INPUT ARTICLE: Article: For this project, you will need empty cans, paint brushes, and either acrylic or chalk paint. You can use empty food cans (for smaller flowers), coffee tins, or paint canisters (for larger bouquets). To start, clean out the can thoroughly. Remove any labels from the outside. Wash the inside with dish soap and water. Dry it off with a towel. Once it is thoroughly dry, paint the outside however you like. You can leave it a solid color, add polka dots, or draw stripes. Let your imagination guide you! Dry the cans in a well-ventilated area. It may take 1-2 days for the tins to dry completely. Cut the flower stems so that they are the same length as the can. You are now ready to display your flowers! Gather a jar or empty tin can, hot glue gun, and roughly 40 straws or pencils, depending on the size of the container. Choose straws or pencils with a design that you like. Rainbow colors and polka dots work well for this project. Heat up the hot glue gun. Once it is ready, draw a line of glue on 1 side of the pencil or straw. Press the pencil or straw against the vessel vertically. Hold it for a second until the glue cools. Glue all of the straws or pencils around the vessel until the vessel is completely covered. Once the glue dries, fill the vessel with water and place your flowers inside. Hanging flowers will preserve them by drying them out. You won't need to water the flowers or clean a container. Tie ribbon or wire around the stems. Make sure that it is snug. Let the flowers hang from a hook, nail, or picture frame. This works best with individual flowers or with small bundles (3-4 stems) of flowers. For larger bouquets, put a rubber band around the stem to keep the flowers together before tying a ribbon or wire to hang it. If you have an abundance of flowers on hand, a wreath is a great way to use them. Buy either a foam or grapevine wreath at a craft store or flower shop. Use regular flowers or add other plants into the mix, such as ferns or vines. Divide and arrange your flowers into 8 separate bundles. Each bundle should be large enough to cover roughly 1/8 of the wreath. Take the first bundle and wrap the stems against the wreath with wire. Take the next bundle and place it so that the petals of the second bundle are covering the stems of the first. Once again, tie the stems to the wreath with wire. Continue to do this around the wreath. With the last bundle, hide the stems under the petals of the first bundle. Use any remaining flowers to cover up holes in the wreath. You do not need to provide water for a wreath. That said, the wreath may not last as long as putting flowers in a container or vessel.

SUMMARY: Paint a tin can in your own unique design. Make a one-of-a-kind centerpiece with straws or pencils. Hang the flowers upside down. Weave a wreath with flowers and other plants.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you sell generic pieces of jewelry that can be found just about anywhere, you are less likely to attract attention as a new seller. Instead, cater to a specific interest or niche. Browse through message boards and blogs to get an idea of what people want. You can also visit online stores and marketplaces that rank search results by popularity. The downfall of selling jewelry online is that buyers cannot examine the piece in person. As a result, clear, informative photographs are essential. Take pictures using a high-resolution digital camera. Photograph each piece of jewelry from different angles, getting as close as possible without blurring the image and using natural light or other clear lighting. You may even want to prop the jewelry up next to coins or other items that show the size of each piece. As your business grows, you can consider hiring a photography student or professional photographer to take better pictures for you. Pricing an item too high will discourage customers for obvious reasons, but pricing an item too low will decrease the perceived value of a piece. There are several common pricing models used by jewelry designers. First, you must determine the wholesale value. Then, determine the retail pricing that you will sell at. The simplest wholesale value scale is to take the total material cost and multiply it by 3 or 3.5. You can also factor labor into the wholesale cost more directly by multiplying the number of hours you worked by an hourly wage, like $35 per hour, and taking the product of that equation and adding the total cost of the material to it. Determine the retail price by multiplying the wholesale price by any number between 1.4 and 2.0, depending on how high quality you feel your jewelry is. Accurate keywords will draw interested customers to your shop while making sure uninterested customers are not misled there. You should also take into consideration the types of keywords you choose. When people shop via online search engines, they generally type in the most basic information possible. For instance, someone looking for a heart-shaped pendant is likely to search for "heart necklace" or "heart pendant." When choosing titles and keywords, avoid using overly specific terms that are unlikely to show up on a search engine hit. At the same time, you should avoid being too vague. A necklace titled "silver aquamarine heart necklace" will pick up more hits than one titled "heart necklace," since anyone interested in "silver," "aquamarine," "heart," or "necklace" will have a chance at making it to your online shop. Advertise you products on as many social media websites as possible. Actively seek out friends and followers, and continually post links to new listings in your online store. Instead of advertising in forums that are geared toward jewelry makers, advertise in forums that are a little more neutral. Create a blog and connect to other bloggers with an interest in fashion and design. Join message board communities and leave a link to your online store in your signature, as long as the rules of the board allow it. You only pay for these advertisements when someone clicks on the ad and is redirected to your store. Essentially, you are advertising your online shop and only paying for the people who notice your ad. Your homemade jewelry business may stay online, but that does not mean your marketing campaign should. While the majority of your advertising should be done online, you can also print flyers or business cards to spread out around your local area. Include information about how to visit your online jewelry listings, as well as information and pictures of some of the jewelry you sell.

SUMMARY:
Know what people want. Take good pictures. Price your items for what they are worth. Use accurate keywords. Make use of social media. Advertise where potential buyers might be. Look into pay-per-click advertisements. Advertise in the real world.