Small Craft Business: Keeping on top of It

It's difficult to keep on top of things, but I did ok with my to-do list for last week. I still need to make face lotion, but it's not desperate.


And my day off. MY DAY OFF! What a delight. To wit:

Seven Falls, Colorado Springs

I love that we can see our shadows.

Just one of the seven.

The second staircase. You can see the landing at the bottom--the first staircase goes down to the right.

Hiking afterward. 

I highly recommend days off. This one was transformative in several ways. 


This week's To-Do List:

• Write Biz Tuesday post for Horseshoe Craft and Flea
• Make necklace order (create art, print it, etc. etc.)
• make Lip Love lip balms -- 200
• Put together RMRG sponsorship trade

Have a great week! 

Small Craft Business: Monday's To-Do List, on Wednesday

I'm just so busy, I don't know what to do with myself. Here's this week's to-do:

• finish necklace orders (paint on Monday, seal on Tuesday, glass on Wednesday, pendants Thursday, finish Friday, deliver/mail on Saturday)
• figure out sponsorship for soapcrone.com with Rocky Mountain Rollergirls
• find a cheap flight to Vegas for the end of July (!) [this is ongoing, as I hope is obvious
• email author re: finishing draft
• pay for Rollercon sponsorship/vendor table
• book room at Riviera
• actually DO publishing retail taxes!

As Promised: My New Honey Badger Project

Honey Badger Don't Care.

Honey Badger don't give a s*%#. Look at him with that cobra.

My roller derby necklaces are taking off locally. I'm hoping it will move nationally soon, as I'm doing a giveaway for them on a popular roller derby blog. 

The honey badger necklace came to me when watching the video in the previous post. Rollergirls are a tough sort of cookie, and I knew they would enjoy these. But I can't draw very well.

So I hired it out. My good friend Laura Hansen, of Red Eft Studio, agreed to the job. I knew whatever she came up with would be perfect, and I was right.

The commissioned artwork, therefore, is enhanced by me with glitter sauce, and encased under glass. The components are sterling silver. I have another idea to use a map of the U.S. and heart charms. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to cut up the map. 

Click either of the photo captions to read more about these necklaces. If you care. (Which honey badger don't. I know.)

Wordless Wednesday: Preparing for Roller Derby Championships

Wordless Wednesday: Roller Derby Necklaces

To Wit

I love the phrase, "To Wit." When using this phrase, you are essentially saying, "Hey, that thing I just said? Here's a good example." So, today, I'm using it with regards to my last post: talk to people about your craft ideas. TO WIT:

This photo was posted to my Facebook page on Thursday at about 8:30pm.  All the commentary I got was positive, and several people said "WANT!" and "Must have!!" and "How much are they?" The comments came quickly. I've got a lot of "likes" on that photo, and about 20 comments, I think.


See? Lots of buzz happening about my project, already. Oh, and that's the power of  Facebook. Your true friends want your business to succeed, and will help you. (To wit: see that button below this post? The one with the Facebook icon? You could click that, if you wanted.)

Roller Derby is Crafty

Skull Headband

 Roller derby is the fastest growing sport in the U.S., and possibly the world. Following trends like this can be good for your crafting business. I did a search on Etsy for "roller derby" and found these great examples of handmade items that support the roller derby community.


The headband above is an example of derby culture. Skulls, weapons, icons for lightning or pain--these are all motifs that have been adopted by those who participate in roller derby culture. The headband is crafted beautifully, and it comes in different colors, so the derby girl can match it to her team's colors, if she wanted. What icons do you enjoy and use, that you can repurpose for a different community/culture?

Skate T-Shirt

This screenprinted t-shirt is another example of original art and handmade quality. (My daughter actually has this shirt--grandma bought it for her.) Do you draw? Can your drawings show "derby love?" 

Customized Helmet Panties

 These are called helmet panties. They are used during game play to indicate two particular skaters: the pivot (stripe) and the jammer (star).  This artisan is serving the derby community directly by manufacturing an item that is necessary for game play--the helmet panties are required equipment for a team to compete. Could you manufacture something needed to play the game? Could you do it better than the standard? 

Funk Blockers

These items are called funk blockers. They are made of fabric and are filled with a dessicant--a substance that absorbs moisture. Roller girls sweat a lot, and much of this sweat becomes trapped inside pads and skates. This entrepreneur is helping the derby community solve a very important problem--getting rid of the stench! What can you make that will help solve a problem?

Customized Beanie

This crocheted beanie is showing some love for my favorite team: The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls. Because it has "my" team's colors and their initials, I automatically want it. WANT WANT WANT! What can you make in team colors? (Update: I bought it at a bout. The black yarn has silvery stuff running through it. Awesome!)




Find the trend and fill the need. What other trends are you noticing around you?