Feeling Down!

[kerrysparkle]

Arrrrgh!! Im having a nervous breakdown! Recently started making jewellery to keep me entertained on maternity leave before my little bundle of joy gets here and made quite a few pieces, but now hit a dead end! Lots of lovely pieces and no one to show it to! Spent the whole week looking for local craft fairs, markets, pamper evenings...ANYTHING!! But no such luck..seems my area must have fallen off the craft radar!..please please tell me it will get better! I want to hear some success stories to motivate me before I give up the beading!
Although I have enjoyed making and designing all the pieces and that feeling when its all done!

x

[greannancrafts]

Hi
You are doing all the right things, google - change your wording in the search.
Local papers, word of mouth - go to an event and talk, pleasantly (see my thread on am I being unkind) to the stall holders.

Once you get going the more you do - the more you do, you will get invited to do all sorts, which are never gooeglable - trust me

When is baby due?

Jane

[beckyboo]

awww don't give up, at least you are still enjoying making your designs

congratulations on the baby, when are you due?

have you tried fair do's site

http://www.ukcfis.co.uk/

or why not organize a jewellery party at home or a friends house , invite family and friends and get everybody to bring a friend of their own. Then you have all those lovely people there just to see your designs..

it can be really tiring doing a craft fair and not something I could have done heavily pregnant (maybe I'm a wuss,lol)

or you could try opening an account on misi or folksy, no standing all day involved and everybody gets to see you designs

main thing is don't lose heart

[autumn rose]

Oh hope you pick up soon, just keep doing what your doing, something will soon come along.

I will keep my eyes open for you... just kent?

[Glitterbug]

Do you have any local galleries, shops, boutiques etc who you could approach?
How about asking local hairdressers if you could put up a display? The lack of local craft fairs could work in your favour as maybe there isn't much local craft and people will welcome you with open arms. Don't give up.

[Moonbeam Angel]

I think Beckboo has some good ideas, remembering what I was like towards the end of my pregnancies, I don't think I could have done a craft fair, all that setting up sitting on hard chairs or standing up and then packing away and going home. I find it a struggle now, being pregnant I don't think I could have done it.

Maybe some online shops are a good idea, or as said get some friends and family together, you have a captive audience then!

Good luck with whatever you do.

UKCFIS is a very good website,

or have you seen the thread by Avalon1959, he is doing a fair in association with Clare Dorrett in Maidstone, Kent (both forum members)

[Linda60]

Dont give up!!

Arrrrgh!! Im having a nervous breakdown! Recently started making jewellery to keep me entertained on maternity leave before my little bundle of joy gets here and made quite a few pieces, but now hit a dead end! Lots of lovely pieces and no one to show it to! Spent the whole week looking for local craft fairs, markets, pamper evenings...ANYTHING!! But no such luck..seems my area must have fallen off the craft radar!..please please tell me it will get better! I want to hear some success stories to motivate me before I give up the beading!
Although I have enjoyed making and designing all the pieces and that feeling when its all done!

x

Try wearing some of your jewellery to those baby classes you will be going to. And print off some business cards to hand out when people ask "what lovely jewellery, where did you get it from?".

Have you got any pics of the pieces you have been making? and what about designing something (maybe a keyring) with pretty pink or blue beads, as you will soon be in the ideal position with all of these mums to be to promote something like that, not sure if you can get minature picture frames to go on end of keyring but that would be another sure bet for new mums and grans etc.

Don't give up though as sounds like you are enjoying it.

What do you think???

Linda

[kerrysparkle]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I'm due end of March, I've been quite lucky with my pregnancy, and have a very supportive partner who I would drag along to the fairs with me!! He is currently taking apart old jewellery for me...aww bless him!

I had thought about jewellery parties, Im sure I could rope a few people into holding one! Do you all find they work quite well? I think I'd enjoy doing something like that!

and Linda, fab idea, didn't even think about all the new mums I'd be meeting, what a great idea, I'd better start designing some business cards!

xx

[Critchley]

You will soon be moving in the Mother andBaby circles, then Play Group, Nursery, school. Keep making and build up your stock, hopefully you will be making new friends and aquaintences who also become prospective buyers. Use every opportunity to show them off. Good luck.

[just sally]

i felt like you just a few months ago,then a friend who i think was fed up telling me to promote myself took matters into her own hands and took a box of my stuff into her work and sold tons.
so ask friends who work in places with a large staff if they would mind showing your jewellery to their workmates, if like me you are a bit nervous of the face to face bit it works a treat
sally