Craftdom

A Different Approach To Tackling Low Sales

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:49:00 +0000

"Tapping Into Ultimate Success" is a free video I watched yesterday and it helped me change my attitude to many issues regarding my work. After watching it and tapping along with Pamela Bruner and Jack Canfield (yes, this is the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" guy), I not only worked more efficiently than normal but also got a few unexpected sales from my online shops. In other words, I had to share:-)

Pamela Bruner is a certified EFT practitioner specializing in utilizing tapping for clearing the inner stoppers that prevent us from achieving our business goals. EFT is an abbreviation for "Emotional Freedom Technique" and it is very simple to do - you just tap with your fingers on certain points on your face and body. The video will be helpful for you even if you are not familiar with EFT, as Pamela explains clearly what to do and shows you the tapping points.

The recording will stay online until tomorrow, April 7 at midnight Pacific time. It is free of charge to watch, so why not give it a try - it might as well be helpful for you. I personally loved it.

Link:

"Tapping Into Ultimate Success" FREE video

Etsy Pick: a Reversible Floral Bag

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:53:00 +0000

I really liked this lovely bag by Star Bags on Etsy. It is made of previously unused vintage upholstery fabrics and is reversible - it's as if you get two bags in one:-)

So this is face Nr. 1:

And now, face Nr. 2:

I like them both and being able to use one and the same bag with different clothes is a lovely idea of .

Update on IntoStores and Greg Avila - Be Cautious!

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:40:00 +0000

Back in June 2010 Craftdom informed you about spam emails sent to many crafty people with the promise of helping them get their handmade goods in retail shops.

IntoStores has remained active in their attempts to lure people into signing up for their paid service. They claim to work with many retail shop owners and buyers, who can't wait to start stocking your produce. The main scheme is exactly the same as 2 years ago and they continue offering one-time discounts on the set-up fee, which seem to the live virtually all the time.

Nowadays the emails are signed by a person called Greg Avila, and not by Kevin Sanderson. Below is the one I received on March, 6th, 2012. Interestingly, they only come in my crafdom (at) yahoo.com (spam) mailbox, and not at the email address associated with my handmade business. The company don't seem to have ever looked at my website or work - otherwise they would have known that Craftdom has already published a well-visited post about their doubtful claims...

Last month I sent you an email about selling your crafts in our stores.

We work with thousands of gift shops and specialty retailers.

Our job is to help them find crafts they can sell in their stores.

I think your pieces would be a great fit.

If you're ready to sell your products to more stores visit us at http://www.intostores.com/sellers.php

You can pick and choose who you want to sell to.

Regards,
Greg Avilla
Director of Marketing
IntoStores.com

PS Send me an email after you sign up and I'll add two free months to your account

Their website has poor WOT reputation and in the meantime is not BBB accredited anymore. Its BBB (Better Business Bureau) rating is still visible and is an "F", which is the lowest possibility. At present there are 30 complaints listed against the company on the BBB website.Only 5 of them were resolved with BBB's assistance, for 20 of them the company did not respond at all, even when contacted by a BBB representative.

Below you can read some complaints, which I copied from the BBB website:

"Complaint: 09/20/2011: We opened our account about two months ago, adding a few of our items from our jewelry line. No hits, the only views were added after we had viewed what we posted. It was going no where so we called them up and asked for a call back, no one called back. A few weeks went by still no calls and no views. We decided to cancel the account but no one would answer the calls. We decided to email them, nothing. We looked online to see if anyone else had issues and we found dozens of complaints, not one positive review. This company should be shut down or be required to post on the sign up page in better detail why exactly they don't interact or provide customer service to those who sign up for services. To have your bank account on auto payments to a company you can't talk to or get a hold of to cancel or dispute charges should be illegal. Everyone is told to wait six months but the reviews all say how even after six months they don't get refunds and the only way to get a response is to write a complaint to the BBB."

"Complaint: 09/23/2011: When I reviewed online complaints about INTOSTORES.com it seems they have been doing this for a while under different company names. I should have checked thoroughly first, and I did not do so. When charges came through not as stated, I asked for a refund. I have heard nothing after 10 calls and 5+ emails. Contacted by IntoStores.com, followed up w/ a Greg Avila who spoke well, showed a clean website, and then charged me $233.45. No refund upon cancel."

Complaint: 12/01/2011: I was hesitate about signing up with this company, as their Google stats were lower than mine. I asked about a guarantee and asked what type of promotion and advertising is done on behalf of the companies who sign up. I received this guarantee: "As per your email, we do guarantee sales. Try our site for 180 days. If you're unhappy with all of the added sales and extra business you generate we'll refund your set-up fee." I have followed up by email numerous times, with Greg A., with no response. The company phone number has been disconnected. If it was live at all. I received a promise in August, to have one of my products featured for two weeks, which is usually a fee of $550, with no further interest in my products.

"Complaint: 01/26/2012: I followed their guidelines and tried their services for 6 months, requested a refund, and have not received a refund yet. I have contacted Greg Avilla many, many, many times and tried to call (line is disconnected). It has been two months and the company will not communicate with me and has not refunded my money. "

"Complaint: 07/20/2010: Intostores has yet to issue a guaranteed refund for the set up fee and my account was closed in March of 2010, Intostores just charged my credit card again, even though I no longer have any agreement or services with them. I have made numerous attempts to contact by phone and email with no response.Business response: The customer has already been refunded.
Consumer rebuttal: As of July 22, 2010 my credit card does not show a refund."

"Complaint: 05/10/2010: I was told over the phone I would get 3 months free and NEVER saw it. They charged my credit card for the full price. I was also promised in the attached email (email sent to BBB), but never got the service. You call their phone number, you can never get a live person to talk to. Tells you to hit 0 to talk to operator, you then get a voice mail that the operator is not available. They did not give me the service I was promised. Reference #24765010037200331772506.Business response: When the customer registered and paid for the set-up fee and first month, we offered two free months. These two free months, not three, were confirmed by the customer in an email they sent to us on February 24. When the free month was not given we immediately issued a credit back to the card for the monthly fee. Eventually the client decided to cancel their membership. As per the contract the client read and agreed to, they understood that by cancelling their fees would be non refundable.
Consumer rebuttal: This company lies to it's customers and promise many things to them and you do not get what they provide. They are still charging on my credit card. I am still getting emails from them to sign up. I never got the service that was ordered. Never got the 2 months free service and never got my products on the 2 weeks feature products section. Never had anyone see the products on line. Never could get a hold of anyone from the company on the phone. Why should I have to pay when Mr. Sanderson says in his email that he removed my products. Why should I pay for something that I do not have? They want me to pay for something that I never got.
Final business response: As per our agreement with the client, we are honoring the terms of the contract that the client agreed to. 8/25/10 REVISED The customers rebuttal is entirely untrue and misleading. According to their response on May 23, 2010, we are still charging their credit card. This is not true. The last charge was made on March 16, 2010. This charge, in fact, was refunded and made one of their two free months. The customer canceled their service with us prior to us offering the second free month. We are an advertising company. The customer used our servieces to advertise their products. As per the contract the customer agrred to when they joined there are no refunds."

The company seems to be rather tricky, communications take long and in most cases issues are left unresolved. I was particularly surprised to read that in last quoted business response they claimed they do not offer refunds.

Their website tells a completely different story: "WE GUARANTEE SALES. Try our site for six months. If you're unhappy with all of the added sales and extra business you generate, we'll return your set-up fee 100%."

In other words, be careful and think twice before signing up with them.

DaWanda Pick: The Most Unusual Clock I've Ever Seen

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:20:00 +0000

I love it, I absolutely do.

At first I couldn't figure out what it was, it just looked nice and the idea of recycling a circuit board sounded intriguing. Then I realized that it was a fully functional clock, one that you can put in your room or office and use as any other clock.

It could be seen in the DaWanda shop of Debby Arem Designs.

Debby is born and based in the US. She is a trained silk-screen artist, who later turned to beading jewelry and eventually embarked on a journey of creating unique pieces of recycled printed circuit boards and "found objects".

Her work have been featured in museum shops, including those at the Smithsonian Institution Air and Space Museum and the Boston Computer museum, as well as in many galleries and boutiques.

Debby also has an Etsy shop, which features even more of her amazing designs.

Etsy Pick: an Exclusive Wire-Wrapped Pendant

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:31:00 +0000

This gorgeous pendant is made from Croatian designer Ivona Posavi Psak. It is handcrafted from scratch with exclusive materials such as 925 and 999 silver, opaque red ruby and rhodolite garnet. I found it in Ivona's Etsy shop (it's called IMNIUM) and was absolutely stunned. Hope you'll like it too!

More of her work could be found in IMNIUM's Facebook page.

A WOW Giveaway for Wire-Crocheting Lovers

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 22:18:00 +0000

You might not believe it but Yael from Yoola is giving away a wire crochet online class AND kit!

It is a spot on her online class for beginners (worth 170$), which will focus on the construction of 3D objects using a tiny crochet hook and copper wire - and the materials needed will be shipped to you by post.

In order to participate, you should go to Yael's blog and comment about your favorite item in her Etsy shop. You also get additional points for spreading the word about the giveaway.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 13, so make sure to enter the contest at the latest on Monday, March 12.

Good luck!

A Giveaway for Tea Lovers

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:09:00 +0000

"Skulls and Ponies" might sound scary, but it is a young British lady's lovely blog about sewing and other passions. Her name is Fran and right now she is holding a giveaway, which you might like to check out - especially if you happen to be a tea lover (or know someone, who is one).

One lucky winner will receive a make up bag with teacup pattern, teapot ipod/iphone case and a hand embroidered badge 'I love tea', which are all lovingly handmade by Fran.

The giveaway is open worldwide and ends on November 6th, 2011.

Click here to go to the contest page.

Pre-Christmas Value Pack from River Grace

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:01:00 +0000

Hi there, it's River here. I normally don't use the platform of Craftdom for promoting my own gem angel jewelry, but now I have a special offer and wanted to let you know about it.

With Christmas coming up, I put together an Advent Calender value pack of 24 gem angel charms. It is a mixed package of many different stones, and you do have a say when it comes to the choice of crystals and colors.

When ordered separately 24 gem angel charms will cost over 120 Euro, but the pack price is lower than this.

Now the best part: until October 15th, I'm offering it for an even more discounted price!

Hope that you would like to have a look at my work and let me know what you think:-)

Links:

By: River_Grace

ADVENT CALENDAR 24 Gemstone Angel Charms

Stitch Holders Giveaway, Ends October 17

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Lisa from Button Bliss is giving away 5 of her handmade stitch holders. They are absolutely adorable, don't they? I looked through Lisa's website and loved her cute creations, so make sure to check them out too.

Now, these are the stitch holders she is giving away:

The thread holders are approximately 76mm square and fit well in a stitching bag. They have smooth edges in order to protect the threads, and 10 holes - which means plenty of room for all threads required for a day or weekend away stitching.

In order to participate, you need to visit Lisa's blog and answer a simple question: "How do you spend a perfect spring day?" The contest ends on October 17th.

Just a quick note for those of you, who are at the same part of the world as me: Lisa is based in Australia and is already enjoying springtime!

Links:

My Memories - Digital Scrapbooking Software Giveaway, Ends October 16

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:11:00 +0000

Gabriella from Principessa Gabriella is hosting a giveaway for a digital scrapbooking company called MyMemories.

My Memories Website

Gabriella had the opportunity to try out the software and you can see some examples on the contest page in her blog. My Memories could be used not only to make cute displays of your own photos, but also to help you when creating custom cards, calendars, gifts - or when blogging.

The giveaway ends on October 16th.

If you prefer to buy the giveaway, Gabriella is also offering a coupon code.

Links:

Quilts From Wales by DeAnne Hartwell-Jones

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:17:00 +0000

While in Wales, I visited an exhibition of beautifully crafted quilts. It was surprising to see the spacious Minerva Arts Centre dedicated to textile crafts in a relatively small town, called Llanidloes. However, it turned out that Llanidloes was the place where Laura Ashley opened her first shop and later transformed her business into a giant empire offering everything from furniture and home decoration to clothing.

There were two exhibitions taking place simultaneously in Minerva Arts Centre, but I absolutely loved the carefully patchworked and quilted pieces by DeAnne Hartwell-Jones.

She has been making quilts ever since she was a teenager and always stitches everything by hand. Many of her designs are inspired by the beautiful landscapes of west Wales, where she lives. Her preferred fabrics are silk, cotton, but also flannel and wool.

The quilt you see below is called "Log Cabin" and is hand sewn stitched and made from various cotton fabrics saved from dresses, blouses and the apron worn by the author's grandmother.

"Log Cabin" by Deanne Hartwell-Jones, Detail

"Log Cabin", an attempt to take a photo of the whole quilt.

I also loved the quilt named "Dresden Plate" because of its flower-shaped pattern. It is pieced over papers and hand quilted.

"Dresden Plate", Detail


"Dresden Plate", larger detail

Apart from creating her own quilts, DeAnne also holds quilting classes in her studio in Aberaeron,West Wales.

Link:

DeAnne Hartwell-Jones' website

Craft Giveaways, End August 9 to 15

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:20:00 +0000

The Sewing Directory and The Eternal Maker are giving away a beautiful bundle of organic Birch Fabrics Avalon collection and a spool of recycled thread. Prizes must be shipped to an address within the UK or Ireland. All entries must be received by 6pm on Tuesday 9^th August 2011. Click here to go to the competition page.

To Sew With Love is giving away a floral pattern dress, size 4-6 US, 34-36 EU. The giveaway will be open until August 9 and a winner will be drawn the day after. Click here to go to the contest page.

Kidsstore is giving away a Baby-to-Child Flannel Blanket OR any item of equal or lesser value from their Etsy shop. The contest is open to residents of the US only, but international readers may enter if they are willing to pay their own shipping ($4 - $7). The giveaway ends on Thursday, August 11, 2011. The full information is here.

Mama's Felt Cafe is giving away a handmade felt toy - mini felt veggie patch. The contest is open until August 12, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Satin Doll is giving away a pair of dangle earrings. The contest is open worldwide and will end on Saturday, August 13 at 9pm. Click here for more information.

Elisabeth Nicole is giving away a 4-pack of handmade eco friendly notebooks (size - 3.5" by 2.5" when folded). Deadline to enter is August 15th 2011. Click here to go to the contest page.

Machinations and Timberkits from Wales

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:20:00 +0000

Machinations is a visitor centre in Mid Wales and the only permanent exhibition of contemporary Automata (mechanical moving models) in the UK. What is more, most of them are created and hand-crafted by the centre's founder and director Eric Williamson.

Eric Williamson with one of his models. This one, called The Three Musicians, was severely damaged when a 14-year-old visitor climbed on it. It is now under reconstruction but will take a long time to repair, because many of the mechanical parts are hard to replicate.

Eric has spent his whole life making models. He started with rocking horses and marionettes back in the 1970s and originally specialized in wood - both for carved detail and for mechanical components, but later added other materials to expand the scope of his designs. He is also the designer of "Timberkits", which are moving wooden models you make yourself.

The Skateboarder by Timberkits

A Day in Machinations

We were visiting a friend in Wales and she suggested that we go to Machinations. While admiring the clever and beautifully handcrafted automata, we ended up talking to Eric Williamson! It was unplanned and unexpected, and we did not realize who he was until the middle of the conversation. I absolutely loved his spirit of creativity and innovation.

On the video below you will see some of the mechanical models he made himself. They are beautifully carved to the smallest detail: facial features, hands, etc. Eric told us that he used to make one a week and for a while even produced them as kits.

The conversation became even more fascinating when he started talking about his desire to involve young people in making things by themselves (from about 3:38 min on the video). He feels that nowadays we are overreliant on computers, instead of simply using them as tools.

Timberkits

Timberkits come with all needed wooden pieces and clear how-to-build instructions. The models include a handle to bring them in motion, but there is also an additional battery kit with everything you need in order to motorize them.

"What I wanted to do is to get young people in the business of making things," says Eric. The kits are a fun way to achieve this aim and are suitable for children from the age of 9 years. All wooden kits are made with sustainably sourced New Zealand pine. Initially produced in the company's small factory in Wales, they are now manufactured in China.

We recorded a short video with some of the ready-built and motorized models on display in Machinations visitor centre.

Links:

Are You Blaming Others Because You Don't Have Enough Clients?

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:43:00 +0000

The following article is by Fabienne Fredrickson, a successful coach for small businesses and client attraction mentor. It was published in her latest ezine and gave me such a profound "aha-experience" that I printed it out to read again in more detail and work on the assignment. Although Fabienne's work is not dedicated to craft businesses, I felt that the article might be helpful for many of us.

Are You Blaming Others Because You Don't Have Enough Clients?

"The more you say to yourself, 'I am responsible,' the stronger, better and finer a person you become. And every part of your life will improve at the same time."
-Brian Tracy

One of the themes running through my life currently, and in the lives of my clients, is that of Personal Responsibility. If you've been to my workshop and on any of my calls, you know that I believe strongly in Personal Responsibility (I often call it 'The No Excuses Approach') and how I do not believe you can ever achieve BIG success without it. It's a topic that few marketers ever really talk about in depth, but one that is crucial for success.

You see, each time I bump up against a new level of success in my business, a lot of my old "stuff" comes back up. I've caught myself in the past comparing my success to others with more success, feeling resentful, feeling less-than, and sometimes even BLAMING others or my own particular situation or for not being where I would LIKE to be in terms of success in that moment. And believe me, it doesn't feel good. But perhaps you know exactly what I'm talking about...

What I noticed is that I'm not the only one. As different people in my life, both personally and professionally, move up to the next level, or really WANT to move up to the next level, but instead, begin to feel frustrated, I see them pointing fingers OUTSIDE themselves, blaming their situation, a certain person, the system, the economy, a program they took, or whatever else they can find to shuck responsibility for where they are.

What I also noticed is that, in the end, I'm ultimately responsible for everything in my life, every increase in my in-come and success over the last few years. But most importantly, I'm also responsible for every setback. I can blame no one but myself.

Everything I have in my life exists because of my actions, my behaviors, my words and thoughts. And it's the same for you. Every decision we make creates our circumstances and because of that, we are ultimately responsible for each success and failure, happiness, unhappiness and financial situation.

I recently found an article by Brian Tracy, one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. This article has become one of my favorites and I refer to it often and ask my clients to read it too, especially when they start comparing their success to others with more success, feeling resentful of their situation, blaming others, or feeling angry and 'less-than' because their particular situation is not what they'd like it to be. Here's an excerpt:

"Responsibility goes hand in hand with success, achievement, motivation, happiness and self-actualization. It's the absolute minimum requirement for the accomplishment of everything you could ever really want in life. Accepting that you're completely responsible for yourself and realizing that no one is coming to the rescue is the beginning of peak performance...

The opposite of accepting responsibility is making excuses and blaming people and things for what's going on in your life. And since everything we do is a matter of habit, if people get into the habit of making excuses, they get into the habit of evading responsibility at the same time.

If they set a goal or objective for themselves, they immediately create an excuse that they hold in reserve just in case the accomplishment of the goal is too difficult or requires more self-discipline and persistence than they had thought.

As soon as things start to go poorly, irresponsible people trot out their excuse and let themselves off the hook. But that won't get them anywhere in the long run... The more responsibility you take, the more in control you are. And the freer you are, especially in your own mind, to make decisions and to do the things you want to do. So there's a direct relationship between responsibility, control, freedom and happiness.

A person who is completely irresponsible is subject to anger, hostility, fear, resentment, doubt - all sorts of negative emotions. And here's why. All negative emotions tend to be associated with blame. Fully 99 percent of all our problems exist only because we're able to blame someone or something for them. The instant we stop blaming, our negative emotions begin disappearing.

What's the antidote to blaming? It's simple! Since your mind can hold only one thought at a time, either positive or negative, you can override the tendency to blame and become angry simply by saying, firmly, "I am responsible!" You can't accept responsibility for a situation and be angry at the same time... The acceptance of responsibility negates negative emotions and short-circuits any tendencies toward unhappiness. In fact, the acceptance of responsibility often gives you insight into what you should do to resolve the situation.

Everything that is happening to you on the outside is due to something that is happening to you on the inside, so the first place to look is within. As soon as you do that, you begin to see things that you had completely missed when you were busy blaming others and making excuses. You begin to see that you're responsible in large measure for the things that are happening to you.

You're earning today exactly what you're worth-not a penny more, not a penny less. In life, we tend to get exactly what we deserve. If you're not satisfied with the amount you're getting, look around you, at people who are doing the kind of work you would like to do and earning the kind of mo-ney you would like to earn. Ask them what they're doing differently from what you're doing. What are the causes of the effects they're getting? Once you know what they are, accept complete responsibility for your situation, apply your wonderful mind and abilities, back them with willpower and self-discipline, and get busy making the changes you need to make to enjoy the life you want to enjoy."

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

You've heard the saying, "Speak the truth. The truth will set you free." In this case, I want you to be VERY honest with yourself in answering the following... stop hiding behind your justifications or get off your high horse and answer the following:

Have you recently blamed someone or something for the fact that you haven't yet achieved what you wanted in your business?
Are you using excuses (even JUSTIFYING your situation) so that you don't have to take action in terms of getting clients or be embarrassed in case "it doesn't work out"?
Have you harbored resentment towards someone or something because you feel you were "gipped" in some way?
Do you feel anger or have lashed out in the past because your business is not where you want it to be yet?
Are you pointing fingers, saying "This is the reason I'm not making more"?
Have you compared yourself to someone else more financially successful than you currently are, feeling less-than? Have you perhaps even JUDGED that person based on their success?

Personally speaking, I know that I've been able to answer "Yes" to all of these questions at some point in my self-employed career. Whether I knew it consciously or not at the time, it all resulted from avoiding responsibility for what I was creating in my life. It didn't feel good, and it certainly did not get me moving forward towards success.

The key for me has been to be honest with myself about my responsibility. No one else can create my life except for me. Only I can control my thoughts, words, actions and behaviors. Blaming or pointing fingers does absolutely no good. In fact, it doesn't work and it's usually just an excuse that we use, in case we fail. That way, we don't need to be embarrassed. We can just say it wasn't our fault. NONSENSE.

Consider this a fork in the road of your success. This is your opportunity to step up in your business, stop using excuses, stop resenting or comparing yourself and STOP blaming others for what you have or don't have in your life. It's time to take a NO EXCUSES approach to doing what you have to do to get clients, start being consistent in your marketing, work through the programs you've bought, or clear your schedule to attend events (no matter what else has "come up") that will give you the solution you SAY you've been wanting. Begin to take FULL responsibility and making different choices and your life and business will never be the same. I promise you that; I'm living proof of it.

Taking a no-excuses approach, removing fears and negative beliefs is crucial if you want to finally move to the next level of your success and income level.

About the author:

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System®, the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time...guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit www.attractclients.com.

Craft Giveaways: August 4 to August 15

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:17:00 +0000

Paper Whimsy is offering a generous giveaway to one lucky winner - ten (10) free collage sheets (value up to $50) of the winner’s choice from the Collage Images category in their online shop. The giveaway is open worldwide, with the following stipulation: if the winner is located internationally you would have to select the option to download the collage sheets. People within the US can can choose either the download or printed paper option. Deadline for entries is August 4th at 11:59 pm Central time, USA. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Pink Paisley Bowtique is giving away a red satin flower on a white stretch skinny headband and a 2 pack yellow & pink flower clip set to one winner. The contest is open to US residents only and closes August 4, 2011 at 9pm PST. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Silver Light Photo & More is giving away a set of Mod Circle Address Labels. The giveaway will close Friday, August 6, 2011, at 4 p.m. EST. Click here to go to the contest page.

Jennifer Inspired is giving away a handmade and hand painted art journal/sketchbook. The cover artwork is an original Jennifer Inspired painting, in acrylic paint and india ink on Hahnemühle Ingres Antique Paper. This journal was constructed by hand from book board, book cloth, glue, cover paper and a lot of patience and love. Contest ends Saturday, August 6, 2011, at 12:00 noon Central time. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Elisabeth Nicole is giving away a 4-pack of handmade eco friendly notebooks (size - 3.5" by 2.5" when folded). Deadline to enter is August 15th 2011. Click here to go to the contest page.

Fabric With Love from the UK

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 06:34:00 +0000

This British company's slogan is "Beautiful fabrics chosen with love", and this is exactly how it looks like when browsing their website. They offer a broad range of quality 100% cotton fabrics by Red Rooster, Free Spirit, Michael Miller, P & B Textiles, Classic Cottons, Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Moda and many more.

The company specializes in fabrics for quilts and crafts, such as patchwork, home furnishings and accessories. Fabrics are sold by the meter, or in packs - jelly rolls, charm packs, and fat quarter bundles..

I fell in love with their cute selection of quilt patterns with cats, dogs, sheep, hen, snowmen and angels. The kits include all materials you need in order to make the quilts: wool-felt for applique shapes, fabrics, borders, back, and binding, batting, buttons for eyes, embroidery floss, precise patterns and complete instructions.

They have teamed up with The Sewing Directory for a giveaway, in which one lucky winner will receive a kit of their choice. All entries must be received by 6pm on Tuesday 12^th July 2011. The prize will only be shipped to an UK or Ireland address.

Links:

Facebook Tricks: How To Import Your Blog Feed To Your Facebook Page

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:36:00 +0000

This tutorial can be used by everyone who wants to link their blog to their Facebook page or profile. The blog feed will appear as part of your Facebook Notes.

Step 1:

If you want to import the blog feed to your page, start by switching your Facebook identity. (Skip this step if you are going to link to your Facebook profile.)

Go to your Facebook page and on the upper end of the right side bar - just below your picture as the page's admin, you will see a tab that reads: "Use Facebook as... (the name of the page)":

And in more detail:

Click on that tab and do not worry - you can always switch back to using Facebook as yourself.

Step 2:

This step is optional but you might like to use it in order to spare your page readers from being flooded with your whole blog feed in one go. You will disable the Notes app from publishing content to your wall (it is easy to enable it again after you are done). I found this feature after having imported the feed, and had to manually delete posts from the wall. Luckily, not all of them appear there and deleting was manageable.

This option is unavailable when trying to link your blog to your Facebook profile. It might be a good idea to do the whole process when most of your Facebook friends are offline.

OK, you are working on your page - how to disable the content publishing?

Click on the "Edit page" button on the top of your page (just above your profile picture as admin).

Now find "Apps" on the menu and click on it:

There you will find the icon for "Notes". It looks this way:

Click on "Edit settings". A dialog window will appear:

Now select "Additional Permissions". This is what will appear:

Un-check "Publish content to my wall" and click OK. Later you can return here and enable publishing again.

Step 3:

Open the Import a Blog link in a new browser tab:

https://www.facebook.com/editnotes.php

The following page will appear:

Enter your blog's URL (starting with http://) in the required field:

As you are only allowed to import your own blog, you absolutely have to check the field that says: "By entering a URL, you represent that you have the right to permit us to reproduce this content on the Facebook site and that the content is not obscene or illegal."

I did it with my personal blog - River Grace, and this is how it looked like:

Now hit the "Start Importing" button.

The processing might take a while, but eventually a confirmation message appears: "We have successfully imported your blog." You need to click "Confirm" in order to permit Facebook to regularly check your feed and add all new post to your notes.

What if your "Notes" tab still does not appear on the left side bar of your Facebook page?

Go again to Edit page - Apps and open the dialog window of "Edit settings" for the Notes App (we did that on Step 2). On "Profile" you will see the message:

Tab: available (add)

Click on "add" and the window will change in this way:

Once you hit OK, the Notes tab should appear in your page's menu. If you have disabled the Notes' function of publishing content on your wall, you can go to "Additional Permissions" and enable it.

Hope that helps!

Craft Giveaways, End July 5 - July 12

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:13:00 +0000

Promotional Frenzy Team on Etsy is giving away over $300 in handmade goods from different team members. The prizes will be divided between 3 lucky winners. All entries must be received by July 5th, midnight Eastern time. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Relishly is a place that branches out beyond Etsy to let you discover shops from across the world wide web that match your specific tastes and interests. Their website is about to launch in a few weeks, and in order to spread the word they are sponsoring a giveaway. One winner will receive his or her choice of item from Etsy (up to $25, including cost of shipping). Giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on Tuesday, July 5th at 9pm EST. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Green Illuminations is giving away two scented 3 oz. candles in recycled beer bottle candle holders. Deadline to enter is Wednesday, July 6th at midnight. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

TZ Burps is giving away one custom owlet to one lucky winner. The contest is open to US and Canadian residents only and ends on July 7th at 9am PST. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Kids Store is giving away a handcrafted long-sleeve bib, which is waterproof and still made without plastic. Contest open to residents of the US. International readers may enter if you are willing to pay your own shipping ($4 - $7). Giveaway ends Thursday, July 7, 2011. Click here to go to the competition page.

Make Your Dog Smile is giving away $20 in credit to their store with pet name tags. Giveaway will end July 8th at 10pm EST. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Sielukka is giving away a vintage style crow necklace. The competition is open worldwide and will end on Friday, July 8th. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Days Gone Design is offering a a set of stationery to 2 lucky winners. The contest is open to US and Canadian residents and accepts entries until midnight July 8th. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Cottage Carries gives away winner's choice of any coin pouch or tissue holder in their shop. The competition is open globally and ends on July 9th. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Sewing Directory and Fabric With Love are giving one lucky winner the quilt kit of their choice. All entries must be received by 6pm on Tuesday 12^th July 2011. Kits can be shipped to an address in the UK or Ireland. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Handmade Eco-Friendly Wooden Toys by Imagination Kids

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:29:00 +0000

Imagination Kids on Etsy is a great place for parents, concerned about the quality and safety of the toys they give to their baby and young child. All items are handcrafted from sustainably harvested wood, AP Certified non-toxic paint, and homemade natural wood polish made from beeswax, jojoba oil, and essential oils.What is more, they look nice and colorful!


Large Sun Stacker

Many of the toys are made in the Waldorf tradition, whose approach emphasizes the role of the imagination in learning and child play. I really like these sweet mommy hedgehog and her baby playing and hiding amongst mushrooms. What is more, the mushrooms are modeled after real mushrooms you would find in the forest.

Wooden Hedgehogs and Mushrooms

In Imagination Kids' Etsy shop you will find even more animals - elephants, bunny rabbits, turtles, ladybugs and snails, different types of birds. However, cars, trains and helicopters are available too, as well as wands and personalized balls.

Wooden Cars

The creative minds and crafty hands behind Imagination Kids belong to Erin and Nick, a husband and wife team. Being parents themselves, they came up with the idea of making simple, open-ended toys that are eco-friendly and safe for little ones.

Wooden Star Wands

Currently, Erin is working on a how-to book about making wooden toys, which will be published by Fox Chapel Publishing in the second half of 2011.

Links:

Sewing Supplies by Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics on Etsy

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 07:48:00 +0000

Randi from Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics loves... well, fabrics - ever since she was a little girl and her grandmother carted her to the fabric store every weekend. Nowadays her love materializes in an Etsy shop full of gorgeous textiles.

Fabric bundle, mixed designers

Fresh-squeezed fabrics come from different labels and designers: Free Spirit, Moda, Amy Butler, Robert Kaufman, Michael Miller, Prince Charming, Anthology, etc. Japanese fabrics, as well as some organic ones are also available. All textiles are sold per yard or in bundles, but you can request more/less yardage, or a particular, non-listed combination of fabrics.

Randi also own a smaller shop with handmade products, and shares her passion about sewing in her lovely, well-updated blog. I really enjoyed reading the blog and looking at her beautiful finished projects. It also features some interesting craft tutorials, such as quilts, reusable fabric bag, tote bag.

Links:

Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics on Etsy
Simple Things - Randi's Etsy shop with handmade goods
I Have To Say - blog

Tutorial: How To Make A Car CD Holder

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 08:27:00 +0000

Georgia Leigh is the person, who created this beautiful design of a car CD holder - and she even wrote a tutorial to help you make it yourself! It looks colorful and fun, plus you can use leftover scraps from your favorite fabrics.

Click Here to go to the Tutorial Page

Georgia is a stay-at-home mom of six, who manages to balance household, childcare and homeschooling - and still finds time to sew and make patterns. She admits to not being keen on handcrafting items for sale in mass amounts, but loves the challenge of making patterns of her creations.

Her blog offers more free tutorials, as well as a series of video sewing lessons for beginners. PDF patterns with instructions are available in her Etsy shop.

Georgia recently "moved" to a new blog and Etsy shop, which is the reason why she has a "moving sale" right now.

Links:

Georgia Leigh - Blog
Georgia Leigh Designs - Etsy shop
Facebook page
Puking Pastilles - old Etsy shop (Georgia has over 1500 positive reviews there)
Puking Pastilles - old blog

Craft Giveaways, End June 28 - July 7

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:25:00 +0000

The Sewing Directory and the Fabric Loft are offering 7 lucky winners the chance to win a pattern of their choice. All entries must be received before 6pm GMT on Tuesday 28^th June 2011. Prizes can be shipped to addresses within Europe. Check out the full details of the competition here.

Face.Body.Feet is giving away 2 of her handmade cosmetic products: Rose & Spice foot soak and Raspberry guava body butter. The competition is open worldwide and ends on June 29. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

CNJceramics is offering her Custom Miniature Zodiac Bowl (measures 2.5″ h x 4″ diameter) to one lucky winner. Giveaway ends June 29th Midnight Mountain Time. More information is available here.

Electra Loaded is giving away a flower flower clip. The contest will go until the 30th of June. Click here to go to the giveaway page.

Celeste Blake Designs is offering a handmade gallon-size reusable bag. The contest is open to residents of the US, Canada or Australia and ends on Thursday, June 30, 2011. More information is available here.

Lovely CC, Jennifer Lea Photography and their friends are having a gigantic party giveaway with many prizes from different shops to win. They are packed into 3 packages, which will go to 3 different winners. The giveaway is open until July 3rd at midnight. The full information about what you can win, and how to enter is here.

Lost and Fawned is celebrating her 500 sell with a giveaway, and the prize is a package of her all time best-selling pieces. The winner will be selected on Sunday, July 3rd at 9:00 PM EST. Click here for information on how to enter the competition.

Lynn's Rags is giving away a dress, handmade with vintage fabric. The contest is open to US citizens only and will close on July 4th. More information is available here.

Julia from Sew Sew Lovely is celebrating the opening of her new studio with a giveaway: you can win a one of a kind flouncy handbag. The giveaway will close Monday, July 4th at noon. Click here to go to the contest page.

Kids Store is giving away a handcrafted long-sleeve bib, which is waterproof and still made without plastic. Contest open to residents of the US. International readers may enter if you are willing to pay your own shipping ($4 - $7). Giveaway ends Thursday, July 7, 2011. All information is here.

Blogs To Love: Suzy Sewing

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:24:00 +0000

Suzy Sewing is an account of a young woman's creative journey. She started the blog in June 2010, happy that she had just received a sewing machine and learned to use its basic functions. It is amazing to see the projects with which she is challenging herself nowadays - most beginner seamstresses wouldn't even dream about them.

I like this leopard print vintage dress, which she astonishingly completed in August 2010 - just 2 months after learning to use a sewing machine!

Suzy is especially fond of vintage garments and shares her love about them by posting scans of old sewing magazines, or reviewing interesting books on dressmaking.

To celebrate her first year of sewing and blogging, she is having a week of giveaways. The last item was posted today, and you have time to try your luck with all 5 of them until Sunday, 6pm GMT time.

Link:

Suzy Sewing blog

What NOT To Do When Running a Craft Business

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:54:00 +0000

Only sell products that are handmade by you.
This sounds like a very obvious rule, but apparently there are folks who do not follow it. I recently featured an Etsy seller and even asked her for an interview. She never responded to my message, but about a month later somebody told me that she had been reported to Etsy for re-selling products, bought from wholesalers and on Ebay. I even saw an Ebay listing from a non-craft shop, which had exactly the same product picture as that person's Etsy listing! Needless to say, the feature post is now removed from Craftdom.

What amazed me the most, is that she wrote in every listing that all items were handmade by her - and that custom orders were accepted. She might be doing a part of the stuff herself after all, but once people get suspicious, it gives the seller a bad name.

Never say that you ship within 2 days of payment receipt, if you need some 2-3 weeks to prepare the product.

While customers like to receive their stuff as soon as possible, you certainly do not do yourself a favor by making them believe that you are faster than you are. Unhappy clients are likely to leave a negative feedback and never order from you again.

Last month I decided against featuring a DaWanda seller only because of her reviews. Her products looked gorgeous and, as a matter of fact, customers were happy with them. However, most of the feedback left for her included complaints that the delivery time took up to a month longer than stated in the shop policies, and that during that time the seller did not respond to any queries.

Never leave a message from a customer unanswered.

These people have trusted you, without having ever met you or seen your work in person. They have assumed that you will provide them with something that they want or need - in exchange for their money. Do they have the right to have their questions answered? Well, absolutely YES.

OK, I know from experience that some clients could behave in an unpleasant manner. I once received a message from an annoyed male client, who asked me in a rude way when will the gem angel finally arrive. I had to take a deep breath and write a polite response that, according to DaWanda's rules and my shop policies, items are shipped after receipt of payment. I also referred him to the second sentence of the message I had sent him immediately after the sale, which was clearly saying the same. He did pay on the following day.

Such customers are rather an exception - luckily.

Stunning Crochet Patterns by Lisa van Klaveren

noreply@blogger.com (River Grace) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:50:00 +0000

I found Lisa van Klaveren while researching shops for my baby shoes series. She is a crochet designer who likes sharing her knowledge and expertise with others. Her Etsy and Ravelry stores are full of patterns with easy to follow instructions (according to happy clients). Baby shoes patterns are just a small part of her catalog, which also includes headwear, tops and dresses, children and adult slippers, photo props and toys.

Rose Garden Mary Janes - Pattern PDF

Lisa lets her clients sell the products they make using her patterns, as long as they include a link to her shop in the listing.

Some baby shoe designs of hers are included in the book "Beautiful Baby Shoes", which is available on Amazon. Customers, who have bought her book or PDF patterns comment that they enjoy being able to make shoes in different sizes with one and the same pattern.

Mary Jane Loafers - Pattern PDF

I would have never thought that one could crochet baby sandals or flip flops! Well, Lisa not only came up with the idea, but also did it - and they look sweet:

Daisy Baby Flip Flops - Pattern PDF

As mentioned in the beginning, Lisa also offers interesting designs for other types of products This beautiful flower headband is my favorite, and you can make it any size you wish:

Ruffle Flower Headband - Pattern PDF

I also really like this halter top:

Pleated Halter Top - Pattern PDF

About Lisa:

Despite her Dutch surname, she is originally from Wisconsin and now lives with her husband near Auckland, New Zealand. Their daughters, Holland and Madison, model many of her designs. She learned to crochet at a very early age and kept her love to yarn throughout the years.

Links: