Sometimes pressure-filled deadlines can really bring out the creativity and DIY ethic in you. I am overly committed right now, but it’s a good kind of feeling because I had lacked it for so long. So, when I found myself without enough of my Moo business cards and with a tall order of 25 crochet items for the Sampler, I realized I needed promo materials that I would somehow be making myself in about 12 hours, after stores had closed and with the unfortunate aid of a shoddy printer. Hmm…

I signed on to the Sampler through Nicole Davis, the editor and founder of Brooklyn Based, a fantastic email newsletter that puts other newsletters to shame. I contacted her a few months ago about some newsletter ideas and put a little something together that you will see very soon! She is curating a “City Sampler” for Brooklyn and asked me to be a part of it. I knew that meant there was no way I’d be picking up my novel that I haven’t touched in over a month (I’m still in the preface too!). But, it was a good way to initiate some Sampler participation, as I haven’t felt ready to commit to the 25+ contribution requirement. (the short version of how the Sampler works: you sign up and agree to send at least 25 of your craft items to the organizer in SF. She takes one of each item from all the contributers and sends them in the mail to all participants, so you can “sample” a lot of artists and crafters’ work. Such a good idea!)

Obviously part of the purpose of the Sampler is to get your work out there into the hands of others, so some kind of promotional material with your name, website, etc. is a necessity. The following tutorial can be used for a general promo, for your product tags, or even as a holiday gift tag.

I used Avery labels that can be put in your printer like regular paper, and an Avery label template I had on Microsoft Word. It sounds complicated, but being non-tech-savvy, it wasn’t!

You will also need:

origami paper
a star (or other shape) hole punch
yarn, twine, or string
scissors

Step 1: Print out your name, info, etc. on the labels. If this is for a gift tag, you can leave it blank, or maybe just type out “From” and “To.”

Step 2: Place the label on the back/white side of the origami paper. I could fit two labels per sheet.

Step 3: Cut out the labels. (I didn’t have a picture of it before punching!)

Step 4: Punch a star (or other shape) into a blank area on the label

Step 5: Weave twine or yarn into the punched out shape and tie it around your item, product, or gift.

Ta da! I’m happy with my hasty turn out, and am thinking about doing business cards in a similar DIY way, rather than sending away for them.