For days I’ve been dreaming of turning my favorite Christmas candy into a creamy tart. Oh…I love peppermint bark. I finished up the breakfast dishes, put a movie on for the kids, and got to work. My kids ran back and forth checking on the tart’s progress; sampling a spoonful of pudding or eating a [...]

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Take a peek at a few places I’m posting this week. Lots of fun for the holidays. Ideas and craft for a Hanukkah celebration, over at Baby Center’s Momformation. I love this treat pouch by Martha Stewart pictured below, so cute! The holidays are all about baking, right! Here’s a round up of some delicious [...]

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Retired Behavior Management and Special Education Teacher More...

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Are you the type of person who goes all out for your holiday cards? Dress up the family, find a cool location, and write a super witty poem that all goes together in a theme? I get some really great cards from friends and family and wish I had put a little more effort into [...]

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The success of Small Business Saturday proves that we’re (finally) showing the love to all the great indie retailers/makers in our communities and supporting their endeavors with our hard-earned cash.  You’ve got people interested--it’s the holiday season and we’re ready to buy!  Great selling opportunities abound, new customers are popping up left & right, and time is running a bit short.Are you making the most out of every selling opportunity?  Let's make indies the clear choice this holiday season with these three tips:Tip #1: Make it a group effort. Get a group of indies in your region together and host a shopping event!  Have food, drinks, a little entertainment, and create a festive party that lets attendees get all their holiday shopping done while sipping a cocktail. Sure beats waiting in line at the mall, no?Plus, there's a bonus: Organizing these types of events is a great way to meet like-minded entrepreneurs in your area & create solid collaborative partnerships.  Another bonus: If you’ve got 20 indies participating in the event, you’ve got 20 different outlets to market to, and there’s a huge opportunity to cross-pollinate and get your work in front of new audiences.Which leads me to my next tip...Tip #2: Look for cross-selling opportunities or complementary products.  In the giving season, it’s really important that you’re selling items that are instantly giftable...meaning: I could buy it, throw it in a gift bag, and take it wherever I’m going.  What does that mean?  Really, just look at what you have & figure out what would make it BETTER.  Do you make ceramics (bowls, mugs, etc.)?  Think about partnering with someone who sells artisan coffees & create the perfect gift.  If you make a great line of lip balms, find someone who makes soaps & bath products to create gift sets that are way better than anything you can buy at the mall.  Be creative--find new ways to get potential customers interested in your products.And finally...Tip #3: There’s more than one type of shopper.  Lots of people shop during their lunch break--could you run a 11-2pm promo geared towards those shoppers?  Do you live near a business district?  These busy people need to get their holiday shopping done, too. How about a 5 o’clock shopping event that lets them de-stress from the workday and enjoy a little shopping on their way home?Also--think about your fellow retailers.  This is the busiest, most stressful time of year, and the last thing anyone wants to do is go shopping.  How can you gear a promotion towards them?  You certainly don’t have to run a ton of different promos during the season, but my point here is to get you thinking a little outside the box.And that’s a good thing! Here’s to your success and a stellar holiday season!Megan Gallagher is a small-business strategist working with creative indiepreneurs at Method & Madness.  She talks business development, creative vision, and indie lifestyle through one-on-one strategy sessions, e-guides, and the Method & Madness blog.

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There’s a lot of Santa talk at our house lately. What cookies does he like, how many reindeer help pull his sleigh, how’s he going to fit through our fireplace? I thought it might be fun to make a few paper tube binoculars to help us scope Santa out and see if we can answer [...]

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Kids love glitter (heck, so do adults!), and recycling is always a great way to create kid’s crafts, So why not try this cute glittery snowman made from a recycled CD. This would make a perfect ornament too by adding a ribbon hanger or gluing a magnet to the back and hang on the fridge! [...]

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One of our own M&T contributors and my dear friend Kami of No Biggie, has suffered a dear loss to her family. Just over 2 weeks ago she delivered her baby girl at only 26 weeks pregnant. Little Afton Jean was born and ready to fight for her little life. But after one week of being on [...]

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Today I’m featuring some fabulous ornaments showcased over at the M&T Spotlight. Here are 6 festive tree ornaments that are sure to brighten up your tree! **Next week I’ll be featuring Holiday Treats, so share your goodies and link up to Spotlight. Felt Peppermint Candy Ornament Paper Hourglass Ornament Melted Snowman Ornament Quilted Tree Ornament [...]

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Starting a new venture? Putting off today what you can do tomorrow? More...

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