Look at home through that trunk of old clothes, or bedspreads, or even tablecloths, and get that imagination going!

Clean the fabric gently, or have it dry cleaned if you prefer. Take apart the seams of the old clothes and then match the amount of fabric to a pattern you may have for a doll, stuffed animal, pillows or other accessories, your imagination is your limit!. If there is not enough for a project, then match it up with some other contrasting or similar fabrics..

This is a great way to display or show off some of that fabric from old clothes you remember on yourself, or even your grandma!.. If the material is delicate, but you want to still show it off, then make it into doll clothes for a “display doll”.. what a great way to remember old times… Vintage fabrics do not need to be reserved for quilts only! try other ideas!.

If you don’t have a trunk of old clothes or fabrics, then why not check the local antique stores, or at rummage and garage sales. You quite often find things like old chenille bed spreads that are worn in spots, and just end up in a corner somewhere, these make great soft stuffies for that special child, and with the bright colors from the 70‘s they look very cool and retro!

If you sell crafts at craft shows, this is a great way to advertise that you recycle, and there are some great patterned fabrics from years ago, that you just don’t see now. So, don’t let those old clothes disintegrate in some trunk somewhere, if you can’t wear them again, then turn them into something special!

There are a couple of basic types of rug hooking, the first one is the latch hook type, which usually comes as a kit, and has a picture already on it, and once you learn to use the hook, you follow the instructions with the co-ordinate pre-cut wool pieces.

The other type, is using fabric strips, this one takes a bit more planning and preparation but the results are works of art. They can be done on a burlap backing, or a stiffer backing, depending on what you want the rug for, whether its to hang on the wall as art, or you are going to use it on the floor.

Either way, you can design your picture right on the burlap backing, and then find or make strips of fabric in the right colors, and the hooking is more of a continuous loop rather than small pieces.

Its like creating a painting in fabrics, getting supplies can be difficult sometimes, but with the advance of the internet, you can find lots of different supplies online. With the summer winding down, and the kids going back to school, why not check out rug hooking for your new hobby, or craft business..

If your passion is painting on canvas, then why not try traditional rug hooking?.. Paint your creation on a burlap backing, then use fabric strips and a hook to “paint” your rug. This makes a unique work of art, that can be hung on the wall or used as a ornamental rug on the floor.. Get the imagination going..

These lights are quite often bought as desk lamps, but give off the same light as daylight, which is great if you are a night owl, or like to work on your craft after dark.

Depending on where you live, this can happen in September and October, and with the changing seasons, it drastically cuts back on your available daylight hours for creating!

If like me, you tend to be busy with life during the daylight hours, then you are faced with doing your creating after dinner or even later, and its just too hard on the eyes. Or what you think looked great before you went to bed.. had a whole different look the next morning!.. These lights cost a little more, but they are long lasting, and its worth it. They really help with eye strain when you are doing close up work. If you do very fine work, then the combination of good full spectrum lighting and those magnifying glasses you can get for very fine crafts works great, and you are not seeing double when you are finished.

If you are just creating your studio space now, possible look into getting some permanently installed, but if like me, you are taking over the corner of the basement, then at least get a desk lamp or a floor lamp that shines in your work space… Regular overhead fluorescent lights or regular bulb lighting make seem like enough light, but you will see the difference right away with the full spectrum lighting.

Some people, also have trouble with the shorter days, causing all kinds of physical ailments, such as fatigue and depression, these lights are quite often prescribed for this condition called SAD (seasonal affected disorder).. but the benefit to the crafter or hobbyist is great as well, as it mimics daylight and is the closest you are going to get, it keeps your colors crisp, especially if you paint or needlepoint..

Keep these lights in mind when creating your studio, it will extend your daylight hours, great for your crafts, and great for YOU!

full spectrum lighting

You need to keep track of your income and expenses, not only for the tax man at the end of the year, but also for you. You need to make sure you are not running around in circles, working very hard, and not making any money, you want to find the money!

As a book keeper myself, and owner of a craft business, I know how important it is to have a simple system for keeping track of these records. You need something very simple that you will get into the habit of doing everyday. Stuffing receipts in your glove box, or better yet the dashboard!, or leaving them in the bags.. is NOT a good way to store receipts!.. Your car should not be your office!

For example, when I purchase supplies or something for my business, I have an envelope in my purse where I stick the receipts for business, and then empty the envelope into a IN basket right beside my computer at the end of the day. My husband, always puts his business receipts in his left hand pocket of his jeans, separate from his wallet, and then empties his pocket at the end of the day into the IN basket. This has become a habit.

So, now you have this IN basket filling up, you now need to spend at least an hour per week (depending on how complex your business is) entering these receipts into a accounting program. Try and pick the same time every week, because we humans are creatures of habit… If you have a computer and have purchased an accounting program, you should not have any trouble with this. Most programs are very explicit and are designed for beginners right up to advance, keep an IN basket for your invoices as well, enter them at the same time, and this is a good way to keep track of customers who are a bit tardy if your business does custom work, but it also keeps a customer data base for sending news letters to and letting them know your sales, or where your shows will be. This can be a great system to promote your business.

If you do all the book keeping, yourself, and on a regular basis, not only will you sail through tax time, but you can continuously see your results on these programs, as they will print out profit and loss statements, and you can see where you are spending too much, or not charging enough. The old fashioned way of doing this manually is still good, but if you want to see where you stand with just the press of a button, then get yourself set up with some accounting software, and find the money!

http://www.make-crafts-for-cash.com/accountingsoftware.html

I don’t mean go to shows and copy something else, but just take a look at what is out there and it will quite often spark an idea.

Go to craft shows out of town, fall fairs, and especially crafts magazines. It can happen to even the most creative person, you just get stuck in a rut of making the same things every year, and you want to freshen everything up, try something new!

If you go to the magazine section of any store, you will literally find a magazine for every possible subject, but in the craft section, there are quite a few, scan through, see what others are making, and what will usually happen, if you are a creative person, something will spark an idea.

It quite often has nothing to do with the project you see, just something about it sparks another idea. You need visual stimulation to get the imagination going, get the creative juices flowing. Since painting and sewing are my passion, I subscribe to craft magazines with these subjects, for ideas, they also introduce me to new products, such as new paints, new fabrics, new paint brushes… things that light that light bulb in your head!.. and ideas just start flowing so fast, you need to write them down!

So, get yourself some craft magazines, subscribe to make life easier and its like Christmas when they come in the mail.. I can’t wait for each new issue, to see what I can come with for this years crafts, and if you are really original and creative, maybe look into putting your creation in the magazine. They are usually looking for fresh ideas, you may make some money that way!

http://www.make-crafts-for-cash.com/craftmagazines.html

If you create a lot of crafts that are the same size, this makes life easier!, but if you are like me, and they are all different sizes, then storage becomes a big problem!

I started off with crafts in boxes… BIG MISTAKE!.. they get dusty and musty!

The best purchase I made, was the large plastic tubs with lids you can get at any home improvement store… they quite often go on sale, so when they do, buy a bunch!..

Try shopping online for storage and ideas, there are usually great pictures and setups that will inspire you to get creative with your storage.

Sort your crafts and creations, as to which items you will need to get out again soon, and which items need to be stored for time between shows or displays.. Make sure to label the tubs on the outside, and then stack them!… this is where, making sure to get the same brand of tubs comes in handy, as they usually stack better.

You need to have some tubs that you must get at all the time, so they should be on top, or the most accessible.. Either use clear tubs so you can see what is inside, or make sure to label them CLEARLY.

One way around this, if you can swing it, is to create a table or layout table that is counter height, or whatever height works best for you, and then store your tubs underneath.

It could be as simple as a finished piece of wood on top of purchases legs from home improvement stores, or a purchases table, or have a handyperson, build you one.. if you can manage the room.

This is great in a basement or garage or spare room, and also gives you great counter top space for working on your projects.

You need to organize this storage very early in your business venture, so that you do not waste precious time, trying to find one of your creations!

http://www.make-crafts-for-cash.com/storage.html

If Christmas crafts are your bread and butter, then July and August are the best time to get a head start on them. Spend July figuring out what you are going to create, and then get the supplies. In the summer, many people come away from crafts because of holidays etc, and this is a good time to get the deals.

In August get yourself a good head start and make as much as you can. This is when you can find out any problems with your creations, and still have lots of time to correct it. Have as much done by September as you can, so that you do not have the added stress of trying to find supplies, create, price and organize in time for a show, like everyone else will be doing….

If you follow this type of schedule, you may get chuckles from your family and friends, as they lay around in their bathing suits while you are creating Santa’s!!, but this is your business, and like any other business, the early bird catches the worm. Its no different than seasonal catalogues, that do all their layout work months in advance.

All you want to be doing when it gets close to show time, is last minute changes, packing your products, and looking your best at the craft show, not all frazzled, hyped on coffee because of lack of sleep while trying to burn the midnight oil to get things done.

You want to look your best, and its already busy enough with every weekend filled with shows, so as the girl guides always say “BE PREPARED” let the others laugh, but you will have the last laugh when you rake in the sales because you are organized!.

You can make these out of any cotton fabrics, but my favorite has been to use well worn denim.

You will need 2 x pieces denim 7 inches square. I make a cardboard template for this, as I like to make lots of these pillows, and cut the squares out ahead of time. You will also need, the tiny inner pocket from a pair of jeans. They are usually found in the front pockets, or you can just use a tiny back pocket from a pair of child’s jeans.

Sew the tiny pocket on the front and center of one piece of denim, then sew the 2 pieces of denim together with the right sides showing ( wrong sides together) with a 1/2 inch seams on the outside. Leave enough space for stuffing, but don’t do this just yet.

Clip the outer seams into tiny strips about 1/4″ apart being careful not to clip the seam stitching, and then wash your little pillow and put it in the dryer, this will trigger your clipped seams to fray, which gives the pillow a soft yet rustic appearance.

Stuff the pillow with extra soft polyester fiber fill and then sew the seam shut. You now have a denim tooth fairy pillow. You put the tooth in the tiny pocket on the front, and keep the pillow on the bed, and the tooth fairy replaces the tooth with a special treasure for your child to discover the next morning.

These also make cute little pillows for the bed, and can be made from vintage fabrics, but I feel they look their best with the frayed fringe edges.

Cut out the back pocket of a old pair of clean jeans, making sure to cut right through the seat of the jeans, so that you form a pocket within a pocket. (another words, don’t just pick the pocket off the jeans, you need a backing to create the pocket).

If you would like your pouch pocket to have a fringe, then leave a 4 inch piece of denim fabric attached to the bottom of the pocket. Cut the fringe 1/4″ wide strips up to the pocket, then wash your pocket, it will trigger the fraying.

Cut a piece of inseam from the jeans, or use decorative cording, and attach to the back of the pocket, this is your hanger. Hang the denim pouch pocket on the wall securely and you have a great storage pouch!,

This is great for beanie babies, small toys, stuffies, anything you can think of!. This is a great gift for a young teen, as they can decorate it themselves. Try using fabric paints, beads, more fabric, appliqué, there is all kinds of ways you can decorate your denim pocket.

Try making a few, and hang them together on a wall, back of a door, anywhere, when together it has a great effect on the wall. If you sell crafts for a business, try adding these to your craft show.. you will be amazed how well they sell, plus they are flat and easy to pack for a show. For an example, check out a page of my website http://www.make-crafts-for-cash.com/pouchpocket.html.

Denim can be used for many projects, and its a great way to recycle..

If its nice weather where you live, and you love to garden and also love to make garden crafts, then why not try having a garden party to kick off your craft business?

If you are proud of your garden, then you probably have it all nicely weeded!.. and edged. Make sure the lawn is cut, and everything that is not for sale, is put away, such as the kids toys and the lawnmower!

If you can swing it, why not get one of those shade tents for your refreshment table and to get out of the sun, plus you can display other arts and crafts under this shade tent or dining tent. Make sure the mesh sides are pulled back, and make it look inviting. You could have paintings displayed here on easels you could have some hanging creations from the roof of the tent, or a simple shelf unit for displaying other crafts.

In your garden, why not display your other garden crafts, such as wind chimes, candles, stakes, welcome stakes, patio stones, planters, bird feeders, .. all those outdoor creations you have been making. These types of projects show off best when in the elements they were designed for… your garden! People can now vision them in their own yard and are more likely to purchase!..

Spread them around the garden with price tags on, make them easy for the guest to find and look at, and hopefully purchase. Make sure to offer refreshments and then tell them to take a stroll around your garden, when people are relaxed, they are more likely to appreciate your art and creations, and hopefully you will make a sale!

Do your homework ahead of time, send out invitations if you want to limit the size of your garden party or have a garden “open house” and place signs on the road, and ads in the local paper, also make a “rain date” just in case.

Think of it as a craft show in your own backyard. You could also include other crafters, if you would like more variety. Make sure to have business cards and order books handy, and keep the refreshments fresh, things can go stale quickly outside. You don’t want to be remembered for your stale cookies!