TODAY'S GUEST BLOGGER IS....

5 ways to makes yourself a better crafter:

Some of you I know, some of you I don't. Some of you I will have met, most of you I won't. So here is me in a nutshell:

Okay, on a serious note: Me in a Nutshell, near 17 year worth of retail and sales experience in the Rat Race and looking to tear down the shroud and jump from full time bored monster to full time craft monster.

So I thought I would share with you my top 5 tips on what I strive to achieve that helps me to be a better crafter.

1. Don't stress out!

Might be easier said than done, and I will put my hands up, I am my own worst enemy. But be honest - what is it going to achieve? Screaming at your other half you have to get 13 orders done by midnight tonight isn't going to get the order done any quicker is it? Nope, in fact it will give you a headache, bad back, sour disposition and your family ain't gonna be impressed! So do what I do. If I feel that red eyed monster peeking at me from under a cushion I stop what I'm doing and take my mind off of things by jumping on the computer, reading a book, watching a film or running down to Iceland to buy a bag of potato smilie faces (not joking - how can potatoes that smile not chill you out?).

2. Never forget your dream.

If you think you are running into a rut by doing the same thing day in and day out, then remember this. Every item you create it is a little part of the dream you want to create. For every plaque you knock out, regardless of how much you have come to hate that phrase, someone will own that - in turn they are owning a little bit of your dream. For every bit you sell, the bigger your dream gets! So down the frown and put up pictures that inspire you. Art that gets you thinking. Surround yourself with the things you love... and I love these guys ;)

  

3. Plan for everything, but plan for nothing.

By that I mean create a plan. I have a 2 year plan that started but a month ago. On the very top it's basic - I want to give up my 8-6 job in two year time and become a full time craft seller. Then I break it down (please pop over to my blog to start reading how I have set my plan up). However, and here's the key, if you plan everything down to the last minute... you will achieve nothing. It's the unwritten law. So, have a plan, follow the plan, but fit the plan into the time you know you have not the time you think you have.

4. Mix it up.

I started out with nothing but beads and pliers and I knocked out jewellery after bookmark after brooch. Then I started to get bored and was annoyed when I got asked to make yet 'another of those lovely bracelets that you made Aunt Jane' (I don't have an Aunt Jane by the way). So I went out and bought myself a sewing machine. Knocked out a couple of denim bags. Bought some embroidery hoops. Knocked out... well I am not sure what I was trying to create on the first couple of tries but I have improved ;) What I'm saying is variety is the spice of life - just don't spill it on velvet because you can never get the smell out.

5. Finally...

Live hard, die young and leave a good looking corpse ;)

Thank you very much I'll be here all Friday :D

Kat Shenton

with-u-in-mind.blogspot.co.uk

www.folksy.com/shops/WithUinMind