Team TuTas 2016 Holiday Fair at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua, NH

November 27, 2016 Diane Zevos

This darling red cardinal on my gourd arrangement looks like he's cocking his head to greet the shoppers at the 2016 Team TuTas Holiday Fair at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua. It is a beautiful hotel and as such were the lobby and conference room to make for an upscale atmosphere for the vendor displays. Team TuTas is an organization that participates in breast cancer support events, with all the proceeds from this fair going to the cause and at the end of my blog I have included a brief description from the co-captain, Amanda Lawrence, along with links to their sites.

There were 70+ vendors with a wide variety of items for sale and the shoppers could spend all their money on their purchases because the entrance fee was $0!!! The conference room was packed full, I see the reason now for the restrictions on space, and in the lobby vendors down one hallway and the other with the bake sale and raffle table in the center.

It was a very cold, drizzly, gloomy day outside, but inside the mood was bright and festive. Although I always feel that Christmas music in this setting adds so much to the experience and getting everyone in the mood, these participants certainly had no problem.

There were vendors down one lobby corridor and down another.

The conference room had vendors in all different configurations, but plenty of aisle-walking area!

The bake sale table and raffle tables area in the center lobby were bustling. There were many raffle items, some big time prizes.

I made my booth space work although I brought only a few evergreen arrangements because of space size restrictions, but it's obvious why it was necessary. My neighbor, Rose, made the closeness a positive with her happy attitude.

No takers on my kissing ball and boxwood tree arrangement. I think the interested buyers may feel a tinge of regret not purchasing them.

One of my newest and cutest bags

Chantal loved the tree mosaic design and told me it was a unique gift. I told her I had a cousin named Chantal and that she was from Canada. She said she born there too!

As usual, many thanks to the good sport customers that allow me to take their pictures with their purchase from me. There are some that prefer not to and I can understand and I'm fine with that, but I just love some extra stories about them and/or why they are purchasing and for who, and mostly the genuine smiles. Thanks again!!

I did not sell any gourd arrangements either, not for lack of interest or compliments though. And I did get something that I was amazed at....a new way to describe my gourd arrangements from a customer....."gourd"geous! Wow!

Sue chose the cute marblewood heart with the abalone dot inlay.

Jen and Kim were fun-loving and laughing, Kim edging into the picture at the last moment (sorry for the tag in your face, Kim, but you guys distracted me with comedy). Jen bought the small redheart with a pearl heart inlay.

Who is Team TuTas? We are a team of women & men who participate in multi-day walks to raise money for breast cancer programs. It was started by Kathey, my mother in law, and I in 2011. Kathey is a 11-year Survivor! In 2012 & 2013, we participated in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day in Boston. In 2015 & 2016, we participated in GloriDays, a 3 day, 44-mile breast cancer walk in Bristol, RI to benefit the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Foundation. Team TuTas raised over $12,000 for the the GloriDays events! In total, out team has raised over $38,000 for breast cancer programs. In 2017, our team is proud to be participating in the GloriDays event for the third year! Each of our team walkers must raise a minimum of $1,500 to walk and our volunteer crew teammates will also help raise funds, while spending 4 days volunteering to support the amazing GloriDays event. We also donate funds to other cancer programs that support education, awareness & treatment support. Our team has included 3 breast cancer Survivors! All proceeds from Registration Fees, the Fundraising Raffle & the Bake Sale table we are hosting at the Craft Fair will be donated to cancer programs on behalf of Team TuTas.