DIY craft kits- learn how to make your own

HOW TO PUT TOGETHER DIY CRAFT KITS

My best tips for creating DIY craft kits and how to package them for shipping

Craft kits are all the rage right now. I know when I started selling DIY craft kits for adults it took a little bit of trial and error for me to get them just right. I wasn’t sure what I should include, what I should leave out, how I should package the craft kits for shipping, and how I should write the instructions.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

If you found this post helpful be sure to check out my post on HOW TO SHIP MASON JARS WITHOUT BREAKING.

Over time I have not just figured out how to package them and what to include in them I have MASTERED it! And I want to share with you what I’ve learned so you can spread some crafty love and ship DIY craft kits too.

There really is no better time than now to send DIY craft kits to loved ones.

It gives people something to do, something to keep their mind off of the craziness of the world, and something to bring them joy!

If you are thinking about gifting someone a DIY craft kit, or maybe you want to start selling them I am here to share with you what I’ve learned over the years. My small business specializes in DIY CRAFT KITS. I can’t even begin to tell you how many I have sold even just this year. It seems like I’ve been making craft kits in my sleep these last few months lol!

But seriously, I have learned so much since the first DIY craft kit I boxed up and shipped out. Now, I have perfected my craft kits, gotten tons of amazing feedback from my customers and can’t wait to share so here I go…

Ps… We just moved and I have yet to find where to put all the things so things are a bit untidy lol! I almost didn’t post pictures/take a video of me showing what I put in my DIY craft kits but then I said to myself ‘Megan! Girl, this is real life, show the mess’ so here I am showing my mess of a crafting space.

1.KEEP IT SIMPLE

The very first thing is to decide what kind of craft you will putting together. Try to keep this simple. Something that seems easy, and may look easy too, but that is actually complex with a ton of steps might leave your recipient feeling frustrated. People love things they can accomplish relatively easily so keep it simple:)!

2. INSTRUCTIONS

Every good craft kit will come with written AND picture instructions. Something that my customers have raved to me about is that my instructions are clear and easy to follow.

My biggest tip for writing DIY craft kit instructions is to write them out like you were writing the instructions for a 6th grader to follow. That is in no way an insult either. If a middle schooler can understand what you are writing then an adult can too.

I know for myself, I don’t like instructions that are super politically correct anyway. I write my craft kit printables just how I would say them if my customer were standing in front of me. I also include pictures and a link where they can find my tutorial online.

3. WHAT TO INCLUDE

Here’s where I struggled a little in the beginning with my DIY craft kits. I wasn’t sure what I should include and what I should leave out.

Do I include every little thing? Brushes? Paints? Sandpaper? All the things? Really this is up to you. For me, I have some craft kits that include everything my customers need and other craft kits that just include the bases (the wood, canvas or any other type of base). I have a good mix of both in my shop and truthfully get the most orders for my hand cut craft blanks that don’t include any supplies.

Here are the absolute musts that you need to include in your DIY craft kits

• CRAFT BASE- this is a must. Examples of the base are: wood, stretch canvas, rocks, basically what your recipient will be crafting on.

• INSTRUCTIONS

Optional items to send in your DIY craft kits

• paint

• brushes

• sandpaper

• glue

• top coat finishes

• tape

• tools

• stencils

• etc.

You will need to decide how easy you want your craft kit to be for your recipient. Since I am in the business of selling DIY craft kits I do offer a variety of kits that range from blanks only to full on everything is included craft kits.

4. PACKAGING

If you aren’t shipping your craft kit then all you’ll need to do is put everything in a pretty bag with some tissue paper. But if you plan to ship your DIY craft kit to someone then you’ll need to do a little more work than that. Here’s how I package my craft kits up for shipping:

-I place all of my base pieces in a clear bag or wrap them in paper if they are too big to fit in the bags I carry.

-Then I place all the other materials in a separate bag and I leave a little air inside the bag, but not too much, so that the bag acts as it’s own cushion. That way the supplies don’t get smashed up during transit.

After everything is in a bag I place them inside a shipping box. I ship all of my packages via USPS and if I’m shipping anything over a pound it gets shipped USPS priority mail. I order all of my boxes in bulk online from the USPS website and have them delivered right to my door. It’s a wonderful thing to take advantage of!

Here are the plastic bags I use. I have never ordered from Ebay before but this was the closest thing I could find to what I use. They are cotton candy bags. Fun fact, my husband and I used to own a cotton candy machine and we would go set up at different locations, flea markets, auctions and things to make ends meet. Boy am I glad those days are behind us! We had thousands of these bags leftover after we hung up the towel on that and my husband had the genius idea to use them for packaging orders!

{So cute my 5th daughter, the furry one, made an appearance this snapshot!}

Most of the time I don’t have any extra space in the shipping box but if I do I will add either bags of air, thin packaging paper, or bubble wrap.

A little tip…if you order a LOT from online businesses like I do you likely have a TON of packaging materials. You can reuse those! I save all of the packaging materials that come in my packages so that I can reuse them for my online orders. There is no need to throw away perfectly good items when you can easily reuse them for their intended purpose:)!

Let me know if you have any questions about putting together a DIY CRAFT KIT in the comments below.

Where to buy STENCIL MATERIAL for SIGN MAKING super cheap

SAVE MONEY ON ORAMASK STENCIL FILM WHEN MAKING PAINTED WOOD SIGNS

Making painted wooden signs can get expensive. The wood, paint, SVG files, transfer tape, stencil film, power tools, it all adds up. But, did you know you CAN save money on STENCIL FILM for sign making? I know a lot of people prefer to use anything but Oramask 813 because it can be pricey but you don’t have to compromise. You CAN use the proper material, ORAMASK 813, for the same price OR even cheaper than other materials that tend to be less expensive. The key is to find the right vendor. With prices varying so much from vendor to vendor it’s hard to know where you should order from. One may carry a 12”x12” sheet for $0.90 while another will have the same thing priced for $1.25. While the difference in price isn’t a lot it does add up when you figure some signs take several feet of stencil film just to create.

 Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

I have ordered through countless companies and I will tell you I have sent some stencil film back. Why? Stencil film is a sensitive type of material. If wound TOO tight it will not cut properly and will leave bubbles all throughout the freshly cut design making it impossible to use. If you ever receive Oramask 813 stencil film from a company and the stencil film is not wound around a large 3”-4” cardboard tube you will likely waste your time trying to use it.

A little comparison, the stencil film on the left cost me $0.66 per fo ot, the one on the right cost me $0.90 per foot AND I have to order a LOT or pay for shipping for the $.90/ft price one.

I haven’t always used stencil material to paint my handmade signs though. When I first started out I used shelf liner…please just save yourself the headache if you are planning on painting signs for a business and DON’T use shelf liner. For me anyway, shelf liner caused more problems than it was worth. I have made THOUSANDS of signs and that is a decision in my business that I do not regret one bit. It caused so many problems, too many to get into for this post but I will make one later about the pros to using professional grade stencil film vs shelf liner later on.

WHERE TO BUY ORAMASK 813 STENCIL FILM IN BULK TO SAVE MONEY?

I swore I would never order rolls of oramask 813 from Amazon again but…here I am telling you that's exactly where I order from now and where you should too if you want to cut costs on stencil making. After a lot of buying from different companies, Amazon and small business websites, I have found the LOWEST PRICE I’VE EVER SEEN FOR STENCIL FILM and they properly wind the stencil film around a wide enough cardboard tube. It saves me SO MUCH MONEY in my sign making business. That’s more money that our family can put into savings. More money for my husband and I to feed our four daughters. More money we can put back into the business. I couldn’t keep this little secret to myself because I want you to order from a good company AND save money too!

So here’s what I do, I order a giant roll of ORAMASK 813 STENCIL FILM that measures 24'“ wide by 10 yards (30 feet) long. You’re probably thinking ‘seriously, Megan, I have a CRICUT and it only cuts up to 11.5” wide thanks but no thanks’. If you follow me on here or any of my social media accounts you know that’s what I use too, for almost a decade now.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR ORAMASK STENCIL MATERIAL

Hear me out… IF you have a miter saw, have a family member that has a miter saw, know someone who has a miter saw OR happen to make a brand new best friend that has a miter saw, you can cut that 24” wide roll of stencil film in HALF so now you have 2 rolls instead of 1 that you can easily use to make stencils with any 12” deck vinyl cutting machine.

Let that sink in. I was kicking myself when I found this out! SO MUCH MONEY WASTED ON 12” ROLLS OF VINYL. But you live and learn and since I’ve learned I’m sharing it with you.

Your vinyl will likely come shipped in plastic to protect it. Leave it in the plastic until you are done cutting it. Measure in 12” from where your stencil film starts, NOT where the cardboard starts. Then make a mark.

Be sure your stencil film is still in the plastic, this will help keep the edges nice and clean. If it didn’t come shipping in plastic you can tape around the very middle where it measures 12” with wide painters tape, this will have the same effect. Then line your saw up with your 12” mark and cut. Wipe away any saw dust, you don’t want any of that when going to cut your stencils out with your Cricut or Silhouette machine.

I’m not a big math person but I can do simple math lol. When I buy these giant rolls of stencil film they cost about $40. $40 divided by 30 (number of feet in the roll) = $1.33 but wait it’s still 24” wide so you divide $1.33 by 2 (because you will have 2 12” rolls of stencil film after you cut it in half) = $0.66!

Yes, SIXTY SIX CENTS $0.66 per foot for oramask stencil film. Granted, prices go up and down so it may not be exactly this price when you go to buy but that is the price when I purchase it. And since I am a AMAZON PRIME member I’ve already paid for my shipping with my membership. Which is totally worth the super small fee in my opinion.

6 MUST haves for stenciling your own painted wood signs

Sign painting can be super frustrating when you’re first starting out. Seriously, I’ve been there. I’ve been in the place where you feel like you’ve done everything right only to have your paint bleed under your stencil. Or have your background paint color peel up when you peel your stencil off your wood base. IT SUCKS!

Thousands of painted signs later I feel like I’m somewhat of a pro ;) and I want to share my top 6 sign painting must haves with you.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO ATTACH A SAWTOOTH HANGER TO YOU HANDMADE WOOD SIGNS

1. CUTTING MACHINE

I personally have always used a Cricut cutting machine. I have heard great things about other craft cutters but will probably be a Cricut girl for life. I find their software easy to use, even my preteen daughters can use it with ease. This is what I use to cut all of my stencils out with.

2. STENCIL FILM- ORAMASK STENCIL FILM

When I first started making signs I tried everything BUT stencil film because I was trying to save as much money as possible while learning what I thought would be just a hobby. What I didn’t realize was that I was actually WASTING money by not using the proper material made just for stenciling. So many projects and materials ruined. While shelf liner can work sometimes a lot of the time it didn’t work without error for me. I finally took my husband’s advice and bought the good stuff. Boy was he right about that, and I’m not afraid to admit he was right because buying oramask stencil film has made my business a success!

3. TRANSFER TAPE

I am in several craft groups online and read lots of posts about how others are having a difficult time getting their stencils to stay on their wood base. A lot of the time this can be fixed if you are using the right type of transfer tape. I have used MANY different types and now have my favorite go to’s. If you are using oramask stencil film you will need a MEDIUM TACK TRANSFER TAPE. If your transfer tape is too strong it won’t easily release the stencil film when you’re trying to apply it to your wood base. And if your transfer tape isn’t strong enough it will have a hard time picking the stencil film up off of its paper backing. Again, I used to use shelf liner, the clear kind for this, but it didn’t always want to work depending on the design I was doing. Granted I will still use this if I’m in a bind and run out of the good stuff, but that’s only if I’m desperate OR if I have an easy design I’m transferring.

4. XACTO KNIFE

I use an xacto knife several different times during my sign painting process. I use an xacto knife to weed my designs. I use it to remove pockets of air or to smooth out an unruly area in the stencil film. This is what I use to peel up my stencil after I am finished painting my design and to take out all the little middle pieces. And I use it to fix any oops spots once the stencil is removed. This little tool is SO HANDY and is really inexpensive.

5. VINYL SQUEEGEE

I tried to find other things at home that I could use instead of a true vinyl squeegee but none came close to using this. They actually aren’t very expensive at all. I have bucket full of these and I think they were worth every penny. They much thicker than any store rewards or a bank card could ever be. If you’ve ever used one of those you know that with use the right pressure they can and will break. Order a couple of vinyl squeegees and see the difference, they are a dream for stenciling wood signs!

And finally the most important must have for successful sign painting…

6. MOD PODGE

This will help you to create the signs of your dreams! Matte finish mod podge has been my saving grace when painting wood signs. I am a mom of 4 little girls, I don’t have time to cosmetic sponge layer after layer after layer onto the signs I make for my customers. While this technique works if you only had a handful of signs to make, this is not a practical or business savvy way to paint wood signs. Dabbing paint on like that takes FOR-EV-ER. Instead I use matte finish mod podge to seal my signs from paint bleed and I have not regretted it since!

I hope these tips help you with your sign painting adventure. If you have any questions please feel free to ask away. If you want to really deep dive into the world of sign painting click here.

How to juggle it all during the summer when you're a WAHM

Is it possible to be a mompreneur during the summer months?

Yes, absolutely! Working from home during summertime with kiddos is, let’s just say a little crazy sometimes, but it’s still possible. I haven’t always been a WAHM so I’ve definitely had to adjust how we “summer” these days. And after a few years I think I finally found our happy middle. As long as I keep these 5 tips for how to juggle it all I can keep my sanity too.

Here are 5 tips to help you “summer” better as a work at home mom.

1. Set a MOM IS WORKING schedule.

This does not have to be the same every single day. In fact, ours changes daily. I create handmade décor & craft kits so my days are really pretty flexible and this type of scheduling works well for our family. If your schedule can’t be as flexible decide what days you need to work and be sure the ENTIRE family is on board. And then implement the schedule all summer long. I personally have chosen to work 3 days a week and scheduled off 2 fun days per week.

2. Let them help

If your kiddos are old enough and your type of business allows for it let them help you. Take the time to show them what it is you do. They will have a much bigger appreciation for your work AND they will love that they got to be involved. Some things our girls help me with in our crafty business is organize invoices, write thank you notes to our customers, and help with packaging.

3. Plan a bucket list

Planning a summer bucket list will give them something to look forward to all summer long. Even better, plan it together. Here is the summer bucket list that our family planned. They are all FREE things to do so I don’t even have the stress about finding room in the budget for a ton of summer activities.

4. Take an hour a day to tidy up the house

Keeping a tidy house will help you keep your mind clear. It’s when the laundry starts to pile up, the toys are scattered everywhere, and the bathroom counter looks like an explosion…don’t judge lol we’ve all been there…that your mind starts focusing on those items instead of what’s on the calendar for the day, whether it’s a fun or a work day. I take 20 minutes each morning to do some light chores and 40 minutes before my husband gets home from work we do the rest of the chores that need to be done that day. This has really helped me from getting distracted and staying on task for the day. We are a chore family so all of our girls, even our 3 year old, get involved in the housework.

5.. Take the time to unwind

For the most part I stop working my crafty job when my husband gets home from work. Although I could craft and create all day everyday it’s so important for my sanity, my marriage, and my job as a mom to take time to just let my brain unwind and breath. Enjoy a drink with your husband on the patio talking about your day. Jump on the trampoline with your kids. Take a walk as a family around the block. No matter what it is, take the time to be present with them every day.

I hope this list of managing your summer as a work at home mom helps. Remember to enjoy those precious babies, work will always be there but they won’t be little forever.

What are the best power tools for crafters?

Power tools for the crafty girl

I haven’t always been super comfortable with power tools. In fact I didn’t use a miter saw with confidence till I was in my 30’s {which is crazy because I grew up with a grandma who most definitely knew her way around lots of heavy duty power tools that she had for her own crafty business}! My husband would do all the cutting because I was so afraid I was going to have a freak accident and cut my entire body in half…I know it sounds completely ridiculous but it was a very real fear that I had.

The problem was, other than my way over thought fear, was that my husband used to work out of town a lot and obviously couldn’t cut anything while he was gone. Our handmade online business was picking up major steam so, eventually I did get over my fear and I’m so glad I did because I was missing out on so much. Being able to cut anything to any size at any time has been a game changer for me and our family’s business.

Instead of going with the same brand of tools my husband has I chose a more budget friendly, less intimidating brand, RYOBI. I couldn’t be happier with this decision.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind.

So what power tools does a crafter need?

Here are the basic power tools I started out with

Miter Saw

I really LOVE this saw! If you plan on cutting anything wider than 7” then you absolutely need a 12” SLIDING miter saw. This saw also has a laser on it making it really easy to line up your cuts. My husband’s miter does not have a sliding arm and I can not tell you enough what a pain in the butt it was to have to flip all the boards that were over 7” because the blade wasn’t wide enough to cut through the entire width of the board.

CORDLESS SANDER

Another must have is a sander. I have used both the corder and the cordless and I prefer the cordless by far. Granted to have to keep batteries charged but you also aren’t confined to sanding near a power outlet. There are lots of times when I just need to sand a quick spot where I’ve made a mistake or I just need a quick distressing and it’s just so much easier to not have to mess with a cord.

CORDLESS DRILL

This is your basic drill but it is mighty. I use this almost daily and it has yet to disappoint me.

• BRAD NAILER

If you plan on using a nail and hammer to attach anything then you might as well save yourself some time and energy and pick up one of these. I use this tool a lot in my business. Actually, more than I thought I would. You can adjust the depth of which the nails shoot in and change up the size of brads you use.

• REPLACEMENT BATTERIES

  Replacement batteries are a must. I have 3 that I rotate and I really need more. Although they are a little pricey you’ll be glad you have at least 2. My husband had to convince me to get additional batteries because he knew how annoyed I’d be the first time I had to wait for the only battery I had to recharge. He was right lol! So thankful I have more than one battery.

So those are the basics. As you get more comfortable using these power tools you’ll probably want to add even more to your list like a scroll saw or this trim router.

I hope this list helps you to decide which power tools is the best fit for you.

Starting a side hustle from home when you're a stay at home momma

SIDE HUSTLE I know so many mommas out there can relate to this. Whether you want to bring in a little income to make ends meet or you simply just want to feel apart of the work force again you are not alone.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Before I get too deep into this I want to clarify I LOVE being a SAHM {stay at home momma}. It fulfills me and makes me a better person. I have never resented the choice to stay home with our four girls and I know I never will but I also enjoy bringing in an income for our family and doing something that makes me feel like I’m apart of the workforce.

So you want to start a side hustle from the convenience of your home while still fully being a SAHM. How the heck do you do that in such a saturated online market space? I’m not going to tell you it’s easy but it IS easier than ever before to make money from home. Even just 11 years ago when we had our very first daughter there was no way we had the resources in our home for me to be in the online space. Heck, my husband and I didn’t even have fancy phones back then we still relied on our home phone to make calls. But now here we are in 2019 and I am not only doing a side hustle in the online space from home I am making a part time income that we use to pay actual bills every single month. As a mom of four this is SO fulfilling! I get to express my creativity, bring in money for our family, and live out my dreams.

I’m going to walk you through some things you should be doing if you too are a SAHM and want to start your own side hustle.

You need to decided what you love to do. Starting a side hustle doing something you love and enjoy will be far more successful than something you hate. For instance I love crafting! I’m pretty sure it runs through my blood stream so naturally I went that route. I don’t particularly love taking surveys or doing MLM {multi level marketing, think Mary Kay} although I have tried those types of things, they aren’t for me. If you don’t know what you love I suggest making a list of things you might be interested in. Start researching those topics, see if you can make a side hustle out of them first, then try your hand at whatever it is before you get too heavily deep into your hustle. Sometimes we find that we really like something on the surface but it isn’t till we get our hands in it we don’t actually LOVE doing it.

Research. Research. Research. I can’t tell you how many videos I watched, articles I read, and newsletters I subscribed to until I found the answers I was looking for. And I’m still learning every single day because the online space changes rapidly. I personally was looking into selling on Etsy but selling online was a bit foreign to me. I had never been a customer on Etsy before so I had no idea how that platform worked but I knew it would be a good starting off point for a handmade business from all the things I researched. I learned so much about things I didn’t even know I needed to know. If you do some research and want to open your own Etsy shop you can get 40 FREE listings. {that is an affiliate link where Etsy will give us both 40 listings for free when you open a shop}.

Block time out. This is a must and something I struggle with because I am a momma of four. I have learned over the years I NEED to do this. Multitasking in your business, for instance I would starting painting boards and while they were drying I would do house work. While this may seem logical it really wasn’t. I would move from one chore to the next because the housework needed to get done and before I knew it the day was over and school was letting out. Find a time that works for your family and schedule it. Remember though, you’re a momma so there will be times when your schedule gets all messed up and crazy, that’s life. Just go with it and if you try to make an effort to stick to your schedule the best you can and you will see bigger results in your side hustle.

Take it seriously. If you take your business seriously and don’t care what anyone outside of your immediate family {your husband and your kids} thinks your business will be successful. You can’t let anyone make you feel like what you are doing doesn’t matter or that you won’t go anywhere with it. That negativity is not welcome! If I listened to those vibes then I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here typing this for you to read.

Have a space to work. This is a must. It doesn’t have to be very big but you do need a space. When I first started selling online we were living in a TINY house with just 2 bedrooms for 6 people. Granted we could make that work because our girls were young, newborn-2nd grade, but we were still living on top of one another. I made my space behind our couch. I had a small 4’ table that I had set up that I only took down if we had company coming over for a party or holiday so we could make more room. Was it my dream space? Absolutely not. But it was a space where I could work on orders and I was grateful for that tiny little space.

Don’t give up. If you truly want to make your side hustle work you can’t give up the first time you fall. I have fallen many, MANY times but with each fall I learn something new that I can apply to my life and business. When I first started out we didn’t have internet in our house, no computer, no printer, so I would go to the library to print off my Etsy orders and shipping labels. Do you know how hard it is to take four kids to the library to try and work? But I didn’t give up, I pushed forward and I am SO glad I did. It wasn’t easy but I knew it could be done if I just kept trying day after day.

I hope these small tips help you on your path to finding that side hustle you’re looking for.