Contemporary Handmade Alliance

Monday, May 21, 2012

Visual Merchandising 101: Grouping & Repetition

Part 1: Grouping & Repetition

Grouping

This is as simple as collating similar objects together.

Keeping items with coordinating colours, patterns, textures or functions together will help to streamline and balance the overall look of your stall.

For example: group girls’ shorts, boys’ tops etc. It’s not only maintaining order, it’s also making it easier for your customer to identify additional items that may interest them, which can add to an increase in sales.

When grouping objects that are on display, say for example dolls, vases or artwork – keep them in groups of 3 or 5 (never an even number) as having an odd amount is more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Image used with permission from Quill and Ink Handmade

Repetition

Choose one feature item and repeat!

This is a striking, clean design approach that is sure to grab some attention. Think cleverly about the items that you use when doing a repetitive display; they need to be an eye-catcher. And make sure you use the ‘3s or 5s Rule’ to maintain the balance.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Sponsor Spot :: Collaborate for a Cause

“Collaborate for a Cause” is a facebook page (www.facebook.com/collaborate4acause) devoted to promoting fun and friendship in the facebook handmade community through collaboration on a handmade item for a charity auction. The collaborating partners create a handmade item (or items) for the auction and also agree upon a charity to which they wish the proceeds to be donated.

These are examples of some of the 115 items auctioned in 2011 raising over $18 000 for 70 charities.

The 2012 handmade items will be listed in a “ 2012 Charity Auction Album” on the Collaborate for a Cause Facebook page. Bidding on the items will commence at 8pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on July 27th 2012 and end at 8pm on July 29th 2012

If you’d like more info about C4AC you can email me collaborateforacause@hotmail.com

Thursday, May 17, 2012

{Inspiring Women Series} Winnie & Clem

As a small child I remember very clearly the spare room with the wardrobe stacked with fabric, and when Mum use to pull it out to find something my sisters and I would sit on the big spare bed and look through the fabrics, wrapping them around ourselves as if they miraculously became dresses and skirts!

I was always surrounded by Mums sewing and crafts and I remember her first teaching me to handsew, then onto the machine making simple items like library bags, elastic wasted shorts and onto dresses and skirts. With only one sewing machine (that my mum used for her business) and two older sisters to compete with there was lots of learning away from the machine also, cutting, pressing, tacking, pinning etc. In hindsight having to share was a blessing to learn all these other parts to making a garment.

My mum had sewn all of her life, when we were little Mum would sew into the early hours of the morning. She did alterations and made to order clothing for local customers. She then went onto work for other businesses making children's clothing, children's toys, women's shirts, bedding and linen and of course her own business of couture wedding gowns. My Mum made my wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses, as she had done for herself and my two sisters. We discussed a style I liked and my Mum made it up in old sheets and then when she knew she had her pattern right went on to make my beautiful silk wedding dress (picture attached). Mum also tried her hand at dying wool, carding and combing wool, spinning and weaving. And most recently my Mum has taken up art, printmaking and drawing. Although my Mum taught me to sew I think she in fact taught me a greater lesson and that is to try, learn something new and have a go at something yourself. My Mum doesn't justt do something, she learns the correct and best way (see attached lino cut print) and this has been the most valuable lesson she has taught me.

In starting up my own business my Mum asked me one question, "are you ready for this?". At the time I thought yes of course I am, I can sew, I'm at home with the kids, this will be easy. But my Mum did know more and she has seen my journey unfold from being a steady "easy" business to needing to learn to sew production line style. There have been many conversations where she has offered resources and advice, and importantly the reassurance that you sometimes need as a small sole business owner.

I am so lucky to have such a clever Mum who has passed her talents onto me. I hope to do the same for my children."

Anita is a farmers wife and mum of two little cherubs. She is also the owner, designer and creator behind Winnie&Clem. Anita loves to design her own products and produce something unique. She also loves to challenge herself and learn all aspects of running a business from photography through to website development. Recently Anita has also taken to blogging to tell her story of starting a handmade business.

The BIG HELP Competition

Get a big help to pay for petrol, food, rent and travel

Tough economic times call for big help for families, and that help is coming in the form of a $2000 prize for fuel, groceries, rent and travel being given away by a Sandgate business woman and her business friends.

Melanie Grace of Billycart Markets said the prizes on offer from The Big Help Competition are about giving back to the community in a period when times are tough for a lot of individuals and families.
“The four key expenses every family shares are rent or mortgage, food, petrol and transport, and I’m seeing more and more families are finding it difficult to make ends meet to cover these basic needs,” Melanie said.

“We’re helping take the pressure off one lucky first prize winner by giving them four $500 gift vouchers for groceries, fuel, travel and a visa gift card, making the total winning prize a big help of $2000.

Plus five runners-up in the competition will receive $100 visa gift cards each.

“We are in this competition with other great Brisbane WAHM’s to help those who are struggling in tough times. I know personally many families that simply cannot keep up with rising prices of everything. If I won this competition it would certainly take the pressure off for at least a few months, but obviously unfortunately for me I cannot enter!

The competition is perfect for us to be part of as we are a community based business and support local WAHM in Brisbane, a lot of whom are part of Billycart Markets in Sandgate.

Melanie has teamed up with 23 other business owners to offer The Big Help Competition to our community and to more than 250,000 facebook likers of the combined participating businesses.
Ngaire Stirling of Brisbane Kids and Angela Henderson of Finlee and Me are the co-creators of the competition and both see giving back to their community as vital in running successful and respected businesses.

“Through my Brisbane Kids website and Facebook page I hear from thousands of parents every week about their highs and lows in life, and tight finances is certainly one of the main stressors to many, many families,” said Ngaire Stirling.

“My business Finlee & Me is an online store of useful things for mothers and kids and I see this competition as taking that usefulness on step further – to help with the broader essentials that every family needs,” said Angela Henderson.

Anyone can enter the competition at www.beafunmum.com/the-big-help-competition – it’s quick and easy to get a chance to win.

The Big Help Competition is open until Saturday 19 May 2012.

To find out more about how The Big Help Competition is giving back to our community contact Melanie Grace from Billycart Markets on 0418 114 893. Or visit www.billycartmarkets.com

Monday, May 14, 2012

Visual Merchandising 101 :: Intro

As a crafter, sewer or artisan, you work hard to create original and inspiring designs and products. So come market day, that hard work and tenacity needs to extend a little further (past the early wake up call and long day) and stem all the way out across your market stall.

For myself, as a lover of all things creative, the stalls that I find most intriguing are the ones that push the limit a little, show a point of difference and can pique an interest in the most fussiest of eyebrows and turn feet towards your table. This is something that as a stall holder you should always keep striving for.

Enter your friend…visual merchandising! AKA, the silent salesperson. Isn’t it great to have an extra set of hands?

In the early days of my love affair with VM and design a mentor said to me,

“if you don’t show it some love, you will never sell it”.

Now, odds are you already love your product and you have put tireless hours into creating it and branding your business, but you have to let that love show come market day and adopt some simple strategies to assist you in creating a fabulous stall and attracting the sales that you deserve.

Over the next few weeks I will be providing you with some guidelines you can adopt for your next market to engage new customers, keep your current ones and hopefully put oodles of dollars in your pocket!

Stay tuned

Elizabeth

Further Reading:

Introduction

Part 1: Grouping and Repetition

Part 2: Order and Balance

Part 3: Colour Blocking

Part 4: Tell a Story

Part 5: Focal point and Height

Part 6: Be different!

Part 7: Lighting and Safety

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

{Inspiring Women Series} Three crafty women

My Grandmothers and my Mum have played in major roles my creative life. When I was growing up one of my Grandmothers was a knitter and one was a sewer. Both I think started these pastimes more from necessity than fun but in their later years they both enjoyed their knitting and sewing a lot and were eager to teach my their skills. My knitting Grandmother every year would make us woollen vests to go over our school uniforms and she'd often be seen casting on a small project for us to knit blankets for our teddies. I would inevitably get bored at my slow progress when seeing how fast her fingers clicked with her sticks and would pass over my tiny project for her to knit a few quick rows for me to speed up the process.

From left to right: Bree wearing a knitted sleeping bag made by her Knitting Grandma (Shirley);
Bree's Mum (girl) in a dress my sewing Grandma (Phyllis) made her for her for her older brother's wedding;
Bree wearing in a Christmas dress made by her Mum.

My sewing Grandmother would always have time for us to put lovely multi-coloured thread in her machine and try out all the decorative stitches on scraps of fabric. She would also help us deck out our teddies by making clothes for them and for our Barbies.

Granny Quilt by meandmy2guys

This is a picture of a quilt I hand pieced over about 3 years. I call it my Granny quilt. When my sewing Granny was ill in hospital Mum and Aunty taught me how to English Paper Piece. I purchased the fabrics in the quilt and started it just after she passed away. It's all in greens and blues and spots and stripes which were particular favourites of hers. So every time I see this quilt (which is across the bottom of my bed) I think of Granny.

When I was growing up my Mum was also a creative person, being a schoolteacher she was always full of ideas for easy, seasonal craft projects for children, some of which I still practice today. She taught me to cross stitch, tapestry, more sewing and moreover to basically try anything crafty that caught my eye. School holidays would be full of trips to craft supply stores picking up this and that for our latest project. Today Mum is my biggest champion, endlessly purchasing supplies for me, encouraging my every crafty pursuit and bragging about me and my creations to anyone she meets. With her busy schedule she tends to live her crafty life vicariously through me now but does still have a few slow burn projects on the go. So often now it's me who enjoys teaching her some new crafty trick or taking her to a class.

My Aunt, my Mum's sister, is also a creative force in my life. We share a great love of sewing, knitting and now, thanks to her great instruction, crochet. We can often be found chatting or emailing or texting about our latest fabric purchase or this or that pattern or blog we've found.

Bree's assistant, Guy 4 years, helping her with my crochet
and the finished product being tested out by daughter, Amelie 4 months.

My little business is a direct result of the crafty influence of all the women in my life. It's eclectic and homely, fun and functional. Craft and creating has always been a big part of my life and it's something I'm trying to pass on to my 4 year old son and my newborn daughter. Their lives are filled with handmade and homemade things and two of the four women who most influenced me. I hope that my Grandmothers are both looking down on me and are really proud of how far my creative pursuits have grown and blossomed over the last few years.

meandmy2guys handmade wears made using the skills
she learnt from the talented women in her life.

Bree Di Mattina describes herself as a blogger, craftster and mum. She is mum to Little Guy and Miss Amelie and 2 furkids. meandmy2guys was born out of a desire to document her creations and crafty journey. Her creations are fun and functional articles for the home and family. Bree has been crafting her whole life and eagerly involves any willing (and sometimes not so willing) participants! To find out more about Bree go to her blog - www.meandmy2guys.blogspot.com. If you wish to check out Bree's creations go to her Etsy store.