Creative Business Cards

This new business card ended up very differently than how I imagined it would be when I started.

First time users save $% at MOO.com with this referral link: https://refer.moo.com/s/tamdoll.

Evolution of an Idea

Since I spend a lot of time teaching knitting classes, I initially thought a knitted logo would be clever. Creating a graph of the text I wanted with stitchboard.com was easy; knitting the letters in the round was a little tedious. When it was done, I carefully cut a steek and blocked the piece:

Well, this wasn't going to work for me. First of all, my strands of red were showing from the back side and all the photo editing in the world wasn't going to make me happy with it. Also, knitting isn't the only thing I do... so this wasn't going to be a true representation for tamdoll.com.

I set the project aside for a few days until one afternoon, inspiration struck:

Now THIS made me happy! After some digital editing, I ended up with my new business cards. My goal was to keep these as simple and memorable as possible - since tamdoll.com is the hub for all my online content and I can be reached via comments or email at the site, I decided that was enough. And I'm hoping the various elements of my name tell a story about the different crafts I dabble in. I even left off my full name because, after years on the internet, a lot of friends simply call me "Tamdoll".

MOO cards have a great feature where one side of your business cards can be an assortment of images - so I chose some pictures of dolls I'd made, photographs I'd taken, and drawings and collages that I've created. They arrived in the mail very quickly and I couldn't be happier with the quality and results.

I definitely splurged on these, and that's giving me an incentive to keep blogging, sharing the creative things I'm working on so I have something to be proud of when someone comes to the site.

Fun, Creative Business Cards

Thanks to Teesha Moore of the Artstronauts Club for the MOO card reminder, I'd used them years ago to create stickers and was happy to return as a customer.

If you've never used MOO before, when you place your first order with this link: https://refer.moo.com/s/tamdoll, you'll get a $% off (and I'll get a credit for the referral).

Sewists may also like my Business Card Holder Tutorial.

How do you share your website or online business with the world?

3 comments business

Online Sharing & Marketing

Above is a picture I put up on Flickr.com back in 2009.  Recently, I received an email asking if it was “ok” to use this picture in an online magazine, talking writing (article here).  I agreed and have been very flattered at the request.

Not everyone who uses my pictures asks first, but [just about] everyone gives me credit & links back to my site as I’ve requested here in my blog.  How do I know?  Google analytics (Traffic Sources) can show me where readers have come from, and I’ve been able to see who’s used/referenced my pictures or tutorials.  Tracking them back to their website, translating pages and finding new crafty folks on the internet has been fun.  Sometimes it’s surprising where in the world the links are coming from.  Visitors to this site have come from over 120 countries/territories & that’s pretty exciting to me!

It would be nice if everyone asked first, but at least there are tools to make these discoveries yourself.

So… onto Marketing… Flickr.com has been a great tool that I find invaluable and easy to use.  Their Terms of Service don’t allow selling from your photo descriptions, but putting a shop link at your profile page is handy.  I’ve had people admire a product I’ve photographed and when they message me about it, I can direct them to where it’s available.  Flickr has a generous free amount of monthly photo storage – it’s worth the few clicks to store your photos online at this location.

What are your experiences with online sharing?

13 comments beads, business, photography

T-Shirt & Jeans Bag

Once upon a time, there were a t-shirt and a pair of jeans that did not fit their respective owners anymore:

With some nimble cutting, fusible interfacing and a bit of patience, the two were pieced together:

A clever pattern* brought the new creation to life:

One side – soft, cotton t-shirt, the other side – comfortably worn blue jeans, small pocket added for convenience whether worn inside or out.

I love the t-shirt & jeans combo!  There were tiny abrasions and worn areas on the jeans, those I reinforced with some cotton threads so they don’t wear through.  It was fun & I will be making the pattern again, but doubt I’ll be using denim next time!  (It was pretty tricky turning such a thick fabric and used up all my patience.)

On Thursday morning (3/24) I’ll list this for sale online at my etsy shop. 

3/24 update: – Listed!  You can find it right here: Goonies Reversible Bag.

*pattern by verypurpleperson.

9 comments bags, business, recycling, sewing, use what you have

What We Learned About Craft Fairs

This past Sunday was the culmination of weeks of crafting at my house… my daughter and I each had our respective projects and we’d been creating, labeling, pricing and packing things at every spare moment.  It was a big success for her, not so much for me – so here’s a picture of her display:

It’s been a while since I’ve participated in one of these, but I’m not surprised that I didn’t have lots of sales – I have a pretty eclectic mix of items and you never know what’s going to catch a customer’s eye.  I was really happy my daughter’s work paid off – new fabric yo-yo necklaces of hers will now be appearing in a local boutique and she should be updating the bracelets in her etsy shop, Bubblywater, soon.

I learned a couple of things -- one was to pick up display ideas all year round.  If I had to think of this last minute (like I did at my table), it would have been a disaster (yeah, it kind of was – that’s why there’s no picture.)  The antique crate was something we picked up last summer – inserting lights through cracks in the back showcased each bracelet individually.  The necklace display was something my husband and other daughter constructed after I had been scouring the internet for ideas and came up with this one.  I read over and over again that black wasn’t a good choice for displays since they collect dust – but this one turned out well.  We wanted a neutral background for the bright colors to stand up against. 

During the event, and after staring at the necklaces for a while, I realized that the tags I gave her were too big.  So, we’ve updated those to be smaller so they don’t detract from the ornament and chains.

And most importantly, we learned to “not judge a book by it’s cover”.  I thought her items would appeal to mostly teens (it did), but there were a number of non-teen customers (with such good taste and an eye for trends!), as well as one gentleman.  This one threw us as he scrutinized her necklaces, asked all sorts of questions about how they were constructed and how they were worn, holding them up to his neck to see.  Not just a bored husband wasting time while his wife was at the event, he bought one, too!

Nobody used the mirror we brought and had standing to the side.  We’ll still bring one for future events – you never know.  Customers liked a little gift wrapping – we had  cellophane bags and ribbons for that.  Being friendly and smiling was key – always nice to see customers face-to-face and get some feedback.

Do you like shopping at craft fairs?  Had success as a seller at any this year?

3 comments business, fabric jewelry

Artful Thursday – Maybe

It’s noon… and thinking that now that school has begun perhaps I can get one special project started and finished today.  Maybe.  For now, I’m relaxing in the quiet of my house just thinking about it.  Got a nice surprise, seeing that my Linen & Velvet Bird cuff was in this unique Treasury.  Click over and take a look:

I don’t know why my etsy screens are grey.  No idea and can’t seem to be able to fix it.

6 comments business, fabric jewelry

Packaging

Sometimes I struggle with packaging.  Is it easy for you, crafty readers?  Do you have a method for all your items?

For these Love Birds, I wanted to make sure that kids wouldn’t grab and play with them – to keep them clean and to protect the eyes from being poked out of the fabric. So, I:

• bagged them in cellophane corsage bags;
• tied with a strip of fabric from my scrap bag;
• used a Sizzix machine (a great find at a yard sale last summer!) to cut out the hearts from a wool sweater that I had shrunk. 
• Added an eyelet (sewing box salvage from an antique store), and some bakery twine (saved from a real bakery box, thanks to NY bakeries that still use it!) to add some ‘love’.  
• You can find Baker's Twine online, too  (affiliate link).
• Finished each off with a label printed on sticker paper and punched out with a 1” circle punch – (trying to make the most of that tool purchase!)

Since these are going to be on a shelf in a shop, I thought about them differently than  items that I may store at home and sell online.  But now that I have done this, I’m thinking it would be really nice to ship items like this, too & will wrap, everything sold, like this, through V-day. 

There’s an Etsy Packaging Pool at flickr that I turn to sometimes for inspiration.  What about you?

3 comments business, gifts, recycling, use what you have

Love Is in the Air

I was featured, now I’m spreading the love back to you, so read on…

Last Year I put up a tutorial for these Love Letters – and I’ve been featured this month for having the how-to up here at my blog.  I hope you all enjoy the project!

        

Thank you OnePrettyThing & Tip Junkie!

Want one of your own?  You can always make one… or…  I’ve put my 2009 Love Letters, on sale, at my Etsy shop – and since you’re reading my blog post – here’s an extra deal for you – if you buy one of the love letters by the end of February 2010, I’ll either refund your shipping vial PayPal*, or include one of these pairs of wool felt/beaded post earrings with your order*:**You will need to convo me at Etsy or put a Message to Seller with a note about which offer you’d like and how you read about it at my blog (one per customer, please.)  And… if you’re the third customer (since I only have two pairs of earrings to give away) – it will be refunded shipping or receive this heart brooch:  I think I’m starting to feel the love, and inspired to create for Valentine’s day!  According to my 2010 goals, I was supposed to have done this already a month ago… but I’m giving myself a break since I didn’t create my goals until last week!

I think today’s going to be a day filled with red and pink creations.

3 comments business, fabric jewelry, tutorial

Wednesday Wrap-Up

Here’s a picture of my latest crochet experiment – some Tawashi, a little dish scrubber… The pattern is here – no, I don’t read Japanese – but I was able to follow the chart.  It was a quick project to learn and easy to remember.  I was reluctant to try to follow charts for a while, but determined to not let the chance to make so many cute projects escape me!



I’m taking a break for a week, won’t be on Twitter or blogging much.


My last post at the CraftFail blog is amusing.  Check it out.

Leave a Comment business, crochet

Prize Packed & Shipped

A week ago the Etsy Twitter Team had a St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt contest and I offered this springy yellow Posy brooch as a prize.  Jennifer I. won it and I sent it along with a shamrock pin and a couple of greeting cards featuring my Serenity© Mermaid doll (pattern at my etsy shop, and I’ll include a card with every pattern purchase).

I’m still working on learning to use my digital camera, have had it for years, but until now have only used the macro feature.  What I’m trying to learn how to master is the depth of field perception – so not everything behind the main object will be blurry.  I keep taking tons of pictures at different F#  (I’m so technical, eh?) with the plans to compare each one but by the time I get the pictures on my pc I’ve forgotten which order pictures were taken and things are too subtle for me to notice.  Will have to work on this some more.  If you’re familiar with this, please leave me some comments, I’m open to suggestions!

Going to work now on my “K” project for the Letter of the Week.  And, I feel like a complete idiot.  Of course, knitting starts with “k”.  But did I think of that?  No….  instead I’m working on tearing some fabric apart for a kelly-green basket I’m going to crochet.  

Pictured - tiny matryoshka doll earrings I picked up at a yard sale. Someone had brought these and some enamel pins back from a visit to Russia. Maybe they'll become parts in a craft project at some future time. 

3 comments business, challenge, dolls, photography

“I” is for…..

Idiot?  All week long I’ve been worrying about what kind of craft I’d work on for the letter “I”.  AND I’ve been working on crocheting these four-leaf clovers for St. Patrick’s Day…. I had a hook and some yarn on the couch.  Another bunch of yarn in my handbag to keep me busy while I ran errands and waited on line someplace.  I even left some yarn and another hook next to my bed.  It wasn’t until midnight last night that I realized:

I is for Irish!

 Ingredients: Green yarn, crochet hook, pin backs, witch’s pot from Halloween turned into Pot of Gold, yellow fabric to stuff into bottom of pot, and mini cupcake liners ironed flat for a nice backing for each pin.
These will be at Apotheca in Goffstown, NH until they’re all gone.
Letter of the week inspired by Craftside blog.

1 comment business, challenge, crochet