My very first WALOC

This past Saturday I did my last craft show of the year, What a Load of Craft!, in Iowa City.  This was my first time at WALOC, and boy, oh boy, was I blown away. 

It was amazing. 

This show has good word-of-mouth here in Des Moines, I knew that.  And there's good reason why several of us Des Moines crafters will drive all the way to Iowa City on a very cold Saturday morning in December. 

People in Iowa City obviously appreciate handmade and they came to buy it.  And us artsy-craftsy people who are trying to make a living doing what we love to do the most really appreciate it when people come to a craft show ready to buy.   And buy they did!  I was so busy!  People were waiting at my table.  I ran out of large bags and tissue.  My feet hurt at the end of the day.  But, boy, did I have a great day.  Great sales and I had the pleasure of meeting great people, from Iowa and beyond.  And I was pleased that the one person in Iowa City who I had talked to about this show was one of my very first customers.  She happens to be a nurse who took care of my husband last month at UIHC and she remembered about the show and came out to see me.  She told me that she and her husband agreed to buy only local gifts for each other this year.  Love that idea. 

So, thank you WALOC, thank you, Susan for putting together an amazing show, and thank you Iowa City for supporting independent crafty people like myself.  This show was a great way to end another year of craft shows and I am already looking forward to doing it all again next year. 

I think this is the official version: Fall & Winter 2011 Shows

I'm pretty sure this is it: here's where I'll be the next couple of months.  Taking my show on the road a little bit this year, as in outside of the Des Moines city limits.  Very exciting, actually!

Sunday, Nov. 6: Fall Festival Arts & Crafts Bazaar, 105 W. 1st Ave. Indianola IA, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Friday Nov. 11(6;30 to 8:30 p.m.) & Saturday Nov. 12 (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.), Beaverdale Holiday Boutique @ Holy Trinity, 2926 Beaver Ave., Des Moines.

Market Day Black Friday!!  9 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Nov. 25 (duh!) @ the Kirkwood, 4th & Walnut, downtown Des Moines.

Saturday, Dec. 3: Small Town Country Christmas craft show, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Milo IA.

Saturday, Dec. 10: WHAT A LOAD OF CRAFT! 11 to 7, Johnson County Fairgrounds, Iowa City, IA.  This is a new show for me this year and I'm super-excited, because I have heard all kinds of great things about it from my fellow crafty-ites here in Des Moines who have done it before.  Can't wait.  I'm sure all of these shows will be a great time.  It's always fun to meet new customers and see repeat customers.  I've honestly never had a bad time doing a craft show.  That's one big reason why I keep doing them.  Pretty simple:  they are fun. 

So, tell your friends, tell your neighbors, your pizza delivery guy, etc:  shop local and buy handmade for the holidays.  It's a great way to "occupy Wall Street" and also support your local crafters, artists, & makers of wonderful, awesome handmade stuff.  And the person who opens said fabulous handmade gift will be genuinely delighted as well.  Everybody wins.