"I feel good!'

Just wanted to share one more of those gray-sky beach pictures from the weekend!

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"I feel good!" I got a lot done today.

Today was one of those "behind the scenes" kind of work day.

I'm still tweaking those promotional items I told you about the other day. I've got one definite and I'm still on the fence about the other two designs, not to mention the two others I have yet to sketch out. I did do some work on those today.

I had a considerable amount of research to do for a couple of articles I'm working on. As they finish and are published, I will tell you about them. All are craft related. I did complete one of the drafts and need to go back and polish it up tomorrow.

I've just about finished Part IV of the Craft Show Marketing Series. That should run here on Wednesday. This one deals with creating an eye-catching and deal-sealing display booth, hopefully, without breaking the bank.

I finished a few new products but didn't get the photos done today. I hope to get them in my Etsy shop within a few days.

For my final act of the day - I dug into my "Rethink Box." That's a box I toss my non-sellers into and then, from time to time, go back and try to rethink the presentation or change the product in some way to make it more marketable. In most cases, I do manage to do something different and put it back in the marketplace and it does sell. The funny thing is, that's usually the thing someone thinks is fantastic and wants it in other sizes or colors. too. i managed to rethink two items. One is going to simply be presented in a new way and the other is being altered and changed a bit.

I think it was a good day, all in all. (Very productive.)

So, what can you accomplish today? (Do you have a "Rethink Box" too?)

Creating Swag ...

It was an absolutely beautiful day here today with temps climbing into the 80 range and the sun shining brightly. Unfortunately, I had a lot to do and ended up staying inside and just looking out from time to time. Isn't that the way things always seem to go?

Yes, I was stuck inside straining my creative brain! I had some work to do preparing some promotional materials. I have the opportunity to provide merchandise for swag bags for a number of events in the next few weeks. I always try to tie my promo item to the event's theme and three of those events will center on the same theme. The only variation being location. There will be some overlap of attendees at those events so I'd really like to do something different for each.

Each swag bag contains about 15 items from various types of businesses and civic groups and it is really hard to come up with something that will stand out. I've done bookmarks, magnets, Christmas ornaments (at Fall events) and small stuffed animals. I want them to convey my general style with bright, colorful painting and a whimsical design. This is easier said than done! Again, I need to keep time and cost in mind.

I spent several hours simply sketching and designing. Once I came up with what I thought were a couple of workable ideas, I had to paint some prototypes to determine if the idea worked, if it can be done quickly enough and if it will actually be worth the cost. (Two of these events need about 100 pieces and the other about 75.)

I definitely think one of my ideas is a keeper. I'm still not sure about the other two. I need to let them sit and stare back at me for a day or two before making a final decision or tweeking them some more. One just seems to take too long to make and I need to rethink it and find a way to streamline it a bit. This can be quite frustrating when you need to rework it so much to cut the time and cost.

Ultimately, I have found these promo pieces do bring in some business and it spreads my identity throughout a larger part of the country, so I do believe they are worthwhile. If you get the chance, give it a shot. Some organizations I have worked with include sororities, college alumni groups and the Eastern Star. The latter two usually bring me lots of "buying Grandmas" (an ideal target market.) The three I worked on today are for a baby-boomer crowd with more men than women. I always find it harder to create give-aways for the men.

I have two other events that are unrelated and I still need to come up with designs for those. As I've said before, tomorrow is another day!

Y'all have a good weekend!