Pillowcase Dress

Found a great FREE sewing pattern for a super cute kid's pillow case dress ... with ruffles! Ruffles make everything extra cute, don't you think? Click here for the pattern!

Tips for selling at a Christmas boutique

Observations from an Experienced Seller

by Judi Hammer

After fourteen years managing a large Christmas boutique, I had the opportunity to observe numerous crafters selling their wares. I also sold my own handcrafted items. There is definitely a thrill in seeing customers purchase your merchandise. There is also a real sense of discouragement when the beautiful items you have worked so hard to create just sit on the shelves rather than sell like hotcakes. There are many things that contribute to why some things sell and some don’t. Sometimes, there is no good reason, but more often than not, there are things to do to help you be successful in selling your handcrafts. It is always important to be aware of the venue where you are selling and the type of customer that venue draws. In other words, who is your target market and are you selling at the correct venue?

Some more ideas for success in selling your handcrafts:

· Quality is very important. Create each item with much attention to quality and detail.

· Uniqueness – Are your items unique? Think about style, design, color, fabric, originality, etc.

· Current – Items should be up-to-date in style, color, pattern, etc.

· Variety – Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, as the saying goes. Whatever your expertise is, think of ways to make a variety of items at a variety of price points (see next point).

· Price – First, be sure that your items are priced fair for the market. Check similar items to see if your prices are appropriate for the customer as well as covering your costs. Also, be sure to have items in more than one price range. (At Mary Roseanne’s, the average price of an item sold fell between $8-12.)

· Display & Packaging – Thinking of creative ways to display your merchandise as well as clever packaging, if appropriate, can really help your items stand out in the crowd. (How many times have you bought the more expensive bottle of olive oil because you liked the bottle better?)

Have fun crafting and good luck with selling all you make. Also, feel free to contact me with any further questions or insights!

Giveaway!! Giveaway!!

Mary Roseanne's is conducting our first giveaway! This reusable banner has been generously donated by MRHS crafter Amy Stokke of LouLouCreations. It will bring a little bit of extra class to every birthday party you throw. Enter by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, July 21, for your chance to win! See below for instructions on how to enter ...

HOW TO ENTER (You may enter each way one time)

1. Leave a comment in the comment section below this post.
2. “Like” the Mary Roseanne's Facebook page. (If you already “like” it then you’re already entered.)
3. Repost a link to this contest page on your own blog, then leave the link to that page in the comment section of the contest page (below).

4. "Follow" this blog (just click on the "follow us" link at the right ... if you're already a follower, you're already entered!).

Tutorial: Beaded Headband

Check out Pretty Ditty for this awesome tutorial on a fabric covered beaded headband. She gives easy step by step instructions. So cute!

Christmas Fabrics on Sale!

As you start thinking through crafts to make and sell at this year's boutique, you might need some Christmas-themed fabrics, right? Well, this week at M&L Fabrics in Anaheim, all their Christmas fabrics are on sale! And if you've never been to M&L Fabrics in Anaheim, you must go! It's kind of like Target, you go in for a toothbrush and end up spending $100 on stuff you didn't know you needed. They have EVERYTHING (well, everything fabric related, anyway)! And, now's a great time to check 'em out if you're thinking of making any Christmas-themed crafts. Enjoy shopping!

Mr. Darcy, John McClane and some UFOs

Life has been nuts over the past few months. NUTS! We had a new baby in December and then moved in March. Those two major changes alone have left very little time for crafts. For me, this has been detrimental to my actual health. Spending time doing creative things soothes my soul, calms my mind, and takes me to a happy place.

So a couple weeks ago I decided it was time to let the cleaning and organizing and unpacking go untouched for a while, and to ignore my great tiredness brought on my non-sleeping baby, turned on some of my favorite movies, and finished some unfinished projects (UFOs). I started with Pride and Prejudice, a full five hours of witty dialogue culminating in the great romance of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett. I wasn't able to finish everything in that 5 hours, so I put in my newest favorite Die Hard movie, Live Free or Die Hard, and sewed to the sounds of gunfight and "Yippee-Kayay!"

The first thing I finished was this most awesome bag by Amy Butler. I'd bought the pattern and fabric last summer at a quilt show, got all the pieces cut and prepped before Ella was born, but then it was boxed up to make room for all the other things there were to do. The scarf I'd been working on since last May. It comes from one of my favorite knitting books, Scarf Style. With so many fun projects I was wanting to get started, it was time to get these long-standing projects off the books. And aren't they so pretty! I'm now working on finishing some household projects (curtains and small tablecloths) and then its on to some new knitting projects, a quilt kit I bought in January, and building up my inventory for Mary Roseanne's 2011!

I made a cell phone pocket! I did a lot of things on this bag I'd never done before, including a zippered pocket! Go me.

I still don't know what I'm going to use this bag for, but a girl can't have too many handcrafted tote bags!

The technique for this scarf is called Entrelac, and its just stunning! It was hard to photograph the fringe, but its one of my favorite parts of the whole thing.

The yarn I used is one of the reasons this turned out so beautiful. Its called Noro Silk Garden, and the slow change of colors is what helps show off the pattern so well.

Yay for finished projects!

an olfactory hypothesis

Hypothesis: There is no happier smell than that of bacon frying.

Proof: This morning I tried another recipe out of my most excellent Slow Cooker Cookbook, and it began with the frying of bacon. MAN does that smell good. You can never go wrong when the recipe starts with frying bacon. But it didn't stop there. Add some chicken to the bacon grease, brown on all sides, add some garlic and some fresh rosemary ... and then balsamic vinegar to scrape the bacon bits off the bottom of the pan (I wish you could hear my voice escalating) ... my house smells so good! Everything has been transferred to the slow cooker, but the smells still permeate my being. Yes, bacon is the best.

If you're interested in this slow cooker cookbook (and you are), you should check it out. I bought mine at Costco, but you can find it online if need be: Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever by Diane Phillips. It really is the best cookbook ever.