Before Blog – Craft Fairs

I have been making things ever since I can remember. Around my university years, I started trying to sell some of them at craft fairs and home sales. Here are some of the things I made to sell before I started this blog. (Please excuse the less-than-stellar photo quality of some of these pictures – many were taken late into the night, as I was frantically getting ready for a sale.)

KateWares (aka Kate’s Kollectables) at a local Christmas craft fair.

Kate and her wares at another local Christmas craft fair.

Let’s start with popular. Some of my best selling items have been:

These playful beeswax candles.

Even the Christmas-themed ones, Ho Ho Ho!

Some buyers opted for the simpler look of these wired tealight holders.

While others preferred these wax-filled decoupaged-glass candles-in-holders.

Bottom line – people love candles.

These colourful one-inch magnets were always a hit.

They came in pre-packaged sets of 9.

And these decoupaged journals, which came in both large…

…and small sizes. They were a great way to reuse found art.

Of course, they can’t all be winners. Though fun to make…

…the plant pots got abandoned years ago. (B’bye house plant pot.)

As did these garden-themed cork message boards.

And these glass-bead choker-style necklaces. Well, any jewelry for that matter. There are others who are far better at it than I.

Although that doesn’t stop me for making treats for myself.

Failures (well, “not-profitable-enough” works) not shown include: etched glass vases, decorative wooden bird houses, personalized Christmas ornaments and wooden tags, painted paper mache boxes, fleece-covered hot water bottles, painted coasters, polar fleece wraps, mini velvet pillows, and so on and so forth… Including my art cards (see the Photography post). You never know until you try, right?

Some things have met with mixed success, like my photo and mirror frames (see the Frames post). Although one of my favourite things to create, they just don’t sell as well as I would like. *le sigh*

But there have also been many successes – like in the fabric department (see the Stitchery post). And there will always be new things worth trying…

…like these wire and clay critter photo/memo holders.