All Wagon No Star

My already adorable husband Chris has been transformed into an even more adorable Anime creation thanks to our friend Jeff Conway of Pushing Normal. Check out his new video for "All Wagon, No Star" Chris played all the insturments and sang the song. Ya I'm kind of proud of him.



I already whipped up a onesie with the animated version of Chris for Talluah a few months ago, but now that I am dabbling in toy making maybe I will whip her up a wee little doll of her daddy to snuggle.

I Love to Create: Aleene's Themed Floral Fro

This week is CHA in Florida. CHA is the Craft and Hobby Association Convention and for a crafter it is tons of fun. Why am I not there you ask, well I decided with Tallulah it was too much trouble to pack it up and head East, maybe next year you will see me there. In the meantime I am there in spirit. If you stopped by Duncan’s I Love to Create booth you might have spotted my goodies here and there. Things like collage earrings, a ping pong ball necklace and a sassy purple Aleene’s themed Floral Fro. Today for my I Love to Create Column I am going to be walking you through said Floral Fro and how you can make your very own!


SUPPLIES
Junk Jewelry (mine was purple, white and gold)
Aleene’s Glue Gun
Printer
Scissors
Picture Frame
Gold Spray Paint
Liquid Fusion Glue
Computer
Printer
Aleene’s Crystal Clear Glue Spray
Picture of a Woman’s Head
Pliers


CRAFTING BY COLOR
Since this was a special Aleene’s themed Floral Fro it only made sense to use purple, gold and white junk jewelry. I gathered my supplies and using my pliers clipped off the backs of all the clip on earrings and brooches I was using. As you can see from the picture Tallulah was a huge help during the process.


THE BACKDROP
Some people, like my husband, might argue that thrift store shopping is a waste of time. I would say how else would I find a book from a 1970’s hair salon with tons of pictures of women with haircuts resembling mushrooms that are perfect to craft with? I cut out one of those heads and using Aleene’s Crystal Clear Tacky Spray I adhered the head to a sheet of paper that I had printed out using a pattern of the Aleene’s logo.


READY, SET, GLUE!
Once my head was adhered to my background paper it was time to bejewel the mushroom coif, my favorite part. Using Liquid Fusion and Aleene’s Ultimate Glue Gun I stuck down all the purple, gold and white pieces of jewelry in the pattern I had laid out earlier. With small gold beads and glue I went through and filled in any holes where hair was showing. I allowed this to dry overnight.


ALL FRAMED UP
Once the glue had dried it was time to put this lovely lady into a picture frame. I hope she is having a good time in Florida at the convention. One thing I know for sure is that she has the best hair there.

Is There a Market for Your Crafts?

Have you ever wondered if there is a market for your craft? Is anyone else out there going to like the dolls you make or think your handmade candles smell as nice as you do? Well there are a few key questions you should ask yourself.

Before we get to those hot burning questions, I have a few business related reminders for you. Don't forget to join me tonight for the Indie Biz Chicks Summer Biz Sessions. I'll be chatting about running a crafty business and answering questions live tonight conference call style.


There are still a couple of spots left for my Crafty Business Seminar this coming Sunday at The Stitch Lab! The 4 hour long Crafty Business Seminar is divided into three sections: Start Up, Marketing and Taking It to the Next Level. It's gonna be tons o' fun and oh so informative.

Onto the article....

When embarking on the adventure of starting your own crafty business, everyone has to ask themselves the proverbial question: is there a market for my craft? The answer might not always be as cut and dry as “yes” or “no.” The good news is that there are a lot of different ways to get to a concrete answer.

Market Research

The first thing you should do is conduct a little informal market research about your craft. What are friends for if not to quiz them about your product? Get feedback about whether or not it is something they would want to buy. I can’t tell you how many career crafters I have known who got their start by making something for a friend. And then that friend’s coworker wanted one. And then that coworker’s second cousin wanted one. Before they knew it, their craft hobby was their craft job.

Questions to ask:
-What do you think about this craft?
-Would you be willing to buy this?
-What would you be willing to pay for this?
-Where do you expect to buy this?

Remember to accept all forms of feedback, including criticism and suggestions. Just because you think that your art journals are amazing does not mean that everyone else will. Save yourself a lot of heartache and financial pain and really listen to the answers people give to your questions.

Craft Availability

The next bit of market research you should do is to look into whether or not your craft is already widely available. Is the market for felted soap already saturated or is there a void begging to be filled? If the product isn’t available, then there very well may be a market waiting for you and your soap. Again, ask your friends. Don’t assume that just because something doesn’t exist, people want it. If the product already exists, don’t scrap your idea totally. You will just have to work that much harder to set your soap apart from the rest.

Standing Out in a Crowd

How do you make your craft stand out from the rest? This is where your marketing campaign will come in handy. As a savvy marketer, it is your job to create the illusion that people need, not want, a lampshade made of doilies. You need to convince them why your lampshade made of doilies is better than another crafter’s lampshade made of doilies. You do this by getting your product out there! Garnering press and endorsements for your products are two ways of doing this.

Standing out in a crowd also means creating a unique product. A unique product does not have to be an entirely new product. It can be an existing product with your twist. I started my jewelry business because there was nothing on the market that quite fit my taste. Sure, there were lots of crafters selling jewelry (and have been for ages), but I wanted baubles that were big, bright and attention grabbing. I had to create that for myself. And guess what? Other people also craved tack-a-liscious jewelry because my product sold I created a unique product.

Various Market Places

Remember there is more than one way to skin a cat. For example, just because Etsy is overrun with ceramics does not mean that eBay is. Make your product available on different websites and see which ones work for you. Take a spin through your local craft bazaars and look for artisans selling like-minded ceramics. If you come up empty handed, that’s your cue to get a booth. More and more flea markets are a mix of antiques and crafts – where else can you get a sausage on a stick and make a few bucks in the same afternoon? Tupperware parties were successful for a reason; maybe you could gather friends and have a home party to sell your ceramics.

Online Craft Market Places
-Etsy
-Artfire
-Ebay
-Lov.li
-DaWanda
-Trunkt
-Cut + Paste

Other Craft Market Places
-Craft Bazaars
-Farmers Market
-Craft Malls
-Flea Market
-Home Parties

Niche Markets

Don’t underestimate the niche market. Maybe your craft does not have mass appeal, but sometimes that is a good thing. Niche markets can be a very lucrative group. When I got started with Naughty Secretary Club, my jewelry was very unusual and kitschy. Definitely not something that would interest your average mall shopper. Luckily, I tapped into a niche market, which in turn has helped me make a career out of jewelry making.

Room for All of Us

The truth of the matter is that crafts are a hot industry. This means that not only is the market more saturated than ever, it also means there is a larger market for these crafts. The trick will be setting yourself apart from the rest with reasonable prices, unusual spins on usual items and marketing your product like there is no tomorrow. If the ShamWow and Snuggie can find a market, there is hope for us all.

Naughty Secretary Club July Newsletter

Crafty Carnival and Crafty TV

Craft Lab
Feather Frenzy
Monday July 27th
5:30 AM

Tomorrow morning Sonya Nimri shows me how to have fun with feathers. She demonstrates various projects using feathers. Check out the interview I did with Sonya about her fun book Beadaliscious.


About Family Crafts
Is it too early to start thinking about Halloween crafting? How early do you start your Halloween planning?

About.com Cross Stitch
Can You Stitch and Ride? Connie barely can and she wants to hear what your situation is - be sure to read the comments and add your own.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen has an exciting announcement! She's just finished creating a book for Project Ties That Bind benefiting Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF). 100% of all proceeds from the book are going to OCRF. Stop by and take a sneak peek at this beautiful 68 page book filled with beautiful vivid pictures and inspirational quotes and stories.

Cathie Filian
Whip up a custom belt buckle with a little paper, creativity and Dimensional Magic.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there are tutorials on how to do recycled paper napkin casting, make a movable fighting girl element, an interview with Norma V. Toraya author of Paper Puppet Palooza, a video on how to die cut and needle felt a bookmark from a recycled wool sweater and how to create a window for pressed botanicals in your gathering journal.

Crafty Princess Diaries
If you have always wanted to make your own crafting video but didn't think you had the techie know-how, then you'll love this new free software the Crafty Princess recently discovered.

Mixed Media Artist
If you get inspired by seeing fabulous work by other artists, check out some of the fabulous profiles that Cyndi has posted!

Naughty Secretary Club
Jen takes some of her favorite free embroidery patterns on the net and transforms them into plush dolls.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Check out a A Floral-tasticly good project from the new book- Kanzashi in Bloom

The Artful Crafter
Do you know what a bead board is? No, not the kind you nail to the wall. LOL.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares a couple of sneak peeks of some mixed media jewelry she's created to wear to the CHA Show!

Vickie Howell-Craft.Rock.Love
25 Signs that you love to create!

I Love to Create: Tallulah and the Teapot

A few weeks ago I told you about some fun places to snag free embroidery patterns. The little tea kettle pattern from Misako Mimoko was my very favorite of the bunch. I loved it so much I decided to make it into a little doll for Tallulah. Today on I Love to Create I am going to show you how you can take an embroidery pattern and make it into an embroidered plushie.


SUPPLIES
Aleene’s Tack-It Over & Over
Fabric
Carbon Paper
Embroidery Floss and Needle
Fiberfill or Cotton Stuffing
Medium weight interfacing
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Crafty Chica Fabric Markers


First you will need to choose a pattern that lends it’s self to being a doll. As mentioned I chose Misako Mimoko’s teapot pattern. I printed out the pattern and blew it up on my computer to make it more doll size. After that using tracing paper I transferred the image to a piece of white fabric.


I decided that not only was I going to make this little embroidered cutie into a doll. I was going to make it into an appliquéd doll. First I chose the fabrics I wanted to work with. Next using my tracing paper and the pattern I cut out Mr. teapots clothing. Using Aleene’s Tack-It Over and Over I glued my appliqué pieces in place.

Once the glue had set I put my pattern into my embroidery hoop and got busy stitching.


Since my satin stitch is not all that great I opted for using a Crafty Chica fabric marker to fill in his eyes instead.


Now that my pattern was completely embroidered it was time to make my doll. I cut out my tea pot and a piece for the backside of my doll. I ironed on medium weight interfacing to both sides to give my doll a bit more body. After this was complete I pinned the two right sides together so that the interfaced sides were facing out.


Once the doll was pinned all the way around I took my scissors and clipped the edges. After this step I took the doll to my sewing machine and stitched all the way around except for a small 2” hole at the bottom being sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of my stitching. Using pliers and a knitting needle I turned my doll rightside out and stuffed with poly-fil. After the doll was completely stuffed using a needle and thread I stitched up the small hole.


All that was left to do was give Tallulah her new doll. We sing "I'm a Little Teapot" when we play with the doll.

After the Mr. Teapot I went on to make a doll out of the Orange You Lucky Bunny and was inspired by Lotta Jansdotter: Simple Sewing for Babies Soft Letters Project. Check out my handy work...

The Sublime Stitching Baby Bib Embroidery Kit

Has Jenny Hart ever made an un-cute thing in her life? Not that I have seen. Combine her super duper cuteness with baby bibs and it’s the best two-some since peanut butter and jelly. As a new mom and someone with a serious embroidery addiction I was pleased as punch to receive The Sublime Stitching Baby Bib Embroidery Kit: Utterly Adorable Projects, Plus All the Tools & Techniques from Chronicle Books.

The kit comes with a handy dandy little booklet, 2 bibs, needle, floss and 6 reusable Sublime Stitching patterns. Look for anthropomorphic utensils, strained veggie splatters, rockets and more. I could not wait to get to stitching on my bibs, especially since Tallulah has become especially drooly as of late.


First up the snail pattern. I have used this pattern again and again thanks to the adorable scalloped border. I scanned it in my computer blew it up and using Sublime Stitching tracing paper have used it as a border on two different onesies. I of course used the pattern the way it was intended as well. Well not exactly the way it was intended. I used fabric to spice my bib up a bit. New and vintage scraps, plus a big blue rose from a hanky. The original design is still there, just now my bib is a little different from the rest. Tallulah seems to really enjoy it thus far. Oh and here are the onesies I made using the scalloped border and some vintage tablecloths that were already embroidered!




Onward to bib number 2!


I again went appliqué crazy on bib number 2. The Baby Bib Embroidery Kit comes with an adorable cup and spoon pattern for those hungry little babies. Using fabric and rickrack I tried to emulate a placemat on my bib. In the center I appliquéd what is supposed to be a plate (please don’t judge my blanket stitch) and we have a smiling cup of milk on one side and a perky spoon on the other. Oh and as an aside I will never use metallic floss again for as long as I live. I don’t know what is more frustrating metallic floss or French Knots.



Also included in the Sublime Stitching Baby Bib Kit is an adorable mama and baby owl pattern. I have used this pattern twice, both times on clothing for T-Boz. The yellow shirt was sent off to my mother and her embroidery machine after I hand embroidered the pair of owls on the pink heart. She added the purple edge and to give it that little something extra a nod to Telly Savalas with the “Whoooo loves ya Baby?”. I also used the baby owl on a little T-shirt.



I have a thing for fruit with faces. Take a looksie at my kitchen to see a bit of my collection. That being the case I was excited to see a pattern in the kit featuring a pear, strawberry and orange all smiling back at me. I again did this design as an appliqué on a cute little pink T-shirt that Tallulah’s Great Grandmother had sent her. Can’t wait for Grandma to see the T-shirts new face lift.


Clearly The Sublime Stitching Baby Bib Embroidery kit can be used for a lot more than just baby bibs. If you are a mom like me desperately trying to customize your kids clothes this kit has the goods to get you started. It’s a double whammy you can use the embroidered bibs to keep food off your kiddos embroidered clothing.

Lotta Jansdotter Simple Sewing for Baby: 24 Easy Projects for Newborns to Toddlers

What better way to kick off baby week here on the blog than with a review of Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby 24 Easy Projects for Newborns to Toddlers from Chronicle Books! I have to say I was pretty dang excited to get a copy of Simple Sewing for Baby. Not only do I have a baby to sew for, simple sewing is about all I can do. At first I was frustrated that none of the projects in the books were labeled with a difficulty level and then I realized it’s because the title already told me, it’s all simple.



Some of the oh so simple projects I plan on trying to conquer include the giraffe shaped soft rattle (look for a plush toy how-to project on the blog Thursday), the Simple Dress and the Soft Letters. I love the illustrated index it makes finding the perfect project that much easier. The projects in the books are not just for babies, there are fun toys and clothing that toddlers would also enjoy. Not to mention a few treats for mom and dad like the diaper bag.



Another added bonus about Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing for Baby is that the patterns are included with the book. I am loving this new trend in publishing; it makes sewing books seem that much less daunting. Not only are the sewing patterns included with this book with super easy instructions written on them like “cut out 2 of these” there are also templates for some of the stencils used inside like monster faces and alligators.

Even if you are a master seamstress anyone with kids knows that simple sewing is about all you will have time for. That being the case no matter what your skill level this book will work great for everyone wanting to sew for kids. Now if you will excuse me I'm off to sew a giant soft letter T for Tallulah.

5 Random Things About My Weekend

I had a dinner party for some friends and all 3 of our babies matched, it was completely unplanned. Remember the post on Baby Clothes Couture? These are the outfits in action.

Chris and I are 2 episodes away from finishing The Wire Season 2. The whole docks thing threw me off at first, but it is all becoming clear to me now.


Karly and I went to the City Wide Garage Sale where I scored 2 new vintage Dream Pets including an Octopus (Thanks J.Pidgeon for the pic) and Snake.

I'm pumped to be doing a review for CSN.com. This place has tons of stuff, you could browse for days. Baby stuff, Futons and tattoo sheets - oh my! Look for free fun goodness from their site soon.


Chris, Tallulah and I all made a pilgramage to Round Rock Donuts 30 minutes outside of Austin for breakfast this morning. It was totally worth the trip.

Crafty Carnival & Crafty TV

Craft Lab
Copper Patina
Monday July 20th
5:30 AM

Join me and Anne Igou Monday on HGTV Monday as we show you how to make candle votives using a fun copper patina effect.



Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Alexa shares the mental process behind creating a post on her swell craft blog

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got a how-to's on bleaching photos and juxtaposing images, a mixed-media journal out of a wide variety of recycled materials and a video with Scatha G. Allison where she shows the incredible designs from her book Jean Therapy. Be sure to answer the day's questions to be entered to win a free book!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Have you thought about taking your craft hobby to a different level? Tammy has some thoughts to consider before crossing over the hobby/professional line.

The Crochet Dude
Drew reviews the new Simplicty Rotary Cutting Maching - offers up a free crocheted project using fabric strips - and he's giving away a Rotary Cutting Machine to one lucky commenter!

The Impatient Crafter
Madge shows you how to make a quick and easy Altered Chinese Paper Lantern in her first post on Kid/Teen Crafts for I Love to Create!

Vickie Howell-Craft.Rock.Love
Check out Vickie's free pattern for a knitted lace, iPhone cozy!

CraftyPod
SisterDiane is thrilled to unveil her new ebook, Weaving Un-Loomed: Simple Ways to Weave Cool Things.

About Family Crafts
I need your help! Be the first to submit a photo of this completed craft and be featured on the Family Crafts site!

Aileen's Musings
Your help is needed...Please take a moment to help make a difference We have a chance to get our ovarian cancer charity project on the cover of a northern CA magazine. Your vote is needed! The project benefits the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Deadline for voting is July 23rd so hurry and cast your vote!

Cross Stitch at About.com
Have fun trying out these new free Candlewicking patterns Connie's sharing. If you use one, send in a photo to show it off!

Mixed Media Artist
Using two very different book pages, you can create a found poem for an altered book...or just because!

Naughty Secretary Club
Jen shares clever and crafty uses for suitcases that have nothing to do with holding clothing. Side tables, laptop cases and portable craft studios oh my!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Drink Mermaids take the plunge into some silver paint and get transformed into some swimmingly fun necklaces inspired by the wonderfully innovative book- A Charming Exchange.

The Artful Crafter
Eileen shows you how to make a multi-strand fiber bracelet.

What's Black, White and Yellow All Over?

Today I am at two places at once. Not in real life sillies, in blog life. Why you ask? Well because my black, white and yellow cup runneth over. Let me explain... My friends Erin and Karly run a rad home decorating blog called Design Crisis. Erin went off and managed to get herself in the family way so while she is off taking care of her new whipper snapper she has suckered some friends to do some guest blogging for her. I was one of those friends. My topic was black, white and yellow interiors and I had so many I split the post and put half of the pictures on Design Crisis and half of the pictures right here on Naughty Secretary Club. Whew, now that we have all that explaining out of the way let’s get on to the good part – the pictures.

As you kids know one of my most prized possessions is my complete set of The Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement. Tallulah does not know how lucky she is that one day these will be hers. This book was cram packed with tack-a-liscious black, white and yellow goodness. I could have stood and scanned all day.

I know not long ago Ikea was carrying floor to ceiling fabric wall panels that looked just like these treescapes.

Dahling meet me for fondue on the veranda.

I'm just mad for plaid!

I'm having a small citrus and basil themed dinner party tonight for a few guests and I wish more than anything that my dining room looked like this for one night only.

You know what I think really makes a room? Cock and bowls on the coffee table.

I've heard of the carpet matching the curtains but never the curtains matching the cabinets.


Speaking of black, white, yellow and Ikea - take a look at these rooms starting with Super Shopper.


Bonus points to Uniform Studio for the piegon pillow and low hanging guitar.


*DAAN* on Flickr had this bathroom to share. I kind of feel like the room is a little Rosemary's Baby or something, but I still dig it.


Don't want to commit to decorating an entire room in black, white and yellow? How about a small art grouping like Kasa did instead. I have prints from Pepperminte and Ashley G in my bedroom too!


Don't forget pop over to Design Crisis to the other half of this blog and well wishes to Erin on the new baby!