The Look Book

In case you have not been following, this entry is the first part of a series of posts having to do with SCRAP, which is a non-profit organization here in Portland Oregon.  I have recently acquired quite the load of items from SCRAP and have promised my readers to show how this small investment is helping get my business Stuff From Venus get off of the ground.

Today I am going to take the photo albums I found at SCRAP for a quarter each and turn them into Look Books.

  So what is the purpose of look books?  Well I am an avid cyclist, and even though my products are very small and light weight, I want to be able to present my products in a nice way without untangling them from a bag in front of a potential client.  A look book gives me the opportunity to present my brand to shop owners and festival organizers without the hassle of fumbling with them all.  I can also use a number system on my composite photos to make order forms that the shop owner can easily use to order the items they would like to carry.

The photo to the left shows you the books as I purchased them from SCRAP.  They all have different themes as well as price markings on them that have no relation to what I am selling.  Of course inside these books is where the real action happens…

Inside the books you can find my photos of products as well as a photo of someone wearing these pretty pieces.  As a small marketing tip, the first page of the book should have not only your logo or card, it should have your contact number in case you leave the book behind with a client and they would like to get back to you later on the items they want to display.  This trick also makes the client familiar with your name.

Now let’s get to making these books look pretty from the outside…

What you will Need:

Scissors/ Exacto Knife

Photo Albums (a quarter each at SCRAP)

Logo or card printed out on Paper or Stickers

Fancy Paper (at most a dollar a half sheet)

Strong Paper Glue (2.00 at a drug store)

 Your first step will be to cut the paper to size… I suggest folding the paper around the book when the book is closed.  compare the cover of this book to a band-aid you put on your knee.  When you bend your knee you will get a pocket where the padding of the band-aid is.  This is similar to the binding of the book, so make sure you cut the paper large enough to cover the entire surface of the book as well as wrap into the inside cover.

Step two is to use the glue on the front cover of the book, close the book and do the same for the back… Do Not use the glue on the binding to allow the paper to move freely along the binding.  Once the glue sets cut the paper that is sticking out from the bindings range of motion, and fold the other parts of the paper around the back and front covers like you are wrapping them as presents.

 Now once they are glued you see that the inside cover may look a bit messy, so I suggest taking another colored paper and cutting it so that it fits into the inside cover over the folds of your paper.

After gluing those pieces in place, turn to the front cover and embellish it however you would like without over doing it… remember you want to make your brand name familiar, so you don’t want to take much attention away from your logo on the cover.  Glue the components in place and let dry.  You can use the drying time to design your order forms or compile a list of local consignment shops you would like to target.

Once the glue dries your look books are ready to hit the streets!

Why Every City Needs A SCRAP

If you are an avid reader of my blog, or have purchased any of the items from my etsy shop (stufffromvenus.esty.com) you may have heard me mention a non-profit origination by the name SCRAP.  I must add this note: If you have any friends looking to start a non-profit I suggest you let them in on Portland’s best known secret for craft geeks such as I.

So what is SCRAP exactly?  Well you can visit their website at http://scrappdx.org/ to get a few pictures and ideas, as well as make a donation, but I feel that the proof is in the pudding. SCRAP founders had the novel idea of taking items that can be reused out of the landfills and teaching imaginative people, both young and old, how to think about reuse.  Companies that have an overstock of old promotional items, office equipment, or even ordinary people with too much craft stuff, donate their unwanted or unused goods, and the crafters such as I can swoop in and purchase them for a fraction of the price of a craft store.  Here is a photo of my recently acquired bootee…

I recently paid a visit to SCRAP, (which happens about once a month) and bought the following for ten dollars and thirty cents.

Circle Pattern Fabric   50 cents (1 yard)

Bundle of White Lace   25 cents (about 3 yards)

 Red and Silver Wire   25 cents each

 Sparkle Red and Gray yarn  $1 a skein

 1 inch of White Cardstock  $1.30

 Pouch of Fake Pearl Beads  75 cents

Big Spool of Ribbon 50 cents

Small Spool of Ribbon 25 cents

3 Photo Albums   25 cents each

Embroidery Thread 10 cents each

Bracelet Ends 25 cents

Bags of Cotton Fibers   50 cents each

5 zippers    25 cents each

 To some this would be considered trash, but to me this is a PROJECT!  So what to do now?  Well here my crazy plan my lovely blog readers… I plan on using every bit of my purchases to create, and I plan to take you along on this journey.

For the next few weeks I will blog the projects that are in place to help me start my business from home using these very inexpensive items.  Yes 10 bucks and some change can help you too start a biz as well, and I will share my secrets with you.

I will link items on the above list to the projects I will do as they are finished.  This will give you a direct link to other blog entries, so that you can see what I used each item for.

This is a long list of craft gear I assure you, and it will keep me engaged for a while I am sure!  So let’s get to it!