Iguanadon

Beach day tomorrow for me and Mrs. Ig... no cutting this weekend.

Today was week 2 of the summer farmers market here in my town and although the crowd was small, I was over average in sales. I average 27 each week and today I sold 29 and the majority were my $25 items versus the $10/$15 kids dinosaurs which continue to sell well. Very happy. This week, I experimented with changing my table setup back to the way I used to have it with the tables along the front and sides so people walk "up to" instead of "in to" my booth. What a huge difference! Much more up close traffic and it paid off in sales on a slow day. I'm just bummed I didn't have this setup last Saturday when it was so crowded. Oh well, live and learn. Snapshots of today's setup... Iggy

In my house, I use Hercules Hooks for just about everything... and we hang some rather heavy items. They work great and only leave a tiny hole in the wall. Using along with the wire shown, you are guaranteed to get it to hang straight. https://www.amazon.com/Get-Organized-HERCULES-HOOK-HANGER/dp/B001420MVU

Ike reminded me, I use the bags below when I'm at events in which I don't have electricity to shrinkwrap on the spot. Very cheap and they work great. Just be sure to have twist ties. https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Roll-Bags-HDPE-Produce/dp/B01HDY34OY/ref=pd_bxgy_79_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01HDY34OY&pd_rd_r=EHGR2FMAG7AGAXDTCEWS&pd_rd_w=EwocE&pd_rd_wg=Iqhvv&psc=1&refRID=EHGR2FMAG7AGAXDTCEWS

I have a friend that would probably pay a tidy sum for one of those if you're interested in selling any of them.

Beautiful pieces Steve.

FYI, I use this type of shrink wrap bag with a heat gun. Works great. https://www.amazon.com/Shrink-Transparent-Packing-Pieces-Thickness/dp/B01BA36BH6/ref=pd_sim_229_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01BA36BH6&pd_rd_r=MRQJ7ZTR8E29X0FFMYD3&pd_rd_w=fu4Cn&pd_rd_wg=HSO9C&psc=1&refRID=MRQJ7ZTR8E29X0FFMYD3

DW, I'll play devils advocate here... actually I have found that people need to touch them, feel them and realize they're puzzles to truly appreciate them. I've had some in stores and of course had to shrink wrap them and they don't sell nearly as well. I keep all 120 of mine on display in their natural state when I'm at an event. When a purchase is made, I shrink wrap it for them on the spot for easier transporting. And of course the 200 duplicates I have with me behind the tables are all shrink wrapped in advance.

Looks like I'll be out of a job soon... Nice work Frank. You picked some great ones.

Absolutely fabulous idea and execution. Great work.

Well done Frank. Remember, you're not allowed in North Carolina. ;-)

The first Saturday for the Carolina Beach Farmers Market is in the books. Memorial Day weekend, beautiful weather and a good sized crowd. Sales were exactly average today. 27 puzzles sold in 5 hours. So, no complaints. However, 11 of the 27 were unpainted dinosaurs at my new low price point of $10 bucks. Still walked home with a little over $500 in my pocket and it's just 4 blocks from my house. Normally vendors are only allowed 7 Saturdays throughout the season but the guy that oversees it takes care of me and says I can come anytime I want, so any time the weather forecast looks good, I'll be there. Next Saturday looks good. So, not too many to restock this week which is good, gives me extra time to stock up for the mega event in August. I had heard about an event in downtown Wilmington 10 miles from home going on this weekend. We went and scoped it out this afternoon. It looked OK, but as my wife and I discussed it, it's 2 days (Saturday and Sunday) over Memorial Day weekend which pretty much ruins the holiday weekend for anything we want to do, so I likely won't be adding it to my schedule. I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. We're hitting the beach with friends who are visiting for the holiday. Iggy

Thanks RJ, hoping for a good day tomorrow after 2 mediocre events the past couple of weeks. I use a jigsaw to cut the long board into manageable pieces of 3 or 4 animals. Then head to my scroll saw and cut the outlines of each one and stack 'em up. Just finished doing that for the batch in the picture. Next is to drill the holes for each eye, closed letter, etc.

Very nice Frank. Yep, you started with one that has a lot of feature lines (cuts). Ooops, and I sent you the sitting Pug instead of the standing one... check your email, I just sent you the one you asked for. Sorry for the error. I use #3 Olson Mach Speed blade for everything. Keep sharing as you cut them, I enjoy seeing them!

Order received and I emailed the patterns to you in batches. Multiple emails. Please let me know you received them. Thanks Iggy/Scott

Hi Frank, I use Poplar simply because I like the color variations. It's a little brittle due to the tight grain and you have to be careful with it snapping at narrow places. By the way, if you hadn't seen my post where I describe my entire process and everything I use, see here. Let me know if you have any questions about my process or about ordering patterns. Harvey and I thank you.

Very nice. I have a friend that would go crazy for that. She's in England right now retracing every step they've ever taken. LOL

I take special orders for my puzzles putting pet names or kids names in various animals. At times folks order one for a pet that has passed away having the name put into the breed puzzle. Well, our local TV weather guy recently lost his dog to cancer so I had Harvey Byler draw a custom pattern for me so I could make one and send it out. Here is Godric the Rottweiler. I'll mail it to the TV station in a couple of days.

My goal is to cut 5 a day and if time allows, and if I feel like it, I just keep cutting... I got 17 cut between yesterday and today and I oiled them and have them drying on the rack. Laid out 26 more patterns on a 7' board and will start working on them tomorrow. I'm all set for my first week at the Farmers Market for the summer of 2017 this Saturday. Let's see if I'm as popular as last year. I averaged selling 25 each Saturday during the 5 hour event last year. Fingers crossed. Holiday weekend, great weather, hoping for a good one.

Frank, go to my website and any animal you see, that means I have the pattern and can sell it. You place the order thru my website, you'll see SCROLL SAW PATTERNS area. As a reminder, Harvey Byler is the artist and I have his permission to sell the patterns and he get's paid for each one. Let me know if any questions. Iggy

Nice cutting Paul. Make copies and start stockpiling... then send them to me for my upcoming show in August. :-) I'm glad you enjoy cutting them so much. You're right, it's very relaxing and I enjoy every minute that I'm making them. It's soothing and every half hour I have a finished puzzle which is very satisfying. You'll find people to give them to. Think about local elementary schools, libraries, etc. after you run out of friends and family.

I'll stick to elephants and dogs. Very cool though.

Nope, still no takers yet. I sold 4 unpainted dino's though, compared to only 1 pre-painted. First week of tourist season is coming up next Saturday. With kids here on vacation maybe parents will be interested in the paint kits to keep the kids occupied in the evenings.

Thanks Gordster. I'm fortunate I live at the beach and can count on a fresh batch of spending tourists every week. I absolutely appreciate that fact as I know how difficult it would be to sell in a non-tourist area on a regular basis and to maintain a solid level of sales.

And the funny part is that first event, I sold 21 puzzles (which included orders taken for breeds I didn't have on hand). Today I sold 27. Now THAT is hilarious!