Anodyne Design » Craft Fairs & Farmer’s Markets

Market Photos

Shannon — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 03:18:29 +0000

A couple of photos from last weekend’s market. I love all these colors.

Anodyne Design will be away for the next two weekends. I’ve got a new baby to meet and friends to see! I’ll be back in time for the last RiverFront Market on September 24th. Hope to see you there!

Some New Things…

Shannon — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:40:31 +0000

A couple of new things I had at the market this weekend:

Pouches made with osnaburg fabric and appliqued with bunting, trees, or owls.

Little Hootie Owl Mobiles!

This week I plan on making some more card wallets and maybe some new bags. I seem to have a hard time getting started on projects when I come home from a long day of work, so we’ll see how that actually goes.

Rain, rain, go away

Shannon — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 14:04:24 +0000

Yesterday turned into a gray, rainy day at Rhapsody in Bloom. I was afraid there would be more of that today, but the forecast looks like it will be sunny and pleasant all afternoon. Hooray!

Come see Anodyne Design, and about 50 other artists, at Rhapsody in Bloom today in the Luthy Botanical Garden from noon – 5pm. The garden and the art are both worth it.

Then and Now

Shannon — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 22:16:48 +0000

I was working on this post when my computer crashed. And I forgot it never got officially published. So here it is, a week and a half later…

Another day, another booth photo. While I was at Sommerfest today, some friends reminded me of how much my booth has changed since I first started doing markets and craft shows. So I thought I’d look up what my very first booth set-ups looked like, and I was surprised. I didn’t realize how much my set up had changed in the last two years. Check out this photo of my first craft show booth:

Two little tables, with room for everything I had for sale. No display pieces, no fitted table covers. When I first found this image, I was sure it had to be from at least 3 years ago. But really, I’ve only been doing craft shows for just over 2 years now.

Some things I’ve learned in the last two years about setting up a booth:

Have multiples. People are attracted to groups of like items. They don’t pay much attention to single items that don’t seem to fit into a group… it’s much harder to sell that last one of something.
Group similar items together. I’ve noticed that when I have similar items scattered throughout my display, people don’t always realize they have more options. They don’t naturally look over the rest of your display to see if that style of coin purse they like is in a pattern they like somewhere else.
Make prices easy to see. If people can’t quickly find a price for an item, they’re likely to set it down and move on rather than ask for a price. Consider putting a price on every single item, because sometimes people will miss even the most obviously placed signs.
Use height. I tend to be attracted to booths that make a good use of vertical space as well as the flat space on top of tables. It draws my eye, and gives the appearance that there’s a lot to see at this booth.

Wind-proofing your booth is probably important, too, but that’s not a thing I’ve mastered yet.

Another Market Day

Shannon — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 04:15:27 +0000

I don’t normally share photos of my entire booth at the RiverFront Market, because I always feel that everything going on in the background sort of takes away from the aesthetic quality of the picture. But here’s a picture of my booth at the market today anyway. It was about 20 degrees cooler today, and so much better than last week! I worked on more Little Hootie Owls all day, and most of them are ready for stuffing. I expect to finish a lot of them while I’m at Sommerfest tomorrow. And once I finish this batch of owls, I’ll have them in enough colors to start putting together some owly mobiles.

Market Season Begins

Shannon — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 03:04:35 +0000

Today was the first RiverFront Market of the season. The sky was blue and the weather was warm, and it was nice to see familiar faces again. After making what felt like a million little hootie owls for a friend’s wedding last fall, I took a bit of a break from owls and had almost none left. I finally sat down this past week and made a whole mess of them. A few have already gone to new homes, but there are still plenty waiting for that special someone. Soon, I’ll be putting some of these little guys into mobiles. A whole parliament of owls is always better than one, right?

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello at the market today! I hope to see even more familiar faces (and new ones) next week. I saw sugar snap peas, and lettuce, and tomatoes, and fresh herbs this week. Even if you don’t need a little hootie owl, a trip to the market is worth it.

I’ll be down on the riverfront again next Saturday, from 8am until noon. And Sunday, I’ll be out at Sommerfest in Hickory Grove Park from noon – 5pm. Sommerfest is an annual event held by the Peoria German American Society, and is a fun way to get out and enjoy some German food, music, and beer. And arts and crafts. And air rifles. How could you miss that? See you next weekend!

Underground Fine Art Spring Fling

Shannon — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:21:58 +0000

My first show of the season, the Underground Fine Art Spring Fling, is this Sunday. I’m a little surprised by how much I’m looking forward to it. Sometimes I forget how much like interacting with artists and buyers in person. It’s nice to be surrounded by real people who enjoy handmade as much as I do.

I’ve been doing the typical last minute creative rush. But this time, I’ve focused on working with all the scraps of fabric I’ve been hoarding for awhile, so many of my new items are made from fabric that would have been otherwise discarded. I’m especially in love with a couple of wristlets I made with little bits of patchwork trimmed from quilts I’ve finished for myself and loved ones. Somehow, that seems more special than just a wristlet made with fresh fabric. These wristlets have a personal story attached to them that makes me happy.

If you are in the area, I’d love for you to drop by, even just to say hello! I’ll be there with over 40 other vendors, plus a great local restaurant, Pepper’s Cafe, will be selling food there. You could make a whole afternoon of it! Here’s the info:

Underground Fine Art Spring Fling
Sunday, March 27, 2011
10 am – 4 pm

Cornerstone Building
321 NE Madison Ave

Peoria, IL

Happy Weekend, everyone! I’m back to last minute sewing!

Another Post-Market Post

Shannon — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:33:50 +0000

Where has the week gone? I took a bunch of pictures at the farmers’ market with the intent to blog about them, and now it’s almost time for another market! Actually, until about 5 p.m. today I had it in my head that it was Wednesday. So the week has gone by extra fast for me, because I just lost a whole day. So before it gets any later, let me share some of the pretty things you might have missed at the farmers’ market (we will ignore the ugly things, like the unbelievable humidity!):

Fresh Strawberries and Cherries

Turnips from White Chimney Farm

Ornaments from Toraason Glass

I have a few more pictures from the market on Flickr. I’ll be out there again this weekend (fingers crossed for no rain and low humidity!) If you come out, stop by my booth and say hello. I’ll have some new items this week… maybe I’ll post a peek at them tomorrow.

Some Market Observations

Shannon — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:47:47 +0000

This weekend was busy (and it’s only Saturday night)! Friday afternoon I drove to the next town over to set up for First Fridays. They shut down the main downtown street, and local restaurants set up some outdoor seating and do a bit of cooking in the street. There was a band (whose cover of Sarah, by Hall & Oates, I thoroughly enjoyed), and local artists set up their tents along the street. The street was full and lively all night long, and the forecast rain never appeared, which was marvelous.

Anodyne Design at First Friday in Galesburg, IL

This morning was not quite so nice, weather-wise. But a little rain is no reason to miss the first farmers’ market of the season, so we braved the weather and set up downtown. It was clear the rain kept quite a few people away, but I think that just speaks more to the awesomeness of those who did come out. It was nice to see some familiar faces and to make some new friends.

One of my favorite things to do at a farmers’ market or other event is to people watch. It’s endlessly interesting to see the variety of people in this world. (And to see their pets. There were definitely some cute dogs out at the market today.) Some of my favorite observations from this weekend:

Stilts at First Friday in Galesburg, IL

- watching an older woman dance un-self-consciously to the First Friday band, while everyone else just stood around. It was absolutely refreshing to see someone so much enjoying herself regardless of what anyone else was doing or thinking.

- witnessing a Walk of Shame. The parking lot for the farmers’ market has signs clearly stating that no one is allowed to park in it overnight on Fridays, because we need it for the market early Saturday morning. Not everyone always follows the signs though, and sometimes we have to work around the cars. There was one such car right next to my space today. About halfway through the market, we watched a young woman enter the lot in some fabulous heels that were clearly too fancy for a rainy morning of produce shopping. She quickly walked straight to the car next to us, and drove out of the lot with her hand over her face. But she did have awesome shoes.

- watching a man on stilts gently hold his companion’s (who was not on stilts) hand. And then watching that man on stilts be “stalked” by a gaggle of little boys, who would scream and run with delight whenever he turned and saw them.

- I also met a man with a laugh just like Amadeus today. It was marvelous.

Tomorrow, I plan on checking out the Junction City Art Fair. Some artists who are there that I love: Joan Furilla (fine silver jewelry), Razorberries (quirky watercolor illustrations), and metalME (more pretty jewelry!). And perhaps best of all, it should be sunny, or at least not raining. Hooray!

P.S. Help Anodyne Design grow a little, by nominating it to win a small business grant on Love a Local Business. All you need to do is click the link and leave a comment describing why you love Anodyne Design. If love is too much commitment for you, I’d happily settle for “like a lot.” I love being a small, local (and online) business (although you don’t have to be local to vote!), and it will be easier for me to keep doing that, and doing it well, with a little love from you. Thanks. :)

Fancy Schmancy Market

Shannon — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:12:01 +0000

Anodyne Design at the Fancy Schmancy Market

This Saturday I spent the day at the Fancy Schmancy Market. The market was held indoors, which was a nice change from last weekend’s cold outdoors event. Especially since it ended up raining this weekend! The market went well, although it was not as highly attended as anyone had hoped. Those who did come by were a pleasure to see, and as usual, I enjoyed talking with everyone who stopped for a moment in my little booth.

When there was a lull in shoppers, I used the time to get to know some of the other vendors there. There were a lot of great people and things at the market: Sea of Glass Designs was there with some really lovely jewelry, Carrie’s Crafty Cottage was there with the cutest hand-knit cupcakes, and Razorberries was there (and I finally got some fabulous notecards).

Big Hoots

There were also some new Big Hoots in my booth this weekend. They are twice the size of the Little Hootie Owls, and perfect for watching over the little ones. Most of them were gone before noon, so I think I’m on to something here. I’ll definitely be making more. And thanks to a special request, I’ve started branching out into owls made with cotton prints, in addition to the felt ones.

Next weekend, I’ll be participating in the Craft & Vendor Sale at the Franciscan Recreation Complex in West Peoria. This is in the same outdoor location that Fancy Schmancy used last May, so I know it’s a lovely place to go for a little shopping. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for nice weather. We’ve had enough cold, windy, and rainy Saturdays. There will be more Big Hoots there, and some new wristlets, Little Hootie Owl mobiles, and journals. I should probably get to work on those now…