For Many Occasions! & Craft Fair Pricing Tips

This can is a wonderful thing to use for many occasions. This is my first one and it's a "Get Well" one. Inside is a package of Lipton Cup-a-Soup, a package of tissue and Hugs & Kisses. This was SO much fun to make. I am going to make up some for the upcoming fall Craft Fairs and they'd be great for Stamp Camp but you'd better start saving your cans now!! And I think they make wonderful Gifts.

These are Del Monte fruit cans with the pop top. I open them on the bottom with the Pampered Chef can opener. It opens the can on the side, not the inside of the rim. Wash them out good and dry them well. Once they are dry you can fill them with whatever theme you are working with. I'm going to do some with cookies in it for my niece who is going off to college in a few weeks. I'll fill some with candy for her too. We REALLY need to eat more fruit around here now. I NEED cans!!! LOL

Anyway, like I was saying these are great for many occasions. You can even use the smaller cans as well, though I don't think the soup label scaled down that small will be easy to work with!!! I have wanted to do this for a LONG time and after seeing the half a dozen cans on my counter yesterday I realized that I NEEDED to design something so I could have that counter space cleaned off and have a fun gift (this one's a gift) and so I could have some craft fair items. Now before you swamp my email box with questions of how much to charge I will give you the basic rule of thumb for pricing your items. It holds true for most (I did say most) items. You take materials used times 3 and that is how much you charge. Now here's where the "most" comes in. There are those exceptions to the rules. You will sometimes see a similar item you made selling for more. Not just sitting there with a price tag on for a specific amount but actually selling for that amount. Well then you must also charge that amount (hopefully making a profit) and you will make things from scrap, junk, etc. that cost you a few pennies. Hardly worth it to charge a dime for the item. You look at size and similarity out in the market and go from there. And at the end of the craft season and you have merchandise left, contact your local church. They usually do a craft fair of some type and you can donate it to them. You receive a tax write off and you have an empty space to start fresh for the next craft season. That one is a win-win situation!!

Always remember to make it fun. If it's not fun then you have to ask yourself "why am I doing this?"

I forgot to mention about sealing the can. I use Crazy Glue to put the "bottom" of the can on. Be careful you don't get it on your fingers!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Wanda