MY LAST POST (ON THIS BLOG ANYWAY)

I have big news - I have become one of the many creative entrepreneurs to quit their day job and pursue their passion full time!

With that step, I am also making a bunch of changes to my business - I'm creating new things and freshening up my look. I'm also learning lots of new things, and I've decided to start this whole blogging thing over again! I've purchased my own domain, and I will be creating a brand new website, updating my logo, and of course, starting a brand new blog!

In the meantime, please keep up with me on my brand new Instagram account! Follow me @alistrationsbyalison. :D

My Etsy shop is taking a break at the moment, but I'll be posting on Instagram when I'm back up and running! My new website/blog is still under construction as well, but the link is www.alistrations.com and I will also post on Instagram once it's live!

Thank you for sharing this learning process with me as I started my brand new business (and not really knowing what I was doing!) and I hope to see you on my new site! :)


Alison

HAPPY 2016

I admit it – I'm terrible at blogging.

I can't believe I only wrote one post last year! I meant to keep you up to date – particularly with news of upcoming craft markets. In reality, everything keeps happening so fast, and I never get around to writing about any of it! Allow me to fill you in on my whirlwind of a Christmas.

I ended up doing two craft markets in November, and made some major improvements to my booth and selling strategy from last year. It worked! Here are some tips I learned, and hopefully they will help any other crafters out there who may stumble upon my blog!

1. APPEARANCE: I browsed Pinterest for inspiration, and ended up using wooden crates to build height and make my booth look more attractive. It was easier to showcase my art on the “miniature shelves,” rather than piling things up in baskets. Also, if I made more than one of the same item, I only displayed one at a time so my display would not be too crowded. Lastly, I chose a featured product, set it at a great price, and used light to draw people's attention toward it.

2. PRICING: I decided to round my prices to even $5, $10, $15 etc. so it would be easier for customers, since I was only able to accept cash; also, I kept in mind that last year, most of my potential customers found my prices to be too high, so I purposely made products this year that I could sell at affordable prices.

3. VARIETY: Last year, I made several copies of the same three designs. I realised that it took all the fun out of doing crafts - almost turning it into a monotonous chore! This year, I made a huge range of different products; not only was it more fun for me, but there were so many more options for my customers to choose from!

3. CONNECTIONS: At craft markets, I've found that it's more fun to meet other crafters and make new friends, than to view all the other booths as competition. It makes the event fun – even if you don't sell as much as you hoped. I even learned some great tips from some of my new crafting friends; it's more rewarding to be able to help each other succeed, than to try on your own.

5. LOCATION: One of the tips I learned from a fellow crafter is that outdoor markets seem to have the best attendance. I have been to three indoor markets now, and none of them were really that busy. Since I can't afford to do any major shows, like the One-Of-A-Kind Show, I think I'll try an outdoor market next – maybe this spring or summer!

And now, I'm excited to announce...

...I've FINALLY opened my Etsy shop!!!

I wanted to be able to refer my craft market customers back to an online shop – especially if they didn't end up purchasing anything at the market – so I pushed myself to open my Etsy shop before my first November show. The shop was more successful than I could have hoped! November was the perfect time to jump right into Christmas-time madness! I was kept so busy right through December, and I even mailed out an urgent package right on Christmas Day! (Needless to say, I'm going to set my get-it-in-time-for-Christmas deadline back a bit next year!)

Anyway, I am astounded at how amazing Etsy is, so I would definitely highly recommend it to any other crafter out there who is looking for something to help their business take off!

Check out my shop here: alistrations.etsy.com :)

What's next for me in 2016? Well, I'm very happy to share that I've been hired to do illustrations for the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada! They are producing monthly children's stories that use a cute little kitten to teach lessons about God. They are available on the C&MA website to be downloaded and used as Sunday School lessons or bedtime stories! Check them out here: http://www.cmacan.org/stories/author/135

How about you? Do you have any craft market or Etsy shop tips or success stories? Please share them in the comments. :)

Until we meet again,

Alison Taylor-Harder :)

P.S. One of my new crafting friends is Marion from SMITTEN. I met her and her husband at one of the November craft markets, and they are so nice!! She makes the most adorable miniature foods out of clay, and then turns them into jewellery! I have a couple of pieces myself, and I love them!! Check out her Facebook shop:

https://www.facebook.com/SMITTENcreationsbymarion

I'M MARRIED NOW!

Long time no post. I truly apologize.

Since last time I posted here, I have been extremely busy (having gotten engaged last September) planning my wedding, travelling to Europe on our honeymoon, moving in and settling into our new home, and then adopting kittens!

I'm still in business, though! I'm working on re-organizing myself, updating my website, actually setting up a couple Etsy shops, and attending some craft shows this fall! (More info on those shows is coming up in the next post.)

Till then,

Alison Taylor-Harder :)

P.S. Sorry I never posted photos from my last craft show – there's actually not really much to see! The show did not have a great attendance, and I did not sell very much. But I've learned several tips, and am so excited for the next shows!

CRAFT SHOW + FREE FONTS!

This Saturday, I will be selling my art at a craft show for the very first time!! I'm excited!

Two of my friends are also selling stuff! One friend is selling Jacaranda products! If you've never heard of Jacaranda Creations, you should definitely check it out! All the products are hand-sewn by women in Africa, and all the money made is sent right back to those women and their families. Learn more by visiting www.jacarandacommunity.com.

My other friend creates amazing and beautiful shadow boxes! She will be opening an Etsy shop very soon, and when she does, I will pass along the link! In the meantime, if you are in the GTA, I hope you can come by and visit our tables at the show!

Here's a sneak peak at some of the stuff I will be selling...

For more information, visit the JKCS Christmas craft show facebook page! www.facebook.com/events/1542755012609786.

And now... FREE FONTS!

The three beautiful fonts that I used in my latest invitation design were absolutely free! And I thought it would be fun to share these with you!

Click on the links below to download the fonts! :)

OldStyle

Freebooter Script

Garton

Enjoy!

Alison

P.S. Check back soon! I will be posting pictures from the craft show!!

PIGS ON A BUS IS OFFICIALLY PUBLISHED!!

Our brand new children's book, Pigs On A Bus, has just been released this month!

If you're new to the blog, let me share a little background: Pigs On A Bus is a story that my fiance, Jonathan Harder, came up with one day just for fun. I loved it so much that I illustrated it as a surprise for his birthday, and then we decided to get it published!

Our book is already available on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble! We have also heard that it will soon be on Chapters/Indigo! We are so excited!

Be sure to visit www.pigsonabus.ca to see a sneak preview of the book, and more!

I've already been planning what will be in my next post, and I think you'll like it! So check back soon! :)

Alison

LIMES & DAISIES GRAND OPENING!

At last, my new wedding website, Limes & Daisies, is officially open for business! You can visit it at www.limesanddaisies.webs.com!

Wedding stationery – either pre-designed, or custom-made from scratch – and custom polymer clay cake toppers are the main products that I am offering. There are already a few invitation designs to choose from, and a brand new design is also in progress!

I keep all of my prices as reasonable as possible so couples can enjoy this special time in their lives, rather than fretting about expenses! In fact, to celebrate the launch of my new site, I am offering 20% off all stationery orders until October 31, 2014!

I also plan to eventually include some DIY centrepiece tutorials and other fun ideas for weddings on a budget. I would also like to be able to recommend other great wedding services, such as photographers, dress shops or caterers. If you offer any of these wedding services, I would be happy to support you by providing a link from my website to yours! Just send an email to alistrations@gmail.com and let me know. :)

So what do you think of Limes & Daisies? Is it user-friendly? Are the fonts legible? Please let me know your thoughts!

Thanks so much!!

Alison

ART WITH A PURPOSE

This past Saturday, my church hosted a new event called “Art With A Purpose.” It was a sort of “talent show” for anyone in our church who wanted to share the gifts God has given them – whether it was through visual art, music, or other creative outlet. I was so excited to be given a booth to showcase my art!

DISCLAIMER OF SORTS: Please forgive all the “fuzzy” photos in this post! (They were all taken with my phone, and not always in the best lighting conditions!)

I have never done an art show before, but I have assisted someone else with preparing for a trade show, and, of course, I had my trusty friend, Pinterest, there for inspiration. I knew I wanted to incorporate my signature colours (green and red) into my booth, but I didn't want to go overboard, as I wanted my art to stand out more than my table decor! I ended up using green (I already had a lovely bright green tablecloth, so I didn't have to buy a new one), brown (mostly wood and some tiny brown cardboard boxes) & black (for a chalkboard look). It ended up working out better than I had hoped!

I learned from handandseek.com (a website that I discovered through Pinterest) that it is a good idea to have raised surfaces for some of your art, rather than putting all of it right onto a table. There's a furniture store not far from where I live that sells some really cheap stuff, so I picked up a little unfinished wooden shelving unit for around $20! It was the perfect size. I practiced my set-up on a coffee table at home first.

(I realize the fabric I used on the shelf looks a bit red in the above photo, but it is actually brown; I did try some red fabric, but it looked too busy, so I decided to go more neutral.)

I wanted to display “Pigs On A Bus” at my booth, of course! (“Pigs On A Bus” is a children's book which my boyfriend wrote, and I illustrated. Find out more by clicking here and here!) The only problem was that it is still in the process of being published, and I did not feel comfortable with putting the original artwork out for people to be constantly handling. I had discovered a great little print-shop recently who has printed samples for me of my new wedding invitation designs, so I decided to have them print a copy of our children's book as well. Although they provided binding services for booklets, they offered me a cheaper price to simply print each page and then I would cut and bind them myself. I'm glad I chose the second option, as it allowed me to create a custom look.

My print-shop was gracious enough to mark some guidelines on the pages to make it easier for me to cut the pages out. Once all the cutting was over with, I decided to see if I could staple the pages together. It turned out to be too thick a stack for that; however, I was able to use the holes left behind from the stapler as a guide to actually stitching the book together! I made a few more staple marks down the page, then used a pin to make the holes a wee bit bigger, and also to punch the remaining pages that the stapler couldn't reach (making sure that the holes on each page lined up with the page before). Then I used a needle and thread to sew the pages together! I finished it off by putting some green chevron patterned washi tape over the stitches; the tape gave it a very clean, professional look!

I got some business cards made at the same print-shop. I also got a few miniature art prints made in the size of business cards – I found a place that could do these for a very low price, so that I could give them away for free at the show; one of the prints featured a page from “Pigs On A Bus,” and it was definitely the most popular print! Lastly, I had a little candy jar with some Starbursts!

I also wanted to share a meaningful bible verse at my booth. I found one that really defined my journey to starting my own business, and really my journey through life as well. I bought a little chalkboard from a craft store and wrote the verse on it using a white multi-surface pencil. (I made sure to test the pencil first to make sure that it could be erased, and it's a good thing, too! Because – and this is so funny – it took me SO MANY tries to get the word “patient” just right!)

Practising my set-up at home really helped speed up the process once I got to my church – even though my booth ended up being at a round table, which I had not anticipated (I only had to slightly rearrange my things). Here's what my final booth looked like:

I have some very talented friends at my church who also displayed their art, and who are planning on opening Etsy shops in the near future! When they do, I will be sure to post about it! (And in case you were wondering, I am planning on opening an Etsy shop, too! I have got a few ideas of things I want to sell, but if any of you have any suggestions, I would be happy to hear them!)

Have any of you ever displayed anything at a show? Feel free to leave a comment and share about your experience! :)

Alison