By Anna Cragin Chances are, you first got the idea of starting your handmade business because you simply enjoyed making things. And you made so many things, and they were so awesome, that family and friends encouraged you to try selling them. The first rite of passage…
Who are They Sending Your Customers To?
I was sitting down this morning, drinking my coffee and trying to get my brain in gear for the day while watching the Today show. The feature was about Valentine’s Day and great personal gifts to give…great! Maybe some ideas! They went a few along…
Top Ten Tips to Grow an Online Business
There are so many blogs, articles, videos and information out there on how to really sell your crafts online that it can be too overwhelming to really comprehend…so what do we do? Shut it off and dive in and then wonder where we went wrong!…
Polymer Clay Adventure Retreat – Win Your Ticket!
Have you spent hours drooling over the amazing Polymer Clay and Mixed Media art out there but have NO idea where to even begin? Now is your chance to take classes with over 24 talented artists and connect with other lovers of art from around…
Are You a Seller With Questions?
Have you created something beautiful and all your friends say “You should sell that!” Are you a handmade seller that has hit a wall when it comes to sales despite trying all the old tricks? What is the most common question from handmade sellers….”Why am…
Tips for Doing Promotion Right
You spend so much time working on your creations and have every right to be proud and now it is time to promote your work! You post and list and promote some more, but you don’t seem to be getting the response you expected from…
Why Should I Have My Own .com?
Why should you own a website of your own? After all, you sell your work on a multivendor site such as Etsy, Artfire, HandmadeArtists, Zibbet just to name a few, and they handle all the headaches of design and checkout buttons…so why bother? Multivendor websites…
Craft Show Season is Around the Corner
While it may not seem like spring in some parts of the country, the reality is that it is just around the corner and that means it is time to get yourself ready for craft show season! If you are a veteran of the craft…
Press Kit – Get Yourself Out There
I recently was lucky enough to attend the Buyers Market as a member of the press. While getting my permission badge to carry my camera and take photos, we were directed to the press table which turned into an eye opening experience. On this table…
Showcasing Beautiful Crafts by Talented British Craft Artisans
Georgiana May now boasts a growing number of gifted craft artisans who sell their beautiful items through our online shop. Having become a stay at home mum to two small children, I started dabbling in various crafts, which is something I’ve always enjoyed. I started…
IBH has been Featured!
Well, as the ItsBetterHandmade network continues to grow and feature other talented artists; one of our members decided to return the kindness and feature us! YankeeBurrowCreations posted a feature on her blog explaining all that we are trying to do on IBH including showing off some…
Lovely Handmade Rag Doll
This handmade rag doll is Carol! Carol is a freckle-faced brunette with stainless steel wire rim glasses. She is wearing a lively knit shirt and black slacks. Carol’s doll-hair braids are tied with pail pink ribbon which has been stitched to stay tied. Her hair…
Just a Test
This piece weighs in at aound 3 ounces and is braided using a european 4 and 1 pattern. It is made using 3 metals which are sterling silver, copper, and bronze which create a very intricate pattern. The bracelet measures 7.5 inches long and about…
Under New Management
Getting things in order and setting up the new It’s Better Handmade. Give us a bit of time to get things rolling and do some formal introductions. Thanks for your patience while we revamp.
MaggieMays Mother Day Gifts
Here are a few design’s I’ve created for Mother Day gifts that I’d like to share with my fellow artisan’s. Mother of Pearl Necklace with Abaca Twine Beads and Bangle Bracelets Cubic Zirconia CZ 925 Sterling Silver Drop Earrings Synthetic Diamonds Jadeite Clam Shell Jade…
Love of a Mother
I want to honor all “Moms” for being there when we need them and honoring them if not. Here’s my poem: My Mom, My Soul, My Being You bring me such joy in so many ways, like a warm, radiant sun that brightens my days….
Steampunk Spats
Doing some travels on the internet, I ran into a great post with video embeded about how to make spats. My searches usually go from one link to another, searching web and images for information and inspiration. This particular blog was of curious fascination. As…
Almost There
Bringing together two sites into one is a real challenge. But we are almost there. This site is almost done and ready for contests and features. Just a few more things to tailor and we have it made! ArtFire LInk is a great site but…
Under Reconstruction
As much as we love the ease of using Blogger for our Blog, we realize that the traffic has significantly died and our page rank is not good, so we are working on redoing this site and moving back over here. The domains will move…
Color Marketing
One of the best tools for marketing handmade is great pictures of our products. We have read some great tutorials for how to take a good picture. But consider for a moment a few external factors: light and environment? A great place to take pictures…
Flourite Kaleidascope
Fluorite is a gemstone that is uncommonly talked about! “The Most Colorful Mineral In The World” as its colors are many; the most common being purple, blue, green, yellow, pink or clear, but it is not uncommon to find specimens in white, red-orange, black, brown…
Hello Everybody
I’ve been gone for quite sometime and am so happy to be back part of this group. My summer wasn’t the best; I had numerous medical issues but my hands were working away. I’ve learned new techniques on setting diamonds; so keep your eye’s open…
Define Insanity
Define Insanity: Continuing to do the same things and expecting a different outcome. Everything changes. Doing the same things just don’t work forever. And if they don’t, do you do them harder? Do you give up, jump ship?Or are you willing to roll with the…
Facebook Advanced Security
Facebook has always been thought of for many as a security risk. Some folks don’t even do Facebook for that very reason. As a Social Media Marketer, I network on Facebook more than any other site available! Facebook security has always been in question, especially…
Facebook Timeline, A Virtual Scrapbook
Facebook keeps changing, every time we turn around. For the older bunch of us..it can get confusing and frustrating. For the younger crowd, its fun to see new changes. But for handmade artisans..most of us are the middle aged group. Facebook has evolved from a…
Hello Friends… Need your votes!!
It would be great that if you can do me a favor My baby, Daryl, has participated in a cover style model competition on facebook and he is in the second/leading place now. If you have time, can you “like” the photo as linked? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=300788729937740&set=a.300788003271146.93916.109761709040444&type=1&theater#!/photo.php?fbid=300788729937740&set=a.300788003271146.93916.109761709040444&type=3&theater If…
Upscale Turquoise ~ Artfire.com
Upscale Turquoise Like on Facebook Curated by TrulyUniqueByElise Forward to Friends Shop over 1,000,000 unique products in the ArtFire Marketplaces Are you one of our recent $100 winners? 10/4: AAD-187 10/3: AAB-395 9/30: AAD-111 9/29: AAC-452 9/28: AAC-942 Email contests@artfire.com if your code is selected…