Only 4 more days until school starts.  I feel very nervous.  I am not sure why but I am really bummed out today.  There is so much I want to do, with crafting that is, and I just don’t feel I have the resources.  By resources I mean money.  I really want to be able to craft and enjoy crafting and sell craft supplies and make some money doing so but I just don’t see how to make that possible.

I want to be able to have fun doing it but also be able to bring some money in.  I just don’t know how to fix it.  I find great enjoyment in the people I meet online.  I love the idea of owning my own “business”.  I know I am going to school to be an accountant but my ultimate dream would be to own a craft store.  Craft supply store, maybe sell my cards and creations.

I know owning a business takes money and that is something we don’t have any extra of on a monthly basis, which is why I am bummed!!!

I recently decided that I wanted to sell my own stamps.  Since I am no artist what-so-ever I have been in search of an illustrator.  I have done Google searches and solicited several people with no luck.  I was beginning to think that it was not going to happen.  Well that is until I solicited someone that referred me to Etsy.  She said I may have luck there.  So I immediately went to Etsy and sent 2 people messages.

Oh I am so excited that I had someone interested in working with me.  At first I thought her work was going to be a little different than what I had envisioned even though her artwork is AMAZING but after she submitted some work to me I am so TOTALLY excited.  This may actually happen in the next week or so, I will have an actual stamp set in my hands.

I would post all this on my craft site but I am leaving it for a bit of a surprise.  I want to have a design team call and have monthly scrapbook kits.  Oh I am so TOTALLY excited.  This is so what I want to do.  Paper Crafters are so amazingly sweet.  It is VERY rare that I would come across someone that was not so friendly.

Anywho, I am also planning in the next month or so to stock my web store back up with all the new products from this summers CHA.  I am thinking if I start getting some business I am going to have to get more high tech equipment to mail off all my packages.  Right now I use  kitchen scales to weigh the packages and it only goes up to 5 pounds.  I may need something bigger.  I also end up buying the mailers at Walmart or the Post Office and it is getting a little costly.  I will have to start buying in bulk to save on that cost.  I so need to get all my thoughts in order within the next few weeks because once school starts I won’t have much time to put it all in place.

Wish me luck!  :-)

I have been trying to promote my online store for about 6 months and wasn’t getting much traffic.  It wasn’t until a couple weeks ago when I decided to have some giveaways.  WOW that drove in the traffic.

I am thinking about trying to get some t-shirts and promotional mugs and tote bags and a variety of other products together with my logo and either give them away or sell them.

I have made a couple sales this week without having to direct them myself but it still isn’t enough, I need more business.  I really enjoy crafting and selling paper craft supplies.  I just don’t know what else to do.

So basically right now my online store carries paper crafting supplies.  I have a small variety of vendors and products.  I am hoping to expand but it can get costly if no one if buying anything.  I am listing in the search engines and I do sell stuff on eBay so I try to advertise there too.  It’s just not selling like I would like it to.

I have also thought about selling stamps that I create.  Well I certainly would not be the illustrator as I cannot draw but I have come in contact with an illustrator willing to do the work.  I have also found a company that will make the photopolymer stamps and a decent price.  They would do all the leg work, packaging and all.  I think it would even have a barcode.  Now I don’t have any barcode scanners but I could just track my products using the barcode number.  I would really like to make a successful business out of this.  When my kids start school I would love to craft and do business related stuff right from my home.  I know it takes time to build a business and it may be even more difficult with an online business.  There are so many of them out there, you need to be competitive.  Since I am not out to make a killing I am able to sell it for a little less than most places.

Well off to promote!  Hey if you are a paper crafter check out my blog, Artfuldelight, I have some great giveaways this week.  Plus all the products I am giving away are also available in my store Artfuldelight.

I love paper crafts of all sorts.  Making scrapbook layouts and cards are my most favorite.  I have been trying to make a business selling paper crafting products.  I have a blog to showcase my projects.  I participate in a ton of challenges.  It helps me learn new techniques.  I just love it.  I made a scrapbook page today and the more I look at it the cooler I think it is.  Here is the page I made:

This is a picture of my lil Max! I have 4 scrapbooks (at least) to make.  I am trying to make one scrapbook for each child individually for their first year.  That way they will each have their very own book.  Then the rest of them will be family books and the kids will have to fight over who gets which book.  I am hoping to have so many that they will each get some and not be upset.  I think that documenting special moments has come a long ways over the years.

LOL!  I remember around the time my grandpa died (I think) watching slide shows of him and my grandma….I am not 100% sure what all the pics were as I was about 10 but I remember watching them. 

I really am excited for my kids to get a little older so they will get involved in moe activites for me to take pics and for us to be able to go to amusement parks and other places and take pics.  Birthday parties and ….ooohhh just different things that way I can make more scrapbooks. 

I love making cards but for some reason making scrapbook layouts comes so much more natural and easy for me.  I am a true scrapbooker at heart, been doing it on and off since Nicki was born…..13 yrs. 

I love all the nice people I have met in the craft blogosphere. I really hope to make some sort of business selling craft supplies and eventually my handmade cards.  Well I do currently sell them on Etsy but it is hard to get traffic to my Etsy store. 

Anywho, hope you like the layout.  I am going to go craft now! :-)

Still trying to get traffic and business to my online store and craft blogs.  I was using google advertisement and I was getting “hits” on the site but it was costing a fortune.  The only reason I even signed up was I had free advertising credits from Godaddy.  All of our web hosting and domains are registered with them and they gave advertising credits.  It was only $75 with google but it was helpful because for like 3 days the bill was up to $150.  I don’t have money like that to spend. 

I have been crafting and trying to blog daily.  I have been blog hopping and commenting and following other crafty bloggers.  I advertise my store on my blog with almost every post.  It is just so competitve.  There are so many other stores out there like mine.  I need to find ways to be different, to make people want to shop at my store.  The only problem is people are pretty loyal to the companies they already buy from.  

Having a successful business I know takes time.  I am willing to be patient and wait.  I am having fun meeting new people online, crafting and just being a part of the craft world.  It is so fun and welcoming.  Everyone is so nice. 

I found a local store that has meet and greet type get-togethers.  To craft and socialize.  The only problem is I am not sure if they are my age or older.  The owner of the store is older and she called them “ladies”.  I am not against crafting with “ladies” if that means they are older I just would love to find “ladies” my age.  There is somewhere about an hour away that has craft get-togethers too but I am just not sure I want to drive all that way for that. 

Anyways, if you enjoy paper crafts or know someone that does check out my blog artfuldelight.blogspot.com or my store for a variety of paper crafting products, artfuldelight.com.    I will be selling some of my handmade cards soon too.  Not sure if I will reopen my Etsy store or do it on my online store or both.  So check it out.