Christmas Upcycled Gift Countdown Week # 3 - Tray Magnetboard/ToDo Board

This is what I ask myself when prioritizing my day.

(yup it's pretty much the secret to my success here at Olive Bites folks, works pretty well for me - I do spend quite a bit of time napping, eating snacks and solving mysteries though, so it might not work for everyone)

This is a heavy vintage, enamel metal tray (a similar type of thing can be done with a smaller, lighter weight tray, too - see LOVE pic below),

some large adhesive letters from Lowe's ($1.50) and some magnets that read NOW, LATER and NEVER

(I can hook you up with the tops of these just email me and add your own magnets)

Now, you are probably thinking this does not need a step by step - you're right. It's pretty much cut and stick. I did have to take a few pics though so I can call this a TUTORIAL, otherwise it would be cheating.

(the LOVE tray has a little adhesive back hanger that I could hook you up with, too)

You could stencil something like this, too, if you are feeling very crafty and if your recipient might think stickers a bit .. tacky (stickers ... tacky ... get it) - the vintage green one above is a bonus gift for a special someone on my list. I do not think she minds tacky - especially when it is an awesome mint green circle of blooms and rust covered with hugs and kisses - who could resist that?

A Peek at Some New Work in Uncorked Shop

uncorked.etsy.com

stop by and have a peek

Manifesting for Makers - Introduction - the act of creating is the act of allowing

CREATE print by and at wallfry.etsy.com

The definition of manifesting is "to make clear or evident to the eye or the understanding - to show plainly" -

this is probably not the definition that most people are thinking about when they are trying to manifest (ala the law of attraction) something.

This is the definition we are going to work with though (the making clear and evident one) because it is a higher vibration and life is supporting a higher vibration now.

(the vibration is important because it works sort of like a key to unlock the higher paradigm within us; the thing we are reaching toward - this must have been what it felt like for people alive on the planet as the Dark Ages moved into the Enlightenment .. scary and exciting and unchartered and we are making it up as we go along and that is totally ok and more than ok actually because if not us who? )

I think the last few years has shown us that hundreds of thousands of people setting intentions to manifest specific things for themselves, the things we thought we wanted (the gimme more, bigger, better, best way of thinking that is born from the fear that there is not enough) can really muck things up

(of course, as with all mucked up things - it is just a mirror reflecting our own mucked-up-ness back at us - we are never really victims but just people being shown our weakness)

the real "Secret" may be that we have this manifesting thing ass backwards -

of course, we have also been brought to this point by hundreds of thousands of people taking their power back and setting intentions to manifest something else, something new and authentic and real - the very energy of which is totally supported because everything either evolves or becomes increasingly unstable until it breaks down - the new that is totally unstoppable.

We aren't here to figure out what we want and then manifest that.

The idea that manifesting is about figuring out what we want and then going for it, is the reason so many of us are stuck, sitting in this place of  indecision "well, what the hell do I want?" -

because we are thinking this with our mind (our soul is awesomely ok with any and all circumstances) - the part of us that can only offer up answers based on our past conditioning and often based on what we don't want - based on fear.

The difference between coming at things from love (think : soul/heart here) or fear (think : mind/thoughts here) is the difference between wanting to manifest a partner because we're uncomfortable being alone and afraid we will always be alone or wanting to manifest a partner because we see an old couple lovingly holding hands and whispering in the park and our soul cries out YES, I WANT THAT!

I saw just such a couple yesterday and they made my heart so full that I found myself drawn very near to them and I asked them how long they had been married and the old man looked at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eye and said "we're not married, but we've been living together for 4 months and 6 days" - I thought my heart would explode with happiness.

Anyhoo, I only wanted this to be an intro - a little taste of where we are headed with this series if anyone wants to come along - this journey to manifesting; the allowing = creating kind of manifesting that is what we makers are really here to make.

Next Week: Manifesting for Makers - Part I - how compassion can unleash our passion (plus an exercise in how to figure out what we really want ... within seconds)

Dish Towel Holder Tutorial - Upcycled Gift Countdown Week 2 - and a quick history lesson for lazy hubbies - LESSON: no hubby has ever been shot while doing the dishes

Anyone who reads my blog

(and is paying attention I know that leaves many people out ... I won't hold it against you)

knows that I have a little bit of an obsession with upcycling books - as in I have the need to drill holes in them and otherwise destroy them.

(I blame my Nook)

This is a very simple gift that is as usual easy-peasy to make. I made this for a friend's black and white kitchen.

(I am trying to show her how vintage pieces can add character to a space - for times when my actual old as dirt self is not at her house providing the vintage character personally)

You will need:

a book -

that you can bear to part with, preferably something a little kitcheny - if it has Julia's face on it that is a total plus -

vintage kneader/masher, pipe holders, screws, marking pencil, drill, hanging hardware

1. mark your holes 2. drill your holes - as always when drilling into a book - go slowly - this is a lesson from Smokey the Bear, folks 3. attach your pipe hangers NOTE - you have to add your kneader/masher - what the hell is this thing anyway? -  at this point - I had 2 screws in when I realized there was no way to add the kneader/masher without taking them out - luckily you have me to guide you through this and you will not make this mistake  4. add a sawtooth hanger (drill, glue, hammer) to the back - you can measure the placements of everything - I just kind of eyeball things (since it's not going in my kitchen after all - ack)

VOILA! now you just need a super-amazing dish towel - I highly recommend one by the amazing Xenotees 

For another towel rack featuring a vintage rolling pin see my other tutorial HERE and for something else to do with the kneader/masher thingamajig see my other tutorial HERE

time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana ... really

I have become a little obsessed with arrows lately

(I think it started with repurposing an old dart board as a message board complete with arrows in my office - will have to put up a pic of that soon)

so when I saw what the amazing Katie of BlackStar is doing with arrows  and color with her gorgeous jewelry I was totally inspired to paint some cork!

These will be in my Uncorked shop soon along with lots of other new work for the holidays!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone - if you have a minute check out my post on working with the phases of the moon over on the EcoEtsy team blog HERE

xo all

10 More Things I Learned about Trade Show Selling from the New York International Gift Fair

I have a new series percolating on manifesting for our maker businesses, but just realized I hadn't posted anything about my exhibit at NYIGF last month!

(my bad)

So here are my top 10 lessons learned (most the hard way) that anyone considering a tradeshow to offer their handmade whoseewhatsee to industry might find helpful.

(I am all about being helpful after all ... and perky ... I am all about being helpful and perky ... or wait that might be what Olive is all about, but some of her habits have rubbed off on me over the years - luckily not her habit of trying to impregnate the beach towels)

NOTE - wholesale selling is not an absolute step for growing a handmade business (in fact it can put you out of business) and trade show selling is not an absolute step for growing a wholesale business - I am rethinking this myself.

1. Location is very important.

Your customer will not walk this entire show - it is huge. I had a good location - not a great one. Next time I will have a great one.

(now you get what you pay for with this and I have been told you have to pay your dues a bit- will have to let you know about that one - with smaller venues where customers walk the entire show this is less important)

2. Display your items the way a store would.

This is the first show where I set up display packages to show customers exactly how my makings could work and look in their stores and it made a huge difference. I am very sure it doubled my sales.

(also don't expect buyers to buy things you haven't displayed - they come to the shows to see the real thing, not pictures)

3. Buyers don't just want to hear how great your whoseewhatsee is - they want to hear how well it sells.

Wholesale requires a different pitch. This time I focused on my proven selling track record first before I talked about how cool and amazing my makings are. Buyers and store owners have almost certainly made buying mistakes with new sellers in the past and can be gun shy about placing first orders - you want to make things easy for them.

4. Brick and Mortars have different needs than our own retail websites. 

I sell picture jewelry. Online I can have hundreds of images - stores can't carry that kind of variety. They need just the right customer to come into their store to purchase my whoseewhatsee - things have to be a little more wide-appealing for them (they may not get a customer who just has to have an orange octopus on a cork walk into their store). You may need to think about this.

5. Your show neighbors are not your competition - play nice. 

I have done shows where it is obvious that everyone feels in competition with everyone else - this was not one of those shows. I do not feel the need to compete with anyone (maybe because I am old and tired - ack!) - I believe in setting up my business to draw my right customers to me and I do. I make jewelry. So do alot of other people. There is no store that is selling my jewelry that is not selling alot of other people's jewelry, too - we are not in competition with each other.

6. Get credit card numbers. 

Buyers do not want to pay until their items ship, which is usually weeks and sometimes even months after they order. I get it. I am OK with that for the most part. I still need to be more proactive with credit card numbers so I am not playing phone tag for weeks.

7. Follow up. Alot of this show is about connections - make the most of them. I believe in multiple contacts with the same store (rather then contacting a bunch of stores then moving on to a new bunch of stores).

(I know from my banking days we had much greater success with traditional advertising campaigns when we targeted the same customers again and again - maybe they got familiar with our name and felt more comfortable, maybe we just wore them down - I'm not sure, but I know it works)

At previous shows I got overwhelmed with my contact list and didn't follow-up like I should. This time I have and can already see results.

8. Be yourself. This is what branding is all about. I have been told my display is too busy (could be), that my banner makes people at a distance think I sell dog products (could be), that my display is too eco (as in eco-friendly) but since I am a busy, dog-loving, eco-friendly maker I stick with being myself. 

9. Lighting. You need great lighting. Next time I'll have great lighting. 

(Suzanne from Tanner Glass had great lighting)

10. Never take antibiotics on an empty stomach - I was on antibiotics during this show and knew this warning - always thought it had something to do with the medicine digesting probably - but running late one morning without breakfast I took one and found myself running to the restroom 15 minutes later and continuing to be very nauseous for about an hour - of course when you think about what antibiotics actually are this makes perfect sense. When I am old and gray (or maybe I should say older and grayer) this is the lesson that will stick with me best from this show ...