Assembling Your Paper Lantern

Paper lanterns usually come disassembled, so you will need to put them together before using them. Do not worry, for this is really easy to do. That being said, do not rush into assembling them as soon as you get your lantern. You should first read the instructions or a guide like this, as they are fragile.

Paper lanterns are usually globe shaped, so their design is fairly simple to work with. The come flat, and they are flat for so long that they like to revert back to this flat state. To prevent them from doing so, an expander is included, which will go inside your lantern. An expander is almost always provided. You will need to get a cord with a socket on the end on your own, as this is usually not provided; these usually are ten or fifteen feet in length. Measure the distance between the outlet and where you want the lantern to hang before buying a cord.

Extra attention is needed when inserting the expander, because the paper is so easy to rip. Notice the two holes in the lantern: one is bigger than the other. The bigger hole is the top of the lantern, so insert the bottom of the expander into it. The grooves on the expander will come into contact with the edges of the circles in the lantern, so hook the grooves to the circle on the bottom first. Then, pull the lantern up, expanding it, and let the top circle rest on the grooves on the top of the expander.

Now, you will need to run the cord, but plug it in first; this is so you get an accurate picture. If you need to run the cord on the ceiling, use hooks to hang it. As an alternative, you can tape it to the ceiling with a strong tape, but this requires a lot of tape and looks incredibly silly (though, if appearances do not matter, and you do not have hooks, then go for it). You will want to work your way from the outlet to the socket; when you get to the socket, be sure it is hanging straight down. This is absolutely critical; if it is off even a little bit, readjust until it is straight.

Put the light bulb in the socket and screw it in, but unplug the cord from outlet first! Do not get electrocuted. The light bulb should not have a higher wattage than the maximum recommended for your cord. The usual is sixty, but higher wattage cords are available. Be sure you know your max before installing a light bulb. When you have the bulb screwed in, you are ready to attach the lantern. This is an easy step: insert the bulb, and have the lantern rest on the socket. You will be able to figure out how to get it to stay.

This next step is the easiest: turn it on! If it does not come on, it is probably a loose light bulb, or you forgot to plug the lantern in. If it is not those things, then you have an electrical problem or a faulty cord. Now, it is time to enjoy your lantern. It is a cheap, safe, and attractive alternative to traditional lighting fixtures, and it will provide you with beautiful, dim light which you can enjoy in a variety of settings, such as in a romantic dinner or in an Asian-themed room.

How to Bring In Clients

There are certain strategies to be employed that can help ascertain your position in the local and global market. These are called business strategies, and they usually work by drawing in customers, preventing loss of profit, strengthening assets and securing your liabilities. There are tons of resources out in the market and there is but little of the real deal when it comes to guaranteeing all of these results.

Safe to say that greed is not really a good option when it comes to business dealing. You find yourself wanting more and yet you’re receiving less. You find yourself reaching out to gain more, but in the end you lose everything. There are certain issues that you need to fix, certain stuff you need to acquire, certain duties and obligations you need to fulfill, and certain criteria you need to follow.

In attracting customers, you have to have an outlook as to what niche market are you targeting. Are you going for the happy crowd? The depressed crowd? Mood affects the customers, whether they want to buy or not. Surely you’re not thinking of putting on a happy mood when you’re in the pain-relieving industry, and your customers are pining about their pains and their problems.

Make sure that you convey the message that you understand what they are going through. Customers love it when the company sees them less as cash cows and sees them more as human beings with needs to be fulfilled.

Have a good bit of media coverage as well. Reach out and portray the company that you claim to be. There is a lot of potential that can be covered and a lot of ground to begin with if you want full development on every aspect that needs to be covered. Sooner or later, people will star hoarding in.

Starting 101 Part 3

Because as we all know, tables are just as small as retroactively their cost is. The best you can do is to work with that meager space that was given to you and decorate with a flourish that gives an illusion that your table is a few sizes more bigger than it originally was. Work with angles, elevations, light shots and things like that. Colors too, can greatly influence the appearance of your table. Work with different shades, tones and hues so you can achieve maximum visibility.

Samples will draw people to your booth. As much as possible, work with different samples to attract different types of people. One sample would draw in this crowd, while another would draw another crowd. That one sample can do so much, so be as varied as possible and avoid redundancy. Showing one sample would also trigger a psychological effect of “rare-must-buy-it” in the compulsive shopper’s mind and would make sales easier for you as well.

Freebies. They are one of the few things that break the law “There is no such thing as free.” Freebies make visitors happy. Freebies are one of the few items that actually draw people, even the uninterested, into your booth. Work with freebies to your advantage. Obtain contacts via giving away freebies. Its an age old tactic that still works up until now.

Photobook. If you can’t bring all of your items into the fair, then bring a large binder with a photo of all of your works in it. It saves the hassle of transportation and it makes the selections more comprehensive. Include detailed photos and such to avoid customer hassles and what not.

Business cards are a must. You must not leave for the fair without it. Stash business cards everywhere in your person, your car, your products, even in your wallet. You will never know when a business card would come in handy. And most often you will need that in a craft fair.

Craft Fair Basics

There is no “holy grail”, there is no “secrets to success” or hooplegoobledy, or any of that path that you have to follow. You must encounter all your challenges head on, like a rock that is rolling down against a boulder. The basics of craft fairs is a straightway relationship between crafter, his art, the customer, and the network of contacts that he is connected to.

You are a craftsman. If you are not good in socializing with others, if you don’t have good mathematical skills, or if you just plain fail at dealing with money; then ask for someone else’s help. Being a craftsman means that your first priority is being an artist, and most artists that I know of do not share the unique talent of multi-tasking and/or having multiple skills, especially two of which can be found in the opposite sides of the educational spectrum; business and art.

But you have to admit, in this recession-driven economy right now, the craft show is a pretty good place to make money. It is where money, people and connections gather into, and as a crafter sans businessman (you should have the mindset of a businessman if you want to fair well in this line of work), you should be there to exploit this knowledge.

Display is the first thing you have to consider. When you display, it is like courting someone for the very first time. And it is like it in a situation. Displays are the first thing that your customer will see. When you have a good display, they are attracted to your booth and will have the second thought of actually dropping by to peruse your goods.

And if a customer is perusing, there’s always a good chance that a sale will be made. Remember, there is no chance for a customer to buy it if he or she does not bother to check your stuff. This aspect of selling is very important for those that actually depend on the visual effects of their products. These include paintings, sculptures, metal works (although reliability and/or impact will still have a say), and trinkets and baubles.

My Week at the Santa Rosa Riverwalk Arts Festival

The Santa Rosa Riverwalk Arts Festival is traditionally celebrated in Milton, Florida. We went this year, and it was a blast! It was cool to be right next to the water, add to that the fact that the weather cooperated. The sky was clear and the sun was out. Saturday was very cold and windy and it damn near froze us to death, but we were able to cope just fine.

I attended the show with Liz, a nice friend of mine with a penchant for neat hand-embroidered pillows. Having one of your best friends as a neighboring vendor sure helps a lot. Other helping hands weren’t in short supply, unlike the craft show last year. Liz’s husband tagged along so there was at least another guy to talk to; that he helps move the heavier things about is also cool. My wife was of course present, too, and other friendly vendors also lent a helping hand.

I recently acquired a new card rack/stationery display, and in my opinion, it added a new dimension to my stall. I decided to go on ahead and change my display a little bit; I’ve been using just one booth setup as of late, and the change of pace will make my stall attract new attention.

The weather went awry last Saturday, so I made sure I was ready for the worst the next day. I was equipped for the cold weather; as I brought along a giant blue sweater from my High School days on Sunday. The colors of my alma mater have always been dear to me, and it is comfortable to boot.

There were a lot of customers over the week that was really excited with their purchases. There was one girl who was very visibly overjoyed at Liz’s pillows, and she bought a whole bunch of them! And thankfully, she had a guy with her who was interested in my more manly works. They both went home happy, and so did I.

Where Has the Food Gone?

Festival food, for the sense of argument, is very unhealthy. It’s just natural sense. When we talk about festival foods, we talk about the greasy, fatty, yucky type of edible items that when they reach our mouth, it usually leaves a shiny film all over our lips. Talk about the stuff of nightmares for anorexics and weight watchers. But, seriously, this type of unhealthiness is favored by most sellers because of the way the food cooks (it cooks so fast), the serving procedure (just dump it in a paper plate) and because its tradition (my pa has been eating this stuff way before we even were born!)

The other spectrum of festival food is the amount of sugar they usually incorporate into it. Most of the kids end up being severely sugar-rushed, overly hyper active and quite well overweight. It’s kind of a scary situation when you think about it. We, the people ourselves, are injecting so much sugar (and god knows what other sweeteners are out there) into our kid’s foods. Well, point is they’re enjoying right? And it is just a one-time deal.

No. This atrocity to the facade of festival food must stop. It is a shame, that as a country that should be promoting the idea of fitness, wellness and good life, is subjected to this inward slavery to fat, sugars and obesity.

We are not saying that obese people are bad and fit people are good, but we are saying that festivals represent all the good things about life, and if the food is one that could promote long-term disaster and unhealthiness, I don’t see why anyone would stand for this sort of unaccepted irony.

Truth of the matter, is that most people are satisfied with just the things that really don’t matter to them. Or things that they think won’t affect them in the long run. But I think it’ll do. Sooner or later.

A Festival for the Cherry Trees

The city of Macon is aptly named as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World with good reason. The streets are filled with the numerous blossoms, all from the trees in the sidewalk. The place reminds you of a modern Japanese-American themed city, as the usual-Japanese flowers float amongst modern American buildings and asphalt-lined streets.

The streets are bustling and filled with Yoshino cherry trees, and every Spring, they fill the air and the ground with their pale pink petals. It is a very extravagant display of color, which leaves their audience speechless and breathless for the first time.

History relates that the cherry trees came from the late William A. Fickling, Sr. who was a local realtor in the area. He had discovered a Yoshino tree in Macon, and with confirmation after three years, had found out what the species was. Took him a trip to Washington DC just to find out the tree was actually a Yoshino specie!

His generosity and enthusiasm had urged the residents to participate in his vision of filling the whole city with the pretty cherry trees. Years passed and the vision had started to materialize. A lot of its current residents had moved to Macon just to be near the trees. One of them being Carolyn Clayton, the festival founder herself, who had fallen in love with the trees after she had visited.

She had urged Fickling to go with their project, and the dream became true. Through a big community effort, 500 trees were planted along the streets across Macon. The project was encouraged when they had finally proposed the first Cherry Blossom Festival.

Soon it had become one of the Top 20 events of the South, and its fame spread. From three days, it had reached 10 days of festivities. The trees keep growing too, and like their number, the dreams of Mr. Fickling will live on and grow more and more.

Sweets and Sweet Words at the Craft Show

We were at the Cherry Blossom Festival located at Wooster Square last weekend, and we had such a good day there. I am shouting out a big thank you to our wonderful volunteers: Laura, Pam and Vi Phan. They were such a big help with meeting and greeting the people who stopped by our booth. And, I’d also like to thank the people who dropped by to hang out and chat about other upcoming fairs.

The Festival is currently getting ready to hold the Favorite Poem Project, as you may be well aware of. It is with the partnership of the Connecticut Library Consortium, and some other explosive community groups whose names escape me right now. A lot of people from the Cherry Blossom Festival have been invited to drop by our booth when Sunday rolls around. If you are an aspiring poet, craft your verses and recite them on camera. Or if you’re too bashful, copy it out onto the poetry journal instead.

One way that we used (and will continue to do so on Sunday) to attract a crowd is to offer some of the homemade sweets that Laura made. This has always been effective at catching people’s attention. And as kids and their parents alike enjoy the candy, we also satisfied their mental sweet tooth with our poetry reading.

It is not too late to join in on the fun! You, too, can find the inner poet in you; who knows, you may even have an outburst of literary genius during the event. Stop by our table in one of the upcoming fairs and festivals.

For a complete schedule of craft shows in your area, all you have to do is make a casual search on the Internet. These days, it is very easy to find online fliers; and once you know which one you can attend to, we’ll see if we setup a booth there as well.

Indulging the Senses at the Tallahassee Wine and Food Festival

Growth is a surefire indicator that an event is doing well. And while many craft shows had less attendance last year, the annual Tallahassee Wine and Food Festival stayed strong with 750 attendees. Presented by the First Commercial Insurance Company, it has become Tallahassee’s premier event. It continues to grow, and this year, we expect the events to be sold out once again.

A Wine Dinner starts off the festival on the first night. This features an elegant cocktail reception, a live auction, and the wine dinner itself, of course. You’ll get to partake in the full course accentuated by a selection of Italian wines. We will also have celebrity auctioneers – who are to be revealed at a later date! – who will host the bidding on a wide selection of items.

One of the events featured is a cooking class that is hosted by an internationally recognized chef. Guests who sign up to join will have the opportunity to choose one class from a list of different courses that relate to French cuisine. You’ll be able to enhance your skills in cooking by learning a few new tricks from the masters themselves. Afterwards, you can enjoy a fabulous brunch and a cooking presentation by the celebrity chefs. Cookbooks are also available for purchase around the event.

If you’re interested in wine, you can learn from the best in the business, and go to wine classes that teach you how to cook with it, taste it, and make it from the most advanced connoisseurs. You’ll get to sample select wines from “Down Under”, including an assortment of over 200 distinct wines from the world over.

And at last, while you’re inspired by fine dining and wine tasting, you’ll get to complement these sensations by feasting your other senses at the craft show, wherein there are unique works of arts screened by jurors.

Festival Town Fairs

Basically, I got caught by the street dancing and the merry making. After 27 years of my life, this was the first time I truly enjoyed a festival fair. And that’s saying something, because I rarely, RARELY ever enjoy myself in any of these shindigs. So, what was different with this festival fair?

For one thing, I had realized that variety does indeed wonders for the shopaholic’s heart. When a person is faced with much excitement and happiness and revelry and all that pizzazz, the thing is that, his serotonin levels rise.

Serotonin makes people happy (you could call it the happy hormone if you like. Wink wink!) And when people are happy, it usually makes them go buy more, without the usual regard and limit for the budget (which is somewhat a bad thing for them and a good thing for you. Hey, it’s not the best way, but it’s one way of the world you can use to your advantage!)

So it’s a good idea to time your booth or your fair in a local town festival, instead of going solo or going pro. You’d need all the happy people you can get to indulge you in your craft. Remember, a happy person can be a good customer. Of course, you’d want to have a happy customer rather than a frowny customer now, wouldn’t you?

Another good thing about timing your booth or your craft table in a festival is that you never need to worry about publicity, exposure or a lack of audience. It’s a town festival. Everyone is expected to go there, or at least be there. And with that, you get the attention of a full range of demographics, from the youngest of the bunch to the oldest daddy senior of the family. You also get a full range of cultures, both home grown to foreign and exotic locales.

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