I Have 5 Markets this Year!!!

Thursday

May 9th 2024

Alright, alright, alright (Lauren's voice from Hamilton)

Yes, still a little (if not a little more) obsessed with Hamilton.

So, I am a little in panic mode! I have 5 markets that I am doing through the rest of this year, and I'm starting to freak out a little bit about not being ready. I always get super nervous about markets beforehand, but since I am supposedly more serious about growing my business this year, I just want to be prepared and professional and I'm feeling like I might fall short.

BUT, we still have time to turn this around I think! So, lets organize some thoughts and calm my brain down.

I've been taking it easy the last couple of weeks and working on personal projects, but I need to set those aside and start working on more things for the markets and my shop! So, to ease myself back into a productive routine for the next few weeks, I will take this space to get a game plan going.

The main products I want to feature are:

crochet frogs (about 15 or so)

frog pouches (at least 2)

crochet or felted snails (at least 7)

tapestries/ wall hanging (at least 10)

twig journals (atleast 5)

I also plan to have smaller/ cheaper things that include:

keychains (strawberries, mushrooms, etc)

zines

patches

pouches/ trinket sacks

And I think that is the list. Does it seem like a lot? Should I narrow it down and only focus on a couple of items? Since this market coming up in June will be the first one that I've done in a while, my thought process is that I can gauge what the most popular items are so that the markets that I have afterwards can be a little more tailored to what people seem to like the best. I'm really hoping that the frogs are popular, because I am obsessed with making them.

So, I have about 6 weeks until my first market this year, and 5 in total this year, so I want to try to have an abundance of stock so that I don't have to start building stock from scratch if I happen to do super well at any of the events. If I have the time, I think I will work on creating five extra for each item.

Because frogs are my main shop feature right now, I will tackle cranking those fellas out first. I currently have 4 main frogs set aside for the market, 5 bigger/ bean belly frogs, and 2 clearance frogs that didn't quite make the cut, which will of course, be offered at a discount. Which means I need at least 11 more within the next 6 weeks. Sooooo if I can make one or two frogs a week, I should be set, but I think instead I will just dedicate this coming week to meeting that goal. Eleven frogs in a week should be doable. Maybe if I finish early, I will also finish the frog pouches.

I am debating on whether or not I want to make felted or crochet snails. I have experimented with crochet snails, but found it to be more work than what I felt was worth it. I am unsure if felting would give me the look I am wanting, but I think I will try that out tonight.

For wall hangings/ tapestries, I have six that I have available, but I plan to take two of them and reserve them for the shop. Which means I need to create at least six more before the market. I have a few designs I've been kicking around, but do not have the colors or correct yarn to execute them, and am trying to use up my current yarn stash before buying more, so these will be set to the back burner for right now.

Twig Journals are relatively quick to make, so I think I will place this task in between two busier weeks to try to avoid burnout. Maybe between the snails and the tapestries.

The smaller, lower price point items are things I think I can squeeze in between or pump out at the last minute, so I will not worry about those things right now. I also need to either work on more handmade business cards, or finally bite the bullet and order some. I was also thinking about getting some stickers made, but I haven't gathered any art for that yet.

Because I lack the ideas of what to actually post on my blog, for now, I will just probably focus on preparing for the markets and market tips. Hopefully this post is relatively coherent, it definitely feels like word vomit to me, but oh well, it's something.

Current Obsessions:

Kendrick Lamar & Drake Beef (Not Like Us)- I feel grateful to have witnessed this moment that will make history. wop wop wop wop wop DOT FUCK EM UP!!

Saltines- I just ate like 3 packs of saltines today. They are just so good. I gotta stop though and eat some real food!

Youtube- I started making youtube videos again, and am trying very hard to think of video ideas, edit the videos that I do have, and to try to remember to post weekly, just like how I need to post on my blog weekly. Some videos will probably correspond with these weekly blogs maybe once I get into the swing of things.

Anyway, if anyone has read this far, I appreciate you! Stay tuned next week to see the update on the 11+ frogs that I need to make.