March 2017 – The Craft Fantastic

Origami floral headdresses

NEW RANGE ALERT! Just in time for both wedding season and festival season, The Craft Fantastic is pleased to announce the launch of handmade origami floral headdresses, flower crowns, headpieces, head wraps – call them what you will, they’re all gorgeous! Perfect for brides or bridesmaids, festivals or garden parties. Each one is handmade from different paper and attached to a wire base, which is covered in floral tape. They come either with a ribbon tie at the back, or the wire ends can simply be wound together to fasten.

There are a few made up and ready to ship over on etsy (see pictures below) but I can make up custom orders to your specifications. Basically, start with a base unit and decide what flowers, leaves, feathers etc. you want! Here’s a run-down on the prices:

Base unit (with or without ribbon) = £2

Origami flower = £2 (including gem/bead in centre)

Leaf/feather = £0.50

So for example, a headdress with a cluster of 3 flowers and a feather will be £8.50.

I have a wide range of different papers in stock, so feel free to get in touch if you’d like something particular. I have an abundance of music paper and book paper, a lot of pastels, and quite a few sheets of various patterned origami paper.

Craft business marketing: What I’ve learned so far

It can be tough to figure out how to do marketing by and for yourself. When you’ve just set up your craft business, you’re most likely to be focused on designing and making. You know you need to get your products out there, but how do you do it? What’s the best approach? How much time should you spend doing it?

I don’t think I’m any kind of expert. I’m definitely still learning, and lots of things I’ve learned I’ve yet to put into practice – BUT! – I have attended a few webinars and made lots of notes. So, here are a few things I’ve picked up along the way.

You may have heard people talking about SMART goals. What’s a SMART goal? Not making stupid goals is a given, right? SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. Basically, think about your goals carefully, plan them well and give yourself a time frame. Make an overall goal and break it down to make it manageable.

Looks are important! Think about your brand image. Make it consistent across all platforms. Think about the feel of your business and what kind of customers you’re trying to attract. People will connect if they see something that looks ‘them’. One tip I picked up is to create private boards on Pinterest where you can build a picture of your ideal client. You’ll probably need more than one! Here’s a shot of one of mine, for my hand-bound notebooks. I tried to think what kind of person would buy them, what they’d be into, the type of clothes they’d wear and how their house might look.

One webinar I attended said to spend 40% of your time on marketing. Sounds like a lot, right? But if you set aside just 1 hour a day, you’re on the right track.

Social media platforms are all different – don’t use them in the same way! Using Twitter/Instagram etc. are easy, free and effective ways of getting yourself out there. But you have to look at how and if they will work for you. Think about what they’re used for and how you yourself would use them. Twitter? Fast moving, good for networking. Instagram? Visual, creative and personal. Pinterest? Use it like a search engine!

I hope this has been useful! I think networking with other like-minded people and people who are in the same position is important, so feel free to get in touch – I’m on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest 🙂

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