{New New}

I’ve been curious about this market since it opened, and decided to give it a try with my {New New} teammates right before it closes

I’ll be there on Saturday from 11-6.  For more info, go here.

As a member of the {NewNew} York Etsy Street team — a group of sellers from Etsy.com, the online marketplace for handmade goods — I will be leaving the city for a day and heading up to Dutchess County to to set up shop in Beacon, New York. The craft fair will take place from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and will coincide with Beacon’s Second Saturday Art Walk. The Handmade Cavalcade fair will be located at the corner of Main Street and North Cedar, right in the middle of it all!

There will be through 20 booths of one-of-a-kind items, including smashing jewelry, paper goods, hand-screened clothing and accessories, unique artwork and items for the home, yummy soaps and body butters, and much much more!

You’ll get to meet the artists and crafters who made the stunning wares for sale, grab a souvenir, and sample free refreshments throughout the day while you’re taking it all in.

Don’t miss this one-day event! Join me and the {NewNew} at the Handmade Cavalcade fair for indie crafts and loads of fun!

Head over to the {New New} York Etsy Street Team(where I am Blog Admin) and read the great series of interviews with Indie Style Bloggers. Crafty lady Danielle L. Green of Collective Elements is the author of the interviews, which provide insight into, among other things, how the bloggers choose to feature a particular artist.

Lately I’ve been obsessed with packing light for my upcoming trip to Sicily. We will be traveling all around the island, and while much of Sicily can get brutally hot in the middle of a summer day, the early and late hours, as well as the mountainous regions, have a chill about them, and I want to be prepared. But if I stop and think about it, I realize that when I get ready for a day of selling I am essentially preparing for weather vagaries in much the same way as I would for a longer trip.

My recent experience at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival proved that just because a day starts off blustery doesn’t mean you won’t find yourself buying pink sunglasses and coconut-scented sunscreen from a corner shop before your last sale is made. But I digress. My point is that over the past year I have participated in many outdoor selling events, and I have developed something of an expertise in dressing for them. I now have something akin to a selling uniform, the elements of which remain essentially the same with some slight variations. The key is L-A-Y-E-R-I-N-G. This will keep you warm when the icy wet wind blows and, if you make sure the base layers are cute enough to wear out on their own, will help you beat the heat if things get toasty.

I went browsing on Etsy and found many of the essential elements of my uniform available there. For example, I like to start with underwear, like these cute ones from deardiary:

and this sexy bra from Queen B Lingerie

You gotta have socks, and I like these from Captaincrochet

Then I add leggings worthy of the light of day, like these striped ones from edel vak

and an equally sassy tank top from Ahpeele

Like the headless girl pictured above, I wear jeans over the leggings, and a shirt like this one from KimmChi over the tank

Then over the jeans I wear one of fofolle’s genius skirt ponchos

I add to that another great creation: betterthanjam’s Apron Bag, which helps keep me looking and feeling organized when transacting cash

Then I add a hoodie – this one from red boots design rocks

And I top it off with a hooded raincoat, for I firmly believe there is no better way to ensure sun than to prepare for rain. The folks at Hacker agree

And while I believe raincoat=sunny day, I do NOT think a sun hat brings rain. Especially when it’s this adorable topper from Rocks and Salt

Two last chill-chasing touches: the Sandy Scarflette by bshorr handmadedesigns

and these wrist warmers from shutterkate

As for shoes, please wear comfortable ones. I like sneakers, but any comfy ones will do. You will be on your feet a lot and it is sheer madness to opt for style over comfort. Your sales will be better if you’re properly shod and clothed, because it’s bound to brighten your mood!