vendor event IV

my fourth vendor event in augusta during
the bean & bacon days 2012.

this is my mom

my friend janine - selling her handmade trinkets

and our girl - handing out candy to the crowd

vendor event III

the spring craft sale at our savior's lutheran church was held yesterday.

my friend janine also joined me. she was selling her handmade headbands & totes [& made the pretty cake stand for my diaper cake.

vendor event II

saturday morning, i was up early for my second vendor event. the hillcrest elementary pto spring arts & crafts sale was in chippewa falls.   

 

 

my first vendor event

last night, i was at the ramada convention center. zealous works, a non-profit organization, hosted a fund raiser fashion show.

this was my very first vendor event.

DIY - product board

i'm excited to be a vendor for two events this coming weekend. this will be the first time for me to display my diaper cakes in a public setting. i have never done this before so i don't know what to expect.

i'm planning a simple table with my business cards, photo cards & samples of my diaper cakes [plus free candy]. i think it is also important to show the diaper cakes i have made for other customers. so i'm making my very own product board. 

 

*corkboard = reused avery's birthday board

*burlap fabric = remnant on clearance at walmart for $1.91

*pair of scissors

*colored & silver thumb tacks = this is a temporary board so i won't need the glue gun any longer. 

 

lay out the burlap over the corkboard & pin tacks on all four corners. this is to ensure that the burlap stays in place. i decided to pin the colored tacks close together. 

 

continue pinning the tacks on all sides of the board. i didn't have enough silver tacks so i spaced them out more. trim the burlap after all the tacks are in place. 

 

all done! and now to add all my photos... 

a closer look...

finally, it's ready to go & show!

getting my business out

every entrepreneur starts small. and marketing place a big part to let everybody know you & your product exists.

** i've been using craigslist since 2009 & i've never had any trouble with anything (posting ads, buying & selling items). and since its free, i posted my diaper cake ad 3 weeks ago. the first 20 minutes that my ad was published, i got an order right away! yes, craigslist will be my bff for a long time. unfortunately, my excitement faded because somebody flagged my ad. it happened over & over again for the past 2 weeks. but this week, i "fought" back. this is my new ad:

a perfect & practical gift for mommy/daddy to be. i can customize/personalize the diaper cake for you. photos posted here are some of my creations. prices start at $15. all items are brand new & assembled in a smoke/pet free home.

pls email for inquiries or questions. cash transactions only. please no spammers.

i have been trying to post my ad for weeks now & someone is
flagging it all the time. to MR or MISS FLAGGER, this is a free
website. don't be rude.

thanks for reading. have a great day.

oh it was all out "war" for me. yesterday alone, my ad was flagged 4 times. each time it was flagged, i published it again. i'm home all the time so i can pretty much monitor my email. i have another order & one inquiry so far. i emailed craigslist three times. nobody got back to me.

**everybody i know is in facebook. this is another powerful social media that everybody can utilize. so i tagged everyone i know with photos of the diaper cakes. this is pretty much a wait & see approach. my page is viewable only to friends. so if you're not my friend, you can only see my website link. take a peek of my facebook page - chona el.

**i found out about wisconsinsuperads thru google. i was just surfing the web one day searching for diaper cakes in wisconsin. honestly, the registration process is so quick & easy. posting ads are free & takes a few clicks. it's a very user friendly website. (not as complicated as craigslist) however, nobody seems to be using it. i'm guessing it's a new website. one thing i found out - they don't allow you to post links. your ad will not be published if it contains links to other websites.

**i delivered my first diaper cake just this monday. i printed some calling cards & gave it to my customer. i also glued one card in the cake plate & inserted another card in the cake.

**i also visited the hospital yesterday & gave out flyers & calling cards to everybody.

i know i still have a lot of marketing venues to consider. i'm taking it one day, one step at a time.

diaper cakes

i was visiting everybody at the hospital last week. a part of me missed working but at the same time i'm happy to be home with avery.

one of the girls in registration is expecting a baby boy this summer. i was thinking of a gift to give her. i remembered that i have a lot of baby disposable diapers sitting in the closet. ah, in today's world everybody googles & view youTube videos. anything is pretty much online & that's how i learned to make the diaper cake. i should say, its a perfect & practical gift to give a mommy-to-be. and there goes my light bulb moment...i have decided to start my own diaper cakes business.