Bank Holiday Crafting

Hello Crafters

Here we are at the end of another Bank Holiday and what a busy few days for me.

After cleaning out the craft room over the last few weeks I had a stack of items that needed sorting and ruthlessly went through my stash of dies and stamps to look at any I had not used for a long time or indeed ever.

I then did a car boot on Saturday. Now car boots are not what they use to be but I went off quite happily to set up in windy warm weather. The local car boot at Burnham was humming and I was in the 4th line of cars out of a staggering 9 lines (over 200 sellers that day). My pitch was quite good and I displayed my cards, dies flowers etc. The wind did not allow a small stand of embellishments as they were too light to stay put on the table. 

I took the information gathered from YouTube about setting up and engaging with as many people as possible. I stayed standing most of the day and only sat in the car to have a quick bite. It seemed to work well and I had a good day. It is interesting that a lot of advice for craft shows works at Car Boots.

On Sunday I went to the Sincerely Yours Craft show at North Petherton (Junction 24 of the M5) and spent the money I had made on Saturday but felt very good about my purchases having earned it. The show was quiet, the weather was awful. I do question whether a show on Bank Holiday weekend at a venue just off the busiest part of the M5 really does the sellers justice. Most locals within 50 mile radius know not to venture onto the M5 particularly between Junction 24 and and 21 due to the  continual tailbacks and queues of stopped traffic. Add to that a lot are enjoying the last chances to get away and crafting is down the list of family things to do. I hope the sellers did well enough to come back again as it is always good to see them in this area.

Monday I decided to finish what I started on Saturday and do  another car boot. My husband assured me the weather forecast was stating less than 5% chance of rain and the skys clearing from Midday when the sale started. Being a Bank holiday I left in plenty of time and then sat and waited for things to happen. The wind blew and the clouds stayed with us, there were a few drops of rain and all in all it was miserable weather. However I set up, hung on to everything on the table and chatted to buyers as they made their way past my stall.  It was much quieter than Saturday with half the sellers and fewer buyers but the sales  overall were not too bad. I  saw a few friends I had not seen for a while and talked to new acquaintances, so it was worth it. Plus I made room for my Christmas crafting, and for the preparation of my Craft days. 

I cannot go without showing some more of the decorated paperclips I made in between all the other events of the weekend. I will be selling these on Etsy and later on making some in Traditional Christmas colours as I think they make great place settings. If you add the paperclip with the guests name to the napkin, and then they get to take home a pretty memento of the day.  Or you could add a photograph of the guest  on each side plate using the clip .

Pink Mauve and Silver ribbon with pink and pearl embellishments 

Gold and Cream ribbon with Gold and Diamante embellishments 

Napkin folded and Name tag added with Decorated paperclip

Happy Crafting 
Dee

Shabby Chic Paperclips

Hi Crafters

As you all know I flit from craft to craft and so it was I found myself yesterday pulling out my large paperclips to have a go at decorating them.

I took out my box of ribbons and lace and had a play and was surprised and pleased with the results.

These are jumbo paperclips and the embellishments ended up being quite major as well, but I think it sits well on the pin and would decorate a scrapbook page or be pretty on the desk with notes or receipts. 

They would also make great photo-clips. These paperclips would hold 2 or 3 photographs easily

I will make some using smaller embellishments as gift sets for Christmas to sit alongside the smaller fun paperclips I make, when I have them finished I will post a picture.

Happy Crafting 
Dee

Pound Shop find

Hi Crafters

Yesterday I went to town and popped in to the Pound Shop, where I found some 6 x 6 paperpads with Winnie the Pooh designs. It was a Disney licensed pad and as one of the pads had mirra card I thought I would buy it to layer cards with as Pooh Bear would not be visible in the layering.

Well that idea did not last long after getting home, as I flicked through the ordinary paper pack and found it had some sheets suitable for notes as well as some lovely phrases.

I used a cereal box for the 7 x 6.5 binder, covered with pretty white and floral paper then lined it with black card folded up to make the folders sleeves inside. The inside I covered with a patterned pooh paper and a phrase paper and then made 8   3" cards and envelopes to go with the sheets of paper to make a cute stationary set for my great neice.

Please remember this is Disney licensed paper and therefore can only be for personal use, you cannot sell items made from this paper. As I am giving this as a gift not a problem.

I hope my Great niece will like it and perhaps think of making some for her friends for Christmas, carrying on a family tradition of making gifts for friends. 

Happy Crafting 
Dee    

Pretty Bows from Paper Stash

Hi Crafters 

We all have a stash of off-cuts we are going to do something with, because its just too pretty to throw away. Well I have several ideas for them including these pretty bows made from paper/card strip approx 1" wide.

For these you need pieces 8" or more in length

You can make them on your envelope board, (check it out on YouTube)  or if you do not have one but want to make a bow to match your project, here's how:

Take your piece of paper 8" x 1" 
Fold in half and put the folded half in your corner punch both sides 

Next with the two sides still together cut approx 1.5 cm up in the middle of the strip from the open end, this forms the tails of the bow as you now cut on the curve from the outer edges into the middle. Run your scissors along the card taking care not to cut through to give the bow some dimension.

From the tail end mark 4cm in, and fold the paper back at this point , lining it up so it sits inside the other side of the paper, your folded edges will sit nicely on the middle where your paper punch rounded and form a bow.

Holding it all together gently cut around the curve so there are no edges showing at the centre. Glue down using Pritt Stick or a wet glue and add a centre decoration. 

I now have several packs of bows made in this way as well as my bows made on my enveloper.

Bows made using my corner punch

The enveloper is obviously quicker for bulk making, but if you want one bow to match a project, using your corner punch and cutting by hand can be very effective.  

Bows made using the WRMM letter board 

I shall definitely be making these for Christmas wrapping and for Craft Fayres.

Other uses for paper stash include:

• Flowers - lots of small flowers are always handy to have around 
• Bag Holders - see previous blog
• If the card is plain on white side and printed on the other, I use the white side to stamp out my business details to give out at craft fayres etc

Perhaps I will show these another day.

Happy Crafting 

Dee

The Quickest & Easiest envelope for 3.5" Cards

Hi Crafters 

I recently made some wallet stationary sets and inside the wallet are 4 cards 3.5" square.

They fit the wallet beautifully but I was struggling to make an envelope for this size card.

I needed 6.25" square paper but not having an envelope maker with the scoring sides ended up using a wrapping system, not 100% successful. 

Then doing another thing altogether I needed DL envelopes for the letter. It suddenly dawned on me that they were the height I needed, so I measured them and realised I could adjust  them to make 2 envelopes to fit my cards.

The demonstration below is with very cheap Tesco envelopes but you could use pretty coloured envelopes or quality white /cream DL envelopes from a good Stationers.

Start by cutting the envelope in half this is usually 11cm each half 

Then fold the cut side over by 1cm 

Next cut the bottom of the envelope where you have made the 1cm fold and fold both halves into the envelope to make a clean edge

Next mark and cut the edge of the top of the main envelope to match the other side (see pencil mark), and glue the folded flap down. I use Pritt Stick for this as it is strong and allows a little wiggle room 

Now all you need to do is cut the flap to match the other side and I do this by pinching the top over in one hand and cutting around to match both sides 

You now have an envelope perfect for your 3.5" cards and at a fraction of the time and effort to make from scratch plus you have the sticky at the top .

I will post my Stationary sets to show you how I used these envelopes, soon.

Happy Crafting 

Dee

Stamps & Die Sets

Hi Crafters


We are seeing more and more stamps and matching die sets being demonstrated on TV.
I love the concept and find them easy to use and add interest to your projects, also you can make your own toppers to coordinate with your different projects

I particularly love Heartfelt Creations flowers, but at £50 plus a set I try to limit myself to how many I buy. However I have recently purchased some sets to try them, one being a Christmas set, a couple of flower sets and one vintage travel set (for the men).

Here is my first trial with them

I have double them up and coloured the tops with my distress ink pens, but I want to try using chalks and watercolours as well 

Here is the collection I made packaged for sale at my next Craft Fayre.

The packaged hangers are cut using up my scraps from a die

Happy Crafting

Dee

Ideas on Using a Single Flower die

Hi Crafters

I am starting to plan and work on Christmas projects so this is a quick post today.

I thought I would show you a couple of ideas on how to use a single flower die, not the type that build a flower but the flat cut out style die 

Die measures approx 3" x 2"

This die actually has 2 sections an outer die that cuts the basic shape, an inner band that cut an outline and the centre flower 

So the idea is to mix and match the shapes by cutting them out in coordinating colours such as coffee and cream, pink and purple etc,

Here I have used it by putting 3 along the edge of a card

And here I have cut it out in vellum and silver mirra card as I needed it to stand out on an "impossible card"

Check your stash of dies and you will probably find one of this type in amongst them. I had forgotten this one and yet it is so simple and easy to use. Now I have retrieved it from the bottom of the box I will also use it to edge my shabby chic folders I make from large envelopes and to decorate boxes and tags.

I would love to see any card or projects you make.

Dee

Personalised Quick Card

Hi Crafters

Today I have a quick card for you. It was not quick for me as I tried several ideas before finishing with this, but if you like it, to make it again would be super easy.

All you need is a flourish die some butterflies dies and a greeting stamp
The beauty of hand crafted cards is the ability to personalise the card, and as this was for my great niece I added her name.

I started by stamping and cutting out the butterflies (these were from a Heartfelt Creations set)
Next I cut out the floral flourish, sorry I have had this die some time and cannot remember what make it is, I think Tonic or Sizzix, but any flourish die will work.  I then cut the letters for the name before setting the BigShot aside.
The letters are Tonic dies

Using a 6 x 6 scalloped card I laid out the pieces until I was happy with the arrangement. If you were not going to personalise the card then cut or stamp a larger greeting in the area of the letter F on the card.

I stamped the greeting and then glued the die cuts into place using PVA glue in a bottle with a thin nozzle for small work. The butterflies are glued in the middle only  to allow some movement of the wings

Not the best of pictures as my computer is down and I am writing todays post using my ipad and hubbies laptop, but hopefully you get the idea.


Happy Crafting
Dee

UK Craft Fayres Do's and Don'ts

Hi Crafters

The last in the series of Craft Fayres for Hobby Crafters

You are ready to try out a craft fayre or at the very least a table top sale. You have decided on your venue and secured a space, all that is left is to make the absolute most of the day.

5 Must Do's for setting up

1. Find a Theme: Your table needs to tell the customer immediately what you are selling, it needs to catch the eye and be tidy. You only  have a short time as potential customers walk past.
2. Display items so they are easy to see and pick up: Whilst baskets and drawers may look attractive if the item inside is not easy to see, the customer will be past your stall without knowing what you have on the table. Make the items on different levels with the higher displays at the back and as colourful and attractive as possible.
3. Always do a trial run before you get to the venue: You should know the size of table you have for the fayre so mark it up on the floor at home with ribbon or string and set your items up. If possible take a video or pictures of the set up once you are happy with it and you can then reproduce it once you arrive at the venue.  Not only will a trial run help make the best possible display, it will tell you what props and display items you need, you can list them and tick them off when packing up your wares to go to the show. If you can add lighting even better but as this is for the Hobby Crafters do not go to a big expense at this stage. 
4. Always Price your items: Think of your stall as a shop front, how do you feel when you see items in a window but no prices. For me that is a definite No! No!, and I walk past. Unless you are selling the hottest items and the best price anywhere you cannot afford to make any potential customers reluctant to engage with you.
5. Use attractive packaging and display for your contact details . Home made tags can be very effective with a short note on the item, and your message to the customer. Always have business cards flyers or some sort of contact details displayed. There are some good ideas on YouTube and Pinterest. I use a little hand made carton to hold a card that gives my email and website details. I also send these out to all ebay customers.

As you can see they make a colourful  display and are inviting to passersby The smaller items is made using a 4 x 4 piece of craft paper whilst the bigger one is using 6 x 6 double sided craft card 
The smaller pack would be perfect to package small charms, earrings etc or I have made them to pop individual sweets in that I can put on the table for customers 

You will always do better when you engage with people attending the fayre, whether that is customers or other stall holders. If you can take a friend to help that would be good but not essential for local fayres when you are starting out as they usually last for a few hours rather than the more professional fayres that go on all day. Ideally if you do not have anyone going with you try to talk a friend or fellow crafter you know into attending the fayre, you will have someone to call on if you need a comfort break or to want to get a drink. 

With that in mind here are 3 things to do to increase your sales

1. Engage with vistors: It is really important to talk to people and engage in some way. This is not always easy and a few rebuffs may put you off, but you must try to attract and get people viewing your items even if they do not result in a sale you will learn more about the art of craft fayres. You can do this by asking a question, make it pertinent to your goods, and listen to the customers responses. So if you make toiletries you could ask if they would like to smell the soap. If you make scarves "would you like to feel the softness of this wool" you get the idea!
2. If possible offer handouts, freebies or tasters. This is not always possible, but once a customer is engaged it is much more likely to end in  a sale. I had some Christmas pencil sets that I gave to children visiting last years Christmas Fayre and that worked well. This year I am going to try some little brag books, they take one piece of 12 x 12 paper, I enjoy making them and they will showcase the type of paper-crafts I make.
3. Never sit behind your stall reading a book,or talking on your phone. Nothing puts people off more. You may think it is inoffensive, but unless you are taking an order for 100 £5 greeting cards, trust me you are losing sales. People attending craft fayres like hand crafted items, they like the idea of them and they buy them, they also like to know what they are buying and the message about your particular product can only be told to them by you engaging. So hopefully  by now you get how important the part about engaging is. 

If this sounds a little like a lecture, then I will take a break and remind you this is a hobby and you want to enjoy it. Having a stall should be part of that enjoyment as successful selling validates your craft makes, and brings you together with like-minded people. So I hope once you get over the initial reticence you will talk happily to visitors and have a good day. 

I will finish this with a few words on information you can collate and use from the days work. 
Always keep a note of sales. If a customer makes a comment you think will be helpful in  any way write it down. If you take orders, make sure the order forms are ready to hand and that you inform people of the choices you offer, and the timescale for delivery, this should be on the order form.   
When you get home and put your feet up, try to make sense of your sales and notes and make notes for the next sale. What went well, what did not sell and if there were areas you could improve. 
If you take a look at Lyriclover on Youtube she does a breakdown video on her Christmas Craft Fayre and literally goes through the items on her table talking about how well they did. Your outcome may will be different but the principles are the same when gathering information on customers and the market place. 

If this all sounds a bit daunting, it does not have to be. This is a hobby and should be enjoyed, but if you want to keep on making lots of lovely craft items without overfilling the craft room, and like me you cannot bear the idea of throwing away previous makes, then selling at Craft Fayres are a good way to go. The alternative (making less) is not really an option for me.   

Happy Crafting
Dee