Glenbrook South High School Craft Show

Yesterday was my first craft show of 2012.  If that had been my first craft show ever, I would have been a bit discouraged.  The set up was very nice and the space we paid for was awesome.  There was a variety of artists, lots of jewelery, some glass crafts, paintings and drawings, paper goods/cards (me), and etc.  The show had a ton of potential, and going in, I thought that this would be an excellent show. 

The problem was, there were hardly any customers.  The few that passed through seemed to be uninterested in most of the stuff.  There was a little rush around 3 pm, and I was able to make the cost of my table back, but overall it was very slow. 

This was the first year of the show, so I guess it should have been expected.  I thought I learned that lesson last year.  If the show is still around in a few years, I will check it out again.  I find it hard to believe that the same vendors from this year will be there again next year. 

Photos of my booth:

First Show of 2012

This Saturday, March 10, 2012, will be the first 2012 show for DB Custom Creations.  The show will be held at Glenbrook South High School in 4000 West Lake Ave in Glenview, Illinois.  The Student Art Club will be running the show; there will be a raffle and bake sale.  The show will be open from 10Am to 5Pm.  There will be about 70 craft vendors at this event.

Hope to see you there!

New products:

Confirmed List of 2012 Craft Show

1. March 10^th Glenbrook South Spring Craft Show 10:00Am to 5:00Pm
2. March 24^th & 25^th College of DuPage GlenEllyn                                           Saturday: 10:00am to 4:00Pm  & Sunday  11:00Am to 4:00Pm.
3. April 14th Oak Lawn Park District Pavilion 9Am to 2Pm 
4. May 6^th  Lilac Fest Lombard 9:00Am to 4:00Pm   
5. October 20^th Conant Booster Club Craft Show   9:00am to 4:00Pm
6. November 17^th & 18^th DuPage Expo St. Charles                                     Saturday 9:00Am to 4:00Pm & Sunday 10:00Am to 4:00pm

Sugar Grove Corn Boil

This weekend I was a vendor at the Sugar Grove Corn Boil.  This is my first time participating in this event, and it will be my last.  The heat was close to unbearable and it showed...hardly anyone showed up.  It was in the 90's with high humidity causing the heat index to be in the 100s.  I know, it's the middle of summer and mother nature can't be controlled.

Besides for the lack of traffic, I found plenty of other issues with this show:

1. I was never formally notified that I was accepted.  My check was cashed, but I never received an email with any information- such as booth set up time, booth #, or a list of the other vendors.  I even sent an email to the coordinator, asking her for info- 3 days before the show.  Her reply was "comig soon" yes she misspelled coming.  It only bothered me because you would think that she would have been more organized, and then actually provide me with the info.  No, I went there, not really knowing if I was going to display or not. 

2. It was advertised as a craft show, yet there were only about 10 booths that had handmade items...the rest of the booths- banks, loan places, gym memberships, bath fitter, costco,..etc.  I had a customer who came to my booth so excited to see something handmade...

3. The town had a monopoly on bottled water, no one else could sell it, and they charged $2.00 a bottle.  Seems sort of stiff to me!

4. I sprained my ankle.  Now, I know that this is my fault and not the fault of the corn boil, but I will associate it together in my head.  How did this happen you ask?  Walking out of the building, after using the bathroom- didn't notice the small step down, right foot twisted and boom there I went.  Yes, I must admit that I am a klutz and tend to fall often.

5. I lost money on this show.  I know that weather was a factor, but the people who were at the show didn't seem to want to look at any of the booths...by Sunday, vendors were packing up by 2 pm.  The show ended at 6!  I did stay to the end and was able to make an extra sale, but it was still a loss.

I've only been doing craft shows since April, so this is all a learning experience for me.   I just know that the Sugar Grove Corn Boil is not the place for me!

Here are photos of my booth set up!

Cool to be Square

Square is a mobile phone app that allows you to take credit cards using your smart phone.  At my last craft show in Lemont, another vendor had one and I thought it was the coolest thing!!!

If you go to Square  all you have to do is sign up, they send you the attachment (you hook it up to your phone through the headset jack) in the mail FREE of shipping!  You also have to download the app on your phone.  Link up your bank account and you are ready to swip!  The only cost assoicated with Square is 2.75% of each swip.  There is no monthy fee, only pay per use.


I tested it out today, swipping properly was a bit of a challenege, but once it went through it was fast and easy.  You can email or send a recipt via text.  It is honestly the coolest technology that I have seen in a while.  Probably because I will really get use out of it!!!  Does anyone else use it?  How have your experinces with it been?

What I did this weekend...

Friday night and all today I have been busy working.  I have made over 50 cards , a photo album. a hanging wall frame, and art deco letters.  It took hours and I'm pretty exhausted.  Don't get me wrong, I love creating things and seeing the end product.  I tend to freak out before I have a show...next weekend, I have a 2 day show in Sugar Grove; I just want to make sure that I have enough product.

At times today I wish I was at the pool, but at the end of the day, I know that I made the right choice in working.  Now, just to get all of my new stuff on etsy!  I wish I had employees at times...

DB Custom Creations

Hello World!  My name is Daniela and I am the owner/creator behind DB Custom Creations.  DB Custom Creations specializes in handmade greeting cards and paper goods.  I also make custom announcements and invitations. 

Starting in the mid 90's, before scrapbooking was all the rage, I started making scrapbooks.  No fancy paper or embellishments used.  I just wanted to preserve my memories.  My love for scrapbooking lead me to stamps...stamping started my card making obsession!  At first, I just made cards for the special people in my life, soon after, they were asking me to make cards for them for special occasions.  One thing lead to another and I decided I would try to make a little extra cash out of my hobby.  Passion keeps me motivated; I love that I am able to use my creative side on a daily basis. 

This blog will be a documentation of DB Custom Creations, the journey of creating, and hopefully expanding my small business.  I will blog about about everything from- starting my ETSY account, to opening my bank account, featuring my creations and the inspiration behind them, to participating in craft shows. 

Hope you will join me in my adventure!!!