Some How To’s
Sell Your Designs and Crafts! Turning Hobby into Money
If you enjoy creating and you constantly hear people telling you that you should sell your creations, it may be time to voyage into the world of selling your crafts for money. Like all things, entering the world of selling crafts should be carefully planned out. There are many websites and venues where you can sell your crafts both online and off.
Online venues are a great way to reach customers all over the world. Popular websites like Etsy, Artfire and eBay are great tools that help to reach your targeted customers. Before making the plunge into selling your crafts, be sure to take the time and do some research beforehand. Keep the following questions in mind as you consider the prospect of selling your creations:
* Do I have a design or product that people would want to buy? This is the most important question you have to ask yourself. If there is no target market for your products, you will have a hard time selling your creations and not because your items are not nice, but they may not be in demand.
* Who is my potential target market? This is a continuation of the question above because you need to know who to advertise to and how to successfully draw your target market to your items. It would be a waste of time trying to sell baby clothes, for example, to those who do not have children.
* What will I charge for my creations? Pricing is an important strategy. All too often, people undercharge for their creations forgetting to take into consideration the time and materials that go into a product. Make sure you account for both the cost of the materials as well as the time and effort you put forth to create your goods. Also be sure not to overcharge. You may find that your items do not sell because they are over priced.
* Where will I sell my design or crafting items? Online websites are plentiful when it comes to selling handmade goods. There are websites such as Etsy and Artfire who only allow the sales of handmade goods, along with supplies. EBay is also another popular venue to sell handmade goods. Be aware though, that you will be competing with the other goods that are not handmade and may be cheaper. A good description of the item and its benefits is always a good idea.
If you choose to sell locally, try finding a store that will sell your items on consignment or sign up to exhibit at a local craft show. Both will be good for exposure. If you choose to go the consignment route, be sure to get all terms in writing. Otherwise you run the risk of having your items kept and not paid for.
It is very possible in today’s day and age to make some spending money selling your crafts. Be sure to do your research and follow through your plan by keeping the above questions in mind. Once you have your plan in mind, go ahead and take the plunge. But remember, like anything else, you will get in return what you put forth so make it worth your while.
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CSS Feb Quickstart Class
Does HTML code stress you out? Would you like to learn more about CSS so you can customize your themes or WordPress blog? You can buy a book, or enroll in a semester class, but I’ve got something better for you!
Lynette Chandler is hosting a free two-day, weekend quickstart class designed to help you get to know CSS quickly so you can put your new skills to work the following Monday! Now I’ve taken html and css classes before, but I know the benefit of a good refresher class and I’m registered to attend! This class is going to be very useful for anyone who is interested in editing their own sites or blogs and especially great for those who are new to web design or want to fully grasp CSS for their own editing or helping others with their wordpress issues.
This class will be held Friday, February 18th for one hour in the evening and Saturday, February 19th for three hours with breaks and lunch hour in between.
This is a great opportunity for:
- Beginner virtual assistants
- Anyone who’s beginning to offer web development services and SEO
- VA’s who want better grasp at CSS and stop wasting time on trial and error tweaks
- Business owners who want to have their people trained for them
Register and attend for a better understanding of HTML and CSS.
Click here for more details. You’ll be glad you did.
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Easy photo grab tutorial
Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Or, you can take a look at some of the useful reviews and tutorials my friend Lynette shares on her TechBasedMarketing.com/blog. She shares informative reviews, time saving computer tips and really helpful video tutorials.
Now, I’m a big fan of the WordPress platform and use it on several of my sites (including this one) and I appreciate useful, quality plugins – like the one Lynette explains in this tutorial below. It’s the Grab & Save plugin and I think you’ll agree that it really helps to expedite the whole blogging with photos process.
Have fun blogging!
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More Artweaver Tutorials
It’s been three years since my original Artweaver Tutorials post. Artweaver is a terrific graphic design program and available absolutely free. I’ve been using Artweaver as a teaching tool in my design workshops and periodically in my own freelance design work as well.
My own tutorials are still available online and in PDF format so you can print out and follow in your leisure. You can grab those here.
Since 2007, there have been some major updates to the Artweaver design software which now includes a new “Plus” version. I still use the free version myself. Artweaver now displays more support via their helpful FAQ and new forums, as well as free tools and plugins – all offered on the main site artweaver.de. Also, since my original Artweaver post; I’ve seen many more Artweaver tutorials pop up online. There’s a small collection of video tutorials, like the one below and several posted at DeviantArt.
Over the years, I’ve received a lot of questions about Artweaver’s tools and how to do certain techniques. I try to answer each question individually, or at least post a reply in the comments section. I do plan to continue teaching design and will post helpful Artweaver tutorials and links when I have the time. Please “Like” this article if you find it helpful and subscribe to my updates to stay in touch, thanks.
Where's that line tool?
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Best Blogger Themes and How-to
http://anothercute.blogspot.com/
Google’s Blogger site has been popular for some time now. In a matter of minutes, you can get a new blog of your choice up and running with ease! A beginner? No problem. You don’t need any previous design or html knowledge at all, and i’m not exaggerating at all, when I say, just a few clicks and you’ve got a website!
Blogger gives you a nice selection of themes to choose from, to get your new site going. But, it’s the same selection that thousands of other people are choosing from that very moment as well. It’s nice to get in on a bit more variety, right? Right! So, here are some of my favorite free blogger themes (or skins as they are sometimes referred) sites. Once you’ve found one you want to try out, scroll down here for a simple “how-to” so you can try it out.
eBlogTemplates:
This site requires a quick registration, but then you have access to their free blogger download links. These are some of the best, quality templates I’ve found. They offer wordpress templates as well.
FinalSense: I like final sense because the blogger themes are easy to browse with the categories they set up, like “2-column”, “3-column”, “Animals”, “Country/City” and many more. The “Demo” link is a little slow because it shuffles through an ad first, but by just clicking on the image you like, then the title of the theme below it, you are good to go! This site provides you with an XML code, instead of a file download. For “how-to” on this code, see directions below.
InstantShift: One of my favorites sites, of course they have a post capturing the top blogger themes of 2009! 120 of them to be exact!
Directions on How to install new templates: (don’t worry, it’s easy!)
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If you are working with an XML File:
- First, unpack (unzip) the XML file you just downloaded
- Log into blogger
- Click on “Layout”
- Click on “Edit HTML”
- Click “Download Full Template” in case you need to retrieve it later. It’s your backup
- Click on “Choose File”
- Locate your new theme file and “open”
- Click on “Upload”
- Save
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If you are working with an XML Code:
- Select (Ctrl+a) all code and Copy (Ctrl+c)
- Log into blogger
- Click on “Layout”
- Click on “Edit HTML”
- Click “Download Full Template” in case you need to retrieve it later. It’s your backup
- In big box of Code, right-click and “Select All” (or Ctrl+a) and Paste (Ctrl+v)
- Save
The last step is to, of course, enjoy!
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Best Free Photo Editing Resources
I was contacted by GuideToArtSchools.com and pleased to find out that they featured and linked to my Artweaver tutorials in their new article review on the top 11 photo editing programs. This is a great article I’m excited to be included in. I’m familiar with most of the free editing programs featured in the article, especially Artweaver, Paint.net and GIMP and have used them over the years at home and at school for graphic design and photo editing. Why pay hundreds of dollars for programs if you don’t have to? As is with most software, there are good, quality alternatives available. So, take a look at the article and the resources for yourself here. Have fun! :)
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