Behind the scenes

The holiday season offers us crafters endless opportunities to push our wares on the masses.It can get tricky figuring out which show is when, the word on the street about which shows to do (good organizers, bad organizers, buying crowd, I-can-do-that crowd), and just how much driving is too much.

Some consideration even goes into which areas of the country dig what you're selling. We have had one good show here in Charlotte...the holiday one we organized several years ago. Just a short 3 1/2 hour drive to Raleigh and we've had some of the best shows we've ever done.

Some winter shows have already closed the application process (The Handmade Market in Raleigh and Boston Bizarre Bazaar are 2 examples) while some are still open (Baltimore Holiday Heap and Richmond Handmade Holiday are but 2).

It's all a process that basically boils down to two questions for me: Where is the fine line between doing what I love and crossing over into bitter holiday exhaustion? Just how much excitement vs. exhaustion can we lovingly share amongst our little family?

Are you a craft show creeper? How do you plan your show season each year?