Marketing a Craft Product

There are many ways to market your soaps and homemade bath products. I have found that giving free samples is one of the best methods for getting new customers for my soaps.

You can cut 16 samples from one basic 4 oz. bar of soap by cutting the bar into 8 pieces, then cutting those pieces in half. Next, place a piece of the soap in a small craft bag (you can get these at Stores in the Crafts section) and label it with your business information using regular Avery mailing labels.

To distribute your samples, place them in attractive baskets and visit a few non-competing stores to see if they will let you leave your baskets on their counters.

You can also staple these to your business cards, and hand them out as you normally would a business card.

Yet another method that works better than the above two would be to make what are called “fish bowls” and leave these at area businesses. To make a fish bowl, first print out some cards for customer’s information such as name, address and phone number. Next, purchase a few containers that are clear, and that has a secure lid on them, that are about the size of a regular fish bowl. Some people actually use fish bowls, but I have found this causes problems because the fish bowls break easily, and cannot be closed to prevent theft of your customer’s information.

Now take the lid of your container, and cut a slot that is big enough for your slips of paper that you printed off earlier to slip into when they are folded in half. Secure your lid onto your container with tape and then cover the tape with attractive ribbon.

Next, make a sign stating that anyone that enters your drawing for a free “whatever” will receive a free soap sample in the mail. The “whatever” can be a gift certificate from the store that lets you place your fish bowls on their counters (this helps promote the store, thus making the store owner more agreeable to letting you use their counter space), or it can be a few bars of soap from your inventory or both

Next, locate stores that do not mind sharing some of their counter space with you. This is where you'll place your fish bowls.

Although this method costs a bit more because you are offering a prize, and because you will need to mail your samples, it also produces better results than by just handing out samples.

You will get potential customers addresses and phone numbers, when you mail your sample you can also include information about your products, and you can also send them a follow up mailing asking for their input on how well they liked your sample. This information can be very valuable towards the growth of your business.

You can also package samples of your bath salts and scrubs in the small zip lock bags as well, and use these instead if you do not make soap.

Paul is Head of Training for a major UK Charitable Organisation with a wealth of experience in personal development, management development, e-learning and operational management. In addition he owns PK eBooks (http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk) and has just published a Guide to Making Soaps and Candles which can be found at http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk/making_soaps_and_candles.htm

Leather Craft Classes

If you are interested in learning how to make undeniably great leather products, you can enjoy classes to make anything from shoes to handbags to gun straps, and much, much more! You can find more opportunities on the Internet but I have put together a list of some organizations that offer leather-making classes that I would highly recommend:

YWCA / YMCA

ywca.com or ymca.com Most people think of these notational organizations as being places to learn how to swim or where they can enjoy a good aerobics class. While both the YMCA and YWCA do offer these types of activities, they offer incredible classes that include leather making.

All you need to do is visit the website listed to find an organization where you live. Some of the classes offered include design and making of leather shoes, belts, handbags, hats, wallets, and more. The prices may vary but on average, you can expect to pay around $150 to $250 for a four- to six-week class.

jmwillowwinds.com/classes/classes.html

This company offers classes for many different types of leather making, which includes an excellent opportunity on how to make shoes and handbags from a skilled leather maker. In these classes, you will learn to design and construct shoes such as pumps, sandals, oxfords, and loafers. They also offer both a beginner and intermediate class. The classes run around $300 for 10 sessions.

heritan.com

If you live in Michigan and are interested in tanning, this is the place to take classes. The instructor is highly skilled and has many of his pieces seen on the big screen in movies such as Legend of the Falls and Thunderheart. You will learn the art of tanning hide using the traditional method of brain tanning and will have an awesome finished skin to take home.

One of the most popular classes is the “Brain-Tanned Buffalo Robe” class. If you are serious about tanning, you can tan a buffalo and make a wonderful finished product such as a bedroll.

tandyleather.com

With operations in Canada and Texas, Tandy Leather has been in business since 1991. At this company, you can buy leather wholesale and receive a guarantee on all your purchases. In addition to selling, they also offer classes in leather making.

advleather.com

They offer basic and advanced courses in the repair and restoration of leather furniture, automotive leathers, and other leather-uphostered items.

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21 Handy Craft Tips

From one “crafty” person to another, here are a bunch of ideas to try out while you’re crafting or sewing to make your life a bit easier, and to save a bit of money and time in the process.

 

1. Use inexpensive index cards to staple on fabric swatches or ribbon; very handy to take with you to your fabric or craft shop.

 

2. Old pillowcases make handy cover-ups for children! Cut out a large hole for the head and two smaller holes for the arms and just slip over their heads. They can even decorate them with tie-dye, fabric paint or iron-ons.

 

3. If you use rubber stamps for your projects, clean them with a mild detergent after each use, making sure you keep the wood parts dry. Use a paper towel to dry the stamp and then store them with the stamp side down, away from direct sunlight.

 

4. Large bottle caps make handy disposable containers for paints or glue.

 

5. Use a toothpick to apply glue to a small part; less “glue-y” fingers!

 

6. A damp Q-tip can pick up small items such as seed beads or rhinestones.

 

7. Keep a magnet handy in case you drop needles or pins on the floor.

 

8. A coffee can is great for storing balls of yarn when crocheting or knitting. Simply punch a hole in the coffee can lid and poke the yarn up through and out; then close the lid.

 

9. Use cardboard emery boards as sandpaper for small parts or areas where regular sanders or files will not reach.

 

10. Shred your leftover wrapping paper to make pretty “stuffing” for gift baskets and bags.

 

11. Use your lint roller around your sewing table to pick up bits of thread.

 

12. Don’t toss out that old plastic tablecloth when you buy a new one. Use the old one as a table protector when crafting.

 

13. For larger projects, use an old plastic shower curtain as a drop cloth or cut it into smaller table protectors.

 

14. Tweezers make great holders for those small parts you’re trying to glue or paint. Less glue and paint on fingers.

 

15. Lubricate the tip of your needle before sewing by pushing it into a sliver of soap.

 

16. Keep a roll of paper towels on your worktable to clean up spills, wipe your hands and even to use for creating texture in your paintings.

 

17. Use an old coffee can sitting in a pot or pan of hot water on the burner to melt leftover pieces of candles. Make sure you handle the hot coffee can with oven mitts. Add an old candle, the long, tapered kind, to a cardboard milk carton. Add ice and then the melted wax. After the candle is set, tear away the carton over your sink to drain the water and you’ll have a unique “Swiss cheese” candle to use. You can toss out the coffee can after its use. No worrying about cleaning a pot with wax residue.

 

18. Use an old (or new!) fishing case, with all its many compartments, for your small craft parts.

 

19. Hate throwing away the last sliver of soap? Break it up into pieces and place in a rubber baking mold. Melt more soap, either left over or purchased inexpensive soap, cool slightly so it won’t melt your soap bits and pour into mold, let harden and pop your new soap out of the mold!

 

20. Tape a small plastic grocery bag or a small paper bag to your sewing table so it hangs over the side. Handy for tossing out bits of cut thread and fabric scraps.

 

21. A small metal parts cabinet (the kind for bolts, nails and screws, etc.) is great for storing small crafts parts and sewing items. I even have two of them housing all my earrings and necklaces – one or more drawers for each color!

 

These were just some of the handy hints I’ve used over the years. There are TONS more out there which may result in “Handy Craft Tips Two” – hey, you never know…stay tuned! Oh, by the way, if YOU have any great tips to share, please email me at info@whimsies-online.com.

 

Want more of Heather Diodati’s articles and how-to’s? Visit http://www.whimsies-online.com/freecontent.htm. By the way, you are free to use these articles on your websites and ezines provided you include the author’s bylines. A courtesy copy or an email mentioning where the article was published would be much appreciated!

I Love Craft E-books!

Before I get completely carried away, I am assuming that, as you're reading an online article, you know what an e-book is?

In the off-chance that you don't, it's really just like any other book in content - but it's a computer file and as such doesn't exist in the "real world". It's true that some e-books are also printed, but that's not the point as that is then an ordinary book.

E-books come in a number of formats - too many to go into here - but increasingly I think it's the Adobe PDF format that is the most popular. The reader software is always free (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html) and it works on all PCs, Apple Macs and, as far as I am aware, virtually all popular hand held devices like Palm, etc. There are a small number of dedicated portable reading devices that PDF doesn't work on, but that's such as small percentage of the market it's not relevant to us as craftspeople. Trust me, if you're going to buy an e-book, or your going to write one, use PDF.

But why e-books anyway? There are hundreds of hard cover and soft cover books out there, enough choice for everyone you might think. So why bother with e-books at all?

Well for a start, as far as I'm concerned there will never be too much choice! You can't ever have too many ideas - and this is one of the main benefits of e-books.

You see e-books are much cheaper to publish than "normal" books. A traditional publisher has to do a lot of math before deciding to produce a book. There's paper, ink, print costs, storage, distribution... and all this has nothing to do with whether the book is a good one or not - just whether it's "commercially viable".

On the other hand, you can produce an e-book on your computer - right now. You can set up a website to promote it. People can buy it and download it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from anywhere in the world.

I'm not saying it's necessarily an easy thing - I've collaborated on quite a few and it's hard work - but it is do-able, and you aren't restricted by the commercial considerations of traditional publishing.

The great benefit that this gives us is that smaller interest groups can be catered for. An e-book publisher doesn't have to sell "X" number of copies just to break even, they can do it for the love of the subject. Sure, if it ages a few bucks that's nice too - but it doesn't need to be the main motivation.

And so we get really knowledgeable, creative people sharing their skills with us. People who might never have been published normally can give us the benefit of what they've learned in pursuit of their craft.

There are a couple of practical benefits as well.

Because it's a digital file you download it to your PC in minutes. You don't have to wander the shops, you don't have to wait for the mail and, because there are no delivery costs, they're quite often cheaper.

You can read it on screen or print just some of the pages out - which if you think about it is particularly pertinent to crafts people.

For example, if you knit and your e-book has patterns, then you only need print them out - not try to balance the whole book on your lap or on the arm of your chair. If you're a wood or leather worker, for example, you can just print the relevant patterns or instructions and take them to your workshop or studio - and of course because the book is digital you can do this once, twice, a hundred or more times. So no more trips to the copy shop either!

Finally - and I've done this one myself - you don't have to worry about those little "accidents" ruining your precious book. If you spill coffee or paint or anything over you just go back to the computer and print another one!

So I know what you're asking - what about the downsides? An e-book isn't exactly a treasured possession for your library, is it.

True - and I probably wouldn't buy my favorite novel as an e-book to curl up in front of on the sofa. But I'm talking about craft e-books. They are reference works, instructional, often with patterns - so yes, I prefer them. The only down side I can think of is that because they're relatively cheap to publish there are occasionally a few which aren't of the best quality.

But even then there's a solution that you won't often find in the world of "normal" books. Almost every craft e-book publisher I know of has so much faith in their product they offer a 100% no-quibble money back guarantee. So you can't loose. If you don't like the book you simply ask for your money back.

Try that at your local bookstore.

Xandra Veal runs http://craftbooksnow.com a website which reviews over 70 craft e-books covering needle-crafts, kids crafts, jewelry, beading, scrap-booking, soaps, fragrances, candles, flowers, leather, wood and more.

Craft Project

The internet is a wonderful resource for finding ideas for craft projects. Whether you're looking for holiday craft projects, kids craft projects or just craft projects that will give you something to do on a rainy day- the internet has ideas to get you started.

Craft projects take many shapes and varieties. You can make your own soap, create candles of different shapes, sizes and textures, create your own jewelry, make a quilt or sock puppet, design a memory album or make greeting cards to send to friends and family.

Some craft projects can be completed in a matter of minutes, and are just a fun activity to do with the kids or on your own. Other craft projects can take a day or two, a few weeks- or even longer! It all depends on the amount of work the project requires, whether paint or glue needs to dry in between stages, and how long you're able to work on your craft projects in one sitting.

Quick Craft Projects

If you have an hour or so, you can do many different quick craft projects! If crafting gives you a release from the stress of daily life, try to fit in an hour or so a day of crafting. Here are some ideas of craft projects you can do in about an hour:

• create a scrapbook page
• greeting cards
• candles
• soap
• hair scrunchies
• paper dolls & clothing

Longer Craft Projects

If you like to work on craft projects over a long time period, you would enjoy creating more detailed crafts. When the inspiration strikes you, you can sit down to your craft projects and create- and when it's time to stop, you can just put it away until the next time you can work on it! Here are some ideas of craft projects that you can work on long term:

• quilting
• crocheting
• complete memory albums
• wood crafts
• jewelry
• stenciling
• clay objects

Craft projects make wonderful gift items, since they are handmade and come from the heart. People love to receive craft projects as it lets them know you care about them enough to spend time on creating the item for them. You can prepare for the gift giving holidays all year by crafting and saving your craft projects to give away as gifts to family and friends.

If you run out of ideas for craft projects to work on, you can look through a magazine or surf the web. There is always something you can craft.

Warren and Karen have been involved in the internet for a number of years and run several websites. They are most interested in providing opportunities for people to connect with information relating to business, health and creativity. Check out their Craft Project blog for more information.