If you would like to check out more of my items please got to: http://TylerRaesBoutique.etsy.com
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thinking About The Colors Of Spring
The other day I was perusing around my local yarn shop trying to find some inspiration for spring when I came across this multicolored yarn that I just had to have. It had all of the colors of spring in it and than some. The vibrant colors just made me smile. I just had to make something out of this yarn. Now in contradiction to spring I decided to make said yarn into a very beautiful winter scarf......because after all it is a wool blend angel hair yarn. What better way to make use of such a beautiful yarn than through a scarf. It only seems fitting to dress yourself up in some color to brighten up those long winter months! So here it is! Think warm thoughts and about the wonderful colors of spring and enjoy:
If you would like to check out more of my items please got to: http://TylerRaesBoutique.etsy.com
If you would like to check out more of my items please got to: http://TylerRaesBoutique.etsy.com
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Inspiration - Where Does It Come From?
Over the course of the years of being an avid knitter and business woman I have been asked many times "where does your inspiration come from?" That is never a very easy question to answer because in truth my inspiration comes from so many different sources. Some times inspiration comes to me in the middle of the grocery store when I see a color that I think would look marvelous in a scarf or when I am in the yarn store surrounded by all that fibery goodness. It comes from my everyday life and the people and things that I interact with every day. I love to experiment with colors and different textures and will never limit myself to just one particular medium. If at any time I feel I have hit a road block on a project I set it aside and start with something fresh which usually gives me time to revamp my older project in my head and get new ideas spinning. I have recently discovered that I actually like to sew ALMOST as much as I like to knit. So now I am getting inspired by all the fun fabrics to choose from and all the fun things I can create with my sewing machine!
I'd like to think that if there ever was a time that I viewed my craft as a chore and not something that I absolutely loved to do that I would just hang up the knitting needles and move on. When my passion becomes more of a hassle than a thing I love I would have to walk away. I would be very hard pressed to be passionate and inspired if my heart wasn't in my work. In truth I don't ever see that day coming. I love what I do and can't seem to stop myself from grabbing up some yarn and knitting all the time. I just love creating things with my own hands and listening to the rhythmic sounds of the knitting needles as I complete row after row. I get so excited when I reach the end of a project not only to see the finished work but also because I am already figuring out the next project to start on before I have even cast off my last stitch. If there was one piece of advice I could give to any person trying to do what they love is to stay passionate and never put a limit on your creativity. Do what makes you happy and love what you do. When you are able to do this inspiration starts to come naturally and when you least expect it!
I'd like to think that if there ever was a time that I viewed my craft as a chore and not something that I absolutely loved to do that I would just hang up the knitting needles and move on. When my passion becomes more of a hassle than a thing I love I would have to walk away. I would be very hard pressed to be passionate and inspired if my heart wasn't in my work. In truth I don't ever see that day coming. I love what I do and can't seem to stop myself from grabbing up some yarn and knitting all the time. I just love creating things with my own hands and listening to the rhythmic sounds of the knitting needles as I complete row after row. I get so excited when I reach the end of a project not only to see the finished work but also because I am already figuring out the next project to start on before I have even cast off my last stitch. If there was one piece of advice I could give to any person trying to do what they love is to stay passionate and never put a limit on your creativity. Do what makes you happy and love what you do. When you are able to do this inspiration starts to come naturally and when you least expect it!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Recovering From The Sickness
It has been an extremely long winter and one full of all sorts of health issues and sicknesses. My kids and I have been battling the flu and a nasty cold for the past 2 weeks. I think we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel but don't want to speak to soon for fear of another relapse.
Taking that for what it is I wasn't able to get a whole lot done in my store this week. I did manage to get a scarf done and I have one fingerless glove done with the other one soon to finished. It's not easy to try and get things accomplished when your battling flu bugs and runny noses and coughes at 10 minute intervals. But here is my newest listing for my etsy shop this week.
Check out more of my items at http://TylerRaesBoutique.etsy.com
I'm hoping to have another crafting article up next week so be sure to stop back in and check it out. Have a great day and keep trying to live your best life!
Taking that for what it is I wasn't able to get a whole lot done in my store this week. I did manage to get a scarf done and I have one fingerless glove done with the other one soon to finished. It's not easy to try and get things accomplished when your battling flu bugs and runny noses and coughes at 10 minute intervals. But here is my newest listing for my etsy shop this week.
Check out more of my items at http://TylerRaesBoutique.etsy.com
I'm hoping to have another crafting article up next week so be sure to stop back in and check it out. Have a great day and keep trying to live your best life!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Selling Your Items To The Masses
Making and selling your handmade craft items can sometimes be a very trying but rewarding experience. It may not always be a bouquet of roses but with a little bit of research and some creative marketing tips it can really be the start of something big. Here are some tried and true tips on how to get things going in your new craft adventure.
One of the first things that you need to consider when trying to market your crafts to other people is "Who will be your target audience?" Are you making something that has a very small marketing niche that you can capitalize on? Are your items something that will appeal to a wide variety of people or a very small focus group? For example, let's say your item is handmade miniature doll house furniture. In this example your focus group would be that of people who collect dolls and doll houses. So it wouldn't make very much sense to advertise on a site or craft show that is selling primarily all hand knit items. You would want to do your research and find the sites and places where your item would fit and get noticed by your target audience.
The next thing that is crucial in your success and can sometimes be over looked is how you will purchase the supplies for your craft and factor that cost into the price of your item. Many crafters and artists have a difficult time coming up with fair market pricing because they don't factor in supply costs, their time and knowledge of the craft they are doing. It is crucial that you factor in your supply costs, time and any over head costs when pricing your items. Without factoring these things into the equation your profit margin will suffer greatly and many times you will have no profit at all if you don't set up your pricing structure to include all of your costs. Remember that you are in a business and the sole purpose of any business is to try and make a profit.
Once you figure out your target audience and come up with your fair market pricing for your item the next thing you need to figure out is where to sell your items. There are so many options available today that can prove to be excellent venue sources. One decision that you will have to make is weather or not you will primarily sell your items online, in stores and consignment shops or craft shows or all of the above. You may choose to do all three of these to broaden your exposure and create a bigger profit margin or you may just choose one and really focus all of your efforts in that area. Where ever you are going to sell your items it is essential to do your research, understand the selling policies of the place or places you will be working with and be able to agree with the terms of the seller's agreement. There are some terrific websites out there now that just offer handmade items that crafters and artists can list their items for very inexpensive and really get some great exposure. A really good site to check out is etsy.com . The whole site is designed around all things handmade. Ebay and other auction sites might be a good place to start as well. If you are looking to sell in local stores and or consignment shops it is always good to call ahead or send a letter of interest to the business and set up an appointment with the appropriate person rather than just showing up in their business unannounced. Doing those things will add a more professional manner to your presentation and may make store owners more willing to do business with you.
The last thing that really needs to be looked at when starting any business venture is the book keeping and legalities. This is a very important step to accomplish. You do not want to skip this step and pay for it when the IRS decides to check into your extra income. Also it is essential to check with your local government agencies to find out if you need any sort of license. Keeping good books doesn't have to be a huge chore and isn't that difficult to do any more. There are tons of great software programs available for just this sort of thing and will make your life so much easier come tax time.
Just remember you got into this because you found something that you loved to make and wanted to share with others. Be sure to have some fun with it and experiment with other ways to get your items out there and noticed by your potential buyers. There is a market out there for just about anything and the potential is endless. You just have to be willing to do a little bit of work to gain the ultimate reward, your very own profitable crafts business. Good luck and happy creating!
One of the first things that you need to consider when trying to market your crafts to other people is "Who will be your target audience?" Are you making something that has a very small marketing niche that you can capitalize on? Are your items something that will appeal to a wide variety of people or a very small focus group? For example, let's say your item is handmade miniature doll house furniture. In this example your focus group would be that of people who collect dolls and doll houses. So it wouldn't make very much sense to advertise on a site or craft show that is selling primarily all hand knit items. You would want to do your research and find the sites and places where your item would fit and get noticed by your target audience.
The next thing that is crucial in your success and can sometimes be over looked is how you will purchase the supplies for your craft and factor that cost into the price of your item. Many crafters and artists have a difficult time coming up with fair market pricing because they don't factor in supply costs, their time and knowledge of the craft they are doing. It is crucial that you factor in your supply costs, time and any over head costs when pricing your items. Without factoring these things into the equation your profit margin will suffer greatly and many times you will have no profit at all if you don't set up your pricing structure to include all of your costs. Remember that you are in a business and the sole purpose of any business is to try and make a profit.
Once you figure out your target audience and come up with your fair market pricing for your item the next thing you need to figure out is where to sell your items. There are so many options available today that can prove to be excellent venue sources. One decision that you will have to make is weather or not you will primarily sell your items online, in stores and consignment shops or craft shows or all of the above. You may choose to do all three of these to broaden your exposure and create a bigger profit margin or you may just choose one and really focus all of your efforts in that area. Where ever you are going to sell your items it is essential to do your research, understand the selling policies of the place or places you will be working with and be able to agree with the terms of the seller's agreement. There are some terrific websites out there now that just offer handmade items that crafters and artists can list their items for very inexpensive and really get some great exposure. A really good site to check out is etsy.com . The whole site is designed around all things handmade. Ebay and other auction sites might be a good place to start as well. If you are looking to sell in local stores and or consignment shops it is always good to call ahead or send a letter of interest to the business and set up an appointment with the appropriate person rather than just showing up in their business unannounced. Doing those things will add a more professional manner to your presentation and may make store owners more willing to do business with you.
The last thing that really needs to be looked at when starting any business venture is the book keeping and legalities. This is a very important step to accomplish. You do not want to skip this step and pay for it when the IRS decides to check into your extra income. Also it is essential to check with your local government agencies to find out if you need any sort of license. Keeping good books doesn't have to be a huge chore and isn't that difficult to do any more. There are tons of great software programs available for just this sort of thing and will make your life so much easier come tax time.
Just remember you got into this because you found something that you loved to make and wanted to share with others. Be sure to have some fun with it and experiment with other ways to get your items out there and noticed by your potential buyers. There is a market out there for just about anything and the potential is endless. You just have to be willing to do a little bit of work to gain the ultimate reward, your very own profitable crafts business. Good luck and happy creating!
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