Creative Mom Cafe

I was tagged to share 7 things about myself. I don’t really think there is anything that intresting about me, but I’m going to try anyway.

1. When I pick up a new hobby I obsess over it. I can’t just learn to knit, I have to knit every single pattern I find and buy every ball of yarn I see. At least until I pick up the next hobby.

2. Crocheting was my first caft. My mother can crochet and taught me how when I was 6. I’m still not very good at it though, because the motion and the needles hurts my hands. Luckily knitting seems to have spared me.

3. I have a giant chest of drawers in my living room that is just for my scrapbook supplies. The drawers are all full and need to be gone through. I also need to finally organize the pages and books I have finished.

4. I used to sew cloth diapers and sell them. I quickly burned out on it though, even with all the adorable fabrics I had. And yes, there actually is a really good market for cloth diapers today. A lot of parents use them.

5. I like to listen to No Doubt or Veruca Salt when I am crafting. They just put me in the mood to be creative.

6. I have always wanted to try painting, but never have. I took a basic art class in college that required some painting, but that was the most I ever did. I would love to just spend the day with a few blank canvases and some paint.

7. I like making purses. I have a huge collection of bags and purses that I love. Being able to make my own just helps me feed the addiction.

OK, now I know I’m supposed to tag someone. But I don’t know who all to tag. So I’m leaving this part open. If you read this, consider yourself tagged.

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Don’t forget to enter to win a collection of fabric for your crafting fun. Click here!

crafts, crafting, crative, tag, 7 things

You can make all the crafts in the world, set up the best online shop, and then sit back and wait. But you might be sitting there for a long time. Unless you make an effort to put yourself out there and get seen the chances are you are not going to sell much.

The Bloggy Giveaway this week has been one great way to get noticed. I have seen several crafters giving away their wares, and in the same instant getting noticed. Laura at Heavenly Homemakers is giving away anything from her shop. Over at It’s Whimsy you can get a set of handmade designer burp clothes. Mrs. Fussypants is giving away one of her beautiful necklaces. Sara is offering a bar of her fabulous rose scneted soap. And Beth from Givin’ Knit Away is offering one of her felted purses. I even joined in the fun and made a special jewelry set just for this giveaway.

What all these have in common is they are going to get noticed. With hundreds of visitors daily there are a lot of eyes seeing these treats for the first time. And they have the potential to spread things father by sharing what they liked on their own blogs, in emails, and in conversations. You couldn’t buy better publicity than this.

While give aways are always great for drumming up potential buyers, they are not the only way. Joining in blog carnivals can also get your items noticed. You can share posts about your crafts in carnivals such as Make It From Scratch or the EtsyBloggers carnival. You could also join social groups designed for moms who sell their crafts. Swanky Moms is one such social group where you can definitely get noticed.

You can’t just sit back and wait to get noticed. You have to get out there and get noticed. Put your crafts, and yourself in the spotlight and see what it does for business.

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Don’t forget to enter to win a collection of fabric for your crafting fun. Click here!

crafts, craft business, contests, giveaways, blog carnivals, social groups

Despite clearing out and giving away most of my fabric stash, I did manage to keep a few choice pieces. Since I signed up for the apron swap I thought I should actually try to make an apron or two first. Get some practise in and see what mistakes I am making.

So I have enough material set aside for 2 small half aprons and 1 full apron. I am using very simple patterns to begin with. For the half apron I am using this simple pattern that I found at The Longest Year. It is a reversible half apron that seems to be fairly simple to make. If anyone else has used this pattern I would love to see what you did with it.

For the full apron I used this very simple pattern found at Jcaroline Creative. I am loving many of the fabrics I also found there, and wish I had the money to order more. Oh! That’s no good for my decluttering resolution! The entire Chocolate Lollipop collection by Anna Maria Horner is calling my name.

To distract myself from the urge to splurge I thought I would check out some fun aprons that other people have. So I spent some time drooling over the aprons for sale at Etsy. At least I know I can resist buying one that is already made, I just can’t resist buying the fabric to make on myself. I also had to spend time on flickr looking at all the great aprons.

If you are a regular you know the drill. If you’re a newbie, here’s how it works: Today is Saturday and I’m going to share a handful of my favorite posts from around the web. Have a post you think needs to be mentioened, let me know! I love finding new creative and crafty blogs to read.

• What are your biggest challenges regarding running your Craft Business? Tell us & win some Amy Butler goodness!! CraftBoom was already one of my favorite blogs for learning how to sell crafts, but this contest has cemented my love. You should definitely enter!
• for you… is definitely up my alley. A free tutorial with full color photos of how to make this amazingly cute Wall Pocket Tidy Tote.
• Gotta Make It: Nuts for You Valentine Gift So cute, so simple, and so perfect for Valentine’s day.
• month of crafts with children What an awesome way to go green with your kids by recycling lids. Now this is what creative moms can do!
• The Intimidation of Knitting I was once terrified of knitting too. Now I can’t seem to stop myself. Yarn addiction is a powerful thing.

I am sorry if today’s post sems a bit rushed. I’m working on a big project and it is taking up most of my time. I promise to be back in blogging gear by next week. Don’t forget to stop back by on Monday when I’ll be hosting a crafty giveaway. I still don’t know what, so it will be a surprise to us all.

crafts

I’m a scrapbooking addict. I love cutting and gluing and playing with paper. It’s a bit like kindergarten with prettier paper. Hey, some of us never grow up.

Digital scrapbooking, however, is a huge hit right now among a lot of scrappers. As much as I love playing with things online I’m still oldfashioned about my scrapbooking. Luckily I’m not the only one hesitant to take the digital plunge. Still I can see the fun in going digital. Drag and drop your photos into premade templates for instant perfection. Or play around with images, backgrounds, and designs to create unique pages. Then you can save them on your computer and have them whenever you want. Email them to friends and family to show off. And being paperless you are also saving some trees from being cut down.

If you are interested in getting started in digital scrapbooking here are a few places to start.

• If you want to test the waters of digital scrapbooking I have a site for you. Create a free Smilebox scrapbook in 5 minutes. Just drag photos into amazing e-designs. Email them free. You can get a 14 day trial subscription to see what you think.
• You can download for free the ebook 15 Things You NEED to Know to Become a GREAT Digital Scrapbooker from Scrap Girls. This is a very simple book for beginners to understand the basics of digital scrapbooking.
• Free Digital Scrapbooking has free page elements that you can download. They also have some great tutorials to help guide you along the way.

Of course those are just a few of the helpful sites out there on the web. But they are my favorites for getting into the beginnings of digital scrapbooking.

scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking, Smilebox

If you are a regular reader here then you know that on Wednesdays I have been sharing short posts on how to have your own creative craft business. It is something I have been working on doing myself, so sharing what I learn each week helps me as much as it (hopefully) helps you.

This weekend an older post on the Whip Up forums asking is it is worthwhile to sell crafts had a recent post. The entire thread, though short, is a good read to put selling crafts into perspective. It is also a question that I think needs to be asked from time to time. Is it worthwhile to sell your crafts anymore?

Today’s crafty creative market is a bit flooded right now. Both with creative people selling their own handcrafted wares and with businesses selling their “handcrafted” products. If you are planning on creating and selling something you need to know if you can expect any financial gain from your craft. Even if you don’t expect to get rich, you should at least be prepared to make enough money to keep yourself going. Unfortunately too many great crafters out there are sewing/knitting/painting themselves into the poor house.

If you are planning on crafting in a particular niche you should explore the market firt. How many other people are selling the same thing? What are they charging? Is there anything you can do to stand out from the crowd?

Read also:

• Start a Creative Business
• Selling Your Crafts offline

craft business, crafts

One of the links I shared in the Saturday speedlinking post was on making soap. It is something that I’ve dabbled in myself, but have never really tried to make a full batch of. I admit I’ve felt a bit intimidated about the process. Not at all like my friend Sara, the soap making wizz! She makes and sells bars of soaps in so many beautiful and delicious scents that it makes me want to take several baths a day.

I thought that if there are any creative moms out there thinking about making soap themselves it might be useful to hear from a pro. So I shot a few questions over to Sara and she was sweet enough to answer then and let me share her tips with you. Read on and soak up her knowledge, then visit her shop and see what I mean about her amazing soaps. You won’t be sorry!

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It’s Saturday, which means another collection of links that I’ve been loving this week. There are always so many great posts I find myself having trouble narrowing it down to just a few. I could probably list 10 or more links easily, but I’ll spare you all from that. Instead here are just five of the creative posts that struck a cord with me. I hope you’ll find something inspiring here also. And don’t forget to go back and check out my last post to see who is inspiring me this week.

• It’s soap season! - What to do when it’s too cold to garden and there’s nothing available for canning? Make soap of course! Come on, you know you would love to try this.
• Super Suggestions for Old Sweaters! - Have any old sweaters laying around? Ones that no longer fit, or some ugly ones youmight have gotten for Christmas? Here is a great list of ideas that will have you looking at them in new ways.
• Map Collages - A super fun idea for parnts and teachers alike! All you need are old maps and kids eager to cut and glue. I know mines are always eager to cut and glue something.
• Kid Crafts: Spicy Winter Sachet - I love this idea for a sachet that kids can make. A great way to make drawers smell nice and keep little hands busy.
• Fabulous links & books for your Craft Business - A great collection of links and book ideas for any creative mom thinking about selling her crafts. This is definitely one to bookmark!

Have fun checking out the links I’ve shared, and add your own in the comments!

crafts, parenting, children

If my post on sewing wasn’t enough to get you inspired to run to the machine I know where to send you for inspiration.

Bluebirdbaby is the blog of a super creative mom that I love reading. She not only knows how to sew, she rocks it. Check out this absolutely gorgeous shirt she made for date night. And the cutest flannel PJ pants for her and her daughter. And the bags! Oh the bags! She certainly knows how to feed the purse addict in me. Not to mention the photos of that adorable little girl that she shares. Perfect to make any mom’s heart skip a beat.

If you really want to be in awe check out her workroom. Not many crafters are lucky enough to have their own space to work in. She’s not only lucky enough to have a new one but also creative enough to make it her own. That color pops. Andnow everytime I see green paint I think of her. It’s almost like a signature calling card.

You should head over and check out her Etsy shop and lust over her creations with me. Like this adorable shirt and pants set. It makes me wish my little was was small enough to wear that. And look at these pink pocka dot pocket jeans. Some little girl would be thrilled to wear them, I’m sure. But my favorite? The sleepy sack.

These “Sleepy Sacks” hang on your little one’s doorknob and hold their pajamas and favorite bedtime book! The drawstring holds everything in tight and is easy for little hands to loosen.

It sounds like just the thing a mom could use!

(If you know a creative, crafty mom who needs some spotlight on them let me know! I’d love to share them here.)

creative mom, crafts, etsy, inspiration

Aprons have been making a comeback in kitchen fashion. They were once seen as old fashioned and tired, but recently many women are bringing them back. With fun and funky new prints they aren’t the 1950s staple anymore.

Despite the stigma some have against aprons and what they represent, they really are quite useful. Anytime you are in the kitchen cooking and baking having an apron on hand can keep the mess to a minimum. Even when you are crafting a good apron can save your clothes from paint, glue, and an assortment of other stains waiting to happen. You know what they say about all work and no play? Aprons can be fun and playful too! Forget the ideas of standing in th kitchen in heels and pearls with your little apron on, today’s apron look is whatever you want it to be. Blogs such as The Apronista and Apron Memories are great reads for those with an apron love going on.

If you’re still looking for the perfect sewing project to take on why not try making an apron. There are dozens of tutorials online that will guide you through any apron style you like. You can make a retro styled table apron, a small craft apron, recycle a dishtowel into an apron, and even a cute little child’s apron. There are so many more tutorials out there, all you have to do is look.

One site that is overflowing with apron tutorials is My Byrd House. In fact she loves aprons so much that right now she’s putting together an apron swap. Sign up ends on January 20th, but you have until MArch 1st to get your apron made and swapped. I signd up and am already looking for the perfect spring prints. Go join me!

sewing, aprons

Not all creative moms who want to sell their crafts plan to do so online. There can be some hassles when setting up an online shop, or even when using sites such as Etsy and Ebay. Shipping is one hurdle that will have to overcome. You’ve got plan shipping costs, make sure you can get to the post office in a timely manner, have shipping supplies on hand, etc… It can be a pain in the neck.

If you’re not ready to take the plunge into online selling yet, you can always try an old fashioned brick and mortor store. No, not building your shop. Setting up a little display in someone else’s store! This article tips for selling crafts at boutiques is a great place to begin thinking about having a physical shop for your creative ventures. You should also read How to find the right boutique to sell your crafts to help you find the perfect shop for you.

Of course selling at a physcial store has it’s problems too. You will have to mark up your items to share some of the money with the store. And if you generally work on a by-order basis you will have to take some time and create a stock of ready made products instead. And you’ll have to deliver the items to the stores, but you could always hire your kids to do that.

Because of there are pluses and minuses on each side some choose to do both. Set up an online shop and also sell some of their creations at a physical store. If you are unsure which will work bet for you trying out both might help you to decide.

crafts, selling crafts

wordless wednesday, paper, scrapbooking

If your fingers are itching to sew something up but you’re not sure what to do look no further. Pattern Review have created a list of their top 15 favorite sewing patterns of 2007. There are some great patterns in there, lots to get you inspired and ready to sew. There are also lots of photos of things made by the members who used these patterns. You will definitely walk away ready to pull out the sewing machine.

Of course you don’t have to stick with just this list. There are so many great patterns out there in the world. I love searching through my local thrift shops where i always find a box or two full of older patterns. There is a nice mixture of used, slightly used, and new patterns just waiting to be discovered. I also like to browse Ebay and Etsy for cute patterns. There are many used and odler patterns that people are selling for super cheap. On Etsy I can also find people selling their own patterns. Most of them are in a downloadable format, which makes for less paper waste and no waiting for shipping.

If you’d like to try your hand at making your own patterns to sew up let me recommend a few books to find. Make Your Own Patterns by Rene Bergh, How to Make Sewing Patterns by Donald H. McCunn, and Make Your Own Dress Patterns by Adele P. Margolis. These are easy to follow and very helpful books that are also fairly easy to find at most libraries.

If you don’t think you’re just in the mood to whip up something fun and quick sewing up some quilted potholders could be the task. These are really simple to do and you can make them in no time. Just the thing to scratch any sewing itch without getting involved in a long term project.

sewing, patterns

Whip Up os doing a month of crafts for kids that you don’t want to miss. Check out these cute, and simple, pencil toppers or these creative glove puppets!

I showed you all on Wednesday that I was sewing something up with pink felt. It was a cute little felt bag, perfect for Valentine’s Day. Jut fill it up with candies, a toy, and a card and you have a sweet way to say you care.

The inspiration came when I saw these cute felt Valentine gift bags
from Hearth Song. They are so adorable, and so simple. I knew I could make them myself. As it turned out they are so simple anyone can make them! All you need is some felt, a needle and thread, and a basic blanket stitch. Don’t worry, it is a simple stitch to learn. I recently learned it myself when I attempted to make some felt christmas ornaments. Use this tutorial on sewing felt and you can’t go wrong!

Now here’s how I made the bag. (more…)