I'm having a lot of fun putting together the kits for these Live with Prima broadcasts. It's an interesting process, so I thought I'd share:
1. I draw some designs to figure out what the project is and what kinds of stuff I will need in order to make it. Here's an example of what that looks like:
2. I pull through my Prima stash…
…to see what I have. (And yes, I sure do have a lot!) But then I have to check the inventory lists from Prima to make sure that their warehouse has enough of everything. Sometimes this is an easy step and sometimes everything I'm holding in my hands is backordered! And I have to figure out something new to use. That's such a pain.
3. Once my supplies are all gathered, I put together my project.
When I put together the project, I run a timer. And I talk myself
through the project. That way when I get on camera, talking and doing
come naturally. The timer is so that I know which parts take a long
time, and about how long the whole class will be. This photo canvas
class will be about an hour-and-a-half.
The thing that's scary/hard about this step is that I don't always know where I'm going. But with a project that you'll be teaching from a kit, you kind of have to have a serious road map. That's why step #1 (sketching) is so very important!
4. Pretty pictures. I photograph the project and make a little advertisement for the class in Photoshop.
Photographing can be tricky in my apartment. If the weather is nice and there's daylight I head out onto the terrace to take photos. More often, I put some pretty paper on my desk and place my Ott light directly over the project. (That's what I did for the photos above.)
5. I have to do my paperwork – the part I like the least, but perhaps the most important. Paperwork includes the following:
- Class Description: This is only a few sentences, but I still find it difficult. How do you get people excited about the project and accurately describe what they'll be learning at the same time? Plus you want it to stand out so that people will buy the kit!
- Kit Contents: I jot down everything I used that is a Prima product, search the Prima website for the "official name" and price, and include all the SKU numbers as well.
- Non-Kit Supplies: I jot down everything I used that isn't included in the kit, from a pencil to a rag to the exact colors of ink or mist.
- Basic Instructions: This is the one piece of paperwork that isn't required, but I think it makes things easier. It's anywhere from two weeks to one month before the class that I create the kit. My work is so technique heavy that it's easy for me to forget how I did something. So I try to draft up some quick instructions to keep myself straight. I can review them right before I go on camera to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
Once the paperwork is done, I e-mail it and the class ad off to Prima. And along the lines of paperwork, while everything is fresh in my mind, I write up my blog posts (one to
advertise the class and a reminder for the day of the class). I set
them to auto-publish on the appropriate dates.
6. As a final step I put the project, all the leftovers from making it, and all the paperwork into a Ziploc bag. I want to make sure that if I don't get my kit in time for the broadcast, I can use some of the bits and pieces from the original supplies to pull together the project. I pin the Ziploc bag to my bulletin board and I'm officially done!
Whew!
It's a lot of work, but I enjoy the puzzle of figuring it all out.
Hope you enjoyed a peek at the process. And please join me on April 19, 2010 at 2pm EST (GMT -5)…
…for my free Photo Canvas Class at Live with Prima. Here's the official description:
Add a lovely piece of art to your walls that includes a favorite photograph. In less than an hour-and-a-half you’ll have finished a delightful photo canvas and learned how to create a cool collage background, how to accent your flowers with paint, how to remove the sticky from the back of Prima’s beautiful felt DeVines, and plenty more!
You can buy your kit here.
Thanks for stopping by!
Why don’t you come to Connecticut? I’ll never get a chance to meet you… sigh.
Why don’t you come to Connecticut? I’ll never get a chance to meet you… sigh.
Why don’t you come to Connecticut? I’ll never get a chance to meet you… sigh.
Why don’t you come to Connecticut? I’ll never get a chance to meet you… sigh.
That is a lot of work. Just so you know… it is soooooo worth it. I love your classes Julie. Todays was a blast!
That is a lot of work. Just so you know… it is soooooo worth it. I love your classes Julie. Todays was a blast!
That is a lot of work. Just so you know… it is soooooo worth it. I love your classes Julie. Todays was a blast!
That is a lot of work. Just so you know… it is soooooo worth it. I love your classes Julie. Todays was a blast!
Oh!! Come to Massachusetts!!! Loved that!
Oh!! Come to Massachusetts!!! Loved that!
Oh!! Come to Massachusetts!!! Loved that!
Oh!! Come to Massachusetts!!! Loved that!
I enjoy reading abut your process for making kits and such.
I enjoy reading abut your process for making kits and such.
I enjoy reading abut your process for making kits and such.
I enjoy reading abut your process for making kits and such.
Thanks for sharing your process and doing these classes, it’s nice to see you working live…and prima products are lovely! Looking forward to the next show!
Thanks for sharing your process and doing these classes, it’s nice to see you working live…and prima products are lovely! Looking forward to the next show!
Thanks for sharing your process and doing these classes, it’s nice to see you working live…and prima products are lovely! Looking forward to the next show!
Thanks for sharing your process and doing these classes, it’s nice to see you working live…and prima products are lovely! Looking forward to the next show!
I know I’ve asked this before but I have to ask it again… why 2 p.m?! I am at work and they do not look kindly on those who 1. stream video and 2. don’t work while they’re at work. Could the class times alternate between day and night? Or are you booked at night pretty much all the time? I know I’m just one, wee lil fan of yours but if I don’t ask, I won’t know!
I know I’ve asked this before but I have to ask it again… why 2 p.m?! I am at work and they do not look kindly on those who 1. stream video and 2. don’t work while they’re at work. Could the class times alternate between day and night? Or are you booked at night pretty much all the time? I know I’m just one, wee lil fan of yours but if I don’t ask, I won’t know!
I know I’ve asked this before but I have to ask it again… why 2 p.m?! I am at work and they do not look kindly on those who 1. stream video and 2. don’t work while they’re at work. Could the class times alternate between day and night? Or are you booked at night pretty much all the time? I know I’m just one, wee lil fan of yours but if I don’t ask, I won’t know!
I know I’ve asked this before but I have to ask it again… why 2 p.m?! I am at work and they do not look kindly on those who 1. stream video and 2. don’t work while they’re at work. Could the class times alternate between day and night? Or are you booked at night pretty much all the time? I know I’m just one, wee lil fan of yours but if I don’t ask, I won’t know!
Kelli, I think this is something that Prima is still trying to work out. I do work a lot of nights, but we have discussed the possibility of alternating times too! I will certainly bring it up with Prima!
Kelli, I think this is something that Prima is still trying to work out. I do work a lot of nights, but we have discussed the possibility of alternating times too! I will certainly bring it up with Prima!
Kelli, I think this is something that Prima is still trying to work out. I do work a lot of nights, but we have discussed the possibility of alternating times too! I will certainly bring it up with Prima!
Kelli, I think this is something that Prima is still trying to work out. I do work a lot of nights, but we have discussed the possibility of alternating times too! I will certainly bring it up with Prima!