Start a Craft Business

How To Make Craft Products That Stand Out From The Crowd

The craft marketplace is saturated with handmade items from all different kinds of artists and designers. Many people are making the same types of products and even using the same patterns and materials, making it very difficult for small craft businesses to succeed at standing out.

I’ve been running my own craft business for about four years now and I can tell you firsthand how frustrating it is trying to keep your products unique and up-to-date. The temptation to copy other people’s successful ideas is also high. But I’ve learned through a lot of trial and error that the very best way to stand out is to use your own imagination to come up with the best, creative ideas.

If you want to succeed at making a living by selling crafts, you will need to produce products that are unique and desirable enough to rise above the competition. Here are some tips on how I ensure that I make craft products that stand out from the crowd.

1. Start with something that inspires you.

When you’re trying to come up with a new product line or design, start your brainstorming session by thinking of things that inspire you. I’ve found that my very best products have started with a thought about something that I love or admire greatly.

Incorporate your senses. What is beautiful to you? What do you love the sound, smell or taste of? Ask yourself other questions too. What makes you laugh or smile? What makes you want to be a better person? The answers to these kinds of questions will be your inspiration.

A lot of my best selling products are animal related. I absolutely adore foxes and hedgehogs and I was an owl fanatic well before they became fashionable. I incorporate my love for these creatures into a lot of my jewelry and collectibles and it’s obvious to both me and my customers that my love of wildlife shines through in what I make.

Maybe you’re passionate about sustainable living, you enjoy volunteering at a children’s hospital or you love collecting old books. Whatever inspires you, use this to feed your creativity.

2. Come up with workable product concepts.

Now that you’ve spent some time dwelling on inspiration, you can begin forming some workable product concepts. Brainstorm about the different types of things you’d like to make and form a list of possibilities.

For instance, you may have an interest in making earrings, but find the thought of creating plush toys equally appealing. Don’t be afraid of having too many ideas. Write down everything you think of, because even if you don’t use all of your ideas immediately, you can always come back to old ideas at another time.

After you have a list of ideas, choose a couple that especially stand out to you. Now you can begin to design your actual products.

3. Sketch your own designs and patterns.

Once you have an idea of what you want to make, you can do some rough sketches. Sketching your ideas will help you to visualize your finished products and figure out how to actually begin constructing them.

Even if you aren’t very good at drawing, making sketches of your ideas can still be a great help as you begin the design process.

If you’re going to be working with fabric, paper or even wood, you can make patterns and templates with your sketches that you can use to actually cut out the material that you will be using. If you’re crocheting or knitting, you can use your drawings as a rough guide to help you construct your written pattern.

4. Create a prototype of your new product.

Once you’ve designed your product or made a pattern for it, you can create your first prototype. A prototype is like an experimental first product. It gives you the chance to make a finished physical item that’s not necessarily ready to sell, but that gives you an idea of how well your idea will work.

As you make your prototype, don’t be afraid to tweak it while you go. You can make changes either by changing your sketches or by changing the physical item you are actually working on. Don’t be afraid to get messy. Cut, tear and make marks where necessary. You aren’t making something to show off yet, so don’t worry about mistakes.

Once you’ve played around with your design, you should be able to make a finished item that you’re happy with. Spend as much time as you need to get it right. As the old adage says, you can’t rush art.

5. Get feedback and make any final changes.

Once you have a prototype you can get some feedback. You don’t need to show potential customers. You aren’t ready for that yet. Show some friends or fellow crafters who can help you by giving honest, helpful criticism.

Take some notes as you get feedback so that you can incorporate any final changes that you think will make your finished products better. Obviously, you don’t need to use all of the suggestions you get but it’s good to take note anyway for future reference. It’s good market research.

6. Create a batch of salable products.

Now that you have a prototype finished, you’re ready to make a batch of salable products.
Using your prototype as a guide, make five or ten more of the same item.

It’s good to make multiples before you begin selling so that you will have a variety of colors or styles available. It will also give you a chance to change any last minute, niggling issues that you may notice in your finished items.

This process for creating unique products has always worked well for me. I hope that my design tips help you to create wonderful handmade items that stand out from the crowd. Your craft business will naturally attract sales because of your one-of-a-kind creations.

How to Take High Quality Photos That Will Sell Your Crafts

One of the most important things I have learned about selling crafts online is that the quality of your photos makes a huge difference. Many new craft business owners make the mistake of using lower quality photos because they are in a hurry, don’t own a good camera, or simply are not aware of how much of an influence the photo has on how many things you sell and what prices you can charge.

The quality of your photos absolutely affects the success of your online craft business. You need to be taking good, clean and attractive photos in order to succeed at selling handmade products online. It simply won’t happen unless you do.

Here are some tips for taking high quality photos that will sell your crafts.

1. Use a decent camera.

You don’t have to have an expensive camera, or be an expert photographer, to take good photos of your craft products. Basically, you need a camera that will take sharp photos that show off the detail of your work. A smart phone with a good, 8 megapixel camera will do.

When you use an inferior camera, you run the risk of not being able to get clear, focused photos. Photos with lots of shadows, grainy backgrounds or that are out-of-focus will detract from your work. You might as well list the item for sale without a photo rather than list it with a poor photo, because a poor photo will absolutely discourage a customer from buying.

2. Shoot your photos in good light.

The best way to ensure that you get really good photos of your crafts is to shoot them in good, direct light. There are a number of ways that you can accomplish this and you won’t need any fancy or expensive equipment.

The easiest way to get good lighting for your photos is to take your camera outside on an overcast day. A slightly cloudy or gray day will give you direct light that’s not too bright or glaring, which usually results in stunning photos.

If it’s raining, or you don’t have a good place to take pictures outside, you can get a similar effect by shooting in a windowsill. A white windowsill with no curtains or blind makes an ideal place for taking pictures of your crafts.

Further, if you want to ensure good lighting but the weather isn’t cooperating, or you need to take photos at night, you can build a light box very inexpensively. You can find lots of tutorials for building them around the Internet.

3. Use simple backgrounds.

When photographing your craft products, you want your creative work to be the star of the photos. Shooting photos with a very simple background will ensure that the focus is on your handmade products and not on whatever’s behind or underneath them.

Plain white walls and hard surfaces make wonderful backgrounds for photos of your crafts. You can also use simple backdrops like flat stones, brick walls and grassy fields. But avoid busy and complicated backgrounds like colorful flower gardens or patterned fabric that might distract customers from the real purpose of the photo.

4. Use a limited number of props.

The concept of using a limited number of props in your craft photos goes hand in hand with the simple backgrounds. Sometimes a prop or two will help enhance a photo and show off an item but other times props just get in the way and distract.

For instance, a good prop to use when photographing a handmade ring is a metal ring sizer or a mannequin hand. Bad props, which might distract the customer from the main attraction, might be other rings that are not for sale in that listing, piles of other jewelry or a full mannequin figure.

A good rule of thumb to remember is: keep it simple. This way you can ensure that potential buyers will be focussed solely on the item for sale and not on the props.

5. Wearable products should be modeled.

When you’re selling wearable handmade products, such as scarves and hats, jewelry, or sweaters, you should have these items modeled in your photographs. Being able to see what an item will look like on someone really helps to sell the garment or piece. Think about all the clothing catalogs and Web sites you have used in the past to purchase items. All of the items are modeled, aren’t they?

You don’t have to hire a professional model to get good photos of your wearable items. Anyone can model and do a great job, they just need to look clean, presentable and happy. You can ask friends or family members of all ages to model for you.

Models wearing simple clothes , neutral colors and minimal makeup and jewelry will help to keep the focus on the items you are trying to sell.

6. Edit your photos.

Once you have taken a good selection of photos, upload them to your computer and use an editing program of your choice to make them even better. A few simple changes can make a big difference in the quality of your photos.

Cropping the photos can help to really focus the photo on the craft product. Cut out any extraneous background or anything that shouldn’t be, or doesn’t need to be, in the photo.

Adjusting the lighting of the photos can help too. Brighten photos a little to enhance the colors, especially if they appear different in the photo to how they appear in real life. You want your photos to offer the most true-to-life presentation of the product as possible.

With these simple tips, you can easily learn to take great, high quality photos of your craft products. Remember to take your photos as seriously, or even more seriously, as you do your descriptions, pricing and everything else involved in selling online.

The photo is probably the first thing a customer will see. Make it a photo that they won’t easily forget so they’ll want to see more.

Costs to Start a Craft Business

When preparing to start a new craft business, there are many important things to keep in mind. But one thing that you will want to consider fairly early in the process is the cost of starting the business. How much of a budget will you have to work with and what do you actually need to buy?

As I was getting ready to start my craft business about five years ago, I didn’t consider many of the start-up costs and, as such, kind of had to make it up as I went along. But I’ve learned a lot since then and my business has grown and thrived in spite of having to learn on my feet.

Here are some things I wished I’d known years ago about the costs to start a craft business.

1. I wish I hadn’t bought so many supplies and materials at the beginning.

As a new business owner, it’s easy to think you’re going to need a lot of everything right away. And it’s sometimes tempting to get caught up in the purchasing process imply because you enjoy crafting as a hobby anyway.

For instance, if you crochet like I do, you’re probably already familiar with that overwhelming desire to buy every different kind of yarn you see in the craft store. But imagine how that desire can be justified in your mind when you start telling yourself, “It’s okay, it’s for the business.”

Personally, I would advise starting off with only the basic supplies you need to get started. You can always stock up again when you’ve got some cash flow, plus this way you will have more money to invest in other things that your business will need to get off the ground.

2. I wish that I had ordered business cards on day one.

As soon as I started telling people that I made and sold crafts for work, immediately people wanted to see photos. I found myself jotting down my Facebook URL or my E-mail address on scraps of paper for people when it would have been so much easier, not to mention more professional, to have had business cards printed in advance.

Business cards are an investment. You may think you won’t use them that often but, trust me, you should be giving a card to every single person you meet. You should be enclosing one with every order. You should have them ready to give people at fairs. Before you ever open up shop, I highly recommend that you make an order of at least 500 business cards.

3. I wish I’d invested in a good camera.

If you are planning to sell your crafts online, you’ll definitely want a good camera that can take high quality photos. When I first started selling on Etsy, I only had a very old, refurbished camera that really wasn’t up to the job. I probably used that and a cheap cell phone camera for about a year before I upgraded my phone to one with a much better camera.

The quality of your photos will absolutely influence how much you sell online. Think about some of the last purchases you made on the Internet. Would you have still bought the items if the photos were dark or unfocused? Probably not. Consumers like to see exactly what they are buying, which means if you’re going to sell online, you need to offer the next best thing with extremely good photos.

Along with the things I wish I’d known, there are some things I did know that might be of help to others who are starting a new business.
Sometimes new business owners think they need to make certain purchases or hire help because they have heard of others doing so. But there’s really a lot you can do with what you already have. Why spend unnecessary money?
Here are some things I’m glad I didn’t spend money on when I was first getting started.

1. A Web site.

Paying for Web hosting and design when you are a fledgling business can be an investment that does more harm than good. While it’s wonderful to have a Web site for selling your crafts, it’s not entirely necessary since you can sell for free on social media networks and you can sell very inexpensively on craft marketplaces like Etsy.

Additionally, when you’re first starting out, you’re more likely to get more traffic to your shop if you choose to sell on an established site known for handmade products. Save the cost of a personal Web site for the future when you are more established.

2. A new computer.

While buying a new computer might be really tempting, especially since you can count it as a business expense when filing your taxes, you probably really don’t need one. If you already own a desktop or laptop, even if it’s not high-end, you can get most things done with what you already have.

If you don’t own a computer, consider borrowing a friend’s, or using a laptop at a library for the first few months so that you can focus your investments in other areas and build up your cash flow. If you really want a new computer, at least try to wait until you have saved up the money.

3. An accountant.

Many new business owners are afraid of doing their won taxes, so they hire an accountant. However, what you may not realize is that doing your taxes is not as hard as it might seem. The instructions are all there for you and anyone can learn to do it.

While having an accountant to do my taxes for me would have been nice, I’m glad that I didn’t invest in one at the star of my business. Now it’s something I can look forward to in the future when my business has grown bigger and I don’t want to invest that much time doing paperwork.

I hope that my experiences with start-up business costs can be a help to you as you get your craft business up and running.

How to Write Descriptions That Sell Your Craft Products

When your sell craft products online, aside from your photos, your product descriptions are the single most important element of marketing your wares. The words you use to describe your handmade items absolutely have an impact on who buys, what you can charge and how much you sell.

As a craft business owner for more than four years, I have learned a lot of things about describing my products that have really aided me in selling my items. Here are some tried and true tips that I thought I’d share with you to help you sell more of your handmade products.

1. Learn to write well.

Well written descriptions are very important to selling your products. And you don’t have to be Shakespeare to write well. You simply need to learn the rules of grammar. Polish your writing skills so that your descriptions will be clean, correct and appealing. No one wants to read a description that’s riddled with errors.

If it’s been a while since you brushed up on your grammar skills, why not take a refresher English course at a local college? Alternatively, for free, you can use online games and quizzes to help you brush up on your writing skills.

Reading good books will also help you improve your writing skills. Fill your head with good writing and it will shine through in your own descriptions. Just remember not to plagiarise! Be inspired but don’t copy.

The important thing to remember is that poorly written descriptions will likely discourage a customer from buying, while well written descriptions will sell products.

2. Be precise in your descriptions.

Say exactly what you have for sale. Tell potential buyers what you are selling, what it’s used for and what size, shape and color it is. Aside from photos, the description is the only way people will know for sure what they are getting.

If the item is more than one color, specify this. If customers can choose other colors or patterns that are not in the photographs, make sure that you use your written description to tell them that these options are available. Don’t leave anything up for guess work. Customers don’t like to guess what they are buying.

3. Be poetic in your descriptions.

Use rich imagery in your words to capture the beauty of your products. Don’t fill the space with purple prose but do use creative language to paint a picture.

For instance, instead of saying your item is ‘red,’ think about what shade it is. Is it cardinal red or raspberry red? There are so many options for describing colors. You can look up color charts online to find tons of ways to describe every shade of the rainbow. .

Talk about the patterns and the textures of your items poetically. How does the item feel to the touch? If it’s a wearable item, is it comfortable? What kind of emotions does the item evoke? Be creative and think about all the different ways that you can describe your item and how it will make the buyer feel.

4. Describe your artistic process.

Tell potential buyers how you make your items. Obviously you don’t want to tell them exactly what you do, step by step, because other people might start copying your methods and producing the same products. But you can give a basic overview of how your products are made to encourage buyers to appreciate the work and thought that goes into each handmade item.

Talk about the materials you use for your handmade products. Where do they come from and how are they made? Are your materials recycled or eco friendly in any other way? Were they produced or purchased in your own country? Buyers often like to know these things when making decisions about what products to choose.

5. Make your products irresistible.

This is the fun part for me. I love talking about why I love my handmade items and why other people should love them too. To make your products irresistible to buyers, you need to be proud of them and not afraid to say so. Your self confidence will pay off.

If you make cute items, like miniatures or plush toys, play on the cute factor. Sometimes I do mock interviews with my amigurumi animals as this method seems to really tug at the heart strings. You could also talk about how your plush toy dog really needs a good home, or how a pair of mittens desperately wants to be paired with some friendly hands.

Be creative and have fun. If you’re having fun, it will shine through in your writing which can make your products even more irresistible.

6. Don’t say more than you need to.

While being creative and poetic in your descriptions is great, you also don’t want to be too wordy. If there are long paragraphs of heavy text to weed through, potential buyers may get bogged down and decide it’s not worth reading.

Be concise; say everything you need to in as few words as possible. Keep your paragraphs short because it makes them easier to read on the computer screen.

If you are afraid that you haven’t said enough, make sure to be clear that customers can contact you with any questions or concerns.

7. Edit and proofread your descriptions.

Always look over your descriptions at least once before you make them public. Twice is better. It’s so easy to make typos and grammatical errors, especially when you’ve been writing in a hurry. If you’re stressed and overworked, you’re more likely to make mistakes.

If you can, have a second person proofread your descriptions too. Sometimes a second pair of eyes can help you find errors you missed the first time.

In conclusion, remember that the more positive you sound about your own products, the more positive a customer will feel. Have fun, be creative and write well. Put in the work beforehand and your words will sell your products for you.

How to Make Crochet Products That Actually Sell

Crocheting has become immensely popular lately. While it has been around for a few hundred years, it seemed to go out of vogue for a while after it hit its peak in the 1960’s and 70’s. But now it’s back and everyone seems to be doing it.

If you’re a craft business owner and you want to sell your crochet products, you’re probably already aware that there’s a lot of competition out there. A lot of people are making similar products, even from the same patterns much of the time. How do you make crochet products that actually sell?

There’s a definite need for crocheters to create unique products that no one else has. And yet, this can be hard to accomplish because these products also need to be desirable and attractive. Just because something is unique doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to sell.

As a seasoned crocheter and craft business owner, over the years I’ve discovered some tried and true ways to create crochet products that will actually sell. Here are some of my tips. I hope they help you increase your sales.

1. Use modern patterns.

Modern patterns are ideal if you want to create crochet products that will actually sell. Modern patterns are readily available and you don’t have to break the bank to buy a few good ones.

You have probably noticed a trend in crochet lately–there are a lot more books of patterns being published, as well as crochet magazines coming out, than there were 15 to 20 years ago. You can also find a lot of great patterns in PDF form for sale online. Ravelry is a great place to look. Or, for free patterns, try visiting your local library.

“What’s wrong with vintage patterns?” you might ask. After all, isn’t vintage in style right now? Well, some vintage patterns are great, yes. But others will produce a range of tacky, outdated products that no one really wants.

When considering a vintage pattern, ask yourself if you would personally use or buy the item you are thinking of making. Would you feel good about giving it as a gift? Do you think someone you know would actually use it or like it? If you can’t answer yes to any of these questions, ditch the vintage pattern and go modern for sure.

If you’re at all inclined, you can also learn to write your own patterns. This will naturally ensure that you have products that are completely unique.

2. Create desirable products.

Creating desirable products goes hand-in-hand with the use of modern patterns. Modern crochet books and magazines will give you ideas for things that people actually want.

There’s no point in trying to sell things that no one is interested in buying, like those dish soap cover ‘dolls’ that were everywhere in the 1970’s. I’ve seen a lot of those at craft fairs over the years but I’ve never actually seen one in use in someone’s home. That’s pretty telling.

So, what are desirable products? Some of the best selling items for crochet are wearable items, useful items and cute items.

Wearable items can be anything from hair accessories and jewelry to sweaters and hats and scarves. Choose modern patterns to create fashionable, trendy items that people will love to wear. You can even get ideas for your own patterns by browsing catalogs and fashion magazines.

Useful crochet items include things like purses, shopping bags, bathroom rugs, dish clothes and towels, baby blankets, sofa cushions and anything else that can be crocheted and that people will actually use and enjoy in daily life.

Cute things are very salable right now too. Blame the sub culture of Japanese Amigurumi dolls if you like but the time is definitely ripe for the sale of anything adorable. Search any handmade marketplace, such as Etsy or ArtFire, and you’ll find thousands upon thousands of cute crochet toys and dolls for sale.

Yes, there’s a lot of competition: but they do sell. And with crochet narwhals, zombie bunnies and Lovecraft’s cthulhu out there, it seems like the weirder the better. Make your cute items doubly salable by making them useful or wearable.

3. Create high quality, attractive products.

It may seem like a no-brainer that your products should be high quality. However, even if you’ve been crocheting for years, as I have, you may be surprised by how much you don’t know. When I first learned, for instance, Youtube didn’t exist, so if I didn’t know how to do something, sometimes I just fudged it.

If you want to sell your crochet products, you absolutely cannot fudge. Respect yourself and the handmade industry enough to dedicate the time and effort needed to each product to ensure that it’s of the highest quality you have to offer. Spend that extra bit of time to learn the right way of doing things.

Making your products attractive is also important. The difficulty here lies in the fact that everyone has different tastes and personalities, so the popularity of certain colors and patterns is not always something you can predict. However, there are a few rules of thumb to follow that should help.

Work with color schemes. Use colors that go well together and either match or contrast. If you don’t feel comfortable making color choices, ask some fellow crocheters to help you decide. You can also use a color wheel to determine contrasting colors, or look up color families and schemes in art books. You can also choose color themes based on existing products you have seen and liked. Nature is also a great inspiration for attractive color schemes that don’t clash.

4. Refuse the temptation to copy.

Everyone starts off their crochet business meaning well. We all have plans to sell great, unique products that will fly off the shelves. But what happens if you see an idea someone else has made that is selling really well? After all, you know you can make the exact same thing, so why not go for it?

There’s a fine line between inspiration and stealing someone’s idea. However, I can guarantee you that if you cross that line, you will get called out. If you want to maintain a good reputation in the handmade world, do yourself a favor and only sell your own, unique ideas or work from copyright free patterns. This way, no one can question your ethics and you can always be proud of your work.

These are some of the things you can do to ensure that you create crochet products that will actually sell. The main things to remember are that you want your products to be modern, desirable, high quality and unique.

How To Become A Walking Advertisement For Your Craft Business

“I like your shirt. Where did you get it?”

We’ve all heard something like this before. It’s nice to have someone admire something we’re wearing that we made with our own hands. It makes us feel good about ourselves. But have you thought about how your answer to this question is an advertisement for that company?

Big brand names know that when a customer wears their products he is a walking advertisement wherever he goes. That’s one of the reasons why so many clothing brands like to display their logos so prominently; they don’t want there to be any question about where that item of clothing was purchased.

But why should the big brands be the only ones with walking advertisements for their products? It’s really easy to take this principle to heart when it comes to your craft business too. And you don’t have to emblazon really big brand names or logos across your products to make this work. All you need are unique, wearable products that will turn heads.

Here are some tips on becoming a walking advertisement for your craft business. Who says the little guys can’t do big business too?

1. Wear your wares proudly.

If you make handmade jewelry, accessories, or clothing, you can very easily get a lot of attention for your business by wearing one or more of your finished products everywhere you go. Wear what you’re the most proud of and people will want to know more.

Wear your most colorful and creative designs. An unusual pair of earrings makes a great conversation starter. A hat or scarf with a unique pattern or color scheme will often make people ask where you shop.

Even if you don’t regularly make wearable products you can still take advantage of this. If you make miniatures, make a few of them into earrings you can wear to social engagements. If you crochet blankets, make a few headbands to wear when you go shopping. In this way, you’ll get people noticing your work and talking about it.

2. Become a sandwich board.

If you don’t want to make any wearable products, you can get your business name and logo printed on a T-shirt. This way, everywhere you go you will still have the opportunity to talk to people about what you do for a living.

Make use of both sides of the shirt. You can put your Web site or E-mail address on the back, as well as information about what you make, so that even when you are standing in a line or waiting to be served at a restaurant, people will notice your business.

You can also have promotional pin back buttons made to wear on your jacket or bag. These are also great freebies to give to people you meet. (See more about freebies in tip 3.)

3. Be a marketing pro.

You should have business cards or fliers on you at all times. It’s perfectly natural for people to talk about what they do for work, so there should be no exception for those who are self employed.

You should put a card in the hand of almost everyone you meet. When you visit a boutique and you chat to the owner about a common interest, give her your card. When you visit the post office to mail your orders, tell the postmaster what you do and give him a card.

Learn to talk to strangers. Talk to people at bus stops, in lines at the grocery store, while in the doctor’s waiting room or when picking up your child from school. A lot of people are lonely and grateful to have someone to talk to. Even if you don’t end up talking about crafts or business, you can still give a card to anyone who will take one.

Giving out freebies is another great way to market like a pro. Discount coupons for your online shop and sample products are ideal. If someone shows particular interest in something you have made, offer them a freebie and encourage them to visit your Web site when you give them your card.

4. Give your products with love.

Whenever you need a gift for someone, whatever the occasion, give your own products. If your items are well made, desirable products then people will be more than pleased to receive them for baby showers, birthdays, weddings and more.

Of course you should still put thought into your gifts, making them personal for each individual. Choose colors you know the recipient likes, ask them what their favorite animal is so that you can incorporate it in the gift, or ask them what kind of earrings they want so that you can custom make a pair to their taste.

When your gifts are finished and ready to wrap, consider making gift labels for them with your business name and information. A handmade gift should not have a price on it, just as you would not leave a price on a store bought gift, but there’s no harm in letting your recipient know that you do this kind of thing professionally and are open for orders.

5. Leave a footprint.

Guerrilla marketing is very popular these days. A few of the many ways people have done this on a small scale include: leaving a branded sticker on a telephone pole, a business card left on a table in a restaurant, or even painted graffiti on a wall.

Or, why not get a little crazy and try yarn bombing? Leave a handmade scarf tied around a tree or a hat on a fire hydrant. You can also leave an envelope somewhere marked “for whoever finds this” and put a free pair of pretty earrings or a cute key ring inside. Put your business name on the product if you dare.

But you don’t have to use drastic guerrilla tactics like this to leave a footprint. For something a little less cloak-and-dagger, carry your business cards with you and tack them to bulletin boards in stores, doctor’s offices, or any other place where you are welcomed to do this. Many companies are happy to help promote small businesses.

I hope these tips have helped you to see new ways of marketing your craft business. The main thing to remember when you want to be a walking advertisement is that you should be excited about what you do. If you’re excited, you’ll get other people excited too.

10 Clever & Quirky Projects to Make This Week!

What a great week at the Inspiration Gallery! I LOVED having Miss NellieBellie as a co-host! She had some fun and picked out her favorite projects from this week–fun right?! Are you ready for some Clever and Quirky Projects to make this week?! I am!

So…10 clever crafts to make this week!

Origami Fish Art from Architecture of a Mom

Repurposed Planter Succulent Centerpiece from Making Home Base

Sheet Music Sailboats from Confessions of a Plate Addict

Kid’s Mustache Cups from That’s What Che Said

Toilet Paper Birdhouses from Sew-Crafty Kids

DIY Cake Plate from Atop Serenity Hill

Not exactly a craft. But oh my gosh….

Blueberry Mojito Popsicles from Twigg Studios

DIY Straw Sparkler from Hubby Made Me

Beach Inspired Mason Jar from A Pumpkin and a Princess

Wonderful and clever right?! Now be sure to head over to NellieBellie for some more AMAZING inspiration!!

Fabulous Furniture Makeovers!

Happy Weekend Sweet Friends!

I hope you are all having a wonderful one! I am SO in love with all of your furniture makeovers from this weeks Inspiration Gallery Link Party! You guys are SO talented!

Garage sale makeover by Dirt Stains and Paint

French Drum table makeover by Dirt Stains and Paint

Wood plank chair makeover by Liz Marie

Furniture rehab by Glamorous, Affordable Life

Refinished dresser by Denise on a whim

Dresser turned media center by Love, pomegranate house

Mini kitchen rolling rolling cart by Now at Home Mom

Nursery Printables

I love printables with sweet words. And when it comes to sweet words and quotes, there have been a few that I have been really wanting to incorporate into my little gals nursery. And so naturally I did what any crafty gal would do, I made a few printables.

I have to admit, my nursery progress is on hold right now because we are renovating our entire upstairs and kitchen. In reality I may not have a nursery for some time, and most likely not before the little gal arrives. But I have come to terms with that and I am on to doing small projects that I CAN do right now. Printables are little, but at least I can say I am kind of sort of accomplishing something right?!

I am not sure if these are the final version, but I thought I would share them with you and see what you think!

You are more than welcome to use these printables if you like them! All you need to do is right-click the image and save to your computer. Then you can print away!

They may even make cute cards if you printed them on smaller paper… hummm, I should really start making… can you believe that I bought 4 cards from Hallmark the other day and it costed over $20.00 ?! The crafty gal in me is thinking that is printables for cards sound great! BUT I do love Hallmark–have I ever admitted on here that I worked at a Hallmark in high school? I loved it! Any other ex-Hallmark employees out there?!

10 Inspiring DIY Projects!

Happy happy weekend sweet friends! I hope you are enjoying sunshine where ever you are! We are finally seeing sun here in Wisconsin, and I am going to be soaking it up!

There were so many amazing DIY projects linked up to the Inspiration Gallery link party this week! Here are a few of our favorites.