Thanksgiving is this Thursday, and you know what that means! Holiday season will soon be in high gear.
This year, my husband and I are putting in a real effort to make and buy as many handmade gifts as possible. Judging from all of the handmade holiday action on the web, it seems that we’re not alone.
The ladies at Sew Mama Sew are running a fantastic series on their blog- Handmade Holidays, 30 days of gifts to sew.
Each day features links to projects (all available for free at various blogs and craft sites) with a different theme. I haven’t started actually *making* anything yet, but I have found the perfect gift for almost everyone on my list through this series. Thanks gals!
Buy Handmade: Take the handmade pledge!
From their website: “The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left people all dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. The connection between producer and consumer has been lost. Buying handmade helps them reconnect. We created the pledge as a call to action for consumers to be conscious of how they spend their money this holiday season. We want people, whenever possible, to support independent creators and shop outside the big boxes.”
At first, I thought that it would be difficult to go all handmade with two little boys in the house who have visions of toy trains and yu-gi-oh cards dancing in their heads. But as we’ve gone over their lists, we’ve found that nearly everything (with the exception of the aforementioned yu-gi-oh cards) can be handmade with a little creativity and effort!
So, I think, since I didn’t see any Chris Cringle on the pledge list, we’ll ask him to bring the yu-gi-oh cards, and the rest will be handmade from mom and dad. Our boys may not appreciate it much now, but I think they will some day.
Recently, I was trying to make a photo board using only supplies that I had lying around. The only decent form of adhesive to be found was automotive glue I used to fix the door lining in my car. A piece of advice to my friends: forget trying to use automotive glue to affix fabric to wood. Not only was it decidedly unsuccessful, I wore glue on my hands for several days after.
I know, I know - I’m obviously no expert on proper adhesion - but ThistoThat.com is.
Choose “This” from eleven different materials: ceramic, fabric, glass, leather, metal, paper, plastic, rubber, styrofoam, rubber and wood. Then, choose “That” from the same listed materials.
And, voila! You’re presented with the perfect glue for securing your work. Easy-to-use interface, completely free, and guaranteed to improve any craftster or artist’s life by at least a few points.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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!
Looking for an alternative to the fees and woes associated with other online shopping websites? Check out Ekaweeka, where the listings are free and the people are fun! From their website:
“Ekaweeka is a small business community. Launched by Thomas Hillard and his friend Ellery Long in November 06, they hoped to give independant businesses an online community that combined networking, commerce, and easy site customization. With Ekaweeka you can: * Make a website for your project, hobby, or business * Share and sell your creations to the world * Discover original designers, artists, and services by others.”
A world without trees would be pretty dull. What is a picnic without a shade tree? And hanging a tire swing off of a telephone pole is never a good idea. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our busy lives that we take trees for granted. Trees keep our air supply clean, reduce cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars each year and provide food for our furry friends in the wild. In honor of Earthday (April 22nd) for each eco-friendly recommendation you tag “earth day” ThisNext will plant 10 trees.
Love to ‘window shop’ online? Put your mad skills to work recommending eco-friendly products and ThisNext will take your time and turn it into trees! CraftRevolution is doing it- don’t you want to do it too?
While attending Craft Congress I had the amazing pleasure of meeting the creative duo behind Thread Heads. I’m still puzzled by the fact that I had to travel hours and hours on a plane to meet them when they live just a hop, skip and a jump down the state (doesn’t that say something about the state of the craft community in Florida?). Anyway, they rocked the Congress in their Revolutionary gear (Loved it!) and included their visit in the latest edition of their show.
I’m currently lobbying to have a creative gathering on a smaller scale (Hello! Florida Craft Mafias, Indie Designers and Crafters- Let me know whats up, when and where you want to meet!) and I can tell you that I’m going to do whatever it takes to get this fun couple contributing.
Corinne and Rob are so inspiring and fun to watch, you might as well plan on spending the day checking out all the past episodes. Don’t you dare fast forward through those commercials, though! They are a bit of creative genius in and of themselves!
Today is the day for inspiration through film! Check out this awesome mini-documentary on The Girlie Show and you’re sure to want to participate. Not close enough? Visit Indie Craft Shows to find an alternative craft fair near you!
We’re very excited to be able to share the Sneak Peek of Handmade Nation! After traveling the country, the brilliant minds behind this indie film have collected a unique perspective on the Craft Revolution and are now in full time production preparing to bring it to the masses.
Make sure you visit the documentary’s website and sign up for alerts on their progress- or buy some great swag to help support their efforts!
