How to make a DIY Ribbon & wool storage box from an old shoe box video tutorial

I was tired of my ribbons becoming all tangled and unravelled plus the constant being unrolled for fun by either my youngest children or my puppy! 

Hence the inspiration (or desperate need) to DIY make this ribbon storage  box to hold my ribbons and bakers twine, it could even hold wool or thread for knitters & crocheters ....       

Before ....   

During

After

Here's a quick video showing you the details up close & personal ...      How pretty & efficient is that old shoe box now? 

Have you DIY'd any of your craft materials storage solutions? I'd love to hear about them!

Craft store demonstrations can boost your craft business visibility & success!

Like attracts like, yes?

If you've spent time thinking about the type of customers that your business needs to attract then it's likely you've also identified that these customers are also likely to be craft product purchasers. 

Why not try asking your local craft, hobby or creative stores if they'd like to offer a hands-on, live demonstration in store to help attract customers to the store? 

Chances are they'll welcome the extra publicity and potential custom and you'll be able to raise awareness of yourself and your business. 

Win, win - right?

# Ask local craft stores if you can demonstrate techniques to their customers

How to dress up your gift packages video tutorial using Stampin' Up! ribbons

Who doesn't like to receive fabulously dressed gifts? 

Sometimes what's on the outside can be better than what's on the inside ;)

And I can't be the only person who saves the extra special wrapping? ;)

Here's how to dress your packages to create works of packaging art using just ribbons .. 

20 themed ideas to keep your craft creations fresh, timely, on trend & in demand

Keeping your products and services in demand is hard work. Using themes to create and craft to gives you a structure to enable you to plan ahead and ensure your products & services are always fresh, timely & capturing the major purchasing trends.

Here are the top 20 main UK celebration themes you can use to plan and theme your future creations:

• Christmas
• Easter
• St Patricks day
• Summer holidays
• Starting school term
• Halloween
• Harvest
• Wedding season
• Valentines Day
• Mothers Day
• Fathers Day
• New Years Day
• Burns Night
• Chinese New Year
• St Davids 
• Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday
• At Georges Day 
• Diwali
• Bonfire night
• Rememberance Sunday 
• St Andrews Day
• Hanukkah

#58 Create to a calendar theme for fresh, timely & on trend products 

that people are looking to buy

How to make a handmade paper flower bouquet with Stampin' Up! craft products

My paper peony bouquet heralds a riot of Spring blooms in ombre shades of daintly named pinks ranging from Raspberry ripple, Strawberry slush, Blushing bride & Pink pirouette the perfect colours for celebrating!!

My project was inspired by the gorgeous new 'just need to make it' Stampin Up Burlap & Blooms wreath kit, the the new Spiral flowers original die which is perfect for handmaking your own blooms and the cute little Petite Petals punch. 

I've also used the new Spring/Summer hostess stamp set Natures Hello for parts of the foliage to add a little green to the pink!

The key to making any handmade flowers is layering - the more layers you use the better the flowers will look! I just love the flower centres from the Burlap and Blooms wreath kit.

If you'd like to make your own handmade paper peonies and need supplies then pop over to my online Stampin Up store - don't forget with all orders of £45 you get to choose a free products from the fabulous Sale-a-bration range!

10 simple sales & marketing tips to skyrocket your craft business summer sales

Summer can traditionally be a slow time for sales - here's 10 quick ideas on how you can sky rocket your summer sales!

Using your social media platforms, your customer newsletters (you do have one, don't you?), your printed promotional materials, your website and/or blog tell everyone you know or who knows you that you're having a summer special for a limited time period (don't forget to specify when it ends!)

Try one of my summer sales step-ups a week over the summer months (or whenever the slowest sales time is in your calendar) and see which ones work best for you!

• Buy one get one free! Buy two get the third free!
• Buy a product and receive a small gift!
• Free gift wrap or delivery or gift with every purchase!
• Spend £x and receive a discount on your next order!
• If a friend buys you both get something free!
• Enter a competition to win!
• Share our info & get a discount!
• Sign up for updates/latest news & get a discount code!
• Collect loyalty points for a money off voucher!
• Buy a product and get a discount off a related product!

 

#57 Draw up a repertoire of sales tactics to boost sales during slow times, 

test them out & see which your customers prefer & works best for your business

How to make handmade hair bows video tutorial using Stampin' Up! ribbons & buttons

As mummy to four hairstyle concious young girls, I'm always looking for cost saving ways to keep up with the latest trend in hair accessories!

This fabulous video tutorial shows how easy it is to make handmade hair bows & accessories using Stampin' Up! buttons and ribbons (scraps!!) that are totally unique and can be personalised to each recipient.

Happy hair days are here again ;)