Web Sales Can Increase Your Crafting Revenue

by: Natalie Goyette

Think of an ideal craft show for a moment… thousands of people coming through the turnstiles at the fairgrounds or the exhibition areas with money in their hands and an intense desire to spend it. What about having a million people with access to your crafts at a craft show - at any time they wanted. That would really be IDEAL!

At a typical craft show, you are going to see hundreds, and maybe a couple thousand people visiting over any given weekend. Some shows are bigger than others, but even with 2,000 people coming through the gates, how many of them are stopping and looking at your booth with the intention of buying? It can vary. If you could somehow increase the number of people that stop by your booth, it makes sense that you could increase your sales, right?

Have you thought of a website for your crafts? This is the ultimate craft show - millions of people can access your information and your products, and you have limited set up fees - and orders can be placed while you are sleeping snug in your bed at night.

Putting together a good website for your crafts takes a little bit of effort to get off the ground, but it might be well worth the work. Here's what you have to do:

" Design a site - You can probably find someone to give you a hand with this, and it doesn't have to be very elaborate looking - just enough to show pictures of your crafts, their prices, a little bit about you… etc. It is important to make sure that you set the site up with a secure credit card payment system, as this will aid in a greater number of sales, just like in a regular craft show.

" Find a host - All sites need a web host in order to post them on the Internet. There are hundreds of providers out there, and you just need to find the one that is right for you. Chances are you have a friend or acquaintance that has a website, and they may be able to help you with on for your crafts.

" Drive traffic to the website - This can be done any number of ways: articles like this one, having others link to your site, update your pages regularly so your pages are indexed by search engines like Google and Yahoo! Coming up with the right keywords for your crafts is important for when people are searching the Internet for the type of craft you make.

" Maintain the site - I would suggest updating your crafting website at least once every two weeks, and maybe even once a week if you have time. This provides a certain amount of confidence for web buyers that your craft site up alive and well!

While having a website can certainly boost your sales, the other side of the coin is that you might be inundated with orders! That's not necessarily a bad thing, except you could be working night and day to meet the orders! One way to avoid this is to post on your website how many of a certain item is available.

Remember imagining a craft show where millions of people came in and they had money to spend on crafts? Now you have it… albeit a virtual craft show. The sky is the limit when you are talking about selling your crafts on the Internet. With the right presentation, the right price and with the right traffic driven to your site, you can open the doors to your crafts for millions of people.

About The Author
Natalie Goyette is the author of the best selling e-book "Craft Show Success" which finally shows crafters how they can make money selling their crafts! www.craftshowsuccess.com.

Brian Law's Wooden Clocks

A while back, I wrote about wooden gear clocks and listed several sources for patterns. Well, now that you have your first clock done, check out Brian Law's clock plans. He has 4 clocks to choose from. Best of all, they're free! Yup, you heard right! I'm not sure if I'd call them patterns, however. They're more along the lines of blueprints. They are rather technical and probably best suited to a more advanced clockmaker. So if you have a head for math and engineering, these are right up your alley. The plans are downloadable in PDF format for easy printing. His website also includes construction info, exploded drawings, and other information related to clock making.

Easter Puzzles

Well, I thought I'd jump into the Easter spirit too and design a new pattern. This time, we've got two bunny puzzles and three Easter egg puzzles. They're pretty quick project. For a more festive look, dye the wood with watered down acrylics or leather dye. I've provided the pattern as a PDF. For those of you out there using Inkscape, I've also provided the source file! Enjoy the pattern!

Download as a PDF

Download the Inkscape Source File

If you enjoy this free scroll saw pattern, please consider a small donation. Proceeds go to supporting SSg podcast and future expansions.
Thank you for your support.
Make A Donation

Hugs for Hope

Rick (aka Scrollzlilla) from Spitting Image WoodWoodworking is running a charity drive on behalf of Make A Wish Foundation. His daughter's Senior class is raising money for Make A Wish Foundation by giving Hugs for Hope. In the spirit of giving, Rick is donating all proceeds from pattern sales between March 12-18 will be donated to this worthy cause.

Make A Wish Foundation is a very special charity that has made wishes come true for thousands of children with a life threatening illness. They help make a wish come true for a child in need every 41 minutes! My neighbor's daughter had a wish come true by this fantastic group of people. Its amazing how a little thing like this makes such a big difference.

You can read more about this charity drive from his website. While you're there, buy a few of those patterns you've had your eye on. The proceeds will help make a wish come true for a very deserving child.

Easter Yard Art

Wow, the bunnies are certainly multiplying this week. I've given you a lot of great Easter projects to decorate the inside of your house. What about the outside? I've got a great yard art project for you from Accents Woodcraft Designs. Although not a scroll saw project, I'm sure it will satisfy the scroller in us.

This cute bunny and chick pattern is a 15 page pattern. Print them out, tape them together, cut and paint. Couldn't be more easy. The instructions are clear and has easy painting guides to help layout our pattern. Check it out. While you are there, check out their other patterns. They have a lot of great stuff to keep you busy for the next few Easters!

Simple Bunny Puzzle

OK. So you're not much of a painter, but you still want a bunny puzzle for Easter? Here's a simple little puzzle that should make the child in us smile. This pattern is provided by Better Woodworking Guide & Directory. They also have a few more free scroll saw patterns available too. They're quick and easy and worth checking out!

Painted Bunny Puzzle

Easter wouldn't be the same without an Easter Bunny! Here's a fun painted puzzle pattern from Trish's Crafts. This would work really well on some MDF or some scrap wood you have laying around. The pattern is in JPG format for easy scaling and the instructions include a painting guide. Check it out!

Poll Results & New Poll March 2008

The results our in on our little web poll. There were 40 votes all together. Most listen to music while scrolling. But 10% prefer to be left alone with their thoughts. I prefer to listen to audio books. That the only way I get any reading done! ;) Anyway, the final results are below.

What do you listen to while scrolling?

• Music - 67% (27 votes)
• Talk Radio - 15% (6 votes)
• Podcasts - 2% (1 vote)
• Audio Books - 5% (2 votes)
• Nothing - 10% (4 votes)
• Other - 0% (no votes)

Now its time for our next poll. Lets see how much quality time you spend with your beloved saw. I'll leave this poll up until the end of the month. Cast your ballots now!

How much time do you spend scrolling per week?

• 0-2 hours
• 2-4 hours
• 4-10 hours
• 10-20 hours
• 20-40 hours
• 40+ hours

Easter Pattern

Since we're in the Easter spirit, perhaps another Easter pattern is in order. Sue Mey from Scrollsawartist has a offered a new pattern for those interested. This would make a great wall hanging for your Easter festivities. She is also running a special where you can get two additional Easter patterns for free! The details are at the bottom of her free patterns page. Check it out!

Angel Bunny

Most would agree that bunnies are cute and cuddly. But angelic? Well, that's certainly the case with this free pattern from the Windfield Collection. This Angel Bunny pattern will be a great addition to your Easter decor. The pattern is clearly labeled with construction and painting instructions. You can find the pattern here. Look for the date March 2007 (patterns 01, 02 & 03).

They have several other free patterns available, too. While you are there, check out the patterns they have available for sale. Many of these will make great craft show items. If you prefer to browse a regular catalog rather than online, you can order their catalog here.