Recently Linda Knight commented to ask if I had any tips on getting started doing these shopping parties. I recommended craft-selling-parties.com, as I found a lot of great ideas and inspiration there, but now that I have two of these parties under my belt, I feel qualified to offer up some tips of my own.

• Give your host great incentives!

After scouting the tips at craft-selling-parties.com, I decided to offer $25 in shop credit plus 10% of the total sales as shop credit to the hosts of my parties. If you make mainly one type of item, like jewelry or handbags, you might want to offer the host their choice of a certain type of earring or clutch, but since I carry such a wide variety of products, I thought that shop credit would be the easiest way to go.

Think of these incentives as you would a booth fee at your local craft fair. The great part is that, unlike a craft fair, where you pay your fee and then have to make your money back, here you offer the hostess a percentage of your sales as shop credit. If she brings in lots of friends who buy lots of stuff, she does well too and gets freebies from you, but if the party ends up being a bust, you’re not out a ton of money. (But from my own experience, and the stories I’ve heard from more experienced handmade home shopping party aficionados, you’re more likely to do very well than not!)

• Make it fun!

It’s a party, so treat it like one! Whether you’re hosting the party at your own home, a friend is hosting at theirs or you do it at a coffee shop like we did last night, make sure there are plenty of drinks and snacks available! The Orange Couch loved us because we brought new customers into their shop, and at my first home party that I hosted I made sure there was plenty of wine and cheese to go around. Drinks and snacks can be as cheap or as expensive as you’d like… Each party could have a slightly different theme, depending on the host’s preferences.

Taking a cue from Tupperware parties that I had been to, I also made sure to create some fun and excitement with giveaways! You can pick out a few lower priced items to give away or do a drawing for $10 in shop credit. You can also create fun games or even do a demonstration of how you make your craft. People will see the work and talent it takes to create your items and they just might be more inclined to buy!

• Communicate your needs for set-up!

The first party I did was at my house, so I had all day to get my set-up just right and use whatever random materials I had around the house for displaying my goods. I invited other artist friends to set up in my home as well, and while we were worried at first how to make everything fit, by using furniture already in my home, we made it work. We accidentally scratched our credenza though, so whether at your home or someone else’s, if you’re going to use someone’s furniture to display your goods, make sure to throw a tablecloth over it first! That’s one of those little things that didn’t even occur to me but in hindsight I wish I had thought of it before we scratched up the furniture!

For the event last night, my friend Tressa from Flambeaux Design Company and I both set up for the party. Leslie, who had arranged things with the coffee shop manager, had given us details about the space and timing of set-up. Tressa and I were both a little worried, because we thought we were only being allowed 30 minutes to set up. (I typically take about an hour or so to feel comfortable.) Luckily it all worked out though… I arrived early to scope out the space and have some ice cream. (The Orange Couch is such a great coffee shop – I wish it was in my neighborhood!) The manager introduced himself to me and not only let us set up earlier than we thought, but he also helped us move tables and even ran home to get us extra lighting! In the future, I’ll make sure to clarify that I need at least an hour or so before guests arrive to set up my goods, so there’s no need to stress!

• Get their contact info!

As I mentioned above, we did some fun giveaways, and the way I’ve had people enter the drawing is to fill out a slip of paper with their contact info, including their name, email address and phone number. I have lines asking if they would like to be included on my email newsletter list and if they are interested in possibly hosting a handmade home shopping party of their own. I ask, if the answer is yes, what day and time do they have in mind? I also leave a blank for any additional comments or suggestions. This is your captive audience… they’re already interested in what you do, so don’t miss the opportunity to stay in touch with them!

• Accept as many forms of payment as possible!

For a long time, I did craft fairs and I didn’t have any way to accept credit cards. I definitely wanted to, but I didn’t feel that I was doing craft fairs often enough to justify it. This past summer, just in time for our New Orleans Craft Mafia birthday bash at Twisted Hair Salon, I signed up with Propay and made sure I had the ability to accept payment by all major credit cards. This is a definite necessity! The majority of my sales are by credit or debit card now, and many customers also like to pay by check, which I gladly accept! Think like your customer – if you’re like me, you probably don’t carry much cash on you, so it’s often more convenient to pay by debit or credit card. Don’t miss an opportunity for sales!

I hope this helps some folks! I’m having a lot of fun doing these handmade home shopping parties, and I think they’re a great alternative to craft fairs, especially if you’re just starting out and you can’t afford the booth fees of big events. If you’re in the metro New Orleans area (or Baton Rouge, or the Mississippi Gulf Coast, or anywhere nearby!) and you’d like to host one of my handcrafted home shopping parties, just contact me!

I just learned about these fleece hats made to benefit the Earth’s Birthday Project, which sounds like an amazing organization. Since it got its start in 1989, the Earth’s Birthday Project has helped to educate more than 15 million children in environmental conservation through their hands-on classroom activities. They also run a project called Big Gift to the Earth where kids are encouraged to raise money to save threatened rainforests. They learn that their small donations add up when they’re combined with donations raised by lots of other kids across the country. Children participating in the program have raised over $5 million since 1990 and with that money the group has purchased over 200,300 acres of rainforest which will now be forever conserved.

Proceeds from each sale of these Good Green Hats support the Big Gift to the Earth project. Each Good Green Hat is made from Ecospun fleece fabric created from two recycled plastic bottles. The hats are sewn by women in the U.S. who are part of the Southwest Creations Collaborative, which provides fair wages and education to these workers. And the price for one of these world changing hats? Only $14.95. These would make a great gift idea… I love the kind of gift that just keeps on giving back!

3 Pack Pink Sugar (Aqualina Type) Nourish Bath Bombs by PurpleDaffodils

Such an unfortunate but catchy name, bath bombs or bath fizzies make a great homemade gift idea because they are one of those luxurious indulgences that people often do not buy for themselves, but love to receive as a gift. They will certainly appreciate them when they realize that they are homemade gifts. You have probably seen them at bath boutiques, but basically bath bombs are balls of baking soda and citric acid that when dropped in water dissolve, effervesce, and releases the scents or other ingredients you put in them. Its kind of like bathing in bathtub full of seltzer water. It can be a soothing and therapeutic experience.

There are a couple of ways to make them. Here is the method based off a tutorial from teachsoap.com:

Ingredients:

Citric Acid… A powder that you can find here at brambleberry.com. You also might be able to find it at a local winemaking/brewing shop.

Baking Soda… Should be easy enough to find, check in your cupboard or refrigerator.

Witch Hazel… You can find this at here at brambleberry.com, otherwise you might find it at your local health food store or pharmacy.

Fragrance or Essential Oil… You can find this at, yep, you guessed it, brambleberry.com, or your local heath food store..

Clear Spherical Molds… There is quite a selection at soapequipment.com. They have molds and bath bomb kits at brambleberry.com but no plain spherical ones. I have also heard of people using ice cube trays.

You can tint them with food coloring, but I think they look fine as is. It’s a matter of preference. If you do use food coloring make sure you only use a few drops per batch, otherwise it might stain someone’s tub.

One 5 Ounce Calabrian Bergamot and Violet Bath Bomb by layla

The process:

It is a bit tricky at first. You might have a bad batch or two in the beginning, or a have few bath bombs that fall apart, but don’t get discouraged, you will get the hang of it..

1. Thoroughly mix 1 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of the citric acid. Make sure it is mixed well and there are no lumps.
2. Add your fragrance and color. Fragrances are your preference, but I enjoy essential oils like lavender or peppermint. If you are using food coloring, make sure to only use a few drops.
3. Lightly spray on the witch hazel while mixing. You want to spray enough on so the mixture just starts to stick together. Too much and the mixture will start bubbling and reacting.
4. Just after the mixture starts to stick together, press into the molds. Make sure you squeeze the mold halves together hard.
5. Wait a few minutes, then tap them out of the molds.
6. Let sit a few hours or overnight, and then they’ll be ready for wrapping.

YOU CHOOSE half dozen baths-not-bombs by katevw

I have also seen some recipes that include epsom salt in the dry mixture, and almond oil to help keep the ball together. Some recipes also include cornstarch, which I personally would advise against, as it has been mentioned that it might irritate a rash or make it worse. There are conflicting views on this, but I leave it out to be safe.

I used clear colored wrapping and raffia ribbon for the presentation of the gift.

They make a great addition to other homemade bath products in a gift basket.

This tutorial was originally published at 100homemadegiftideas and Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/crafts-articles/homemade-gift-idea-bath-bombs-or-bath-fizzies-1457212.html

About the Author: Counting down 100 homemade gift ideas at http://100homemadegiftideas.com

You can find all sorts of craft tutorials, like these:

Learn how to make this burlesque bustle skirt or turn a men’s button-down shirt into a sexy bustier dress.

There’s also a great interview series with Crafty Superstars like Natalie Zee Drieu of Craftzine, Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club, and Betz White, author of Sewing Green.

Congrats to Cut Out + Keep on their success! You deserve it!

I’m a bit of a sugar fiend, and for someone like me, what better way to celebrate your love of the sweet life than with beautifully delicate jewelry like these earrings and necklaces?