First Craft Show: Debriefing

So I did my first show on Sunday.  And I made back my booth fee, which was my first concern.  I even sold a little beyond that, so I’m feeling like it was a success.  My booth looked a little thin, in retrospect, so I’ll need to beef up my inventory before the next one rolls around.  I was very happy with the ornament display my 12-year-old helped me put together:

And I found myself in dire need of an earring showbox once I’d set up most of my table.  Luckily, I’d packed my trusty glue gun --along with a ridiculous and unnecessary assortment of ”just in case” goodies---in my supply box(es).   So I MacGyvered this little drawer display that I’ll be using in the future.

Brooches, rings, and pendants all landed in this mini-muffin pan that got sprayed green the night before the show. 

I was amazed to find that I hadn’t forgotten anything at all---not the camera, the wire cutters, or even my special bag of vendor Red Hots.  I did a bit of wirework while I manned my booth, and people seemed happy to watch even if they had no interest in buying.  I'm looking forward to round two next month!

DI Why?

I'm the world's biggest proponent of doing most things on a low-budget and ratcheting up the elbow grease to accommodate my frugality.  Until last week, when I'd spent days painting clever quotes on the art room walls like this:
Step one:  Print quote in desired font.

Step two:  Turn printed quote over and scribble madly (and heavily) on the back with a pencil, making sure to cover the entire letter on each sheet.

Step three:  Tape each sheet, penciled side to the wall, against the surface to be decorated.

Step four:  Trace the outline (on the front of the page, which should be facing out) darkly with pencil.
  Voila!  Like magic, a hazy, fuzzy image of your letter--perhaps missing small details, like serifs and such--has been transferred to your wall!

So after a couple of days of incessant pencil sharpening, I had myself a little revelation.
Carbon paper.

I'm amazed I didn't get a speeding ticket on the way to Office Depot.  And I hesitated not fraction of a moment when it  came time to fork over my hard-earned cash for that $18 package of black gold, knowing the amount of work it would save me.

I was right.  The quotes are going up chock-a-block now, and my investment was one of my better ones.

When is DIY less than wise for you?  Do you feel compelled to Do It All, or do you take the cheat's way out, like me, on occasion?

In other news, I hung The Most Wonderful Pegboard In The World this week. 
And made hairclips out of water bottles.