Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The latest Craft Show



So my last craft show was this past Saturday at Vorhee's High School, Glen Gardner, NJ.  I had heard great things about this show from various crafters and also a friend that had done quite well there last year....so I was excited to do such a reasonable show that pulled a large crowd.

It just goes to show you....every year is not the same!  There was a considerably smaller crowd there this year according to the crafters around me that had done the show before.  I have to say I was a little disappointed at the turn out and I'm not sure I will do this show again.  Thankfully it wasn't just me that had that opinion.....almost every crafter I talked to was of the same mind.

I did meet some lovely people, although not as many as I would have liked as I was alone most of the day so couldn't leave my table.  If you're looking for a modern handmade doll or super hero cape check out Made With Luck.

Anyway here are some pics of my table.  I didn't have time to paint the wine crates which I will be doing before my next show at Warren Tech. but besides that I feel my table is too crowded.  You have to really stop and look carefully at everything I have there and I think most people's eyes just glazed over and they walked by smiling  LOL  So I will be revisiting the table design AGAIN!  At least next time I will have a 10' x 10' space...this was an 8ft table























Tuesday, November 26, 2013

My Zulily.com Experience

It came to my attention that I never gave an update of my Zulily.com experience.

To recap....I made these 2 items for Zulily.com to sell in one of their flash sales...they are available in my Etsy shop now https://www.etsy.com/shop/TextileTrolley

Cotton Blanket 29" x 34"


Bib and Burp Cloth Set


I have to say my whole experience with Zulily.com from start to finish was very professional...these people are on top of things and know exactly what they are doing......WAY more so than Groopdealz.com (would never work with them again).

Everything was laid out very clearly for me....how they worked, who would be my contact, if I had any questions they were answered within 24 hours, I felt like my hand was held the whole way through.

I had to provide 2 different items with at least 10 of each item.  I chose to provide 14 blankets and 20 bib and burp cloth sets.  You are set up with a portal so that you can see how much you have sold and to which states....they told me that most items sell in the first few hours so I was glued to that computer screen most of the first morning.  The stats update every 15 mins so it was very exciting to watch!
I managed to sell almost all my blankets....12 out of 14 but the bib and burp cloth sets did not do that great...only 3 were sold out of 20  :o(

So I came away with a positive experience, I made money that I probably wouldn't have made in a weekend (even though I had to discount my prices) and reached new customers who will hopefully visit my Etsy Shop.
I took what didn't sell to the craft show I did this weekend (more about that later in the week) and I will post the other items in the shop.

The only downside I could find to Zulily.com is that there are SO MANY SALES all going on at the same time.....I counted over 100 on my day.  Within each sale is at least another 100 items for sale and a lot of the designer names are at the very top of the sales.

So I wonder is Zulily.com so big that small fry like Textile Trolley seem to get lost???  I don't know!  I would definitely consider doing it again if approached but for now I'll focus on my Etsy shop and the last craft show of the year Crafts in the Warren Tech

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

New Christmas Item

Busy preparing for my next craft show, this Saturday at Vorhee's High School in Glen Gardner NJ.

I have a few new items for the show like these fabric houses.  I'll see how they sell but will probably make a couple for the shop.  I think they are a great gift for a family, a hostess or someone that has everything!

Hopefully I'll get a tutorial up on these before Christmas has come and gone!  But then again, they don't have to be restricted to Christmas.







Saturday, November 9, 2013

New York City Baby Blanket. New York City Bib and Burp Cloth Set

 36 hours left on my Zulily.com sale.

Here's a link to purchase my NYC items.  Only for sale on Zulily.com

http://www.zulily.com/textile-trolley?fromSearch=true&searchTerm=textile+trolley


29" x 34" Baby Blanket   100% cotton




Bib and Burp Cloth set   100% cotton


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Textile Trolley on Zulily.com

Hi everyone......wanted to share with you my Zulily.com event that starts this Friday, November 8th through to November 11th

You can sign up here http://www.zulily.com/ to receive their emails and events.

The following items will be for sale with them under the sale
'SURPRISE BABY SHOWER COLLECTION'

This will be the only place I will have these items for sale!


NYC Baby Blanket



NYC Bib and Burp Cloth Set



Monday, November 4, 2013

Apple Picking in the Fall

Very much a tradition around here in New Jersey is to go apple picking in the fall.

While my Mum and Aunt were visiting from the U.K. we stopped by one of the local farms so they could see what it was all about.  Don't get me wrong, we have apple trees in England but I never encountered the 'apple picking experience' from an apple farm until I came to the states.

Fortunately we had a beautiful day and there were many families visiting the farm too, everyone looked to be having a great time no matter what age.....definitely something the children enjoy as often there are hay rides and other activities too.

We went to Melick's in Oldwick  http://www.melickstownfarm.com/

Here are some pics I captured

























Make the last of the Fall/Autumn days and spend some time at a farm near you.