Burlap Bags with a Grain Sack Twist

When I sold at the flea market last weekend, I wanted to brighten my space with some pretty plants so I picked up some small iceberg rose bushes to set around.  I love the look of the burlap grain sacks so I decided to make a few for the roses.  I think they add so much and I think they would be beautiful for a rustic wedding or party.

 They were easy to make and I didn't even stitch them on the machine.  Of course, after I made them, I checked on line and they are pretty reasonable to buy.  The 12 x 20 bags are about a dollar a bag, but you have to buy 25 of them.  I only wanted four and I needed a custom size.

 Every blogger I know has some stray burlap laying about; right?  It's as much a staple as drop cloth.  I got out my scraps and measured the size I needed.  I took my household glue and ran a string of glue on each side of the sack and clothes pinned the sides until the glue dried.  It was quick.  Once dried, while watching TV, I stitched up the sides with a simple baste stitch.  Everything held beautifully, nothing unraveled and the bags were very pretty.

 I'm considering ordering some small bags to use my Maison d' Stencils on.  That's what I did here and people wanted to buy just the bags.  If they sell anything like my dish towels it would be a great inexpensive item.  And by the way, Maison d' Stencils is having a 30 percent off sale until the end of April.  Their stencils are pricey, but when you are in mass production mode, they are worth every penny.  Their link is on my side bar.  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting everyone. 

I may be partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
               
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
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                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
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Sundays           

Little French Flea Market

Well, it's been four days since I finished my first time selling at The Little French Flea Market.  I'm thrilled with my sales.  All the dealers there are so friendly and fun to work with so I will definitely return in June.  At the last minute just before the gates opened, I was able to snap just a few photos to share with you, and I will also share some surprising revelations, but before I do that, I must thank my dear friend Deb.  She picked up items from my space I wanted to sell and then she not only helped me set up both mornings, but she stayed with me the whole time and helped me pack up at the very end.  Now that is a true friend for sure.

 At Aubergine Emporium, the shop I am a dealer in, I sell a lot of red stuff.  I like the color red a lot.  I also like that it sells for me when I'm tired of painting things white.  So it came as a shock to me when I hardly sold any red stuff at all.  Don't get me wrong.  I sold some books and cute laundry items, but not my red caddies or garden signs.  However, my red and white dish towels sprouted wings and thus I sold over 40 of those.

 I would say I sold approximately 70 percent of what I took to sell and only returned with a small number of larger items.  I don't care how good a dealer one is, it's rare to sell 100 percent of your inventory, and many of the items I was saving just for the market did sell and went fast.

 I have four of these vintage ironing boards that fold flat and are easy to store.  I used them around the periphery of my space for surface area to display my items.  They weren't for sale, only for display.  I could easily move them around to position things out of the sun.  It was a very warm weekend.

 I wish I would have taken a lot more frames.  They seemed to be a sure thing.  I took quite a bit of silver and only sold a few pieces, but I'm not surprised because silver even at the shop is pretty seasonal and mainly sells during the holidays.

My biggest mistake and it was pretty unavoidable was that a ton of my items never got priced ahead of time.  I have been slammed with work for the whole month of April and I felt pretty lucky to just get my items set up to sell.  On Sunday morning when it was a little quieter, I started pricing things and then they started selling like hot cakes.  I kept my prices very reasonable, but still managed to make money on every item I sold.  I would rather sell a lot of volume and clear out inventory than to pack it up just to bring it back the next time.  So from now on, I will price, price, price ahead of time.  Thanks for taking a peak.  I haven't even been able to check email as this was another crazy work week.  I'm so thrilled to be working full time again.  You know the old saying, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.  Well, I got it for sure and that's a very good thing.  Thanks for visiting.