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EdgeryDoo Rocks for Quick Scarves and Blankets
Posted on October 8th, 2008 by neonola. edit.
Categories: Hot Craft Ideas.
Have you seen those cheap fleece scarves for sale? They are just unhemmed pieces of poly fleece that have been cut to the right size to be a scarf, or even a baby blanket.
Sure, they’re easy to make, but who wants to pay good money for something their kid could have made?
The EdgeryDoo is a neat tool that lets you add detail to that boring strip of fleece. It’s a template and an awl that makes it easy to punch evenly lined up holes around the edge of fleece and other heavy fabrics. This allows you to crochet or blanket stitch around the edge, providing detail, additional texture, and a more finished look.
For more about the EdgeryDoo, go to their site here: http://edgerydoo.com/
3 Free Stylish and Hot Craft Ideas From Associated Content!
Posted on August 24th, 2008 by neonola. edit.
Categories: Hot Craft Ideas.
Add these quirky items to your inventory for instant appeal with the hipsters. To see what other ideas the writers have published, just click on their pictures for a list of their articles.
My pick: a pocketbook… made from a book!
How To Make a Purse From a Book by Emma S.
It’s a great way to upcycle the cover from ruined books with ripped pages, moderate water damage, and such problems.Free Fabric Business Card Holder Pattern by RS
I need to make one of these for my cards!
Wool Scarflette Crochet Pattern by LolanessSimple to make and oh-so-trendy! This pattern includes helpful pics.
Some other ideas to consider adding to your stock are berets, cardigans, and anything with a late 50s to early 60s look. Wool and knit stuff is in, and black is gonna be back. The fashion Powers That Be seem to think they’ll be big this Fall and Winter season!
Scarflettes are a Hot and Trendy Craft to Make and Sell (Pic!)
Posted on August 16th, 2008 by neonola. edit.
Categories: Hot Craft Ideas.
It’s nearing the end of summer, at least on the calendar. Time to think about winter stock, if you haven’t already begun. Here’s an idea to get your gears turning!
Scarflettes, or neck warmers, are super short scarves that button around the neck. They eliminate the need to wrap and tie long ends. There is also no annoying gap between scarf loops that lets cold air hit your neck! Though this trend got kicked off a season or two ago, it’s only going to pick up steam.
Scarflettes come in many styles ranging from super girly to practical. Some are Victorian inspired, while others make use of modern super fluffy novelty yarns and look like something out of an abstract painting. These can also be sewn in fleece, flannel, and wool fabrics.
Whether you sew, knit, or crochet, this hot craft idea is an easy, quick to make, low cost project. Pair these with a hat for a quick selling set! Scarflettes grew in popularity last season, so they’re a good bet to sell well this year, too.
To see more finished scarflettes and get an idea of what they sell for (keeping in mind that it‘s still off season in the U.S.), click here: http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_title&search_query=scarflette opens in new window
Why Is It Hard to Find Handmade Toys and Clothes for Boys?
Posted on August 8th, 2008 by neonola. edit.
Categories: Hot Craft Ideas.
It seems to me that there’s an opportunity to make a profit by providing more products for boys. I bring this up after reading a craft forum thread about how hard it is to find stuff for little boys amongst the ton of girly-girl stuff out there.
After reading this, I took a random peek into shops that focused on handmade kids’ stuff. There seemed to be way more merchandise targeting girls, and little or no boy friendly items. This covered everything from baby clothes to toys and materials.
I rarely make kids’ items, and when I do they’re usually not made with either sex in mind. For those of you that do, you could increase your sales by adding more fabrics and items with boys in mind. Parents (and other gift givers) will thank you for the chance to do some one-stop shopping!
My Article With More De-cluttering Destash Ideas
Posted on August 3rd, 2008 by neonola. edit.
Categories: Hot Craft Ideas.
Have you ever considered getting rid of your craft supply stockpile? If so, you may enjoy reading my short article about Destash, or selling off your extra materials. It was published a few days ago on Associated Content.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/901009/destash_to_make_extra_money_without.html?cat=3
The article offers a brief explanation of what Destash means. It goes beyond this to give tips for getting the most money for your supplies. Have you ever considered cutting your extra fabric into fat quarters to sell? It’s a good way to interest buyers in a small amount of fabric. Instructions are included in a link in the article.
I also give a couple ideas about how to get your hands on other people’s stashes to sell them. Legally, of course! We all know somebody with a huge pile of craft supplies they’ll never get around to using, but they have no idea what to do with the stuff.
Thanks for checking it out. I hope it inspires a massive clear out and redistribution of craft supplies!
A Free Knit Soap Saver & and a Tunisian Afghan Soap Saver Pattern
Posted on July 18th, 2008 by neonola. edit.
Categories: Hot Craft Ideas.
As promised! Both of these patterns are very basic. They are geared toward beginners, or advanced crafters that want a super fast project.
There are links to instructions on the afghan stitch pattern, so if you’ve never tried this technique before, here’s your chance. The knitted pattern uses only one stitch, making it a good choice for a first project. Both free patterns include pictures and open in separate windows.
Free Tunisian Afghan Stitch Pattern
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/858305/free_beginner_tunisian_afghan_stitch.html?cat=24
Free Knitting Pattern (with a bonus alternative pattern for those with sensitive skin)
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/884329/beginner_friendly_quick_knit_soap_saver.html?cat=24
You can make 2 or 3 soap savers with one ball of cotton yarn, so this is a great chance to use up any leftover stash. When completed, you can use soap shavings, slivers, or your favorite standard sized bath bar.
These projects sell very well on their own, both online and in person. They add a nice touch to any bath baskets, and are a natural match for handmade soaps.
To learn more about soap savers and how to make your own soap shavings, read my earlier post.
http://shescrafty.today.com/2008/06/26/hot-craft-idea-soap-saver-with-soap-shavings/
3 More Sample Swatch Customizing Ideas
Posted on July 17th, 2008 by neonola. edit.
Categories: Hot Craft Ideas, Selling Your Crafts.
1. Seasonal. Put together seasonal squares so customers can start thinking about what they’ll want for the upcoming season. If the materials will only be available for a limited time, don’t forget to mention this.
2. Holidays. Same idea, but even more specific. This is an especially good idea for fabric swatches or holiday novelty yarns. Again, specify availability.
3. Festive Backing. This makes a big impact, especially if you’re using sample cards as a mailer promotion. Before you build a swatch sample card, glue festive wrapping paper to the outside. Now your card looks more like…a greeting card? Lol
I hope these ideas will help you to get the word out about your crafts. If you’ve had success with showing off samples, please share your secrets!
3 Ways to Customize Your Swatch Sampler Cards
Posted on July 16th, 2008 by neonola. edit.
Categories: Hot Craft Ideas, Selling Your Crafts.
Yesterday, I posted instructions for making swatch sampler cards. Here are some tips for customizing them for maximum effect.
1. Same material, different colors.
This is a good choice if you work primarily with one type of fabric or yarn. Display swatches of different colors that you have in stock. If there are other colors available that you’d need to custom order, add that information to the text insert.
2. Color Coordinated.
By putting together a blue card, red, green, etc., buyers with a favorite color in mind can concentrate on texture and material. Matching heavy card or all white or cream backing looks best for this. Several of these cards displayed on a table really draw the eye!
3. Natural, Blended, or Manmade.
Many customers are only interested in natural materials, while others are allergic to them. If you have a large stock of supplies, maybe you should divide your cards this way to help customers go right to what they want.
More tweaks tomorrow!
How To Make a Swatch Sample Card or Table Display
Posted on July 15th, 2008 by neonola. edit.
Categories: Hot Craft Ideas, Selling Your Crafts.
Here is a mini craft project in itself, with pics included (click to enlarge). This is a good way to display the yarns or fabrics available from your store. These make a cool piece of mail promotion material!
It will also stand upright on a counter or vending table, filling sale killing empty table space at the end of the market day. To make it stand easier, simply lay the card flat on the table, open, and crease. You can add a couple staples along the spine if your samples are really bulky.
I couldn’t resist adding that wild, furry red novelty yarn swatch. Pay no attention lol
You’ll need some heavy card paper, scissors, a stapler, clear tape, and some sample swatches. Use the tape to secure any loose yarn ends if there’s not enough room to work them in. A finished card will hold up to 16 two inch square samples.
Fold the card paper in half, from top to bottom. Cut it in half along the crease.
Fold one of the pieces in half again, from right to left.
Starting at the bottom, staple a swatch in place.
Layer the next sample square over this one. Repeat until your card is full!
Make sure to print a corresponding paper explaining the different materials. Include brand, material type, color, other colors available, and stitch shown if yarn was used.
Customizing ideas for swatch samplers tomorrow!
Got Tons of Red, White, and Blue Materials?
Posted on July 4th, 2008 by neonola. edit.
Categories: Hot Craft Ideas.
Lots of crafters are going to stock up on red, white, and blue materials today and on the 5th of July sales. Before you stuff them into a cabinet and forget them until June of next year, here’s an idea.
We share our national colors with many other countries. You can take a break from making Uncle Sams and star spangled banners and make red, white, and blue items with the nations below in mind:
Chile
Costa Rica
Cuba
Czech Republic
France
Iceland
Russia
Thailand
And of course, the United Kingdom!
For a peek at their flags and information about other national color schemes, click here to check out wikipedia.
If this doesn’t appeal to you, check back tomorrow for ways to clear out extra supplies in a profitable way.
Happy Birthday, America!