I'm Feeling Creative

With the glorious days of summer coming up I will have time to relax and play in my office with my toys. This year I added a cuttlebug and Your Story to my collection :) I can't wait to start playing with them!

This afternoon I've started visiting my old haunts online to get some inspiration and see what's new in the world of craft.

What are some of your favorite blogs, forums, and sites? I'd love someone to share!

I have a few things I want to do this summer and one of them includes cleaning out my craft room by making tons of things to sell in my Mom's new store.

Shop Til You Drop - Alexandria, LA

Well, my aunt and I tried our luck at my first vendor show for Scentsy. I wasn't impressed with the crowd, but we made out okay. Other vendors didn't do as well and I was sorry for them. I did make some great new friends though and for me that was the best part of all!

I know that when everyone does shows they are looking at putting money in to hopefully make a profit and for every person that spends money at the booth next door that is less money they will spend at yours. I am happy to say though that we were with a group of great ladies and gentlemen who even if they didn't do as well were kind and great people to talk to.

I have great advice for vendor shows that I picked up from the good people who do these on a regular basis and I wanted to share with you:

* Try at least each show 1 time to see if its right for you
* Pay attention to whether you will need electricity or not
* HAVE A WAY TO ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS- I can't say enough about this one! We had a lady who wanted to order a lot but only had a small amount of cash, when I explained to her we took cards, her order was over $75
* Be kind and considerate to those around you, learn about their products and get to know them as people... you'll meet wonderful people who won't mind giving you tips!
* Have an idea of how you want to set up and bring the materials you will need.
* Make sure you have enough linens on hand to cover your booth up each night
* DO NOT just sit on a chair in your booth and watch customers walk by! - Smile and engage them in conversation and ask them if they've seen anything like your product, give them the benefits of your product etc.
* Dress appropriately. I'm not saying high heels and business suits, but make sure your appearance is neat, clean, and pressed. We wore matching t-shirts with matching aprons so people could visually see we were a team.
* SMILE SMILE SMILE

I'd love to know if anyone else has any tips. I am looking to add more shows to my route! It was a lot of fun and I think I'd like to do about one a month. The money was great for this show. I wish everyone blessings on their shows!

Updates and Great Deals!

Well I took a quick look at my blog today and realized I haven't written in ages, but PLEASE EXCUSE ME! Finals are coming up! But just so you know... I'm streamlining pretty good and I've lost 15 pounds! And I'm ramping up my ideas for my own small brick and mortar store. Well, me and my Mom are doing a small brick and mortar. We've actually already got the building on the property and the first thing we are doing is a massive garage sale to get rid of LOTS of junk. Then we are going to stock the cutest handmade items and a mix of country and antique. My Mom wants to call it:

Ladybug's Butterfly
Boutique and Resale Gift Shop

I don't know how I feel about the resale part because so much will be handmade, but I want to use a lot of recycled materials, and of course there will be antiques, and did I mention chicks, farm fresh eggs, and whatever else is going to be my Mom's pet project?

I'll get some pictures posted soon of our building and the little things we will be doing to get ourselves all decorated in theme. We are pretty excited, but getting up and running will be the hardest part. I have a lot of things to make and won't have much time to begin that until around May and into the summer.

As for my good deals though, here it is so far:

1 - OH My Crafts had a killer sale, and I was able to purchase a Your Story and a Cuttlebug at killer discounts plus FREE shipping! I also snagged some things for both items out of their clearance section and that made for one happy Momma today when they were delivered. I can't wait to play! OMC always has such great deals I'm always on the lookout when my budget permits.

2 - The makers of Scrapbook Trends Magazine also have several other magazines namely Cards, Simply Handmade, and Bead Trends. Oh My Crafts sent me a great coupon so that I can get a digital subscription to ALL of these magazines for only $1 the first month and $9.99 a month thereafter. The best thing about digital with this company was that I can save the subscriptions on my computer, print anything I want, bookmark pages digitally, and access them anytime from the web no matter where I am. Another great feature the online digital version has is the ability to search key words and projects within each subscription to find the exact company's products you are looking for, the project you want to try, or whatever it is you are looking for! Translation: cheaper than news stand prices, won't clutter my office, easy to find materials, bookmarks, and transportable! I'm in heaven!

3 - Close to My Heart is going digital in a major way! They are launching Studio J which translates into digital scrapbooking online. CTMH prints what you've built and mails them to you for a fee of course, but the best part is ALL of there great papers are there for you to choose from including easy layouts that you can add embellishments to, journaling, and of course your own great pictures. I don't have a CTMH website up, but you can definitely order anything CTMH through me, just contact me and let me know what you'd like!

4 - Scentsy's new scent of the month is Red Hot Candy Apple and it is out of this world! My sales for this new scent have been insane! And of course in April is 10% offer so that made it so much "hotter" for my customers. Teacher appreciation is coming up to and Scentsy has a beautiful teacher mid size teacher warmer for its warmer of the month. So for only $22.50 great teachers can have a beautiful gift that shows their passion for their profession. I have one myself for my future classroom. Hard to believe in only one year I will be teaching! I'm so excited!

Those are the best deals around right now... unless of course you consider that my East Texas Wal-Mart has milk on sale for $1.78 per gallon. My good friend just called and told me. I will be shopping tomorrow!

Have a blessed time everyone, and until next time... pray for me and I'll pray for you!