Lifes Like That

Well I have once again kick started my home crafting business. Yesterday I decided to get out all my jewelry supplies and once again started my hand crafted jewelry. Once I get a few sets of jewelry made, I plan on taking pictures and updating my craft website. Once I get this started up again I plan on buying some promo keychains to hand out to all my family and friends advertising my business. Since I have quiet a bit of extra time on my hands now, I think I can finally make a go out of this. Once I get the ball rolling, I’ll be sure to pop in here and give you all an update.

With my hobbies and crafts, I kind of go in spurts. I will do one type of craft for a while, then get bored and then move on to something else. Well, I got bored again, so I started looking for a different type of craft to do for a while. Well, I did find a different one. Over the weekend I started looking at what it would take to start making homemade first communion invitations, and other types of invitations. It actually didn’t look really hard. But, it will cost a little bit of money to get started. But I have decided that I’m going to try my hand at it. So over the next few weeks, I’m going to start to stock up on supplies (don’t tell my husband please) and then see what type of invitations I can come up with. Wish me luck!

I am so impressed with myself. Earlier today I spent a couple hours making jewelry. I haven’t done that in a very long time. Every time I went to make the jewelry something else would always come up. So I decided that this time I wouldn’t let anything get in my way. I created two matching sets of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Hopefully this won’t be a one time only deal and I will be able to make more creations in the very near future. Only time will tell I guess.

Well I’d like to tell you all that I’ve finally got my groove back. For a couple of months now I haven’t been doing any crafting or jewelry creations and I have to say that I’ve really missed it. But last week I finally got my craft room all situated and started creating jewelry again. I was able to make three necklaces and three pairs of earrings. It’s not much right now, but it’s a start. I’m going to create more and then I’m going to try to start to sell them again. I don’t have any pictures right now as I have no batteries for my camera. But, when I get the batteries I will be sure to pop back in here and give you all a peak of what I’ve been up to lately. If all goes well I plan on making more this week and hopefully soon I will be ready to start advertising my creations.

My youngest son really does believe that I can do anything. Next week, during art class they are going to be making some homemade rubber stamps. And he volunteered my services to help out his class. He informed the teacher that I make all sorts of crafts so it would be a good idea if I came in and helped. So yesterday she called me and asked for my assistance. When I informed her that I have clue how to make rubber stamps (that’s one craft I don’t do) she started laughing and asked if I would come in anyway to supervise. Well, I’m good at that so I told her I would. My son really wanted me there, so I guess next week I will be able to learn how to make rubber stamps along with the rest of the class.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you are well aware of the fact that one of my favorite hobbies is making crafts. In fact, I make so many that I have decided to create a small home crafting business to try to earn a little income off my creations. They don’t look like Oscar de la Renta products mind ya, but I try to do my best work and have been told that my work is quite nice. But for some reason I haven’t been able to sell a whole lot.

Yes, I have tried the Etsy store and I have even set up a blog which was designed just to try to sell my products. Since these efforts haven’t really paid off, I have decided that I need to go in a different direction. So in the very near future you will see a change in my “homemade crafts” link. Instead of having the address to my Etsy site listed or even the blog url listed, I have decided to take some fresh new pictures and upload them onto that link. I will eventually list the prices and the contact information as well. Hopefully this change will enable me to attract more buyers and maybe the year 2009 will be the year I get my home crafting business up and running.

Last week we had a new store open up in our area. It is a jewelry and bead shop! Before they opened they had a sign posted on their door looking for help and when I seen that sign, I could have cried! I don’t have a reliable babysitter, so I couldn’t even think about applying.

You all have to understand that this would have been a perfect job for me! If I could get work in a craft store, a bead shop, or even a fabric store I would be in seventh heaven. But without a babysitter, this isn’t even an option for me. The good news is, is that I was talking to the owner, and she did tell me that when I get a sitter or when my daughter is old enough to watch her brother (in another three years), she would hire me in a heartbeat. So, you all know what means, I’m on the hunt to find a sitter. Hopefully soon I will be employed in my dream job!

So I’ve mentioned before that I am going to try something new to try to advertise my small home crafting business. So last week I ordered some customized magnets to be able to give out to family and friends. The order will take anywhere from four to six weeks to come in but they should be here just in time for the holiday craft season. Up until now I haven’t spent a dollar on advertising, but my sales aren’t as high as I would like them to be so I have decided that it may be worth it to spend a few dollars in advertising to get my message out there. Hopefully this works. If it does, then I will have no problem spending any other money on different advertising methods. I have to do something, I have to start selling more than I have been.

It’s only September, but Christmas is right around the corner. I have three Christmas craft fairs booked for this year and the first one is next month. I know! It will only be October, but people go out this early looking for unique and handcrafted items to give to loved ones for Christmas. So this year I’m taking full advantage of this.

Right now I have tons of jewelry made up and ready to go. I have a quilt that is almost completed that I’ll put on my table and I have a couple of plastic canvas bath sets to put up for sale as well. I really wish I had more things made up, but I was pretty slack this past summer with all my crafting. So I’ll just be putting up these few items and hopefully they will all sell. So I’m going to continue to work on my crafts for the next month and hopefully have a few more items made up before the first craft sale arrives upon me. I can’t believe how quickly time has passed.

Well I have a major job ahead of me today. I need to sort through all my crafting supplies to find some beads and wires. Last month I purchased some supplies to start making some religious jewelry to sell on my crafting site and for the life of me, I have no clue where I put them. So because I have so many supplies, it’s going to take me all day to go through them to try to find the supplies that I want to work with.

This always happens to me. I get it in my head to start a project. Then I can’t find the supplies I need to get started on the project. By the time I find the materials I usually have changed my mind about what I want to do. Not this time though. I’m going to find those supplies if it takes me all day.