Review and a contest!

I've been reviewed by Hailey and Megan of Cute Like Me!

I sent them a sample of my Cinnamon Vanilla Body Scrub and Hailey just loves it. Here's part of what she had to say:

I LOVED it and got hit right away with the incredible aroma of the cinnamon and vanilla - it was delicious! And my skin - I didn't even need lotion afterwards, and I ALWAYS need lotion! I'm not surprised though - with the gentle exfoliation and sweet scent of Demerara Sugar combined with the cleansing powers of Dead Sea Salt, it's the best of both worlds! And this particular one scented with cinnamon and vanilla essential oils for a smooth, spicy scrub.

There's more -- you can read the rest here -- and I'm even running a contest in conjunction with them! Comment to the post and you'll get one entry. There are a bunch of other ways to enter, too, but to find out what they are, you'll just have to check out their blog!

Online Shopping Mall Open House!

Another of the fine events I'm participating in this year is the Online Shopping Mall's Open House! Another collection of wonderful Christmas presents, all put together in a convenient Gift Guide -- and many of them on special!

You will find many items that have been hand-picked by our members including, but not limited to, handcrafted jewelry, luscious bath and body, children's books and toys, wonderfully scented candles, beautiful stationery, holiday decorations and so much more.

The gifts featured here are offered by mall members who are artisans, work at home moms and dads and small business owners. We know you will be delighted at the quality, reasonable prices and unique gifts highlighted in our Holiday Gift Guide!

I've got a special running for this event as well -- but you'll have to check out my page at the Mall to take advantage of it!

Jeweled Hair Ties

I got a little bored over the weekend (no, I don't know how that happens with so much to do, either) and got busy with pliers, beads, and some hair ties. I'm kinda pleased with what I came up with!

I plan to take these in to one of the places that sells my stuff in a couple days, but I know I had some people curious (and maybe interested) in what I was making, so I figured I'd post them here, first. They're going to be $3 apiece, and I can't imagine shipping will be more than a dollar, even if you buy a couple. Really cute on little-girl hair, but really, why limit them to little girls? I've been wearing mine most every day. :)

First come, first served. I'll try to keep up on which has been sold but if someone else asked first, you're outa luck. (That said, I can probably make something similar with the beads I have left...)

I numbered them, so we're not going 'this pink one?' 'no, the other pink one'.

Wordless Wednesday

Holiday Shopping Extravaganza!

I'm participating in a couple of special events in preparation for the holidays this year -- one of them hosted at one of my favourite places to hang out, Live, Laugh & Love to Shop. Their Holiday Shopping Extravaganza features a number of businesses carrying all kinds of products -- there's a whole listing on the front page, with links. You could do all of your Christmas shopping from right there!

I have a special going as well -- but you'll have to visit my page to take advantage of it. So come on along and have a look!

Another Contest!

I've entered the Great Finds contest again, and this time there's a lot more competition!

Anne opened up this week's theme wide -- to anything lavender. Well, you know I've got a lot of lavender so I entered my Lavender Citrus Body Scrub -- but it's got twenty other entries to compete against, so this time I'm really gonna need your votes!

Please go to the Great Finds site and vote for me -- the voting box is along the lefthand side. I'm in the lead so far but there's a whole week to go. And thank you guys!

Crafting for Profit -- Custom Work III

So now you've got the custom work pouring in (or at least someone's shown an interest). So now all you have to do is start making things, right?

Nope.

There are a lot of things to consider for custom work -- it's not just another sale. You'll be working closely with your customer, and you need to make sure that both of you come of of the sale happy.

Make sure you have a deposit and payment policy! Do you want full payment before you start? Half? Do you want the rest before you ship, or will you accept it after the customer has received the item and is satisfied? I recommend asking for some percentage of the final price before you start -- especially for larger projects. That way, if the customer backs out of the deal, you aren't left with a highly personal item you've spent hours on, and nothing to show for it.

I also recommend getting the rest of the payment before you ship -- though do make sure the customer is satisfied with your work before asking for final payment. Take good, clear, sharp photos of what you've done to send off to them.

And since we're talking about making sure... Good, clear communication with your customer is an essential. Make sure you know what shade of purple they want, and if the amethyst beads you've chosen are something they like. Do they want a little lavender in their massage oil, or a lot? You have their measurements for the dress, but do they want a deep cleavage, or only a hint of it?

There should be a lot of back and forth here, and you should supply them with sketches or photographs of what you propose. There's little point to putting hours of work into something just to have them say 'no, actually I wanted it a little pinker than that'.

Scheduling is important too. Does your customer have a deadline? If so, be prepared to be finished well in advance. You'll want the extra time just in case anything goes wrong. Make sure that you can fit the work into your schedule, as well -- if they need it next week and you're going to be really rushed to get it done, it might be better to politely decline.

Pricing, too. There are several things to keep in mind when pricing custom work -- materials, time, whether it's a rush job. Keep in mind that they're paying for your expertise in designing the item as well -- if it takes three days to figure out how it all goes together, but only an hour to make it, don't charge them for only that hour!

What have you found to be important in doing custom work? What else needs consideration? Horror stories are fine as long as we can learn something from them!