In the coming weeks, in honor of Earth Day and every day green living, KB the Car-free Crafter will be sharing her secrets to living car-free as a crafter with a busy agenda.

Anyone who has ever applied to Crafty Bastards knows how fierce the competition can be. Last year’s show got 400 applications for 100 spots! That said, don’t be afraid! Ok, be a little afraid, but don’t be so terrified that you don’t try. As a veteran Crafty Bastard, I always get asked for application tips. I decided that it would also be cool to ask former and current Crafty Bastards judges for their thoughts. Lucky for you, I am not going to charge for this advice. Instead, here it is, totally 100% free!

There are two main components to the Crafty Bastards application. Vendor statement (only 300 characters!) and photos of your work. But before we can even get to these things, the first thing that you need to do to get into Crafty is to make something interesting. I can’t stress this enough. If you are new to crafting and think you have a brilliant idea, totally Google it. There might be 10 other people making the same thing and if this is the case, you need to make sure you can put your own spin on it. That said, having a very distinct brand identity is also a really good place to be when you start applying to shows. So, step 1. Know who you are and make something awesome. Easy.

Step 2: Vendor Statement.

If you know who you are and make something awesome, your vendor statement shouldn’t be too difficult. You only have 300 characters to work with, so this is the hard part. Let’s break down my vendor statement from last year:

Tina Seamonster silk screens shirts and cards in small batches at her kitchen table with a Print Gocco. She is inspired by her life as an urban mom of twins in DC. Her designs are mostly about overcoming fears (of zombies, etc!), dealing with stress and living life with humor above all else.

The first thing that I do in my vendor statement is establish my brand identity. This is who I am. Then I immediately tell you what I make and how I make it. One former judge thinks that explaining how you make your items is very important. He says: “One tip that I have is to explain, explain, explain. We received more than a few applications that didn’t really specify the crafter’s role in their work. For instance, if you sell screen-printed shirts, explaining that you draw your own art, burn your own Gocco screens, source your own t-shirts from Africa, and hand mix your own inks from natural pigments is much better than leaving it up to the judges to guess. ‘Cause they just might assume you sent an image to the screen printer and — viola — 2 weeks later 400 shirts show up. And that isn’t gonna win you fans. Explaining why you’re all DIY is good.” Obviously you can’t explain all of that in 300 characters, but you get the point!

So, I explain first who I am, then what I make and how. Next I tell you where I am coming from. This might not matter for everyone, but for me, my crazy lifestyle as a twin mom living in the city is key to what I do, so I mention it. If your crazy lifestyle as a traveling lion tamer is important to your handmade flutes, then let us know! And lastly, I explain the style and subject matter of my work. This is not at all a hard and fast rule to creating the perfect vendor statement. We all have our own style. Maybe your statement will be funny or provocative or memorable in some other way. Just make sure you make every word count!

Step 3: Photos.

The dreaded photos. I hate this part. I truly do. But it is so so important. My first advice is to former Crafty Bastards. Send new photos. Don’t assume that because you got in last year or every year that you can send old photos. I nearly made this mistake a few years ago. Don’t do it! As much as you love or are still selling a million of the same items from last year, do try to show something new. That said, former judge Liz of Trees can say the rest better than I can:

First off, and I can’t stress this enough, submit bright, clear photos of your work! Judges look at hundreds if not thousands of photos when jurying a show. Not only do you want your work to stand out, you don’t want to contribute to their eye strain! You are being judged by your submissions and if the judges can’t see how great your work is because the photos are too dark or too fuzzy, you won’t get into the show. Also, if your work is highly detailed with say 10 different decorative stitches on a skirt, make sure this comes through.

Second, show variety in your work. If you make hand-knit scarves as well as kitten booties and iMac cozies, send in a photo of each so the jurors can see the breadth of your work. Don’t just send in three separate photos of scarves.

Third, I’d recommend showing your work in action. If you make pottery, take a photo of someone enjoying a steaming cup of cocoa in a hand-thrown mug or if you make pillows, take shots of them on a couch or with your cat napping on them. It gives the viewer context.

Fourth, inject your personality and style and vision into your photos. If your craft consists of making fun, irreverent clothing, take photos of people wearing the clothes doing fun, irreverent things! If your artwork is somber or goth or melancholy, take your oil paintings to a cemetery on a cloudy day and stage a photo shoot.

Thanks Liz!

A few more photo tips. If you make shirts for the whole family, I suggest that you show that in your photos. Many indie crafters only make shirts in standard sizes. But if you make stuff for plus sizes, as well, try to convey that in your photos. If you make stuff for babies and kids, too, make sure you have a whole family wearing your gear. You don’t need models, just use your family!

Rather than just taking a photo of your stuff on the kitchen table (dude, I have totally done this before), create a memorable world with your photos. Spooky Daddy did this last year with his army of skull bunnies. He was also bold enough to include himself in one of the photos. This makes sense for him because HE is his brand. Smart move and awesome if you can pull it off.

In the end, you do not need professional photos. All you need is good light, interesting backgrounds and a little imagination.

Hopefully I have made the application process a little less scary. Please leave your own tips or questions in the comments. All questions will be answered! Good luck!

And if this didn’t help at all, you can still check out last year’s vendor gallery if you want to see more photos or read more vendor statements.

Tina Seamonster blogs her life and craft at http://www.ilikeseamonsters.com. She is a veteran of all four Crafty Bastards shows. She thinks that unicorns whine too too much.

Organizing a craft event? You’ve got your venue squared away, and now you’re ready to squeeze in as many vendors as you can..and not just any vendors, RAD vendors that make awesome stuff.

I organize a monthly outdoor craft market and have found some interesting ways to ‘tap into’ the craft community and get a lot of responses to our calls for crafters. Here is a step-by-step guide:

• First, you need to have some sort of web site for the event. It’s important to have a place where prospective vendors can easily get information on the show, how to apply, and how to contact you with questions. This can either be a page on your existing web site, or if you don’t have a web site, you can start one easily in minutes using Blogger or Wordpress (both are free!). Here’s an example of a blog my friend Moira of Bookish Lady put together for her Valentine’s Day themed craft event:Crafts and Kisses
• Once that’s ready to go, you’re ready to start posting. A great place to start is IndieCraftShows.com. This site is a great, free resource for crafters and organizers alike. It’s easy to create a login and start posting the call for everyone to see.
• Trade publications are another way to go. There are hundreds of magazines that focus on the craft industry. One that I’ve had luck with is The Crafts Report. For $25 you can list your show in their online ‘craft show finder’ and reach vendors on a national level.

Looking mostly for local artists? Here are some more easy (and free!) ways to find artists in your area:

• Craigslist…ahh, the neverending free resource that now reaches people in all nooks/crannies in the US and beyond! On Craigslist there are a couple of categories you could post your call in. Post in the ‘Artists’ section of the community bulletin board, or under ‘Creative Gigs’ in the employment section. Craigslist now allows for pictures and hyperlinks so you can really trick out your call and make it look appealing.
• Your local paper: A lot of local rags offer free or very affordable classified advertising for arts and events. Check out your favorite
  local newspaper and see about their online and print classifieds. If you’re in the DC area, the City Paper has their Crafty Bastards classifieds section which is free and has become a ‘go-to’ place for crafters and craft show organizers alike.
• and my new favorite way to find vendors in my region is Etsy. Etsy now has a ’shop local’ feature that allows you to search for artists by city + state. For my upcoming craft event, I did searches for DC, MD and VA and then contacted artists who had work I liked. You need to have an Etsy account to contact the crafters, but it’s free and easy to set up.

By following these steps you’re mailbox will be flooded with tons of applications from near and far, and your indie craft event is sure to be packed with cool vendors selling the hottest handmade products!!

Here are some of the vendors I found for my market using these ‘tactics’…(I’m gonna be broke by the end of the summer):

For the full list of 2008 Ballston Arts & Crafts vendors (which just posted yesterday!) check out our blog: ballstonarts-craftsmarket.blogspot.com.

If you build it, they will come!!

xo, kristina

kristina bilonick is a dc native and fellow craft-addict, cooking up only the finest from her downtown dc studio. www.kristinabilonick.etsy.com

The 2008 Takoma Park Street Festival is accepting applications for craft vendors. The festival is Sunday, October 5, 2008, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fee is $125 per 10 x 10 ft. space.

The festival allocate spaces to eligible participants based on the order applications are received, taking into account, however, the need to offer an appropriate mix of participant/vendor types and items sold. The festival is usually filled by June. The application can be downloaded from the web site, here.

The Takoma Park Street Festival is entering its 25th year as a multi-cultural music and crafts festival in downtown Old Takoma. Check out their web site for more information.

Post in the comments if you have done this show in the past and what you think of this local opportunity.

If you are currently a seller on Etsy.com or are thinking about setting up shop, you will be interested in their new Cooperative Advertising Program.

For me, I have always been afraid to buy my own ads in national magazines because the price just seems too high for such a small space to show off my work. So Etsy is trying to help sellers out by securing advertisements in magazines like Bust, CRAFT and Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion. Here are some important points from their announcement:

• Etsy will purchase ad space in various magazines, cover half of the cost, and design the ads.
• Etsy Sellers are able to purchase spots in the ad at the discounted rate.
• You will get to display your shop name, an image of one item, its price, and its category.
• The limit is one spot per seller, per advertisement.

The first opportunity for a space in the Bust ad sold out in 6 seconds! The next ad will appear in the May issue of CRAFT and is on sale on Thursday, February 21st, 2008 at 3:00pm EST. 36 spots will be available to sellers at a price of $50 each.

My advice if you do plan to buy a space is to make sure you pick a spot in the right magazine and that you put your best photo forward. You wouldn’t want to pay $50 for a spot and send a bad photograph of the wrong item for that publication’s demographic. So, do some research and know your customers!

Upcoming opportunities are:

– Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion, spots go on sale: Monday, March 3rd, 2008, 30 Spots at $75 each

– Venus Zine, spots go on sale: Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Visit the Storque article for more information on this program (including where to go to buy a spot!).

Oh course, this is only for people who currently have an Etsy shop, so what are you waiting for?

Tina Seamonster blogs her life and craft at http://www.ilikeseamonsters.com. She thinks you are rad.

Hey crafters! You can’t hide inside with your knitting and C-SPAN for much longer. Winter will be over soon and you will need a tent and sunscreen and it will be time to go out into the world and sell your wares. With that in mind, it is time to start applying for spring/summer shows. The first local opportunity that should be on your radar is the Ballston Arts + Crafts Market.

The need to know info:
Second Saturdays, May through October
Ballston Arts + Crafts Market
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Welburn Square, across from the Ballston Metro station.

I like this market because of the Metro accessible location, easy load in and out areas and nice neighborhood with really close smoothies and lunch options. It really is almost hassle-free. You will need a tent, though, so keep that in mind.

To apply to sell your items at the market, please download the 2008 Arts+Crafts Market application here, and be sure to note the guidelines and eligibility before applying. There is no application fee, and applications can be sent via mail or email as outlined on the application.

This year’s deadline for the first round of jurying is March 3, 2008. Applications received after 3/3 will be reviewed on a space-available basis. If you are selected, you can pick to sell your wares at some or all of the dates, which makes it really convenient.

For more information on this market, check out their blog at http://www.ballstonarts-craftsmarket.blogspot.com/

Going out of town takes a lot of preparation and certainly getting ready for a craft market does too. Combine them both and you have a big project on your hands. Planning is essential. You have a lot of work ahead of you the day(s) of the actual market and you don’t want to be an exhausted wreck before you even get there. Your purpose during the market is to smile and engage with shoppers and to be ready to talk about your crafts. If you’re stressed or worn out just from the getting there part, the day is going to just drag on and you might not have as much success as you had hoped for.

Crafters usually don’t have a lot of extra money and unlike a vacation where the purpose of the trip is to have fun and consequently spend money, the purpose of traveling to a market is to make money (plus gain exposure, network with motivated crafters and market your creations). There is a careful balance necessary when traveling to a market out of town. Try to be frugal in as many ways as possible so that the show pays off, but allow yourself certain luxuries in order to make the weekend functional. An example of this is staying at a hotel that is more expensive than your normal budget, but is only a few blocks away from the market, thus making it much easier to get there and back.

Packing- Be really conscious of how you are getting there (flying or driving) while you pack. Instead of waiting until the night before to pack everything, find some spot in your home where you can start collecting everything you’re going to need. Once you’ve finished making a product put it in that corner. New business cards come in the mail? Put them directly in the corner so they are all ready to go for the trip. Buy new displays? Put them in the corner. Make a new sign for your booth? Put it in the corner. That way you aren’t scrambling at the last minute. And you’re not constantly trying to remember little things. Anything you see in your house that makes you think “I have to remember to take that with me to the market” just pick it up right then and put it in the corner. Don’t rely on your frazzled brain to remember it later!

Travel Plans- Once you’ve decided if you are driving or flying to the market start planning the details early.

If you are flying, determine if you can rent a tent, tables and chairs from the show. Most shows offer this for an additional fee and renting them from the show is going to make setup much easier. You should also determine early on how much luggage you’re going to have. Find out your airline’s baggage restrictions and how much they charge for oversized bags. Figure out where you are going to stay based on the location of the market. You may decide to rent a car, but chances are this is not cost effective. Figure out if there is a convenient way to take public transportation. Other options are a local car service or a cab, but make sure you have enough cash and have budgeted this into your costs for the trip. Multiple rides in a cab (four trips for a two day show) can really add up. However you choose to get around make sure it is going to work for the amount of stuff you have, and likewise, make sure you don’t have too much stuff that you can’t get from place to place with all of it.

If you are driving, you’ll probably feel like you can bring way more stuff than if you are flying. Make sure everything you pack is essential. Driving a long distance in an overstuffed car can be stressful if your visibility is obstructed. Make sure you have really good detailed directions to your destination and a driving map of each state you’re going through. You never know when a route is going to be closed for construction and you want to be prepared.

Whether you are flying or driving, before you leave home get a really good grasp on the layout of the city you’re going to. If you’re taking public transportation study their map and study a map of your route if you are driving or taking cabs. You need to be familiar even if you are taking a cab. You don’t want to get lost on the way to the market, it will just make the whole day much harder.

Fun- The number one most important thing to remember while traveling to a market out of town is to have fun! The whole ordeal is just that, an ordeal. You have to get ready to get there, you have to get there, you have to haul a bunch of stuff, you have to pitch a tent, you have to unpack all your stuff, you have to make it look pretty, you have to pack it back up at the end of the day, you have to deal with weather for an extended period of time, you have to figure out logistics, you have to get along with the people you are traveling with or you have to figure out how to make all this happen on your own if you are traveling solo, you have to smile and talk to strangers all day, you have to handle money, you have to get yourself food and you have to figure out a way to take bathroom breaks but not leave your stuff unsupervised.

Seriously, doing craft markets is really hard work and not for the faint of heart! If you’ve done one, you are a rock star. So just prepare yourself mentally that it’s going to be a grueling day. But so worth it! You get to show off your hand crafted work to the world, you get to meet crafters from other cities, you get to see crafty friends from all over the country, you get to talk up your product (when else is it really appropriate to brag?) and you get to take money from people in exchange for something you made. What could be better? It’s so exhilarating! So for all the grueling work just keep a positive attitude because this is going to be a great day!!!

So go get ‘em! Get prepared, get ready and then you’re going to have fun!

Additional Reading:
To read more specifics on how to get ready for a craft market in general you can read an article I wrote for Get Crafty a couple of years ago. All the info is still true, but notice the photo with a disposable camera. Now I don’t go anywhere without my digital!

HOW TO: prepare for a craft fair

Christy Petterson is currently preparing for her second drive to DC to participate in Crafty Bastards and her third drive to Chicago to participate in Renegade with her line a bardis. She co-organizes the Indie Craft Experience in Atlanta, co-produces the annual Starlets of Craft Calendar and co-edits Get Crafty.

Welcome to guest blogger Christy Petterson!

Christy is currently preparing for her second drive to DC to participate in Crafty Bastards and her third drive to Chicago to participate in Renegade (this weekend!) with her line a bardis. She co-organizes the Indie Craft Experience in Atlanta, co-produces the annual Starlets of Craft Calendar and co-edits Get Crafty.

When she’s not busy prepping for, travelling to and selling her goods at craft fairs, Christy will be dishing out tips and hints to help you get ready for your next craft show. To get a taste of the helpful info Christy will share, check out the How to Prepare for a Craft Fair entry (complete with checklist) she wrote for Get Crafty a couple of years ago.

Welcome Christy!

That gigantic super cool craft show is just a month away. What are you doing to prepare? Brainstorming new items? Buying a new tent? Building up stock? Asking your brother to fly 3000 miles to help you man your booth? (Yes, I did this and he is coming.)

Maybe you haven’t even begun to plan and are wondering where to start? My advice is to spend some time with your promotional materials. These are going to be important before, during and after that big show. Think you don’t have time for this? It shouldn’t take long and you will be happy you did it!

Printed materials. Do you have them? If not, get some! There will be so many people who want to remember you or show your stuff to a friend. Afraid of dealing with printers? I understand. There are a number of online companies that will help you design and submit postcards, business cards, fliers, etc. Use their online tools to create a piece or if you have some skillz, download a Photoshop template. I love Vistaprint.com, but be warned if you go with them, be ready to be spammed for the rest of your life. I have friends who swear by Overnightprints.com because you can get those fancy rounded corners on everything. There are many more places to get your materials fast and cheap.

Have you taken a good look at your promotional materials from the standpoint of someone who knows nothing about you? Try to avoid business cards with just text on them. We need to see what you make! I would also say try to avoid business cards in general. I always throw them away. They are too small and look like scraps of trash in my bag. I truly believe the postcard is the way to go.

Think about creating your postcards to double as products. Why not create an art card with a really cool picture of one of your items or perhaps with one of your designs? If you put your shop name on the back of the card, it turns into a freebie rather than an advertisement. I have a postcard from Glitterlimes.com on my wall that has been with me for 3 years. I took it to every new job and now it is on my daughters’ closet door. It is beautiful; like their products, it is art. Make a set of 4 different cards, package them up and sell them, but give one of them away as your promo card. People will want to take something that has value.

LemonCadet made these little felt bean stickers and added them to her postcards. I picked one up because I liked the bean. I promptly put the sticker on the back of my cell phone. There she is. My orange bean reminds me of LemonCadet every time I use my cell. How brilliant is that? Make your customers know that you like them even if they don’t buy something right then. That might be corny, but indie craft is about people. And the more you act like a person and not a used car salesmen, the more people will dig you.

Other things you could be thinking about are overhauling that web shop for post-show shoppers, clearing up your brand identity and oh yeah, making some stuff. These are topics for another post, though. Get to work!

You got in! You beat the 4 to 1 odds of making it into Crafty Bastards. Whether this is your first or fourth year, you must be saying, “Now what?!”Last year’s show brought in nearly 15,000 shoppers. This is a unique opportunity to reach an amazing number of people. What fresh and brilliant goodies are you going to offer them? (Note, even if you didn’t get in, the following ideas will work for all of the other rad shows you will be doing this fall!).

The biggest mistake that I always make is first concentrating on the old favorites. Of course this is important and will be done in the coming weeks; but a good thing to do first is brainstorm new designs, ideas and products. This way you can work out the bugs and figure them out long before the day of the event. Last year, I actually came up with my zombie design at 2 in the morning the night before the show. Seriously! I had one Gocco screen left, and 9 t-shirts. I remember standing there, exhausted from heat setting and pricing, thinking, “Should I just go to bed?”� I pressed on and made the new design. Of course, this design is all I heard about all day and I sold them all. Waiting to explore new ideas until the last minute can be exciting, but sad when you don’t have enough to sell!

Another thing that is easy to forget is to explore how you can turn your most popular items into new products. This can be super fun and you know that if someone liked a design in one medium, they will dig it in another, too. If you make a rad stuffed Ninja Fetus (Fort Cloudy) or a super cool Batty (MagpieDC), why not take his picture and put him on a pocket mirror or a badge? Designs for rings can turn into refrigerator magnets or pendants (see Block Party Press for examples of this).

Larger pieces of art that are limited edition like Rania Hassan’s “Knit XIV”� can be made into postcards or small prints. All of these ideas are good because you are offering your best work at different price points. A more casual shopper might pick up a $5 postcard set, but then come back months later for the bigger piece. Lower priced alternatives are also good for people who are buying gifts.

Think about creating something completely unexpected with either an old or a new design. I just finished turning my zombie shirt design into holiday cards. I know it is July, but it is never too early to start making holiday cards. I have rarely in my life sent Christmas cards to anyone for lack of an interesting card to send! I figured there must be other people out there like me. So, the Zombie Plague Holiday Card Set was born by modifying a current product.

Ok, Crafty Bastards, you have 10 weeks! Get to work! And be sure to post links to what you are making in the comments! We all wanna see!