My Mosaics Collection

After yesterday's post about making a shell mosaic mirror with my mom, I got to thinking about all the mosaics I have around my house. Most are by my mother, but not all of them. Wanna see the goods? Sure you do.

My favorite mosaic by mom lives in my back yard. No self respecting collector of kitsch can have a yard without at least one pink flamingo. Mine just happens to be a mosaic.


A mosaic picture frame by Fredda sits on a shelf in my living room.


I know I have mentioned here before that the bathroom mirror my mother made for me from all my vintage plaster fish was featured in a book called Kitschy Crafts.



This was one of my mother's first attempts at mosaics. A shelf of knick knacks of mine fell to an untimely death one weekend so my mom salvaged the parts and made me this little stool that sits next to my front door.


My mother did not make all the mosaics in my house, just most of them. Perhaps you recall the episode of Craft Lab where Tiffany Miller stopped by and we made a mosaic that looked like me? I got to keep one and it now hangs outside my kitchen.


I even have a vintage mosaic hanging in my game room. Scored the tall geisha at a local antique mall and have loved her ever since.


to see a few more mosaics my mom made check out her Flickr. Do you have any mosaics around your house?

I Love to Create: Mosaic Mirror with Mom

Today we have a special treat! My mom Fredda Perkins is our guest contributer for this week's eddition of I Love to Create!

Mosaics are fun, don’t cost much to make and don’t require a lot of fancy equipment. Lately I’ve been into doing shell mosaics. Actually it started when my friend and neighbor volunteered us (read mostly me) to make a shell and broken plate mosaic mirror for a little girl’s room. I made a fairly large mirror but you can do a little one the same way. This is also a good way to use those shells you can’t resist picking up at the beach.



Supplies
Assortment of shells (craft stores and big box retailers sell them in sacks)
Crushed seashells or sand
Aleene's Clear Gel Tacky Glue
Plates to break
Tile nippers
Mirror with wide frame or
Unframed mirror
Plywood (I used ¼ in. to cut down on weight)
Saber saw or jig saw
Pencil
Construction adhesive
Paint for frame


I like mirrors with fancy shapes so I made my own frame. I bought an oval mirror and centered it on the plywood and traced around it with the pencil. I then drew the outline of the frame. It can be simple or free form. I cut it out with my saw. You may need to sand around the edges. Paint the frame. Once the paint has dried, glue the mirror on it with the construction adhesive. Use your traced outline as the guide for mirror placement.


There are lots of ways to do mosaics. You can just start gluing stuff on or you can have a design. I like to at least have a loose idea of what I want it to look like so I spend some time placing shells and plates around until I think I have a pleasing design. Once that’s decided, clip the designs you want out of the plates. I used four 40’s era salad plates with a central floral design. I won’t go into all the details of clipping plates but you may want to practice on some scrap before you start breaking your good plates. I don’t hit plates with a hammer either. Tile nippers do a much better, more controlled job. I glued my plates to the frame with Aleene’s Tacky Glue. I outlined the plates with shells and also outlined the mirror. Using larger shells, I made a central design for the top and bottom or the mirror. At this point you can just start filling in the blank spaces with shells or you can create little designs. Either way, fill in as much of the space as possible with shells.



You will inevitably end up with bare spots. If you will just doing broken plate mosaics or tile mosaics you would use grout to fill in those spots. Grout is not a good option for shells however. Instead, first fill the gaps and blank spots with more glue then sprinkle the crushed shells or sand onto the glue. Work in small sections so the glue doesn’t dry before you put the crushed shells or sand on it.


Let everything dry for a couple of days then remove the loose crushed shells with a hand vac or your vacuum cleaner hose. Hold it above your piece not right down on it. You just want to remove the loose stuff, not all your hard work! If you see more bare spots squeeze on more glue and add more crushed shells.


If you made your own frame you’ll need to add a hanger. A mirror like this will be fairly heavy so make sure the wire is substantial. The same goes for your wall hook.

Chic and Simple Sewing: Skirts, Dresses, Tops and Jackets for the Modern Seamstress

Chic and Simple Sewing is a book that has been floating around in my studio for a month or so now begging to be reviewed. Don't get me wrong this bad boy was not on the backburner because it was lack luster it was completely baby related. It's hard to type book reviews with one hand and hold a baby with another, don't believe me just try it. Now that I have a minute while Tallulah saws some logs in her bouncy chair let me tell you all about one of my new favorite sewing books by Christine Haynes and how you can win a free copy.

I openly admit I don't sew. It's not that I don't know how, I just don't. However, when I come across a book like Chic and Simple Sewing: Skirts, Dresses, tops, and Jackets for the Modern Seamstress things change. Some sewing books want you to make your own patterns, others leave you a bit high and dry in the instructions department the nice thing about this book is that there are over 20 full sized patterns included with the book. Want to whip up the Tie Shoulder Shift Dress or The Finishing Layer Jacket? Not a problem just look inside the handy dandy envelope attached to the book and grab the pattern and get to sewing.

Speaking of sewing if I'm going to do any I prefer it be quick and easy. I like instant gratification crafts. That is why I always appreciate a craft book with a clearly marked difficulty level. Chic and Simple Sewing has projects that range from a 5 like the flattering Opera Dress for the more advanced sewer to several level 1 skirts for the more novice seamstress like myself. Books with variety are always appreciated. Not just in skill level as the title suggests there are projects for jackets, skirts, dresses and more. Not to mention a handy dandy index of vital sewing information to get you started and on your way.

Chic and Simple Sewing is a great addition to the library of any aspiring clothing designer or wardrobe refashioner. You can run over to Amazon and pick yourself up a copy. If you are going to be in Santa Monica, CA this Friday you can stop by the Urban Craft Center to meet Christine Hayes. She will be there signing copies of Chic and Simple and hosting a fashion show of garments from the book. The third option is to win a free copy right here! All you have to do is leave me a comment about sewing books. What do you look for? Pictures, patterns, diversified skill levels, cute fabrics, informative index. Do you prefer sewing books with all one theme (like nothing but ladies clothing) or books with a varied theme like Sew Darn Cute where there are projects for home, baby and accessories? We have talked about what you look for in a craft book here before but never specifically one that involves sewing and I'm curious what floats your boat.

Free Embroidery Patterns for Crafters with Idle Hands

As of late I have been what you might call obsessed with embroidery. I have never been a needleworks kind of gal, but when you have a new baby you craft what you can. No one tells you that when you have a baby you will spend majority of your day sitting on a couch with a Boppy across you and a baby using you as a snack bar and a pillow. That being the case small handheld craft projects are a necessity for idle hands. I have searched the web high and low and managed to find quite a few super cute free embroidery patterns. Now given there is some tracing and carbon paper involved in this method, but it takes 2 minutes longer than the iron on variety. Today I thought I would do a little roundup for the other couch bound crafters out there looking for something to do.

Misako Mimoko has the most adorable tea kettle pattern on her site that I have ever seen! Well it's the only one I have seen, but it is really cute either way. Complete with a stitching suggestion guide. This is the pattern I am currently working on and it is turning out darn cute with my appliquéd embellishments if I do say so myself.


The Vintage Transfer Finds blog is exactly what the name implies and that is why I love it.


The cute explosion on the Orange You Lucky blog carries over into the embroidery world with this adorable bunny rabbit pattern. No need to wait until Easter to stitch up this perky eared cutie. The minute I finish the tea kettle she is next on the agenda.


Every Thursday on the Doe-c-Doe Blog is embroidery day where the free patterns are a plenty. The pattern of the hairy dog faced girl is not free, but it is amazing and I plan on purchasing the pattern from Bad Bird pronto.


My fellow Austin Craft Mafia member Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching has a super fine selection of free embroidery patterns you can spot on her blog and on her Flickr page. I adore this little lady and plan on embroidering her on a shirt for Tallulah at some point.


Sometimes the best things in life are free, you just have to spend a little bit of time looking for them!

Crafty Carnival

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
At Craftside there is a bling-tastic video on hand lettering with Lisa Engelbrecht, from the new book The Crafter's Devotional a how to make a leather book cover and flag cuffs made from a book cover, an "actual size" silver heart using PMC, and a fun snack recipe.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy shows off her cool new sewing cabinet that was surprisingly inexpensive.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Why no knots in Counted Cross Stitch? Find out why and how to secure your floss in alternate ways.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi reports on her experiences with using the new CopprClay. This stuff rocks!

Naughty Secretary Club
Thinking about starting up your own craft business? Jen has a few suggestions of things you might consider first. Plus learn how you can take a Crafty Business Seminar with Jen from anywhere in the world!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Old plastic bead necklaces go under the knife (and in the toaster oven) to make Melted Plastic bead Star Earrings perfect for the patriotic holidays

The Artful Crafter
Eileen suggests you go shopping for craft supplies in your jewelry box and closet. Make an old accessory into something new and fresh.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares the clip from her recent appearance on Lifetime TV's The Balancing Act for Beadalon.

About Family Crafts
If you are looking for a creative way to celebrate every day during the month of July, check out this special events calendar!

Aileen's Musings
Ever wonder how to get that cute copyright symbol or better yet, how to put one on your artwork or photographs? Aileen offers a easy tutorial using PSP.

Cathie Filian
It is summer and that means beach & pool time! Visit Cathie Filian's blog to learn how to stotch up a terry beach throw.

Vickie Howell-Craft.Rock.Love
Learn how to finger knit with Vickie's step-by-step how-to, featured on the CRAFT website!

I Love to Create: Plain Earring Revamp

If you are like me you have some jewelry in your stash that at one time made your heart go pitter patter and now just makes you go ho-hum. No reason those earrings can't get a facelift and make your heart skip a beat all over again. All you need is a few basic craft supplies and a little painting talent (thank God my sister Hope Perkins helped me with this project). Today on I Love to Create we are revamping a pair of earrings with paint and fabric scraps!


SUPPLIES
Fabric
Shell Earrings
Paint Brush
Crafty Chica Glossy Gloss Varnish
Collage Pauge
Tulip Fabric Paint


THE BASICS
First you start by sketching out your design. Round and oval earrings lend themselves naturally to becoming faces. White Tulip paint was added as a base where the face would be going.


THE DETAILS
After your white paint has dried go back in with Tulip Slick Paint which has a fine tip to add details such as eyelashes.


THE FINISHING TOUCHES
Using a fine tipped paint brush and accent paint add the little touches that will make your earrings pop like pink lips and highlights in the hair.


FUN WITH FABRIC
Using a coordinating piece of fabric, a small scrap works great, add a headband or hat. We cut our strip and adhered to the earrings with Collage Pauge. Once the whole thing had dried we covered with a top coat of Glossy Gloss.

What was once lost in the bottom of your jewelry drawer is now found on the top of your vanity! Check out a few more examples of earrings like these by Hope Perkins on Naughty Secretary Club and Flickr.

Things to Consider Before You Start Your Craft Biz & New Biz Classes!

Today is a double whammy post. I am sharing an article I wrote called "Before You Start Your Craft Business". Hopefully you will find some nuggets of wisdom. Also in the near future I am teaching some new business classes and I will also be part of the Indie Biz Chicks Summer Business Series later this month. Read on for all the details.....


After Craft-o-Rama closed not only was I saddened, I was without a place to teach! Starting this August I will be teaching jewelry and business classes again at an all new venue, The Stitch Lab! I have been a fan of Stitch Lab for forever and am super excited to join their team of awesome teachers. I’ll be hosting an all day crafty business seminar and 3 jewelry classes. Spots are limited so sign up now if you are interested, read on for more details and don’t worry I’ll remind you again as we get closer to the date.

Crafty Business Seminar
Sunday August 2, 12pm – 4pm or
Sunday September 20, 12pm - 4pm

The Crafty Business Seminar is divided into three sections: Start Up, Marketing and Taking It to the Next Level.

Starting Your Crafty Business Did you know you could have your own craft business up and running in under an hour? Signing up for Etsy is that easy. Or do you think a traditional website is the right angle for you? May take a little longer, but it is not a whole lot trickier. Once you have your business all set up the next steps are letting the world know, networking and making some sales. This class will you give the run down on getting started!

Marketing Your Crafty Business The success of your business is 40% what you make and 60% how you market it. Not yet signed up for Twitter? Don’t have a blog? Not swapping swag with other crafters? You could be missing out on easy, crucial and often free ways to promote your crafty business. Whether you knit booties or solder jewelry this class will help you understand the best avenues to market your small business.

Taking Your Crafty Business to the Next Level Things are running along smoothly with your small crafty business, but you want to know what else the world has to offer. How do people get product lines, book deals and TV shows? There is no secret formula, but Jennifer Perkins has experience in all three areas and will tell you what she knows.

10 students per class, one 4-hour class
$125 per student



Ok on with the article. This was written for another website, but I thought what the heck I'll post the article here too. The whole thing is about what to consider before starting your craft business. Some of the issues we will be chatting about in the Crafty Business Seminar. If you have any other suggestions of things people might consider before jumping into the craft market, please feel free to post away in the comments.



So you wanna turn your craft into a business? Well lucky you, despite the recession it has never been easier. Back in the “olden days” you had to have a website which meant knowing HTML. You needed an online shopping cart to take orders. And, if you were not as good at marketing as you were at crafting, you were never going to quit your day job. Well those days are over thanks to the likes of Etsy, Pay Pal and Twitter. In an afternoon you can officially start your own online crafts business, market it and make your first sale. However, before starting your crafting business, you should consider these basic points.

Be Prepared
Boy Scouts are not the only ones who should “be prepared”. You shouldn’t jump into any venture, business or otherwise, without prep work and research. I know, I know, as a crafter all you want to do is sprinkle glitter and peruse the latest sock yarn, but if you are going to take your hobby to the next level you must do a little research first. Lucky for you there are tons of available resources for running a craft business.

Online Craft Business Resources
-SCORE

-The Boss of Me

-The Switchboards

Craft Business Books
- Craft Inc. by: Meg Mateo Ilasco

-The Boss of You: Everything A Woman Needs to Know to Start, Run, and Maintain Her Own Business by: by Emira Mears and Lauren Bacon

-The Savvy Crafters Guide to Success by: Sandra McCall

Business Related Magazines
-Inc.

-Pink

-Fortune Small Business

Love Your Craft
Next you need to ask yourself a very important question: do you love your craft? I don’t mean like it, I mean love it. If your craft business takes off you are going to eat, sleep and breathe it. If making candles is only a passing phase for you then you might want to think twice before investing a lot of time and energy into that craft business. No matter what your craft is, once you start a business you run the risk of eventually getting a little burned out. Just make sure that your crafty passion is something you are going to want to stick with, cultivate and grow for a long time.

Web Store vs. Etsy
Make a life choice about whether you are going to have a traditional site or an Etsy store. There are pluses and minuses to both. Spend some time perusing the Internet looking at your favorite Etsy stores and websites and then make an educated decision about what will suit you best. There is no right or a wrong answer. Many crafters make a living selling their wares on both types of sites.

Etsy
If you are looking for something super easy that you can set up in an afternoon then you are an Etsy type of crafter. It is inexpensive and easy to set up. There is a formulaic template for you to follow and minimal charges are incurred when you list items for sale.



Traditional Web Store
A website requires a fairly high level of expertise but if you are looking for a site that you can customize then a website is for you. Just remember, having a website will involve either knowing HTML or hiring someone who does. There are also more costs involved for things such as hosting services and shopping cart fees.

Saturated Markets
What is the market like for your craft? Have you noticed you can’t throw a rock on Etsy without hitting someone making revamped vintage jewelry? I speak from personal experience. The search term “revamped vintage” on Etsy returned over 800 results. Make sure your potential crafting business is not an area that is completely saturated. Even if revamped vintage jewelry is your true calling, all is not lost. The key is to make sure your concept is fresh and will set you apart from the masses.

Know Your Customers
Know your market before you start your craft business. I don’t mean be on a first name basis with the people who might want your pottery; just know where those people are, what they are buying and how you plan to reach them. Your market is who is going to buy your craft. If you think your work will appeal to teen girls then it would behoove you to read a few teen mags and surf the teen web to see what is hip with the kids these days. Is Hello Kitty still all the rage? Do teen girls shop on Etsy? Where do teen girls get their information from?

Know Your Competition
Scope out your competition. I’m not suggesting you can copy them or anything slimy like that. You just want to know what the other successful knitters are up to. What kinds of press are they getting? On Etsy you can look at their sales and clearly see that scarves sell way more than sweaters. What stores are carrying their lines? All of these bits of useful information will help you in one way or another.

Your Business Name
Like a good man, a good name is hard to find. It is especially hard to find one that is not already taken. You want to choose a name for you business that you can register in your city as your DBA (Doing Business As) and a name that is not already taken on the Internet.

Spreading Your Name Around
When starting a craft business from scratch you want to snag the URL (.com and .net preferably), the ETSY store, My Space, Twitter and Face Book accounts and a Blogger Profile. I know that sounds like a lot, but if you are going to be a full fledged marketing machine you are going to need all those avenues. Besides, only registering your domain names will cost you money, the rest are free.

Finally…..
Don’t get overwhelmed by the planning process. Some people get so consumed with planning their craft business that they never sell a thing. If you are just getting started you don’t need to worry about things like whether or not to get incorporated or hire a bookkeeper. Baby steps people. As your business grows you can make decisions about these issues. In the beginning, the important thing is to just do it. Don’t just think about it, talk about it and make notes – actually start your craft company. Open your Etsy store or hire a designer to build you a web page or start a blog to promote your online store.

Jump in and get started.


If you don't live in Austin and can't make one of my crafty business seminars, tune in to the Indie Biz Chicks Summer Biz Sessions July 28th for a 1 hour chat with yours truly about running a crafty biz. Once you register for the call you will be on the phone with me live for tips and tricks and to ask me your hot burning questions!

More Crafty Business Tips
- Look Books - Your Best Bet for Getting Editorial Coverage
- Brand New Website, but No Sales
- 15 Tips for Maximum Newsletter Effectiveness