Business advice for enterprising crafters, by crafters No one knows more about helping handmade businesses than Hello Craft, the nonprofit trade association for crafty entrepreneurs. Written by the directors of Hello Craft, Handmade to Sell is the most complete, up-to-date, and authoritative guide for DIYers seeking to learn every aspect of selling, marketing, and branding. Based on the Summit of Awesome, Hello Craft’s annual business conference, this book covers topics including: • Developing successful product lines • Copyrights and trademarks • Taking perfect product shots • Using analytics to boost your online sales • Selling at fairs, shows, and other retail outlets • Diversifying income through licensing and teaching • Hiring and outsourcing Throughout, you’ll find expert tips and invaluable strategies and advice from some of the most successful indie crafters and artisans. Whether you’ve only contemplated selling your crafts or want to grow an existing handmade business, Handmade to Sell offers essential guidance for anyone who has ever dreamed of making a living from what they create.
Craft, Inc. is the hipster business primer for entrepreneurial crafters to turn what they do for fun into what they do for money. Pro crafter Meg Mateo Ilasco offers a step-by-step guide to everything from developing products and naming the company to writing a business plan, applying for licenses, and paying taxes. Chapters on sales, marketing, trade shows, and publicity round out the mix. Plus, in-depth interviews with such craft luminaries as Jonathan Adler, Lotta Jansdotter, Denyse Schmidt, and Jill Bliss provide inspiration and practical advice. Accessible, informative, and more than a little spunky, Craft, Inc. paves the way for today's creative minds to become tomorrow's trendsetters.
Wish you could turn your talent for making lovely things into cash? Bored of the 9 to 5 and dreaming of starting your own crafty business, but not sure where to start? Then this is the book for you ! The Craft Business Handbook has ALL the information you need to get started making money from your crafts - NOW ! From setting up as a proper business, producing and pricing your goods for maximum sales and profit, to the various options for selling online, at craft fairs, trade shows and getting your products into retailers, right through to gaining magazine coverage, promoting your business online and managing your business as it grows, this is THE essential guide for any would-be crafty entrepreneur! Whether you're just considering getting started with a crafty business idea, or already selling your wares and looking for ways to grow your business ( think sales reps, fulfillment houses and more!), this handy book - written by craft business expert Alison McNicol - shares tons of insider tips, practical information, and shows how you too can achieve Craft Business success! PLUS - some of the most successful crafty business people around share their stories - how they started and grew their successful craft businesses - prepare to be inspired with in-depth interviews from some of your favorite crafty entrepreneurs around! About The Author Alison McNicol is a serial crafty entrepreneur who has launched several successful craft businesses, selling her products in stores worldwide. She is also the author of several successful craft and craft business books, and founder of The Craft Business Community.com, an online community that provides resources and networking opportunities for crafty entrepreneurs from all over the world. Alison is also author of Craft Business Heroes: How We Did It ( 30 Creative Entrepreneurs Share the Secrets of Their Success)- a companion book to the Craft Business Handbook, featuring 30 more interviews from leading craft entrrepreneurs - Amy Butler, Amy Karol, Sublime Stitching's Jenny Hart, Subversive Cross Stitch founder Julie Jackson and tons more !
Releasing in time for Father's Day, Made With Dad features fifty unique, fabulous projects for fathers to make with their children. Projects include everything from samurai swords to pocket-size dolls, wizard wands to paper zoos. All projects can made from affordable, easy-to-find items—often regular household ones already owned. Full-color photographs, line drawings, and detailed instructions provide an easy, visually lush, and family—friendly manual. This is a book for fun and bonding, one boys, girls, and adults will enjoy. It will allow families to create objects to play with everyday or display in their rooms, and to create memories that will last a lifetime.
Perfect for crafty parents who are eager to get their kids excited about DIY, ProjectKid is everything you could want in a craft book: 100(!) stylish, inventive projects; step-by-step photographs; tips for the novice crafter; easy-to-follow instructions; and a fresh, modern look. What really sets these projects apart are the unexpected, ingenious ways Kingloff uses everyday objects and materials. (Did you ever think a body-wash bottle would make a perfect rocket ship?) And these are projects for things kids want to make—and keep—from a juice-box owl to a pirate ship to a curio cabinet for displaying all of their treasures, plus games, jewelry, and more. Also included in the book are basic crafting lessons (such as pom-pom making and weaving) to help children of all ages build a DIY arsenal, a handy guide to must-have tools and materials, and a source directory.
Have you ever wanted to sell your handmade crafts or artwork at local craft fairs, but have no idea where to start? Or maybe you've taken the first step and have tried selling your art at a craft show or two, but now you're looking for ideas on how to sell more, how to make your booth more appealing to customers and where to find more venues to sell your handmade goods? You've come to the right place! I've been selling my own handmade creations, as well as the work of other artists, at a variety of craft shows and other events since 2004. I've learned a lot of lessons the hard way, and now I'm sharing them here with you so that you can learn from my experiences! In this book, I'll cover the basics of getting started selling at craft fairs, as well as how to design a great looking booth, how to give outstanding customer service & sell more and even how to find and create additional events at which to sell your handmade work. WHAT IT INCLUDES: - how to define your target market - where to find good shows - how much should I spend on a booth fee at a show? - how to make your booth look great - promoting your show & getting your customers there - my craft show tips & tricks - dealing with crazy weather & unexpected events - theft prevention - craft show supply checklist - how to give great customer service - how to use craft shows to create after-the-show sales - alternative venues to sell your work, beyond traditional craft shows - how to create your own events to sell at - tracking your inventory - how to create a personal & business spending plan - big hunkin' list of craft show resources WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR: This book will be most useful for someone new to selling at craft shows. I do cover more advanced topics as well though, including how to define your target market, visual merchandising, inventory tracking, and creating a business spending plan. The book includes worksheets along the way to help you. The information in this book is based on my experiences, selling in the United States, mostly in Louisiana. However, most of the information contained here is useful to anyone around the world who is interested in setting up a booth at craft shows, festivals or conventions. WHY I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT: I did my first craft show in 2004. It was the Alternative Media Expo, put on by Antigravity Magazine here in New Orleans. I sold a few things, and learned a LOT of things. And I haven't looked back! I've done all sorts of events since then. I have sold regularly at the Frenchmen Art Market, and have done festivals around the New Orleans area including Bayou Boogaloo, Gretna Heritage Festival, Freret Market, New Orleans Earth Day Festival, and many, many more. As one of the founding members of the New Orleans Craft Mafia, I've even organized a variety of events, both with the group and on my own. As a group, we've created a monthly art market and the annual Last Stop Shop holiday market. On my own, I've also hosted home shopping parties, trunk shows and pop-up shops. In 2007, as one of the winners of Etsy's Upcycling contest, I even traveled cross-country to San Francisco to participate in Bazaar Bizarre at Maker Faire!
Infuse your quilts with love--how to add your personal story and more meaning to your handmade quilts. In Wise Craft Quilts, celebrated quilt designer and crafter Blair Stocker shares ways to use cherished fabrics to make quilts with more meaning. Each of the twenty-one quilts featured here gathers a special collection of fabric, outlines a new technique, and spins a story. By using special fabrics as the starting point for each project—from a wedding dress to baby’s first clothes, worn denim, Tyvek race numbers, and more—the finished quilt is made even more special. Create quilts that have a story to tell and you’ll find a whole new level of appreciation for what they represent in your life and the lives of the ones you love.
Music is a universal language, and John Braheny speaks it eloquently as he helps prepare us for our big musical break--by teaching us the craft of songwriting and revealing secrets of the music business. Includes anecdotes, exercises, and examples from dozens of songwriters, such as Harry Chapin, Paul McCartney, and many others.
Business advice for enterprising crafters, by crafters No one knows more about helping handmade businesses than Hello Craft, the nonprofit trade association for crafty entrepreneurs. Written by the directors of Hello Craft, Handmade to Sell is the most complete, up-to-date, and authoritative guide for DIYers seeking to learn every aspect of selling, marketing, and branding. Based on the Summit of Awesome, Hello Craft’s annual business conference, this book covers topics including: • Developing successful product lines • Copyrights and trademarks • Taking perfect product shots • Using analytics to boost your online sales • Selling at fairs, shows, and other retail outlets • Diversifying income through licensing and teaching • Hiring and outsourcing Throughout, you’ll find expert tips and invaluable strategies and advice from some of the most successful indie crafters and artisans. Whether you’ve only contemplated selling your crafts or want to grow an existing handmade business, Handmade to Sell offers essential guidance for anyone who has ever dreamed of making a living from what they create.
Welcome to the new face of mending! Don’t hide patches — make them into bold, beautiful embellishments. Repair holes with colorful thread and a creative darning stitch, or use fun embroidery to bring new life to a stained shirt. With detailed step-by-step photography, Kristin Roach teaches you a wide range of patching, darning, and repair stitches using both hand and machine sewing. Revive your wardrobe with these traditional mending techniques to make worn-out clothing not just wearable, but better than ever.
