I've always wanted to go into Fur Rondy and sell some of my handmade fur items. Financially, I don't know if I'll ever get the chance. Life in the village doesn't offer much opportunity to leave. Sometimes (like during this situation) it's disappointing. Other times it's beautiful. But I thought I'd share a few of my sales ideas for some people in the Anchorage area who may want to set up a Fur Rondy-worthy tent on 5th Avenue (or any other craft fair during our Alaskan winter celebration).
Fur Cuffs: I sew long haired furs like fox, beaver, and wolf onto a plastic bangle bracelet to make 'fur cuff' bracelets. You can wear them plain or use them to accent coats and sweaters.
Fur Charms: I attach a ball of fur to string and then accent it with beads to make a charm that people can wear on a keyring, belt loop, purse zipper, etc. Or they can hang them on their wall or from their rear view mirror.
Fur Broaches: Take a piece of long haired fur- fox works really well, and attach it to a pin. Then press in an applique- like a crochet flower- into the middle. It makes a really cute broach.
Fur Key chains: There are a variety of ways to make fur key chains. You can attach a fur ball to a key ring, a fur charm, animal tails, animal feet, etc.
Fur Blankets and Pillows: A bit more expensive- but a great accessory for tourists to take home, is fur blankets and pillows. I've seen some beautiful ones made with shorter furs like mink, muskrat, and even otter and seal.
Animal Masks: I wet down animal faces like fox, wolverine, and lynx and then re dry the leather in a stretched out form. I then connect the 'mask' to a stick to make sort of a masquerade mask. I usually accent them with feathers, glitter, and beads.
Animal Leg Bracelets: I love these! I take animal feet and legs- fox work amazing, and I make them into a bracelet. I usually connect the feet to a piece of an old leather belt to make it a bit 'stiffer' and then sew it into a circle to fit a wrist.
Animal Ears Headbands: I take the ears from animal pelts and attach them to a headband. I cover the rest of the base with extra fur. Lynx ears look adorable on these! But wolf work really well too.
Animal Tails Clips: I take full length animal tails and attach a pin to the base to make an attachable tail that little girls (or boys) can wear. Fox tails look cute, but so do wolf, coyote, and even wolverine.
