You are right about that--as much as we all love a bargain, it sure takes money out of the crafter's pockets. Even at the craft shows now, so many items are not handcrafted by local crafters, just things they have ordered and are reselling!

That's one of the reasons we 'retired' from the wood crafting business after 15 years. China made things so much cheaper and most look at price not quality.

Nona, I work parttime at a little Mom & Pop antique and collectibles store and the owner says the same thing,. China is turning out glassware, figurines, dolls, and even vintage looking clothing--so no one wants to pay antique store prices if they can get something similar cheaper. She thinks her type of store is on the way out too. Sure ruins going to the craft shows for me--I want to see handmade creations and talk to the creators! Luvs

I do sometimes buy the Dollar Store ornaments to put on the tree but I often find myself repainting or doing something to make them more my style. Not everyone likes the same look. I have a primitive country taste and the ornaments tend to be more traditional or whatever you want to call it. I really am not running to buy up a bunch of the shiny balls or anything. In fact last winter I was covering them with pieces of homespun fabric and painting them!

There is one craft show that I go to every winter. It's the Sat after Thanksgiving and it's held at the high school. I go there and look for ornaments usually and while I'm there, DH is at home with the kids putting up the Christmas tree. We then decorate it when I get home and we get to put the new ornaments on and retire some more of the shiny balls! YIPPEE!

There are still people out there looking for quality over quantity! My Gram buys homemade ornaments for us every winter and if she finds something she likes but they're not homemade, she doesn't buy them! I think a lot of the problem is though that some people can't recognize the difference! Sad, I know but a true fact! I often have to point out to a family member that the item they are wanting to purchase can be bought in the Collections Etc, catalog or at the Dollar Tree!

Well you are right, they cost a dollar and they look like they cost a dollar,most of the time you have to come home and repair them,,,nothing is better than doing it yourself or with children or friends,,memories go along with the making of the ornaments and that's worth a whole lot in my book,,,and I will have to say ornaments are still one of the biggest sellers at every craft show i do.....

I do one show that has tons of handmade Christmas ornaments,,
some are made by girl scouts and I noticed people buying them like crazy, even though some were 2.00 each.
Maybe there is hope if we choose styles the dollar store isn't selling yet.

I did an ornament exchange last year, worked my butt off making two, the other person didn't have time and she sent me a snowman from the dollar store. I was a little disappointed. I sent her a mitten made from a recycled wool sweater with a snowball in the palm and tiny gazing ball. The things were supposed to be garden related.

Sewigardnut, I can relate! Used to run into the same thing at work. We tried to have secret pal week and some would give a small gift daily, some one or two nicer things during the week--and some nothing at all! Never could understand why they all said they wanted to do it--and then didn't--it was voluntary. And wouldn't you think the person who got something would think "Duh, maybe I should give my person something too!) ? Oh, well, no one said life is fair--but it sure can be disappointing and irritating at times! Luvs

If I did an ornament exchane, I'd want to specify
all handmade. Why bother with it otherwise.

When I had my craft booth years ago, it was supposed to be all handmade crafts. They was a couple of people in there all they had was items from country decorating catalogs. It used to make me so mad because we crafters work so hard on our crafts. I am very fussy about the work I do, it has to be perfect if I'm making it. My husband say's I'm too fussy but that was my name on that booth and I take pride in doing my crafts.

Just the thought of imports makes my blood boil. I used to make big bucks cutting out my own wood and painting it ... I gave up because something 1/3 the quality was selling for half of what I charged. Now it's happening to stained glass ..... What I would charge $10 for can be bought for $4. Unreal. I'm about to give up stained glass for the same reason. I'm always in the red - but my crafts keep me sane.

Went to a Craft show today at the arena near where I live. The lady at one of the tables told me she paid $75.00 for the rental. The show was from 10 am til 4 pm, I was there at 1 pm and she told me she had only sold $22. She also said most people were just "lookers", actually so was I, didn't buy a thing. One lady was selling knitted items, even she said the young people don't want it anymore. Two people were selling homemade jams, but again most people are a bit nervous about buying homemade foods, with all this scare about ecoli. And as far as the xmas ornaments, again they are cheaper at the dollar store.

I wish I could think of something new to make that would appeal to people, and hasn't been produced yet in China.

Just wondered if any of you have noticed that the big thing in the magazines and tv shows is "Trash to Treasure". Do those types of items sell well? I just bought a metal butter dish and a fancy handled knife that I want to paint since I saw one in a magazine--I think it was Crafts and Things and the article was 'Look what I found at Gramma's". They even suggested using it on a desk for paperclips and the knife for a letter opener. I really like the idea of repurposing things--anyone else doing this? As for ornaments, I would think the ones that are beaded and dangle would be popular this year since everyone is into jewelry making now--just a thought. Luvs

Yes, maybe redoing old items would be something new. To be honest I really can't figure out what people are looking for these days. I not sure what I am looking for when I go to a craft sale. (haha)

I think we have all come to a point where we don't really need anything anymore, we have it all. Everything is so easy to come by, crafts now are all pre-made by someone in China for a fraction of the price we could ever make it for and to be honest the quality is not bad considering the price.

I certainly agree....not just the Dollar Store but Walmart has been doing the same for years. I remember when my mom was making the decorated hats that go on the door/wall, I think she managed two craft seasons, before WM started bringing them in from China.

Another good example is the Trick or Treaters (the ones that look like little kids out as ghosts) I made those a couple years, then before I knew it, you could buy them (with SOUND) for $15. You can't make and figure your time for that.

SO you have to be ready to move onto the next craft when your craft suddenly shows up on a store shelf. What about the mixes in the jar...did you ever think you would see them mass produced? YEP, Target and WM both.

Here it is our Dollar Tree that gets stuff in that competes. But I can find things there I can use to make into real gifts (like the glass ashtrays made into light decorations).

The buy/sell vendors get under my skin too, but so far, I have been lucky enough to have unique crafts that they aren't selling. But I find it very odd when a customer is "amazed" I made something in my booth....as a crafter I find the question odd because OF COURSE I made it, but with all the B/S out there, I understand the question.

Usually the second question is "where do you get all your ideas?!".

Another funny thing about Dollar Stores and how sometimes their things are very well made. Well,I bought 2 lady figurines last year from the "Dollar Tree", anyway, later I took them into a consignment store and they were sold for $12.00 each. I couldn't believe it. My share was $6.00 each so I made $10.00 for something that cost me $2.00.

Now maybe that could be a business to get into, buying from the dollar store and selling it at a higher price at a consignment store. (haha)

Yes you could, that is exactly what the items in most of those stores are--the dealer found it cheap and is reselling it for more!

However, even that business is suffering now--the imports are copying glassware, hats, dresses, purses and knickknacks--you name it. And not too many people now value a "vintage" item as much as they like getting a similar item cheaper.

What I like about "handmade" crafts is the little "extras" that make it look special--not just like everyone else's.

I love to see creativity--even if it is a dollar store item that has been hand painted or gussied up in some way that makes it more special.

Someone said "It has all been done already", but I don't think that is true. However, there has been so much that fresh ideas are harder to come by.

Luvs

I think that maybe looking for fresh new ideas is part of the problem. There is a vicious circle that goes on in the crafting world that involves the basic "I wanna do that too" mentality. Right now a large chunk of the crafting community is into jewelry right? Well, if I went to a crafts show and saw that 10 of 20 booths were all selling jewelry that pretty much all looked the same, I would in all honesty quickly lose interest as a consumer. But if among those booths I find one booth that has something completely different even extraordinary from all the rest, I might be tempted to linger and look, and if the crafter is warm and friendly, I will probably buy.

I, who does find the style charming, am throroughly sick of "country crafts" - no offense to any of you who love and enjoy that. It's just that it's something that has been done over and over and over again. I think the key to having a successful crafts business these days , and I don't count myself as an expert, is to find something that is hard to duplicate by machine. In reality everything can be replicated by machine, but some things just aren't the same.

Maybe we need to look not for brand new ideas, but dig into the past(and I mean pretty far back) to revive all but dead crafts that could have a possible aesthetic and attention grabbing quality that would appeal to today's consumer. Consumers who are looking for that special something that is out of the ordinary. Honestly, if you go to the same crafts shows year after year, how many scarves and Home Sweet Home signs can you possibly collect before it just becomes ridiculous and not worth your effort.

I don't even go to the local crafts shows anymore because it's just the same old stuff year after year. And I too understand the fact that most consumers now days can't tell the difference between handmade and machine produced which is a sad indicator that the artistic side of our culture is in a sad state of decline. Personally, I don't join crafts shows anymore either. I sell to private persons who have entered my home and drooled over my wares long enough until they are willing to pay the price I want because they can't find somthing like it elsewhere.

As for "Dollar Tree" ornaments...sure, I've bought some in the past and will probably continue to buy them in the future. But I do have rules when doing so: 1). Is this what I would consider a "bare bones" ornament, meaning will it act as a filler. 2). Will it compliment my "handcrafted" ornaments, which happen to be the showpieces on my trees? 3). Is this something that is of decent quality, that would cost me a fortune at an upscale ornament display and would be very difficult to easily and successfully replicate by hand? 4). Is this something I can take apart to use in my "hand crafteds"?

And personally, as a crafter and artist, I am finding myself drawn more and more towards "old world" crafts that just cannot be had in this world, things that are even difficult to find reading materials on. You know there is a reason the Amish make the kind of money they do from their quilts. It's hard to find quilts that have been completely hand constructed these days and with the precision and artistic quality they present. So I all of a sudden find my self interested in things like bobbin lace, weaving, egguery, pysanky, and many other things.

From an equally frustrated crafter who refuses to give it up because a part of myself would more than likely wither and die - doubt I would be much fun if that happened.
Netta

You make some good points Netta.

I agree, when you go to a craft sale and see 40% of the crafters selling jewelry, it makes you want to turn around and leave. I too am sick of "country crafts".

I went to a big craft show today.... They had over 250 booths and at least a third of the booths were things that were bought an resold. I was a bit disapointed, wanted to come up with some ideas for Christmas presents. The funny thing is that most of things I thought were neat were the same things that I have seen here. So many booths had duplicate items, and the prices were outrageous. So I hit Goodwill for the bare bones of new projects and will make my own:)

Stacie

From a crafter who's never sold and from a normal buyer, I'd like to say --

I appreciate the crafters thoughts of "sick of country crafts" for I would like to do my first show next year and my thing is "country crafts." The local show I went to (it's 37th year) is just not the same as it used to be. It's a lot of jewelry for one thing and I'm not into it. One jewelry seller had vintage dragonfly pins and she said she went through lots of them the first day and had to dig out more for the second day (two day show). She also said the autumn leaf pins were hot sellers. As far as country crafts and decorations go, I love country decorating. Someone mentioned wooden signs - Personally, I love them but as she said, how many signs can you have before you think, it's way too much. Actually I only have one in my kitchen but I would consider buying more and going with the seasons in replacing it and then putting up my original one back up. At the craft fair, I bought two handmade gingerbread felt ornaments which I am going to put into a somewhat larger wooden boxe (low sides) or a low sided basket with greenery and lights (doesn't necessarily have a country look-just a holiday look), two handmade felt mittens with snowmen because I decorate with snowmen, in a country fashion, for Christmas. A few booths had my interest but I passed most (don't need a new handbag, don't need a new cover-up quilt for my couch)-although I might consider different seasonal ones to change it out) but that's not what I was looking for. I was looking for something new and unique. As I posted in another post on this forum, the one booth I was very interested in was primitive country items. One person had such a booth and she had some lovely, different (for my decorating) items, but the handpainting was sloppily done and just on an old board or whatnot. Whoever posted the word "quality" is certainly right. These days, I do want quality especially if I'm going to pay "that price" for it. I mostly look for things I can't make myself. As the friend whom I went to the show with said (and she's not into crafts whatsoever), it's the same thing year after year. It used to be a huge show with beautiful, fantastic homemade items and very much a four or five hour thing to be at. Now it's an hour or so and we're out of there. My first thoughts on next year were to make sure I'd do something that I didn't see this year. And second, keep the prices very reasonable. I know the prices of this or that and where I can get them (now days on-line) and for how much. When I look at something that is handmade, I look at how much I think it was made for and how much the crafter is looking to make. If it's not reasonable, I'll pass. I realize make the $$ is the name of the game, but something that is way out of line is not going to interest me at all.

Sal

Interesting reading all the replys.

I truly think that "Craft Shows" as we new them even just 2 years ago are a thing of the past. I still plan on to continue to do my crafts but only to give to friends and family or for myself. It is not worth the bother anymore to try and sell, you just can't compete with "China".