Fun @ The Zine Fair

The 5th Annual OCADU Zine Fair was a ton of fun and a great success! There was a huge turn out and some really interesting local book artists in attendance. Glad I brought all those extra copies of Wood Panel That Shit! cuz they sold like hot cakes! We had the music pumping, sorry again security, and the popcorn popping all day! Great people, great atmosphere, great day! Thanks again for having me!

The view from my angle. Look at all those lovely acorn tops!

Our neighbor from the OCADU Zine Library brought a button making machine for people to make their own custom buttons! It was tons of fun! I thinking I ended up making 8 for myself!

Picnic baskets made for an awesome display unit, and I was actually able to fit all of my merch inside. Look out summertime! This picnic basket of goodies is going to be strapped to my bike rack and mobile!

Handmade/printed matchbooks for sale.

Hundreds of different handmade envelope/card sets to choose from.

Acorns All Day!

Got The Weeknd pumpin' on the surround sound today in the studio, while I work on a brand new batch of acorn jewellery. It's like I'm makin' love to a tree!

All photos are from my Instagram. Follow me @krystinaplante

Unfortunately, my online store is under reno at the moment so if you're interested in purchasing information drop me a line via email: krystinaplante@hotmail.com

My army of baby acorns, patiently waiting to be drilled.

Every girl needs her Dremel.

Baby acorns are adorbs!

My fav part - colour coordinating and getting the assembly line ready!

Fresh batch of acorn earrings!

Decided to spruce up my own acorn necklace while I was working on new merch.

100% Acorn necklaces.

House & Home April 2013

Check out this month's issue of House & Home magazine. The cover and House & Home of The Month section on page 86, titled Star Power, features some of the work my talented mother, Lynda Plante, has done for designer Katherine Newman!

Into The Key Jar It Goes

At the Zine Fair last week a friend came to visit us and dropped off this beaut for my key collection! I haven't added to the collection in a while and this old store key is not only huge, but heavy as a horse! What a sweetheart! Thanks Jessica!

Now Kiss

Best find of 2013 thus far...

10 Tips To Rock It At Your Next Craft Show

TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2012

10 TIPS TO ROCK IT AT YOUR NEXT CRAFT SHOW



Starting out a crafting business can be scary. Most of us start online through an Etsy shop (or something similar). A great way to gain exposure for your company is to showcase at local craft shows and fairs. It’s an opportunity to network and give customers a chance to see, smell, touch your products.

Going to a show for the first time can be intimidating. I have been participating in craft shows since 2007 showcasing my handmade cards and paper crafts (Made by Jacqueline).

Last year I started a new venture the Made by Hand Show, hosting craft shows. As we begin a new year, I thought it would be a good time to share my 10 TIPS TO ROCK IT AT YOUR NEXT CRAFT SHOW:



#1 GOT CHA: You have 3-5 seconds to grab a customer’s attention.

#2 DISPLAY: Space, Clean, add height or risers to grab the customers eye

#3 DEMO YOUR PRODUCT: (ie. if you sell jewellery wear it, demo your products if you can) – have a sample out that people can touch, feel, taste.

#4 WHO ARE YOU? When a customer walks by do they know who you are and what you're selling? Think about a banner or a sign.

#5 ATTRACT: Attract Customers to your booth - Free samples, Candy, games, prize draw.

#6 ADVERTISE: Tell your contacts what booth you’ll be at; maybe offer your present customers a discount for coming to the event. This is where social media and your mailing list comes in handy.

#7 SMILE: Be friendly, start conversation ‘hello’, SMILE (there is nothing worse than a vendor that seems uninterested, grumpy or bored at their booth, it turns away customers).

#8 PRICE IT RIGHT: Vary price points (for example you may have a piece that is $100 but also make sure you have something in the $20 range or lower to grab impulse buys).

#9 BUILD: Have a mailing list on your booth so customers can sign up. It may lead to a future sale and it helps build your client list.

#10 FOLLOW-UP: Post event follow-up with everyone you meet (promptly after the show). It can be as simple as a quick “Thank-you for visiting my booth”.



* These tips and other local event/vendor information can be found on the Toronto Etsy Street Team's Blog