My Tips on Taggin' via Meylah Blog!

It was my pleasure to recently collaborate with the very sweet Courtney over at Meylah Blog! I just discovered Meylah blog and found it a very useful resource for those crafters and creatives hoping to increase and grow their businesses. There are tons of tips and great articles by crafters for crafters! Meylah also hosts a group on Flickr that has monthly photo contests so get out there, join, and share your work - May's theme is Mothers Day - and you have a chance to win a $25 prize towards your the next handmade goodie of your choice!


Here's my tips on handmade packaging for your crafty business:

Creating Great Hand Tags for Your Products

by Courtney Dirks / Timely Tidbits / May 6.10

 

You may recognize Jodie from Lova Revolutionary, our winner of April’s photo contest.  In reviewing the incredible images she shared with Meylah’s Flickr group, Encounters of the Creative Kind, I noticed Jodie’s amazing product tags and couldn’t resist asking her how they are made, so together we’ve collaborated to outline the tips and tricks she uses to create her stunning tags as we all know they can help you sell more!
Jodie personally creates all of her hand tags.  In the beginning, her priority was to keep costs as low as possible.  She mentioned "I had to be resourceful, and making my own tags and packaging that were great for my products seemed like the easiest and most cost effective way to go."

In a nutshell, here are the steps Jodie takes to create her beautiful product tags:
1. She designed her logo tag templates (with little experience in graphic design or paper crafting) using fonts and shapes within Microsoft Word, maximizing the available space within each template to get the most tags possible.
2. She prints her templates on cardstock from her home printer.
3. She hand cuts each logo tag.
4. Then she glues (using an Elmer’s glue stick) her logo tags to heavy weight double-sided patterned scrapbooking paper (her favorite brand is American Crafts because it tends to be thick and sturdy). 
5. The scrapbooking paper is then cut so there is a nice trim around the original logo tag (she typically gets 7 large tags or 20 small tags out of one sheet of scrapbooking paper).
6. She then edges the corners of each tag with a decorative corner punch.
7. When her tags are finished she uses various sizes of hole punches to affix the pins she makes as well as ribbon for attaching hang tags, leaving the back of tags plain so customers can use them to write a message if they're gift giving or for wholesale buyers to add their own barcodes or pricing.
8. Then, as Jodie says: "PRESTO, all finished!"

Jodie also made some great suggestions for you to consider if you tackle this project:

• Keep your eyes out at local discount stores (like Tuesday Morning or Big Lots), occasionally they will get reams of scrapbooking paper at a significant discount over your everyday craft stores.
• If you need to incorporate the price on your tags consider handwriting the price in pencil on the back or using stickers with the price that can easily be removed or covered up. 
• Decoupage glue works well for getting your tags to adhere to shiny or smooth surfaces such as jewelry boxes or jars. 
• Double thick paper is great for creating sturdier cards and tags.
• There are several free fonts available on the web if you want to get creative with your text designs.  You can also add photos and graphics to your templates. 
• Consider keeping elements of your graphics consistent between your store, your tags, your blog, etc. (such as your fonts, logo, and symbols). 

Finally, when I asked what tips Jodie had for creating great tags, she replied:
"Make them your own and don't be afraid to try and design something special for your own goodies! People love things that come in sweet little packages!  Your packaging is part of your branding and helps to create a cohesive look and completed design for your product. It can help make your product memorable and stand out in a crowd!  Last but not least, a little effort goes a long way, your customers will notice and appreciate that little bit of extra work that goes into your packaging!"  Thanks Jodie for the wonderful information and good luck to all of you creating your new product tags!

La Times : Independent artisans are crowding onto the Web

Lure of a global marketplace has craftspeople competing for shoppers through such sites as Etsy.com, Artfire.com and 1000 Markets.

SMALL BUSINESS

March 01, 2010|By Cyndia Zwahlen

The online indie craft scene is getting crowded as home-based entrepreneurs move beyond craft fairs or networks of friends to tap customers from around the globe.

Merchants offering handmade items are flocking to online websites such as Etsy, ArtFire and 1000 Markets to find buyers. Etsy said last week that it now has about 400,000 active online shops. They offer items ranging from the kitschy to the sublime.

Most sellers, some who own more than one online store, don't typically make a living from their handiwork, whether that's hand-painted silk scarves or hand-painted cow skulls.

And many find that selling online is tougher than expected. Competition among sellers has grown as more crowd online in response to the increased demand for handmade items. A recent search for "necklace" on Etsy.com, for example, turned up more than 600,000 results.

"It is a great vehicle, but because of so many jewelry shops on there, it's hard," said Eagle Rock jeweler Rose Braunstein, who has an online shop at Etsy.

Yet she and other artisans are drawn to the online marketplaces because of their reach and because the shops are inexpensive and easy to set up. Sites such as Etsy also make it easy to tap into a network of other crafty entrepreneurs for tips and support.

"Right now I have a very small craft empire, but one day I hope to be a very large craft empire" with the help of her online shop, said Erin Korda of Sherman Oaks.

There is no charge to set up a storefront on most sites. Sites make their money in part by charging sellers a percentage of each sale. 1000 Markets, for instance, takes 5.5% plus 50 cents. Etsy charges 3.5% and 20 cents to list an item for four months.

That may not sound like much, but listing fees can add up if sellers follow sites' advice to relist items daily so they show up higher in search results.

A popular site, Etsy has also attracted spoofs such as a Sherman Oaks site Regretsy that makes light of some of its offerings.

No one tracks the sales of handmade or vintage items, but the Craft & Hobby Assn. said consumers spent $27.3 billion on arts and crafts supplies in 2008. That's down 14.5% from 2008.

The interest in handmade goods, which some experts attribute to consumers' reaction to society's over-commercialization, has helped artisans such as jeweler Braunstein.

She quit her day job two years ago to make seed-bead mosaic rings and sterling silver jewelry, which she sells on Etsy, in brick-and-mortar shops and at craft shows.

Etsy, the largest online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods, has had growing pains since its launch in 2005. With the millions of transactions, buyers and sellers find things to complain about, including clunky searching and only bare-bones tools for sellers.

Changes meant to address some of the concerns are afoot at the company that reported gross sales of $180.6 million for 2009, spokesman Adam Brown said. The website's former chief executive, Robert Kalin, 29, who co-founded the company when he was 25 and remains its chairman and major shareholder, returned in December as CEO.

Etsy is hiring engineers to improve its search functions and create new seller tools, Brown said. The private New York company is also hiring customer-service workers as part of its plan to launch phone support this year.

The site works for Karen Koenig of West Los Angeles, who creates frog-skin leather cuff bracelets, among other leather goods, for her Unearthed sites on Etsy, 1000 Markets and ArtFire.

"We aren't Balenciaga," she said, referring to the luxury fashion brand. "But we are paying our bills."

It's so close to almost officially spring!

Holy Moly it's already March! Working on our 3rd month of 2010 and I never wrote much about goals or resolutions or anything like that, well maybe once! I had my Etsy-versary but didn't do much celebrating, just getting ready for the new year! LR is officially 1 year & 1 month old! I'll try to do a really cool giveaway sometime soon!

I feel like I've been totally absent here online but I've been working like crazy lately on tons of large orders, revamping the craft room, & spending way to much time with the dog! He even runs errands with me, he knows what 'post office' means. Man, I need friends IRL. ha!

But anyhow, I've spent the first part of this new year trying to reorganize and streamline LR, trying to make things more efficient and get a real work flow down. Everything I make is hand cut, hand stitched, handmade down to my packaging so anything I can do to save some time and produce more with my two little hands is totally necessary! Much of 2009 was trial & error and I learned a ton about having an online biz, wholesale, and working A LOT. 2010 has been rocking so far and I hope to improve overall in running my biz & cranking out tons of cute things this year! If anything, 2010 has got to be better than 2009 for all of us really! Let's face it, 2009 kind of sucked!

Anyhow, a few things I've Accomplished so far:

-New revamped Wholesale Catalog
-A few New Products - Acorn & Owl Plush, Card Wallets, Rosettes - more new goodies to come
- Just to name a few : I'm working on pillows - in different shapes resembling real cute things & regular square ones, things with patchwork, one more wallet design, possibly headbands, sachets, or eye pillows, & fingers crossed some handbags (I really want to make handbags!!!)
-New packaging & branding materials - product info cards, buttons, & packaging tags
-Offering Wholesale direct on Etsy
-Set up & still organizing new craft lab

Stuff I hope to accomplish in the near future:

-Getting all of my consigners adequately restocked for Spring
-Introducing some of the new items I'm working on! See above.
-Blogging more & keeping up with the flickr pool
-Getting a bunch of backstock together for shows & shipping out
-Trying to update the Etsy shop more often - at least 3 times a week! Actually I wouldn't mind trying to get more goodies into the Vintage shop as well!

Well, that's all for now! Keep checking back for updates on new goodies, posts from the flickr group, an upcoming giveaway, & other cool stuff!

Want to Wholesale Your Handmade?

Wholesale can be a great way to boost your sales, gain exposure, and generate a steady income if you're looking to craft full time. I saw this thread in the Etsy forums about Wholesaling and thought it would be helpful to those thinking about branching out and doing some wholesale.

Here's a few questions to think about when setting up your wholesale program:

1. Your minimum order? By price or items?

I offer a fairly low by price minimum first order and no minimums on reorders - Why? I want buyers to be able to try out new items and see what works for them. I sell all over the country and some items just do better in different locations. Chances are if your goodies sell like hotcakes they'll be back for a larger order next time around, you want to build long term relationships with your shops & buyers. They might not always need to purchase $300 worth of goods from you but simply want to restock for a full display. Full displays and product runs help to sell products.

2. Your price point (% of your retail price)?

Wholesale is generally 50% off retail prices, this is quite standard, be sure to price your items so you're still making a profit, if you find you aren't getting paid for your time & materials or certain items are in higher demand, its time to up those retail prices. If you sell necklaces on Etsy for $8, wholesale will be $4 + your time & materials. You probably want to double, maybe even triple your retail price. Boutiques have to double your wholesale price in order to pay for the merchandise and make a profit.

3. Your pricing tiers?

I don't offer pricing tiers, just a straight discount since my items are relatively affordable at both retail & wholesale prices. I think pricing tiers would work best for higher priced items that are made in more limited quantities such as high priced bags & jewelry. If you'd still like to offer your items at really affordable prices such as the $8 necklace this might work for you as well - don't offer wholesale pricing just offer tiered discounts such as 10% off $100 order, 25% off $250 order, etc.

4. Your return or buyback policies, if you have them?

No returns or buybacks. I think it might be best to offer an even dollar amount exchange. If a buyer had purchased some items that are not working for their shop, they might exchange for different items equal to that pricing amount.

5. Do you include suggested retail pricing?

I include wholesale price and suggested retail pricing in my wholesale catalog. Suggested retail pricing should remain relatively consistent between your Etsy shops, b&m shops, & craft shows. Your shops don't want you selling the same items for cheaper, even though they may mark it up higher than your retail price - that seems to be just the way she goes.

6. Do you put suggested retail price on the product?

I leave all hang tags and packaging unmarked, shop owners will often mark up past your retail prices and that should be their choice. From what I've seen, most shops with stick with your suggested retail pricing. Plus they may have their own barcodes, labels, etc that they want to add to your existing packaging.

7. How do retailers place orders?

I have a line sheet in my catalog that buyers can mail in or fax, offer wholesale direct on Etsy through a wholesale section, or just invoice via Paypal - Paypal has a nice invoicing tool available. Accept company checks as well, some buyers don't want to pay with cards and prefer checks for book keeping purposes. You might want to offer Net 30 terms and send your customers a bill. In most cases its best to get paid up front for all wholesale orders. If a buyer is serious about purchasing with you and has worked with small labels or designers before they should expect to be billed up front.

8. What are some creative ways to approach retailers?

Most accounts I've gotten simply from marketing online. I've also found offering wholesale direct on Etsy to be quite helpful. Of course, you can always mail a catalog & press pack, or approach neat shops in person - find out who the manager or store buyer is ahead of time and make an appointment. If meeting in person, be sure to bring some samples and a catalog, they want to see all your cute goodies!

9. How much do you charge for shipping & handling?

You might want to offer a shipping discount for wholesale, its a nice way to give customers a break. Charge a flat fee or just simply calculate based on location. I offer a flat shipping fee for wholesale, my items are relatively lightweight even in big bunches and well, it's just easier that way.

10. How quickly do you fill orders?

Turn around time varies depending on pending orders but I try to have about a week turn around time, two weeks at the most. Customers don't like to wait forever, so try to be prompt and stay within deadlines. Not sure if you'll have time to meet a deadline? Over estimate and try to come in under your deadline!



If you think you're ready to Wholesale, take the time to get together a nice catalog & linesheet, it gives you a professional look and helps to outline all your information and product offerings.

Be sure to include:

Photos of your items & descriptions - What is it? What is made out of? Size? Pricing?

Keep in mind your branding, if you have particular color schemes, fonts, logos, make sure your catalog reflects that.

A line sheet - include names of your pieces, a brief description, quantity, pricing, & totals. This is also a good place to outline all your wholesale terms discussed above.

Tell your buyer something about you - who you are, what you make, and any other quirky info!

Where else you sell your work - shop names & locations.

Any noteable press!


Hope this little overview was helpful! Anyone else have some great advice or tips? Be sure to leave your wholesaling wisdom in the comments below!

Buy Wholesale Lova Revolutionary Felt Goodies Direct on Etsy!

2009 was an incredible year! I'm looking forward to what 2010 will bring and have started restructuring and updating my shop on Etsy! Lots of new goodies will be making their way into the shop so be sure to check the blog & follow me on twitter! I'm now offering most of my popular felt goodies direct on Etsy at bulk pricing - tweet bird & hoot owl keychains & brooches, hearts, plush, & more, direct at wholesale for resellers, boutique owners, & customers needing larger lots for wedding parties, baby showers, and other special events that are in need of cute felt things! Check out my new Wholesale section on Etsy! I also have a wholesale catalog available just click on email me to inquire ---------->

Flickr Picks : Lova Revolutionary Blog

Big Sheep T-Shirt by Devicious

Polka Dot Clutch by beehiveknitts

Adieu Tristesse Statement Necklace by Whiteowl Remade

Chocolate Damask by CottonColors

Felt Owl Keychains @ Lova Revolutionary : Handmade

New @ Lova Revolutionary : Handmade + Art - Felt Owl Keychains! I've been toting one of these guys on my keyring for a few weeks now - big time saver when trying to find my keys in my overly large purse! I'll be adding a few more of these hoots to the shop this week & also some entirely new items! Stay tuned on the blog as well, for more Flickr Picks, new items, & my Etsy-versary Giveaway announcement (Coming, very, very soon!)

Find these & more @ Lova Handmade!

Clive Thompson on the Revolution in Micromanufacturing - wired.com

See also : Can Etsy Save the Economy? @ re-nest/apartment therapy

Last summer I spent weeks shopping for an anniversary present for my wife. I searched all my usual retail sources but couldn't find anything that hit just the right note. Then I went to Etsy—an ecommerce site where artisans sell unique handmade goods—and found the microstore of ClockworkZero, a woman who turns old electronics gear into steampunk accessories. Presto: ClockworkZero's stuff was both gorgeous and geeky, precisely the vibe I craved. I came away with a necklace made from a vintage vacuum tube.

It turns out that I'm not alone in my search for that perfect one-off treasure. Judging from the explosive growth of Etsy and other online boutiques, the Web is spawning a curious new trend: micro-manufacturing. Consider the numbers. Etsy has 2 million users buying nearly $90 million worth of stuff annually. Its sales have increased twentyfold in the past two years. I was aware of the site but had dismissed it as some sort of urban-hipster thing—until I started seeing chatter about it on discussion boards for wealthy professionals and stay-at-home moms.

The economy may be cratering, but people are stampeding to handmade goods. Why? Part of it is a supply-side phenomenon: Thanks to the Web-fueled boom in DIY culture, there are more one-of-a-kind products being made. With sites like Instructables.com, Makezine.com, and Knithappens.com, it's now feasible to train yourself in a marketable craft using nothing but online guides. You can learn even derangedly complex knitting patterns or skills like circuit-soldering when you've got a YouTube video walking you through each step.

And if you're making awesome stuff in your spare time, pretty soon you'll start thinking: Hey, I could sell this, couldn't I? Not a bad way to recession-proof your household.

The other side of the equation is demand. The Etsy guys attribute their success in part to customers tiring of cookie-cutter products. "The '90s were the period of wearing big-box names on your chest," says Adam Brown, who heads up Etsy's cooperative advertising program. The site's popularity may also be a reaction to the slightly sour, rummage-sale feel that taints eBay, progenitor of the modern microbusiness.

But I believe our craving for one-off goods goes deeper yet. Digital culture has always been about customization and individuality: blogging your thoughts, designing monster houses in The Sims, Flickring your life, crafting unviewable MySpace backgrounds. It's all about creating a personalized aesthetic. After years of molding the digital world to suit our style, is it any wonder we want to do the same to the physical realm?

As Virginia Postrel wrote in her superb book The Substance of Style, Americans have become more discriminating over the past few decades. In the '60s and '70s, we worried about getting good-quality stuff, she says, because mass-market manufacturing was often of such poor quality. But most products these days are decent: the bargain-basement TV you get at Best Buy will last 15 years. So now we're focusing more on aesthetics, beauty, and uniqueness.

Indeed, as this market evolves, the physical world is going to be increasingly customized—built to your specs by craftspeople. Etsy now runs a service that lets you describe something you want—a pair of pants, a shoulder bag, a table—and how much you'll pay, then artisans can offer to make it for you. (Ponoko.com has a similar setup.) And as high-end atom-hacking tools like 3-D milling and laser cutting become cheaper, those folks on Etsy will be able to quickly deliver you customized versions of a huge array of personal products: Laptops, bicycles, even robots. The Age of Bespoke Everything, as it were.

Oh, and for the record: My wife loved the necklace.

Email clive@clivethompson.net.

Crafty buggers - theage.com.au

Once the epitome of uncool, craft is making a comeback with a new generation. Rachelle Unreich threads up to find a burgeoning movement that is hip, political - and just a little divided.

If you were to meet Gemma Jones on the street, you might notice the following: hair swept up in a beehive, distinctive, quirky tattoos (one, on her arm, features a hand pointing to a teapot), loud clothing and a green plastic necklace that says "snotty". You might be surprised to learn, then, that Jones also started her own craft group. Mind you, hers is not your crochet-a-tea-cosy group of grannies: her "alternative craft co-op", the Kaotic Kraft Kuties, once got together and turned old band T-shirts into knickers. "I'm probably at the young, punk-rock end of the craft community," she says.

Is there such a thing? Yes, indeed. The art of craft has gained momentum with the hipsters. Sewing, toy making, knitting, crocheting, embroidery and printing - in that order - are the most popular crafts, says 40-year-old Pip Lincolne, who sells many such handmade items at her store, Meet me at Mike's. The author of a book of craft projects, she also heads up craft circle Brown Owls, which has 250 members and a Facebook presence. Clearly, Nanna's not the only one making Afghan squares any more.

"Crafting used to be looked on as something for grannies or Stepford wives, but apart from an amazing way to get creative, people also do it to be green and sustainable. It's the 'mend and make do' ethic," says Lincolne, explaining its appeal. "And now, with the global financial crisis, people are staying home and crafting or reading. It's lovely to be able to sit in front of the tele and end up with something unique."

But these women - the groups are almost exclusively female, mainly between 20 and 35 - aren't just meeting to complete their quilts. Says Lincolne: "The craft community is like a big, stitched-together sorority. I had no hesitation, for instance, to email (documentary filmmaker) Faythe Levine in the US, asking her over for a cup of tea when she was in Melbourne (to promote her film on craft, Handmade Nation), because we're cobbled together with the same sort of glue - we both like making stuff! And she came over, we hung out, I introduced her to other friends. The craft world is about making, music, food and friends - and the other elements are as important to me as the 'making'."

Gemma Jones agrees. "Half of the reason people come is social. I can definitely say I've made some friends for life." To wit: Ink & Spindle is a Melbourne screen-printing studio whose owners - Lara Cameron, Bianca van Meeuwen and Tegan Rose - furthered a friendship through the craft blogging world and set up shop together. "The community feels old-worldy and everybody knows everybody in it: if you think back to the pre-industrial revolution, it's the sort of community you'd have in your village then," says 25-year-old Rose.

Only this is a village with broadband access. Nearly every modern crafter concedes that the internet has changed the world of crafting, since DIYers start blogs, form online clubs, post photos on Flickr, swap ideas and sell their wares online. Etsy.com, a marketplace for all things handmade, has been going for less than four years but has 170,000 sellers on board. According to Bec Davies, 32, owner of madeit.com.au, which features 350 Australian sellers, "The internet becomes a large part of your life: not only as a selling tool, but a social network where good friendships are formed." But Jones points out that "while the internet plays a strong part in keeping the network together, what makes crafting appealing is the very hands-on, realness of it all."

Perhaps that's why it's not a passing whim, forgotten when the next Twitter trend arises. "Rather than a fad, it's a way of life," says Lincolne. Part of Lincolne's philosophy is that crafting should create something positive. "Twice a year, Meet me at Mike's puts a call out for people to craft for the Mirabel Foundation (which helps children who've been abandoned or orphaned due to parental drug use). They make a soft toy, and we pass them on to the kids at Mirabel. But first, we display the toys for two months in our shop window; it's important that our neighbourhood sees that we're putting (something) back in." Similarly, the Kaotic Kraft Kuties held a raffle of donated craft and artwork that raised more than $12,000 for bushfire survivors.

Rayna Fahey, 29, of www.radicalcrossstitch.com, takes the notion of crafting for good even further. As part of one of the "craftivists" around, she uses craft as a form of creative action and protest, addressing topics such as indigenous sovereignty and women's liberation. As such, she's the co-founder of the Melbourne Craft Cartel - for crafters with a radical edge - which runs events and produces a podcast. She thinks craft has become hip because "many young people have come to the conclusion that rampant consumerism has to end". The resurgence of handmade has a lot to do with people wanting to reduce their impact on the Earth. She also sees the current financial crisis as a factor. "It's certainly increased interest in the economic benefits of craft. The last time we had a global depression was the birth of the classic craft saying, 'Use it up, wear it up, make do or go without'."

By contrast, Jones believes the edginess inherent in the new craft movement has resulted in an attitude that's almost "anti-nesting". "I don't think that the personality of new crafters is about retreating or getting cosy or feeling the fear; it's about getting out and being loud."

Within crafting, there are different approaches. On the one hand, Jones represents the attitude of many crafters who've responded to a world that combines kitsch and creativity. "It's about doing things in an individual way, and it's a bit dirty and a bit wrong," says Jones. "It's about injecting a bit of humour into it. It's not about getting all the stitches right; it's about having fun."

Typical of this point of view is Shannon Lamden, who sells everything from tote bags to cushions through her Etsy store, Aunty Cookie. "I am self-taught; I don't come from an overly crafty background, and I can't sew a straight line, but I try hard and I like to think I cover up my mistakes well."

At the other end of the spectrum are crafting traditionalists, such as Pene Durston, 43. She owns a craft design store, Cottage Industry, sits on the board of Craft Victoria and airs her opinions on MissPenPen.blogspot.com. With a weighty background in textile design, she also teaches at RMIT. "Craft is not something I've come to in the last couple of years. A lot of people crafting at the moment came to it really late. There's a whole generation of people who never learned to knit or crochet or mend - they just went to a store and bought ... it's a different mentality." While Durston has no problem with this approach, she has reservations when it comes to some of these goods being sold.

"These days, a lot of people are selling crap; it's not up to a good enough standard ... Now, craft is a very loose term covering a lot of things - ceramics, textile and fashion - and it's also done by hobbyists, as well as professionals. There is a vast difference." Although she stresses that there's a place in the craft world for everyone, she is concerned that the ethos behind institutions such as Craft Victoria could be lost - "the importance of the 'hand' in the production of work, and the high level of skill invested by makers in their craft."

Her thoughts are partly echoed by Douglas & Hope owner Cathy Hope, 39, who sells her quilts - along with fashion and homewares - through her store. "Quilting is such a long-term investment; the first ones I did took a year each to make. There's a fine line between good, commercial craft and - without saying it awfully - the bad. I would encourage everyone to sit at night and do something creative. But when they want to turn it into an industry ... there needs to be a certain standard of quality."

Still, both groups would agree that the world of craft is more vibrant than ever. Levine's movie, Handmade Nation, outlines the indie edginess of craft, featuring artists such as Whitney Lee, who uses latch-hooking pornography to convey her views about the way women are portrayed in the media. Levine's film also profiles a guerilla knitting group named Knitta ("PolyCotN" is the name of one of the founders), which places knitted objects in public places - one wrapped around a cab antenna in New York, another covering a rock along the Great Wall of China - making it a yarn version of graffiti.

"For a long while," says Jones, "craft has been a little bit of a dirty word, but now people are embracing it and giving it new value. I'm glad I've been part of that ... There really is a big groundswell of people who want to connect with crafting. Maybe it's partly fashion and trend-hopping, but some of these people who jumped on the bandwagon have had their lives changed. They're not getting off."

Want to get crafty? Places to start

www.Etsy.com Sells handcrafted items from all over the globe. Prices are in US dollars, but most sellers ship to Australia.

Meet me at Mike's (http://meetmeatmikes.blogspot.com, 63 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy) Fashion, homewares and quirky gifts make up this cool emporium.

My Poppet (www.mypoppet.com.au, 717 Glenhuntly Road, Caulfield South) Carries handcrafted clothes and accessories plus kids' decor and toys.

Patchwork on Central Park (www.patchworkoncentralpark.com.au, 148 Burke Road, Malvern East) Fabric heaven for sewers, with patterns and kits available. It also runs classes.

in.cube8r (www.incube8r.com.au, 321 Smith Street, Fitzroy) More than 75 crafters hire cubes to showcase their wares.

Craft Victoria (www.craftvic.asn.au, 31 Flinders Lane, city) Its shop, Counter, features limited-edition homeware items, jewellery and accessories. An exhibition Viva La Craft! is on until April 24.

http://craftcitymelbourne.blogspot.com A directory of what's happening in Melbourne's craft world.

Happy Medium - NYtimes.com

By ROB WALKER

THE CRAFTY CHICA

Kathy Cano-Murillo — better known to fans as the Crafty Chica — has gradually expanded her audience for years, making objects with a glittery Latino aesthetic and offering instructions and tips to those who want to do the same. Her most recent venture is the creation of a line of branded craft supplies and packaged projects, and it is finding its way into mass retail. In a way, this is a natural transition: first, Martha Stewart told us what to do, then she sold the branded material we needed to do it. But this may be less a story of someone with a niche following going mainstream than an example of the evolution of the do-it-yourself business in general.

In 1990, Cano-Murillo and her husband, Patrick Murillo, began collaborating on paintings and other items, using what she calls a Mexican Pop Art style: bright colors, skulls, saints and campy-vintage imagery. While they had some success, they also had trouble turning it into a sustainable business, and Cano-Murillo, who lives in Phoenix, took a part-time job in the production department of The Arizona Republic newspaper. She became a news clerk and later an entertainment writer. She resisted an assignment to do an “arts and crafts” column for the paper until she discovered the Web site Getcrafty.com, where a new and more youthful version of the D.I.Y. idea was taking shape; that was 1999. By the following year she wasn’t simply writing about the craft scene; she was part of it, starting her own CraftyChica.com site.

Cano-Murillo, who in conversation projects astonishing positivity, calls her entrepreneurial style “enthusiastic desperation.” This translates to a range of tactics to convert creativity into a business: selling handmade jewelry and various arty objects; publishing several how-to books (her latest, “Crafty Chica’s Guide to Artful Sewing,” is just out); and even offering a Crafty Chica cruise-ship package. Her product line — including Crafty Chica Glitter, Mojito Papers for use in scrapbooking or decoupage projects and the Love Shrine Workshop-in-a-Box — first appeared on the shelves of Michaels, the big-box craft-supplies chain, and a variety of independent shops last year. But the aesthetic of Crafty Chica and of much of the Web craft generation seems in some ways an odd fit for traditional craft retail. Cano-Murillo recalls searching a trade show for examples of “cool, Latino-centric” craft products just a few years ago and finding nothing more than jalapeño stickers and the like. (“Ooh, olé,” she says dryly.) But at the most recent Craft and Hobby Association convention and trade show in January, that decidedly mainstream organization made the “indie craft” movement a main focus, choosing Cano-Murillo as a success-story special guest on the subject. (Another featured guest was Jenny Hart, whose Sublime Stitching embroidery designs run more toward tattoo art than, say, floral patterns.)

Anecdotal reports have suggested that the business of crafting may not be suffering quite so much as the rest of the retail landscape in the current recession. But whatever the state of the economy, the Craft and Hobby Association is largely focused on expanding the sales of its mass-oriented member companies. (Alt-craft aside, the show also included a preview of craft products from, of all people, Paris Hilton.) And it’s fair to say that some indie crafters are skeptical about the attention. CraftyPod, an influential blog and podcast, noted with exasperation that the material at the show described new-wave crafters in the context of “the hippie generation.” Cano-Murillo is perhaps uniquely situated to bridge this craft gap. She’s widely known in the indie world and has built her own contact list of a few hundred indie stores. But last year she quit her newspaper job to work for Duncan Enterprises, maker of well-known craft products like Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue, and that move made it possible to approach big chains like Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft. (She still writes her syndicated craft column.)

What Cano-Murillo seems to get is that if the mainstream D.I.Y. business considers the growing indie craft scene as a way to expand its market, then any given indie crafter can seize that attention to do the same thing. For her the point isn’t to become another Martha Stewart — it’s more the opposite of that. “Martha has always been an inspiration to me, in a weird way, because I cannot do her type of crafts, no matter how hard I try,” Cano-Murillo says. “So my thing has been embracing that I can’t do it — and celebrating my own style.” And now, it happens, she can do so in a mainstream retail setting.

A Craft Revolution - Columbus Dispatch

New generation of do-it-yourselfers churns out goods

Thursday, March 5, 2009 3:39 AM

By Kevin Joy

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Embroidery instructor Amy Dalrymple Murphy, left, helps Jill Burton get started during an embroidery class at Wholly Craft!

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COURTNEY HERGESHEIMER | DISPATCH

Embroidery instructor Amy Dalrymple Murphy, left, helps Jill Burton get started during an embroidery class at Wholly Craft!

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COURTNEY HERGESHEIMER | DISPATCH

Crocheted anatomical heart Shannon Gerard (Toronto): $8

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LEONARDO CARRIZO | DISPATCH PHOTOS

Crocheted anatomical heart Shannon Gerard (Toronto): $8

Bottlecap pin Emily Kircher (Madison, Wis.): $5

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Bottlecap pin Emily Kircher (Madison, Wis.): $5

Ohio corn pin AmyD (Columbus): $5

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Ohio corn pin AmyD (Columbus): $5

Hand-sewn stationery Umbrella Girl Productions (Columbus): $7

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Hand-sewn stationery Umbrella Girl Productions (Columbus): $7

Olivera Bratich, owner of Wholly Craft! in the Clintonville neighborhood

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COURTNEY HERGESHEIMER | DISPATCH

Olivera Bratich, owner of Wholly Craft! in the Clintonville neighborhood

Inside a cotton-candy-colored shop, where crocheted cupcakes hang in the windows and indie-rock tunes float through the air, seven women sat with sewing needles.

Their teacher, 39-year-old Amy Dalrymple Murphy, sporting pink Converse sneakers and jeans with pinup-girl patches, struggled to perfect a difficult stitch.

"OK, this one makes you want to shoot someone in the face," she said. "But isn't it pretty?"

Hosting the kitschy klatsch: Wholly Craft!, a Clintonville neighborhood shop whose shelves hold jewelry made from recyclables, tote bags fashioned from T-shirts and body soap in the shape of grenades.

Patrons can buy washable cloth menstrual pads, aprons with a sewn-in pocket for beer bottles or embroidery patterns featuring geese and the phrase "Honk if you're horny."

"People think things are low-quality if they're goofy," said shop owner Olivera Bratich, 28. "But the best stuff can be offbeat and irreverent."

Although independent crafters have been doing business for years, their wares were typically relegated to infrequent bazaars or homespun Web sites.

A rise in the do-it-yourself culture, blog buzz and the desire to shop locally have helped old-school crafting make a comeback, fueled by new-wave aesthetics and an all-inclusive attitude.

"There's been a big resurgence," said Adam Brown, spokesman for www.etsy.com, a New York marketplace for crafts. "You're buying directly from the creator."

Founded in 2005, Etsy counts 200,000 active sellers and lists 3.2 million handmade items. It took in about $90 million in total sales last year.

Murphy was one of only a few Etsy sellers in Columbus when she joined four years ago. Now, Brown said, central Ohio counts more than 1,000 sellers on the site, with several locals among Etsy's overall top earners.

"(Etsy) changed what people's idea of crafting is," Murphy said. "I could relate to all this stuff I had never seen before."

Such business, however, isn't exclusive to the Web. Brick-and-mortar spaces for crafts are growing, and, in some cases, thriving.

Bratich opened Wholly Craft! in 2005, moving two years later to a larger neighboring storefront as her clientele grew. The goods, sold on consignment, are made by independent crafters throughout North America with cheeky product lines such as Damned Dollies and Get Felt Up. Many sellers are in central Ohio.

Murphy, who makes custom clothing from "found" materials, opened a shop nearby last summer.

Sew to Speak -- a store dealing in independent fabrics and sewing instruction, which last month celebrated its first year in business -- operates on High Street north of Henderson Road.

And, in December, Washington transplant Libby Bruce opened the high-end yarn store Wonder Knit next to Wholly Craft! along a retail strip the 27-year-old has dubbed the "Clintonville Crafts District."

Meanwhile, about 20 alt-crafters known as the Columbus Crafty Cotillion meet monthly to encourage one another while cultivating and promoting local crafts.

Most sellers still rely on day jobs to make a living. But the work, with its anti-corporate roots in punk-rock culture, is satisfying, said Emily-Kitturah Westenhouser, a 30-year-old Columbus art teacher who makes hand-sewn stationery from vintage paper.

"I think people are really excited to buy handmade things," she said.

Amy Neiwirth, an art teacher from the Short North who creates polymer-clay jewelry pieces that resemble food and sweets, said she's "lucky to break even" but has expanded to sell her crafts at Chicago and Boston stores.

Thanks to networking, Neiwirth's work last year caught the eye of Hollywood: Pieces from her Sweet Stella Designs label were included in the MTV Movie Awards gift bags.

"My time-management skills are getting a workout," said Neiwirth, 28. "It's a labor of love."

Her peers understand.

At a recent Columbus Crafty Cotillion gathering, an open get-together on the last Monday of each month at the Surly Girl Saloon, the ladies wind down by talking business, Bedazzlers and boyfriends over beers.

"I know I can come here and say, 'What are you working on?' " said Megan Green, a 31-year-old office manager and crafter from Merion Village who makes soap and plush monsters.

"They're an awesome source of inspiration."

kjoy@dispatch.com

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Gatherings

Some developments in the growing alt-craft scene:

• The addition of an indie-craft fair to the sixth Agora gathering, a twice-yearly art, music and performance show at Junctionview Studios in Grandview Heights

• The return of Artisan Sundays at the North Market -- a summer craft sale founded last year that will be staged twice monthly from May through October

• The continuation of the Craftin' Outlaws and Tiny Canary fairs in the fall (seller applications for both events are up, organizers say)

• The debut -- in the spring -- of three new craft-centered events: Kidzartz, the Columbus Torah Academy Craftstravaganza and the Etsy Team Columbus Eco-Chic Craftacular

• The Ohio State Fair's recent approval of Columbus Crafty Cotillion's indie-craft bazaar at this year's fair

Hey Ohio!!! You can now find Lova Revolutionary : Handmade + Art @ Wholly Craft! Stop by and check out my lovely Owl Brooches, Birdie Brooches, & Big Tweet Plush! (P.S. My fam hails from the Cleveland Area, Go Ohio! Get Crafty)

Crafting: A Silver Lining in a Tough Economy - MSNBC.com

Looking for an outlet for your creativity? Crafting is bucking the economic meltdown. Here are the latest crafting trends you should know about.

By Laura Tiffany

Entrepreneur.com

updated 2:00 p.m. ET March 11, 2009

In economic times like these, the urge to hunker down in your house, limit spending and jump off the merry-go-round of shopping, credit and consumerism can be strong. And one way for people to step outside the system, if just for a few hours a week, is crafting. Rather than being a consumer, a crafter becomes a manufacturer; the end result of a night on the couch isn't three hours of empty Tivo space, but a scarf, toy or handmade holiday ornament that one can give away, keep or sell.

While data are still being compiled for 2008, the Craft and Hobby Association reported that in 2007, craft sales in 39 categories reached nearly $32 billion, and nearly 57 percent of U.S. households engage in crafting. Online handmade goods siteEtsy.comreported $88 million in sales in 2008, a significant increase over 2007 sales of $26 million. With 1.9 million members and more than 200,000 sellers, Etsy enjoyed $9.9 million in sales in January alone.

Like most retail sectors, it's likely that craft sales may decrease in the coming months. But all signs point to more and more people diving into this market, both as consumers of supplies and handmade gifts, and as entrepreneurs selling their own items and supplies.

At the January CHA show, spirits were high as manufacturers and retailers recognized that the economic climate creates more folks ready to put needle to fabric and stamp to paper to join a crafting revolution that's been in the works for more than a decade.

Some of the big crafting trends present at the show, which featured more than 900 exhibitors, include:

Scrapbooking. This is the most robust craft category that CHA tracks, and scrapbooking companies had by far the strongest presence at the show. While paper still rules scrapbookers' supply cabinets, many crafters are taking skills such as stamping, painting and decoupage into other media for jewelry making--like sandwiching tiny art between glass slides for a pendant or stamping blank wooden bangles. Another trend is personalization of supplies--companies such asBoss KutandJustRite Stampersallow crafters to create their own supplies, such as die cuts and acrylic stamps.

Most heartening, there's still plenty of room for startup companies in this field.Rusty Pickle, a paper company that defines itself in the marketplace with its edgy designs, was started in 2003 by Tasha and Lance Anderson. They release new designs monthly, and most of their products are sold in independent scrapbooking stores. The Andersons reach such stores organically, by teaching at more than 30 scrapbooking conventions across the country.

Christian and Angela Magnuson startedUnity Stamp Co.in Minnesota just last May. They're receiving a good reception online for their unique eco-friendly stamps, which contain significantly less wood than traditional stamps and are packaged with recycled paper. "There are some people who are going to change [to our stamps] just because they like our packaging," Christian says.

Green crafting. It turns out that the Magnusons are on the forefront of the huge green craft movement. Scrapbooking suppliers are using recycled paper. Manufacturers such as Berwick Offray and Coats and Clark are using earth-friendly materials--bamboo, recycled cotton and a new acrylic blend created from recycled water bottles--to create yarn and ribbons. Wooden bangles, fromDIYBangles.com,come from a tree in India that reaches full growth in just seven years and requires no chemical processes for drying.

"Crafting in general is kind of green," says Sarah Meehan, marketing manager for Stampington & Co., an independent magazine publisher that's launching Green Craft magazine later this year and already features re-use titles such as Altered Couture. "People are recycling and reusing things that they have, revamping them, bringing them up to speed."

Crafts for kids. Kid-specific kits and products are hotter than ever, even in this tough economy. "Unfortunately, the schools cut a lot of creative areas, so it's up to the parents to do it at home. And I really think [crafts have] become an important part of the American family," says Jenny Lowe, design director of Moorestown, N.J.-basedSbar's Inc., a 50-year-old supplier of family-friendly crafts that has lived through its share of recessions. "Kids are just so eager to accomplish something. And let's face it--crafting gets them away from the computer."

Some companies foresee growth in this area because of parents wanting to craft with their kids. Parents can purchase a $15 kit and have a fun evening at home, rather than pay $50 to take the family to the movies. There are also ancillary customers, such as church camps and Scout troops. And of course, there's always the need for kids' birthday gifts, too.

"We've grown our business," says Melissa Milne, North American sales vice president forThe Orb Factory, a Canadian company that makes Sticky Mosaic kits, which allow kids to make mosaics with paint-by-number-style stickers. "Our year-end is March 31, and we hit our target for this year two months ago." The company, which was started by owner Steve Kay in 1993, will see its sales increase 50 percent, according to Milne.

Sewing. Among crafters, sewing is the new knitting. "The No. 1 craft onCraftsteris sewing clothing. It's disproportionately popular," says Leah Kramer, founder of the site. Trend Hunter Research listed "Credit Crunch Couture" as its No. 1 trend, citing the poor economy for an uptick in interest in making your own fashions.

When indie crafter Kathy Cano-Murillo set out to design her second line ofCrafty Chicaproducts for Duncan Crafts, she chose to target sewers with her trademark Latino motifs. "I knew that sewing was an emerging trend, and my [grandmother] was a really good seamstress. That empowered me," says Murillo, who's run her art business with her husband for 19 years in Arizona. "So when it came to do the second round of CraftyChica, I was like, 'Please, can we do stuff with fabric.' "

Tough times tend to spur creativity. As an entrepreneur, there are few better ways to channel your creativity than in a crafts business. Whether you start to find your artistic voice or you do it to sell personalized gifts, crafting makes the most out of your creativity--as an artist and as an entrepreneur.

Copyright © 2009 Entrepreneur.com, Inc.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29638824/

Shop Lova Revolutionary : Handmade + Art @ Wholly Craft! - Columbus, Ohio

Recently, shipped off some goodies to Wholly Craft! in Columbus, Ohio! If you're in the Columbus area stop by to Check out new goodies from Lova Revolutionary : Handmade + Art ! Awesome birdie brooches, owl brooches, & big tweet bird plush arriving soon!

Owl Brooches Felt & Hand Embroidery $10

Birdie Brooches Felt & Vintage Fabric $10

Big Tweet Bird Felt & Vintage Fabric Plush $20

Crafty Animal Things from Etsy.com Love Flickr Pool

El bandido Moleskin Notebooks by Cat Hayward
scatterboxoriginals.etsy.com

Egg by Doodle Bird / mysterypetz.etsy.com
mysterypetz.etsy.com

Joe the Happy V-day Heart by SR Harris
srharris.etsy.com

Etsy Shop Fav of the Day : Made by Mavis

I absolutely adore Made by Mavis! Ana @ Made by Mavis creates the most cute & lovely terrariums, so green & lively! I recently acquired a cute terrarium at local craft show, mine came in a large tall canning jar, complete with rock, bell, & penguin (which I asked the crafter to switch out of another jar, it was a really cute penguin!), of course, a Star Wars mini was quickly added to the mix by bf upon arrival home. I truly want to be a plant person, however, the only plant I can seem to keep alive is a stick of bamboo that I got from IKEA. I tried growing herbs once, but in the hazardous environment of the kitchen, they didn't last long. I'm thinking of starting a garden soon but am afraid I will just end up with a big dirt square in the yard and no yummy, delicious veggies. We'll see what happens, I'll probably do it. My terrarium is even looking a little sad these days - and this is supposed to be the one plant you don't have to take care of! I tried adding a little water a few months ago but it only made the situation worse! Its still alive, the little strawberry plant inside is still growing but its not exactly as green & beautiful as it once was.

Here's my fav from Made by Mavis (cutest terrarium shop ever - read her Etsy Seller Feature Here) This would match my kitchen and my vintage Pyrex!!!

Avocado Green Pyrex Terraruim from Made by Mavis

Made by Mavis

Neat Things from the CRAFT Magazine Flickr Pool

Recycled Leather Elephants by Loopy Dolls

Tea Cup Cozie By Knit Storm

Deer in Apothecary Jar - AliciaDesign

Cute Felt Slippers by gaudblogvrudaii

Spread Even More Love! V-day is coming soon! New Items @ lovahandmade.etsy.com

Love Birds #2 Set of 4 Hoops with Hand Embroidery $18.00

New Felt Puffy Heart Shaped Brooches $8.00

http://lovahandmade.etsy.com