Saturday, January 23, 2016

Be Prepared!!! Part Two

Creating Your Brand

What do I mean by creating your brand?  

What I mean is, you should first and foremost create a business card.  As far as I'm concerned this is a must even if you don't do anything else.  You must have a way to tell people about your business and how they can contact you. 

There are so many sites you can find to order or create your own business cards.  I went through a site called Zazzle.  The printing quality isn't the best but I really liked the designs and it was very easy to customize.  This is a picture of the back of my card which has all of my contact information.

*You may want to wait to order cards until after you've created and have all the correct contact information.



This is what the front looks like and I really like how it turned out.  The prices are pretty reasonable and they have great coupons all the time.  I ended up ordering 200 cards.





I also ordered bags from Paper Mart.com and labels from Zazzle to put on the front.  This is an extra little step but I think it's nice when I receive a nice bag with my purchase.  Not to mention, it's also advertising.  Every time someone makes a purchase from me they receive a paper shopping bag with my label on it and I also include a business card in the bag as well.

 * I suggest that you insert your business cards in the bags before the show so you don't get too busy and forget.



They are very simple but there is something about a brown paper bag and stark white label.  It seems fresh and clean.


Price tags....I knew that I didn't want to put stickers on everything.  I already had a ton of shipping tags so I pulled out some of my stamp sets and created a very simple but cute tag.



 I later included a short description/name of the item on the back with the price.  That way I knew where to put it if it came off the item.


The next step is to create all your social media sites and link them.
I wanted to have all my different sites up and some what running when I had my first show.  It might not seem that important but in this cyber age you have to be connected.  It might take a while to get everything up and running but once you are done you will be so glad you did.  

My blog and my facebook page were the first ones I wanted to work on.  Facebook is such a great way to reach people. 

https://www.facebook.com/thebohoboutiquemi/?ref=hl

I also created an Instagram account.

https://www.instagram.com/thebohoboutiquemi/

I already had a Pinterest account and Youtube channel.  I just updated both of them with my new blog address and made sure to link all the accounts together.

https://www.pinterest.com/tarakelley79/

https://www.youtube.com/user/tarakelley79/featured

This all may seem very obvious to some but not to everyone so here is a little recap on how to start creating your brand.

 1.  Order or make business cards with all your contact information.  (Make sure you have all your contact           information before ordering)
 2.  Order and make price tags, shopping bags and labels.
 3.  Create all your social media sites: Blog, Facebook page, Pinterest, Instagram and Youtube.
 4.  Make sure to link all the sites together the best way you can.

All of these sites are free of charge and an excellent way to advertise so take advantage of it!!
Thanks for stoppin' by!!  




Friday, January 22, 2016

Ruler Growth Charts

Happy Friday Everyone!!.....Here is my first item for SALE!!!!!

These are so fun, whether you use it for a home decor accent or for charting the growth of your children or grandchildren, it's perfect!!  Even though it's 6ft tall it's only 8" wide so it can easily fit into many spaces. 

I really enjoy making these although it does take a while lol.  Pine is so satisfying to work with, it sands and stains pretty darn easy.  It wasn't until I sold my 1st one at a craft show that it hit me.  An adorable couple came by my booth and bought a few things that would be added to their new baby's nursery.  Then, I thought about the families that will use these and the memories they will make.  Instantly, it was one of my favorite things I've ever made.  I'm honored to be a part of the story!!  #memories #thestory




 

If you're interested in ordering a Ruler (Growth Chart) please message me. I have five different stains available to choose from (Dark Walnut, Weathered Gray, Golden Oak & Provincial). They're $25.00 each. If you'd like a different stain or would prefer a painted look, I also do custom orders. Custom orders are $30-$35 depending on your order.

Thanks for stoppin' by!!

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Be Prepared!!! Part One

Not only is it the Girl Scout moto but just a good rule to live by!!

Here is how I started to prepare things for my first craft show.

*Finding and Making my Booth Sign*

I knew I was going to need a sign for my booth.  So I had been keeping an eye out for different things.  I found a unique door at the habitat for humanity store so I picked it up.  I also picked up a very cool easel from goodwill.  At the time I didn't know what I was going to use it for, which is often the case lol!  Here is what I came up with. 

I screwed two of the easel boards to the back of the door.  I replaced the chain with a longer one that I picked from Home Depot.


 I applied 3 coats of chalkboard paint to the recessed areas.  Make sure you follow the directions on the can.


I've used this product many times and have always had good luck!!


After I finished painting and everything was dry I took my mouse sander and distressed the edges a bit.


I love how it turned out.  

Be Prepared!! Part Two

Thanks for stoppin' by!


Sunday, January 17, 2016

What's Cookin' Good Lookin'?

Drunkin' Chicken Marsala

So one of the things I'd like to share on this blog are recipes.  I'm a busy mother of three and time isn't always my friend but I also like good food.  We don't go out to eat much so pinterest in a huge part of my meal planning.

I found this recipe on pinterest and I've made it twice and it's a keeper.  My whole family loves it!! My kids don't like the cooked tomatoes on top but that's no biggy.  I usually pair it with a spinach salad, which my kids love, and a yummy bread.





Note: As with many recipes, if I can't find the exact ingredients I improvise.
*I used baby portobello mushrooms & sweet Marsala wine with this one.

You can find the orginal recipe at a Pinch of Yum.





 
Wednesday, January 13, 2016

My First Two Craft Shows

Well, I guess I was a little crazy to start such a big project around the holidays.  I definitely learned a few things but first I'd like to say.....

I had an AMAZING show, it went better than I could have excepted!!!!!

Lesson #1 Supply and demand.  Always plan for the best scenario!!  My first and second shows were back to back weekends.  I did so well and sold out of so many things that I turned into a crazy women the week in between the shows.  I was running and picking up supplies, sanding, staining and painting till the wee hours of the morning of the second show. 

I received such wonderful feedback from customers and fellow crafters.  I really felt welcomed and proud that people seemed to like my booth.  I had a few people tell me they loved my style and wanted my card.  I'm so glad I had them ready because I handed out quite a few.

I will say that it was a LOT of work and b/c I don't have a truck or trailer and have many large items it was an issue.  My husband helped me, thank God, haul and set up the booth. 

Lesson #2 pricing.  I had a few people tell me that my prices were too low lol!  I really struggled with pricing not having any experience and to be perfectly honest I didn't keep track of my hours while I was making things which didn't help.  I did however keep track of my hours the week in between and realized that I did have a few things priced to low.  Time is money, right?

Lesson #3 Don't be afraid!!  It usually works out better than you thought it would.

Tip: If you are on the fence about excepting credit cards, do it.  I knew I wanted and ended up going with The Square and it worked great and the device was free!  I had a few CC sales so it was worth it.

Here are a few pictures of my booths!! 

I'm just starting to setup for my first show in Pentwater.


The booth next to me didn't show so I was able to take a little extra room.  Normally it's a 10x10 booth.



I hand stamped my price tags.


After the show I took my family out to celebrate at a local restaurant The Brown Bear.


 My second show in Shelby was a smaller show and was set up more as a table rather than a booth.






Tip: Always bring something to work on during any slow times. 

All in all it was a great experience and I'm excited to do it again!!

Thanks for stoppin' by!!