A Crafting Journal 01/06/25

 

Starting a crafting business, or any business, is not for the faint of heart. 

December has been an exciting month full of crafting, planning, advertising, and dreaming.  It has shown me, without a doubt, that I want to do this more than just a hobby.  I enjoy the planning and setting up.  I enjoy the teaching so much... and I even enjoy cleaning up the space and putting it to rights for the next time.  But, it has also shown me that a lot of great ideas and lofty, dreamy goals of sunlit spaces filled with happy, crafting children isn't a guaranteed thing. 

So, without further ado, let's get into the nitty gritty details.

Wins :: 

1. I hosted two more Free Holiday Crafting classes.  The children were so fun to work with, and they seemed to enjoy the projects.  Especially the pom poms. Always the pom poms, lol.  

2.  I continued crafting frequently, and posting on social media. 

3.  I followed Patty from DEEP SPACE SPARKLE like a groopy folowing a boy band!  I admire her easy style, her brilliant crafts, her business sense, her happy personality, and her way of just making you feel like you can really do this thing. 

4.  I put together my class list for January.  I researched material for the classes, and made a lot of class samples.  I advertised and posted the classes on social media.  

5.  I was asked by a friend to teach an Adult Craft class the first week of January!  I am looking forward to it!

Losses ::

1.  I am feeling very discouraged.  All of the excitement of a new business and the buzz from others has seemed to fade.  My daughter, bless her heart, is the only one who consistently likes my posts.  I appreciate it greatly... but it would be nice if that number could grow. Not so much because I want to go viral, but it helps me to know I am on the right path. 

2.  After all of my free classes and advertising I haven't gotten anyone to sign up for an actual class.  So, of course that leads me to ask... is it me? Is it my classes?  Is my marketing strategy complete crap.  Hmmm???? 

3.  I learned that if you are going to start something like "The 12 Days of What I Love" or an Advent Crafting calendar you should start preparing for that way earlier than the actual day it starts, lol. I will absolutely try this again, but will be more prepared.

4.  I tried doing the whole MAILCHIMP thing.  I was going to send out an email 'newsletter' to the email addresses I had collected from my free classes.  I am embarrassed to say I couldn't figure it out.  I was able to get a decent looking email with all of my new classes, but ended up sending a test email instead lol. Duh.  So, I just send a basic email instead.  But, I never received any responses, so I have no idea if anyone ever saw them or not. 

I admit that I thought since I had these wonderful, happy ideas and enthusiasm that customers would just flock to me and jump on the happy, kid crafting wagon.  That just because I knew that I had a good thing, people would just believe me, and tell all of their friends.

But, you know what, life doesn't usually work like that. 

So, I am going to put on my big girl panties and get back out there.  I have a lot of exciting ideas, thoughts and dreams.  With a New Year ahead of me I am going to move forward with renewed enthusiasm and fortitude... and hope that I can figure out this whole Mailchimp thing by 2026!

Sending the happiest vibes!

Channon

Colorful Tissue Paper Ornament

 

Deck the halls with loads of cheery red and homemade tissue paper ornaments.  

Collecting a big box of recycled materials has been very motivating!  The thin cardboard boxes from cereal, crackers, pasta, etc are easy to cut yet, sturdy enough for crafting.  

I cut out the ornament shape , thin cut out the hole for the tissue paper.  I lined up the tissue paper strips and used a glue stick around the ages to hold them.

I cut out another piece of cardboard the same shape and glued it to the back.

Aluminum foil worked perfectly at the top and to add the hanging loop.

I used markers to decorate around the edges.  You could also add gems, puff paint,  stickers, whatever strikes your fancy.

That's it!  You could do any shape.  A Christmas tree, a window for a stained glass look.  Sometimes it's the simple things that make such a big impact.

Sending warmest wishes

Channon

Free Holiday Craft Class ReCap

With my second Free Holiday Open House in the books, I feel like I am starting to get the hang of it! 

I did a similar set up as the first time with placemats, brown paper bags with my logo sticker, coloring and project sheets, cardboard tree cut out, a pompom maker and little jars filled with tree embellishments and googly eyes for our critters.  As I am typing, it seems like a lot, but it is nice to know where everything is and I don't have to scramble for last minute supplies. 

Earlier in the day I organized all of my craft supplies into one place.  That really made getting ready easier. 

I truly recommend making pompoms with your children, or in your next class.  Once you get the hang of it, they are a little bit addicting. I bought a pompom maker from amazon and I felt it was a bit wonky and tedious to use. So, I looked up how to make your own and it was so much easier.  You can try it yourself by visiting the website HERE. 

I admit, that I have wondered if my crafts were 'fancy' enough.  Or should they be more sophisticated and complicated?  I will say, though, that the children leave with big smiles on their faces!  To me, that's a huge win! It's what it's all about.  So, I will keep teaching these fun crafts, adding more in as we go. 

I have one more Free Holiday Craft Class before the end of the year.  I haven't decided which crafts we are going to make yet, but I will surely be adding the pompoms lol.  I will make sure to share with you what I chose and let you know how it went.

My new classes have been scheduled for January and added to EVENTBRITE.  This website makes it easy to read about each class, take a look at the schedule and check pricing. 

Please don't forget to follow me on social media! I would love to connect.

Good vibes heading your way!

Channon

A Successful Craft Open House

 

One of the things that I read, while looking up "How To Start a Crafting Business," was to offer a free class and an open house so that potential customers would get a chance to meet me, ask questions, and get a feel for what future classes might be like.  I thought that this was a great idea! 

I scheduled the event, and began advertising.  I admit. I was very nervous that even though I had four families signed up to attend, that the day of the event, no one would actually.  My children were even encouraging me with things like, "Even if no one shows up, it will still be ok! You can try again."  

But, to my delight, all four families Did attend.  It was a fun evening and I was thrilled with how it all turned out. 

I chose four crafts.

1. A handout that could be used to design their own 'ugly sweater.'

2. Supplies to make a pom pom. Including a cardboard template that they could take with them.

3. A coloring sheet with bookmarks they could cut out.  All the children tucked them into their bags to take home. 

4. A gnome made from cardboard, construction paper, and yarn. 

My thought process, was that I should have something for all levels.  They could choose what they wanted to do, and in what order.  By having a big container of yarn in the middle of the table, they were able to choose just the yarn colors they wanted to use.  The yarn crafts turned out to be a hit.

Having the "Design A Sweater" handout was awesome.  It was something the children could do independently while I was helping others.  They turned out even better than I expected.  They were so unique, and really showed off each of their personalities.

I hosted the class in my dining room/homeschool room.  I set up each seat with a white paper placemat with "Welcome!" written on it.  I added the two handouts, all of the paper and cardboard pieces for the gnomes, and a cardboard template to make the pom poms.  I added a brown sandwich bag with my sticker logo on it.  This was great for them to collect their crafts as they went along... and to take home with them.

In the future, I would like to have a handout to send home with parents that would include:

Upcoming classes

An easy craft

Possibly a coupon for future classes

So there you have it! A very successful open house in my book, and I am excited that I have two more scheduled this month.  They are at capacity! Woohoo!

Sending good vibes!

Channon

Kids Love Crafting Supplies

 

Crafting supplies have been flying around furiously these days.  I have noticed that my kids have crafted a lot more just by having all of the supples more easily accessible. 

Sending good vibes!

Channon