a little intimidated. I did get the above photo of Megan, whose table was right next to mine, with Amy Stoner, who was next to her...

...and Stephanie of Pickle Things, who was right behind me.

Above you can see my exciting new product, Album Jacket Drink Coasters!

I made a ton of these for the show and really thought they would go like hotcakes...well, I sold a few sets but it wasn't what I expected.

(My old standby, Mandala Suncatchers, were a big hit, though.)

Each set of coasters contains nine 4" x 4" square coasters cut from a single album cover. You can put them together like a puzzle. I even wrote on the label which album/artist the package contains, and sorted them by musical genre (to the best of my ability - I'm afraid a lot of them ended up in the weird/random section!).

The coasters are fun but I think I am going to unpackage most of the ones I have left and re-work them a bit. I feel that it would be a good idea to coat them with something, perhaps a layer of clear contact paper, in order to improve their longevity and ask for a higher price point at the same time. So I'll probably be doing this before I list these on Etsy. Stay tuned!


Above you see Tangereen helping me out with these! I love my kids!

A few other highlights of the great crafty weekend:

• I got to meet Mark Montano.
• I spoke with the owner of Redux about the possibility of her carrying my cuffs at her store.
• I spoke with the owners of Oh Shiny! about possibly consigning my work with them.
• I scored a cute red Felted Flower Hair Clip from LeBrie (PenFelt), some rocking soap from Dennis Anderson, and a gorgeous feather headband made by the three cute little daughters of my friend Karina of Luna.
  
• I saw a lot of friends both new and old - vendors AND shoppers! Thanks to those of you who came by, it was great to see you!