Apr 25, 2010

markets, fairs, and shops, oh my!

Last week was a really crazy and busy one for me business wise. But it was also a very exciting one and an important new step for me and the biz.

Early in the week I finished up the large consignment order for NoFo and dropped off all the slippers. They immediately put them out on the floor for sale, so I can now officially say that you can find original Broken Hallelujah Accessories designs at NoFo in the Forum!

It's still a little bit unbelievable to me that I can say my items are for sale in a brick &  mortar shop here in town, but it's true. I stopped by on Saturday to see how things were going and to grab a few pictures of my items out on the floor. And it looks like they may have already sold 3 or 4 pairs of the slippers in just the past few days. Always good news to know a new adventure is going well.

I also had my very first craft fair on this past Thursday. It was held on the UNC Wilmington campus and was part of a fund raiser for the creative writing department. It was a brand new show, and I was brand new at doing shows, but I think it was a success for both of us. There was a nice turnout of vendors from the local area and I got to meet so many nice people including the lovely ladies of Glynne's Soaps who I had been twitter friends with previously and a fellow Etsian, Heather, who runs Sawgrass Candles.

Here's a quick picture I snapped of my very first craft show set up:


And me working the table:


I also started my season at the Carolina Beach farmer's market on Saturday, which was even better than I had hoped for! So many  nice people stopped by to compliment my work and I had a great time selling. I hope the rest of the season is even better. I didn't manage to snap a picture of my set up at the farmer's market before things started to pick up. But each show has been a learning experience and I'm adjusting my displays, table set up, "sales pitch", etc. as I go.

Now that the craziness has calmed down a bit, I think I'll use today to relax and catch up on some overdue Etsy orders that need to be shipped out.

Apr 13, 2010

now available at NoFo

I had a meeting last week with the product manager, Kima, for a local boutique called NoFo to discuss consignment possibilities for my slippers & headbands. Well, the meeting went fabulously! I ended up leaving almost all the products I brought to show with Kima that day to be placed in the shop immediately.

That's right! You can now find my crochet accessories at NoFo at the Forum here in Wilmington. NoFo is a North Carolina based gift shop, market, and cafe with locations here in Wilmington as well as Raleigh and Charlotte. They are proud to support local artists and make a point to buy locally which is something I'm really happy to support.

My headbands go on sale immediately & I'm currently working to fill the big slipper order they placed. I'm hoping they will be finished at the end of this week and will be available early next week.

Next week will also mark my first craft show on Thursday & my start at the Carolina Beach farmer's market on Saturday. Lots & lots of crocheting going on in my part of the world.

Apr 7, 2010

spring among us.

Spring has definitely arrived here on the Cape Fear coast. We've had gorgeous blue skies, temperatures in the 80's, and lots of pollen covering our cars this week. Here's a couple fun photos of our adventures in Wilmington last week:

Some lovely ferns uncurling themselves in the wildflower preserve on the UNCW campus.

 Venus flytraps - in the wild. This area is the only place where they grow out in the wild.

Pollen feet after our hike.

Searching for buried treasure on the beach. (Actually looking for a shark's tooth. No luck yet.)

Enjoying a day at the beach - all sun & fun.

I hope everyone else is enjoying spring. It's finally here!!

Apr 5, 2010

Long time, no blog.

So it's been a bit since the last time I blogged here. Wow, sorry about that. Things just get hectic & you get pulled away by life, but I have missed blogging & connecting with the people who read my blog. So I'm really going to try to keep this thing updated a bit more lot more than I have these past several months.

Lots has happened around these parts in the past months. The most exciting of which is in January, Andy & I got engaged and we're planning on getting married this July. The wedding will be here in Wilmington, NC at the gorgeous Bellamy Mansion. I have a full-fledged wedding blog set up all about planning the wedding, my DIY projects, and the fun, stress, headaches, pocketaches, and joy that come with planning your own wedding. You can visit my wedding blog here: http://longvelten.wordpress.com.

The business is still going strong! I've recently opened up a shop on Zibbet (visit me here!), and I'm still doing lots of business on Etsy. This Thursday I've actually got a meeting to discuss doing consignment with a local business owner, and on April 22nd I'll be attending my first craft fair. I'll be sure to blog about how those two events go.

But for now I'm just working hard, playing harder, and enjoying my days. I hope all my dear friends out in blog-land are also doing well & I hope we catch up soon. I'll leave you with a lovely picture of Andy & I enjoying a day at the beach a couple of weeks ago.