course

Getting serious

~ DMWCarol ~ Leave a comment

No post from the crafts course this week as I forgot to take my camera with me.   We poured candles and finished assembling the magnets from the little squares we made previously.  It was nice to see things being finished.

There’s a couple more weeks to go which will cover more of the selling stuff, and then it’s all over – except that myself and a lovely lady called Joan have decided to start up a crafting co-op so we can continue meeting up and making things together plus share the cost of having stalls at craft fairs and events.

The group itself has a stall in just over a week. As well as the things we’ve made in the group we’re allowed to bring along things we’ve made in our own time to sell.  I’m going to take a bunch of chainmail jewellery to see how that goes.  I had a shopping trip today and stocked up on beads and ribbons so I have loads to work with.

That means I need to work on display and packaging.  I’ve just splurged on ebay on some cute little boxes that are sort of like treasure chests.  They’re a bit more expensive than basic packaging but I’m hoping they’ll pay for themselves by attracting customers.  I’ve also ordered some tissue paper and sticky labels with my contact info.  I may have to invest in business cards as well.  All serious stuff – and expense I could really do without, but if it works it’s worth it.

My previous attempts at selling have not really gone very well so here’s hoping I get it right this time.

Craft course

~ DMWCarol ~ Leave a comment

i just realised I forgot to post after the course this week. I’ve had a migraine since that morning so haven’t really been doing much. I hate migraine!

Anyway, now that I’ve remembered I may as well post the update. The course was actually quite disappointing this time, only half the people showed up and the leader has decided to skim over all the business stuff because most of the people there are only interested in the social side and actually making stuff. Trust me to be different!

We had a very quick look at design specifications and the 6 Rs of being environment friendly then it was back to cutting up bits of paper and gluing them together. Only this time instead of little squares we made a mood board.


It was actually quite helpful and will definitely be a good inspiration if I ever do craft fairs etc

Course week three

~ DMWCarol ~ Leave a comment

Today we looked at mood boards and the design cycle.  Now comes the hard part – before next week we have to come up with our own product and collect together some mood board ideas for it.  I really don’t have the faintest idea what to go with.

I want something that will fit with the things other people are making, so nothing too nerdy/weird. I’m really not sure though.

We got to make a few more of the little collages to round off the session

Week two of the crafts course

~ DMWCarol ~ Leave a comment

This morning was a lot more fun – no paperwork!  Thank the gods!

The glue is now dry on my notebook so I picked that up.  It’s very shiny which means it doesn’t photo very well.

Notebook

We started this season off looking at colour theory and talking about harmonising colours and contrasting colours.  Then we got to play with the fancy papers again to make mini collages that will eventually be turned into magnets.

I made four.  I can’t decide which I like most.  The picture isn’t great as it was taken on my mobile, but it should at least give an idea of what I’ve been doing

IMG_0271[1]

Next time we’re supposed to bring in something we make at home that we’d like to sell so I need to get out the links and put together some chainmail jewellery as I think that’s my most likely ‘product’

First week of the craftworks course

~ DMWCarol ~ Leave a comment

Well that was a long morning.  We spent absolutely ages doing paperwork, all of it dull to the extreme.  Pages and pages of it.

Eventually though we got to do something a bit more fun.  We were all given journals and loads of different scrapbooking materials which we had free reign to use to decorate said journal.

I would post a picture but I went a bit crazy with the glitter glue so mine is still drying and I won’t bring it home until next week.

It was an interesting bunch of people.  I don’t think any of them are really that interested in making stuff to sell.  Most seemed to just be looking for a social morning.  It was all female, mostly over 50 and I think most of the others already know each other from the WI and suchlike.  Still, the course sounds like it will cover all the stuff I need to learn so it’s worth going.

And the crafts?

~ DMWCarol ~ 2 Comments

I like making things.  I’m lucky enough that I can usually manage to make whatever I set my mind to reasonably adequately.  I can visualise things in 3d which helps and am reasonably good about attention to detail.  I used to be better, but I have a dodgy right hand these days so my fine motor control isn’t what it used to be and I can’t keep working for hours on end.  I get by though.

I knit, usually chainmail but with wool too on occasion.  I made my hubby a Dr Who scarf which he is very proud of.  That was my biggest project so far, it took an absolute age to make but mostly because I left it for weeks and weeks between doing any.  I mostly make chainmail jewelry rather than armour for reasons of hand.  I make normal beady type jewelry too, that’s quick and easy so great for when the pain levels are high but the itch to make something won’t go away.

I sometimes make costumes and props for games and random ‘stuff and things’ for friends or particular occasions. The last thing I made was a cross stitch sampler for a friends wedding, current project is a pair of knitted dolls for another friend.

I have an etsy shop and a folksy shop but haven’t yet gotten around to populating them.  To be honest I am absolutely dreadful at selling stuff.  Giving it away is much easier and I like seeing people wearing things I have made.  I wish I was better at the selling bit, I think the stuff I make is good enough to sell I just don’t have those skills.

I’ve just signed up for a crafts course that is supposed to include advice on how to make and sell so here’s hoping it makes a difference.

My to do list craftwise is currently dominated by ‘learn to crochet’ it looks a lot more portable than knitting and seems to be faster which can only be a good thing.