King of the Castle

As my daughter well knows crowns of all sorts are very necessary accessories. If you think about what it must be like to go through a day with the imagination of a four year old and a crown on your head the possibilities are endless.

Making A Life

Whenever I get out crafting supplies one of my kids asks what I am making. When I told my oldest that I was making crowns to give as birthday presents for a couple of upcoming parties, he requested one. I had a crown pattern drawn with stars on it and when I showed him he requested more points and to change the stars to diamonds. So this project was designed by my oldest and sewn by me. He is my biggest critic, greatest source of inspiration and the king of the castle. At least one of the kings of the castle, my youngest is challenging him at every step. No one around here wants to be the dirty rascal.

My youngest is yelling to the neighbourhood “I’m the king of the castle you are the dirty rascal”. He is also sporting his superhero cape and his love shirt.

If…

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Sewing For Kids By Kids!

Thanks so much to our friends and their son for recording their project. He did a great job getting started with his copy of Hy-Jack the Fox Terrier as the pictures and videos below show.

Handmade Charlotte’s Beautiful Spring Project is a Hole in One

Beautiful Spring Toy

Create A Cup-and-Ball Bouquet
Wooden cup-and-ball games have always mesmerized me. They’re so simple, yet before you know it, you’ve spent hours trying to toss that little ball at just the right angle so that it lands in the cup. 209 MORE WORDS

Ms Mickens Sews Again!!

 

So, Ms Mickens of Battle Creek Central continues to move Twinzy forward with each new prototype.  Following are more pictures of the various models we are experimenting with.  A few of the details are still being worked out at the print shop for the final details but the day when kits and dolls will be available on Etsy is steadily approaching.

 

Our lovely daughter was kind enough to take a break from Sunday morning festivities with “Tangled” and word puzzles to indulge my long overdue blog post photo op request. These models are black and white and the idea is to also add a limited run with original colors pre printed as well.  For those more inclined to DIY they can purchase a kit or a finished doll and sew and/or color it themselves.  For that intrepid bunch please be sure to use child safe paints and share your creations by sending us pictures of the process and final product!

 

Mari Richards’ Puppet Show (and Tell)

7 Super Fun DIY Sock Puppets

MAR04

I dis­tinctly remem­ber a phase of my younger years when pup­pets were the only thing I wanted to make. There were mar­i­onettes and reg­u­lar pan­cake pup­pets, a foam ball head with arms and sticks à la The Mup­pets. And, of course, there were sock pup­pets. Unfor­tu­nately, they were made from really worn out 1980s socks.

It’s clear craft­ing has come a long way since 1985. You can even buy a pre-fab craft kit filled with fresh, clean, brightly col­ored socks and lots of crafty bits. But I think we’re all itch­ing to make our own versions—to heck with pre-fab, I want to pick my mate­ri­als myself. I also love find­ing crafts that you can get cre­ative with after the craft is done—time for a pup­pet show!

Meet The Contributor

Mari Richards is a shiny object addict, closet pianist, and all around creative-type. With 400+ designs and 30+ indus­try awards, she is a free­lance prod­uct designer and a design blog­ger at Small for Big.

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Our Spring Dining Room

Love the Daffodils. Hopefully the outside will see this through your window and remember how to be warm and green again.

Cornbread & Beans Quilting and Decor

I’m too chicken to drive whenever it’s snowing, or if there is snow/ice on the roads. I haven’t been antique shopping since before December. So when we had a little break with clear roads this weekend I was outta here!  I drove to all my favorite antique spots and to the local green spot to get some springy plants to scatter around our house for some much needed cheering up. Enough of this cold snowy winter I tell ya!!

This cheery pot of daffodils became the center of the spring table arrangement in my big dough bowl.  I added some moss balls, eggs, and cabbage heads.

I found many new ironstone pieces at really good prices while I was out. Here is one of the little servers on the plate rail. I threw in some faux sprigs in the mercury glass vase.

On the other side, I placed a couple…

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Thrival of the Craftiest

The Build a Better Creative Business Course is Back!

 

It’s the moment many of you have been waiting for: Tim and I are about to launch the Spring 2014 session of the Build a Better Creative Business course! If you’ve never heard of our program, then oh boy, are you in for a treat today!

Last year, Tim and I got to talking, and we discussed how the marketplace with which we’re involved is overcrowded and growing more saturated every day. The sad news for sellers is, it’s already difficult to stand out in the crowd, and it’s only going to get harder from here.

Tim and I deeply understand your plight. We’ve pushed through uncertainty, and we’ve each built businesses around our own creative dreams. We feel that THIS is your year to make it, before everything gets too vast and everyone gets lost in cyberspace. You need the tools and resources, and you don’t have the luxury of time that I had even a couple of years ago to figure it all out.

So, we created a learning curve.

We launched the first session of our 8-week course in early 2013 to positively rave reviews. This is our third running, and it simply gets better every time we open enrollment. I’m not going to waste your time (or mine) repeating all the things that have been said about this course. I will, however, link you to the hours worth of FREE materials we’ve created to help you realize how important this course (and this movement) really is:

31-Day FREE Series to Build a Creative Business

Shop Critique Webinar

Etsy Shop Suspended Webinar

Social Media + Copywriting for your Etsy shop Webinar

+ A breakdown of all that is included inside the Build a Better Creative Business course

Here’s what makes us different from every other course out there: The methods we teach inside the Build a Better Creative Business Course are tested and proven. We teach from experience … 

Tim’s been in this industry since 2007. He knows how to sell online, how to gain press, how to grow a blog into a community of 20,000 creatives, and how to attract 50,000 Facebook fans.

In 2010, I started an Etsy shop and set out to build a work-at-home career. To date, I have marketed my shop into a top-selling success story and made more than six figures with my creative business. It now provides my family a hearty and reliable second income.

The Build a Better Creative Business course opens on March 3, 2014.

This is a semester that you don’t want to miss! We know we have a spectacular course for you, and we want this to be the biggest running yet. The 2014 spring session includes more lessons, more bonus materials, more workshops and worksheets and more personalized attention than ever before.

On Thursday, February 27, we are going to announce an early-bird special that is so amazing and valuable, you simply won’t be able to pass it up. We’ll be sharing all of the details very soon, but sign up here to be the first to know.

 

 

Like this:

Printing Progress to Co Creative Etsy Success!

Miss Mary for You!

Saddle Up!

 

 

Wabbit Season?

I have been exploring co creation with customers I decided the time was now to launch the first Twinzy product. Co creation has been a focal point from the very beginning of the refounding of the Twinzy brand and the commitment will continue as we launch more characters and media.

These three characters will be the first to be sold on Etsy as kits.  These kits will include the character art in black and white printed with 100% safe soy ink on organic cotton and hemp muslin, organic cotton stuffing, and organic cotton thread.

Photos of the original art work in color are available in the gallery for reference but we encourage our customers to make the dolls their own and then share the results with us so we can post them on the blog for others to enjoy.

The materials have been ordered and the final touches for the silkscreens in progress.   The link to the Etsy store will be available when the first 22 kits are available.

I will also be providing a code for the first two people to place orders when the site goes live.  If they are able to get 10 friends to place orders using the same code they will receive a 50% coupon for their next purchase!

Thanks to our daughter for helping with the pictures posted above.

Enjoy the week and let us know what you think of our plans.

 

Handmade Help for DIY Development

The Breakdown of Branding Your Creative Business

Vintage Branding Iron | by: bellalulu

Article by:  Jacqueline Jewelry

Branding is like a person’s fingerprint, showing your customers how your business is distinctive from the competition. It involves creating an image for your company that reflects your style and your goals in a way that appeals to your targeted customers.
As you develop your brand the key is to identify and describe your business in a way that your customers will accept. Managing your brand comes with the steps you set up to make sure you are consistently delivering your brand promise to your customers and your target audience. The branding process translates your attributes into various tools that deliver your message to the mind of your audience. So how do you make sure your fingerprint is translated the right way?

Take a look at how the branding process works:

1. Discovery – Identify what type of business you are, what you can be, and what you want to be. Next, take a look at the competition, perceptions of your industry, and challenges to growth. Lastly, write down attributes that describe your brand.

2. Foundation – Translate the information from Discovery to define your brand promise, story, tagline, language, and to create imagery tools to guide your brand.

3. Expression – Your brand comes to life with your marketing communications from ads to brochures, posters and your web site. Your brand Foundation tools help focus on how the visual Expression of your brand will motivate your targeted customers.

4. Standards –This is all of the critical information regarding your brand, from your distinctive brand story to technical specifications of logo usage. Having these details on hand insures that everything is consistent.

5. Education & Launch –The best way for a project to succeed is understanding how to deliver the message. Make sure as that you understand your brand and the goals.
The difficulty isn’t as much a perfect strategy, but to be focused, differentiated, and consistent. Having a targeted brand assures that you deliver the best first impression to your customers. Having the tools supports the delivery of your message. Offering value to your customers helps build your brand and your reputation. Are you prepared to deliver your message?
Remember…first impressions count so if you fail to get your message across and don’t know why then look at your brand!

Can you answer these three questions?

What do people value most about your organization?

What makes you distinctive from your competitors?

What is it that you do well and consistently deliver to your customers?

Find more great articles here>> Jacqueline Jewelry

Will the Early Etsy Best Rest for the Duration?

Top 100 Handmade Etsy Sellers 2014 – (by number of sales) by Timothy Adam Ever wondered who the top Etsy sellers are in the handmade category on Etsy? Here are the top 100 Etsy sellers in the handmade category for 2014. These rankings are by sales numbers. Each shop link is clickable, so have fun checking out all these great shops! Top Seller Handmade Rank Name Sales Country 1 beanforest 89444 United States 2 threebirdnest 75099 United States 3 zenthreads 66314 United States 4 graceandlaceco 65801 United States 5 ThinkPinkBows 63013 United States 6 zoeysattic 60961 United States 7 collageOrama 60101 United States 8 norajane 59842 United States 9 signaturetshirts 59782 United States 10 RivermillEmbroidery 57232 United States 11 MadisonStreetBeauty 54986 United States 12 PurplePossom 53381 United States 13 AndersonSoapCompany 51696 United States 14 rubylovedesigns 51302 United States 15 braggingbags 47458 United States 16 TheBlackApple 46769 United States 17 Thevelvetacorn 43814 United States 18 LittleBabyBumblebee 43485 United States 19 berkleyillustration 43304 United States 20 laonato 43142 South Korea 21 frostedwillow 42787 United States 22 HomeStudio 40496 United States 23 stampoutonline 39633 United States 24 darkcycleclothing 39120 United States 25 TribalStyle 39017 United States 26 Mamachee 38931 United States 27 applelatte 38829 South Korea 28 LongWinterSoapCo 37302 United States 29 happyfamily 37192 United States 30 monpetitviolon 37110 Italy 31 janinekingdesigns 36737 United States 32 MareeTruelove 36133 United States 33 sweetheartsinner 36069 United States 34 TwoGirlsPatterns 35953 United States 35 spiffingjewelry 35903 United States 36 birdzNbeez 35618 United States 37 idea2lifestyle 35215 China 38 MayaHoney 35146 Slovakia 39 Holylandstreasures 34916 Israel 40 Embroitique 34745 United States 41 LETTERSEARRING 34595 South Korea 42 MisNopalesArt 33800 United States 43 Cyberoptix 33166 United States 44 thewheatfield 33154 United States 45 DistinctlyIvy 32819 United States 46 savor 32807 United States 47 briguysgirls 32573 United States 48 TracyAnnDigitalArt 31799 Australia 49 OnceUponATimeTuTus 31565 United States 50 Diddlebugs 31086 United States 51 trendystitchdesigns 31081 United States 52 FiredaughterClothing 31062 United States 53 AHeirloom 31060 United States 54 TaylorCraftsEngraved 30931 United States 55 bertiescloset 30533 United States 56 GudonyaToo 30278 United States 57 BriarClaire 30092 United States 58 birdesign 28943 United States 59 FirebirdBathBody 28658 United States 60 mrd74 28589 United States 61 inblue 28517 United States 62 lovetocreatestamps 28510 United States 63 thependantemporium 28466 United States 64 AmyGaines 27938 United States 65 getthepartystarted 27880 United States 66 kpmdoodles 27847 United States 67 littlesaplingtoys 27727 United States 68 littlelizardking 27722 United States 69 imyourpresent 27567 United States 70 classicdesigns 27536 United States 71 IceCreamTees 27187 Canada 72 mrcwoodproducts 27006 United States 73 FallenStarCoutureInc 26896 United States 74 CozyMoments 26738 United States 75 whimsycouture 26606 United States 76 DressGreen 26416 United States 77 PoshPatterns 26355 United States 78 hollanddesigns 26323 New Zealand 79 Winter Scarlett 26087 United States 80 fatwoman 26062 Turkey 81 twobroadsdesign 25899 United States 82 bluebirdlane 25898 United States 83 knottybabywear 25837 United States 84 soapwallakitchen 25741 United States 85 tiedyediva 25622 United States 86 hotmixcold 25570 United States 87 Prettygrafikdesign 25498 Canada 88 baffinbags 25388 United States 89 grandbigdog 25100 United States 90 sunsetcrochet 25027 United States 91 LuxeDeluxe 24977 United Kingdom 92 JulieAnnArt 24926 United States 93 SugarRobot 24853 United States 94 TshirtMarket 24750 United States 95 Boojiboo 24581 United States 96 foryoo 24575 United States 97 MyClipArtStore 24572 United States 98 bkandjio 24567 South Korea 99 TheGiftoftheMagi 24432 China 100 BlackBaroque 24283 United States   This list was generated from CrafCount.com on Feb 13 2014 Check out the top Etsy lists: Top 100 Etsy Handmade sellers (2013) Top 100 Etsy Jewelry sellers (2013) Top 1000 Handmade Etsy sellers (2011) Top 100 Canadian Etsy sellers (2011) Top 81 Uk Etsy sellers  (2011)   Creative Social Media Academy is an online social media training course that is designed to teach you how to market your creative business on social media. I have been coaching creative business owners like yourself how to market their businesses online for years. Creative Social Media Academy is the first interactive social media academy for creative business owners.   When you become a member you will have instant access to a plethora of materials.  (check out all the info below).  CSMA is more than just a pay monthly get stuff membership… we have new content each month, LIVE coaching calls and even a private members-only Facebook group! Check out all we have to offer! Remember, you need to be where your customers are… and they are on social media!! Timothy Adam | February 13, 2014 at 5:44 pm | URL: http://wp.me/p11uNa-4XY   Comment    See all comments

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