Shutter Snowmen.

Shutter Snowmen

Very simple Snowman.  These shutter snowmen are so simple and fun for your holiday winter decor. Check out Grannies Craft Corner web site for many other crafting ideas.

Ninja Ornaments

Oh so simple these where made by my grandma in our family. Take some old Christmas ornaments , ribbon and jiggle eyes and glue.  Then you have Ninja Ornaments for your children or grandchildren.
By Melinda Parker – Grannies Craft Corner Author

Recycled Old Wall Hanging.

 Christmas wood crafts.

 It used to be a wall hanging, I painted it grey, the I stenciled the Joy letters and used Val-spar satin paint “Spanish tile”. I then used a sanding block and roughed it up to give it a primitive look. ~ Melinda Parker


http://granniescraftcorner.com/recycled-old-wall-hanging/

Felt Christmas Stockings

The Christmas stocking is a holiday staple for families with children.  Kids love to get up on Christmas morning and see what kinds of goodies Santa has left them!  Small stockings are also great for decoration, and they're ideal for holding small gifts to give to your friends and family.
Making felt stockings is very easy, and it's a great family project.  Here's how to do it:







What You Need

* Felt
* Cardboard or card stock
* Marker
* Scissors
* Straight pins
* Needle and thread
* White faux fur and other embellishments

Instructions

1.  Draw a stocking shape of the desired size on a piece of cardboard or card stock.  Cut out.
2.  Place the cardboard shape on the felt, trace around it, and cut out.  Make two pieces for each stocking.
3.  If you want to sew buttons, fabric or other embellishments on the stocking, it will be much easier to do so before you sew it together.  Just make sure to sew them onto the side that will be facing outward.
4.  Pin the pieces of felt together, wrong sides facing out, and sew around the edges with a sewing machine or by hand.  Be sure not to sew the top closed.
5.  Turn the stocking inside out so that the seams are now on the inside.  Decorate the outside using fabric paint, glitter, beads, or anything else you like.  Sew a strip of faux fur to the top if desired.
6.  Cut a strip of felt an inch or so wide and 3 or 4 inches long.  Fold it in half to make a loop and sew it to the top left corner of the stocking.

Letting the kids decorate their own stockings gives them an opportunity to express themselves.  They could add charms that reflect their interests and hobbies, make pictures with beads, or use finger paint to add handprints.  Tubes of fabric paint or glitter glue make it easy for them to write messages to Santa and add their names.

Scraps of holiday fabric are great for adding a decorative touch to stockings.  You could cut out shapes such as Christmas trees, angels, or reindeer and sew or glue them to the front of the stocking.  If you want a different look, you could even use a sturdy fabric such as canvas instead of felt to make the body of the stocking.

Making and decorating your own Christmas stockings is lots of fun, and it's very inexpensive.  Whether you're making them to hang on the tree, fill with gifts for friends, or place on the mantle for Santa to stuff, it's a wonderful way to get the family creative together during the holidays.

Indoor Tulips

Indoor Tulips . . . Bring your spring color indoors and enjoy for the fall or winter.

Step 1 - Fill a glass container about 1/3 of the way with glass marbles or decorative rocks. Clear glass will enable you to watch the roots develop . . . Step 2 - Set the tulip bulb on top of the marbles or stones; pointed end UP. Add a few more marbles or rocks so that the tulip bulb is surrounded but not covered (think support). . .Step 3 - Pour fresh water into the container. The water shouldn't touch the bulb, but it should be very close, so that the roots will grow in.

Cool Easter Handcrafting Projects for Children

Easter is one of the holidays kids look forward to every year. It is the time for celebrating springtime and starting life anew. Easter is a holiday of bunnies, eggs, and lambs—and these things are what children appreciate. Make this holiday extra special for your kids by teaching them how to create colorful and interesting Easter-themed crafts that involve easy steps and require simple materials that are readily available at home. The following are some ideas for Easter handcrafting projects that kids of any age will enjoy:

Handprint Lamb
 This Easter craft can be a precious keepsake of the growing hand of your child. Creating a handprint lamb is so easy even 2-year-old kids can do it in a breeze. All you need to complete this project are simple materials such as pencil, scissors, construction paper, glue, crayons, markers, and popped popcorn.
Start by tracing the hand of your child, with his fingers spread wide apart, on the paper. Then cut out the, drawing and turn it on the other side. Draw the face of the lamb on the area of the thumb. Let your child put additional details such as ears, tail, and hoofs. On the palm of the hand, glue the popcorns to form the fluff of the lamb. Allow the glue to dry before you move the handprint lamb. Your child will surely be delighted to create this craft while munching on the leftover popcorns.

Giant Foil Egg
This handcrafting project is ideal for children beyond three years of age, as it gives them the creative freedom when it comes to designs. The materials needed for creating a giant foil egg include pipe cleaners, light cardboard, scissors, aluminum foil, markers, ribbon, glue, and tape.
Cut out a large egg (around 30 cm in diameter) from the cardboard. Help your child with using the pipe cleaners to create a design on the egg. The designs could consist of lines, circles, or zigzags. When the glue has already dried, cover the egg carefully with aluminum foil. To make the designs more visible, push the foil down over the pipe cleaners. On the back of the egg, tape the foil in place. Outline the designs on the foil using the markers so that the designs will look more noticeable. Use a glue to stick the ribbon in a loop at the top portion of the egg. Allow it to dry before hanging the giant foil egg.

Fluffy Pinecone Chick
Your kid can make this cute little chick in just a few simple steps. With the help of an adult, kids three and up can complete one of the easiest Easter handcrafting projects. The materials include the following: pencil, large pinecone, Easter grass, green construction paper, yellow paint, paintbrush, scissors, and glue.
Paint the pinecone and allow it to dry. When the pinecone is already dry, wrap it in a thin layer of fiberfill. Cut out a beak, eyes, and wings from the felt scraps and stick them onto the body of the chick. Place the Easter grass on top of the circular construction paper. Lastly, put the chick onto the middle of the Easter grass.

Handcrafters Marketing Ideas

 

Hobbyist handcrafters who became businessmen and women would often experience tough competition. There are more and more women who are getting into the handicraft business in the comfort of their own homes. There are different handicrafts who are becoming popular like candles, jewelry, and embroidered home-fittings.

Finding a niche in the market could be proved difficult. There may be a lot of craft stores in the target location, product price needs to be competitive, and older craft stores already have their “captured clients.” But even a starting handcraft business could lead their venture into success by having a solid business plan and of course, marketing and promotions.

Your target market could be overwhelming, but using available resources creatively could definitely improve your sales and make your business highly visible to future clients. Here are some ways you could use to market your craft.

• Use your personal network that includes friends, families, acquaintances and customers. Make sure that they have your business card and always respond to inquiries asked by both old and new customers. If attending any kind of occasion, always bring your business card.

• Attend and participate in different community events like fairs, shows and even auctions. You could participate in school functions or donate an item to local activities like a fundraising event. This would make your merchandise more visible.

• Advertise in the local newspaper or submit a press release about your participation in a local activity. Post advertisements in different community boards in centers, schools, and other popular places. Give away flyers about your store or home business.

• Technological or online advertising is one of the greatest ideas. There are different websites where you could start your online networking and post announcements in forums, discussion boards and chat rooms. You could direct them to your website for further information about the items.
Having a personal website could cost you money, but if you do not have enough budget then you could check different retail and sale sites. You could also use your blog, however, it may take a while to garner followers and website traffic.

• You could also start talking with different stores like spas, salons, boutiques, and specialty stores about product orders. It is important to be prepared when talking to store managers and owners. Make sure to prepare you business pitch and presentation. If they have placed an order, make sure to check with them about customer response and comments.

Adding a personal touch to your marketing strategy could ensure that customers would be happy and satisfied. For example, if you have a significant order, you could deliver the crafts and engage with the people who ordered the merchandise. This would give you a chance to know the customers and the other way around.

Handcrafters could also conduct customer feedback surveys once in a while. If you have a website, encourage customers to leave their feedbacks. This would help you understand what other products/designs they are interested in or aspects of your service that you may need to improve.