How much would a little kid in your life love a jetpack rocket to play with? If the answer is a lot, then you must head immediately to Doodlecraft and take a look at this post on how to make o…

Hash tags can make a huge different in self promotion when it comes to online handmade business’s. Creatingbeautifully.com has put together a list of 80 popular hashtags for instagram and oth…

Looking for a fun project to get into? Look no further than making your own paper clay! Not only is it a great material to work with for Christmas crafts, but you won’t believe what this clay…

So it looks like Etsy is not backing down on the Free Shipping Issue? So what are you going to do about it? Should you offer free shipping on your store or not? Check out this article by MarketingA…

My husband and I are mostly unpacked since moving into our new apartment this past fall, but it was only recently that we started the process of hanging up our art and photographs. We realized we have a lot of empty wall space! This includes my office/craft room. I finally…

As a craft fair vendor, one of the most stressful decisions you have to make is how much inventory to bring. You don’t want to bring too much and end up with a surplus of unsold products, but…

20 Crafty Ideas of things you can post about on Instagram. 1: Anything in your branding colors. Grab a color swatch from your logo and find something interesting or even randomly boring, if you do …

Have you considered selling your craft projects/artwork and turning it into your job? While it can be very rewarding to craft all day, there’s a lot more to it than that, and it is a lot of w…

Have you ever wanted to host a crafting party with your friends? WhimseyBox is sharing tips for throwing the best crafternoon ever on their blog. They tell you their secrets for picking a project, …

Before you start any new business project you need to have a plan, I don’t just mean one in your head, one of those legit, on paper (or screen) business plans. Have you written a Etsy busines…

If you’re a blogger or thinking about starting a blog, this is an extremely helpful resource! This is the ultimate list of resources for bloggers. I’ve only gotten a chance to lo…

It’s about time for another pattern roundup post! I love bringing all the indie pattern options for a certain garment type or style together so I can evaluate my options thoroughly. ... Read More

Most handmade businesses start out as a hobby, we decide to try our creative skills at making something then we become addicted and talented enough that what we make people want to buy. Knitting an…

Are you thinking about starting your own Handmade craft business but not sure what to do? Maybe you are fluent in a diverse range of crafts. Check out these ideas for starting your own Handmade bus…

Here’s a list of 17 places you can turn to when you’re ready to become a handmade entrepreneur. From marketplaces to online shops and even craft fairs, you can get started today making money d…

Starting a craft business can be a daunting task, especially if you’re not sure where to begin. But with the right tools and strategies, you can turn your passion for crafting into a profitab…

I think this idea is pretty genius! Renee from the blog Cute Simple Stuff posted the video tutorial for turning a thin paint brush into a super thin brush. This DIY Thin Brush for nail art or any o…

Here is another fantastic resource from The Artcademy! This is perfect for those of you who may be considering teaching art. They say: “One successful stream of income for artists is teaching…

Explore One ShaBby ChiCk's 2719 photos on Flickr!

Here is a helpful article for us Etsy sellers from the Creative Income blog- How to Deal with Negative Feedback (specifically on etsy). I thankfully have not gotten any negative reviews yet, but I&…

Looking for a fun project to get into? Look no further than making your own paper clay! Not only is it a great material to work with for Christmas crafts, but you won’t believe what this clay…

Use your own clothes to make more clothes!

The best and most fun pen and paper games to cure the boredom blues. Solo, two player and three or more player pencil and paper games for kids and adults!

Here’s a list of 17 places you can turn to when you’re ready to become a handmade entrepreneur. From marketplaces to online shops and even craft fairs, you can get started today making money d…

American Craft Council to Host Online Annual Craft Bash Nov. 16 – Dec. 6 Minneapolis – October 27, 2020 — As a virtual extension of the annual in-person event of the same name, Craft Bash 202…

The talented folks at The Artcademy have put together a helpful list of 25 tips for having a successful art show. If you have a show coming up, you might want to check these out! They say: “G…

Make your own oversized top or dress with the fully illustrated tropicalresearch LAZY TOP sewing pattern ☺️ - the digital pdf patterns includes 3 different bodice lengths, 2 crew neck options, 2 sleeve lengths and a gathered extension in 3 lengths. Create your own me made wardrobe essentials with just 1 pattern :) - the lazy top pattern is a great beginner garment without overly complicated details and the illustrated tutorial guides you step by step through the process from fabric to finished garment! - the lazy top comes in 7 sizes from xs-xxxl and is unisex with lots of ease and room to move, live and create! The pattern can easily be modified into different styles and looks and the tutorial includes a few extra hacking ideas! The lazy top works with all kind of woven fabrics. You can find the fabric requirements right here on my website!: https://tobiaskonrath.com/the-lazy-top-sewing-pattern/ I wish everybody happy sewing, I'm always here for help and support - so no worries! check out the brew along video on my YouTube video! : https://youtu.be/5V9S2Auzb_I Tobi ps.: The digital pattern comes as a print at home version ( 36 pages ) that fits on A4 and us letter size paper as well as an A0 copy shop size version & the illustrated tutorial pdf ebook. Both versions are fully layered.

This article by the craftproffesional.com shows you how you can mix your Craft skills with online technology. From selling online to hosting online craft courses. Handmade craft business’s do…

Make your own drawstring Jogger pants with the fully illustrated " Lazy- Pants " printable pdf pattern ☺️ Unisex and oversized, the Lazy-Pants are super comfortable and versatile. You can try many different materials - light linen and cotton for summer or cozy wool and flannel for winter! Your can also work with Jersey, knits and stretchy fabrics. the options are endless. The lazy-pants pattern is easy to follow and suited for beginners as well as pros I have created a very detailed tutorial that guides you step by step through the process with many hand illustrated schematics and graphics. yay! check out my new website for the full garment dimensions https://tobiaskonrath.com/patterns/the-lazy-pants-sewing-pattern/ If you are a visual learner check out my youtube tutorial as well. Linen Jogger Sewing Tutorial " Lazy - Pants " , pdf pattern print at home with multiple sizes https://youtu.be/Gm2n9MinAMw —————— The pattern comes in multiple sizes from xs to xxl with a lot of ease and room for more :D Don't worry and enjoy sewing. If you have any questions or suggestions - just send me a message! happy sewing 🥰 xoxo Tobi ps.: I've included a few nifty pattern hacks, shorts, separate waistband, adding pleats...etc The Pattern comes as a tiled version which you can print out at home on A4 or us letter sheets. On top of that there is the A0 version that you can bring to a copy shop, if you like a seamless copy of the pattern!h

How to make a pop-up book? In this detailed list you will find all steps that are needed to create your own pop-up book. A quick guide to get you started...

Have you ever thought about getting your handmade goods in a store? If you’re an indie artist with a small business you’re always looking for ways to grow your business and have more income stream…

One of the hardest things for me as an indie business owner is deciding what to price my handmade products at. I hate charging people, but an artist has to eat, right? If you have the same problem,…

Today, I’ll show you how to color skin tones with the Ohuhu Skin Tone Alcohol Art Markers. In this guide, I’ve included a full video walkthrough and written steps below, showing how to find the right colors for a variety of skin tones, use reference photos, and how to color in a face step-by-step using alcohol markers.

Fall of 2012 marked our first experience as an art vendor, at Cooper Young Festival in Memphis, TN. Over the years, we’ve padded our resume with quite a few more shows and experimented with a LOT of trial and error on our vendor booth layout and setup. We’ve learned a lot, both from our own experiences and from looking to other vendors for inspiration. Today, we’re going to share with you our top 16 ideas for selling at art festivals, craft fairs and indie markets. These tips can be summed up into three key categories: Booth Display, Signage/Décor and—the most important—Branding. FIRST, LET'S DIVE INTO VENDOR BOOTH DISPLAY. 1. Plan out your booth space BEFORE the day of your festival. Before we set foot at an art festival, our vendor booth is completely laid out. We measure all our display pieces (shelves, tables, etc.) and configure the space to help speed up the set up time. Plus, not all shows have the same options for booth sizes (because that would just be too easy). This year, our Cooper Young booth featured a 10’ x 15’ space, while some of our holiday shows ranged from a 6’ x 8’ space to a 10’ x 20’ double booth. It helps to lay everything out beforehand to know what will or will not fit in the allotted space. Once everything is measured, we use Adobe Illustrator to plan out the booth space, with everything to scale. We print out copies to take with us during set up, as well as email a copy to ourselves in case we lose the paper copies (it happens). Here's a look at my Adobe Illustrator artboard for our most recent Cooper Young Festival vendor booth: And here is our finished vendor booth, based on that original mock up: 2. Display vertically. When potential buyers pass your vendor booth, they’re not seeing product that is flat on tables. At least some of your work needs to be in their line of sight. One way we add height to our booth display is with these adjustable white metal shelf units we found at IKEA (shop them here). The shelves are completely adjustable and IKEA sells individual shelves, so you can add to the original four included. We switch it up depending on what art we need to display at each festival or market. In the past, we've used these custom built white-washed wood displays on rollers, which our brother built for us. We love how they look in our booth, as they mimic a more retail-style setting. However, these are rather heavy and bulky to transport. Looking for something a little more transport friendly, this year we commissioned a custom white wood peg wall. The unit breaks down into four separate pieces, so it's easy and convenient for traveling. Everything hooks together via large bolts and wing nuts, with the shelves and pegs packed separately. It's also completely adjustable, as the pegs can be configured in various ways. This wall unit is great for displaying our larger 5 panel wood pieces, which serve as great eye catchers for potential buyers walking by our vendor booth. For smaller shows, we take just two of the four wall panels, usually paired with one of the white IKEA shelf units. Bonus: extra pegs are great for hanging ornaments! Clear acrylic risers are also a great way to subtly add height and levels when displaying artwork on a table. Because they're clear, they don't take away from your displayed art. We use combinations of this 5 piece set from Displays2Go. 3. Choose display colors that will make your work pop. As you can see, for our larger display pieces (shelves, walls), we incorporate as much white as possible. Because all sides of our wood art is stained in a dark finish, the white background helps it pop. We also prefer how clean the white and neutral hues look. 4. Store and display multiple art prints. We have ALL-CAPS-STRUGGLED with how to display and store our art prints, other than stuffing them in baskets for browsing. We recently discovered these gold wire baskets from IKEA that slide on perfectly to our white IKEA shelves. They are great at storing stacks of prints! To actually display the prints, we chopped up a 4” x 4” piece of lumber and sawed angled grooves down the top. We stained them to match the color of our wood art. The art prints stand up perfectly in the grooves of the wood, which we then prop up above the wire baskets. It’s easy for buyers to see the print displayed and simply pick it up from the basket underneath for purchase. 5. Use slim Christmas trees to display holiday ornaments. During our holiday shows, our Christmas ornaments are HUGE sellers. While we use our peg wall for some ornament overflow, ornaments look best hanging on an actual Christmas tree. This also better demonstrates to potential buyers how it will look on their own tree. However, for those smaller booth spaces, a full Christmas tree takes up too much valuable real estate and just isn't practical. And some of the smaller, table-top trees aren’t known for being sturdy. Because our ornaments are on the heavier side, we've had issues with the smaller trees tipping over ... especially when buyers are trying to take the ornaments off the trees to purchase. We found a great slim Christmas tree from our local At Home. It measures only 18” in diameter but can still can hold quite a few ornaments. We re-stock throughout the show to keep the tree looking full. NEXT UP, WE HAVE BOOTH SIGNAGE/DÉCOR. 6. Emphasize your business name for potential buyers with branded signage. We have our friends over at Ella Jude to thank for this easy DIY pop-out booth sign idea. For this sign, we painted a thin piece of wood white, then transferred our logo (with our image transfer process) to both sides, though we've seen others hand paint their logo. We bought two pieces of copper pipe and an elbow joint and glued them all together to form an L-shaped corner. To hang the wood sign from the copper pipe, we spray-painted loose-leaf rings to match the copper pipe. We then use clear zip ties to attach the sign to our booth or tent. We're hoping to make an even larger version this year. For additional branded signage, we bought a large white vinyl banner with grommets and designed it to include our logo, website and social media handles. We use this when we have space available. For our outdoor art shows, such as Cooper Young, we hang the banner on the back of our tent so buyers walking down the sidewalks behind the booths can see our name. 7. Tell your story with signage. We sell handmade image transfers on wood and marble tile. The most common question we receive from customers during festivals and shows is,

Looking for new hues to your yarn stash? Get on board with the latest DIY (dye it yourself) trend, or check out the amazing ranges created by indie yarn businesses across the UK. From bespoke colours

Have you ever had trouble finding the perfect sewing pattern? Sometimes it’s hard to find what you’re looking for if you rely on the big commercial sewing pattern companies, like Butterick and Vogu…