Craft Store Expansion - Kraftmania UK take over!

I have just bought Kraftmania UK and will be running the store until a time where I can merge the two businesses under this one roof... so keep an eye out here at http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Saras-Texture-Crafts and at http://stores.ebay.co.uk/KRAFT-MANIA_UK for great textile and fibre art products!

This will mean that for the next week I won't get chance to post... sorry guys, but I will be back soon - promise!

Sara x

Sara's Texture Crafts - some very important changes!

Yes, that's right things are a changing... I will be back very soon with more info.

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Blog Competition #3 - Paisley Dream

Welcome to my latest blog competition!

Question: ‘What do you love about Autumn and why?’


First Prize - My Paisley Brooch from a recent tutorial (http://sarastexturecrafts.blogspot.com/2008/08/machine-embellishing-how-to-use-your.html)
She is made from felt and decorated with beads, sequins and embroidery.
She measures 8cm in length and would look great on your autumn scarf, or bag.

Runner-up Prize - A Mystery Bag
(what is a Sara's Texture Crafts Mystery Bag?)

Rules:
Post a comment directly under this blog post...
answer the question and give me a form of contact for you (a shop, a blog, an email address - whichever you feel safest leaving)
The answer that inspires me the most will be announced as the winner.
Closing date for entries 21st October 23:00 hrs GMT
A winner will be picked by myself on 22nd and announced on the 22nd/23rd August.

Good Luck everyone!
Enjoy!
Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Spotlight: Birdland Creations.

Today I want to introduce you to Ruth of Birdland Creations

Sara: Please tell me a bit about you and your background?
Ruth: I began my working life as a research pharmacologist in England and just loved the buzz of research. Thirteen years ago, I left England and moved to the US for a year and my visa wouldn’t allow me to work so I explored and took some classes and did some volunteer work. We really liked the US and so just sort of forgot to go back to the UK!! We then got a green card, but by that time, I had become out of date with the pharmacology work and so I started doing lots of other different things. It was really a chance to “reinvent” myself - an opportunity that I just grasped. Currently we spend most of our time in the US but live for a short while in England each year.

S: How did you get into arts and crafts?
R: As a girl, I taught myself to knit and really enjoyed it, but then stopped for about 20 years. Then after I’d moved to the US, I was faced with the prospect of driving from Florida to California as we moved house so I tried knitting again to while away those hours (when I was the passenger, not the driver!). Shortly after getting to California I was wearing some of what I had knitted and a gallery owner saw it and asked where I had got it from. I told her I’d made it and she said she’d like to sell them for me. It had never been anything I had contemplated doing - but I decided to give it a try! And so I started with selling knitted items and then got into felting also. Then one day I read an article in a magazine about a new silver product - metal clay - where the product starts out as a clay with microscopic particles of silver in it and then you form it into your piece, fire it and clay part burns away and you are left with silver. This idea just grabbed me - so I ordered some and an instructional DVD and gave it a try! I just loved it. Since that time I have been certified in metal clay and taken other classes, included traditional metal fabrication classes as well. I now do less and less knitting - and only for myself rather than to sell - and just want to spend my whole time making silver jewelry. It was an odd change for me however. I had always felt like a “scientist” and here I was venturing into the arts. I think if I hadn’t initially had the opportunity to sell my knitting, I may well have never had the courage to try to make something out of selling my silver. It was just so different for me…


S: Did you train at college?
R: My college training for bachelor’s and master’s degrees was all in science. My arts and crafts training has come from shorter individual classes.

S: Do you sell your work? If so, where?
R: I started selling my silver work in galleries and stores but didn’t particularly enjoy it. I felt very removed from the customer and didn’t get any real feedback. I’d just hand over some work then pick up the payment - but it wasn’t terribly satisfying. So I started selling online instead. I set up my own website www.birdlandcreations.com (which I am currently re-vamping for the third time!!) and also set up stores in different online marketplaces in the US, Australia and Europe. You’d think being online would mean you’d be even further removed from your customers but it is quite the opposite! I get so much feedback and discussion with people from all over the world. People send me photos of themselves wearing my jewelry, tell me stories and why the jewelry means something to them……. Most of my customers feel like friends! I now sell exclusively online and although I am sometimes approached by galleries - I resist it!



S: Where do you find your inspiration?
R: Most of my jewelry has a touch of whimsy or humour to it….or a child-like style. Music is a big part of my life and I sing or have songs buzzing my head a lot of the time. So many of my ideas come from songs, such as “fly me to the moon”, “driving along in my automobile”, anyone can fly - from a song about Leonardo’s flying machine…etc etc. Yes, each of my pieces has a distinct name to it that I carefully choose and I think it is an important part of the piece. I don’t have kids but nursery rhymes and children’s songs are also very inspiring. I have done quite a few pieces of nursery rhyme jewelry - for adults. Birds also feature heavily in my design - we have a pet parrot and lots of birds live in our garden too so I am surrounded by birds and I become quite anthropomorphic with the birds, endowing them with many human characteristics!

Whatever I design, my goal is that my jewellery will ” make you smile”. I think that is where the child related things come from - as seeing a children’s toy takes you back to playful times, seeing a treehouse…..seeing a rubber duck in the bathtub…..hearing a story….they make you want to smile. I have a blog where I tell the stories behind my creations - why I came up with something and what it means to me. It’s at http://insidetheartisan.blogspot.com/

S: Tell me a bit about your latest collection of works.
R: My latest collection of works is jewellery with movement. I have just finished making some fish mobiles - but they are miniature mobiles that are earrings. I’m also using hinges in my pieces and have just completed “the secret garden” where you see a garden gate as a necklace, but then you can open the gate and inside are some flowers. Hinges enable me to have surprises - which again often evoke a “smile” - and I love surprises!!!! I also have birds in the collection where you pull the chain below them and it makes their wings flap. I don’t see a lot of jewellery with movement - like a little wearable toy I guess - so I’m looking at how to do pivots and levers and things like that. I have many ideas but figuring out how to engineer them in silver is the tricky part!

Thanks for your interest in my work. Hope I achieve my goal of making you smile :=D

You can also find Ruth’s work on DaWanda at http://birdlandcreations.dawanda.com/
-----------------
This review can also be found at as part of my contributions on DIY City Magazine

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

My Journey to my Craft - part of a blog merrygo round.

A friend contacted me a few weeks ago, she'd had an idea on combining posts from a number of her favourite blogs, as a way of getting to know her friend's a little more and extending the idea to our customers and blog readers. 'Why not?' I thought, 'could be fun and is probably helpful in terms of business too'. So here I am writing my first post!

So how does it work? Well each member of the team writes a blog post at a similar time on one day of the month, about one topic and links to the other blogs... here they are;

Sara (me) from http://sarastexturecrafts.blogspot.com/

Ruth from http://insidetheartisan.blogspot.com/

Charlotte from http://fancypicnic.blogspot.com/
Lily from http://lilypangart.blogspot.com/
Marian from http://florcitasart.blogspot.com/
Fabs from http://easterya.blogspot.com/
Anna from http://halfanacreblog.blogspot.com/
Agathe from http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com/
Andreanna from http://blog.glamasaurus.com/

You the reader then get a chance to explore our craft worlds!

So what is today's post all about? Well we decided to start with our own personal journeys into our chosen crafts... here's mine!

I started out as a full-time Fashion and Textile designer, fashion and textile art had always been my passion from when I was very small. My mum used to help me create doll's clothes for my Sindy and teddy... in fact I was always making something, even my sister's Christmas stocking, craft gifts if she got bored! I worked full time for a number of years before choosing to go freelance. Freelance work was plentiful with only a few gaps in between each job... it was then that I realised I needed to try something else to occupy 'free' time... I was never very good at sitting still!

All though this time I was still an avid crafter, like all the women in my family and spent hours creating ideas for textile projects (among many other things) and gathering the materials... sadly though, work always seemed to get in the way and I never really found the time to turn most of my ideas into finished articles. That's when Sara's Texture Crafts was born, not only was this the perfect answer to earning a little extra cash on the side, but it was also my opportunity to work on those unfinished projects.

So what are my personal favourite crafts? Well as I mentioned textiles is one of my favourite areas and something I always stick closely too, in what ever form. I love to dye and create surface texture on fabrics and included this in my fashion work, as well as my own art. Lately though, the world of fibre has taken my interest and I now work with a number of wool rovings to create felted fabrics, as well as decorate wovens. Here are some of the pieces from my gallery...

My work is deeply inspired by texture, although I love print, I don't like flat... I need to 'feel' the surface, to me the depth of the texture is the most inspiring thing.

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Can you spot me??

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=11052

I've been lucky enough to be in a couple of lovely treasuries over the last few weeks and today I struck lucky again... Thank you very much Pam!!

Sara x
http://sarastexturecrafts.etsy.com

Shopping Grab! Fibre Supplies!

If you are a spinner, feltmaker of fibre artist, then stock up on your supplies here... Sara's Texture Craft's stock now includes;

Felt needles
Merino Wool Top Rovings- natural and colours
Shetland Wool Top Rovings - natural and handy dyed colours
Welsh Wool Tops
Suffolk Wool Tops
Devon Long Wool Tops
Teeswater hand dyed cut tops variety bags
Wensleydale washed fleece cuttings (also a shearling quality)
Silk Noil Fibres - natural and colours
Tussah Silk Tops
Mulberry Silk Tops
Knops and slub packs - great for adding texture to your work
Felt making kits for children and beginners (natural fibres, or coloured merino wool)
Variety thread packs in matching and similar colours to the wool top rovings
Fancy glitter threads to enhance your work

Coming soon... a wider range of wool breeds and colours

I hope this helps… Here's where to find related product... Sara's Texture Crafts.






Sara x

Machine Embellishing – Project 2

Following on from Crafts of Texture: Machine Embellishing – How to use your Embellisher, I would like to show you another way to use your embellisher...

Project 2: Decorating Denim

Cut a small square of denim and several differing size organza circles (these don't need to be exact, or even ironed... unless you are wanting a crisp finish).


Place one of the organza circles onto the denim and place under the needles of your embellisher ready to start work.


Slowly punch the organza circle into the denim base. You will notice that it shrinks the organza into a 3-D form, with a textured center... this is your flower head.

Repeat this action for the remaining flower heads.

Once finished remove from the machine and decorate by hand. Here I have used simple embroidery stitches and seed beads.


And there you go... all finished!


Why not turn this into a panel for a pocket on a bag? Or fancy decoration to the hem of your jeans?

I hope this gives you some ideas...
Sara x
www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

I Finished My Mini Top Hat for the Wedding!

Do you remember Crafts of Texture: A Surprise Visit, A Wedding and a Mini Top Hat!? Well, I have finished it and am ready to show you how it looks... now think glamorous wedding at a castle in Devon and me walking up the isle with the flower girls for my sister and definitely a new dye job on the roots!... Can you see it? Well this is what I shall be wearing on my head...




What do you think? I hope it looks ok...

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Spotlight: Glamasauras

Today I want to introduce you to Andreanna of http://www.glamasaurus.com/

Sara: Please tell me a bit about you and your background?
Andreanna: My name is Andreanna. I am the middle child in a family of all girls. Being Greek American various roles are pushed on children for what they are going to be in life. My older sister was the doctor and I was the artist. It's pretty funny how that worked.

Now I am a stay at home mom. I live in Switzerland with my husband and daughter Isabella.


S: How did you get into arts and crafts?
A: I was always creative even as a child. I would color animals in atypical colors because in my world elephants could be green or pink if they wanted. My grandmother was a driving force in me exploring arts and crafts. She would buy me bags of pom poms and googly eyes which would later be bears and dogs and all sorts of tiny animals.

S: Did you train at college?
A: No. I am self taught.


S: Do you sell your work? If so, where?
A: I have a personal website at http://www.glamasaurus.com/, a dawanda shop at http://www.glamasaurus.dawanda.com/, and am working on starting my etsy shop at http://www.glamasaurus.etsy.com/

S: Where do you find your inspiration?
A: I am a fan of cute things and am pretty eclectic myself so I gather parts of my inspiration from my own weirdness and the rest from fluffy bears, Asian toys, and just about anything else that is cute including my little one.

S: How do you manage being a full-time mum and entrepreneur?
A: I tend to do most of my work on the weekend since my husband is home. Sundays are lazy days in Switzerland so it is a great time for me to pack orders, make new items, and just get things ready to be listed.

Since I am a mother first I do put my family before my business. It can get very difficult to do both but you have to stay motivated or else you will start to feel like you are drowning. I usually set one day per week to not worry about any Glamasaurus business and just spend time with my family.


S: Tell me a bit about your latest collection of works.
A: Cuteness Galore! Whether you like tiny confections or kitschy collages I have them all. I am working on some new one of a kind necklaces to add to my stores as well as other polymer clay food jewelry.


This review can also be found at as part of my contributions on DIY City Magazine

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

fancypicnic: Shopping List Saturday

Thank you Charlotte for mentioning my felt scene brooch at fancypicnic: Shopping List Saturday!

Sxx

Item can be found in my Etsy store at http://www.sarastexturecrafts.etsy.com/

Summer End Madness Sale!!

SALE - the last few weeks of my Summer End Madness, where everything is $4!!

http://sarastexturecrafts.etsy.com/

Come and grab a bargain to cheers you up as the weather turns!

Sara x

I Need Sunglasses, This Award is too Brilliante!

This made me smile... a few weeks ago I was awarded the Brilliante Blog Award at The funky felters news and tips: Without further delay.... My nominees for the Brillante Weblog Award! and again at Inside the Artisan - blog award!. It's a harmless tag game of fun, but quite an honour really when you sit back and think that people do actually take the time to read people's blogs and follow your work... so 'Thank you'!

I must admit I did fill with pride when I read that Funky Felter had said, 'Crafts of Texture - Your blog is full of all kinds of fiber art related tips and advice. It is a great overall resource for those interested in textiles of any kind' and then to be conatcted by Ruth from Inside Artisan. It's difficult to know sometimes if your work is going in the right direction, or if your blog ideas of support to fellow crafters are easy to follow... little things like this award make all the difference.

I'd like to pass on the award to some of my favourite bloggers... I'm going to try and pick some new blogs this time...

• Artmixter - a mixture of art and textiles to get the juices going!
• Fancy Picnic - a designer whose love of texture is close to my heart!
• Nifty Knits - for keeping me amused and inspired about other fibre craft forms!
• Natural Dye Journal - for keeping me up to date with dyes, textiles and fibres.
• Needlefelters on Etsy - a new group of fibre friends, who keep me on my felting toes!
• Malam - Paris - for Fashion I would love to wear!
• Half an Acre - whose work keeps me dreaming of the seaside!
• Florcita's Art - a new blogging friend!

So what do you need to do if you have been nominated?

1. Add the logo of the "award" to your blog
2. Add a link to the blog of the person who "awarded" it to you to your blog list
3. "Nominate" at least six/seven other blogs
4. Add links to those blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message for each of the "nominees" on his or her blog.

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Super Shopping Grab!

With the everything hotting up for Christmas, I've decided to bring you a super shopping grab for the next few moths. One post covers a grab from each on-line store!



http://en.dawanda.com/product/128847-Rose-Garden-Phone-Pouch-1

You are viewing my ‘Rose Garden’ knitted mobile phone pouch, decorated with needle punched felt and embroidery.
The pouch measures approximately 10.5cm long and 7cm wide. It is knitted, so it will stretch further!
I have a few in stock and each differ slightly.



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12805706

You are viewing my ‘Flower’ embellished square tote bag.

OPAL BLUE VERSION.

She makes a beautiful and unique fashion accessory for ladies who require something simple, yet stylish to carry those few essential pieces, like a mobile phone, a small make up wrap, a cardholder or a coin purse. She is inspired by my love of delicate texture and spring, where all things are new and exciting. She was many an hour in the making and is not only a fully functional tote, but also a unique Sara’s Texture Crafts piece of textile art. I hope you will enjoy her as much as I have in making her.

Her vitals:

She is made from high quality white felt and embellished with needle punching and beaded embroidery in a wonderful opal blue tone. She is fully lined in a stiff white canvas to help hold her shape. The backs are plain white, as are the handles.

She is 20cm sqaure without the handles.Please be aware that this item cannot be washed, or dry-cleaned, due to the nature of the needle felting.



http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/sarastexturecrafts/product/felt_bud_necklace

You are viewing my ‘Felt Bud’ necklace, made from hand-rolled felt, embroidered with silk thread and beads and worked onto a hand dyed silk ribbon.
The beads move individually, so really capture the eye making this necklace a wonderful choice for day or evening outfits.
I have used silver colour findings, which may not be hypo-allergenic.
The necklace measures approximately 56cm in length (22 inches) and the felt balls graduate in size, from 2.3-2.6cm in width.


Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Craft Kit £0.99 SALE!

Hi, I hope you are all doing ok?

I've decided to host a new mega sale, as an official 'tongue out' to the credit crunch... Those banks won't ruin our crafty fun! So please come on in and see what's in store at Saras Texture Crafts's 99p AUCTIONS!

Could be a good time to stock up on some of my more expensive items, with a starting price at up to £10 off in some cases!

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Machine Embellishing Project is Finished

Do you remember my post Crafts of Texture: Machine Embellishing – How to use your Embellisher? Well today I am posting the finished project, so you can see how you could take a machine embellished fabric and turn it into a product... I may even make it my next competition prize!



Thing about adding beads, sequins, or embroidery stitches... these are easy ways to create further texture... you could also add needle felted of wet felted 3-D shapes, like my 'Early Spring' gallery piece.



Most of my boutique shops carry stock of my own creations... why not have a look?
http://en.dawanda.com/shop/sarastexturecrafts
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.etsy.com/
http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/sarastexturecrafts/products

---------------------
This can also be found through my group 'Working with Felt'.

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Blog Ads and Craft Reviews - Here's how to apply for yours!

I am now open to Blog Ads and Craft Reviews, so if you have a product, CD/DVD or book you wish me to review... here's how!

All you need to do is contact me with the following information;

Craft Books - These should be craft related and you must be prepared to either send me a physical copy in the first instance, or a PDF version. If you wish product to be returned you must provide pre-paid post packaging within the received package. Please include links and ISBN details for readers to buy a copy. Any copies not kept at Sara's Textuire Crafts will be given away in Blog Competitions at the cost of postage to Sara's Texture Crafts. If you wish to compensate for this, you may include a monetary offering with the book.

Craft Products - These should be handmade craft product, or commercial craft kits, equipment or supplies. You must be prepared to send me a physical article. If you wish product to be returned you must provide pre-paid post packaging within the received package. Please include any links for readers to buy on-line, or stockist details. Any products not kept at Sara's Textuire Crafts will be given away in Blog Competitions at the cost of postage to Sara's Texture Crafts. If you wish to compensate for this, you may include a monetary offering with the product.

Craft CDs and DVDs - These should be related to making craft items, or using craft product and you must be prepared to send me a physical copy to review. If you wish product to be returned you must provide pre-paid post packaging within the received package. Please include any links for readers to buy on-line, or stockist details. Any products not kept at Sara's Textuire Crafts will be given away in Blog Competitions at the cost of postage to Sara's Texture Crafts. If you wish to compensate for this, you may include a monetary offering with the product.

Please remember that this is a child friendly site and that I post articles almost daily. Each offer will be reviewed before acceptance and email confirmation will be made to let you know that an article is pending. You should also note that at the bottom of each post I will be stating that your article was a 'sponsored post'.

All reviews are subject to my Disclosure Policy and so will be written in my view. No payment or sponsorship will effect my endoresment of any product.

If you have any further queries, please contact me.

Sara Millis
www.SarasTextureCrafts.com

Last edited 27th November 2012.

Creative Handmade Paper

Creative Handmade Paper, How to Make Paper from Recycled and Natural Materials
Author: David Watson
ISBN: 0-85532-730-8
Publisher: Search Press

As a crafter it’s often new crafts that take my fancy every so often and I revel in dabbling in new techniques. While some techniques I prefer to learn in a ‘class’ setting, there are others that I try with the aid of a good book, or mini bible as I call them and this is one that I’ll always keep within easy reach.

David Watson is an accomplished paper artist both over here in the UK and overseas. In this book David shares his simple beginner techniques, using a wide array of materials. Step by step and well illustrated points will allow you to make effective papers to use in your own crafts, or as art pieces all on their own. I urge you to give it a try!

If you are looking for paper making fibres then try my supply shop at Saras Texture Crafts - category Papermaking fibres

This review can also be found at as part of my contributions on DIY City Magazine

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Foyles... bookshop.

Shop: Foyles (W & G Foyle Ltd)
113-119 Charing Cross Road
London WC2H 0EB
Fax: 020 7434 1580
Email: webmaster@foyles.co.uk

Opening Hours - Monday - Saturday: 9.30am - 9.00pm - Sundays: 11.30am* - 6.00pm

Public holidays: 11.00am - 8.00pm - (*11.30am - 12.00pm browsing only)

You can also find the company on-line at http://www.foyles.co.uk/

Foyles is possible the largest London book store and with its flagship store based in Charing Cross Road, it is pretty easy to find. The thing I love about this store is not only can I find books on almost any topic including arts and crafts, but the staff are always friendly too and will often go out of their way to locate that special book you have been looking for. I have had some staff even searching sources to order something for me… can’t ask for more than that, right?!

This review can also be found at as part of my contributions on DIY City Magazine

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Etsy has gone YouTube! by Guest Writer Pamela Baker.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were just learning the mechanisms of a mouse and keyboard while still trying to figure out what do to do next! Then along came the internet, which opened up a whole new world to those of us who had just mastered the art of just turning on our computers. “Surfing the net” was a foreign term 10 years ago. Now we have absolutely everything imaginable at our fingertips. A whole new world of learning, research, chatting, shopping and marketing has opened up.

Next came YouTube, where one can put any sort of video online for their friends to see. An adventure in which my boys are well in tune with. When I first saw some of the crazy videos people posted, I admit I was in awe of the whole idea, never thinking that one day I would be the one posting video’s on YouTube. As I mentioned before how the internet has opened a whole new world to us, it seems marketing by way of YouTube is the latest undertaking for some of us here at Etsy.

With what began as a mere thought only a few weeks ago, has now become a whole new trend. My group on Etsy, “The Boomer’s” started using "print screen" to save some of Treasury’s we had done; and then turned them into a videos, posting them on "YouTube". I though an even better idea would be to market some of the items from my shop onto YouTube. So after deciding which pieces of my jewelry I wanted to show, I uploaded the photos’, added some music, “U2” (one of my favorite bands), and the computer does the rest! Since I have posted the video only 1 week ago (Aug 6th ), I have already gotten some custom orders; just today I received two more requests for necklaces from my shop. I am posting the link to my "YouTube" Video to give you an idea of the prospects that this may lead to you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uM69mwGjq8

Ok, I will admit it cannot be summed up in two sentences. There is a little more involvement to the whole process. If you are interested, make sure you have Windows XP or Vista. Go to your Programs and click on Accessories. You will have either Movie Maker or PhotoStory3 already listed. Some may prefer another program called Photo Gallery, which can be found in your Programs/Windows Live/Photo Gallery. Personally, I find PhotoStory3 the easiest to work with for myself. If you don’t have any of these, just Google which program you would like and then upload it to your computer. Once you have mastered that you are on your way. The rest is simple – just follow the instructions – upload photos- each Program will let you edit your picture once it is uploaded. Next, you can add titles onto each photo (if you wish); thirdly, you can add any song you may have already uploaded onto your Computer. A good program for this is Limelight. If any of you have teenagers, you can bet there are plenty of songs already on your computer. Oh yes, I almost forgot the most important thing, signing up with YouTube (doesn’t cost anything!) – www.YouTube.com. Now you are almost ready to start showcasing your work. When your photos are ready to be uploaded to YouTube, made sure you save them in a movie format (on mine, after the title I just have to type .wmv).

Now that I have given you a sample of our new marketing techniques on Etsy, along with a little tutorial, the rest is up to you. Good luck and see you on "YouTube."!

Written by Pamela Baker of Written by Pamela Baker of MagdaleneJewels.etsy.com

Feelin' Loved up! A Blog Award!

I've been tagged a few times recently... which I am very grateful for, but this one has left me feeling all loved! It's called the 'I love your Blog' award and is a really nice game of tag amongst bloggers and friends.

Here it is... http://grooveycrafts.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-love-your-blog-award.html and again at http://fancypicnic.blogspot.com/2008/09/this-gorgeous-little-award-came-to-me.html

Thank you Groovey Crafts! Thank you Fancypicnic!!

Here are my nominees...

http://thefunkyfelter.blogspot.com/ - full of wonderful business tips you are a true inspiration to small companies like me.
http://feltinginfibrespace.blogspot.com/ - inspiring felt art.
http://magdalenejewelspjk.blogspot.com/ - a fellow blogger and a friend.
http://bunnyfoodfoo.blogspot.com/ - whose food is making me hungry!
http://swirlyarts.blogspot.com/ - whose swirly thoughts always keep me entertained.
http://portabellopixie.typepad.com/portabellopixie/ - for a little sugar in my life
http://www.thepastoraldollmaker.blogspot.com/ - for such and eye candy blog.

If you have been nominated and want to play, here's what to do...
1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog;
2. Link the person you received your award from;
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs;
4. Put links of those blogs on yours; and
5. Leave a message on the blogs that you’ve nominate

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Felting my Soap Bar

I was intrigued by a video I found called, 'Wet Felting Wool over Soap' by www.crunchyparent.com. So I added it to the Working with Felt forum to share with other feltmakers. Here it is...



It's very easy to follow... and although I knew how the felting process would work, I wondered what a felted soap bar would be like to use... I've never heard of it before.

Off I went to the supermarket and got myself a bar of vegetable soap and brought it home where I gathered some natural shades of my shetland batting I bought at Woolfest (I now stock combed tops in my craft shop, which would work just as well)... the shades are so earthy!

I boiled the kettle and thought to myself, can I get away with doing this in front of the telly? There was a good black and white on, so why not... this might take a while!

I quickly realised I might be better at the kitchen sink after all... soapy suds and my sofa just won't mix!

Just to show it doesn't always go too well... after about 30 minutes one of my top layers of wool decided it just didn't want to play... 30 minutes in... how rude!!

I had a spare dry felting needle with me, so I quickly poked back in what I could and cut off the rest... didn't realise it would leave my finished work with a hole... still at least the boyfriend will know it's actually soap and not another handmade bathroom ornament!

If I turn it over though, I don't think it looks too bad for a first attempt... even looks quite stone like... I'm thinking Dartmoor rock!

Now to test it out... I've not used wool soap before, so I think I will stick to just washing my hands with it... don't want a wool rash!

Will be interesting to see how the wool shrinks further as the soap washes away.

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Here's where to find rovings for your soap project... Sara's Texture Crafts.

This post will be reprinted on my social network for feltmakers... Working with Felt'.

Get Your Marketing Materials PrintedEasy!

If you are in need of a London based printer for deliveries right here in the UK, then why not try http://www.printedeasy.com/

PrintedEasy.com is a London based Printing company with low print costs across a very wide variety of print variations and finishes. The company has invested heavily in the latest and most modern equipment and can handle print jobs that other printers can't (i.e. large size posters, A2 Leaflets, Spot UV and Rounded Corner Business Cards etc).

What else can you get there? Well apart from the matt laminated business cards flyers, brochures, postcards, stationary (including printed letterheads )and point of sale posters, you can also get CD and DVD labeling and packaging services. This is great if you are planning a computer based craft book.

The other great thing about PrintedEasy.com is that they are very aware of environmental impact.

PrintedEasy.com's Ethos
Printing in general is not an environmentally friendly process.

However, PrintedEasy.com believe in minimising any impact by using only papers from a sustainable source and inks that are purely vegetable oil based. Our pre-press including plate making is completely chemical free using no developers or fixers and leaving no waste liquids whatsoever. All aluminium plates are recycled. All off cuts and trimmings are pulped for newsprint and packaging, amongst other things. In short we throw virtually nothing away and anything we dispose of is via a licensed waste agency.

All our papers are sourced from either 100% sustainable forests or are recycled.
All our papers are manufactured to ISO 14001 and are chlorine free. A full environmental specification is available on request.
We only use vegetable based inks as opposed to oil based inks. Again a specification is available.
Paper trimmings whilst kept to a minimum are sorted and recycled.
Overprinted matter that may contain client details is shredded in house before going off for recycling.
No chemicals are used in the pre-press department. This means plates are produced completely dry, resulting in no waste chemicals to dispose of.

Visit http://www.printedeasy.com/ for your printing needs!

Go Go('s), Going to Dream of Wedding food!

Do you remember me mentioning a Wedding I will be attending soon... hence making my mini top hat? Well, I just came across this fabulous company while I was writing up another article. Anyway I think they would provide the most perfect outdoor Wedding catering service (if you live here in the UK)... got me dreaming... my sister did mention something about a Hog Roast... Go Go's have left me really dreaming of it now!!

Wedding Caterers http://www.go-gos.co.uk/weddings.php

Gog Go's state:

Formal or informal, budget conscious or the sky's the limit...whatever type of wedding you're planning; you'll want it to be a success. GO GO's endeavour to make the most important day of your life full of the most wonderful memories, by providing the highest quality of food and service.
From a neutral white service through to a massive dollop of Africa we'll listen to your requirements and create an atmosphere to suit you. We pay great attention to detail no matter what the menu. Your big day is important to us.
Peace of mind is part of the meal

GO GO'S tell us that they are a reliable, professional, outdoor caterers company specialising in hog roasts, spit roasts, barbecues, paellas and hotpots. They cater for any event from corporates and weddings to smaller private parties, from 20-2000! Their flare for food combines with it a taste of Africa... the menus sound wonderful! Here's a few for your to drool over too!

Hog Roasts http://www.go-gos.co.uk/menu1.php
Paella http://www.go-gos.co.uk/menu4.php
Hot Pot http://www.go-gos.co.uk/menu3.php
BBQs http://www.go-gos.co.uk/menu2.php

So if it's a succulent roasting pig or a rich, nutritious hot pot with the added taste of Africa... each event is a gastronomic occasion at Go Go's!

And for the sweet toothed... check out the deserts http://www.go-gos.co.uk/desserts_etc.php!

I urge you to visit the Hog Roast Company!

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VistaPrint Postcards Saved My Life!

This was an easy choice to promote to you today, VistaPrint have saved my life on a number of occasions with great product, at reasonable prices and a dazzling speed of service.

Being a small business my marketing budget is almost non-existent, so when I came across VistaPrint I was intrigued to look around more before I ordered. I quickly found myself designing my own business cards and postcards and before you know it, even as a novice in the graphics world I had designed myself a much needed marketing collection for my exhibition. I pushed the confirm payment button and waited by the door... now products come from Canada, so I didn't stayed glued, but you know what? It only took 3 days to get to me here in the UK... now how is that for service!

With more than 15 million customers worldwide, VistaPrint offers small businesses and consumers a convenient, high-quality solution for graphic design services and full-colour printing in small quantities, without the premium price.

How does VistaPrint design and print such high quality products at such a low price? Lets ask...

In one word—technology. Historically, graphic design and custom printing have been hands-on, laborious processes for both the supplier and the customer. Inflated supplier costs resulted in exorbitant prices for the customer, even for print jobs in very small quantities. VistaPrint’s patented, state-of-the-art technologies fully automate not only the manufacturing of printing, but also the manner in which orders are created and submitted. In a nutshell, we incur lower costs, which mean our customers enjoy lower prices for higher quality printing.

What products do VistaPrint stock?
Business cards
Letterhead
Brochures
Custom printed invitations
Calenders
Magnets
Rubber stamps and labels
Cards, notes and other stationary
Decal store signage
Even T-shirts!

How can I order products from VistaPrint?
There are essentially two ways to buy custom printing from VistaPrint:
1. Use VistaPrint’s online tools to design products from scratch, picking from thousands of professionally designed templates, searching our image bank of over 70,000 images, or uploading graphics and photos.
2. Design in a desktop publishing program then upload the designs to VistaPrint.

I wanted to show you one of the products that worked well for me and that is the full colour postcards. I ordered these for the show and have some for sale in my boutiques... the quality is fantastic, so professional! So good in fact that customers loved them at the exhibition. Some customers passed them on and I got calls asking for more... and even a few sales of other product too! They are great for small businesses like ours... why not try them out!

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