Saturday, November 13, 2010

Have You Been There?

Have you ever been to a craft fair and as you are looking around you look at the competition to see how your products stack up?  This last summer I was browsing around a local craft fair and was immediately drawn to a booth that crocheted baby hats.  I was really interested in looking them over to get ideas to spark my creativity, but when I browsed through the items, I was really disappointed. 
Why was I disappointed?  I guess when I create an item, I really want to make something that is not just functional, but fashionable as well.  I want people to say, "You made that?" all the while smiling and tell them "Yes, I did."  It's not that I want to be prideful, but I want people know that I CARE what I make and what they look like.  I want people to fall in love with what they buy and continue to be satisfied months down the road.  What I found at the booth made me cringe because it made me feel like they were just knocking out another product and didn't care if it looked good or not.

So... Have you been there?  or am I the only one?  My finished product is important to me.  Call me a perfectionist, but I still believe there are others out there like me me that want things to look just so.  If it doesn't come up to my standards, then I will not sell it.  I want to sell things I would want for myself.  I always make it a policy when buying a gift to buy something I would love to have in the off chance it was given back to me.  Usually with that mind set you can't go wrong in gift giving so I apply it to my creations as well.

So how do I make sure I have products people want?
  • Browse the Internet, magazines, or stores to see what color trends there are.
  • Ask myself, 'what are people buying?'
  • Walk around craft stores to see what cool things are on the self.
  • Experiment with different things.
  • See how much people are paying for similar items you are making and price it competitively.
  • Try, Try, Try again.
  • Most importantly DO what you LOVE Doing!  Your love for it will show in your finished product.
Some of my favorite creations, but not limited to what is shown here:





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