Craft Revolution really wants to know what \\\’indie\\\’ means to you. Do you love it? Hate it? We\\\’d also like to hear you tell us- in your
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The Arcade of Professional Artisans and Craftsmen
Originally uploaded by lunafate ♥ natural magic
First, an explanation (from here):
“What is “Buy/Sell”?
Buy/Sell refers to items that an artist or craftsperson offers for sale but does not actually make. Rather, they are purchased from others - including commercial enterprises - and then presented on the website as though they are the creation of the exhibitor.
If you have participated in juried real world art and craft shows, then you know that “buy/sell” is a real problem, and is driving down the quality of some shows. Buy/sell gives the art & craft collector the impression that they are purchasing genuine handmade work from a specific exhibitor, when in fact that exhibitor is nothing more than a re-seller. ”
Now, on to the post. This past week my family vacationed in Saint Augustine, FL. We had a very enjoyable trip and got to see many wonderful sights - including an old-world candy shop, which the kids loved almost as much as I did.
The history and importance of the city really is impressive. That is why I was so disappointed to come across The Arcade of Professional Artisans and Craftsmen” and see what was being offered. Aside from a couple painters and a potter, everything in the place was buy/sell- to the point where even my husband wondered how these people are allowed to make the claims they do when their work is obviously NOT handcrafted.
According to Federal Trade Commission code, companies should adhere to the following ‘truth in advertising’ rules:
* Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive;
* Advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims; and
* Advertisements cannot be unfair.
Doesn’t passing off imported works from China as hand crafted by a local artisan constitute a violation of these rules? What is our responsibility as crafters in regards to these companies? Should we be reporting them in an effort to combat their deceptive practices or just ignoring them? How much do you think they hurt the business of ‘real’ artists and crafters?
I’d really love to hear the opinion of others on this one!
Any small business owner knows that keeping the cash flow healthy in a budding business is a challenge. This problem is multiplied for crafty business owners since the supplies we purchase are often based on a want- rather than a need- basis.
I have an especially hard time resisting new designer cotton fabrics when they come out. With average prices between eight and twelve dollars a yard, this can quickly add up to a very full studio and not-so-full business checking account.
Luckily for me, I have recently found several fabric co-ops that have allowed me to buy the fabrics I love at much more reasonable prices.
Willow Fabric Co-op is a relatively new group that includes many etsy sellers. The leader, Missy, has been fantastic at seeking out the hottest new designer prints and making them available to the rest of us for very reasonable costs.
Buy the Bolt is a new group that allows those of us with major fabric needs to purchase fabrics, well, by the bolt! Instead of each designer meeting a large bolt minimum (sometimes up to eight bolts per order), this group allows individuals to place single bolt orders at wholesale prices. The first order is for Michael Miller’s new line, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a big one!
Fabrics and Notions is a very active, very large group that purchases a wide array of fabrics, notions and sewing aids at wholesale for the group. If you join this group, be warned, there is a very large volume of messages each day- I get the daily digest and skim the topics each day to be sure I haven’t missed a buy that I’d like to participate in.
Some tips for participating in fabric co-op groups:
Read the Files
When you get approved for a group, a number of files will automatically be emailed to you from yahoo. They will usually arrive as a word document attached to the email. READ THEM! These files will explain the basics of how to order, pay, and who to ask if you have questions. You will save yourself and the group leader a lot of time and frustration by following this step.
Don’t pay early, and don’t pay late
Some groups will ask for payment when ordering, others will want to wait until the fabric comes in to make sure that everything is accounted for and to avoid refunds for missing fabric. Again, it is very important to read the files and understand the group’s payment policies. Paying early causes headaches for the group administrator and paying late can hold up the order for everyone.
Show Your Appreciation!
This is a big one. Running a fabric co-op is a lot of work and most take very little for their time and energy. Make sure you let them know that you appreciate the opportunity they are providing and perhaps offer to help if you can.
Supply co-ops are another great way that the professional crafting community comes together to support all of its members in making their ventures successful. If you’re not sure that you’d like to participate yet, don’t let that stop you from joining a group that looks interesting. Read the messages and get a feel for the group. Then, if you’re comfortable, try placing a smaller order (Willow Fabric, for instance, allows you to order in one-yard quantities) and see how it works out for you.
Remember, co-ops aren’t just for fabrics. Try doing a search at Yahoo Groups to see if there’s a coop running for the supplies you use in your crafts. Odds are there are a few out there!
Do you know of more co-ops for crafty business people? Post a comment!
Creative marketing methods can seem so difficult to find. It isn’t often that I stumble across great marketing methods, but today I found one in the Craft Revolution Flickr Group. A post by fantazya fantazies led me to her website, where I found this:
I need the collaboration of artists around the world who want to promote their art. Each page will correspond to a day and will be designed by an artist. This is a free publication and each participant will get the diary at almost the cost price.
Idea: you can make a handmade cover and give it like a present, or resale it with your handmade cover. I will print them on beautiful paper but I didn’t choose it yet. Keep coming on that page to see the evolution of the project.
What a great idea! The concept of collaborative visual art and design as a marketing tool is wonderful. Have you collaborated on projects in the past that brought you business? If so, please feel free to leave a comment and tell us about it!
Here’s something interesting I found on AssignmentZero that shares other locations for ‘community art’:
WikiPainting: Anyone can edit a picture: artists collaborate on a never-ending sketch. Read NewAssignment.Net’s current coverage.Aaron Koblin’s TheSheepMarket.com. Composed of 10,000 sheep from 10,000 artists, gathered via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk.
SwarmSketch. A “collective drawing.”
We Feel Fine - this “artwork authored by everyone” is a collaborative database of several million human feelings that is increasing by 15,000 - 20,000 new feelings per day.
Do you know of other community art pieces we can use to express our creativity? If so, drop us a line!
I got this and wanted to pass it on to you!
The second annual Strange Folk Festival descends upon St. Louis on Saturday, September 22nd from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Community Park in O’Fallon, IL…across the Big Muddy, just 15 minutes from downtown.
The 2006 show boasted over 80 indie vendors, and we plan to accept 100 this year! So get cracking on that application by Saturday, June 30th! There is NO FEE TO APPLY, and notification of jury results will be sent out on July 6th. We are once again offering tent spaces or sheltered tables, and if you are accepted, the fee for each space is $40.
Got Questions? Check out the Vendor FAQ or stop by the Contact Page on the website.
Here’s another one for you!
Feria Urbana is co-sponsoring an urban fair of local artists/designers at the Oakland Museum of CA on August 3rd , 2007 from 5-9 P.M. The museum will be open until 9 P.M. and they will also have their First Fridays happy hour going on. The space available is acquired on a first-come basis, as well as making sure your product/s are the right mix - providing a good range of items for shoppers.
Friday August 3rd; 5 - 9 P.M.
Oakland Museum of CARESERVE YOUR TABLE NOW!
Table fee is $100 for this event. 8′ tables are provided, but you are welcome to bring your own table, display or garment rack. Please provide all measurements if bringing your own table or display in the application. All displaying of merchandise must be on a table, garment rack or freestanding unit (we can not hang anything on the walls); you must be able to fit everything into an approximately 6×8′ space. No sharing spaces allowed.
The fee includes the space and marketing… listings in local websites, magazines, and newspapers, email invites to a list of thousands, an HTML email to forward to your list about the event and the website - www.feriaurbanaSF.com. The Oakland Museum will also include it in their newsletter and mailers. Additionally, each artist/designer will receive postcards with event information and list of all displaying artist/designers.
If you are interested in participating send in your application and payment as soon as possible to secure your space. The events have been filling up very quickly, so the sooner you send it the better. Please forward this along to other artists/designers that you think would like to take part in this event or future ones.
More info. about future dates coming soon!To download an application go to: www.feriaurbanasf.com/artist_app.html
Welcome to the June 1, 2007 edition of Craft Revolution: Crafting the Future.
Barbra Sundquist presents One Gear, No Breaks: Behind the Scenes posted at HomeBusinessWiz, saying, “1GNB is a new documentary film by independant film maker Chris Walhberg. The film Olympic Champion Lori-Ann Muenzer as she trains and competes in the 2004 World Championships cycling circuit. Lori-Ann was 38 years old when she won a gold medal in cycling at the Athens Olympic Games and she’s overcome many obstacles in her quest for excellence.”
Anastacia presents Knitting Disaster posted at Anastacia Knits, saying, “A painful knitting disaster”
Andrea presents Bamboo Knitting Yarn posted at Buy Organic.
Melanie Rimmer presents Bean Sprouts: Dry-Clean Only posted at bean-sprouts, saying, “Yet another reason to avoid craft kits - a pointless “dry-clean-only” tablecloth.”
Anastacia presents patchwork granny square afghan completed posted at Anastacia Knits.
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
Craft Revolution: Crafting the Future using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Get your craft self on over to Handmade Detroit’s website and check out this awesome contest they are sponsoring!
What? THAT’S RIGHT. The Handmade Detroit folks are looking to see just what everyone is doing for Mother’s Day this year, and more importantly, what you’re making. We’re looking for the most creative Mother’s Day gift a set of hands can make. There’s no theme, no requirements… Just a super awesome gift that will knock your mom’s socks off.
Yep, you’ll be the proud owner of a brand-spanking-new 4GB silver iPod Nano. And not only will you receive this fabulous iPod (I hear putting your music on the computer is all the rage these days!), you’ll get a cute gift set along with it, complete with bitty chocolates and a polka dot box. That’s right, Handmade Detroit really does love you that much.
If you want in on this, simply e-mail lishdorset706 [at] yahoo [dot] com with a photo of your finished product, and a wee description of what you did, by Monday, May 14. We’ll post some of our favorite entries next week, as well as the winner.
So there you go! Get to it! There’s an iPod at stake!
I frequently visit The Switchboards forum, a wonderful location for anyone who owns an independent business. Today,Trade Show Booth Design was the subject of discussion, a topic I’m very interested in.
Denise from Akemi Design shared this information,”Rag and Bone created a pdf of their tradeshow booth, including where they got everything and how much it cost: http://ragandbone.com/bloggerimages/2007_02_11_booth/trade_show_booth.pdf.”
In addition, the owner of Mohop Shoes shared this resource:
“I went to a seminar a couple months ago that Bruce Baker spoke at - he has excellent advice for trade shows, both selling and booth design. I recommend the 2 CD package. I’m positive the CD’s will pay for themselves - if it’s anything like his seminars, there’s tons of great information, and you might even get excited about what we all dread: selling.“
These are stellar links for anyone who does shows and I highly recommend you check them out!
For more information:
Akemi designs for life’s occasions | etsy | blog
Mohop.com - *sandals* handmade in Chicago
One of the major problems I find in my business is that I feel like I’m working from the time I wake up until I go to bed and yet I get very little accompolished. Luckily I’m not the only one who feels this way so people have written about it! I’ll share…
A major challenge for many home-based business people is managing time. In some businesses, work can be performed when time permits or during brief periods of time in spite of recurrent interruptions.
One problem for an individual with a home business is friends often telephone or drop by unexpectedly. They do not always realize you have time commitments. Inform them of your set working times and ask that they stop back later. If they phone, ask them to call back after a certain time or tell them you will return their call at that time.
Some guidelines to free up more time through wiser use of time:
You can find a list of those tips here!
TO DO WELL IN SELLING ONLINE, you need to get the word out about your product. That is not as easy as it sounds, especially if you are new to online marketing. Crafts are mainly a hobby for me, however, I do have an online business where I promote other products and services. I will share with you here what methods I use for online marketing that have worked very well for me.
Here’s a great resource I found for starting your home based craft business. It covers everything from setting up your website to figuring out who your customers are and how they can pay you.
This website is a great way to learn more if you’re interested in going from a hobbyist to a professional crafter.