How does your garden grow?

This post brought to you by Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done.. All opinions are 100% mine.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, we just bought a new house. That means a new yard to play in! One thing I planted a lot of in our current house were tulips and daffodils. They’re some of the first flowers to bloom in spring, which is probably part of why they’re two of my favorite flowers.

I might dig some of my bulbs up and take them with me, but even if I don’t, the good news is that bulbs are SUPER easy to plant and grow. They really are one of the most idiot-proof flowers. The only problem I’ve had with my tulips is the squirrels stealing my bulbs! I moved most of them from around the yard to right next to the house, and that helped a lot.

Aside from being super easy to plant and maintain, a lot of bulb varieties naturalize, which means that just a few bulbs will multiply to fill in an area all on their own! I planted a bunch of naturalizing crocus bulbs in my lawn, and the purple and gold colors looks so pretty poking up through the grass and (sometimes) snow. I always do a happy dance when I see the first crocus blooming, because that’s when I know it’s REALLY Spring!

If you’re new to bulbs, I’d suggest you visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more about bulbs.

I love Marcy’s tip here:

I rake my leaves over every part of my garden! It beats bagging or burning and the plants love the mulch.

Because bulbs are so easy, they would make a really nice holiday gift. One thing I learned from the DigDropDone website is that you can actually plant bulbs in snow!  A lot of bulbs are also suitable for “forcing” indoors during winter, so you can have a little splash of spring color in January!

Bulbs work well in pots, too. I love this little collection of potted bulbs. I have a red polka dot enamel tea kettle that’s just begging to have some jonquils planted in it (they are THE best smelling daffodils on the planet!).

After you check out the DigDropDone website, be sure to submit a photo of your yard at Curbside Chaos to be entered to win a $5000 yard makeover and help from landscape master Taniya Nayak.

Curbside Chaos has a great Garden Guru tool that can help you determine when and what to plant depending on your planting zone and when you want your flowers to bloom. Just pick your country, location, and what month you want blooms.

Here’s one of the suggestions it gave me:

I love allium. The big globe shapes look really great in rows on both sides of a walkway!

For every share on Twitter, “Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done.” will donate $1.00 to Rebuilding Together – the nation’s leading nonprofit, working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities.

So be sure to tell your friends about the #curbsidechaos yard makeover contest from @digdropdone!

Stay frosty

This post brought to you by PackIt. All opinions are 100% mine.

We just bought a new house (YAY!) and there’s lots of be work done (BOO!). We’re staying in our current house until we have everything settled in the new house, so that means there’s a lot of comforts missing… like a fridge.

PackIt lunch boxes

to the rescue!

I just happened to get my PackIt  the night before we closed on the house, so when we started working the next day, we had ice cold beverages to keep us hydrated.

Here’s a picture of the cool blue PackIt I received with one of Mr. Smarmy’s yucky energy drinks, which it did an awesome job of keeping cold.

The packaging says up to 10 hours, but I took out an unopened drink about 12 hours after I’d put it in and it was still cold.

The coolest thing about the PackIt is that it doesn’t require ice. The entire PackIt itself is like a big ice pack. You fold it up, pop it in the freezer, and you’re good to go! No more melty ice cubes!

It’s the perfect size for lunch, picnics, the beach… any food or drinks you want to keep cold will stay ICE cold in this sweet baby.

You can get your very own PackIt, and their website is offering a really awesome deal right now. Buy one at $19.95 and get a second one free! That’s a steal!

What will you use your PackIt for?

Olive Oil taste test!

This post brought to you by Carapelli. All opinions are 100% mine.

While I know the importance of buying quality ingredients when it comes to cooking awesome food, sometimes I just buy what’s cheap. The truth is, sometimes the cheap stuff is just as good as the high priced name brand. Other times, the difference is worth the extra price.

I have been known to get the ginormous store brand of olive oil because I go through it so fast.  I never thought much of the taste until I directly compared it to a sample of Carapelli’s Premium 100% Italian olive oil.

An olive oil taste test is kind of like wine tasting. Pour the olive oil into a small glass bowl or cup and follow the “Four S’s” – Swirl, Sniff, Slurp and Swallow.

With just the first two S’s, I could already sense the difference. The store brand had a slightly bitter, sharp smell, while the Carapelli smells smooth and nutty. I expected those flavors to be even stronger on the tongue. The Carapelli was indeed nutty and smooth, with a slight tanginess. There was also a distinct peppery aftertaste at the back of my throat, which I’ve never experienced before!

The store brand, which I expected to be even more bitter than it smelled, was quite bland, with a hint of mechanical flavor… like the oil I used on my sewing machines.. It had a slightly “raw” aftertaste, and it’s consistency was a bit watery.

No more cheapo olive oil for me… I have seen the light! You can too by doing an olive oil taste test yourself! To get you started, here’s a $1.00 OFF coupon at www.CarapelliUSA.com

New business cards! And mailing envelopes!

I ran out of business cards the other day, and after hours of searching for my business card design file, I decided to just design a whole new card (after I found the old one, of course. ha!).

I went with a printing company I hadn’t used before, which had a lot of recommendations around the internet.

Here are my cards, from AmericasPrinter.com:

That’s the same card, front and back. They double as hang tags.

They turned out pretty damn spiffy, if I do say so myself. And I’ll definitely be sticking with AP from now on.

The reasons: quality, speed, pricing:

• I got my cards in 8 business days with standard shipping, which included a holiday weekend.
• 1000 cards with full color, glossy prints on both sides was $25 shipped.

I’ve used VistaPrint and OvernightPrints in the past when they had free biz card deals, but I haven’t seen either offer free premium business cards in a long time. Even with the 40% off coupons that can be found all over the internet, VistaPrint’s price for 1000 cards with full color glossy on only ONE side is $30 PLUS shipping.

I looked a few other places, but I couldn’t find any other printer that could even come close to AP’s prices.

I also ran out of tyvek mailers. Usually I order from Uline, but someone had told me a while back that they’d found a much cheaper alternative. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember what it was! So I had another search on my hands.

What I ended up with was threerb on Ebay. I had been paying 27 cents a piece for my Tyvek mailers from Uline. I got 200 of the same size poly mailers from threerb for $16.22 shipped. That’s 8 cents an envelope!

Why handmade is “so expensive”

“$70 for a t-shirt?!”

“I love your website, but everything on it is overpriced!”

“Your stuff is too expensive.”

“Are you rich or something?”

“I could make that for $5.”

“Sorry, but that’s a rip-off.”

“$80 for a hoodie? You’re not Gucci.”

I’ve heard it all. At first it hurt my feelings and made me worry that my prices were too high. Now it only baffles me that someone would say something so rude. This is my job. It may not be like your job. I don’t have a boss or regular hours, and I don’t have to drive to work or even get dressed for it (heh), but this is how I pay the bills.

I’m always tempted to asked these people, “How about I come down to where you work and tell your boss you’re overpaid?” Because that’s essentially what they’re saying.

But I’m too polite to do that.

Instead I decided to write this article to shed some light on the work that all of us that run a handmade business are doing… including all the behind-the-scenes stuff you probably never even think about. (And that some of us don’t charge for.)

Sure, some people will still be rude doucheballoons. That’s life. But maybe I can just make a few people think, “Oh, I hadn’t realized how much work goes into that!”

[Note: If you are a handmade seller looking for guidelines on how to price your items, please don't use this article as a model for your own pricing. As you'll see below, I'm a hypocrite when it comes to not underpricing. Please do as I say and not as I do. Read this guide for pricing instead, if that's what you're looking for.]

 

Step 1: The design phase

I sketch most of my ideas before I start cutting. Sometimes it’s completely spontaneous. I just start doodling and see where it takes me. Other times I have exactly what it will look like all planned out, and I want to get it down on paper so I don’t forget anything.

It’s usually just a quick scribble of pen or pencil on paper. Other times I take more time. I’ll add color with colored pencils or do the sketch 4 or 5 times before nailing down a particular design.

Since most of my sketches are quick, we’ll say the total time spent sketching one piece is 5 minutes.

 

Sketching: 5 minutes

 

Step 2: The drafting phase

Unlike a commercial outfit, I don’t have each of my patterns drawn up in every single size.  For custom orders, I redraft my pattern each time to match the customer’s measurements, because I’m not a fan of “standard” sizing.

Likewise, even for non-custom pieces, I don’t have patterns for each possible combination of styles I make. I get bored easily, so I prefer to make one of a kind designs.  For example, I have a single t-shirt pattern that I customize depending on whether or not I’m making a tank top, a hoodie, or a tee. I don’t have one scoopneck pattern, one v-neck pattern, and one crewneck pattern. I have one pattern for a t-shirt that I change each time I use it, depending on what I’m making.

 

This shirt is pretty simple, so it only took about 15 minutes

Read more

Handmade Marketing on a Budget

Today’s Crafty Business Advice Question comes from Ti of NomBieCraftz.

What is the best way to advertise on a budget?

Social networking is one of the best ways to market your shop, period. And it’s free!

Okay, so as the saying goes, “Time is money”. So it’s not free-free, but the time invested in getting new Facebook fans, Twitter followers, and Tumblr follows is worth it because you’re building a long-term relationship with potential customers. Traditional advertising flashes on the screen for 30 seconds, and then it’s gone.  That’s why the big companies have to play the stupid things so often.

So how do you best use a social network to market your shop? Check out my 6 Secrets to Twitter Success for a Handmade Business here. The same basic principles apply to any social network.

It’s also important to continue to build your following. If you have 600 Twitter fans, every time you share a link to your item, you’re only reaching those same 600 people. It’s just a simple fact that the more people you reach, the more potential for sales you’ll have.

Another great way to advertise on a budget is by doing giveaways. Again, it’s kinda free. You don’t pay money (or at least you shouldn’t have to… any blog wanting you to PAY to do a giveaway is shady, if you ask me), but you are offering up a free product, which is costing you the materials and the time to make it.

Be selective when choosing a site to do a giveaway with. One of the things you’ll get used to is people demanding free stuff. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry has an AWESOME blog, PERFECT FOR YOUR ITEMS, and they’d just LOVE to giveaway one of your AMAZING items to their followers! It’ll be a BIG HIT! Or maybe they don’t have a blog but they’re doing a CHARITY AUCTION for KIDS WITH LEPROSY and isn’t this a GREAT OPPORTUNITY to get the word out about your AMAZING items and do something GREAT FOR KIDS all at the same time!

My personal rule is that unless I’ve heard of the site doing the giveaway or actually know the person, I don’t give freebies. There are too many people out there willing to take advantage. It might not even be intentional, but it’s still costing you something. Never forget that. A freebie isn’t free for you.

Here’s a simple checklist you can use if you’re considering doing a giveaway with a blog/website you’re not familiar with:

• Have they done giveaways in the past? What was the response like? I’d like to see that they’ve done lots of giveaways before mine. I’d also like to see a lot of response. If their last giveaway only go 10 entries, then it’s probably not worth it for you, because that generally means the site doesn’t get much traffic and/or the person running it isn’t promoting it. If you’re giving away freebies, then their side of the bargain is getting the word out!
• How much response do non-giveaway posts/pages get? I like to see a regular stream of interaction on posts that aren’t giveaways. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but a few comments here and there show me that the site gets some amount of organic traffic. If they only really get comments on giveaways, then I wonder if their only source of traffic are the freebie/giveaway junkies that run around entering every giveaway on the net, never bothering to look at what they’re even trying to win. Part of the appeal of a giveaway is exposure to your key demographic and freebie junkies aren’t part of it.
• Do they have a following on Twitter and/or Facebook? Again, this speaks to their commitment to promoting their site. I’d want to see a Facebook page or a Twitter account with significant followings (at least 1,000 on Facebook and at least 3,000 on Twitter)
• Are they asking you to pay to do the giveaway or give them a freebie in addition to the giveaway prize? This is an automatic deal-killer for me.

People often get overwhelmed by the idea that they’ll never be done with marketing, but that’s the nature of running any business. We’re like sharks. We have to keep swimming, or we die. To make it easier, set small goals for yourself. If you make it a point to get 10 new Twitter followers a day, by the end of the year, you’ll have gained 3,650 followers! If you get 100 new Facebook likes on your fanpage per week, that’s 5200 new fans for your page in a year! That’s thousands more potential buyers for your shop. They won’t all buy, but again, that’s the nature of running any business.

Happy crafting!

-Lex

Do you have a crafty business question or just general crafty question you’d like to ask?

• Send your questions to what.the.craft[at]gmail.com with your question!
• Include your shop/blog/website URL with your question, and I’ll include it in the post if I choose to answer your question in the blog!
• (Unless you’d prefer to be anonymous. In that case, just tell me you’d prefer to not be credited!)

 

6 Secrets to Twitter Success for a Handmade Business

1. Don’t just tweet about sales and new listings, people learn to tune that stuff out. Tell people about yourself, your day, your thoughts. Try to make it interesting and specific. Just tweeting a random thought with no context is going to get ignored.

Bad: OMG, watch where you’re going, psycho.

Good: I wish grocery carts had car horns attached to them.

2. When you do tweet about sales and new listings, try to think of a way to make it stand out from all the other sales and ads people see on Twitter and everywhere else. You’re not a big corporation (and that’s a good thing), so don’t sound like one. People have learned to ignore blatant commercials. Give a personal touch to your sales tweets.

Bad: I just listed this new top for sale in my shop: [link]

Good: I love the color of this top: [link]

3. Don’t think about it too much, or you’ll get overwhelmed. It’s okay to sometimes be too lazy to come up with something clever and to just say, “Check out my website! [link]“.

4. Interact with your followers. You don’t have to become BFFs and remember their birthday and favorite color, but when someone compliments your items or your website, say thank you! I’ve found it works well to retweet their tweet with my Thank You attached.

5. Before you sign off for the night, tweet your website or your product so that for the next 8-12 hours, anyone that checks your twitter account will see a link to your creations instead of “Mmmm… spaghetti for dinner.”

6. Try to tweet at least once a day. No one is interested in following a dead account.

 

Silhouette SD digital cutter review

Today I finally sat down to play with my new Silhouette SD! I’ve been intrigued by the personal electronic cutting machines for a while now, and I’m ecstatic to finally have one of my own to play with!

I know you’re probably super jealous, but I’ve got good news for you.

Now through June 29th, you can get the Silhouette SD and 2 packages of temporary tattoo paper for $199! That’s $120 off!
Just use the Promo code “WHAT“
Also, all other Silhouette shop items are 25% off through the 29th!

So onto the review!

Setting up the machine and installing the software took ten minutes, tops. Super easy.

You get some cool designs with the machine. There are cakes, flowers, leaves, and hearts, along with a pattern for a box and patterns for a card and envelope combo. Right out of the box with just the included designs, you could make a custom gift box and matching card for a birthday, shower, Mother’s Day… That rocks.

I downloaded a few designs from the Silhouette Online Store, which was easy to navigate and has TONS of designs. I’m a Halloween fanatic, so I was excited to see that they have 26 pages of Halloween designs. I can NOT wait until Halloween. My house is going to be decked out.

My favorite items in the online stores were the 3D designs. They have tons of gift box patterns (as I mentioned before), but also 3 dimensional sculptures, baskets, and decorations you can cut out and assemble.

The designs are inexpensive and you get to choose the individual designs you want, a huge step up from the cartridge style machines where you have to buy a whole set even if you only want one of the designs. Oh yeah, the BEST part is that you can cut your OWN DESIGNS. That was the most important feature for me.

Okay, let’s get cutting!

I chose a poseable skeleton design that I downloaded. I cut this one on plain white printer paper just as a quick test. The Silhouette design software was very easy to use. Scaling, moving, and deleting parts of the design is simple and user friendly. It took about 4 minutes for the machine to cut the skeleton (and it made all sorts of adorable R2D2 style noises while it did so).

 

My next project is going to be cutting some appliques because this thing cuts fabric!  Awesome. They also have heat transfer materials available so you can make custom shirts, bags, etc, adhesive vinyl for stickers… so if you think the Silhouette SD is only for scrapbooking, you’re wrong!

Spoonflower Custom Fabric Review

Custom fabric used to be a fantasy, unless you wanted to print it yourself. I did some research on the subject once and found that a “small run” of fabric would be something around a minimum of 500 to 1,000 yards, and most fabric printing houses won’t even do that small of a run. Even if it cost $1 a yard (and you can be assured it’d be more than that), you’d need to cough up $500-1000 all at once for one single print. My wallet laughed in my face.

Enter Spoonflower, offering completely custom fabric printing on a variety of fabric options. And you can order ONE YARD AT A TIME (they also have test swatches and fat quarters!).  Awesome! Amazing! I’m nearly wetting myself with excitement!

Not only can you order your own custom designed fabric, you can set up a little spoonflower shop and offer your fabric designs to the public! Every time your fabric sells, you get spoonflower credit!

About a year ago, Spoonflower had a free sample promotion, and I jumped at the chance to test it out. I could have ordered one of the thousands of awesome designs already available on their site, but I couldn’t resist the idea of designing my own fabric! So I did a little reconfiguring of the WhatTheCraft background, uploaded it, and ordered my free sample of WTC intarsia print fabric!

Crafty Intarsia print by smarmyclothes is available here.

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Happy Holidays from WhatTheCraft.com!

This post brought to you by Pier 1 Imports. All opinions are 100% mine.

Last year I was feeling a little Scrooge-ish and didn’t even bother putting my tree up. Bah Humbug. But there’s nothing like a mini shopping spree to put you in the Xmas spirit!

My Xmas tree has an enchanted forest theme going on… at least that’s what I’m going for. I’ve got owls, leaves, trees and gingerbread. I found some great additions to my ornament collection at Pier 1:

a hummingbird

a glittery birds nest

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