Make Diaper Cakes As A Business

This seems like such a cool idea. I just had to share it. I found this link Diaper Cake Instructions and thought that would be a great way for someone to make money in their free time. You could advertise yourself as making them special order for baby showers or gifts for new moms. Why don't you be a shower party planner and the huge diaper cake can be the centerpiece for the snack table. I think the ideas on this are endless!
Here is another great website full of info about starting a diaper cake business Make Diaper Cakes

Subscribe To This Blog!

If you like this blog and want to keep up to date with it than you need to subscribe to the feed. You can add it to your rss reader , google homepage, yahoo homepage or whatever reader you use.

Do you need a banner?

I found this great online banner creation website. It is so easy to use and has a list of banners for you to choose from or you can upload your own template. I just had to share this with you. It is free.

http://highpowergraphics.com/bannerbuilder/

Great for your website promoting. You can join banner exchanges or put the banner in your signatures.

Valentine's Day is Coming up!!

This is a great time of year. Love is in the air. Also money if you do your marketing right. Have you gotten all of your Valentine's crafts done?? If you have a website, do you have all of your banners placed??
I have been making heart shaped doggie treats for the last 2 weeks. This is going to be a great year.
Whether you make cards, wreaths, or any other valentine type craft this is going to be a great year. You just have to keep busy.
WORK! WORK! WORK!

If you have a website and want to show everyone how you are promoting Valentine's Day then comment on this post and show it off. Share your best marketing tips for all of us work at home moms.

Free Valentine's Gifts

Have an Auction Party!!

Do you sell on ebay?? This is a great way to find items to sell on ebay.
Throw a party and invite all of your friends and relatives and tell them to bring all of their stuff they would like for you to sell on ebay. This is a great alternative to the direct sales party, because you are not selling to them they are. You just tell them to bring their stuff and you sell it for them. You need to do some research and see about what to charge them and have all of the info ready. Print out the listing and final value fees for ebay.
This gives you different items to sell and gives your friends and relatives an easy way to make money. ( You can make alot of money at this ,too)
You could have themed parties. Like for example: Retro Saturday! All of the guests should bring their retro items they do not want. Like 80's style clothing that is still hanging in their closet. Send out invitations , play 80's music, snack and reminense at the same time you are getting stuff to list. Another example is to have a Cooks Bash and everything they bring for you to sell should have to do with cooking. This is a great way for them to clean out their kitchen of unused kitchen ware, small appliances, cookbooks, and more. The possiblities of theme parties is endless.
Make sure that you tell them what you can sale and not sale. Also if they bring something that you think will not sale - Tell Them!

***Earn A Full-Time Living on eBay!***
Go Here

Start a Gourmet Dog Treat Bakery !

This is so easy! It took me about 2 hours to get this home based business started that I now do in my spare time and sell them at the local flea market. I use this simple recipe the most:
Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

1 1/2 cups Water
1/2 cup Oil
2 Eggs
3 tablespoons Peanut Butter
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Cornmeal
1/2 cup Oats

Blend liquid ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet
mixture to form a ball of dough. Roll out and shape. Put onto a non-stick cookie
tray. Cook 20 minutes at 400 F. Turn off oven and allow the biscuits to cool in oven
until crisp and hard.

I package them in plastic sandwich bags and use my heat sealer to seal that and than I put it into a small brown paper bag ,fold it over neat , use a hole punch and tie a label I made onto it with a ribbon. I made a label just by using some photo stock paper and putting the name , for example mine is DOJO's Dog Treats , and I put on the back the ingredients. I use a dog bone shaped cookie cutter which I got off of ebay.
With Valentine's Day coming up it would be great to make them in heart shapes.
You could even take this further if you were wanting to do this full time and make "Birthday Cakes" for dogs! There are so many things you could do with this one and the cost is pretty low to get started.

New Handbag Creation!!

I just made another handbag!!
This one I used no pattern with. I used an old pair of jeans and a pair of pleather pants for the sides and bottom. The strap was from an old purse that had broken. This is very cute and was easy to make. Took me about 1/2 an hour to make.
New Handbag!


I usually do not use patterns ,but my fave ones are pictured here.
Pics of Patterns
Vogue ones are the most stylish. I have made several of them for my daughter.
I also have a couple of books that are very informative and fullof ideas and styles.
Pic of Books. If you do a search on ebay you will find a ton of patterns and books on making handbags.

This is so much fun! I love to create new handbags. I use old clothes that either we do not wear any more or have grown out of. If you use your imagination you will come up with tons of ideas for handbags.

Crafting For Fun or Profit?

Why not do both!! If you love to do something than why not make money doing it?
I love to craft! I do aLL kinds of crafting. The crafts I love to do the most I make the most money with. I make a variety of stuff. I am a bit hyper-active so I do a ton of different things and when I get bored of something else I go to another thing. I currently make handbags, wreaths, jewelry, make candles, make soaps, and more. I have so much fun doing crafts that to make money doing it is not even a worry. I would do crafting even if I did not make money.
So actually if you find somthing you love to do than keep at it. Have fun!! It is fun getting ready for craft shows and flea markets. Meeting new people and getting new ideas for different crafts. You will have a never ending supply of ideas and tips when you network with other crafters. They will get ideas from you and you will get ideas from them.
Another thing I found out is that there are some great Direct Sales (Party Plan) companies out there that crafters can make money with. Like for example if you scrapbook you can find many direct selling programs that sale scrapbooking supplies. Here is an example of one My Scrapbook Creations. If you love candles there are tons of direct sales companies for selling candles. Go to Home Party Plan Network For a ton of info and ideas. So you will be doing something you love and earning money and free stuff. You can also your promote your direct sales business at craft fairs and flea markets . This is a great way to network .

Imagine my Surprise!!

This is so cool. I submitted a ton of tips to Daytipper and some were accepted and some were rejected. Last week I had 2 tips published and then this morning I check my email and there was an email from them that was my paypal payment of $6.00!!
That was easy!
I still have 22 more tips that they have accepted and hope they will be pubished soon.
I will update on the results when they happen!

Can you make money blogging?

I am not too sure if you can make money with just blogging! My goal this year is to find out if someone can make a living with just blogging.
It takes alot of work to make money online. If you do online auctions, e-stores, website, or blogging it tales persistance! I work as much on all of these avenues as I would if I had a full-time out of the home job. After a while, you will find out the best way for you to makemoney online. Everyone has a different way of making money online than you. You might be able to make a living with blogging and someone else might not.
You have to remember though that hard work does pay off in the long run. Eventually you will have a steady (although maybe not huge) income rolling in. You will hopefully have a great network.
Finding the best way to attract people to your items and sites will be a huge asset to your online business. Will you just use online advertising or integrate offline advertising as well? Test both ways and see which works best.
I hope that by the end of the year I will have found out if anyone can make a living off of blogging. This is going to be very fun and interesting. And I hope lucrative. We will just have to wait and see.
Here is something that might help - Full-Time Mothers are Earning Full-Time Incomes From Home!

Merchant Account For The Home Based Business

If you have a home based business that you might also need an merchant account. I have a found a great one that is perfect for small businesses. It is called Advantage Processors.
They offer low-cost online internet credit card processing merchant accounts for both Low Risk and High Risk merchants. It offers merchants their own merchant account where they can process credit card payments , have access to shopping cart, and more.
Having a merchant account is vital to all businesses and with the ease and low-cost of this Advantage Processors merchant account your business should go far.
Your customers will love it that you can accept credit cards online and your websales will soar. Advantage Processors can handle all of your merchant needs and all types of industries. They also can process your offline transactions.
If you feel that your home based business needs a merchant account then you should give Advantage Processors a try.
You can cancel at any time.

Getting Paid to Write

Anyone can get paid to write. Now with the internet and all of the websites there are you can easily find someone to pay you to write for them. Go to Google and do searches for "articles wanted" or something like "get paid for freelance writing" and "get paid to blog or write" and you will find tons of places. You can also join Associated Content and get paid to write there. Here is another place just for an example Suite101. They hire freelance writers. You can find a ton of places wanting writers if you just get to searching for them.
Have fun and get to writing!!

Are you a Proud Wahm

Are you a Proud Wahm?

Then shout it to the world with your new Proud Wahm Band!



The Purple Wahm Bands are a tool to raise awareness about work at home moms. They are fashioned after the popular Livestrong Bands produced by the Lance Armstrong Foundation to raise money for cancer research. Ever since these bands have been popular for every kind of group. Wear your Wahm Band to let the world know you're Proud to be a Work at Home Mom!



Wahm Bands are great conversation starters! One look at your band and people will be asking you what you do! Promotion at its finest!



Be one of the first to order your Purple Wahm Bands now.

Purple Wahm Bands are only $5 each including shipping & handling!



So, let's keep up the trend, wear your Purple Wahm Bands, and raise some awareness!



Order at WahmBands.com

Become an eMom

Every one would love to work from home. Here are just a few reasons why--
- A great alternative to daycare
- Are you a stressed out working mother?
- A great business for at home moms
- Moms! Leave traditional workforce and make a great living from home.
You can get some free info and ideas HERE!
I love being a work at home mom. I can be with my kids when they need me. If they get sick I am here and do not have to worry about missing a day at work. I am free to go out of town. I have my own hours. If I have a night where I can't sleep , I can work!! Working online is fun. You learn something new everyday!

New Freebies Updates

Check out the Today's Web-Freebies forum for all new freebies. You can also add your links, yur blogs, your ebay auctions and more. Share recipes and craft ideas. Too much more to mention. Freebie Forum.

7 Keys to Sales Success

No matter what they sale , great sales people have alot in common.
Here are 7 of the most important characteristics they have:
1. Commitment
2. Consistency
3. Confidence
4. Credibility
5. Community Consciousness
6. Control
7. Customer oriented

Treasure Chest Of Ideas

Do you suffer from "Writer's Block"? Here is a great place to get ideas for writing.
Your Local Newspaper.
You can find great ideas for writing in your blog from it.
The Local section always has great articles. You might see one about a kid accidently shooting their dads gun off , so you could write about gun safety.
In the business section you can find tips and tricks on good business practice and write about that.
The gossip section always has great tidbits you could write about. If you have a fan blog about celebrities this could be a great asset for you.
The Home and Garden section could really jump start your writing ! Tons of tips and ideas come from this section. It is full of home decor ideas, recipes, lawn help, gardening tips and more.
Do not copy the articles , but you can really get ideas for your own writing.

Working to Make Someone Else Rich!

I woke up last night and realized that one of the biggest work at home scams there is is ebay!
We sellers list and list , paying higher and higher listing fees and final value fees and barely selling anything. When we do sell one thing any profit from it gets eaten up to pay the fees of the items that did not sale!
I have a few items listed now ,but when they end I am closing my ebay account. I cannot see giving them anymore of my money. I sold some really nice stuff last month and it went high , like some oyster plates for 100.00 , well my fees ate up any profit I could have made because of the stuff that did not sale. Plus you have to figure in Paypal fees.
Wow ebay has perpetrated the biggest work at home scam in the world. They have even took over the world with it.

What is Your Blogging Personality

This was kind of fun.
Here is what it said about me:

I took the Blogging Personality Quiz at About Web logs and I am...

The Pundit
I like to blog about a specific topic of interest that I am passionate about - be it business, politics, technology, law, education, entertainment, or literature. I blog regularly and I welcome relevant discussions about my topic. I have a constant thirst for knowledge.

Make Money With Your Tips

I found out about this great site that pays you for your tips. They pay you $3.00 for each tip that they use. Daytipper
I submitted a couple of tips. They say that it could take up to 3 days for them to contact you if they are going to use them. They pay you by paypal when they publish your tips. Cool.
Very easy. I have a ton of tips I can submit.
I have 18 tips that they have accepted to be published. 2 of them to be published on the 20th and the 21st of this month. So that is $6.00 to be added to my paypal account next week. Just for submitting a couple of household tip!! How easy is that.

Make Hand Made Handbags !

I make hand made handbags for almost free. I reuse old clothing ,like skirts, jeans, etc. I use belts for the shoulder straps and closures. Just use your imagination and have fun. HERE ARE A FEW PICS FOR SOME IDEAS. NO PATTERNS - JUST OLD CLOTHES!!
GET YOUR SEWING MACHINES OUT !!
Here are a few pics so you can see some of them and get some ideas.

Denim bag made from denim skirt , lined from another skirt.

Cute Brown wool handbag that has belt shoulder strap and closure

Camo handbag made from a pair of camo jeans and a belt

2 really cute handbags made from vintage skirts and really cute belts for the shoulder straps.

Ecrater - Free Online Marketplace

What is eCrater.com? eCrater.com is both a free web store builder and a free online marketplace. Sellers can easily create their own free online store in minutes. Buyers can easily browse and compare between thousands of products.

Sellers receive free website hosting, a free subdomain and a powerful admin tool to manage their free online stores. All products are posted to froogle also.

You can set it up for Paypal , Google Checkout , and or money orders , checks.

Here is my store so you can see an example.
WAHM Ebooks Galore

SETTING UP YOUR OWN CRAFT CONSIGNMENT SHOP

Sell arts and craft items to the public on a commission basis from your converted garage workshop or basement showroom. If you have access to a public location, a garage or small building (even a portable building) on your lot, along the highway or well-traveled street frontage or can rent space in a marketable area, the consignment business is worthy of consideration.

Note that some small towns these days have stores with very reasonable rent.

Many people who enjoy (and are good at) making craft or art items do not like (or don’t have the means) to sell them. Some simply can’t (or won’t) and others are actually too embarrassed (self conscious) to market their own creations.


Most crafts people do not even recover the cost of their materials! These crafters will welcome a service to market their creations. They won’t have to worry about that part of it, and will probably realize more for their efforts even after your commission.

They would undoubtedly realize even LESS than if they sold their own products at wholesale prices. With you taking care of the selling, they can devote their time and talents to creating more products.

Of course you can also make and sell your own craft products in your spare time, or offer instructions to others. This type of business is not limited to any certain type of crafts. In fact, it is quite flexible and can easily be adapted to whatever products are available and in demand in your area.

You should have a written agreement with each consignor. The easiest way is to have your terms printed on receipts you give them for their crafts. If there is any possibility of a misunderstanding, make sure they understand the agreement.

The printed terms should have a place for a minimum price desired by the owner and cover a specific period of time so you don’t become overloaded with things that won’t sell at the prices you must ask. Something like thirty days would be fine for most articles. If it hasn’t sold by then you can either re-negotiate with the owner or give it back.

Retain a copy of each receipt in your permanent files. You also have the option of buying items outright -- the craft person might be willing (even anxious) to sell at a good price for cash. In a very short time, you will be able to judge what will sell and how much it will bring. You can also stock craft supplies -- some of which you can sell to your crafters for even more profit and service to your clientele (both customers and clients).

You will be responsible for reasonable care and safeguarding of merchandise consigned to you (insurance for that should not be terribly expensive) as well as collecting for sales, withholding any tax, computing and paying the consignors their share. With this in mind, be extra careful about giving credit, because it will be YOUR funds that are lent, NOT the consignor’s!

For consignment sales, it is a good idea to consider renting a store unless you already have a suitable area where prospective customers will come to your display. Build or buy adequate shelves and display areas so you will have plenty of room to 'showcase' the craft items tastefully and attractively.

The display area should be well-lighted,neat and offer sufficient protection to goods consigned to your care. There should be enough room for customers to view the items that you have strategically arranged to make them look their best. If the place looks cluttered and unkempt, you will have to lower your prices to match your sales environment (presentation).

The bottom line is that you are in the business of selling craft items. In order to do this effectively, you must present those items to the public in 'style', so they will not only sell, but bring the best possible prices. If your place looks junky, people will want to pay junk prices.

Other possibilities include specialty foods such as home grown strawberries, chocolate pies, homemade pickles, etc.. this category, however, requires care not to violate pure food laws or possible liability. If you consider any type of foods, find about any needed permits or even get legal advice before going ahead.

Still other alternatives are antiques, selected household items, holiday decorations and potted plants.

The above alternative suggestions can be test-marketed easily. In the case of potted plants, for example, simply place a few in your display area and see how they do. If they don’t sell, try something else; if they do, expand this feature and make more profit.

Use all the free advertising you can get. A way to get it is to write little articles about your consignors and feed them to your local paper --human interest stories: what they make, how they make it, and of course, where you can find their fine products.

It would be even better if you could provide pictures. If you do,, use a good quality BLACK AND WHITE film (it is easier to process for printing in the paper).

The editor probably won’t take more than one article about your shop,, but he may welcome items about different people in the community (even if your shop does get a lug here and there).

Think of the free advertising you might get by writing little items about art exhibits in your studio.

With a good sign and a little publicity, a small (2 or 3 inch) contract ad in the local paper may be all the commercial advertising you need. This type of ad allows you to change all or part of your copy each week or month, so you can feature different items every week.

People (especially in small towns) get to where they look for your ad to see what is on special each week.

Finally,make sure you take in all craft related activities in your area. Attend craft shows, work with stores that craft supplies (they will welcome the opportunity to tell their customers where they can sell their completed projects), and talk 'crafts' whenever you can.

To help create more interest in crafts, consider conducting classes at your place -- if necessary hire a teacher and charge tuition to cover that expense.

Research !!

If you are a seller on ebay then you hopefully know that you need to do your research!
Go Here to check completed items so you can get an idea on how much one of your items is going for. Or to see how many have sold! You do not want to waist the time listing something ,only to find out that there have been thousands listed of the same item and they do not sell! If you do your research than you should become a pretty good seller!
You also want to make sure you know as much about your items as possible! Research on google! You can look up antiques, vintage items, and more. The more you know the more you will make!

Ways to promote your sites and auctions for FREE!

Ways to promote your sites and auctions for FREE!
There are many ways to promote your sites and auctions for free.

1. Join message boards and have the link to your website in your signature.

2. Add your links to search engines - like Google.

3. Join Topsites .

4. Have your email signature be your link to your site or auctions.

5. Print out some business cards and put them on bulletin boards at stores, laundries, etc.

6. Make sure when you send out your packages you have put a note in there with your site info and thanking the buyer.

7. Start a Blog!

8. Add your link to free link pages.

9. Do link exchanges.

10. Apply for awards. So as you can see there are many ways to promote your sites and auctions for FREE! And I am sure that after reading this you will most likely come up with some of your own.

Now Get To Work!!

Coast To Coast Yardsale

Wow!
This is going to be great. The eighth annual Great U.S. 50 Yard Sale will be held Friday-Sunday, May 18-20, 2007. If you live along or close to highway 50 then you need to be getting ready for this. I am going to be setting up at a flea market on highway 50 !! To find out more about it go here ~ http://www.route50.com/yardsale.html
This will be such a fun and great way to make some cash and friends.

Make money selling crafts.

This can be fun and rewarding. What a great way to make some extra cash! You are doing what you love.
There are many ways to make money from your crafts. Some of the ones I use are setting up at craft shows, flea markets, and consignment shops. You can also sell them online at ebay, etsy.com, sewbid.com , and many other places.
Set up your own online marketplace at .ecrater.com and you will be selling in no time.
The hard part is making something very unique that will make people buy! I make handbags! I sell them pretty well. I also make gourmet doggie treats. Everyone loves to spoil their dogs.
Here is a great site
Just have fun ! Get to creating! Festival Net where you can find crafts shows and fairs just by putting state . You can also look up Canada ,too.

WAHM Blog

This is great ! I am very busy as a work at home mom and now I am going to build another blog!I have read so many blogs and decided I need a new one. I hope it will be well-read!If I can keep the writing in top form then hopefully millions will come to read it.If you build it , they will come!Well - we will see if that is true.