Choosing your creative workspace

Working from home-as most crafters do-can be a challenging task, then mix in an unorganised cluttered mess and you find yourself in a little cave of stress.

Ideally your workspace should reflect the same zeal and feel that your brand represents.

When your environment is clean, organised and stylish your work will follow suit.

With this in mind choose an area that  can become a permanent workspace for you, your materials and supplies. There may not be lots of space available but any corner or spacious cupboard can work beautifully with natural light and tranquillity considered, it will be your space where you can dream and bring your designs, inspirations to life.

Now look at your supplies and start organising them into groups.

Store your materials in categories that suit the way you work and keep tools and materials that are used regularly within reach.

Don't be tempted to buy  your storage straight away you may find that rushing into it  means you end up with less than optimal solutions.

If you have multiple crafts then its best to organise by craft and keeping everything separate.

If you have to de-clutter try to be ruthless, I know its difficult to throw anything away when your a crafter, if you really can't throw that 1 inch piece of ribbon away don't...  keep it in a bin along with everything else that is a bit suspect!!
You have sorted out and put into categories your supplies, you can start looking into storage ideas. Remember your workspace is your personal space  and will reflect  you and how you will build your brand.

From the 36th Avenue

We can now get creative, you don't need to go out and spend lots of money look around for items that can recycled, up cycled or made, jumble sales, car boot sales, charity shops are usually the best places to start.

 

Work Pretty

 

As a designer and a crafter I love looking at other crafters creative spaces and how and with what they fill them with.

We don't all have the luxury of dedicated areas but that isn't important therefore how we utilise our spaces is.

Whether you craft for pleasure or business wasting time hunting through piles of scrap paper to find a template or rummaging through tangled ribbon to make a bow is taking away valuable time from making something you love.

Over the next few posts I along with other crafters will share our tips, ideas and templates on getting organised.

Whether your a card maker, jeweller, sewer or knitter how you organise your time and space says a lot about you and your brand.

From the cutting table to the market stall

The difference between Art & Craft

Art is a form of work that expresses emotions and expressions. Craft is a form of work, which has a physical form just like in moulding and carving.
While Craft is quantified, Art seldom is.
One can create duplicate craft forms, which is not possible with art.
Art forms move people emotionally, whereas crafts attract people.
Unlike craft, art is known to come out of the heart and soul. Crafts are a product of the mind.
In art, it is the emotions that flow out whereas in craft no emotion is involved.
Art comes out from a person’s innate talents whereas craft is the result of experience.

For a while now I have toyed with the idea of writing down tips on marketing and selling a brand whether its from home, online or on the market.
I finally decided I would put down a few chapters on my blog and go from there.
It is quite clear that whilst many of us design & create wonderful unique pieces marketing & selling our brand takes second place or often left to chance , this shouldn't be the case it should be more important or at least equally.

Ok you have designed and created a beautiful piece, you definitely have what it takes, your friends, neighbours and family love it "you should sell it" "could be a nice little earner" the seed has now been planted, we are starting the journey of becoming a cottage industry so what's next.....

What happens next doesn't just depend on having a beautifully finished piece we need to put on our business head (not the dreamy one). How, where, when will need answers, hopefully I have gained enough from my own experience & research to answer these questions, but I am still willing to learn more. I would love to hear from you if your happy to contribute.

I would love to cover these topics

• Organising-your workspace and time
• Branding-you, your products, your company
• Photography- from your table - the market

and much more in between.

Look forward to hearing from you

Easter table

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were little terracotta pots painted filled with

a coffee filter and moss.

The egg was painted and decoupage with a butterfly from my napkin stash, 

 

 

The little bunny bags I made for my nieces, nephews

& granddaughter and filled them with lots of chocolate goodies.

 

 

 

 

 My little Easter table