Craft Fair Extraordinaire Feature Interview #5

Today, I am excited to feature a very talented artist, Colorfly Studio, who works with a lovely mix of different media. She paints canvases with beautiful, bright colors. Her work really makes me smile! I love how bright it is, and how eye-catching it is. Her setup is very nice - it has clean lines, and really draws all of the viewers' attention to the work itself! The bright white background is a nice contrast to her colorful work.

She was nice enough to take the time to answer a few of my questions about her successes at shows and such...


1.) Please tell us a bit about yourself:
Name/Company Name: My name is Jennifer DeDonato and my company name is Colorfly Studio. The reason Colorfly Studio came about is because people had a very hard time saying my last name so I felt I needed to come up with a easy memorable company name. My husband came up with Colorfly because of my love for color and I am crazy about dragonflies and butterflies.
General Location if you want: Houston, Texas
Website or Contact Info: www.colorflystudio.com takes you to my site and my etsy shop is www.colorflystudio.etsy.com
See her on Flickr here.

2.) What form of art/craft do you make? I used to use only paper but in the past years I have added acrylic paints and dye ink into the mix. So I would officially call myself a mixed media artist.



3.) When did you start vending at Craft Fairs? I started about two years ago. Were you successful at first? My very first show was wonderful and I couldn't have asked for a better response to my work. I thought it might be a fluke so I kind of blew it off as such but then I had another big show and it went really great.

4.) What is/was your favorite Art/Craft Fair you have ever
attended/vended at and why? My favorite art fair is the First Saturday Arts Market in the Heights area of Houston. I am lucky to live in a city that has a wonderful art scene! I love it because the artists that attend are so amazingly talented and friendly. It's also great because the market happens the first Saturday of very month so if you attend on a regular basis it becomes like a little store front.

5.) What was your least favorite Fair to attend/vend at? I did a local craft show and it was not good.
Why? The main reason was it wasn't the right audience. The people attending were mostly consultants for other companies like Mary Kay, Stampin Up!, Taste of Home. I didn't know this ahead of time and now I think it's important to check to see what other vendors will be attending.



6.) What tends to be your target audience? Young couples with children and women.

7.) Do you ever do marketing for your upcoming shows, or do
you leave it to the Show Coordinators? If you do promotions,
how do you do them, and do they seem to work well? Do you
ever do giveaways at shows? Give out lots of business cards,
etc... I have a blog that I promote my upcoming shows on. I have had several people come out to meet me because of that. I end up giving out a lot of business cards. I am working on a email newsletter that will go out to my past customers to let them know where I will be and what work will be available.

8.) Have you ever helped put a show together or run a show?
Which one(s)? Goodness NO...that is so much work and I have my hands full just getting my EZ Up canopy in place.



9.) How have Flickr, Etsy, Facebook, etc helped you expand
your crafty business? I have all three of these accounts. The only way Facebook helps me is it lets my family and friends know where I am going to be. I think the account that has helped me the most is Flickr. So many people are able to see my work because you can join specific groups geared toward your work. For example Mixed Media, Quote Art Group or Cut Paper Artwork just to name a few. You join these groups and then you can put your work in the group pool. This is great because Flickr will let you know when new work is added to the groups you have joined. I found on Etsy that you just get lost and it's hard to advertise. I say that because when I have gone to promote, the ad spaces have always been sold out. I think if Etsy decides to promote you as a featured seller then you're golden but to try to promote yourself is really challenging.

10.) What do you think the difference is between an Art
Show and a Craft Fair? If there is any difference...I think the main difference is the prices. At an art show you will have original artwork or one of a kind jewelry that can cost some big bucks, At a craft fair you are going to find items sold in multiples.

11.) If you wish, please list your upcoming shows for 2010
and beyond. Vox Culture (Feb 19), First Saturday Artist Market Houston Heights (March 6) CITYCENTRE Spring Market 2010 (March 27, 28), Midtown Art In The Park (April 10) , Cross Creek Ranch Arts Festival in (April)



12.) Any words of advice for people who do not think their
setup is as good as it could be? What is your most
successful layout for a table or booth. Be as general or
specific as you want. I have had my booth every way possible! I have noticed that as patrons are walking and looking they usually want to be left alone to take your booth in. I put my table off to the side so the artwork can be seen and where I am not intimidating buyers. Nothing worse than a person thinking they are going to get pounced on. If someone comes in I greet them and leave them to look. However, after a few minutes striking up a small conversation is always good. Something like..."All my work is made using paper and paint. Oh, and I make my own frames." That usually leads to other questions and the longer they stay in your space the odds of them buying increase. Always say hello to kids and pets ALWAYS! I have little things for small children to keep like (goldfish, lollipops, etc). One market I attend has SO many dogs owners so we started giving little treats for them. I think having a small table with some goods on it right outside your booth is key. I put less expensive items there like cards, magnets, prints. It gets their attention and then they come in and look.

13.) Any closing remarks? Best of luck!

Application Deadlines from Zapp...

Many new shows have joined ZAPP™, and many show application deadlines are approaching. See what new shows you can apply to below.

Upcoming Deadlines - APPLY TODAY!

FireFly Fine Art Festival - Dickson, Tennessee
DEADLINE: 1/14/2009
Jury Fee: $30.00
Event Dates: 6/26/2009 - 6/28/2009
The Firefly Fine Arts Festival invites you to apply to be one of 125 visual art exhibitors at the 2009 event: a cosmopolitan celebration of the arts also including music, theatre, and dance. Over the three-day event, Firefly expects an attendance of 25,000 visitors to the custom designed festival grounds at the Renaissance Center in Dickson, TN. Patrons from around the region will have the unique opportunity to meet talented exhibiting artists and purchase their work. The goal of Firefly is to provide our local and regional audience and our exhibitors a cultural experience of exceptional quality. Proceeds from the Arts Festival will help to fulfill year-round community art education and outreach missions through programs such as scholarships, unique art experiences in Dickson County Schools, and special projects enhancing the general awareness for the arts in and around Dickson County, TN.

NICFest - Nicolaysen Community Festival 2009 - Casper, Wyoming
DEADLINE: 1/15/2009
Jury Fee: $35.00
Event Dates: 6/26/2009 - 6/28/2009
NIC Fest is an outdoor community festival that incorporates many forms of art, including an art show and sale, live music, childrens art and activity areas, a car show, and exhibitions within the museum. This festival brings out the entire community and many visitors, with total attendance of 15,000 in 2008, its third year. Bigger every year, we are expecting 18,000 visitors and shoppers.

Decatur Arts Festival 2009 - Georgia
DEADLINE: 1/15/2009
Jury Fee: $30.00
Event Dates: 5/23/2009 - 5/24/2009
The Decatur Arts Alliance invites you to apply for booth space in the 21st annual Decatur Arts Festival, The festival will be held on the square in historic Decatur, GA, just minutes from downtown Atlanta. The Artists' Market will be open on Saturday, May 23 from 10am until 6pm, and on Sunday May 24 from 11am until 6pm.
The festival features continuous entertainment and performing arts in the Community Bandstand adjacent to the Artists' Market. Food vendors, a Fine Arts Exhibition, the ArtWalk, Literary Arts, New Dance and a Children's Festival are also part of the festival activities.

Estero Fine Art Show - April 4 & 5, 2009 (Hot Works, Patty Narozny, located between Naples & Fort My - Estero (between Naples & Fort Myers, near Bonita), Florida
DEADLINE: 1/15/2009
Jury Fee: $30.00
Event Dates: 4/4/2009 - 4/5/2009
Located between Naples and Fort Myers. This is a high quality juried fine art & fine craft show - produced by Hot Works, the same company that produces the award-winning Orchard Lake Fine Art Show in Michigan! Director: Patty Narozny. Reaches same cosmopolitan community as Bonita Springs!

Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original 2009 - Ann Arbor, Michigan
DEADLINE: 1/15/2009
Jury Fee: $30.00
Event Dates: 7/15/2009 - 7/18/2009
Established in 1960, the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair is the Original of a collective of four concurrent art fairs that bring four days of outstanding visual art to downtown Ann Arbor. The Street Art Fair takes place around one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, the Burton Carillon Tower, located on the tree lined central campus of the University of Michigan. Collectively the Ann Arbor Art Fairs draw more than 500,000 fairgoers from across the nation. Join us as we celebrate our 50th year of Originality in Ann Arbor!

Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff 2009 - St. Joseph, Michigan
DEADLINE: 1/16/2009
Jury Fee: $30.00
Event Dates: 7/11/2009 - 7/12/2009
Apply to the Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff where estimated crowds of 70,000 converge annually on this beautiful resort town on the shores of Lake Michigan. Our mission is “Bringing people and art together.” Our goals include:
providing high quality art to the Midwest,
providing a nurturing environment for the artists,
to be considered one of the best fine-art-fine craft fairs in the country and
to provide jurying by judges who are experts in their fields.”
The Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff is the largest fund raiser for the Krasl Art Center's general education programs and exhibitions.
Once a “clothesline art fair” in the early 1960s, Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff has become a nationally recognized and critically acclaimed event by artists, experts and patrons. The Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff continues to attract high-quality artists.

Art & Air 2009 - Webster Groves, Missouri
DEADLINE: 1/16/2009
Jury Fee: $25.00
Event Dates: 6/5/2009 - 6/7/2009
St. Louis, Missouri - The 6th Anniversary of the "Art&Air" Fair will be held June 5-7, 2009. This one-of-a-kind fine arts fair is set on the beautiful park setting of Eden Theological Seminary grounds in the heart of historic Webster Groves, Missouri; conveniently located between Downtown St.Louis and Clayton, Missouri. Art&Air, continually noted as an Artist's favorite fair for unmatched hospitality and amenities, will continue to focus on the artists and their work, while offering delectable food, top-notch music performances and unique creative activities for the whole family. The Art&Air Fair's board, the Webster Community Arts Foundation, the hard-working Art&Air staff and dedicated volunteers will once again aim at making Art&Air a successful, yet fun art fair for both the artists and the many art-buyers coming from far and wide. Be one of the 100+ artists who will fall in love with the Webster Groves charm and hospitality at what has quickly become one of the best ar t fairs in the Midwest.

St. Petersburg Art Fest at BayWalk - 2nd Annual (Downtown St. Petersburg, FL.) 2009 - St. Petersburg, Florida
DEADLINE: 1/16/2009
Jury Fee: $25.00
Event Dates: 1/24/2009 - 1/25/2009
The show is located on the Downtown streets near Baywalk, steps from Vinoy, Straub Park, and minutes from downtown museums and the St Pete Pier. St Petersburg is located in the Tampa Bay area, home to more than 2 million residents and 7 million annual visitors.

Broad Ripple Art Fair at the Indianapolis Art Center 2009 - Indianapolis, Indiana
DEADLINE: 1/20/2009
Jury Fee: $35.00
Event Dates: 5/16/2009 - 5/17/2009
Now celebrating its 39th year, the Art Fair attracts more than 27,000 visitors and offers an opportunity for the public to meet more than 225 fine art & craft artists from the U.S. and Canada, sample a wide variety of various foods, enjoy live entertainment on four stages, learn about the Indianapolis Art Center, and—for the kids—create their own works of art.
The Art Fair is located on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center designed by Hoosier Architect Michael Graves and its 12-acre ARTSPARK, plus the adjacent North Side Optimists Opti-Park, a recreational park. Located in the Broad Ripple Village Cultural District— a cultural arts, shopping, night club, and dining district—the Broad Ripple Art Fair is next to the popular Monon Trail urban greenway.
Voted Indy’s Best Art Fair, voted by NUVO Newsweekly Readers (2007, 2008)

Saratoga Rotary Art Show – 2009 52nd Annual – 1st Sunday In May, Saratoga, CA - Saratoga, California
DEADLINE: 1/20/2009
Jury Fee: $20.00
Event Dates: 5/3/2009 - 5/3/2009
We invite you to exhibit at our 52nd Annual Art Show, the Largest One-Day Juried Art Show in the Western United States. Held the First Sunday in May since 1959, the Saratoga Rotary Club has hosted one of the finest outdoor shows in the West. More than 20,000 Art Collectors come to see and buy works from the finest local and national artists. Saratoga and the surrounding Los Gatos/West Valley area are among the top 100 wealthiest zip codes in the country. The Saratoga Rotary Art Show presents original works of art of 200 artists in beautiful surroundings on the campus of West Valley College, Saratoga, California.

Art Fair at Laumeier 2009 - Missouri
DEADLINE: 1/21/2009
Jury Fee: $35.00
Event Dates: 5/8/2009 - 5/10/2009
Now accepting Student Applications ONLY
The annual arts and crafts fair at Laumeier will be held on May 8, 9 and 10 in the beautiful outdoor setting of Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, Missouri. Laumeier is one of the few major contemporary sculpture parks in the world, where over 80 sculptures by internationally-acclaimed artists can be seen year-round. Each year the park comes alive during the Art Fair with 150 of the nation’s best exhibitors. The jury will select artists who are tops in their field. Please submit your application and join us for one of the best fairs in the Midwest.

St. Armands Circle Art Festival - 6th Annual (Sarasota, FL.) 2009 - Sarasota, Florida
DEADLINE: 1/23/2009
Jury Fee: $25.00
Event Dates: 1/31/2009 - 2/1/2009
Ranked one of the Nation’s top shows by Sunshine Artist Magazine.
This festival is located in the Heart of St. Armands Key in the affluent St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, Fl. The show is nestled among some of the finest restaurants and retailers. This is not one to be missed.

St. Pete Beach Corey Art & Craft Fair - 15th Annual (St. Pete Beach, FL.) 2009 - St. Pete Beach, Florida
DEADLINE: 1/23/2009
Jury Fee: $25.00
Event Dates: 1/31/2009 - 2/1/2009
This busy show consists of an art festival on Corey Avenue and a craft marketplace to the side of the art show.
The show runs along Corey Avenue where you will find many unique shops, restaurants and galleries. St Pete Beach is a beautiful community located on the Gulf of Mexico on the western edge of Tampa Bay.

Park Silly Sunday Market 2009 - 15 Sundays June-September - Park City, Utah
DEADLINE: 2/15/2009 FOR JEWELERS ONLY
Jury Fee: $30.00
Event Dates: 6/14/2009 - 9/27/2009
The Park Silly Sunday Market, runs 15 weeks June -September on Park City, UT's Historic Main Street. It is an eco friendly, open-air market and street festival. We feature unique and eclectic-local, regional, national and international arts and crafts, music and performance art, antiques, imports and one-of-a-kind finds, delicious gourmet foods, and farmers market fruits and vegetables. It is as unique as its town.
*Park Silly Sunday Market is a partially juried event.

New Events

Hutchinson Arts and Crafts Festival 2009 - Hutchinson, Minnesota
OPEN DATE: 1/10/2009
DEADLINE: 3/30/2009
Jury Fee: $25.00
Event Dates: 9/18/2009 - 9/19/2009
This show is noted as a "must see" in Southwestern Minnesota. The festival offers a charming downtown park setting, a wide selection of artists, crafters, and food vendors, and thousands of new and returning shoppers. This successful event has been attracting vendors and shoppers from all over the Midwest for 35 years!

Sedona Arts Festival 2009 - Arizona
OPEN DATE: 1/10/2009
DEADLINE: 4/30/2009
Jury Fee: $30.00
Event Dates: 10/4/2009 - 10/5/2009
Rated one the nation’s best by American Style Magazine, the Sedona Arts Festival showcases 150 fine artists and craftspersons in a beautiful outdoor setting surrounded by the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona. In addition to the spectacular artwork, the Festival offers continuous live entertainment featuring a range of music from southwestern ambient sounds, contemporary jazz and the blues; an interactive KidZone with Guest artists; a fabulous Raffle, and fine food. We hope that you will catch some of our “Red Rock Fever” and join us this year!!

ARTFEST 2009 - Dallas, TX, Texas
OPEN DATE: 1/12/2009
DEADLINE: 2/27/2009
Jury Fee: $30.00
Event Dates: 5/22/2009 - 5/24/2009
The 40th annual ARTFEST will be held on Memorial Day Weekend in May 2009. This Memorial Day Weekend tradition is presented by The 500, Inc., a nonprofit group dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the arts in the Dallas area since 1965. ARTFEST is the flagship fundraiser for The 500, Inc. We continue to develop and improve the event, as we strive towards our goal of making ARTFEST one of the top-rated fine arts shows in the country. An artist jury consisting of gallery owners, art critics, artists and other prominent community representatives will review all applications. Accepted artists exhibit their work for sale during the entire festival. The show will have space for over 200 artists to display their work.

CityArts 2009 - Dallas, Texas
OPEN DATE: 1/12/2009
DEADLINE: 2/27/2009
Jury Fee: $25.00
Event Dates: 6/12/2009 - 6/14/2009
A free arts showcase with multiple outdoor stages featuring a juried art show, dance, a variety of music and cultural performances, culinary demonstrations and wine tasting, complimentary admission to world-class museums, exciting exhibits, interactive children's activities and much more!

Indie Sacramento

So at least craft fairs prevail in warmer,more sunny climates :)
This one looks fun. It is called Indie Sacramento. See their flickr group pool here.
"IndieSacramento is Sacramento's largest MONTHLY trunk show & craft bazaar, held on the FIRST SATURDAY of every month, from 12-4pm. The location may change on a monthly basis, so see the website for details." Seen HERE on the Indie Sacramento Blog.
Even see a lil' video of the show HERE...

Thanks to Tamie Snow *Roxiecraft* for these images!!!

Tips for Etsy Success from Timothy Adams Designs

I sometimes receive emails from Timothy Adams Designs. He makes jewelry and furniture and other goods from metal. He also does fun giveaways.
On his blog, he began doing tips for Etsy success, and he had a great point this time! He says, in your etsy shop, for your tag line under your shop name, fully describe the items you make, so they show up in GOOGLE searches. This makes total sense. so try it out! It only takes a second.