Poinsettia Snowflake Is Finally Here!

She's here!

Poinsettia Snowflake has just arrived for the holiday season. She is wearing red, white and gold poinsettia leaves under her hand crochet cap. Anything to stay warm.

She will be vacationing here in Florida with me and it's a bit warm so she hopes that someone clicks on her soon and she can go live with them in a cooler climate.

She's wearing her prettiest carrot nose that is high lighted with metallic gold to catch the shimmer of the holiday lights. She promises to be good if you hang her on your Christmas tree she'll only move when you're not looking. ;)

If you're interested is seeing more of Poinsettia or her friends click on her picture.

Selling Your Crafts To Store Owners.

• When approaching store owners with your products I think using a direct approach is always best. You never want to contact owners by phone when trying to offer them your products. It usually doesn't get you anywhere other than to a lot of blunt no’s and hang ups. The best method of contact for meeting store owners would be to mail them a letter explaining your products in depth, what you can offer them, a brochure if you have any available and your web site address. Once you have mailed your information packet wait a few days then call to set up an appointment that’s most convenient for the owner.
• Remember when making appointments that the owners are doing you a favor if they agree to see you and that you should always arrange your schedule to meet their needs. Never show up for appointments late and never show up too early. Usually 5 minutes ahead of your scheduled appointment is the best. This gives you plenty of time to inform the owner that you are there without making them feel obligated to rush with whatever task they are handling because you showed up too early. When you're late it shows a blatant disregard for their time and they will not be as respectful of the time they grant you to speak with them. If you prefer you can always visit the store owners in person without mailing an information packet. Although this can be a bit more time consuming it’s still beneficial because you have a better chance of receiving a yes than with any other method of contact. The best day to meet store owners when meeting them directly without an appointment would be on Tuesdays or Wednesdays early in the mornings. Mondays are usually hectic while other days and during the afternoons are usually the busiest times for owners or when they are most tired. And never do a stop by on a Friday. All the shop owner wants to do is go home and relax. Once you are in contact with the store owner you will first want to explain what you do and how it would benefit them if they offered your products to their customers. Explain your pricing and make sure they understand how you want to be paid. Whether you want to be paid up front, 30 day payable or consignment the shop owner needs to understand it completely with no misunderstanding.
• You must always be polite and never act as if they owe you a favor just because your products are so great. Even if you approach them properly you will find that you will still receive no answers. Don't take it personally and just keep moving on. Just because one store says no doesn't mean the next store will say no.

Some suggestions:

Politeness and consideration pays off and it’s always best to be polite and considerate when dealing with each individual store owner. Know when to be silent. You should always show wisdom and know when to listen instead of talk. Yes you're trying to convince shop owners to provide space in their shops for your products and to buy your products but you should let the products sell themselves and be there to answer any questions they may have. If the owner tries to talk just listen until he or she is done speaking. Politely answer any questions and then wait for a pause before you continue. If they are not interested at all believe me they will tell you once they take the first look at your products. If they are interested they will ask questions or wait silently for you to continue.

If you see that there are customers waiting for them to help, step aside and let them know that you're in no hurry if they want to attend to their customers. Remember they are doing you a favor by speaking with you and granting you some of their time. Never cause them to ignore their own customers. By politely stepping aside first and letting them know you understand that the customer comes first you'll make a much better impression than if you try to hog their time all to yourself. Never insult the store owner by offering any type of suggestion about where they should display your products. When selling your crafts you'll find that if you are providing quality products then the products will sell themselves where all you'll need to do is answer questions and sign on the dotted line and fill orders.

Try to locate a nice case, box or bag to carry your products in when you visit the owners. If you must use a cardboard box then at least cover it nicely with pretty paper or you can do much better by building or having a friend build you a box of lightweight wood. If your products are small then a nice fabric bag would work wonderfully for carrying your wares. Never use plastic grocery store bags or plain brown paper bags to carry your products in because this looks very tacky, cheap and unprofessional. I have used wicker laundry baskets with ribbons tied on the handles and lined with pretty material.

When selling on consignment you will determine a set price that you'll take for your products then generally allow the store owners to mark-up the prices to what they like where they keep the additional profits. Always have an agreement in writing signed by you and the store owner before you ever leave your products. In some consignment shops you set the price and the store owner takes a percentage. Either way get it in writing. If you are selling your products outright to the store owner, which is what I like to do, set a price you can both agree on and remember you have to make a profit too!

Above all remember to have fun and enjoy talking about your craft. Start one store at a time and slowly add on to the number you sell to. Don't get so many stores that you are unable to provide product when they call. I have made lists of my best selling items and always keep them stocked on my shelf ready for a phone call from the store owners. This way I can always deliver within two days. This makes the store owner and their customers very happy.

Don't be surprised if a store owner asks if you can do special order items or if you will change up you design a bit. I have custom orders that have brought me more orders because of word of mouth.

Pricing Your Crafts For Profit.

Pricing arts and crafts products can be one of the most difficult aspects faced by people who intend to sell their creations for profit. Many times I see fellow crafters lowering prices of their wares when they don't sell as many items as they would have liked to.

A good rule of thumb to follow when trying to make the difficult decision about what price to sell your products for would be to first remember If you are selling a doll at $10.00 and $7.00 is pure profit then you make $70.00 for every 10 dolls you sell. If you lower the price of your dolls to $6.00 where your profit is only $3.00 per doll then you would have to sell over twice as many dolls to realize that same profit. When you lower your prices not only do you make it more difficult to get a profit but the perceived quality value of your products are lowered in your shoppers eyes. If your shoppers believe that the quality of your items is not that good then you still won't make many sales and will only find yourself heading home with a box of unsold items and a heart full of disappointment.

The best way to handle the difficult pricing issue is first calculate your prices well ahead of time. Price your products and stick to those prices no matter what. This way you can present your products with confidence and you won't spend your day wondering if your prices are too high because you'll know that you priced them perfectly and profitably.

A good point of reference when pricing projects is add up the cost of supplies. Let's say you are making bears. You bought a piece of long pile for $20.00 and you know you can get 4 bears from it. That would be $5.00 in supply cost right there. Do the same for your eyes and any of the other materials like buttons etc. Don't bother with things like floss since you can get hundreds of bears from a thing of floss so it wouldn't even add up to a penny. Calculate the cost you have in your materials and set this as your first tentative price. This is how much you absolutely have to sell your item for in order to just break even. Now how much are you worth an hour? Sit back and determine this carefully remember that if a customer is interested in an item that means the customer does not know how to make it them self and that means your knowledge and your skills are valuable to that customer so don't cut yourself short. Always remember that you are providing something someone wants just as much as you want to make a profit.

So let's say it took 2 hours to make the bear and you want to make at least $10.00 and hour for your time. Therefore you would need to sell your bear for $30.00 each. It's that simple. There is an owner out there somewhere that will be happy to own your bear. So when determining your prices add cost of supplies and your hourly rate and STICK WITH IT!

If a customer wants something bad enough they will buy it and it's our jobs as crafters to make sure the quality and uniqueness of our products have them craving for our items. A customer is just like a child. If they see something that they want badly enough they will get it. It may be days, weeks or months down the line, but they will get it. The key here is to ALWAYS have your email address, web site and / or phone number handy for them to take with them and get in contact with you later. NEVER send a potential customer off without your name and number and if you can send them off with a small something to make them remember you that's even better. Put a picture of your item on the back of your business card. Then the customer will remember why they have that business card in their purse or wallet when they find it a week later.

There are 3 types of shoppers. Those that understand the value of our crafts that appreciate them and that will be happy to pay for our wonderful items. These are the shoppers that come up and purchase with no qualms about the price but are sadly far and few between.

The second sort of shopper is the one that either can't afford a $30.00 bear but wishes they could or the one that says "My goodness that's a lot". Usually you can work with these shoppers by explaining why your bears cost $30.00. Because it is made with beautiful material that is machine washable, it is made from totally recycled fabrics or because it is double stitched and safe for babies. Don't just make stuff up, tell the truth about your item.

The other set of shoppers are those that are going to gripe, fuss, bicker and try to get you to give them your item free. Or worse yet those that have miserable lives and think it's their job to make our lives miserable as well. Use your best judgment when dealing with these sorts and don't waste much time on them as most of them will never become a customer of yours.

Remember quality with a higher price is good, inferior work with low prices is bad, very bad. Low quality inferior products are what make selling fine arts & crafts today so difficult. That and mass produced junk where people don't understand that a $25.00 high quality hand sewn rag doll that will last for decades and become a family heirloom is much better than a $5.00 rag doll purchased at a store that is only going to be in shreds within a year. It is our job as crafters and artist to make our customers understand this.

Make More Money At Your Next Craft Show

There are many things to be considered when creating craft items that you plan to sell for profit. If you're just creating gifts for loved ones, then the cost and time involved in making your items really isn't relevant because you're making the items as a labor of love. But when you're depending on sales of your items to pay your bills, then you must consider several factors when deciding what types of items to make. Pick a niche and stick to it adjusting slightly for seasonal colors and trends.
First and foremost, you have to make sure that your item will show a good profit. If you spend 10 hours sewing an item that makes you a total of $5.00 in profits, then you have done nothing but waste time and money on something that will not help you very much financially. On the other hand, if you spend 10 hours producing 10 items that produce you $10.00 profit each then you'll be doing much better financially. So deciding what type of item to make is a very important decision that you want to consider very carefully.
When making your decision you will want to consider the cost of materials. There is no need to purchase silk for your item when there are other fabrics that look much nicer and easier for the buyer to care for that are available on the market. And you don't have to cut quality just to make money. Make sure that you choose materials because they are pleasing to look at and in style with the lastest trends and not just because they are expensive. Your customers would much rather purchase an item that is made of cotton that looks elegant than and item that is made of silk that looks horrible.
Focus first on the quality of your products themselves and don't base your decisions thinking that the higher the cost of materials the more people will be willing to pay for the product because this isn't so. Just because the material may cost more does not mean you'll necessarily make more on your item. You should focus first on creating a high quality item that’s pleasing to the eyes before you quickly try to restock again when you sell a lot. If it takes a day to make one item it will take a long time to restock. Empty booths do not profit and you can't fill booths when you spend days making just one item. For example I visited a booth several years ago where a lady was selling crocheted doilies. Now this lady could crochet pretty fast, but she wasn't crocheting fast enough to replace her stock once she'd sold most of it. Her doilies were her best selling items that year and she was pretty much almost out of doilies by time I visited her booth. Her booth looked drab, dreary and very bare by this time, and although she was crocheting on another doily while she sat there you could see she was none too happy at the moment because she had nothing in her booth bringing in income at the moment. When selling at craft shows one must ALWAYS make sure they provide some nice, quick to make dollar items for children because there are usually a lot of children at the shows whose parents give them a dollar or two to spend in any way that they like and the children enjoy picking out their own toys. Sadly there are few crafters that take this into consideration when creating their products for their shows. They cater to the adults (usually the women) and forget that children want to buy too. So when deciding what types of products to create you want to make sure you have a nice selection of products that are super quick to make, affordable and that will sell well.
A well-stocked booth will have a bit of the following items:

A few expensive items, if you make Afghans, 3 or 4 Afghans would do well although you may not sell them all. If you're selling Afghans and have to put a price tag of $200 dollars on it to make your profit then price your afghan at $200 and don't go a penny less. There is someone out there that will gladly pay $200 dollars for it, and you'd be cutting your profits thin if you lowered your prices just to get a sale. You just don't want to fill you booth with nothing but your most expensive items. Providing just a few will leave you room for other products that have a greater chance of selling to better increase your profits.
Next you will want to provide a few different items that can be sold in the $10 to $25 dollar range. Usually 5 different types of products will provide a wonderful selection for your customers. Make sure you include something for the men as well. There have been many times I have seen crafters neglect the children and men by not providing products that they would be interested in purchasing. A man may buy a doily as a gift for his mother, but if you sell a nice fishing sign as well you'll increase your sales. You must always remember that not everyone wants adorable dolls or pretty wall hangings. So make sure that you offer a nice selection of items in the medium price range and make sure that you have items for women, men and children.
Next, you would want to offer a nice range of items in the under $10.00. When creating items for under $10.00 remember once more to provide a nice selection for women, men and children And above all else, make sure that you have 1 or 2 items that can be made super fast, like the yarn dolls, bath salts or small bracelets. Beaded for girls and leather type for boys.
If you show consideration for your customers by providing a wide variety of things for them to choose from then more people will purchase more of your products.

Rules:

• Focus on quality because high quality should always be your first consideration. Just because material may cost more doesn't mean you should use it every time.
• Provide a nice selection of products instead of just a few items (or just one item).
• Make sure you offer several products that are super fast to make in case you need something to restock your booths with quickly. You can make a nice product in 30 minutes just as easily as you can make one in 10 hours so go with the one that can be made quickest without killing quality.
• Don't forget to make items for men and children as well because they make great customers also.

Following this simple suggestions can add to your profit at your next craft show.

New Christmas Ornaments

:) ♥ I wanted to add something special to the blog today but was sooo very busy. Had the grandson (14 months) today and had very little time to myself.

I did get in enough time to work on some new recylced lighbulb Christmas ornaments this evening. Even named them... Poinsettia Snowflake. She has poinsettia leaves poking out from under her hat. And of course she's a snow person, what else would she be with a last name like Snowflake. I have 3 painted but have to seal them and then add their hats then I can put them on my Etsy site. Hoping to have that done by Friday. She is Snowperson #2 in my new collection.

I will be adding some Sunflower Ice Tea Glasses tomorrow so look for those. I already have Sunflower wine glasses and wine bottles but thought ice tea glasses would be good for the non alcohol drinkers.

Copy Cat - Stealing Others Ideas

Ok this is one woman's opinion....Crafting has been happening since the beginning of time when Adam and Eve grabbed leaves off the surrounding trees and covered themselves. They were this worlds first taylors.
Crafting has come a long, long way since then. There is nothing new under the sun. I believe if you think you have come up with a new idea you can bet at least one of the multi billion of people residing on this earth has also had the same crafty genius idea as you probably at the same time as you. And at least two of the mulit billion of people who have resided on this earth at a time before us has had your idea. So with that said.
It is very hard to prove someone has copied you. As artists and crafters we are inspired by what we see. I know I get inspired when I go to craft shows or look on line at others work. I get inspired talking to fellow crafters. I get inspired walking at the park. But it is never, never, never right to copy someone Else's work. NEVER!!!! It's actually called STEALING!!!! Now if you copy it just for your use, that's one thing but if you copy to sell it that is WRONG!!!! I have never copied anyone Else's idea and sold it. Even if I try to copy I can't by the time I get done it looks nothing like what the picture looks like. It looks like my work. And everyone recognizes it as my work.
Real artists don't copy cat. It's ok to get inspiration from someone else but don't copy. Come up with your own idea of how to make it better or make it yours. Ok..got it? I know everything runs in cycles including fads in crafting. Maybe you could look back to those fads from your high school days and make it better and up to date and make it yours.

So let's make a short list of places to get new ideas without copying someone else....
1. Check out your year book. What are they wearing? What kind of things are in their hair? What's happening in the pics? Anything that you can renew and bring back?

2. Check out your local library. They always have old books on crafting. Look for a book on something you have always wanted to try. Macrame a plant hanger in new hot pink and dark gray colors. Bring back an apron with extra pockets or add a plastic pocket for a wet sponge and loops to hang spray bottles. Use the latest most funky print material you can find.

3. Talk to your friends. Then listen to your friends. What problems are they having? What item can you make to make their problem go away? What problems do you need solved around the house? Can you change something? Make something?

4. Keep an eye in business mags. What's the latest trends. What's the next hottest item. Now come up with an accessory for it. You know, like when carrying your tiny dog with you everywhere was hot. Well someone had to make the bags, collars and clothes for those dogs didn't they. And they made tons of money. But you have to be there when it begins you can't come in on the end of a fad and expect to make any money.

Well that's just something for you to think about.

Crafters, Christmas is coming!! Give out those business cards!!!

Ok, so it's only September and we haven't made it through Halloween and Thanksgiving yet. But as a crafter you know it's never too early to work on your Christmas items for the December craft shows. These are two of my newest ornaments for this year. I try to make something new every year for my repeat customers. They love to see what's new at my booth. I'm hoping these will be hits. They are made from recycled light bulbs. I crochet the hats from scrap yarn my Mom has left over from making baby hats. http://marleneb.etsy.com/ she also makes matching booties and will soon be adding blankets.


I am only doing one craft show this December. I will be at Christmas Under the Palms in Edgewater, Fl the 1st Sat in December. In past years whatever doesn't sell at the show I usually give away to fellow employees for Christmas. They love it. Then anything that I have left after that I sell to my fellow employees for half price at the end of January. This gives them gifts for Valentines day, Mother's Day and birthdays, anniversaries, etc. and gives me extra cash to start crafting items again.


I picked up painting a few years ago and love it. I also paint murals at reasonable prices. http://geocities.com/gotmurals. I have posted some pics of a few of the murals that I have painted. And don't forget to stop by and see my shop at: http://glasslady.etsy.com/.

7 Ideas on how to use your business cards

Making money crafting is actually hard work. Making the item is easy, selling it is something else. Promote, Promote, Promote! What else can I say? You should always carry business cards with you. Not only can you hand them out but you can leave them is places for people to find.

1. Try taping to the back of the bathroom stall doors.


2. Or leave some cards in the sugar packet containers at the restaurant.


3. Got a good waitress, write 2o% discount on the back of a business card and leave it with her tip and no shipping because you will deliver directly to her.


4. Leave a few at the laundry mat.


5. You might even try putting some business cards in related books at the library. I haven't tried this one yet but people tell me it works.


6. Have a neighborhood around that isn't gated and has a community mail box? Try taping a resealable plastic bag with a couple of your cards to the front of the box where people can reach it. Or just leave a few on the top if you know the weather will be nice.

7. Have a spouse that works with your potential customers? Send them to work with your business cards. They can be left in the lunch and break area.