Holiday Craft Fair Idea: DIY Stamping Station

Stamped holiday cards and art work are quite popular at holiday craft fairs. If you are a stamper and have lots of stamping supplies, making your booth a 'stamping station' will be a fun and welcome addition to the holiday fair. Here are a few tips to ensure your holiday booth stamping station runs smoothly.

First, decide what basis you will use to charge your customers. Do you want to allow usage of all stamps for free, and only have your customers purchase their supplies from you? Or do you want to allow them unlimited supplies and have them pay by the hour? Do you want to schedule 'stamping classes' for kids or adults who are new to stamping?

Personally, I think selling the supplies but allowing use of stamps for free is the best idea. If you really want to minimize the fuss and maximize your profits, you could create a basic holiday card kit, which would have card stock, envelopes, ribbon, brads, or other embellishments. Your customers can purchase the kit and then use your stamping station for free to create their own cards, allowing them to express their own creative ideas. You could also offer gift tag kits, scrapbook page kits, and stationary kits.

One thing you'll need to keep in mind is seating availability. Some holiday fair organizers don't have many chairs available, so you may have to supply your own for your customers. If it is traditionally a very busy fair, you may be a wise idea to reserve more than one booth or table space to have more seating available. Another thing to keep in mind is adequate lighting - if the holiday fair area is dark, it's going to make it frustrating for your customers. Ask what the lighting situation is expected to be, and if you aren't sure it will be bright, bring some lighting with you. You'll also need to know about power access - not only for your lamps, but also if you use inks or other materials that require a heat source.

You might also need to set an age limit for unaccompanied children at your table or you may find yourself being used as a babysitter while Mom or Dad browse the holiday fair. You'll also need to make clear that your stamps are intended for your customers and not for browsing crafters to test out without purchase. Of course you'll want to be friendly and polite about your rules, but don't be afraid to be firm if you need to in order to protect your goods and services.

I do not recommend this idea for people who are new to stamping, simply because it will take many, many customers to recoup your costs for your stamps and supplies. This idea is best suited to the long time stamper or group of stamping friends who can pool their stamps together to make plenty available. Check my Associated Content profile for other fun and unique holiday fair booth/table ideas which may be more suited to your tastes if this idea doesn't work for you.