Guess it depends on how far they take it.
I'd have no problem if they mean ...Don't by
and ornament and just add a bow.

I'd want some clarification for sure.
It would be a pretty exclusive show if every single item had to be handmade in total,....like , do I have to weave my own cloth?????? lol.

That's what I thought ,too ! Should I blow my own glass for my suncatchers ? LOL It's such a grey area .

If the show is trying to promote interest by saying they have hand-made items, then I can see being restrictive. I am sure, as soso says, it also depends on where you start. But it has got to be in reaction to all the complaints we see here and elsewhere - people can go to Joanne's or order something from a "everyting $14.95" catalogue, so they don't buy at craft shows.

If a show can say that they don't sell that kind of stuff, they appeal to the audience that wants truly home-made, hand-crafted work.

Are these shows juried, Toomuchglass?

They sure are juried . In fact - those shows are the hardest to get into. Your stuff is scrutinized by judges - and then they go around at the show to make sure. They can ask you to leave if they consider some percentage of your stuff boughten & just jazzed up. Those are the high end shows . One show I was going to apply to was set in a nature preserve - all the crafts had to be made of "natural material" . That left me out. Judges sure can be picky !

I do glass blocks and I also sew aprons, potato bags, baggy bags, grocery cart covers, tampon angels, exotic rubber plants(thanks again Lina), weiner washers and marshmallow blow guns. I buy all the raw product to make my items, but I imagine there might be a few things that wouldn't be allowed. I do have 6-7 shows this season and farmer's markets every week - I do get tired of mass produced t-shirts, and denim purses that are purchased and embellished with a fwew beads.

I think it's fair if they are specific on what is allowed and what isn't. In the case of something like the teddy, I would think that if someone wanted a judgement call by the promoters, they could submit a protype and have it approved.

I am so glad to see that happening again. When we started doing the big shows Country Peddler Country Folk art, etc We paid 700.00 for a 20 foot booth. We made and still do make all our own products we work over 16 hours everyday and have since 1985 when we started doing those. Then they slowly let in buy sell or it snuck in and the promoters didnt much care anymore it was about the booth fees they were getting so finally we stopped doing those over 6 years ago. Why would the public want to pay to get in to see things from the dollar store that they didnt have to pay 5.00 to get in to see. It really ruined the industry on handmade items. I am so glad to see that in their contracts. As for the Teddy bears its a has been and done that craft, its really not a craft to add an outfit and some stuff glued all over it. The stuff had to be bought as well so is no handmade to it other than in china ha ha. Really the more creative and the more handmade items the more sales you will make. People are tired of imports and want to go back to buying quality handmade products that you won't see anywhere. Problem is that Hobby Lobby has more home decor than product to produce a good craft. We need to complain and get some changes made.

Connie

Connie

I think it's fair. As long as the rules are clear, why not?
Last show I went to was supposed to be all handmade. People were selling Mary Kay. I don't think she handmade that!

Embellished things were allowed, but some people slap a bow on a teddy bear and call it embellished.

Too many craft shows, boutiques, sales church bazars etc are allowing anything and everything in just to make money for the organization. Some require a percentage to be paid to the group/church/city. Yes it is very expensive and time consuming to make good crafts and no people don't want to pay for the crafts. Our last thing, whatever they called it, had some crafts, Avon, Mary Kay, Interior Homes, rubber stamps etc, but then it was not advertised as a craft show. The "BIG" one is coming to Minot ND early next month and I really hope it is better that the last two. I don't even go to the spring one-= Tiles, jewerly, clothes, big stuff, lots of baby stuff, some good, some not so good. I am picky on my stuff, and since I do some crafting, I will ask if it is homemade and if the person gets really upset, I just go on. Even a nice sign stating HOMEMADE is all I need. The show I really like is the Pride of Dakota show, all items must be made in North Dakota and it is truly amazing what people make. Pictures using Pheasant feathers, jams,, jellies, wine, hand made cards,

Seems to me what toomuchglass is really saying is that MOST crafters have a purchased base. Yes, there are some shows that every element has to be handmade (like handmade paper/hand thrown pottery...that is fine art). Floral people buy their flowers they assemble, quilters buy their fabric and so on.

What promoters are trying to stop is the buy/sell effect that has happened. It is cheaper to buy from LTD, Ohio Wholesale?, or Dollar Store ("handmade crafts from overseas") than to buy the supplies to put it together yourself. And there are some vendors that do that. You can tell who they are. Customers are getting tired of that and we are losing them.

SO they are trying to cut down on that by being more specific in the rules. This can make the true crafters wonder if they aren't crafting ENOUGH of the product, while the B/S vendors just ignore the rules and sign up anyway. I have seen booths that are OBVIOUSLY resell, and honestly the sponsors don't always pick up on that (or chose to ignore it).

The reason for the specific wording is that those b/s vendors decided if they "add" something to the item (glue a bow) then it could now be considered handmade. It is to help the sponsor stop THEM, not the rest of the crafters.

If it is juried than be honest....give them good pics and describe your item as much as you can. Then if you don't get in, don't worry that it's not "good" enough, there are lots of reasons you might get "declined" that has nothing to do with your crafts. I would rather be told "no thanks" than to get there and find out I am at a fine arts show rather than a craft show where my booth belongs.

Hope that helps a little....and BTW, just my two cents, I have been doing crafts for awhile, but each area of the country is different, and each experience is different, just my opinion of what I have experienced in my neck of the woods.

Yes, it is really sad to see how fewer and fewer people are actually doing "Homemade" crafts. I have enen noticed in the past couple of years that the Church Bazaars have few crafts and more of the "premade" things.

Went to a craft sale this past weekend and the vendors had to pay $75.00 for their tables for 2 days and also had to donate a craft item for a door prize. That takes quite a cut into your profits.

I went to the Quilted Bear yesterday thinking of seeing lots of homemade crafts.. WRONG.. The whole store seemed to be all pre-bought stuff... It was dissapointing... Same thing with the craft shows.. Dissapointing...

I have to admit, our local farmer's market is mostly hand crafted.. Which is GREAT!!

I think what theyre saying is you buy a bear and dress it youre making money on a bear someone else made..........

The promoter is trying to leep the show "handcrafted" as much as possible. No, they aren't asking us to weave our own fabric or stretch our own canvas for 2D work. Although ther ARE some shows that actually have those requirements.

Like Connie in Tx we too have done shows like Country Folk Art and have made a bundle of money witth them! We did 15 CFA shows last year. And our average space fee was $750.00 And we have been right next to B/S exhibitors. As a matter of fact we're all pretty good friends. But the mix of B/S and handwork works with that promoter. We all make money.

When someone just buys a wooden sign from Ohio Wholesale and puts a piece of raffia on it, it doesn't qualify as handcrafted. Buying the blank piece of wood at AC Moore, making it into a sign and putting raffia on it DOES qualify as handcrafted.
And that's really what most juries are looking for.

I think it's fair. If you aren't making the kind of crafts permitted, then you need to be selling your items at different craft sales. There seem to be plenty with purchased items for resale and things made from kits from places like Oriental Trading. That is not the show I want to attend.