Archive for June, 2009

Tips For Selling Your Own Designs Online

June 27th, 2009

So you’ve worked hard making your own unique jewelry, clothing or craft designs, but have no idea how to go about selling them? Here are some tips to help you sell your designs online:

WebsitesCreating your own website is one of the better ways to sell your designs online. You will have full control over the design, layout, content, payment method and everything else. You’ll also be able to supplement your site with eBay listings or listings on other sites. With your own website, you can offer a more personalized service and let your customers get to know you, the designer. One disadvantage to selling on a website is that it is more difficult to promote and get a steady flow of traffic and sales. You may need to spend time and money to get your website off the ground and get noticed, whereas with an eBay store, for example, eBay does the promoting for you.

EtsyIf you make unique, handcrafted items and apparel, you owe it to yourself to check out Etsy. It’s THE place online to sell items that you’ve made yourself. Etsy caters specifically to an audience looking for unique items to purchase. Sellers list their items in a format quite similar to eBay, except that it’s not an auction, but more of a store format. Etsy is a great option if you want to get attention and sales from buyers already interested in unique, handmade items.

eBayEveryone knows eBay and that name recognition counts for plenty. eBay still gets a massive amount of traffic and no other auction site has come even close to getting near it, yet. eBay is a good place to offer your designs. Sellers can offer many items in an eBay store, which is an economical choice for designers with lots of items. One disadvantage of eBay is that the fees can add up pretty quickly and people expect a bargain on eBay, so you may get less profit than when selling on Etsy or in your own store. However, few can argue with the fact that eBay gets much more traffic than many other shopping sites, so you might make up the fees with volume.

CafePressCafePress may be an option for those who have designed their own logos or graphical designs. With CafePress, you upload a high resolution image of your design and it can then be printed on a huge range of products like t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, hats and bags. They then let you choose the price you sell at, and you get a percentage of profit.

For many designers, the best way to turn your designs into cash is to combine all of these methods together, making use of the advantages of each.

Offers original clothing designs including sixties style dresses, shoppers, baby doll t-shirts and more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lydia_Quinn

Send me a comment in the comment section today and I”ll give you more information about how to get started with your own website. Give your shoppers another view of your products that you control.

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Organize Room for More Quilting Time

June 27th, 2009

I quilt, I am a quilter, I love quilting, and I love to quilt. Quilting has enriched my life in ways I never dreamed of. I have learned interesting facts about history because of quilts. I have made a ton of friends; and I have traveled because of quilting opportunities.

To make quilting fun and to be able to start and finish projects with the less amount of stress and to avoid hunting for tools a well-organized sewing room is a must. Here are tried and true ideas and tips on how to organize a sewing/quilting room, no matter the size. If you use the room for other purposes such as an office, craft room or even a bedroom organization can create more time for you to focus on sewing and quilting.

1. Have your sewing machine, ironing board, and cutting table arranged so they are easily accessible. Get a system going so you can take fewer steps between the iron and the sewing machine which will save time and you will be more efficient. Or if you don’t have room for all of these in the same room just think you are getting exercise going from room to room rather than saving time.

2. Use baskets or other gadgets fabric and quilting stores store sell to store your tools in. Place them next to where they get the most use. Be sure to put them back in the same container after using them as this will save a ton of time. If you store your tools in a room different from where you sew, containers make it very easy to transport the tools to where you need them and then they can go back to be stored with a minimum amount of effort or time.

a. For example, place the tools you use at the ironing board near the ironing board. This could include a pressing cloth, spray bottle, pin cushion a small pair of scissors and a measuring gauge. I purchased an ironing board cover with measurements printed on the cover.

b. Next to the sewing machine you’ll need a pin cushion, scissors, seam ripper, waste basket for threads, or you can tape a plastic or paper bag to your sewing table for the threads. Also keep extra thread and bobbins near the machine. A magnetic board to hold the project directions is very helpful. I love my Side Winder portable bobbin winder that I keep on my sewing table.

c. At the cutting table have available a rotary cutter, rulers, cutting mat, pencil, pen, a note pad and pin cushion. Cutting directions for your project can start out here when cutting and then can be moved to your sewing machine area when you start to sew. Either tape them on the wall or pin to a curtain or attach a small magnetic board on the wall to hold them.

3. Sort your fabrics by color and then organize within color group such as batiks, novelty, florals, flannels and homespun. Or organize by lights, medium, and darks within the same color. Clear plastic boxes/bins work well to hold and contain fabric. When replacing fabric put it back where it belongs, this saves time and frustration later. If you store your fabric on shelves you could label the shelf with the type of fabric that goes on which shelf.

4. Vinyl project bags with zippers are great to use for short term storage. The plastic bags with zippers that sheets and other bedding come in also work for storage and are a great way to recycle. They can hold a project, strips or a kit. They are easy to grab and go if you have a project you are taking to a class.

By organizing your sewing room or sewing space in a way that your supplies and tools are easy to find and are convenient for use you’ll have more fun and more time to sew rather than spending your time hunting for what you need. It takes time to get everything like you want it but it will be worth it.

Happy sewing/happy quilting.

Marilyn is a creative organizer who has been organizing for over 20 years. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and is working towards becoming a Certified Professional Organizer. Professionally she has been organizing homes and offices for two years. She holds a bachelors degree in Social Work. She has reared five daughters and currently lives in Utah.

Go to her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find free organizing tips and interesting blogs and helpful articles on organizing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marilyn_Bohn

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Scrapbooking Organization

June 24th, 2009

Scrapbooking Organization – Keeping It All TogetherScrap booking Paper

Scrapbooking is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the United States. It is a wonderful way to preserve your precious photographs and most important memories. For many, scrapbooking is also a way to relieve stress in their hectic lives. But, if you’ve ever spent two hours trying to find the perfect embellishment for your scrapbook page, you soon realize that without organization, your wonderful hobby can actually be a cause of stress instead.

If you are a beginner scrapper make sure that you start the organization process immediately. If you are a seasoned pro but things have gotten a little out of hand in the scrapbooking supply area, there is hope. Commit yourself to taking the organization process one baby step at a time.

Keep in mind that your scrapbooking organization system should work in harmony with your personality and living conditions. If you are the type of person that likes things out of sight then an open shelving system probably wouldn’t work for you. Likewise, if you live in a tiny apartment and only have a small space to work in, large filing cabinets just won’t fit the bill.

The first step in your scrapbooking organization process is to arrange your photographs and memorabilia. Many people assume that the best method is to put them in chronological order, but a better way might be to organize them by events such as holidays, vacations or birthdays. Whichever method you choose be sure to store your photographs in “photo safe” or “acid-free” containers, like photo boxes, to protect them from light damage, curling or discoloration. Read the rest of this entry »»

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