Welcome! I am so glad you stopped by. I hope you enjoy my handmade items I post on here. I know I enjoy making them! :-)

Monday, July 16, 2007

Christmas, in July?

It is hot now and I love it! The chance to be outside and not be cold, to watch my kids play and just enjoy the beauty of summer. So why am I thinking about Christmas? If you are not thinking about the fall and winter now as a crafter you are already behind. I never realized how far ahead you need to plan until I began my venture into the crafting world. It seems as if you should always be a step or two ahead of the season. That makes it hard to enjoy the season you are currently in unless you have a game plan.

I am a list maker and to begin planning I make a list of everything that I want to accomplish for my business for the upcoming selling season. Then after I have a master list I then break it up into smaller tasks. If you have a hard time being motivated break down your list into smaller and even smaller tasks. For example, I want to make several different crafts for a show coming up. Christmas trees, candles, candles in can, ornies, etc. Let's just work on breaking down the Christmas trees. Where to start, what needs to be done? Prepare trees, decorate and price them. This still is too broad. Fluff the trees, attach the stands, add lights if needed, cut berries, add berries, dye material, rip material, cut material, add material, make ornaments, add ornaments, price. Wow that is overwhelming but if I take one or two tasks and break them down it doesn't seem as bad. Some of those smaller tasks can be broken up into different smaller tasks. Such as my ornaments...they have about 5-6 steps themselves. If you work on a little task every day the overall item doesn't seem as overwhelming.

This may take some time to organize your plan but in the long run it will save you time and sleep! How many of us have stayed up most of the night trying to complete those crafts that could have been done months in advance. Not only will writing things down help you organize but will also show you all that you have done. You could go as far as writing down how long it took you to complete the craft next to each task on your list. That will help you for future events. When you see that a task only takes 10 minutes you could do that while you are waiting for a phone call or when you have a few minutes before you need to leave. Maybe you have a few minutes while dinner is in the oven to print out price tags or cut up labels. You will be amazed in how much you can accomplish in only 10-15 minutes of time. Don't believe me...set the timer next time!

Do you have any tips on getting organized for the next craft season? I would love to hear your suggestions.

Until then, happy priming!