Belt Buckle Display

The belt buckle display is made of PVC and wood, and the cost of all the materials was about $20. The goal for the display was to put many of the buckles at eye level and keep the belts themselves from getting tangled up. Bonus points for being able to easily see the backs of the belts to view sizing info.

Parts list:

• 18" long piece of 1×6
• 2 metal flanges for 3/4" pipe
• 4 6" lengths of 3/4" PVC pipe
• 2 16" lengths of 3/4" PVC pipe
• 6 3/4" PVC straight couplings
• 2 couplings to fit the 3/4" pipe into the flange threads
• 3 16" strips of rectangular molding
• Scraps of 1/8" plywood
• 18 magnets
• C clamp to keep it from falling over

To make the rails to hold the buckles/belts, I took the rectangular molding and glued magnets evenly along them, 6 per rail. The buckle backs are steel, so they stick to the magnets pretty well. I used some ceramic magnets and some neodymium magnets because that's what I had lying around, but if I were to do it again I'd probably use all neodymium.

To attach the rails to the PVC I laser cut some rings (shown on the left) out of some scrap 1/8 plywood and glue them to each end of the rails. While I'm lucky enough to have a laser, it's something you could pretty easily cut by hand with a little patience and an appropriately sized drill bit. 

The rings slip over the PVC, and rest on top of the coupling. The whole thing is surprisingly sturdy, and breaks down easily to fit in my Big Box of Craft Show Gear. The C clamp helps keep things stable. The last show I did had super wobbly floors that shook the table any time someone walked by.

Eventually I'd like to make some cloth covers for the PVC pipe, so it's not so ugly, but for the time being the display worked pretty well. I sold a good deal more belt buckles than usual, and I think having them all easy to see was a big part of that.

Pendant Display

The pendant display was made literally the night before the show. I grabbed an Ikea frame and a 12" square piece of grey industrial felt I had lying around. I cut the felt to fit the frame, and had some leftover. From that I cut narrow 1/4" strips of felt the same width as the frame. I glued them at pendant-sized intervals, and the pendants are just thin enough that they can sit on the felt rails. And unlike my last slapdash jewelry display, this one doesn't have nails sticking out the back to stab me.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the two displays, although I sometimes wonder what craft shows would look like if it wasn't for Ikea. The Tinysaurs themselves are in need of some new display furniture, so I'll probably put something together for them in the spring. I'm free from craft shows for a whole four months!

If you're in or near Baltimore this weekend, stop by Squidfire's Holiday Art Mart! Everything Tiny will be there along with awesome folks like ZooGuu and Girls Can Tell. Maybe Mrs. Claus will make an appearance!

The Richmond Craft Mafia has decided to extend the area that we are accepting applications for Handmade Holiday from a 30-mile radius of our fair city to a 50-mile radius of Richmond! 
Also, this year there will be more elbow room for our vendors and shoppers with an additional room upstairs to our show space. 

Handmade Holiday Craft Show

What: A Juried Indie Craft Show in Richmond, Virginia.

Why: Buy Handmade, Buy Local!

Who: The Richmond Craft Mafia, The Visual Arts Center of Richmond and some of Richmond’s most talented indie crafters.

Where: The Visual Arts Center of Richmond 

When: 
Preview Party, Friday Evening – December 11th – 7pm to 10pm
Open to the Public – Saturday – December 12th – 10 am to 5 pm

For more information on the Handmade Holiday, visit our website at:
htp://www.richmondhandmadeholiday.com

The application deadline is October 10th. Apply today!

click here to apply.

Call for Vendors: Detroit Urban Craft Fair 2009
There’s still time to apply for the 2009 Detroit Urban Craft Fair. This year we’re going back to our roots and setting up shop at the Majestic Theater on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The deadline to apply is Sept. 11, 2009. For all the details, FAQs and any other piece of information you might need, head over tohttp://detroiturbancraftfair.com/apply/.

The Art of Getting Crafty: How To Pimp and Promote Your Goods.
Presented by the producers of The Girlie Show – Marilyn Artus, Dawn Harth, Erin Merryweather

We’ll discuss juried shows, submitting applications, showcasing your work … learn a few tricks of the art- and- craft-tradin’ trade from three girlies who have been on both the artist/crafter and art show producer sides of the fence. Workshop includes presentation, panel discussion and Q&A session. Saturday, Sept. 26 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. $20

Limited space is available, so sign up quickly.

For more info and to register, go to:
http://www.deluxeok.net/deluxe-craft-weekend

It’s hard (and perhaps less than desirable) in this toasty sunshine to cast our minds ahead to wintertime, but we’ve got a good reason for you to do so:

If you are a maker of handmade, original, community oriented and/or locally-made goods, you are encouraged to apply.

This annual craftstravangaza (now in it’s third year) is a very well-attended juried craft show which features dynamic programming such as free workshops, installations, interactive activities, and collaboration with neighborhood shops and galleries. We have extended the show to two days this year in order to reach a wider audience and connect vendors with more customers.

Dates:

December 12 & 13, 2009
Saturday NOON-7:00pm
Sunday NOON-5:00pm

Location:

The Theatre Centre
1087 Queen Street West, Downstairs
Toronto, ON

Application Deadline: August 31, 2009

For more info and to submit your application, please head over to the city of craft website:http://cityofcraft.com/2009/cityofcraft

If you are curious about the vibe of the show and City of Craft’s other activities, check out our past events page: http://cityofcraft.com/past.html

Contact us at cityofcraft@gmail.com with any questions.

Calling all artisans, crafters and purveyors of cool, artsy-type things:

The annual Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association’s barbeque and crafts fair is officially on like Donkey Kong. It’s going to have all the fine arts, nifty crafts, live music, cheap beer and block-partying good times of last year, but we’re adding a bunch more vendor spaces and tentatively renaming it the POWERHOUSE ARTS FESTIVAL, which is infinitely superior according to a local metal sculptor of some renown who shall remain nameless. So if you’ve got some kind of art or craft or clothing or accessory to sell and you’re not doing anything on SEPTEMBER 12 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., mark it on your calendar and wait for more info on how to apply to be a vendor. For now, here’s some useful info in a handy-dandy list format:

WHAT: The Powerhouse Arts Festival

WHERE: 1^st Street b/w Marin and Provost, Jersey City

WHEN: Saturday, September 12^th, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

WHY: Because it’s awesome. Also: There will be inexpensive domestic lagers.

WHO: A bunch of local artisans. You, maybe. Definitely Chris and Kirk Bray.

HOW MUCH: 10’ x 10’ spaces starting at $50.

RELEVANT LINK(S): www.padnajc.org

Email Jessica with questions.  We’ll follow up with more info as soon as we have it.

How much to spend?

Your banner will likely be with you for a long time, so don’t be shy about spending a few extra dollars to get the one you really want, instead of the cheapest one. After a season of craft shows you won’t remember the extra $20, but if your banner is too small / cheaply made, you’ll feel it at every show.

Consider how long you’re likely to use your banner. If you have a consistent style/branding, it’ll be worth it to get something on the nicer, more expensive end of things. If you’re still working things out, don’t go all out quite yet. Get something that fits your needs, but wait on ordering that hand quilted custom printed vintage fabric banner until you’re sure you’re going to use it next year.

Horizontal or Vertical?

Decide how you’ll want to orient your banner. Horizontal banners are more common, and can be stretched across a tent or table. Vertical banners are meant to hang down, and generally hang from the back of your tent or a small flagpole.

Horizontal banners are a bit more versitile, but vertical ones give you a little more space for text. If you plan on hanging your banner from a banner pole sticking out of your tent, check with the show organizers first to make sure its OK.

Pennant Banners are quick and inexpensive to make. They can be made to fit any width table or tent without spending a lot on materials, and fold up tiny for easy transport. They’re better suited for businesses with short names, as each letter is placed on its own scrap of fabric.

Don’t like triangles? Your letters can be any shape. Try to resist the urge to go nuts with fabric colors. You want people to be able to read your name, even at a distance, so stay away from busy patterns and use nice thick lettering.

Fabric Banners

A well made fabric banner can last for years. And if you make it out of a washable material like cotton they’re a snap to clean up after a rainy show.  Fabric banners range from inexpensive appliques you can do at home, to professionally quilted and custom printed masterpeices.

Pick a style and construction method that fits your work. For example, if you make something with a modern, clean style, a traditional quilted banner might not convey that well. And if you want a fabric banner but aren’t in the mood for all the cutting/sewing associated with applique, and aren’t much of a painter, you can have your banner printed by a service like Spoonflower (make sure you select upholstry weight fabric).  Fantastic Toys has a great banner printed by them.

Vinyl Banners

Vinyl is the most common banner material, and with good reason. It’s water proof, can be printed in millions of colors, and rolls up easily for storage.

Most vinyl banners come grommeted (the holes on the corners), making it easy to hang them. If you know you’re going to be using your banner with a tent, you can skip the grommets and instead attach velcro  to the back. Stick the other side of the velcro strips on your tent, and you’ll have an easy to use removable banner.

Keep your vinyl banner design simple, don’t overload it with text. You can order a banner from most local print shops, or online. Some printers, such as Wilson Graphics, cater specifically to the craft show market.

Design and Style

Resist the urge to overload your banner with text and graphics. Too much text becomes hard to read, and busy graphics can detract from what the buyer should be looking at: your booth. In general, avoid putting product photos on your banner, unless you know you’re going to stick with that item for as long as you use your banner.

Consider coordinating your business cards and other materials with your banner. Creating uniform branding can make your booth more memorable, and help sales in the future.

Got more banner tips? Share them in the comments below!

Most of the suggestions are probably things you’ve heard before (but a reminder is always good). The one which stuck out in my mind as good advice was “know your market.” A show which may be fantastic for a fellow vendor may not be such a good fit for your wares.

Read the full article over at Etsy.com.

[via The Storque]