One Crafter's Guide to Mass Production (Multiples): Part 2

View Part One

The first part of my process involves making some mistakes.

Making a template for Easter Bunting

I have never been a big fan of sketches, I am more of a try it out kind of gal. I always start with a template; this is made form plain white cover stock (or sometimes Kraft paper if I need to test stamp colors too).

NOT card stock.

The difference here is the weight and cost. I think we have fully established that I am a scrapper on a budget, so this is the last time I will mention that and just say that from here on out most of my tips and tricks have been learned over the years out of necessity/frugality. We all can appreciate saving some cash and making the most of what you already have, hmmmm… I think I see a new regular spot coming on here (Budget Scrapping 101? Poor Crafter's Unite? Let me know if you think of something).

One of my many scrapboxes, under bed storage is great, and yes, that is a potty in the corner of my bedroom

Also I am a big baby and sometimes I like to horde paper (don’t judge me, I know you do too). If I am going to cut into one of my favorite patterns, those luscious colors, or cute prints I need to be SURE. I have a few large containers full of scraps that also come in handy here, although I like the samples to be mostly white so I can use my imagination to discover the colors later on.
I have a bunch of templates that I use for bases and also some measurement guides that come in handy whenever I start a project. I will add a page up there on the top to share my base templates and measurement shortcuts… see it? No you have to scroll up, yep over there, on the right, your OTHER right, yes that’s it right there. These are not ‘print and use’, mostly because my scanner does not do 12 x 12 and I am too lazy to go to staples just to scan a bunch of templates (although it sounds better if I say I am trying to save the environment). They are PDF however so you could print them to hang up (like I do right above my storage station) or just look on your computer screen as you create (you have iTunes on anyway, lol).

Preparing for Easter Favors

One thing that I want to mention here is the sample vs. finished product. I always try to judge the type of paper (weight and cost) by WHO the finished product is for. If I am making bundles of notecards or holiday cards to sell I want to use high quality, thick cardstock, they will last longer and ultimately look nicer. On the other hand if I am making 30 favors for my 2 year old's classroom I would might choose to use less expensive plain colored cardstock with stamps instead, or last years prints from my scrap box.
The bottom line is if it's going directly from hand to trash (as is likely with kid favors) I choose the cute yet inexpensive route (really they just want the candy).

4th of July Notecards

Stay tuned for part 3! (I promise there is actuall crafting in this one, now that the logistics are out of the way)