From the Forums: Best Craft Show Tips

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It's spring time and that time of year again to be gearing up your business for the spring craft show season. YOUniquelyours went to the Etsy forums in search of the BEST craft show tips. Let's take a peek at what she found...

Do YOU do craft shows, too? If so, what are your best tips?

From the Forums: Tips for an Etsy Mompreneur

It's amazing that on any given day, I can find others just like me, going through the same things I am, right in the Etsy Forums. What a vast yet seemingly small Etsy world it is! I truly believe that the sense of community and friendship is Etsy's most endearing quality.

I was so relieved to see that Sarah of BlueBirdHandmadeBags asked this question; a question I (as well as presumable many other stay-at-home mamas) struggle with EVERY day...

She asked:

I have a toddler and we are adopting again, so I have about 3 hours at the most maybe a day to devote to business including all aspects of running a business and making things for my shop. Since I sew it takes a while to make items, and with everything going on with the adoption and raising a child, sewing has taken a back seat right now, thus not many items in my shop. :) I'm looking for specific tips on better marketing strategies and store promotions as well as any other nuggets of wisdom y'all can pass along specifically for a stay at home mom. Any other advice is really welcome.


They answered:

I work outside of the home, but we have a similar amount of time to work on our business...I suggest a facebook fanpage. I invited some friends and family to join, then between Etsy and people seeing it on other people's pages, I got more members. I've had a few sales from it so far. PhineasandLou

I'm not very good at time management, so I can't really help you out on that, but when mine were little, I worked at night.... justgivemepeace

My big tip is to have a dedicated space for your work so that your not spending half of your time setting up and tearing down. Then pop in and work at nap time, bedtime, when your partner is with the kids, whenever you get a second. I also leave the computer on (with sleep mode) so that I can quickly check and update things. Most of all, don't pressure yourself to much! Let the laundry pile up!! LuttrellStudio

I am a SAHM of a 3yo and 1.5yo. I sew as well. I have a little nook in our kids playroom, which is gated off from the kiddos. Most of the time they are very good about letting me work as long as they can see me. I try to take advantage of nap time, but a lot of times the housework consumes that time. The kids go down at 8pm. I spend a little time with DH, and from 10-1 (or 3am sometimes) I am sewing or promoting my business. It also helps to make several of the same items at once. My diaper clutches use to take 1hr to make, but that was because I did them all 1 by 1. I have an assembly line going now and it takes 30-45mins to make 1. modmomME

I've toyed with the idea of utilizing an iPhone or any other internet-browsing phone as a tool for promoting; if you're waiting in line somewhere you can tweet or answer convos, etc. and you're not tied to your computer. NoriaJewelry

And just look (above) what these busy mamas manage to do. AMAZING!
Visit the forum thread to read their full responses and many more not featured here.

Do YOU have any tips for a busy Etsy mompreneur?

From the Forums: Secrets to Success

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DETERMINATION! Pretty Paris

Having useful, different, high quality products that no one else is selling. Blue Kimono Studio

I would say persistence. (Which I am not always good at!) Keeping up, posting new items, promotions.  Crafts by Katie

As a relative newbie, I have found the forums VERY helpful. The more time I spend in the forums reading and talking, the more I learn and the more my network grows. I try to read and respond to threads in the Business section, but I also spend my fair share of time trying to give out critiques as I found them really helpful when I first started. Without the forums, I wouldn't know about the treasury, treasury clock!, craftomania tool bar (just found it today!), twitter, naming photos, google analytics, and the list goes on.  Pretty Damn Cute

Having confidence. If you don't have the confidence in yourself/your work, then you won't get very far. You must believe in your product, your art, your crafts or no one else will believe they are great enough to buy them. The less confidence you have in your product, the less likely you are to keep going, keep promoting, keep listing, keep networking, etc.  Kendra J Kantor

 

Keeping your current customers happy. Repeat customers account for a large portion of a shop's longevity. They can also spread the word to future customers.  Wasijiru

Putting your own stamp on things, give them a twist.  Pink Sherbert

 

"I am always doing things I can't do and that's how I get to do them." Pablo Picasso. A magnet on my office/studio inspiration board...to that end I'd say, believe in yourself, and keep on pluggin'!  The Well-Seasoned Nest

From the Forums: Best Photography Tips

Ooopsi-daisy! This was supposed to be a post for Friday, but I published today by accident. Lucky YOU!

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Light...lots and lots of light. Lack of said light is the biggest cause of most photo problems, and one begets the next. It causes slow shutter speeds, high thermal noise, high ISO settings, poor depth of field. It's the single most important ingredient in good photos. bomobob

Light is so important. Natural light is best unless you can afford expensive equipment. Once you have enough light, you need a good background. Busy backgrounds are not pleasant to look at, and typically swallow the item you're trying to sell. I opt for plain white backgrounds, but I've seen some lovely photos with other neutral backgrounds as well. Another very helpful thing is lowering your fstop. This widens your aperture, which also lets more light in. But the best part is the fuzzy background effect you get by doing this. There's just something about having your item in perfect focus, and having everything else slightly blurred or fuzzy, that really makes items look great. Photography isn't something you can learn or perfect overnight... I'm still learning and changing my photos, and have gone through many rounds of photos with my items. Creek Bed Threads

Study some photo basics instead of flailing in the dark...or buying a new camera. Strauski

My answer is simple....edit your photos! re-size, crop etc. L F Jewelry

Outdoor photography will give you the best lighting but it can be a pain in the butt depending on what you are taking photos of. I like to take mine indoors that way I don't have to be concerned about the sun position, wind, rain, bugs, etc. I use a photo tent box to soften the light and reduce shadows. Two adjustable desk lamps with daylight bulbs. I had to refer to my camera manual on how to change the white balance setting. This will make a big difference in the clarity and coloring of the photos. Also in my opinion you should stay away from busy backgrounds. You will also need to use some type of editing software to correct color and lighting. Every once in a while I take a photo that needs no editing but in most cases I have to edit them to get the best photo results. Majestic Pieces
I like playing around with perspective (i.e. where I am focusing, shooting from the side or above the product, etc) to get interesting and compelling images. Joy Rebel Images

Its essential to use the macro option on your camera and a tripod. Also make sure to set the camera at the right shutter speed and ISO (depending on the light). Alina & T

Use photo editing to adjust contrast, light, and saturation/color. If you're Photoshop savvy but can't afford it, there's a great free download called Gimp. Moody Girl Aromatherapy

If your camera has an aperture priority, use it! Don't be afraid to get up close to your items. If need be, you can crop and rotate your pictures using picnik.com (it's free!) to get a visually appealing angle, and format your pictures to fit Etsy's suggested 1000x1000 pixel guidelines.If you sell clothing, use live models! I love to see what clothing will look like when it's worn :) Most of all: Keep playing, and don't get discouraged Pictures are something you can always work on...and you don't need a huge fancy camera to get results :) Rock Fern Designs

If you have items that are difficult to photograph in a light box, use a window! Find a window in the house that has lots of sunlight streaming through, and cover the window with a white sheet. The white sheet will give you a great diffused effect for your photos. I used a coffee table next to the window, and poster board for the background. I turned the table so that the light from the window hit the front of the items (you don't want the window directly in front of you.) Also, make sure you cover any other windows in the room with white sheets, so all the light in the room is the same color. Joyous Treasures

I did a blog post about this in my blog. I found a fantastic website that I decided to share with all my followers. It explains the best way to photograph artwork in particular...but the rules really apply to many different mediums. Dirksen Dabbles

Check out my complete etsy photography tutorial! Green Heath Treasures

Luck, lol :) andreacreates