setting a craft stall in a fair

Our last fair participation was at Uptown Mirdiff. It was a relatively small fair, mainly for the community. But it was well organized. Being so close to Al Warqa, we were nearly in our comfort zone 🙂

With every new fair, something new is learnt and some improvements are made. You tend to learn to be better prepared.

Here are some of the pictures of the set up.

The outdoor fair season is relatively short in Dubai, so one has to make the most of it, while it lasts.

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Hello friends !

I am back from a long haitus with a bag full of creative posts !!

My creative plate has been full of ideas and events.

We visited Saudi Arabia on our Hajj pilgrimage and It was an absolutely amazing experience. Returning from the trip, I participated at the Al Tamimi stables family fun day on 17th and 18th of October.

I was rekindling my love affair with ‘fairs’ after 2 years and totally loved the experience. It turned out so good, that I hope to join a couple more of fairs in the near future. Inshallah.

There was a steady flow of students, happy to learn a new activity and it was all the encouragement, I needed.

The fair lasted for 2 days over the weekend, and we were much more prepared on the second day. As always, the entire family helped out, from carrying/transporting cartons of supplies to managing the stalls, the boys did it all and more. Mashallah.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Colorful pails hosting scissors, paint brushes, colors, popsicle sticks etc.

My fantastic assistants. Son # 1 Bilal and Son # 3 Eman ~ catering to the needs of the creative enthusiasts. Son # 2 was helping me out with the projects.

These are three amazing boys, without whose help, I don’t think, I could ever follow my dreams.

Their creative enthusiasm is infectious !

Boys and girls ~ figuring out, which activity, they would like to go in for, first !

Our workstation on Day 1 was a little petite and I felt, I could have made it more organized (which we corrected, the following day 🙂

DONT participate in any fair unless you are carrying the following “tools of the trade” in your bag :-

Masking tape, scotch tape, double sided tape, ribbon, cord, scissors,

rubber bands, stapler and stapler pins, Markers, pen,

calculator, clothespin, paper pins,

BUSINESS CARDS, panadols, a packet of battery cells.

Some Pointers :-

I always carry extra folding tables for all my supplies ( The work station should always remain appealing and not cluttered with jars of embellishments and other stationery and supplies.
I prefer to keep the embellishment racks slightly away from main work station for various reasons, one of which is security as well.
I also carry spare folding chairs too.
Carrying display risers is always an excellent idea.
Inorder to save on space, I kept a wire rack stand to carry all my paint tubes on. When in doubt with space ~ GO VERTICLE !!! (my mantra)
Baskets always add an appeal of its own and they are so handy and functional too.
A banner or bunting is excellent advertising as well as adds color to your stall and makes it look, more professional.
If your going to have activities, make sure, you have a plastic covering for your table, lest the paint runs on the table cloth. (you’ll need masking tape to adhere it)
One of the things to discuss beforehand with the organizers is the availability of a wash room and an electric connection. Why ?
Your going to need to wash off the excess paint and your going to need an electric connection for the glue gun.
Tissue boxes don’t help much (they would for a regular craft table )but carrying the kitchen tissue roll is a better suggestion for activities table.
If any of the activities involve beads, its best to provide children with plastic bowls or plates or ELSE expect, the beads to be scattered all over the place !
Keep a few price tag stickers at hand for those misplaced while being transported.
I like to keep, a neutral color to the set up while providing enough pops of color with pails, baskets, jars and plates.
However, a bright (non-designed) table spread is a ideal is your going to sell stuff.
Investing in a solid trolley cart is really a good idea.
Short change is always in high demand in fairs ~ so carry lots of short change.
Don’t underestimate the importance of the humble “camera”. You want to cherish all the memories and whats more, you want to learn from your mistakes !!
Last but not least, I cannot emphasis enough, the importance of displaying your business cards upfront !

Plenty of embellishments and beads to play around with !

Although carrying so many embellishments can be such a bother, but it is very gratifying when children go thru heaps of embellishments, just to pick one of their best ones. The jars are from Ikea.

Day 2.

I always carry my wire racks with plenty of additional embellishments for children to buy and add to their creative projects. The white board is very helpful in indicating the various activities and rates. (also from Ikea)

The above colorful plates are from Ikea. They add a pop of color to an otherwise very white setup.

You can buy the above baskets from Daiso for dhs 7.

Al Tamimi stables fair was well organized, well advertised and a large crowd turned up, inspite the relentless weather. There were dozens of activities to keep the young ones busy and amused, plenty of food outlets ~ not to mention the beautiful animals on the property, making the entire experience, wholesome, for the visitor.

I am linking this post to the following parties, here.

Make it pretty Monday

Wow us Wednesdays

Thank you for visiting me today. I hope the photographs could give you a glimpse of the fun and frolic had at the fair.

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