Monday, May 21, 2012

New Product Line - Key Fobs


Any sewer will tell you that wasting fabric is a sin. Maybe not a major one etched on a tablet, but it ranks up there with letting the water run while you brush your teeth.

So, despite the fact that I have honed my skill to purchase only the amount of fabric I need, and I have fine-tuned my cutting layout to maximize use of fabric, I am still left with remnants. They're small remnants, but it's still waste.

I make bookmarks with the leftover fabric, which uses most of it. But I'm still left with narrow strips of fabric, and nothing to do with it. I know it's not much to throw out, but I can't help but think that there's something I could be making with it. I've been racking my creative brain, but haven't come up with anything.

Then a friend sent me an idea: key chains.

Key chains? Hmmmmm...

I sketched out a few ideas, and after three discarded concepts, I came up with this:




I Googled key rings and found several distributors that sell them for a song (which may not be such a good deal, since I can't sing). Buying them in bulk will cost less than a penny each. And since Canadian pennies will no longer be minted, this means they are free, making Contessa Key Rings a pure profit endeavour.

I have a few craft shows over the summer, so I'll make a few and see how they sell. If things work out, Urban Contessa will have a new product line.

I may have to give my friend a lifetime supply of key rings to thank her for this idea.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

DRCC Spring Fling 2012



Today's craft show with The Durham Region Crafter's Community was so much fun! I saw friends I haven't seen in a while and made new friends with other crafters.

I'm still working on my table display, but I was pretty happy with this one. A few vendors had some creative set-ups, which got me thinking about making a few changes.

But, in the meantime...