Getting Crafty

I’ve always enjoyed making things. Sometimes it’s functional …

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A cover for the cockpit of my kayak to keep it dry and clean
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A built in liquor cabinet in Waldo (I added straps to keep everything on the shelf)

Sometimes it’s because someone gave me a creative idea to run with. I have spent a good part of this year with Christmas on my mind. The owner of the tree lot we manage suggested we should make/sell “South Florida-esque” Christmas cards. We did some brainstorming and came up with a few ideas. I took it upon myself to design and paint them. Jeremy wanted to get a feel for public reaction so he did a Facebook poll with pictures of my paintings. The response was just what he hoped for – people loved them! These are the pictures he posted…

Once we figured out which ones were the most popular, he gave me the go ahead to order the cards and packaging. I’m pretty excited to see how sales go! BTW, the most popular were: Waiting For Christmas, Jingle Bell Croc, Santa Claws, Flocking Around the Tree and Christmas, Florida Style.

But most of the time I just make things for fun. Recently, I made myself a t-shirt. My “Sleep Around” t-shirt. Lots of people have asked me where I got it and I began to think maybe this would be a good small business. When I made my shirt, I printed the iron-on and handcut it with an X-Acto knife – very tedious! I knew there was a much better way and I finally decided (with a lot of coaxing from Steve) to buy a Cricut. Now instead of an hour or more, I can print/cut the iron-on in less than 15 minutes! I can take a picture someone sends me…

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And turn it into a one of a kind shirt (or in this case 2 of a kind)…

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Here’s more happy customers…

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I decided t-shirts weren’t all I should try, so I made my first koozie…

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Then, I thought what else can I make? Hmmm? How about lettering for Waldo?

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But wait~There’s more! As I was looking through the pre-made projects, I came across a cute pop-up card…

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I thought, “Gee that’s cute”, but, what if? And I designed these…

My thoughts are to try and sell them to RV dealers as Thank You cards (and in my online store).

As all of my RVing/crafting friends know, the biggest challenge of having a craft addiction is where to store all the supplies. Luckily, right now we are at my dad’s house in Florida waiting to head to Parkland to sell Christmas trees so I have a bit of time to figure out where to store everything.

I’d love to know what you think!

 

16 thoughts on “Getting Crafty”

  1. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your projects! The Christmas cards are a hoot, and the popups are perfect for dealer thank you’s! We pretty much wear our t-shirts ALL the time! LOL So happy you got the Cricut and can’t wait to see what other ideas you whip up! Hugs, my friend! HMMH!!!!

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  2. You know I think this stuff is fantastic and I definitely think it could be scaleable. Between your own site and places like Etsy and RV shows and Facebook groups, I bet you could definitely build a solid business. Next thing you know, you’re gonna be dragging along a whole other trailer filled with supplies. 😂🤣😂 Exciting times!!

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  3. Laura, these are all great ideas and everything should fly off the shelves. I particularly like the “sleep around” concept, and would think that RV dealers would love it as well. Maybe you could pitch an idea for the dealership to provide a couple of free, customized T-shirts to go with each RV purchase. Best of luck with all these fun projects. You are one creative lady. ~James

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  4. You are seriously talented – and funny! I love those Christmas cards, but “Life is better when you sleep around” shirts/coozies/etc are great. You can definitely sell those in Florida. I bet if you hit up some gift shops you’ll get lots of orders.

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