"2008" Craft Show Dates

September 20th: Boxford Apple Festival, Boxford, MA (rain date 9/21)

Oct. 31, Nov. 1st and 2nd: Folk Art Festival of New England, Royal Plaza Trade Center, Marlborough, MA

November 28, 29, 30: Old Deerfield Christmas Sampler, Springfield, MA

(For more info on this show go to: www.deerfield-craft.org)

I have recieved so much great feedback on the pictures I post of the shows I do. I wish I could post some new ones, but that won't happen until later on this year. I am always trying to change and impove my booth display. I just purchased a new Indoor booth frame from www.flourish.com (If you go there, tell them Cindy from Country Friends told you about them!). I bought a frame unit that can be converted to a corner display. There won't be that bar going across my booth anymore. I find that the bar across the front blocked alot!!! The unit I'm getting is a ProMaster indoor booth frame that can convert for a corner space if you want it to, and you can get brackets that attach to the frame to insert swing arm lamps for lighting! So when I get some new pics I will post them for all of you to see.......

This is a before pic of my Booth at the Christmas Sampler in Springfield MA.

I get a 15' space so I'm able to put up a small Christmas tree to display all the Ornies. And if you are wondering why it is so jammed packed full of stuff, it's because it all goes so fast. See how that bar going across the front blocks the view of the inside of my booth? It should not be there, but this is an old frame that needs that bar to keep the booth together.

This is what the booth looked like after the show!! I had to take out the empty tables and crates and the tree because there was nothing on them!! And I did bring ALOT of extra stock that I was bringing in from the truck. But obviously not enough!!! Of course I'm not this lucky at all my shows. This one is good because the promoters do not let in any of the "made in china" stuff!!!

Another great seller last year was Jaime's #555 Gift Card Ornie (www.country-whims.com). You can also apply the image from her Vintage Top hat pattern #575 with the saying "As long as you love me so, Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow". Her Santa ornies also flew. Didn't make enough of any of the Ornies!! My #780 Christmas Ornies sold well for $6.00 each and also Jaime's Gingerbread Ornie. Tip: Make alot of the ornies for all your shows!

Well this year I will be sure to have a bigger carpet to cover this nasty floor. My 15' space was chuck full of all our products. I love to use old crates and suitcase that I find at flea markets or antique stores. And I also use shelfing that I purchase from www.woodlandmarketing.com, even my 'check-out' is a unit from them! You can sign up on their email list and they have great specials on alot of their wood shelfing units. If you go there, tell them Cindy from Country Friends told you about them!

A great idea to display the Wine Bottle Toppers (pattern #785) is to place a sample one on top of a bottle of wine!! (I have a PDF image FREE in my Freebies for you to apply to a bottle of wine to display your toppers!). You can also place the toppers on top of Gourmet Jellys or Jams, Chocolate sauses or chutney. And you can insert a gift card from the local Gourment Food/Kitchen shop in the topper too! This idea came from Laura Sweet, a very clever mind! And don't forget those fancy flavored Oils and Vinegars! And these Angels also fit on top of those small size Christmas Trees as a topper!!!