Jacquie's Up-Cycle Nation: That 70's Bowl

 

Summer is when outdoor spaces come to leafy life with vibrant floral accents.  But shopping for all those fab showy planters can leave one feeling a bit withered in the purse. A can of spray paint and a vintage metal basket can turn drab into fab!

 The 1970's are still in that no man's land of not-quite-cool-yet-vintage. If there isn't an outdated metal basket in the attic, pieces can be scored for pennies at yard sales and thrift stores.  This iron-work fruit basket is sturdy and the curly swirlies make it a no-brainer for conversion to a hanging basket.

All you will need:

vintage iron work basket (or modern wire basket)

spray paint

moss mat

4 pieces of twine

S hook

assorted plants

Spray paint wire basket in a well ventilated work-space, or outside. This particular project needed 2 coats due to the metal curls.

 Cut mat to fit inside basket.

Pour in a base layer of potting soil.

Tightly pack in flowers and apply a light top coat of soil. 

I went with sweet potato vine and basil.

Attach strands of twine at 4- 5 equidistant points on the basket.  Pull strings tightly to center and knot approximately 6 inches above top edges of basket.

Because this basket has a pedestal base, I can't resist hanging a few vintage lamp crystals (left over from last week's project) to catch the sunlight.

Using an S hook, hang plant in a sunny location and enjoy!

 

LOVE  &  UP-CYCLE NATION!

 

Jacquie Wheeler

Hand of Bela Peck

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Handofbelapeck?ref=si_shop

http://handofbelapeck1759.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hand-of-Bela-Peck/294397987277061?ref=hl

 

 

 

Selling Online

You've probably seen that Bette and I both talk about selling on www.Etsy.com and www.ArtFire.com. While those two websites are probably the most popular selling venues for handmades right now, they're not the only ones.

I ran across this awesome list of 84 places to sell your crafts online.
www.craftazaar.com/84-places-sell-crafts-online
What a great resource! Some of them are even FREE.

If you have the time to list your things on several websites, it certainly wouldn't hurt to try it, especially if it's FREE to add your listings. The more you get your name out there, the better.

A few tips for selling handmades.

1. Keep yourself branded by using the same logo design on all sites.

2. If you have a full website and can link to it from the other selling venue, do it. Just make sure it's allowed.

3. List items frequently. No one wants to visit a shop they visited 2 months ago and see the same things. Keep things fresh and current.

4. Keep your prices and shipping priced fairly, but don't sell yourself short. Your items have worth so make sure you get what you deserve without being over priced.

5. Use great photos. Blurry, dark and out of focus photos are unappealing. If they can't see how great your stuff is, they won't want to buy it. Use several pictures from various angles.

6. Use clear and concise descriptions. Explain exactly what it is they'll receive if they buy your item. Tell them when and how it will be shipped. You have to explain IT ALL.

7. Watch for trends that are selling. If you're making pink polka dot hand knit socks because YOU like them, it doesn't mean they'll sell. Make what the consumer likes.

8. Be prompt in answering questions about your items. If the buyer is ready to buy, they'll want the info quickly.

9. Be patient (my biggest obstacle). It takes a while to get noticed.

10. Promote yourself without going overboard. Use the social networking sites to your advantage. You'll have to interact with others about other things, but throw your link out there every once in a while. After all it is a part of who you are.


Thanks for visiting today.
Deena Davis
www.byyourhands.com

Handmade Blog Party Sunday - Mothers Day

 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.   Proverbs 31:26-28

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.

Today's Blog Party is in honor of Mothers and crafting.

When my Mother was alive she always loved to receive handmade gifts from me.
She was the one that taught me how to knit and crochet when I was very young. My grandmother taught me to sew.  

Since I don't have my Mother here to make things for any more I would like to share this little quilt I made in honor of my Mother  two years ago for Print and Sew. 

This is a picture of my Mother when she was a young woman.

Show Us Yours:
So, now it’s YOUR turn for the party this week! What have YOU made as a gift for your Mother this year or perhaps you enjoy a craft your Mother taught you that you would like to share with us.

Add your link to the Linky list and remember our guidelines for the party:

1. Add your permalink to the link list, which is the actual post that you did for this party, NOT your general blog url. To get the actual post, after you publish the post, just click on the title and THAT will be your party post url.
2. Please add our button to your post or blog OR at least link back to this post in your post. It’s common courtesy to link back to the person having the party, so that all of your readers can find it too.
3. Please do NOT link to an Etsy shop or something similar. This party is for sharing your handmade items only posted on your blog.

<a href=”http://www.byyourhands.com” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://picasaweb.google.com/110020410174774521434/ByYourHands?authkey=Gv1sRgCNOHkvHSuICG7QE#5466159974451361634”></a>

Handmade Blog Party Sunday

Today we are starting a new Sunday feature.

We are going to show you what we have made this week and then we want to see the handmade items you made.

Bette's Handmades:
A couple of things I made this week are this Sunflower Feedsack Pillow from an image found at www.ewenmeprintables.com

and I also made several of these purse organizers.

They can be found in my Etsy shop,   Handmade By Bette


Deena's Handmades:
This first one is a set of printable hang tags called "I Dig You". These were inspired by my 9 y/o son. He said "Mom, you really need to make some tags with dogs on them." I went shopping for graphics on one of my favorite sites, www.CountryLifeGraphics.com and I found the sweetest dog graphics, EVER!

I also made these Americana hang tags from some vintage graphics. I love working with vintage art. Both of these items can be found on www.ewenmeprintables.com

Show Us Yours:
So, now it’s YOUR turn for the party this week! What have YOU made this past week. Add your link to the Linky list and remember our guidelines for the party:

1. Add your permalink to the link list, which is the actual post that you did for this party, NOT your general blog url. To get the actual post, after you publish the post, just click on the title and THAT will be your party post url.
2. Please add our button to your post or blog OR at least link back to this post in your post. It’s common courtesy to link back to the person having the party, so that all of your readers can find it too.
3. Please do NOT link to an Etsy shop or something similar. This party is for sharing your handmade items only.

<a href=”http://www.byyourhands.com” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://picasaweb.google.com/110020410174774521434/ByYourHands?authkey=Gv1sRgCNOHkvHSuICG7QE#5466159974451361634”></a>

By Your Hands...

At the beginning of history everything was made by hand. It wasn't until the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century that machinery entered the workplace.

Though machinery can mass produce at low cost, it can never replace the beauty and workmanship of something created by hand. Or give you the sheer enjoyment of seeing something evolve into a thing of beauty made by your own hand.

Throughout history there have always been home crafters. Sometimes it was done from necessity during economic downtimes, just as a pastime or as with a lot of women to help supplement the household income.

The 1980's and 90's saw an explosion of craft shows, home boutiques, and stores that rented you a space to sell your handmades. In the late 90's crafting started to invade the internet. Today there are thousands of websites selling handmade. We have websites like Etsy.com and Artfire.com dedicated to promoting handmade and today's crafter.

The recent downturn in our economy with massive job losses has brought a new wave of crafters to the internet searching for a way to make a living for their families without being at the mercy of large corporations.

This blog is dedicated to the promotion of handmade and the crafters who are trying to add to the family support by the work and expression of their hands.

The industrial revolution may have departed this country for the most part but handmade is alive and well. Do you have a special talent learned at the hand of a parent or grandparent?

Keep handmade alive and teach it to the next generation. No matter how high tech this world becomes there will always be that driving force in a person to create by their own hand.