Movin' on...

I'm not sure how many people still read this blog, since my updates have been nonexistant for what seems like forever. But for those who may see this pop up in their feed reader, or who check in from time to time, you can find me on my new blog, where I'll be consolidating all things crafty, foodie and photography all in one place.

So please, come on over and visit me at Blissful Domesticity! I promise I'll try harder to keep things interesting over there. :)

The Money Pit

My husband jokingly refers to my craft corner as 'the money pit', because there is no end to the neat toys I want to play with in my crafty ventures. And I have an awful lot of stuff too - bins full of yarn, stamps, inks, ribbons... I could spend hours listing all the stuff I have, and all the stuff I don't have but would like to get. Every time he sees me surfing a crafty site, I know he cringes and wonders what it's gonna cost.

So, I made a deal with him: he won't complain about my crafty purchases if I prove that I can 'earn' them by actually completing projects. These can be as small as a single card, or bigger organizational stuff, too. I'm essentially paying myself for using up my supplies, in the hopes of curbing what can very quickly become out-of-control spending.

Here's an example of what I'm paying myself:
- A card: $1
- 3D item: $2-5, depending on complexity
- Organizational project: $2-5
- Granny square (for an afghan project): $0.50
- Photographing & blogging a project: $1
- Completing a challenge project: $1

The list is a bit longer than that, but that's a start. So far, I've accumulated a little over $25 in my "craft & spend" credits, and as I get more done and actually share what I've made, I'll earn some more. Right now my goal is to craft enough to justify a Stampin' Up order before Sale-A-Bration ends at the end of March! Once I have the energy to redo my blog's template, I'll stick a widget on the sidebar so I can keep track of what I've earned and spent.

And now, off to work on something! I need to earn some more spending money!

Talk to me about selling...

I am so bad at this crafty blogging thing. I keep meaning to post, but do you think I remember to? Noooo. I've been busy working on crafty ideas to sell, so blogging about them isn't something I'm prepared to do while these thoughts are still under development. Once I have a plan, I will probably post a little more, but it's all still in development!

So, along that train of thought... anyone have any advice for a busy working mom who is eager to set out selling her wares? Thoughts on where you get your inspiration, how to handle competition, where to sell (own website? etsy? other?), how to set your price points, advertising, promos, custom orders vs stock on hand? Anything really, any input would be most welcome. Right now I'm looking at selling on etsy, but I haven't thought further ahead than that...

So, give it to me! I can take it. :D

In The Beginning

Welcome to the beginning of That Crafty Chick! Craft blogging seems to be all the rage these days, so I'm all over this bandwagon like a donkey on a waffle. I have a few projects finished, photographed and ready to blog, I just have to find time away from my 10-month old monster to actually do something about it.

I've been crafting since I was a wee kid. One of my earliest memories is painting ceramic christmas ornaments with my grandmother when I was 2 years old. I have a huge collection of knicknacks and god knows what else, things that I made in school, at Brownie camp, just because. This trend has continued on into adulthood - I have since taught myself to cross-stitch, quilt, knit and crochet, and I've started dabbling in the world of papercrafts. It's an expensive addiction that my husband groans about every time I make a trip to Michaels, but at least he appreciates the results.

So, hopefully I can stick to this blogging thing. I love crafting and I would love to share my creations with anyone bored enough to read this for an insomnia cure.

Happy crafting!