Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Open a Craft Store Free

The handmade crafts business whether full time or part time, is growing. The need to start a craft business can be due to job loss from staff down sizing, business closures, poor economy, etc. So the artist will need to find a outlet to generate sales for their various projects.

A big problem that many find upon starting a craft business at home, is to realize that more monies may be required for various costs. These may be for hosting a domain, inclusion in a high ranking directory, advertising, to name a few. It makes one wonder how on Earth does one sell successfully online?

I will assume that a business plan has been done. You have the what, where, why, when and how of your craft business on hand. Now, I will share a few sites with you to consider that will help further the reality of your own online store. They are FREE with limits but have the option to upgrade for more services PLUS a few also listed that are low cost. They are as follows ;

 - Shophandmade , requires HANDMADE items, Paypal account, single or group use, no Fee’s
Handmadeartistsshop, $50/yr subscription or $5/month, handmade items only, require Paypal
Yardsellr, Paypal required, small fee deducted upon sale
Ecrater , Google checkout partner, free store
GLC Mall, free basic store, $12/month upgrade option
Webstore, free store with limit or auction, many payment options
iCraft, $25.00 one time sign up fee, Free store with limit, $5 - $15/month upgrade option

A majority of these sites require HANDMADE products only. They will not accept mass produced commercial items which I think is great, since it’s our crafts that we would like to get noticed and have appreciative buyers. There may be advertising on your store which gets removed upon upgrading. Now, who would really mind the advertising when the chance to remove it, is just around the corner when you’re making regular sales?

One other factor to take into consideration is that these sites have good page ranks. This means that they get traffic whether it be genuine prospective buyers, wholesalers or the curious, your store will get noticed. One last tip to share is this - list your store in business directories for your area and related niche market. They also have good page ranks which may in turn, boost your own site.

I know there are many more sites out there and may have missed some, maybe you can leave a suggestion in the comments row. For now, I wish you the best in starting your own store. :)

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Article(C)2011 GG9909, all rights reserved. Copies can be found and reported.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Holiday Gifts Crazy Quilt Wall hanging

The Christmas holidays are upon us and ideas galore swim through our minds. Some gifts are easy to choose for friends and/or family whereas ideas for others may leave us stumped and we wander through store after store trying to get inspired.

One gift idea can be giving a handmade home decoration such as a Crazy quilt wall hanging. Now why choose this? Home decorating can be fun for everybody but will depend on personal taste and styles. One has to like color, details and whimsy since a crazy quilt encompasses these qualities.

The days of yore with castles and monarchies, wall hangings and tapestries, of all sizes, were used for decorative purposes. Royalty, monasteries, nobility, wealthy merchants and farmers were the main patrons of fiber artists to provide these decorative pieces for their homes therefore were quite splendid and beautiful. These wall hangings and tapestries also sharpened the acoustics of a room. This particular piece of home decoration slowly diminished over time changing fiber crafts into industries.

A crazy quilt wall hanging can be made in various sizes, colors and embellished with embroidery, ribbons, beads, buttons, lace, charms, and assorted embroidered designs. Fabrics can range from simple cottons to expensive silk, satin, velvet and brocade. It’s the finished product that will provide the visual delight, interesting topic of conversation, become a art collection, and one-of-a-kind showcase gift.

Crazy quilt wall hangings are gaining popularity amongst art collectors due to the skill and labor involved in the creation not to mention, no two quilts are the same. We can give three colors of fabric to three individuals and each will piece it together with their own distinct style and therein lies the beauty of a crazy quilt.

A crazy quilt wall hanging can be found online with a search query. Numerous quilting guilds can also be found online and in our telephone books. It’s considered a textile and/or fiber art and can be a collector’s item. As I mentioned before regarding choice, it’s best to choose one for somebody who can appreciate something beautiful and unusual. I wish you a Merry Christmas, safe and Happy New Year!

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

A Tripping Date

The world of quilters have a common passion for quilting and all that encompasses the craft, to produce their quilt. A store related to sewing will capture their imagination and stir excitement. A fabric, notions or quilt store is wonderful eye candy. Would you consider adding visits to such shops while travelling?

Travelling to another region within our homeland or abroad overseas, opens the door to explore new markets. Along with exploring the regular tourist destinations is the opportunity to inspire learning new quilting methods, patterns and designs or integration.

A couple of methods to locate these shops will require planning ahead of time. As we know, travelling starts with the destination. Including this information gathered ahead of time will make travel that much smoother and stress free. A few methods to locate shops:

 - Search engine, to bring up general highlights
 - Advanced search, use keywords for specific information
 - Yellowpages online
 - Online Directories, will list participating shop sites
 - Quilt Event Calendar plus your destination search
 - Quilters Directory book from local book store


Once you have your  shop list(s) compiled -take a few more steps. Visit the US Customs websites to learn what is allowed vs prohibited items to bring back home and the duties that will be required. Plan to find out early if the retailer can ship the item home for you as they may be more adept and knowledgeable with shipping brokers and customs. Ensure you gather all tracking forms and documentation. Exchange contact information for yourself and the retailer in the event there is damage or loss.

Planning ahead is always good advice to follow. One last stop before beginning your trip is to visit your FedEx, UPS sites. Explore the international costs of shipping home from your upcoming destination
point. As has been mentioned before about shipping -include your insurance costs.

The costs of international shipping may be high so consideration to budget must be followed. We must ask ourselves would I pay this price at home? is the over all cost worth it? Using a shipping service vs risk of lost
luggage is another factor to consider when packing purchased gifts in your suitcase.

Foresight and pre-preparation planning is important. Other sources of information may be found with;

 - Embassy newsletters
 - Tourist brochures
 - Flight/Cruise booking agent


A safe journey and enjoyable shopping will only be part of a trip but to have potential risks overseen will only make the experience so much better!

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