Getting Ready For Christmas

[Bigfoot]

There are a lot of patterns out there for Christmas. I would like to find out what eveyone considers their best selling item, or most requested one is. As you all know it can be costly to buy patterns and the wood, invest your time in creating a fantastic piece of fretwork and have it sit on a shelf not being sold.

[jttheclockman]

You are asking the million dollar question. If you find out please let the world know. I do not know if you do the craft show circuit thing but anyway that question gets asked all the time and the same answer keeps coming up You just do not know from one show to the next or from one year to the next. You can always go with the old reliables as ornamates, small clocks of any kind. If you turn, pens and bottle stoppers. Good luck.

[Carter-Johnson]

I truly believe that a good scrollsawer could make real money making and selling Christmas card jigsaw puzzles. (See the post to this forum under "Christmas 2005"). I don't sell my puzzles, but I'm sure that a cvraft booth with these in it could do a land office business from September through December.

Get some Christmas cards with intricate images within them. Mount the front picture on 1/4" plywood., then cut the edages and spray with any tripple-thick glossy spray. After it's dry, cut freehand puzzles pieces, using the images within the card as a guide, making 30-40 pieces. Use the original card's second page as its front and cut a piece of colored posterboard for the back. Then put it back in it's original envelope and sell it for $25 to $35 minimum.

Questions? I'll try to answer any you may have.........
Carter

[Grizz]

I'm a Visual Person...so huh?

Questions? I'll try to answer any you may have.........
Carter

I'm having trouble picturing this... sounds good. Could you post a few progrssive pictures to help me understand?

Thanks

[Greenfield_Bob]

I think this is what Carter is talking about.
Bob

http://www.scrollsawer.com/forum/t5476.html

[3_M]

Christmas ornaments are great sellers. First I made them from 1/4" Oak and stacked 3, than I went to 3/16" and stacked 4. Now I make them from 1/32" BB and stack 15 to 18 and put one 1/8" plywood on the bottom. Holding it all together with brads with a bred nailer.
This Stable also was a good seller. SSW has maybe some back issues about ornaments check with them. You have to find your own price, like John T was saying every craft show is different. If it sells too fast your price is too low, if it does not sell your price is too high.
Will place an other picture from Carter Johnson's Christmad card later.


Mike M

[3_M]

Here is an other of Carters Christmas cards:


You might be able to see how he cuts around the animals. Cater asked me to post some of his pictures.
Mike M

[Carter-Johnson]

Thanks, Mike.....

The penguin card is the one I made for 2003 - 71 of them. They were about 32 pieces and I know they would have sold for $30 or more. 2005 is my ninth year of making these.

I'm sorry but I have not figured out how to post digital photographs to forum sites such as this.

Even a smaller number of pieces, say a dozen or so, should take less than ten minutes to make (it takes me about a half hour to cut a 35-piece card) and should bring in $15 each.

I know of no one selling this kind of thing at craft shows. People could buy them for themselves or to be used as cards gifts for others.

Carter

[Hoover]

card puzzle(s)

i do a lot of kids puzzles out of wood... I really like the idea of the holiday cards really neat idea!