A Vintage Christmas Craft Show: What Sold!

Hi there! Today I have a post filled with all the vintage and vintage-inspired crafts and DIY’s that I sold at the annual craft show I do at the nearby Shaker Heritage Site.  I had a much smaller space this year but one located inside the Shaker gift shop where the main check out point is.

I sold almost to the dollar the same amount as last year: $1500. That success I believe is due to my new location, but also to the amount of repurposed vintage jewelry that I sold. Because of jewelry’s relatively small size, you can cram much more of it into a space than almost any other crafted item. But let’s dive in and see what sold!

Related posts: Shaker Christmas Craft Show 2018 & 2017

Earrings Selling at the Christmas Craft Show

This past August, I wrote a post about upcycling vintage clip ons into beautiful pierced earrings. It turns out they’re pretty addictive to make (and I have literally hundreds of pairs of clip ons to work with), so I decided to give them a try at the show. I sold forty-four pair for $12 each, grossing $528 on earrings alone!

This is one of my displays, which I kept continuously filled throughout the show. All of the Christmas-y examples that you see above, including all of the bells, sold (except for the wreaths). 

I made the black cards holding the earrings myself and glued small strips of paper containing my blog URL onto the back, along with the price tag.  

You can find a bunch of the unsold pairs in my Vintage Blog Shop (VBS) for just $10 a pair or two for $16. They are in the “Handmade” section of the shop, though I have many more to add. I’ve listed about forteen pair so far.

I don’t have photos of every pair that sold, but I have a few, like this shot of pretty turquoise and silver pair.

And these.

And these. Pink is my favorite color and it seems to sell well.

Here is an example of a pair that are available in the “Handmade” section of my Vintage Blog Shop.

Necklaces Selling at the Christmas Craft Show

A little over a year ago, I wrote about making necklaces with vintage and antique skeleton keys. Along those lines, I created 40 necklaces for the craft show using some skeleton keys and other vintage bits and bobs that I have mysteriously collected through the years(!).

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos before the show. Those of you who do shows know how crazy things can get right before a show opens!

However, I do have photos of some of those that didn’t sell, which can be found for sale in the “Handmade” section of the VBS. along with the earrings above.

Of the 40 I made, 12 sold for $12 each, grossing $180. I was pretty pleased with that result, but am considering lowering the price to $10 next year, matching the price I’m charging in my VBS.

Here are some, currently available in the VBS (Handmade section) for $10 each or two for $16.

Along with these three, as well.

Rings Selling at the Christmas Craft Show

The third and final type of jewelry that I sold at the show includes cocktail rings that I made from vintage clip ons (blog post coming!). I just fell in love with them and was unpleasantly surprised to find that they did not sell well at all.

In fact, I sold just six rings (for a total of $72). Perhaps, as with the necklaces, a better price point would be $10.

 Unfortunately, I’m not sure which rings actually sold because I didn’t take photos of all of them and I haven’t had time to figure it all out. 

Christmas Ornaments Selling at the Christmas Craft Show

In addition to all the jewelry I had for sale, I also offered the sorts of Christmas ornaments and other decorations that I’ve had available in years past–many featuring my “signature” mini-wreaths.

The total size of my space was approximately 1/3 of what I had last year, but I was completely happy with it. It required less stocking and the breakdown at the end of the show was a snap.

The red lantern on the lower left sold for $25. I sold several lantern and lantern-like decorations this year, so I’ll pick them up when I see them at sales through the year. Above the lamp is a child’s red mitten stuffed with greenery. It and its pair sold for $8 each.

Several matchbox cars and other vehicles with trees tied on top sold for $6-10 each, but I failed to take any good photos of them. Above on the second shelf from the top you can see a red sports car and an English bus with trees, which both sold, as did the “Merry Christmas” sign on the bottom shelf (for $12).

Every year since I started making these Scrabble tile ornaments in 2017, they have sold out. This year, I sold 6 for $6 each.

These yardstick Christmas trees have also proven popular. I sold three for $7 each.

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A total of nineteen cars with trees sold this year–a mix of both larger and smaller versions (like the small matchbox you see here from last year) priced at $6-10, depending upon their size and age. 

I go for a mix of vintage style cars and trucks, along with professional vehicles like firetrucks and police cars.  Antique cars, when I find them cheaply, also sell well.

I picked up these cute wooden bears at a garage sale last fall for 50¢ each and decided to attach some of my “magic” mini-wreaths. Only one (out of six) sold for $6 🙁 You win some, you lose some in this game, right?

Meanwhile, I bought two of these well-made miniature lantern (pencil sharpeners) at a sale for 75¢ each, and they both sold almost immediately for $8 each. Go figure.

When I found these darling cowboy boots at a garage sale over the summer, I knew instantly they would make perfect Christmas decorations. I stuffed them with greenery and sold each for $12.

Christmas Decorations Selling at the Christmas Craft Show

I’ve been selling these folding ruler stars with mini-wreath embellishments for years. They go for $12 each and this year I sold five. 

Another project that I’ve been selling for years, these bingo cards with mini-wreaths, did not do as well as they have in the past. Only three of the eleven that I made sold (for $4 each). I had raised the price form $3.50 to $4.00 so I suppose that could be why. Or perhaps I’ve saturated the market? Hard to tell…

I had seven of the bottle brush trees on vintage blocks left over from last year, and three of them sold for $4 each. I’m donating the remaining four to Goodwill. 

This arrangement in an antique measuring tin was another left over from last year. I lowered the price from $25 to $15 and it sold very quickly.

You may remember this project from early in December–repurposed belt trees. I sold this one for $15

These little cuties–vintage thread spools with bottle brush trees–are a perennial favorite; nineteen sold for $4 each. Like the jewelry, they are completely addictive to make, and easy too.

The Dollar Tree in my area offered these canning jars with tea light holders for sale in December and I saw the possibilities right away. It was late in my craft show so I only had time to sell the one in the middle, embellished with pine cones, berry garland (also from the Dollar Tree) and a tea light candle. It sold for $8.00.

A new project, this red “lantern” is made from a vase I picked up at the Dollar Tree and then embellished with ribbon, wire, berry garland (also from the Dollar Tree), and a decorative star. I made two and they both sold for $10. I picked up a few more vases for next year’s sale and think I’ll increase the price to $12.

Well, that wraps it up for the 2019 Shaker Holiday Craft Show. It’s always a fun and profitable event in my tiny little Adirondack Girl @ Heart “empire,” as my family and I like to call it, LOL.

PLEASE, feel free to “borrow” any of my ideas and try them out in your booth or craft show. I’d love it if you could benefit from my experience. But here’s the deal–you have to tell me what you tried and how it went for you, ‘kay??

Here’s to a profitable New Year for all of us!

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