Writing a craft book

My 12-year-old already has a list of places she wants to go during her life, as well as a few goals she hopes to achieve. I don't know how young I was when I mentally started my own "bucket list," but I remember thinking seriously about goals when I was a teenager.

Knit a sweater. Check. Easy, but I didn't learn how to knit until I was almost 30 - despite (oddly) adding this goal to my list when I was 16 or 17. Travel around the world. Uh...not yet; still awaiting that rich benefactor. Win a Pulitzer for newspaper reporting. Sadly, no. I had to let that one go when I left the newspaper world.

Land a book contract.

Not an easy feat...but finally....yes!

For the past several months I've been writing my first craft book, "50 Ribbon Bows and Rosettes to Make", which will be published in summer 2014 by St. Martin's Griffin Press (in the U.S.) and Search Press (in the U.K.).

It's a consuming process that involves a lot of planning, a lot of organization, and...yes, quite a bit of time! My weekly schedule is packed with the list of projects for which I'll need to design and write/photograph step-by-step instructions. The photographs will be turned into beautiful illustrations by the publisher's illustrator. Additionally, I have to budget time to make beautiful samples of each bow, headband, or flower.

In other words - it's the Big Project. Thankfully I like Big Projects, because I enjoy breaking them down into their smaller, logical parts. That's the nerd in me. Writing a craft book reminds me of sewing a large quilt...choosing the design, deciding on the color scheme, selecting the fabrics...then sewing the blocks and turning them into rows. And after much work - they become a quilt top. Thankfully, the editors I've been working with are excellent and also make the job easier.

The writing should be complete shortly after the holidays and then it's onto editing...proofing....and waiting for those first copies to show up on store shelves.

And hopefully starting again. We'll see. It's not an easy accomplishment to land Book 1, and I know it's also a challenge to land Book 2. But my bucket list must grow as I grow, right?

What's on your bucket list?

Lovely hand-me-downs

Have you ever thoroughly enjoyed sharing hand-me-downs between your children? I love when I have boutique outfits and bows that our first daughter wore and we can share them with our younger daughter. They're five years apart so some styles are out-of-date and some clothes don't make it in storage for that long - they come out looking dingy and lifeless. But I remembered the turquoise and orange outfit from six years ago and thought it would now fit daughter #2, shown sitting on my husband's lap. This photo was taken in April 2007!

Turns out the outfit fit perfectly on our younger daughter - and the bows I made were nicely preserved as well! She was tickled to receive the outfit and loved modeling it for me, too. :)

Designing hair bows and fabric flowers for the holidays

Whether you create hair accessories for family or for sale, it's sometimes a challenge to create a hair bow or hair flower that looks fresh and different. Especially if you sell your bows, you'll want to make some eye-catching choices. Some advance planning will help your products stand out in a sea of red and green.
First, brainstorm about what the holidays and winter mean to you. Red, green, gold, and silver are all popular colors for your accessories. If you're Jewish, you'll be embellishing with blue and silver. If you're Catholic, purple will remind you of Advent. Consider that most of us are designing for girly-girls! Add pops of hot pink, lime, and glitter.
Don't forget to think "winter." Blues, whites, snowflakes, penguins, polar bears, cardinals, fir trees and pine cones, sleds, boots/mittens and ice skates are all ideas you can use for ribbons and embellishments. Because everyone loves to save money, think how versatile a "winter" bow will be when compared with a "holiday" bow. Use red and white alone, and your hair bow or hair flower can go from December through February, as girls accessorize for Valentine's Day.
If you're low on ideas, comb fabric websites or take a trip to your local quilt shop. A hair accessory or bow created with this fabric in mind...


...will create an entirely different mood than one inspired by this fabric:


It's important to make the right ribbon and fabric choices for your hair bows and accessories. But don't forget embellishments! In fact, buyers will often base their choice of bow on the embellishments, rather than the ribbons. Stock up on embellishments throughout the year. If you plan to continue making accessories, buy after the holiday is over to save money, and so you'll have a stash in place for the following year. Look for embellishments at popular craft and fabric stores, but also scour Etsy and Artfire to find some fantastic polymer clay artists!
Check out these beautiful embellishments from Tessa Ann:


And this fantastic bead - which can also be bow center - from Candyland Beads:


The cost of your ribbons and embellishments might not be a concern if you're making bows for your children or grandchildren. But if you're selling these, be sure to recoup the cost of your ribbon and embellishments! Embellishments can add up. Include their cost (and the amount it cost to have them shipped to you) in with the cost of ribbons or fabrics, and be sure to add on your hourly rate! It's nice to give gifts for the holidays, but you don't want to "gift" all of your business.
Most of all, have fun. Give yourself enough time to finish your projects or orders, make sure your hair bow and fabric flower tutorials are handy, and enjoy the process of choosing your theme and creating your small works of art. Designing for the holidays can be fun, with a little advance planning and few "fresh" ideas!

Practice makes perfect!

A couple of weeks ago I showed some bows that we've done before much practicing! Like any new skill, bowmaking (especially completing the twisted boutique fold) takes some time and work. I liken it to the time when I learned how to knit! I didn't "get it" for awhile, but then my hands worked right and everything clicked for me.
Thanks to the women who participated and are willing to show off their work!
Love this bow from Joy!



Kimberley was certainly busy with this bow, which has a fantastic ribbon center!



Here are a couple of "after" photos from Dana, who tried both the funky loopy bow and the twisted boutique bow!




And here's a lovely summer-inspired bow from Theresa!


Theresa, who purchased the Birdsong twisted boutique instructions back in August, gave me the nicest feedback ever when she sent her bow photo. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I think she has a valuable comment for those who are on the fence about purchasing a paid tutorial - from me or someone else - vs. gathering up free tips on the Internet:
"People told me I wasted my money on your tut because of all the free instructions out there on the web, but I am here to tell you that I beg to differ! LOL I tried making bows from those freebies and they NEVER came out like the ones made with your tutorial. I love that you give the exact measurements for all the different lengths of ribbon and I have been told that my bows are some of the highest quality boutique bows my customers have ever bought. I don't have a full on business, but the ones I sell are always happy customers. I love your tutorials. Hands down the best out there!"
Not only was that a super nice comment that made my day, but it did remind me of all the time it took me to learn, originally with free tutorials on the Internet. There are lots of freebies, but you usually don't get all the "details" that can make your work fabulous. And that goes for just about any craft-learning experience out there....you get what you pay for!
Anyway....I did a bow challenge in April -- and am gearing up to do another! Stay tuned for another bow challenge theme later this week, with a prize! :)

Free Hair Bow Instructions: How to make a bottlecap charm

Curious about a quick, easy way to add bottle cap charms to your bows, or want to make a cute charm necklace? This is a no-mess, no-fuss method of creating caps, and my favorite method!


Supplies
* 1-inch circles for bottlecap images (click here for places to purchase)
* Flattened bottlecaps, without holes and jump rings for bows, and with holes/jump rings for jewelry (click here for places to purchase)
* Epoxy resin dots (click here for places to purchase)
* Scissors or a 1-inch hole punch (not shown)
* Gem-Tac or another permanent glue

Instructions
Carefully cut out your image, shown below using scissors, or use a 1-inch hole punch.



Apply a thin layer of your glue with a Q-tip (or your finger, but that gets too messy for me!)



Carefully place your image into the bottlecap, making sure that it's aligned with the hole on top of the cap (if you're making a necklace).


Place a quarter on top of the image and let it dry overnight (below).




Once the glue is dry, peel the epoxy resin dot off its backing, and carefully place it on the image. (You can also perform this step first, by adding it to the image before gluing the image to the cap.) Press firmly to eliminate any air bubbles.




That's all there is to it! To add the bottlecap to your bow, you can apply hot glue or Gem-Tac to the back of the cap and place it where you want. I have used hot glue with success (it's quicker since you don't have to wait for the glue to dry).
Enjoy your creation!

Free Hair Bow Instructions - Quick way to make spikes for layered boutique bows

The gal who works as my "hand model," Laura, came by on Thursday evening so I could take photographs for an upcoming e-book (the above photo, of course, is NOT Laura, but sweet Olivia, modeling for A Hope and a Wish Photography). Someone asked me once if Laura is a hand model because she's not attractive enough to be a "real" model, LOL! Truth is, Laura is a very pretty first-grade teacher who does this on the side for me. It's too dark in my house at night to take a flattering portrait photo, but I'll take one soon of Laura and post it. She thought it was funny that someone would assume she was less-than-facially-blessed.
So while she was here, I shot some photos of this really simple way to make spikes for layered hair bows. I normally make my cuts freehand, but this is quick and simple and I might do it this way more often! Hope you enjoy this quick tip.

Supplies
"Spikes" of 7/8" ribbon in the size you desire
Scissors
Heat-sealing tool, like a lighter or woodburner

1. Fold your spike in half length-wise, as shown below.



2. Make a cut from the outside, "free" edge and angle it down toward the folded edge.




3. Open the ribbon and marvel at your FABulous skills with the scissors.


4. Seal the ends with your choice of sealing equipment (lighter or woodburning tool, shown below). I'd move my thumb a little farther away from the heat, but truth be told, the woodburner wasn't on here and I'm counting on the use of your imagination that it "could" be on.


Complete this with both ends of all of your spikes, and voila, perfectly formed pretties for your layered boutique bows! This tip is an addition to my PDF e-book instructions on how to make layered boutique bows.
And DON'T forget! Click in the right-hand column here to be a follower on this blog. I'll select one of the followers to win a FREE tutu tutorial on Sunday night, and will announce the winner Monday morning. Contest ends at 10 p.m. U.S. Eastern time on Sunday, Jan. 23. Good luck!

Free Hair Bow Instructions - How to make simple bow holders

Whether you love to purchase hair bows or make them yourself, you'll soon discover that your little ones' dresser drawers are no longer good places to store them! Aside from getting crushed, the bows begin to clog the drawers and sometimes (yikes!) get mixed up with her markers, crayons and pencils. There are some very beautiful bow holders available, but if you have limited wall space (or limited time to make something extra special), then these simple bow holders are for you. I sew mine, but you can just as easily use hot glue if you don't have a machine.
Supplies
Scissors
32 inches (81.3 cm) of 7/8" ribbon
32 inches (81.3 cm) of 3/8" ribbon
A 1-inch size D-ring (available online at ribbon stores like The Ribbon Retreat)
Hot glue gun and glue OR sewing machine and basic sewing supplies




1. Cut your ribbons to size, and layer the 3/8" ribbon on top of the larger ribbon.
2. Fold the ribbon over the flat side of the D-ring, about 1 inch (2.25 cm).
3. Sew the ribbon in place horizontally, or hot glue it to the back.
Don't attach the 3/8" ribbon vertically down the middle. The smaller ribbon is there so you'll be able to add small clippies that won't fit on the larger ribbon!




Hang the bow holder on your wall, and enjoy!
Seller tips: Seal all ends. If you plan to market these, you can add a hair bow to the top of the holder to make it prettier and entice customers to buy. Another idea - give these simple bow holders away as free gifts for customers who place large orders OR as an incentive for people to buy some of your more expensive bows.

Free Hair Bow Instructions - How to make easy no-slip grips

Sometimes I get requests to add no-slip grips to my bows, to help them stay in fine baby hair. There are several different ways to do this, but this method is easy, neat, and very inexpensive!
I didn't use the white background like I do in my hair bow instructions and pdf tutorials, but this is still clear and easy to see on my cutting mat!


Supplies:
*A roll of shelf liner, available at any big-box retail store. You can get "Easy Liner" or any similar brand, which is like a ridged, compressible foam. It's usually under $5 per roll.
*A double-prong pinch clip (single-prong will work as well)
*Hot glue gun and glue
*Ruler
*Scissors or rotary cutter and mat



1. Cut a 1/4" strip of the shelf liner from end to end, like this:




2. Now, cut this into 1-1/4" sections, as below:




3. After mounting your clip to the back of your bow, simply glue the shelf liner strip to the bottom inside of the pinch clip. Make sure you glue it securely from end to end, and you'll have to hold it open for about 30 seconds to make sure the glue doesn't seep through and glue your clip shut!! (that would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it!)



And that's it! It's such a simple method of creating a no-slip grip, and the shelf liner can be purchased in other colors and textures if you're looking to coordinate with your bows. There are other methods of creating no-slip grippers as well, and I'd love for you all to share your ideas!

Full Bowmaking Tutorial Line is here! Includes Funky Loopy bows!

It's been a nice, wonderful summer, and I've spent a majority of it finishing up the final touches on my e-book tutorials on making hair bows!

You can purchase the entire Platinum collection from my website for $21.99. This includes books on how to make korker bows, how to make boutique bows (includes all sizes of bows and bowbands, including beautiful multi-layered bows!), and "funky loopy bows." If you already know how to make some of these types of bows, you can also order the books individually. :)

For those who want to sell their work and are just thinking about doing online sales, I've written a fourth book, called "Smashingly Successful Online Sales." This will take beginners through the ins-and-outs of selling online. You can also purchase this on my website.

With the kids returning to school, I will finally have time to work on my holiday bow line! Please look for it within the next couple of weeks!