Postcards for Sale

We’ve been waiting for this moment for 12 months (and we're sure some of you have been as well)! The complete set of all the postcards-of-the-month for 2013 is finally available for purchase, and all of them can also be bought individually :)

Compared to the previous ones we gave for free, these postcards are thicker and the back surface has a matte texture that’s just perfect for writing.

To make sure they get to you in good shape, all purchased postcards will be sent accompanied with a piece of board to avoid damages.

These wonderful illustrations were made by Paul Imbong (www.popol.ph), and we've already forced him to promise to make more postcards for Hey Kessy this coming new year. Yaaayy! :)

Craft Fair Booth Tips

Hello fellow crafters and makers!

It's the season of Christmas fairs and I'm sure there are already numerous organizers who have been emailing you. My 10a Alabama friends could attest to how I'm very particular with the way I decorate my craft booth and arrange my products at these events. Paul advised me to have a mock set up every time we join. I take photos of the table set up the night before and use them as my guide on the day itself - cuts my preparation time to half ;)

Here are other things that you should consider when assembling your craft booth:



1. Make sure that you have your brand's signage. It's easier for people to remember your brand name and logo. It also reflects that you take your business seriously even thought it's basically a one-man enterprise. ;)

I sell handmade stoneware plates, papercuts, stamps, and jewelry at fairs and I usually share a booth with Hey Kessy but I don't have my own sintra board yet. People get confused sometimes. Hehe. I'm working on it already!



2. Your business cards should be placed in a prominent spot. It should contain your brand name, your name, contact details, and links to your website and social media accounts.





3. Level your products using different display racks.
You don't need to buy or have expensive display racks made. Before I had the multi-level brown standee, I used empty shoe boxes, bottles, cake stands, etc. I'm sure, you can find things at home that can use. Just improvise and be creative!

Keep in mind to group your products according to type so people would not see your table as one big mess. It also helps them get to know your business, what you are selling, and who you are as a crafter or maker better. If people are confused with what you are selling, chances are, they would walk away without buying anything.

4. Your packaging materials should have your business name. You can have stickers with your logos made or you can always carve your own logo stamp. This affirms your branding.



5. Be considerate to your booth neighbors.
Don't go beyond the area assigned to you! Make sure that your table, chairs, display racks, decors, and storage boxes are just within the perimeters of your booth.



Make time to go around and get to know the other booth sellers as well. Who knows, they could be your future business partners and people to collaborate with :)

6. Be on time.
Go to the venue an hour earlier than the opening. It's better to have ample time to decorate your booth and arrange your products. You wouldn't want to be entertaining early comers while having to rummage for your products in your storage boxes! It's such a hassle and you wouldn't be able to talk and get to know them better. :)

7. Don't forget to bring spare change. Most of the time, buyers don't have the exact amount. You need to have coins and small bills or else, they'd be disappointed and not buy. No, no. They will most likely not go out of their way to have their bills changed then go back to your booth.

8. And a calculator! Especially for people like me who don't really fancy dealing with numbers. I'm just lucky that my booth partner, Mikko, is a Math whiz! ;)

Washied Christmas Glass Balls

Woah, only 20 days before Christmas! We haven't put up our Christmas Tree yet but we have our ornaments prepared already :) These Christmas balls, which can also be used as terrariums, are perfect as gifts or decors for the holidays!

They are super easy to decorate - just cut up small washi pieces, glue them on the glass, and voila! Don't stick to regular Christmas colors like red and gold. Go and experiment with different colors, designs, shapes, and combinations! ;)

Our Christmas Ball craft kits will be available at the Christmas Carnivale Bazaar at Cuenca Park, Alabang, on December 7 from 8am to 7pm. We also have craft workshops on Washi Jewelry and Handmade Stationery. And have we mentioned there'll be washi promos? ;) 

Excited!

It's been quite an exciting year for us here at Hey Kessy, and as we celebrate our anniversary month this December (we'll be two years old), we can't help be look back at the people, projects, and events that made this year special for us.

Excited about the new dress she got from ninang!

Nonetheless, it's really the future that gets us giggling with excitement so much that we wish it was next year already! We've got a lot more surprises coming, and we want to share our enthusiasm with you through this month's postcard: The Excitement :)

Stick around for the coming days, weeks, and months as we reveal and share with you the many different reasons why we're overjoyed and looking forward to doing more crafty goodness!

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Big thanks to illustrator Paul Imbong (visit his website at popol.ph) for the December postcard of the month! Get one free for every package you order this month :)

Who's the Next Hey Kessy Washi Artist?

Remember our first three Filipino-designed washi tapes? Good news fellow crafters! We are coming up with more original designs and have recently collaborated with another Filipino artist. For sure, you'd love the design!

To find out more, watch the video below :)



Can you guess who it is?

PTV4 Interview

We were interviewed by PTV4 about our business, projects, and the local craft scene. The episode was aired this month :)

Here are some photos from the shoot:

Thanks to the PTV4 team who visited us and made this possible! :)

Start Building Your Craft Library

Next to making arts and crafts, another thing we love to do is reading books about arts and crafts. Which is why we're so delighted to finally make available a new product in our website: books!

They're a treasure of ideas, pretty photographs and illustrations you will surely love!  We're sure both seasoned and newbie crafters will get a fluttering of inspiration as they flip through these publications, which are all a colorful assortment of arts and crafts projects.

To celebrate the book and its addition to our growing website, this month's postcard is about the humble book: silent in waiting for a reader to hold, push open, and discover what lay hidden in its pages.

We have three different titles available for purchase at the moment, and we're hoping to add more to our library in the future. Start building yours! :)

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Thanks again Paul for this pretty postcard! You can get the Books are Special postcard for free for every purchase you make in the Hey Kessy website.

Fair Schedule

Hello :)

Here are the arts and crafts fairs we will be joining in the weeks to come:

1. October 31, Xie Xie Arts and Crafts Fair, The Collective, Malugay, Makati, 10am.
We won't be able to go but our washi tapes will be there! You can find our Pop-Up Shop manned by our friend from Moonleaf.

2. November 10, 10a Alabama Arts and Crafts Fair, 10a Alabama St., (near E. Rodriguez and Tomas Morato).
Please come after lunch as we'll be coming from a really important exhibit we'll soon blog about :p

3. November 15-17, Rockwell Christmas Bazaar, Rockwell Tent.
It's our first time to join this fair. Can't wait!

4. November 22-23, Pop-Up Shop, Bliss Cafe, Gibraltar, Baguio 
Aaah finally, to my favorite city in the country. This is our 2nd pop-up outside Manila. Craft workshops will be held as well. More details here.

5. November 24, Balik Bukid: Country Fair, Sta. Elena
To all the washi lovers and crafty folks from the South, we hope to meet you! We'll be holding project-based craft workshops as well. More details soon.







See you! :)

Weekend Craft Challenge: Mr. Pumpkin Paper Straw

Here's a simple paper straw project that you can make for Halloween. You just need paper straws, glue, scissors, and a cut out of the shape that you want. We're working with a pumpkin since it's treat or trick season. :)

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. The first thing you need to do is to choose the colors of straws that you want to use. We picked orange stripes and black polka dots.



2. Draw the shape you want to make on a piece of paper, then on the opposite side, one by one, stick the straws to the paper using regular glue.





3. When done gluing the straws side-by-side, wait a short bit to let them dry then get your scissors to trim them along the shape you've drawn on the other side of the paper. Add other paper cut outs of different colors to add character to your work.

Tadaah! 

Happy Halloween!

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PS You can also try letters to make monogram art pieces :)

Pop Up Shop at Commune

We were so lucky our friends from Commune gave us a spot at their coffee shop to have a pop up shop! :)

Mikko and I stayed their the whole afternoon talking and exchanging ideas with the owner, Ros, meeting new friends, and crafting. Here are some photos from that fun day:







I super loved their interiors and food.











Thanks to their super talented staff for this coffee art ♡ It made my day!

Thanks too to everyone who dropped by! :)

Seatizen's Festival

Last September, we joined the Seatizen's Festival where there were different activities during the day - short talks, fun run, and Sunday market.

Our booth had washi tapes, baker's twines,paper straws and Mansy's papercuts, handmade stoneware plates, and washi jewelry as well.

Here are some of the crafters - mostly, my booth neighbors - who participated:

1. I TRY DIY - Friendship Bracelet Book, scrapbooking paper, paracord bracelets and craft kits, and wire jewelry.



2. Play Wood - Trixie and Des love to put photographs, drawings, and designs on wood. Their mini wooden table with floral print was so cute I wanted to take it home!



3. Orig.Kami  - origami jewelry, hand-painted bottles and egg shells



4. Luntian Bags - tote bags



5. They had Art Shack - a booth which showcased artworks of different artists like Googley Gooeys and Fozzy. Happy to see Wiji again! :)

I didn't get to buy anything but I wish I bought this giant-bubble making kit! The kids, and adults, were so entertained and I'm sure, a lot of them imagined being inside the bubbles.







Thanks so much to those who dropped by our booth despite the weather ♡

Total Girl July Feature

Hey Kessy washi tapes are included in Let's Get Crafty section of Total Girl's July issue :)

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PS Thanks for the photos, Mikko! :)