Nice Holiday Bazaars!

I have to recant my remark last week about not liking to do the holiday craft bazaars. I had quite a nice time - when you subtract out the setting up and taking down of the tables - at all three events. I met a lot of crafters and customers and had a couple of surprises as well.

My coffee sleeves sold remarkably well along with a number of the tissue cozies. You blog gals out there are right; they are popular again. If you would like one of my fashionable and useful coffee sleeve cozies (other than the one described below), please just contact me. I'm not going to etsy them. I'm selling them for $5 plain, $6 ric-rac, $7 with button and yo-yo, and $10 monogrammed. The tissue cozies went for $6 with the tissue pack included. I can send you a photo of all styles available to choose from should you like.

My daughter's and my little Habitat For Humanity fundraising project has gone well with a number sold to local friends and through etsy, thank you! I am shamelessly showing the coffee sleeve again just in case you really want to buy one at my calicodaisy shop. We have just a few more to sell, and all proceeds go to her trip in December.

Embroidered plush throws are popular still. I brought a sample of each color I have on hand, and customers chose a favorite and designed an embroidery to personalize and decorate. I haven't listed these in my shop so far, because there has to be so much conversation about what someone wants. If you are in the market for one, I am selling plush throws for $25 including a name and little icon, and then shipping and handling, of course. The above design cost a little more because of the size of the design. Just contact me if you are interested in one, and we can discuss color and embroidery style, etc., through e-mail.

The baby items are always popular, and my personalized reindeer pillow covers went over well.

The nice surprises came in the form of other vendors. You know how I am encouraging you sewists out there to use my embroidery services to enhance your projects. Well, that's just what happened at these bazaars. At one show, there was a sewist who makes boutique children's clothing - you know, the little A-line dresses and such and bows, boys' jumpers, etc. I asked if she did her own monogramming. She does not. So, I offered my services, and we have been e-mailing back and forth this week discussing ideas and prices.

At last night's event, two lovely ladies walked in the door and headed straight for me with items - market baskets like these above - in their arms and monogramming instructions all written out! I didn't recognize the ladies, but it turns out we met at the first bazaar of the month, and they inquired about using me as a backup embroiderer. Isn't that great? I get to use my skills for someone else's benefit and products, and I don't have to set up a table again for awhile!

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I have my next few weeks cut out for me embroidering and sewing up my orders. I'm so thankful to have been asked to be part of the three bazaars and thankful, too, for those who wanted to purchase my crafts and use my services in the future. It makes all the shopping and stashing and marketing and blogging everything I had hoped it to be.