Gift Guide: Jewellery from sellers at the Dorset Team Spring Fair 2018

On Saturday 5th May at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne, the Dorset Team are coming together to hold a Spring Fair. This is the perfect opportunity to buy locally made products from independent sellers. 

There will be something for everyone and every budget! 

This gift guide showcases a small selection of jewellery which will be for sale on the day ranging from leather jewellery to sterling silver. 

More information about the event can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/282450382285845/

1) Ring trio by Netta of 68 Charms. 

 https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/540028205/trio-of-stacking-rings-with-flower-in

These rings are made of sterling silver. Perfect for a gift or treat for yourself!

2) Adventure awaits necklace by Jennifer of Gifting Moon

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/281203068/adventure-awaits-mountain-necklace-hand

This necklace is made from hand painted wood and Jennifer says it is perfect for “someone who dreams of travel or is going on an adventure soon” 

3) Bumble bee necklace by Zoe from Love from Hetty and Dave

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/592915695/yellow-baby-bumble-bee-necklace

Adorable baby bumble bee necklace made from hand stitched leather by Zoe from Love From Hetty and Dave who is based in Bournemouth. 

4) Ceramic bracelet by Mayuri Gallery 

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/568131587/handmade-bracelet-colourful-bracelet

This eye catching ceramic bead bracelet by Mayuri Gallery is perfect for brightening up an outfit! 

5) Rainbow earrings by Studio Pickles

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/516942863/tiny-stud-earrings-rainbow-earrings-lbgt

Studio Pickles which is run by Natalie and Jo has a huge variety of different earrings but I particularly love these rainbow earrings!

Come and find all of these sellers and more at the Dorset Team Spring Fair 2018 which is happening in Wimborne on Saturday 5th May. 

Entry to the fair is FREE 

It's here!

Christmas fair countdown tip

It's here!

However much preparation you put in, you'll still be running round like a blue-arsed fly the day (and probably night) before a fair.

So our final tip to try and soothe the soul is have a big old checklist and have fun ticking tasks off as you do them. On a practical level, it means you won't forget anything. On a psychological level, it will calm you down and get you in the right frame of mind for tomorrow.

Your list will be personal to you, but we have a starter one here that you can tack your own items to.

Do you have your…
Float
Money tin/apron/bag
Business cards
Bags
Receipt book
Stall props
Table cover
Shop sign or signs
Stall decorations
Price tags
Stock – create a separate list with everything

Emergency pack
Sticky tape
Safety pins
Clamps
Pens
Pencils
String
Spare price labels and however you attach them
Mints (to avoid coffee/talky too muchy breath)
Bus fair home (joking!)

When deciding what to wear, comfy shoes are essential, as are layers. Who knows how hot it will be, so ensure you can layer up or strip off.

Finally take some snacks and drink in case you are so overwhelmed with customers that you don't get chance to buy anything.

Have the best of times and here's looking forward to the next one!

The big practise

Christmas fair countdown tip

The big practise

Now is the time to practise a layout for your stall. You should have enough products (or enough of an idea of what products will be made) to organise a rough layout. And it is worth doing now because you can address any obvious issues.

Start by getting a surface roughly the size of the fair (in our case, 6ft x 2ft). If you haven't got anything the exact size, have a measure and either mark where the table will end (if your surface is bigger) or just be aware how much extra you will have to play with (if the surface is smaller).

Put your tablecloth on and whatever name sign you have. Set up any display props and then add your items. Put smaller products at the front and then work back in height and size.

Now add your price labels. How do they work best and can they easily be seen?

Stand at the front of the stall and pretend you are a customer. Reach over to try and pick up a product. Are there any obstacles? Can everything be seen?

Now scoot around the back. If someone bought a product, is there room for them to hand it to you and for you to hand it back?

When you think you have it sorted, walk away and do something different for a while. Then go back. Chances are something you hadn't even noticed before will jump out at you. Fix it, walk away again and repeat until you are happy.

As soon as you are happy, take a photo of the display. Either do this on your phone, or print it out for reference. This way you avoid that sinking feeling at the show where your mind goes blank as to what you did!

If you don't need the items again, pack them away in whatever you will be transporting them to the fair in. That way you cut down on last-minute packing!

And don't worry if you are still wrangling with the finessing. Over the next few posts we will show examples of lovely displays to give you plenty of ideas.

Keep records of stock

Christmas fair countdown tip 

Keep a record of stock and sales

Now you are well into your fair-making frenzy, create a stock list of what you have and how much you are taking. Also note how much it costs.

Then, when you are at the fair and make a sale, simply tick it off the list.

This serves three purposes. Firstly, it enables you to check that everything adds up at the end of the show, both in terms of what stock is left and how much was made.

Secondly, it clearly shows, in black and white, which products and price points were the most popular. If you do this over a number of shows and it's the same pattern every time, you have a good business model to make your next show super-successful.

And thirdly, it's just fun ticking off when you sell an item.

Organise your money

Christmas fair countdown tip

Organise your money

Yes, a craft fair is about meeting people and building connections and getting feedback, but it is also about making the moolah. So it pays to consider how to handle money – it's one of those things that you take for granted until you get to the fair and realise you've got in a right pickle!

Having a money tin is a neat solution but it does mean you are leaving all of your takings, plus your float, in one portable place. You can't always keep your eye on it when dealing with customers, so it's best to keep your money on you.

A money belt (or apron with pockets) is a good solution. But be aware that if you end up with lots of change, it can start dragging down, so make sure your skirt or trousers are on tight!

A better alternative is a small bag. You can buy special money bags, but you only need a cheap over-the-shoulder job. If it has lots of pockets, organise your different notes or coins into these. Otherwise you can use bank bags or even a wallet.

Now is also a good time to sort out your float. To avoid jangling like a slot machine, look at your prices to determine what kind of change you need. Pound coins, 50ps and 10ps are probably all you need for change, but also ensure you have £5 and £10 notes. You can make a good guess of how people will pay (and therefore what change you will need) by looking at your prices. Just ensure that you have a record of how much you put in for the float!

Create product crib sheets

Christmas fair countdown tip

Consider creating crib sheets

How many times have you looked around the shops or visited a site a few times before you bought anything? We all want to ensure we are buying the ideal product and so exhibit this 'investigate, deliberate and then eventually purchase' behaviour when shopping. This is particularly true at Christmas, when the pressure to find that 'perfect' present is even higher.

The point of this ramble is because you have to figure that the temporary nature of a craft fair works against this behaviour. If someone doesn't instantly buy a product, they can't come back the next day to buy it. And by the time they have walked around the whole fair, looking at all the other lovely stalls, they might forget about you entirely.

So, to try and get yourself in people's minds, as well as allow them to consider items at leisure, create a catalogue or product sheet with details of what you make and how much it costs.

This only needs to be a sheet of A5 or A4, with your items listed nice and clear, ideally with pictures. Include a line or two about the product, along with dimensions, so the customer has everything they need. And obviously, link back to your Etsy shop!

Create a stall 'back office'

Christmas fair countdown tip

Create a tidy stall 'back office'

It's easy to spend so long concentrating on what the fair visitors will see on your stall, that's it's easy to forget about behind your stall.

If you have a mess of boxes, bags and stock that you have to clamber over each time you need to get up, you aren't going to look very professional. In a similar vein, if you have to fumble around to find change or your receipt book, you aren't presenting yourself in the best light and could lose out on future sales.

So while you absolutely have to spend the most time thinking about your stall display, at least spend a bit of time thinking about the back. How about taking a small folding table to put your bags, receipt book and some business cards on? That way you can pop a card in each bag along with the sold item.

Take some clips or clamps along and use them to gather up any overhanging cloth at the back. That way you can easily place any boxes or bags used to transport your stock under the table. And it also means if you have to get any extra stock out, you don't risk getting tangled in the tablecloth and bringing the whole display crashing down!

If you have display props, it might be that you can adapt these to hold your essential items. It could only be a price list to refer to, but it all helps to keep a tidy work station!

Wild and Woolly Xmas - Selection of stallholders' products from Dorset Team Christmas Fair in Wimborne - 6th Dec

Preparations for the Dorset Team Christmas Fair are in full swing and it has been wonderful to see all the new items that people have been making for the fair. Lynn from Nemeton has kindly put together this collection of items from stallholders coming the the fair to give you all a taster of what to expect.

As you can see there is a huge variety of different items from art prints to needle felt, t-shirts to glass and woodwork to sheepskin cushions! There is something for everyone and it is a great place to pick up gifts for all the family.

Come and see us in Wimborne on Dec 6th, free entry and 80 fabulous stalls. For more information please see our Facebook event page: www.facebook.com/events/1433547900231175/

Bear is the Forest - A3 Print jennisaarenkyla £15.00	Sheep Cushion TERRIPEAY £25.00	Kraken Mug - sea,ceramic, kitchen, gift, nautical jillybirddesign £8.00	Needle felt badger in Christmas jumper Apulina £35.00
Leaping hare screen printed linen cushion lupindesignscouk £35.00	MADE TO ORDER Embroidery Hoop Wall Art 'Milk Time Kitty Cat' - Textile Artwork on Natural Linen - 6" hoop doalittledance £21.00	Icarus Love Bird , art doll thecatintheshoe £68.00	Hard Day at the Office poppydot £10.00
Rustic Pendant Necklace with Heather Flowers Wildcraft £12.00	Elephant GeeShirt GeeShirts £10.00	Wasp Sculpture Mounted In Timber With Red Sting 02 Original GIFTPOINTstudio £459.00	Fused Glass "Scottie" Dog Hanger theartmachine1 £9.00
Relaxing Hare wire sculpture, garden ornament, figurine NicoletteDawn £65.00	Just a little Reindeer Christmas present block DoodleDotGifts £8.50	Sheepskin heart cushion with a Dorset story in chocolate brown and suede reverse side BradstocksofDorset £80.00	Upstream - hand editioned trout and fly fishing print BeneathBrightWaters £30.00