I sold at fairs for years, and my products were garden art that could be mounted on copper stakes. I found some great buckets at Walmart that had lids, and I filled them with cheap cat litter. My stakes would go into the buckets, and they were heavy enough not to tip over. The lids made it easy to transport the buckets and not lose the litter. I also used a vintage suitcase to carry my wrapping paper & bags. I set it up on the plastic totes that I packed my items in, and it was always a hit with my customers. I also bought craft paper bags, the kind with the handles, or at Goodwill I'd buy gift bags and use those to put my customers purchases in. They just loved it...I know I get excited when I have a gift bag rather than a plastic bag! You can also find lightweight 6' folding tables for around $40. Easy to put up and easy to handle. I would put out about half my product at a time, and then bring in a new piece as one sold, and I offered to hold a customers purchase while they shopped. When they came back they'd see something new and have to buy it too! I also priced my items ending in .95, like %19.95 rather than $20, there is something psychological about that, they see it's under $20, so they 'justify' purchasing it. I kept a roll of nickles in my bag, but rarely did people want their change. I got an old bankers bag and kept my $ in there, and kept it packed up in my suitcase. Every week (or every show) I'd add $50 in change to keep it stocked, because inevitably I'd get a bunch of $20's and have to make change.

Sounds like you did really good, flowers! My DH & I don't do craft shows anymore but we always did a few for many, many yrs...now we do Farmer's Mrkt on Sat. morns from May - Oct (we pick & choose which Sats...so we do about twice a mo.)...rain, vacations, Gr'kids, etc. are priorities in our choosing. LOL! & setting up & packing IS lots of work! (ugh!) But booth size is a 'killer' for items like yours (& ours...which was birdhouses, feeders, framed photos, benches, etc) ...so that is an important factor which choosing to participate. Your booth looks very pretty for the limited space you had! ;-) Advertising is the key, too...you can have beautiful set-up, beautiful product but you must have people coming thru! Do you have any 'summer' activities nearby? Your flowers would be a BIG hit for gardeners! A town nearby us has a big festival one weekend & they set up crafters/artists for half a day. Around here it seems that 'craft shows' are dying out or changing...not as much 'handmade' items...& also w/stores like Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc (which I LOVE BTW!) can offer so many decorating items ...so that makes a difference, too. I still love a GOOD craft show & enjoy buying gifts! Good luck on the next one...sounds like a great place cause it will be bringing in lots of people! TFS! Jeanne S.

Plastic bags may be tacky but the ones you take into grocery store mostly can't be washed or aren't & I wonder when there will be outbreak of roaches or bedbugs. They are trying to force us to use our own but we have enough trouble with people throwing garbage around, also when I shred mail I put it in 2 of those inside each other so it doesn't get all over the street, I understand that it is problem with birds but campaign to get people to stop leaving their trash & bags on mountain roads or at the beach makes more sense, it is going to cost a lot of people their jobs out here. So we are supposed to buy larger bags to put our garbage in, don't think that will work, I've found rotting beef stew in alley, try cleaning that up, I used a shovel & plastic bag.When neighbors are careless or overfill their trash so lid is back the wind often deposits bags on the streets, easier to pick up bag then have to figure out what to do with some disgusting trash like people that enter our neighborhood in middle of night & drink & leave their "Trojan" wrappers & contents on the streets. If I use the bags I have I will need help getting them in my car & will be carrying in 5 lb. flour then another trip to car to get couple of more items,when I get home, I do it at Sam's as I save enough, they aren't going to discount groceries at regular stores. The gift bags end up on streets too & larger critters could get caught in handles, don't hear complaints about them. It's not a perfect world, trade-offs no matter what you do.I'm sure someone will complain about bubble wrap too.(Yes, I recycle everything & have so much less trash than most of neighbors, no pizza boxes or TV dinners & wasteful packaging for me. Jan

Pixie Lou, what are crayon rolls? Here's something I am trying for the first time, although the idea is not new. Buy a pack of regular sized clothespins--the kind that have a spring clip. Choose one side to decorate. Paint that side with acrylic paint. Then mix glossy Mod Podge with a LOT of glitter (maybe equal parts). Use glitter that matches the color of the paint. Paint it on top of the dried paint. Once the Mod Podge dries, the glitter will NOT FLAKE OFF! Then cut up adhesive magnetic strips and glue them to the back of the pin. You sell them as glittered clips that will adhere to a refrigerator, school locker, or file cabinet (for grownup children). A couple of notes (learn from my trial and error). I used paint pens to make decorating easier. I "painted" (drew) multicolor stripes and glittered them, making rainbow clips. I made the mistake of Mod Podge-ing the back of the clips and then the adhesive on the magnet strip would come off after a couple of days. (So leave the wood on the back in its raw state.) The strips stay on better if the clip is attached to the fridge vertically; when it's horizontal the glue seems to pull off more. Each clothespin costs only about two cents from Wal Mart. Here is a video nicely demonstrating the Mod Podge "glitter glue." Here is a link that might be useful: Mod Podge Techniques video