What

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What product are you going to market? If you specialize in making custom cards then you should look at who the competition is. How do your cards stack up to what is being produced and sold by other people? This is a good time to be honest with yourself. Do you make a quality craft that people will want to purchase?

Who

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Who will you sell to? It is very important to know your audience. If you want to make custom cards then you need to know what type of person would like to purchase something like that. Middle-aged men who work in a law office probably won’t be your target. That doesn’t mean they won’t buy your product, they are just less likely to. Get to know the type of person who wants what you have to offer and then cater to them.

When

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Consider time constraints. When making a product it is important to not only consider how much it will cost you to create but how long it will take to make it. Something you need to understand is that time is money. It may only cost you $3 to make a card, but if it took 2 hours to put it together, charging $5 doesn’t seem worth it. You would only be making a dollar an hour.

Where

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Where will you sell your product?

• Craft Fair – Lots of crafty people like taking their items to sell at craft fairs. This isn’t a bad idea, but you should be aware that the booth space will most likely cost you at least $50. If you only make $60 from an entire day at the fair was it really worth it? Maybe it was because you handed out business cards and got your name out there.
• Online – There are many online sale options you could look into. You will need to know how you will get the product to your customers and be willing to be available online for questions and concerns people might have.
• Brick and Mortar – There is also the option of setting up a deal with a local store to sell your product. They will likely want a cut of your profit or they will charge you for the space where you display your product.

Why

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Why should people choose your product? There are thousands of people that sell custom made cards so you need to figure out what makes your product worth buying. Perhaps it is the best deal. Maybe you do custom work. It could be that you’re a good and honest businessman that people enjoy giving business to. Whatever it is you need to find it and market it.

How

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You’ll need time and a plan to get your product ready for market, whether you’re creating it all yourself or enlisting the help of a local manufacturer. Long term goals are great, but make sure you set short term attainable goals as well. You could decide that you’d like to create and photograph one new card design per week to help you build up your product selection. The choice is up to you.

You don’t want a fun hobby to become something you dread doing. Make sure you feel comfortable with starting a business (everything from getting your company certificate, and doing the work, to doing taxes every year), and if it feels right, give it a try. It may take a moment to take off, but a little elbow grease could have you enjoying a nice side income doing something you enjoy.

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You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout and I’m telling you why, because it’s nearly Christmas time!

No matter if you are the type to put up the Christmas tree as soon as Halloween is over or if you are the day after thanksgiving type, who doesn’t love Christmas and decorating for the holiday?

There is something so heartwarming about seeing all the lights, ribbons, wreaths and ornaments, but it can also be a little intimidating to know where to start.

If all you wanted to do is spread Christmas cheer but you need some ideas, here are a few to help you out.

Here are seven easy but really cute Christmas decoration ideas to help your home scream, “Merry Christmas to all!”

Mason jar elves and reindeer

Elf Christmas Mason Jar Gifts

Mason jars are great for so many things, including creating really cute Christmas decorations.

The best part is these jars can be totally customizable, but also you can put little treats inside and give them as gifts for your neighbors and friends.

A DIY Wreath

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For these decorations that you can never have too many of in or outside of the house, all you have to do is go to any craft store or even dollar store and get a plain wreath, and then just pick out all the flowers, ribbons, and lights you want to decorate it with!

You can even keep it simple and classic and buy some spray snow, spray it on a green wreath and tie a red ribbon on the top and there you have it! A super cute and festive wreath for less than five bucks.

Lighted garland with ribbons

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Something cute and unique, that is also pretty easy to make, is using a couple strings of lights and some ribbon to make a lighted garland.

You can choose the colors and type of material you want to use, and then all you have to do is tie them all along the string of lights, then hang wherever you like!

Make sure to get plenty of extension cords and check that your electrical system is up to date, and order any parts you need from websites like www.electricalwholesale.com.

Pipe-cleaner snow-flakes or snowmen

Pipe-Cleaner Snowflake Ornaments Project

Simple and cost-friendly, you can involve the kids in making these adorable ornaments to hang on the tree.

Ornaments made from cookie cutters

Cookie Cutter Ornaments Project

Cookie cutters come in all shapes and sizes, and all you need are some pictures or pretty colored paper to glue behind them to turn them into beautiful ornaments.

These can also double as a cute gift that your kids can put together for Grandma and Grandpa or whoever else is on their gift list.

DIY Snow-globes

DIY Snow Globe | Sea Lemon

Another decoration idea that uses ever useful mason jars, there are so many Pinterest posts to follow on how to make these fun little snow globes and place them all over your house just in time for Christmas.

Easy paper plate Santa

PAPER PLATE SANTA CLAUS

This is a Christmas craft the kids are sure to love and have them feeling the Christmas spirit.

All you need are some paper plates, scissors, red paint, glue, and some black constriction paper!

The post 7 Easy but Oh so Cute Christmas Decoration Ideas appeared first on InstantELLA.

Whether you have a few pallets or too many to count, there’s a project that’s perfect for you. Check out these 10 to get your creative juices flowing!

Pallet Garden

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Bring nature to the front porch with a fun pallet garden. These can be designed to lean against a wall or stand freely, giving you more options for rearranging as often as you would like. These are beautiful when filled with your favorite flowers, but you can’t go wrong with an herb garden either.

Couch

64 Creative Ideas And Ways To Recycle And Reuse A Wooden Pallet

It seems you can never have too much outdoor seating, and thankfully, you can fashion pallets into a couch, benches, or chairs that fit into your space like a glove.

Grill Station

Upcycled Pallet Outdoor Kitchen

Do you like to spend your summer out on the grill? Build a grilling station that can house all the essential tools and protect them if you happen to run into a bit of bad weather. Instead of food prep taking place in two locations, you can take care of it all in one place without missing out on the conversation with your guests.

Food Storage

64 Creative Ideas And Ways To Recycle And Reuse A Wooden Pallet

Getting a handle on food storage can be a hassle, and if you don’t need dome storage for bulk items, you can use wood pallets to build organizers for canned goods and varying shelf sizes that will be able to house your food tastes, big or small.

Coffee Table

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If you’re looking for something that can go indoors or outdoors, look no further. A coffee table will withstand weather and the wear and tear of children all year long. It can be dressed up for important guests then be easily transformed into a family gathering place for game night.

Cabinets

64 Creative Ideas And Ways To Recycle And Reuse A Wooden Pallet

Pallets are great to use for new storage that looks good, too. Whether you need a small dresser for a child’s room or an entertainment center to hold your TV and collection of movies, you can get the perfectly customized cabinets you’re looking for.

Wood Flooring

40 Fantastic Ways Of How To Reuse Old Wooden Pallets

Want to make a statement? Wood flooring is always in style, and if you don’t mind a bit of extra work repurposing pallets, you’ll end up with a flooring unique to your home. Maybe you don’t have quite that many extra pallets lying around, but challengerpallet.com can help you make up the difference.

Fence

37 AWESOME AND CHEAP DIY PALLET FENCE IDEAS TO REALIZE SWIFTLY

Another big project you can take on, with perhaps a bit less cutting and reshaping, is replacing your old rundown fence with sturdy paneling made from your leftover pallets.

Treehouse

Wood Pallet Tree Houses

When you’re ready to go big for the kids, it’s definitely time to build that treehouse. There are tons of ideas out there on how to create the best treehouse for your tree, yard, and kids. Check out some of them here.

Decor

65 PALLET DECOR IDEAS

You can’t go wrong with a new piece of accent decor. Make a family project out of painting a pallet to look like a flag or to depict a favorite family saying that will be able to withstand the rigor of indoor and outdoor wear.

The post 10 Creative Ways to Reuse Wood Pallets appeared first on InstantELLA.

1. Thankful Tree

Gratitude and giving thanks is what this holiday is all about. Try this fun little thankful tree from The DIY Mommy this Thanksgiving season. Let your littles explore outside for the perfect fallen branch to be the base for their tree. Find a cute bucket or vase to place it in, filled with marbles, moss or dirt. Help them cut out leaves on which they can write down the things they are thankful for. Hang the leaves on the tree and you’re done! You can even have your child think of one thing they are thankful for each day and add a leaf every day.

2. Paint Chip Turkey

This is a fun one. Pick up some paint chips from the store, or let your kids pick out some color. Then use those for the turkey’s tail feathers. Have your kids write or draw what they are thankful for on the paint chips. You can pull these out at the Thanksgiving dinner table to have each child read off what they are thankful for this year. Find the full tutorial at Preschool Alphabet.

3. Wreath of Gratitude

Make a wreath with your child like this one from Parents.com. Pick up some colored paper and a styrofoam wreath from the dollar store. Have your kids write down or draw what they are thankful for and pin their leaves to the wreath. You could even go on a nature hike and find real leaves to add to this project.

4. Thankful Dry Erase Boards

With this craft, let your child pick out a picture frame and frame a paper that says “Today I am thankful for…” with some space to write what they are thankful for. Each day have them write down with a dry erase marker what they are thankful for. Let them decorate the frame with pompoms, glitter, leaves, or whatever their little minds can imagine. You can find some free printables for this craft at Bren Did.

5. Thankful Pie

With this fun craft, all you need are some paper plates, a bracket, paint (or markers), and something to write with. Turn one of the plates into a pumpkin pie with the paint, cut out a “piece” of the pie, and write the words “I am thankful for…”. On the bottom plate, have your child write the things they are thankful for. Attach both plates with a bracket in the center so they can turn the plates to show what they are thankful for each day.

6. Grateful Rocks

Find some rocks on a hike, or pick some up from a craft store, and let your child paint, write, or draw what they are thankful for on them. This is a great activity for the entire family to participate in. For a fun activity afterwards, you can even let your kids hide the rocks around the house (inside or outside) and try to find each other’s rocks. Find the tutorial for these rocks at Teach Kids Art.

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