It’s that time of year, kids. Craft fairs, of all kinds, going on in your community center, church, or convention center.  Last weekend, I decided to jump into that world again.

I don’t know why I waited so long after moving to Germany to do something like this, except to say I was a little slow to get my bearings after moving. I knew I didn’t want to deal with the potential language barrier and legalities of doing fairs on the economy, but  turns out the Air Force base community center holds craft fairs several times of year.

Once I signed up and was committed, I started to get excited…

I knew I needed to come up with some Christmas-y designs for the fair, as well as multiple price points, so I tried my hand at stamp-carving to make these little moleskine journals:

I also came up with some new Christmas cards. You can read about my process making these linocut cards in this previous post.

And here are some pics of my display:

All in all, people were friendly and generally interested in my work. I did make a few notable sales, but there were not  many big spenders, nor did I expect there to be. I think that’s the only drawback to doing a dinky fair like this.

That said, I would advise any artist or crafter thinking of doing something like this, just dive in and do it! There is no sense in doing nothing while you wait to be in a better market. Even if sales are lackluster, you’ll have the experience of designing your table, organizing all of your gear and products, and, interacting with potential buyers. It is great practice for marketing your work in person and, if you’re even half as introverted as me, you probably need the practice!  And, most importantly, you’ll be showing your work!!

I have one more show before Christmas (December 6-7) and I’m already signed up for the March show, so if you are in my local area, please stop by. I’d love to see you!