Crafty Grab Boxes Now Available

*just a quick update, yes you can specify what sort of items you want in your boxes,  with the only exception being an all clothing (ie: hats, scarfs, cowls, etc) will be limited to the 2 large sized boxes)

So all the vendor events I was scheduled to do this spring have cancelled due to Covid-19.  As a result, I have no income coming in, and major bills to pay (think mortgage, utilities, insurance, etc.)  Because I am self-employed, unemployment insurance is not an option.  So in an effort to generate some sort of income I had to think outside the box. 

I have tons of inventory for the events I was scheduled to do (no refund policies in effect for all of them, so no booth fees back).  I have decided to offer “grab boxes of goodies”.  You know you loved buying those grab bags when you were kids, never knowing what kind of treasures were inside.  In this case I am offering 3 different price points  $15.95,   $29.95,  and $39.95.  These all include shipping to anywhere in the USA.  (no international shipping available at this time).  You will get at a minimum 3 different items (maximum of 5 different items), valued at a minimum of the cost of the box (based on the retail prices I normally sell the items for).  For example, say you would like to order a $15.95 box.  You might get the following, A small mini whale stuffy (5.95 value), a kitchen scrubbie (5.95 value), and a coffee cup cozy (5.95 value).  This is just a general idea.    Each box will also include a price sheet of the items I sell, as well as other items available for sell should you decide to buy more items (I will also ship to friends and relatives for you, provided they live in the USA.  (see gifts are covered).

Some of the items you might get include, cup cozies, key chains, hats, scarfs, small lap afghans, small baby blankets, stuffed toys, crocheted potted plants, fingerless gloves, utility cloths (think dish and wash cloths), potholders, kitchen towels, coasters, home décor (think plant hangers, pillow cases,) cell phone bags, water bottle bags, head bands, etc.  Granted most of my items are geared toward women, or children (just not a lot of great crochet items for guys out there, although I am always looking for patterns that would be good for the guys).  I am including some photos of my booth set up and some close ups of a few of the items I sell.

Hopefully this will at least bring in enough money to cover the utilities I am behind on, and cover part of my mortgage.  And before anyone says it, yes I had savings, but they were wiped out when the last of the events was cancelled.  I usually sell enough in the spring to carry me through the spring and summer, and enough in the fall to carry me through the fall into the first couple of months of the following year, before the spring events start. 

All items are crocheted (there may be a few knitted or sewn items in there, but 99% of what I do is crochet).

If you are interested in a grab box email me, let me know what size box you would like and I will invoice you through square (if you prefer to be invoiced via venmo or paypal please include the id used with the preferred account and let let know which you prefer.)  I will pack and ship your box out the next business day after receiving your payment

   

Busy Times

So I have been very busy trying to get ready for the next two craft shows I have coming up in October.  Just a few more items to make, then I am going to turn my attention toward making Christmas ornaments for the shows I have coming up in November and December.  It helps that I did most of the craft items I need early in the year.    After my last show in December I will take a month off to just breathe, try to pick out the new designs I want to try for the following year, decide which of the older tried and true designs I want to keep, and start looking for Spring 2020 shows that I may want to sign up for.  Oh and I need to complete three wedding ring afghans in that time.  One should have been done already, but a couple of shows I wasn't expecting to get into slowed that one down to a crawl, and I still have to purchase the yarn for one of them (thank goodness it doesn't have to be finished before next October, got to remember NOT to schedule a show that week.)

Oh and I also need to get my online store stocked.  So this is going to be a busy busy season for me.  Better busy that bored though.  Although it would be nice to actually be able to see the floor of my craft room instead of open boxes of raw material, in this case yarn, ribbon, buttons, burlap, and t-shirts and funky sweaters waiting to be upcycled into rag rugs and pet beds.  Oh well, after Dec 14th I can take a week to clean up and take stock, then I need to make sure all the Christmas gifts are done and ready to deliver. (hopefully that will include one of the above mentions afghans.)

For kicks and giggles thought I'd include some pictures of some of my stock / sale set ups in this post.  Enjoy

Okay, so I suck at Blogging

And what else is new.  I have great plans, and of course they tend to fall by the wayside.  So right now I am getting ready for the first of my fall craft shows coming up August 31st.  Dreading the heat, but looking forward to getting a idea of what people are looking for this season. 

Trend reports can be helpful, but lets face it, trends vary depending upon where you live, the median income of the people in the area you live in, and even the time of the year.  Right now I expect I will be selling a lot of stuff in school colors, since school has just started and kids will want to show their school spirit.  But there will no doubt be a lot of people asking for things I either don't have, or don't make.   But this is one of my cheaper shows, and always a good indication of what I need to focus on for the rest of the fall season.

I am also trying my hand at loom knitting.  I finally broke out that set of knifty knitter looms that had been languishing in the very back of the closet in my craft room.  I have to admit, it wasn't that hard to do a simple hat on it.  So I may have to play around with some more patterns.  Knitted hats always seem to sell faster than crocheted ones, while crocheted headbands out perform knI itted ones, go figure.  It takes me over a week to knit a hat on regular knitting needles, with the knitting loom I finished my first hat in about 2 hours, while binge watching the Librarians on tv. 

I will try to remember to come back and post pictures of my booth either the Sunday or Monday after the show.  (But please don't hold me to that LOL)

That's it for now.  If anyone is in the Visalia, California area, near Church and Main Street, on August 31, 2019  between 10 and 4 come out and shop the show.  If you find my booth (I have a large framd banner with my name Sharon Griffin,  The Sassy Crafter on it) stop in and say hi.  Mention you saw my blog post, and you'll get a small gift.