CRAFTING ON TV

Hi Crafters

Its another Bank Holiday, so for us working crafters an opportunity to grab some hours in the craft room. As the weather was no good on Saturday I actually tuned in to crafting on TV. Hochanda had a birthday special and I was drawn to the new Die Sire dies for Christmas. I taped another programme and bought a couple of dies earning a lovely £5 discount.
What I liked about seeing the promotion programme was a whole set of ideas on using the dies.
A couple of weeks ago I bought 2 dies from Create & Craft in their sale and I have still to find more than one idea on, You Tube, Pinterest or blogs to use the dies.
I know I am a crafty crafter and have over the last ten years spent a lot of money on my craft items but I am still amazed at the programmes on Create and Craft that seem top heavy with large package sales from £50 - £130 a time. I know they often sell the items individually and do good demonstrations but I miss the early days when a package included the papers to work with as well as embellishments. That is probably why I purchased the Anna Griffin box of goodies at half price, from the Craft Channel, I was delighted to see Anna Griffin on the TV and purchased her pop-up Christmas kit it really was a fabulous buy. If you make a lot of cards for family and friends these worked out at 56p a card including  postage and for her designs and quality embellishments I was one happy bunny.

When the DieSire dies come I will try out the designs to see how well they cut as they are very intricate, the demo looked good with the Gemini machine, while  I have the Big shot and Big shot plus. In the meantime I am making an album as my stock seems to have diminished, and I am down to 3.  Here is one I had finished but had not decorated the front and I used Anna Griffin papers and flower with a simple ribbon bow.

C & G Range Cards & Gifts

Hi Crafters

Do you get those times when you have lots of ideas going round in your head and no time to get them onto paper or card.
Well here is an idea I followed through and am happy to say have got off the ground.
I have always loved jewellery and have now combined my love of card making for a new range called C & G (see my post on marketing)
Here are some of the finished items now available for sell on ebay.
A pretty easel card with drawer and then purchase the gift of your choice all priced individually.
I am selling them too cheaply for the amount of work but I am trying the market and hopefully will get known  a little before Christmas

 

As always would love to hear your comments or ideas

Dee

Quick and simple card

Hi Everyone

It has been a few days since posting but I have been crafting in between.
Last weekend (the main time for me to craft) I had some time to play with Shimmer mists and chalks.
Some time ago I did an afternoon course with Kay from IndigoBlu who demonstrated at Taunton with Craftasmic craft shop. The course showed us how to use the pan pastels and gold leaf that IndigoBlu use, it is worth checking out their website.

Here is a very simple idea using the Panpastels to colour the background of your card. Then  I have stamped the centre with a couple of flourish stamps, and simply added 3 black butterflies cut from my Sizzix dies that came with the Big Shot Plus, when I purchased it.

 

 

 

This was then mounted on black card and onto an A5 card

MARKETING YOUR PAPER CRAFTS

Hi Everyone

Here is the follow up to the 'Selling your Crafts' blog.

So you have some interest from your chosen choice of outlets. How can you build on that interest.

Getting Known

If you already do facebook , make sure you add pictures of your latest makes for family and friends to see, and add friends that are crafty or that you meet at craft fayres and shows.

Pinterest: If you don't already, consider starting a Pinterest account. Not only can you build boards of ideas for items to make,  you can add your makes to your boards and then other people see them. You can post to Pinterest from Etsy stores look out for the logo in your listing account.
 
Have you thought about doing demonstrations, a lot of local groups have speaker time and if you have friends who are in the WI, U3A or any other group that has speakers, offer to demonstrate your techniques. This can be quite frightening the first time so if you have a good confident friend, take them along for the first couple of demo's. Write out headlines/bullet points to assist with your talking and have all the demo set out in sections. If there are some parts that are long-winded like cutting out, have one you have done earlier in the true Blue Peter fashion. If it goes well and you enjoy it think about widening your area of clubs you visit and if they pay for the demo's you either have another income stream or you can do the demonstrations for a charity of your choice.

Check out the local school and community centre for summer and Christmas sales sometimes they allow outside people to book a table. You may have to put your name down as there are plenty of people interested in taking a table at sales . But stress the various items you make if you do more than cards. So if you take a table at a school have items that would be ideal for a teacher present etc.

If you have a number of sales you are attending during the year. Do your own mini flyer, it can be as simple as the list of dates venues and times with a pretty border and again what you make. Give them out at any opportunity  so people know where to find you

Point of Sale items

So you have successfully sold some items what can you do to keep those customers coming back and recommending you.
 
Have a compliment slip or business card that you put into the parcel, telling your customer what you do and where they can find you.
 
If the customer has purchased a couple of items from you, consider adding a free gift, I sometimes add a mini photo wallet as a free gift, it has cost me pennies while the recipient gets the feel good factor of having something for nothing.

 
Always make sure you wrap the item or box it prettily, imagine how you feel when you get a parcel and then add to that opening it up and seeing it beautifully presented in tissue paper and a ribbon or a complementary box (be aware of postage costs when boxing items). 

Put your card or compliment slip into a little display pocket. This not only shows your skills it adds a professional finish.  The one shown below can be made from an 8 x 8 piece of paper or a 6 x 6 if you have a small business card.
1. Simply fold 2 sides into the middle of the papers
2. open up again and fold all four corners to the first line and then fold back in again
3. Turn and fold the right end into the sleeve made at the other end, curve the paper to slide it in as far as possible and to the fold edge.
4. Run your bone folder along all the edges.

 

 

 If you are building up customers and feel it will help get repeat business consider offering a discount voucher. You can add them to the parcel or at the point of sale at a fayre.  Always make sure you have a business card or compliment slip to give out as well so they know how to purchase from you again.
If you design a new item or expand your makes, i.e picture frame, covered notebooks etc , display and sell them under a collective name. I have a  range called C & G at Happy Hippo, this range is a Card and Gift in one. This incorporates jewellery sold in a box card and tea lights in another card that has a box that take 4 tea-lights, and occasionally I make little concertina boxes that take speciality tea-bags or hot chocolate.

I hope these help you to increase your sales overall and adds to your joy of crafting. Please let me know if you have tried any of these ideas and if you have any selling techniques that work for you. I would love you to leave comments.
Dee 





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MINI ALBUM - TO BE MADE IN AN HOUR

Hi Everyone

Well its Saturday, I have done the shopping and am in the craft room. Again trying to clear the desk.
So I have just packed up several mini albums ready to sell on ebay.
These mini albums are the first size I made and I now tend to produce albums with many more pages, but these are great for the one off event.
A Birthday Party to capture the celebrations
Anniversary  to get a few pictures of family and friends
Hen Party
Summer Holiday etc

They are made with 3 pieces of 12 x12, and I have finished the fronts in various ways. At this point I should point out this idea came from Loretta H on You Tube and is called Cardstock Mini Album for anyone that wants the instructions to make one. Do check out her video as it is very easy to follow.

Romantic papers

Here is one I used to pop in the photographs of a friends daughter's wedding.

Cut different shapes for interest 

I have decorated with some hearts and flowers, this album went together very quickly

The whole album can be made in an hour depending on any additions or embellishments you make to go with the album.
TIP: It is always a good idea to make some embellishments and tags at the time you make an album so you always have them in the coordinating card, any additional needs can then be in a plain card.

This size also makes a lovely little gift for friends or family if you are a crafter or have crafty friends.
I just need to decide now whether to make half a dozen for Christmas.

SELLING YOUR CRAFTS

Hi everyone

I have been crafting all my life and papercrafting for at least 14 years now. I work full-time do not make a huge amount at the moment. Until three years ago I did monthly workshops, but only do 2 or 3 a year now as work has taken over.

Doing workshops meant the majority of my crafting time was spent arranging and preparing the item to demonstrate and very few things were finished to a high enough level to sell as helping the crafters in the class took priority. Nowadays the items I make are the project and I get to finish them properly.

Selling the finished product becomes the next job for the avid crafter. It is not necessarily about the money, more about the storage area needed if you do not sell your crafts. The added bonus of selling being more money in the pot to buy new products.

Selling can be the hardest thing for a crafter. Here are 8 ideas to get you started.

1. Family and Friends: These are the most obvious as you know them and their likes and dislikes and also the style of cards and crafts they may be interested in. Never take them for granted as they can be a great outlet for your cards. They can also give you feedback on what people are looking for in the bigger market, so ask questions and for feedback from them.

2. Work colleagues:   Even the smallest office can be good for the crafter. Everyone has family, children, grandchildren and friends to buy cards for as well as gift bags, boxes and mini books etc. SHow them your latest makes at lunch-time and ask for feedback. Is this something you think you would buy, what price would you be willing to pay etc

3. Have a Craft Party: Make it fun, invite some friends around. Make proper invites and tell them what the party will have to offer. Offer drink and nibbles, this could be anything from tea and buiscuits to  wine and canapes depending on your friends and choice of style. Talk a bit about your craft, do a quick demonstration, or let your guests make something if you have room. Finish the evening with the selling.

4. Ebay or other selling sites:   I sell on ebay and this is a great outlet. However cards are difficult to sell as the cost plus postage makes it an expensive item when sold individually. If you want to sell cards consider specializing in one style or one theme. Do your homework on the site to see what else is selling, the price charged and the quality of the product. Some cards are personalized and if you can offer this service say so in the title. Be aware though if you have a design that is yours and popular, putting it on ebay opens it up to every other crafter.

5. Craft Fayres: Check out the craft fayres in your area, some organisers require you to attend regularly and this may be too much for you. Some are regular summer fayres as a fundraiser and these can be good, but see if you can find our the number of people that usually attend the fayre to see if you craft items will get good exposure. I find people are very friendly ,traders and buyers will strike up conversation easily. Talk to people even if it does not result in a sale as they can give you valuable feedback, but do not give them your trade secrets as there are a lot of crafters who attend to see what is currently being sold and whether they can use that idea. There is nothing wrong with this it is how most of us started, and shows an interest in the craft, but you do not want them to have all your ideas for no return.

6 Etsy: Etsy is a selling site specifically for vintage and hand crafted items. It is more popular in America, but worth trying if you have a talent for your craft. I sell on Etsy as well,  generally my items sell quicker on ebay , but you have 3 months to sell for the listing cost of 20cents. Please look at the information on setting up a shop on Etsy. It is easier on Etsy and Ebay if you have a Paypal account so this is something else to take into account when considering them as outlets.

7 WI and Country Markets: If you are a member of the WI some branches have a trade stall. They take a percentage for their funds and this works out well for all. Consider regularly providing items for the stall as then members get to know they can buy cards or gift bags from the stall each month.
The WI also run a their own markets and you can become a member of the market. Check out where your local markets are what they sell and whether it is worth becoming a market member.
 
8 Selling Through a retail outlet: If you are really good at selling you may be able to get your items into a retail store. There are a number of ways to do this
Talk to the owner of a small independant store where your craft items would compliment their stock, but be prepared to share profits with them. Your individually crafted card may seem unique and worth £4 in your mind, but what price are other cards fetching in the shops and nearby outlets. If the shops shelves are stocked with £1 cards are you going to sell your item at £4 and if you do and the retailer takes £2 for selling it how much will you get after costs. Know your figures before approaching the retailer.
Some shops are willing to rent a shelf and again this is worth considering if you believe there is a good market for your items. If you are not sure of the selling potential try selling to friends and family and at least one craft fayre first to test the market, and negotiate a short term let for the shelf space say 8 weeks with an option to go longer. Make sure you have a  written agreement to refer to so each side knows their responsibilities and expectations of the other party.
Being the main supplier to a retailer in a specialist area. I have seen florists with beautiful hand crafted cards such as the cradle or bootie card for new babies or cards for other occasions when flowers are traditional. For this you need to be able to offer quality assurances and probably sale or return options as well as deciding cost to charge the retailer. Think about setting a minimum and maximum price range for items sold by the retailer so you are not surprised by their pricing structure.

I think that is enough to start with, but do contact me if this has been helpful in any way and if you have more ideas to add.  I would love to hear some of your success stories.

If there is any interest I will follow this article with Selling and Branding techniques.

Enjoy your crafting
Denise

CHRISTMAS CRAFTING

Hi Everyone

After posting the current blog and pictures of the Christmas Album I had made, my process took me to Christmas Cards. I am always reluctant to start Christmas in August but realise that for me work can be hectic in October & November as it is budget setting time. My Christmas cards all need to be made by the beginning of November in case there is a Christmas Craft Fayre. I like to do one or two fayres a year and Christmas is good although very competitive.

I bought a lovely Christmas die from the Sara  Davies range, as it is a great size and pretty enough to stand on its own.
I also had some lovely lazer cards and hey presto this is the quick card I made combining the two.

 

 

FIRST CHRISTMAS SCRAPBOOK

Clearing out the drawers regularly helps to prevent purchases you do not need or that double up on what you have already. This time of year the craft programmes look towards Christmas and I did a check of the craft drawers to see what I had left. I sold some Christmas papers and have some currently for sale on Ebay as up until this year I have been organising craft days so needed  a lot of  basic stock to demonstrate and give to my crafters to use.
However in amongst sorting some pads for ebay I thought why not make a  quick scrapbook and make use of some of the papers myself.
Here is the result. I am about to put it on Etsy and Ebay.

This is a simple folded end and build up structure
It has black card base and then the left side is left as a single page with the right side having an expanded page that folds out allowing many more pages and storage areas for photographs
The pages have been left with no embellishments so the buyer can have fun decorating the pictures with tags and memorabilia that mean something to them .

ANNA GRIFFIN WEDDING CARD

While making the commissioned wedding card I was routing through the drawers and came across some Anna Griffin papers and 3d flowers by her so I made a quick alternative choice of Wedding Card
This is such a quick way of producing a professional looking card
Simply make up the flower. Cut 3 layers of card and papers to line front of the card each layer should be half to one cm smaller than the last
Then play with the  layer and the flowers until you get the position and look you want.