5. Party Lights
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
*bespoke* magazine
For those who haven’t yet stumbled across , it is an
independently published magazine dedicated to
promoting, showcasing and inspiring the handmade and creative
industry of Australia and New Zealand.*bespoke* magazine
The publication is designed to delight
and inspire its readers with stories of artists and creatives in
Australia and New Zealand, inspirational articles about handmade
business, DIY craft tutorials, handmade must-have’s and some tips
on running and growing your own creative business.
This creative magazine is published and
edited by lovers of handmade, Elle and Robyn of Studio
Exsto, based in North Queensland. These ladies have a strong
belief in the power of small business, and combined with their
knowledge of sustainable creative business and passion for handmade,
you couldn’t ask for a better editorial team to bring you
*bespoke*.
*bespoke* magazine is coming up
to their 10th issue!
To celebrate, the *bespoke* team are
currently running a campaign to double the size of the magazine to
100 pages. That is twice as much handmade goodness and creative
inspiration --- for the same price.
Help them create more handmade and
creative goodness by pre-ordering
a copy of the winter edition, securing
a 2013 subscription, or booking
advertising (currently 20% OFF) before May 31.
To find out more about their campaign
to double the size of the next edition or to find out more about the
team behind *bespoke*, head over to the website where they also
publish a wonderful blog full of handmade finds and creative stories
and inspiring people from around the world.
Find out more about *bespoke*
Website: www.bespokezine.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bespokezine
Twitter: www.twitter.com/bespokezine
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/bespokezine
Pinterest:
www.pinterest.com/bespokezine
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Lolli poppits - Handmade Toys and Games
What
inspired you to start your business?
I’ve
never been one to sit still long! Even with three young children, I
was always working on something else and usually taking on too much!
I’ve always been a crafty person and when my youngest was around 6
months; my sons kinder announced they were planning a Kids Market. I
had done my fair share of studying so I thought this sounded like my
next new challenge.
After
3 months of careful planning and creating, my Facebook page was
created. The market came along which was an overwhelming success
within my local community, and so from that, I decided to givethis
new venture a decent go.
What is your handmade business all about?
I
wanted to create something unique. There are so many gorgeous
handmade businesses out there that make the most beautiful clothing
and baby wares so I decided to put my educational background to use
and create children’s toys and games.
I
always try to keep products practical, what can I say, I’m a
practical person! From thinking about easy product storage and
convenience from a parent’s point of view, to making sure they are
fun and engaging from a child’s point of view. And as much as
possible, extend the game so my customers get value for money. For
example, I spent many long hours designing my I Spy Bag cards to
include images and text (for younger children), plus also lots of
extra challenges to appeal to older children. When every I Spy Bag is
different, this adds considerably to the manufacturing time but it’s
definitely worth the extra effort!What do you enjoy most about your business?
First
and foremost, this has to be being able to work whilst being a stay
at home mum for my three young children. I feel so blessed to be able
to do this!
I
love my wide range of products and the variation of crafts I use. I
work with many different materials: fabric, wood, paper, ribbons so
it’s always fun to jump from product to product. Although, the down
side of this is I have so many product ideas that I want to get to,
and a lot of work in progress!
I
have my Facebook page; my hand-made shop; attend quite a few local
markets; as well as selling through two physical shop outlets. This
keeps the selling part fun too. I have wonderful loyal customers
through each of these avenues and having a variety of outlets means I
never tire of just the one selling point.
What is your favourite product to make?
Hmmm,
this is a hard one! I don’t think I can choose just one as I’m so
proud of all my products. With so much variety, all the different
processes required allows me to move between them to keep it
interesting. One day I’ll be polishing with beeswax for my dancing
rings, laminating cards for my travel games, creating cards for I Spy
bags, printing stationery, cutting fabric or ribbons for a range of
things, ironing, sewing, overlocking or working on new designs. I
even have some paper products on the way. Like I said earlier, I
don’t sit still long!
How did you learn your craft?
Like
a lot of handmade lovers, I inherited my love of craft from my Mum.
She is extremely talented in sewing, drawing, knitting, card making
and painting. I’ve learnt handy tips from her along the way but
otherwise I’m a self-taught sewer. Before starting Lolli Poppits,
in terms of fabric, I had only made some basic items: simple
drawstring bags for my son’s toys, some tracksuit pants, reusable
cloth wipes and a lot of padded bibs for my daughter who was a
terrible dribbler. So I think I have come a long way in 2 years! I
also loved working with paper and card, and have created albums and
canvas collages, which are crafts which haven’t yet found their way
into Lolli Poppits. Well not yet anyway!
What handy hints do you have for people who are starting up a hand-made business?
I
find it a little funny answering this as I still see myself as
“starting up”! But what I would say is definitely do your
research. Firstly into the products you are thinking of making, and
whether many other businesses already are making them. Especially
consider local businesses if you are going to attend the same
markets. Keep yourself unique and true to what you love to make. Also
research into finding great suppliers, as well as methods of selling
and online and local business support groups. You will find that
people that are your competitors can also be your greatest assets!
Be
prepared to spend money to make money, particularly when starting
out, even though it’s a risk to take when you don’t know how your
products will be received.
And
lastly I would say, work hard but make sure you remember to take some
time out and don’t forget the other things that are important!
What
plans do you have for your business in the next year?
My
short-term plan is to keep doing what I’m doing: keeping stocks up
of my popular products for my online store and local markets, and
occasionally getting a chance to introduce one of the numerous new
product ideas I come up with. I’m happy with my workload at the
moment as I still have 2 of my 3 children at home. I have busy
periods and quiet periods, which are great for family time and for
building up stock. I’m loving that my business is growing at a
steady pace but I’m excited to see how it can develop further when
I get some child-free days!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Wishsong Design
What inspired you to start your business? I've had so many people over the years encouraging me in my artwork and telling me that I should sell them, and I never thought much of it until I discovered the world of online selling! I used to paint realistic wildlife paintings and pet portraits and used to sell a few of those but it wasn't until my boss at the time told me about an online marketplace that I really got excited about the possibility of making a real go at selling my artwork. I also took a storybook illustration short course a few years ago (which was a complete waste of money!) but one thing it did do was it gave me the confidence to actually step out and start creating pictures from my own imagination, and hence a love for children's illustration was born.
What is your handmade business all about?
I love so many different art forms, I tend to make a lot of things as well as my artwork such as jewellery, felt toys, baby blocks and
more recently sculpture! But mostly my business is about making
children happy by providing whimsical and colourful paintings and
prints that both children and adults enjoy!
What do you enjoy most about your business?
It's so fun to do! As a creative person it's just so satisfying to create something and put so much energy into it, and then to have someone buy it and truly appreciate it, is such a wonderful thing!
What is your favourite product to make?
Ooh this is a tough one! I love making so many things, but I guess my true passion is painting children's illustrations, though making felt toys comes in as a close second!
How did you learn your craft?
I'm self taught, having drawn since I was little as I had a passion for it so just kept practicing! Plus it helps that my mother and grandmother are also very good at painting, I guess it's in the genes!
What handy hints do you have for people who are starting up a hand-made business?Energy and persistence to continually promote you shop and products! Online selling can be very rewarding but you are also competing with a lot of other shops, you need to be proactive in getting your name out there to bring shoppers in! You can't just list your items and sit back and wait for the sales to come to you! Also patience, sales can be very up and down at times and you just need to have patience and don't get discouraged, the sales will come!
What plans do you have for your business in the next year?
Lots of new children's illustrations and I am also really hoping to continue with my polymer clay sculptures which are based on my little girl characters from my paintings!
Visit Wishsong Design's Shop on Hand-Made.
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