Heres your philosophy fix for the day: How to
Explore & Study Intention

post from How to of the Day on 31 May 2011 10:00:00 PM. © How to of the Day

Intention is a surprisingly important, but rarely explored part of the mind as its significance is only important after you study it. Only once you've spent time observing it can you find just how it fits in to day-to-day living as well as what you can do with it. Intention is a main stepping stone or foundation of the mind that is important to understand so here's how to explore it.

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Pinwheel Wreath; dollar store style

post from House of Hepworths "hoh" on 31 May 2011 09:33:11 PM. © House of Hepworths "hoh"

Ladies and Gents, be prepared to be shocked. I made another Dollar Store Wreath. {I have a thing for wreaths.} Yup. I did. And this time it’s a Pinwheel Wreath for the Spring and Summer! Yippie! Are those pinwheels not just the most freaking cute thing you’ve ever seen? I found these Pinwheels at the [...]

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Ten Tips for Selling Crafts Online Successfully

post from Craftster.org Blog on 31 May 2011 07:34:22 PM. © Craftster.org Blog

Recently, we started a discussion with our Friends of Craftster about successful tips for selling crafts online from both the seller’s and buyer’s perspectives. We covered the perils, the pitfalls, and the feel-good successes. So much goodness came out of this discussion that we feel compelled to share some of this knowledge with you. On behalf of our Friends of Craftster, we present to you, our top ten tips for selling your crafts and other handmade goods online successfully.

10. Handwritten thank you notes personalize your items, and further emphasize the one-to-one connection between you and your customers. (idea from lissablair)

9. Tell buyers exact measurements, not just sizes, especially for clothing and accessories. (idea from Eliea)

8. Packaging that represents your brand’s best qualities along with attention to details makes the item feel like a present even when the buyer knows what they ordered. (idea from Cranbeary)

7. Have a good social media presence. It’s tricky to do, you need to stay visible without being annoying. Be interesting, be brief. Don’t flood your fans’ feeds; especially not with “this is what I’m selling” posts. (idea from fantasticmio)

6. Communicate with the buyer directly about the shipping timeline, send an invoice/receipt with the item, and offer refunds. (idea from WildBird)

5. Exceed expectations (and increase word of mouth) with an unannounced free gift included with the shipped item. (idea from frenchonion)

4. Include instructions, like how to care for knitted items, clothing, hats, etc., and provide some info about the idea behind the crafted item. It’s always fun to read about why/how/when/etc. the item was made… and why it’s unique! After all, that’s why we chose to buy handcrafted items as opposed to mass produced items! (idea from loves2experiment)

3. Don’t undersell yourself. It not only cheats you, but it brings down the value of the entire crafting community. Plus people WILL pay for high quality items, especially if it’s one of a kind/limited edition. Work for the one or two $50 sales rather than trying to sell 5 to 10 for $10. (idea from DesignVigilante)

2. Respond quickly to questions from potential buyers. Waiting too long to get back to a potential customer could cause the person to lose interest. (idea from MareMare)

1. Take high quality photos of your items for sale. When your buyers can’t pick up an object and inspect it, good pictures are what they need to feel confident about what they’re buying. (idea from jungrrl)

If you’re ever feeling discouraged about the potential of your own craft business, just remember, Apple Computer and Amazon.com started out as home based businesses. For more business tips and ideas, join the numerous conversations about starting and running a craft business in our Crafty Business Advice forum.

Add a comment below with your own savvy business ideas and tips for online craft sellers.

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New Feature: Attachments and Tutorial
Contributors

post from Craftster.org Blog on 31 May 2011 06:34:39 PM. © Craftster.org Blog

For this Tute Tuesday, we’d like to highlight a brand new feature on Craftster called Attachments. As the name implies, we’re now giving Craftster members the ability to attach project files (jpg, png, gif, or pdf) in the forums. Attachments are a great way for people to share pattern pieces and step-by-step tutorials with each other, without having to leave Craftster!

We’ve also created the new member category Tutorial Contributors, which is our way of recognizing members who exemplify the Craftster spirit by freely sharing tutorials and/or patterns with the community!

We want to support and encourage these members by giving them the opportunity to upload unlimited attachments! We’ll also be promoting members of the Tutorial Contributors group in our blog, Facebook, and Twitter. And soon, we plan to give them official titles (similar to the ones Moderators have) so that they can wear their title proudly around the forums! If you want to contribute a tutorial or join the Tutorial Contributors group, learn more about this new feature here.

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http://www.craftster.org/blog/new-feature-attachments-and-tutorial-contributors/

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How to: Portis Cullis

post from IKEA Hackers on 31 May 2011 06:34:35 PM. © IKEA Hackers

Materials: Portis Shoe Rack, Hacksaw, Metal repair resin

Description: I though shortening the Portis shoe rack was going to be a simple hacksaw job but it turned out a little more complex.

Saw the bars to length and don't throw the offcuts just yet.

Find the four offcuts that have a nut in the end. Use a piece of scrap metal to drive the nut a little further into the bar. You can now cut off the rolled over end of the bar without damaging the nuts. Drive the nut back in the other direction and it will pop out the end of the bar. Repeat for the other 3.

Locate the 4 bars that have a nut in one end. Hammer a nut into the end of each of these. Use metal repair resin to secure. Clean out any resin that gets into the screw threads before it dries.

Assemble as per the instructions and you have successfully shortened the Portis Shoe Rack.

See more of how to shorten the Portis.

~ Andy from Workshopshed, London