Dianeyp's Xombytes

Have a Garden Party to kick off your business

If its nice weather where you live, and you love to garden and also love to make garden crafts, then why not try having a garden party to kick off your craft business?

Reduce, reuse, recycle, this is a great motto for crafters too!. Try using old denim jeans for your projects, and make some useable crafts. This pocket is very simple and yet useful to make.

Cut out the back pocket of a old pair of clean jeans, making sure to cut right through the seat of the jeans, so that you form a pocket within a pocket. (another words, don't just pick the pocket off the jeans, you need a backing to create the pocket).

This is a really cute, yet a rustic addition to a child's bed, and also has the additional excitement of producing a reward for a baby tooth!

You can make these out of any cotton fabrics, but my favorite has been to use well worn denim.

If you have a craft business, and depend on craft shows as a way to make money, then you have to get organized at the right time of year.

If Christmas crafts are your bread and butter, then July and August are the best time to get a head start on them. Spend July figuring out what you are going to create, and then get the supplies. In the summer, many people come away from crafts because of holidays etc, and this is a good time to get the deals.

If you are looking for something different to make, and also want to recycle, then why not try some vintage crafts?

Look at home through that trunk of old clothes, or bedspreads, or even tablecloths, and get that imagination going!

Rug hooking has made a big comeback.. this is an older craft, that is now a form of art and stress relief!.. as it is a relaxing craft... Get started now for your fall hobbies or craft business!

There are a couple of basic types of rug hooking, the first one is the latch hook type, which usually comes as a kit, and has a picture already on it, and once you learn to use the hook, you follow the instructions with the co-ordinate pre-cut wool pieces.

Twice a year in my community, they have a "large garbage" pick up day. That is my favorite day!. I drag my family along, and we drive up and down the streets looking for buried treasure!

I found this great large white frame on top of a pile of appliances, I took it home and cleaned it up. It was solid wood, there was no picture or mirror, just the frame. My husband wanted to know.. what was I going to do with it?.. He visioned it ending up in his garage!

Full spectrum lighting, is a great way to extend your day when you are doing arts and crafts.

These lights are quite often bought as desk lamps, but give off the same light as daylight, which is great if you are a night owl, or like to work on your craft after dark.

You have heard the saying.. "no job is finished until the paperwork is done".. this statement is very true, when it comes to running a craft business, or any business!

You need to keep track of your income and expenses, not only for the tax man at the end of the year, but also for you. You need to make sure you are not running around in circles, working very hard, and not making any money, you want to find the money!

Storage is another consideration for all your crafts and creations.

If you create a lot of crafts that are the same size, this makes life easier!, but if you are like me, and they are all different sizes, then storage becomes a big problem!