Ralph Loren, Prada and even Fruit of the Loom does it? Why shouldn’t you? What am I talking about? Putting handcrafted by labels in and on your work. The big corporations are putting their names and reputations on the line with each product they sell. So why is that any different from when you sell […]
Selling Crafts in Person
Don’t Give It Away
Trade Secrets – Are you telling too much? A recent email conversation with a wonderful polymer clay artist, who specializes in making buttons, reminded me of something that I think many crafters fail to do. By our nature, crafters are a friendly bunch who like to help each other. But, how often have you found […]
the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
From the “this possibly can’t be true files”, it appears that in about a month anyone buying, selling or manufacturing products designed for small children is going to find themselves in a morass of new legal requirements that the spokeswoman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission called a “sticky and tricky” new law. One could […]
Hot Glue Failures and Other Turkeys
Yesterday, I played hookey. And of course I got an inquiry letter for a writing job and probably lost the opportunity due to being out of the office and not replying until so late in the day. Really hate when that happens…Anyway, among other things, we went to a craft co-op store about 90 minutes […]
Cheap Jewelry Displays
I recently happened upon one jewelry maker’s blog where she was discussing a recent email she received from another crafter. The email helpfully suggested her current backgrounds for her jewelry pictures were detracting from her pieces. It was nice to see that the blog owner took this constructive criticism and was rethinking all of her […]
How Dumb Can He Be?
Sometimes the best examples are those made by idiots. When one local artist was interviewed by our paper, he not only shot himself in the foot by alienating most of the community but may have damaged the saleability of other artists’ works as well. While he talks about paying homage to the masters, perhaps he should have paid more attention to their actions and advice before opening his mouth and inserting both feet. His story should serve as a cautionary tale for all artists and people who are selling creative works.