Category: diy

Etsy, Amazon handmade, are they worth it?

by Lynn, posted in Articles, diy

The short answer is probably not if you are just selling handmade items. With handmade items the rule of thumb is material cost plus fees x 3 = sales price. If you offer free shipping you woukdbthen minus that from the sales price. So if it cost you $5.00 to create the items – 15% of $15.00 =$2.25 (Amazon’s fee) – shipping normally 7.95 that leaves you with 0.2%. There are also sales taxes. Etsy has a more ebay style pricing structure. .20 cents per listing plus a 5 % fee, you also have store fees and square or PayPal fees.

Obviously it’s working for some, or they just enjoy doing it. Selling supplies like beads, fabric, notions has always done well on etsy but any real money would need to come from large sales and loyal costumers.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Approaching it as a business is recommended. Keeping costs down, learning merchandising to increase your chances of multiple quantity sales, and social networking utilizing free outlets like Pinterest may be beneficial. I absolutely encourage you to become a creative, but again to do so thoughtfully and efficiently.

Happy crafting and remember time is money pimpin.

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Happy Planners to Travel Notebooks what’s the scoop?

by Lynn, posted in Articles, diy, Product Reviews

I loved my planner organizer. Every year it was nothing less than joy when I bought a new year of refills, and a pretty pen. Sometime around 2008 paper planners took a back seat to digital calendars. Just like any good organized person, I went with the current trend. The excitement just wasn’t there so I eventually went back to a paper organizer. I was planning when planning wasn’t cool. 😁

There must have been a quiet explosion because suddenly there are planners everywhere.🤷 There are people selling planners EVERYWHERE. Just go to DIY on Instagram. 🤦

Last year after much research and one heck of a hobby lobby sale I became the proud owner of two new organizers and ALL of the accessories. It was incredible. It was short lived. I realized that it was overwhelming and they were just too thick to really be handy. So I split them up. One for household one for personal goals. They became a weekly planning event, but not daily. I really needed daily. However I refused to spend much on my next planners.

So after much research I ended up at Wal-Mart (insert gasps from all of the planner snobs). I found two that would work perfectly. First I needed a travel notebook for notes, coupons, receipts, random doodles etc. I found this need little notebook. It’s A5 size, leather, and it’s pink.. $7.85 All things must match. But I thought it was plain and uninspiring. So I purchased some puffy stickers. See the results below. Before and after.

Next I needed a daily calendar. So I picked up a happy planner mini. Perfect for appointments, and for others to add to my schedule. $15.00 I ordered a mini cover from amazon (pink) and I’ll be all set. It will be handy to have it with me.

While it’s fine to enjoy personalizing your planners it’s important for them to have a usable purpose. The majority of planner related things that you run across are just people trying to sell you planner stuff. So set a budget and think about why you want one, then do your research.

I love them!

DIY Cosmetic Shelf

by Lynn, posted in diy

I have been super busy and then hit with the flu but I needed a quick fix for cosmetic storage. This now hangs on the wall at my makeup table. Here’s what I did.

I purchased an old brown shelf years ago. I think it was like 2 bucks. Since I already had it I could knock this project out relatively quickly. I used a high gloss white paint. It took two coats.

Then after it was really dry I cut fabric and used picture nails and nailed the fabric to the back. The entire process took one afternoon.

Hopefully this will give you a few idea sparks.

Beautifying a Boring Bulletin Board

by Lynn, posted in diy

After closing my brick and mortar office I really struggled with the transition of having a home office. The space was not inspiring, and boring. So I decided to make it my own, but it was challenging. I needed to find ways to add art, color, and inspiration all with limited wall space. Everything had to be functional.

There was a plain, ugly, boring bulletin board hanging in front if me. So I started there.

The first thing is to find a fabric that really fits with what you want. I found my piece at hobby lobby. The shipping was painstakingly long.

While I was waiting for the fabric to arrive I painted the wood edges with a nice glossy white. Then when the fabric arrived I was ready.

I cut the fabric to fit. Make sure that it is measured to cover edge to edge and overlaps the frame.

Next you will need a butter knife. Yes, old school tools are sometimes the best tools. Begin by pushing the fabric under the edge if the frame.

You will need to rotate the board several times until you get a nice stretch, and a snug fit. You can hot glue piping around the edges, and don’t forget a few stylish fun push puns.

That’s it, you’re done! How easy was that 🙂