Winnah!

This week's giveaway winnah is:



Ms. Yarn!


I will hook her up (yuk yuk) with Karina so she can get her soap on. Whee!


Thanks for participating, everyone. Please be on the lookout for Monday's post. I will have "Business Links Monday." Tell one, tell all!

Featured Crafter: Alison Franson of Beatrice Holiday

Alison Franson of Denver, Colorado is today's featured crafter. Her business, Beatrice Holiday, recently won the Eco-Conscious Entrepreneur Award from Leading Ladies of Denver. Way to go, Alison! Her focus is on cruiser bike culture--using reclaimed fabrics to create bags and seat covers for your cruiser; and reclaimed inner tubes to create jewelry.

Alison donates a portion of the proceeds from sales to Derailer Bicycle Collective, a non-profit, collectively-run community bike shop in Denver. Her vintage fabric sense paired with a rubber-punk feel makes Beatrice Holiday a business to watch.


Did you start out with the intent to be in business, or did it happen organically?

Beatrice Holiday sort of just manifested on its own. I made a handlebar bag for my crusier bike and received a great response. I was encouraged to make more of them in different styles.

What are your favorite materials? Why? What do you want to work with?

Vintage fabrics for sure. I love reincarnating vintage upholstery fabrics that were once used to resurface old couches in the "olden days." Giving a fabric a new life and giving cruisers a way to pimp their ride definitely makes it all worth while. I also love working with the bike itself.
As a crafter, what have you always wanted to learn?

I want to learn from my customers. I always have an open ear to suggestions and encourage critique to make my products better. I received lots of requests to make my handlebar bags multi-purposed, so I added the shoulder strap. This way when you take the handlebar bag off your cruiser bike you just SNAP on the leather shoulder strap and tote your bag with you. This deters vintage-loving thieves from stealing your goods and your handlebar bag!

What have you learned about being in business for yourself, that you would like to share with us?

That doing what you love and loving what you do is the only way to operate a business!



Please visit Beatrice Holiday: FUNky and FUNktional cruiser bike accessories - Handlebar Bags, Seat Covers, Basket Liners made out of vintage upholstery fabrics and vinyl.

Our giveaway for this post? Recycled innertube earrings! Thanks, Alison!

Giveaway rules:

1. Post a comment about Alison's products. Make sure there is some way I can contact you (via your blog profile or your email) in the comment.

2. On Friday, March 19, 2010, at midnight, the comments will be closed.

3. On Saturday morning sometime, I'll get my arse up and use a random number generator to find a winner.

4. I will email and post the winner. The winner will have 24 hours to get back to me. If the winner does not get back to me within 24 hours, another random winner will be chosen.

5. I will hook up the winner with Alison, who will figure out together how to get the goods delivered. Done and done.