Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Can color affect our Sales?
http://www.craftassoc.com/colstory.html
* RED: is know Internationally as the ultimate buying color. The color of lust, passion, anger... the attention getter. Used in small amounts it is the best color to stimulate sales. However, if overused it can be a turn off to more subtle customers. The best use for red is using it as an attention getter. Use it to draw a customer's attention to a specific message or display area you want them to focus on.
* ORANGE: is know as the most irritating color to the eye and is proven to be the least favorite color in the world. Direct mail marketeers love to use it on direct mail pieces because it will be noticed when it arrives within any stack of mail. Orange is also known as the color of creativity, sexuality and is associated with affordability. This is another good color to use to attract attention, but use it sparingly or as an accent color.
* PURPLES and VIOLETS: These colors like orange, are very subjective. People either love them or hate them. Purple is associated with royalty, or with spirituality and healing.
* BLUE: Blue is the all time best seller and is the most favorite color in the world regardless of culture. Blue is considered the color of communication, with light blue leading to fantasy and dark blue the color of authority and power. Blue is the water color that congers up visions of peacefulness and flights of fantasy.
* GREEN: is relaxing. A color of tranquility and healing. It is the earth color bringing us thoughts of the outdoors, the forest, grass and dreamy meadows. It is a passive not a stimulating color.
* YELLOW: is the first color seen by the retina. Yellow works as a good focus or attention getting color. A good accent color when used in moderation. Yellow is a "stop and ponder" color.
* BROWN: is the color of earth, wood and nature. It denotes natural or traditional values. Light wood shades are associated with affordability, dark shades with richness and opulence. Brown offers a relaxed, casual feeling.
* NEUTRALS: Black or White are always a safe and effective accent. They enhance the primary colors when used as a backdrop to create contrast. Alone, the can give off a sterile or institutional feeling.
* PASTELS: here I will mention pastels as a group only because they are an important decorating or fashion accent. What makes them so popular is that they blend so well with the going trend colors of the season. Pastels afford you the opportunity to use them in designs and products that will blend or mix and match with what ever color theme you are working with. The softer shades allow you to blend in with other primary colors, and often makes the buying decision easier for the consumer.
Monday, September 8, 2008
A Crocheted Baby
Website: http://TheCrochetedBaby.etsy.com
Blog: http://www.daley-travels.com/crochet-blog/
Products: crocheted baby slipper-socks and 100% cotton crochet bath accessories, items such as facial and shower scrubbies, soap savers, etc.
Country/Location: USA
Can you tell us something about yourself? I’m a newly retired grandma and indulging in a life-long love of crocheting. My grandma taught me to crochet when I was a little girl and while my time to devote to it has ebbed and flowed through the years of raising kids, etc.; since we retired in Jan 2007 I’ve been able to crochet as much as I like (mostly!) I was also diagnosed with cancer last summer so had several months of chemo and not having the energy to get up off the couch to do anything very physical – crochet was a lifesaver for me then. I can’t stand (or sit!) and just do nothing and don’t even own a television!
For now we have moved to Alabama to be near our oldest daughter while her husband is serving his second term in Iraq. She gave us our second grandson about 8 weeks ago and it has been SUCH a blessing to be able to be here to help her – I was even in the delivery room when he was born! We also have one daughter still at home (out of 3 total) who is 12 and whom we home school. She was one of our foster babies who was unable to go back to her birth family so we kept her – that was 11 years ago. She has some difficulties due to being exposed to lots of drugs and alcohol before she was born, but she’s doing all right – I’m even teaching her to crochet! J
What are your goals for your crafting? My short term goal right now is to build up enough so that I can take a 3-4 week trip this summer to visit our middle daughter in Colorado. After that, my main goal is to contribute to our fund to purchase a new RV and truck. We love to travel around the country and are looking forward to being able to do it full-time within the next year. The crocheting I do is definitely portable and I can continue to work my business from the road.
Where do you find the inspiration for your designs? Hmmm, not sure on that one – ideas just hit me. For my baby socks I guess I usually find inspiration by looking at different yarns and visualizing how they would look made up as socks. I recently made several paid of red, white and blue socks and wanted them to have the blue star field on the cuff with the red and white stripes on the body of the foot. It took some time to find yarn that would work but I finally had some hand painted and they turned out wonderfully! I’m brainstorming other ideas for ‘summer themed’ socks now that I know I can just get the yarn hand painted exactly to my specs! J
Describe your daily routine. I try to spend my mornings working on networking and promotion – Flickr, Project Wonderful ads and campaigns, free ads around the web, whatever I can find. Afternoons are when ‘life’ intrudes – errands, school with our daughter, whatever else needs done. Evenings are creating time. I’m a night owl usually up until 1 AM and that is when I get my best work done. The house is quiet and I can concentrate!
How long have you been crafting? Most of my life – I’ve done crochet, loom beading (another favorite), polymer clay, plastic canvas, sketching (just learning this one), knitting machine, scrapbooking, you name it – I’ve probably tried it!
Are you a full time or part time crafter? Fairly full-time!
What made you decide to focus on your crafting and make it a business? While we are retired and don’t “need” the money, I do sometimes miss the corporate paycheck I gave up. Since I love to crochet anyway – and build up quite and inventory while I was going through chemo – I decided to give it a go.
How do you market or promote your items and where can we see it? I promote my items on Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecrochetedbaby/ ; Project Wonderful ads all over the place!; I also place ads on as many free sites as I have time for (Jaabu.com; Kijiji.com; BuySellCommunity.com). From time to time I purchase ads on various sites as well. And of course – my etsy shop: http://TheCrochetedBaby.etsy.com . I also have a (lately neglected) crochet blog section on my regular family website - http://www.daley-travels.com/crochet-blog/ . I am also hoping to put up a dedicated website for The Crocheted Baby, but realistically speaking that’s a little lower on the priority list. J
What can you say about your choice of work? I started out focusing on baby socks for my store, but have added 100% cotton bath accessories such as facial scrubbies and makeup remover pads – and they are doing very well. Right now my shop is about 50% baby stuff, 50% cotton bath items.
What can you tell your other fellow crafters? If you believe you have something others would like, give it a try. Etsy is very easy to get started on – but it’s also very easy to get LOST on. Especially if you are selling jewelry. And I’d just like to encourage you to be sure you do *quality* work – whatever it is. I’ve ordered some things and was really disappointed in the quality of them – jewelry with extra string or wire on it with no beads; stuff that just looked like costume jewelry but wasn’t marketed that way, just stuff like that. Make sure YOU would really want to spend your money to buy what you’re selling
RESEARCH who else is selling what you’re planning to sell (believe me - *someone* will be selling it!) and see how they are doing, see what the market rate is at Etsy. You really need to sit down and do the numbers to see if you will be making a profit on your items. If all you care about is getting back your money – that’s your decision, but at least make sure you ARE getting your money back. It costs money to pack and ship your items too. And gas is certainly becoming a bigger line item!
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is to figure out WHY you’re doing what you’re doing and what YOUR goals are – then reach for them!
Friday, September 5, 2008
How to take good photographs of your products.
I've got a lot of comments on my photographs about my handmade products. (Okay... so this pictures isn't handmade, but I had to purchase it because it's just stunning.) But I do love how I can surprise them when I tell them that I used a simple old digital camera.
The techniques are pretty easy. All you need is a white background and Photoshop. But recently I found this website that explains how to take photos of jewelries and beads better and like a pro. Take a look. The instructions are pretty easy.
http://www.tabletopstudio.com/documents/HowTo_page.htm
It's Not Handmade
Okay, this one is not handmade, but just take a look at it! I really really really want to buy one. I so love the colors they use. What a great idea. Snap-a-party.
SNAP-A-PARTY
the do-it-yourself place settinghttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Did you love to assemble model planes as a kid? Or maybe
your brother got to have all the fun? Either way, we think you’ll
love Snap-A-Party, the snap-apart plastic party pack. Includes
everything you need at a party - knife, fork, spoon, plate,
chopsticks, toothpick, even a napkin ring - all ready to snap-
apart and put to use. A fun, interactive conversation-starter for
your next swingin’ soiree! Packed 4 per pack, available in 4
groOoOvy colors.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
It's Dinner Time - Chimes!
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Website: http://dinnertimechimes.etsy.com
Blog: http://nctriangle.blogspot.com
Products: Windchimes made from silverware, other creations from silverware, Bird houses from boots and cooking pots
Country/Location: Clinton, North Carolina, USA
Can you tell us something about yourself?
I'm Erin and with the help of my husband (Gavin), we create these usual recycled crafts.
What are your goals for your crafting?
I craft to stay busy. I love to make things and crafting allows me to make something and then share it with someone who loves my creations.
Where do you find the inspiration for your designs?
Flea markets are the best source for the materials that I use in my crafts. I love spotting something on a table and thinking about what I could make out of it!
Describe your daily routine.
In the mornings I check my email and package up any sold items. Then I go to work, which only means shifting over to my work laptop since I'm lucky enough to work from home. I cook lunch for myself, and finsh working for the day by 4 o'clock. My husband comes home from his job shortly thereafter. We then either work in the yard and garden or head over to the house we recently purchased to continue on our remodeling projects before cooking supper. If there's anytime left over in the day, I'll work a little on a craft (I usually spend the weekends crafting)
How long have you been crafting?
For as long as I can remember! I've been making these windchimes for over 10 years now (I started back in high school), but before that I was busy learning sewing and baking from my grandmother. I also used to love to work on miniature houses--that hobby had to come to an end since I can't bring myself to sell them and there's only so many places that you can display 3-story doll houses!
Are you a full time or part time crafter?
I'm just a part-time crafter, but dream of the days when it might be possible to retire and craft all the time!
What made you decide to focus on your crafting and make it a business?
When I started making the windchimes again after getting married in 2006, the interest was growing and I knew that the profits were quickly going to be over what the state considered a "hobby," so I went ahead and completed the paper work to become an actual business. It's a neat feeling to know that you're the president of your own business!
How do you market or promote your items and where can we see it?
I rely heavily on free online advertising, and it's worked great thus far. Word of mouth is by far the best method for my shop. When you see a picture of one of our windchimes, it's hard to imagine that the forks and spoons hanging below it actually make a lovely sound (which is why I recorded a couple chimes and added that sound to my personal website)
Etsy shop: http://dinnertimechimes.etsy.com
Personal web-site (hear the windchimes): http://hometown.aol.com/dinnertimechimes/main.html
Windchimes available locally: Just Plain Country Store in Walnut Cove, NC http://www.justplaincountrystore.com/ and Buffalo Creek Farm in Germanton, NC http://hometown.aol.com/buffalocreekfarm/main.html
What can you say about your choice of work?
It's an unusual craft and I know that it's not for everyone, but I really enjoy seeing the smiles of people of all ages when they look at all of our creations!
What can you tell your other fellow crafters?
Crafting is only worth it if you enjoy it. When it gets to be too much like a job, you've got to make some changes. Grandma always said "a watched pot, never boils" and the same is true if you're waiting impatiently for an item to sell!
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