Meylah's March Photo Contest: GREEN!
by Jason Dirks / Glitter & Gold Stars
On Monday, Alicia introduced us to why you should enter contests so we wanted to have our own contest here at Meylah! So, for the month of March, we are having our first photo contest and the theme is GREEN! That's right, to support the coming of Spring and one of Meylah's favorite colors, we want to see your best photo that incorporates the color green, anything from apples to earrings and trees to glass, the sky is the limit so be creative and share your best with us.
Interview with Valorie Clifton of Artisan Originals
by Courtney Dirks / Glitter & Gold Stars
Over the course of the last few weeks I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Valorie Clifton of Artisan Originals. Valorie was nominated to be a featured artist by Loren McCraney of Fruits of the Bloom through Meylah’s fan page on Facebook.
Six Tips for Managing Custom Orders
by Dionne Christiansen / Glitter & Gold Stars
My favorite thing about the handmade movement is how creative entrepreneurs can be so personal in what we make. Custom orders are usually a welcome request for any handmade business person, because they indicate that the customer trusts our talent and judgment to craft something unique.
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Hello Sale, Bye-Bye Product: Four Tips on Order Fulfillment
by Mary Beth Eastman / Glitter & Gold Stars
But, now, back to Awesomeness Delivery!
Mary Beth Eastman is a contributor for TrueUp, writes about sewing and life at Supafine, and sells sustainable and handmade objects for grownups, tots and home at Supafab.
Wedded Bliss: 8 Great Handmade Wedding Products
by Jessica Howard / Glitter & Gold Stars
Planning a wedding often gets wayyyyyy out of hand. And pocket!
It's easy to get reeled into the buy-now-pay-later "dream wedding", and not easy to have family members chiming in on everything from traditions to toenail polish. No wonder indie weddings have become a popular option.
5 Areas to Nurture Creativity in Your Children
by Ram Dutt / Glitter & Gold Stars
Everybody is born with creative talent, but how do you discover it? As adults we constantly look for creative outlets to take us away from the daily pressures in our lives. Whether it's painting, photography, jewelry making or maybe a more macho form of creativity like woodworking or metalworking, our creative sides give us satisfaction and an avenue to be ourselves. The benefits of discovering and nurturing our creative talent is enormous and the article "Creativity: Why Bother? 10 Benefits of Expressing Your Creativity" by Cynthia Morris sums it up nicely by expressing your creativity to find "fulfillment and balance in life."
Interview with Randi, Nature Art Teacher
by Ram Dutt / Glitter & Gold Stars
The textile industry has changed,and along with everything else has become computerized. My passion is to teach beautiful unique art that is done organically. In my portfolio there is a body of work I came up with one weekend after visiting a local farmer's market. It was all herb printings and was so much fun to do. This is how I gravitated to Nature Art. At this time the earth was in the process of turning "green."
Loving It: Last-minute Valentine's Day Gift Ideas
by Jessica Howard / Glitter & Gold Stars
Valentine's Day doesn't have to mean robotically buying a dozen (overpriced) red roses or a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Bo-ring!
Chances are, our significant others will appreciate something a little more original and unique. So, we went looking for a little Valentine's Day creativity, and found that there's lots of handmade stuff out there to love. Here are just a few of our favorite things:
Pet Projects: Handmade Goods for Dogs and Cats
by Jessica Howard / Glitter & Gold Stars
There is a cat rubbing the side of her face on my laptop screen right now. She likes to be where the action is.
Before she hunkers down directly on the keyboard, let's look at some creative genius from the pet department of the handmade world. Pet products are a big industry, so it makes sense that artists and crafters have come up with some great items for the fido and feline market. Here are just a few (from left to right, top to bottom of collage above):
Crafty Foodies: 9 Handmade Products for the Kitchen
by Jessica Howard / Glitter & Gold Stars
Winter is a time when many of us feel like hibernating nesting and cooking. We cook hearty recipes, have people over (instead of going out) and, perhaps, jazz up the kitchen a bit. Here's a roundup of products fit for the resident foodie (from left to right, top to bottom):
Leather Roundup: 9 Fresh Designs
by Jessica Howard / Glitter & Gold Stars
This week, we embarked on a quest – which involved hours of arduous online window-shopping – for handmade products made with leather. We're not talking about plain brown wallets here, people. We found vivid colours and rich textures, fashion-forward designs and fun shoes for fat little feet.
New Trends For Your Handmade Products In 2010
by Courtney Dirks / Glitter & Gold Stars
When I was searching around for inspiration for upcoming trends in 2010 I came across Trend Hunter, a site dedicated to spotlighting what’s hot and what’s not! Right now, Trend Hunter is featuring a video on their site that guides the viewer through the Top 20 Trends in 2010.
10 Fun Projects for New Year's Eve
by Jessica Howard / Glitter & Gold Stars
Just one more day till the end of the decade! New Year's Eve conjures images of sequins and sparkles, champagne and crystal – and beautiful vintage banners like the one above by Bekah Jennings. Whether you're looking forward to a quiet night at home, or heading out to party, there are many ways to make your evening more special. Here are 10 ideas and projects to jazz up your New Year's celebrations.
Last-Minute Christmas Craft Tutorials
by Jessica Howard / Glitter & Gold Stars
Rumor has it that it's almost Christmas.
The good news for those with online craft businesses is that the rush is over – orders have been signed, sealed and delivered. So, with the arrival of the holidays, perhaps you'll have time for some just-for-fun holiday projects.
Interview with Susan Walker, Pastel and Oil Painter
by Jason Dirks / Glitter & Gold Stars
At Meylah, we love to help our fellow artists, crafters and photographers and from time to time we share their work and feature their stories with you. Well, today we want to introduce you to Susan Walker, Pastel and Oil Painter. A few weeks ago we met Susan at the Sammamish Art Fair where she was showcasing her wonderful paintings. Today, she discusses her passion and the inspiration in her work as well as some of the challenges she has faced in managing her art business online.
Interview with Leah Pellegrini
by Jessica Howard / Glitter & Gold Stars
In the second of our series of interviews with artists and crafters from the Pacific Northwest area – Meylah's home base – we would like to introduce you to Leah Pellegrini, a glass artist from Portland, Oregon. Leah works full-time as an artist, creating glass mobiles, which she sells both online and offline, as well as teaching classes at Aquila Glass Studio. How does she balance it all? Let's find out!
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Interview with Boodle Bags
by Jessica Howard / Glitter & Gold Stars
Since Meylah is based in Seattle, we want to get to know artists, crafters and photographers from the Pacific Northwest area. Today, we would like to introduce Angela Anderson, designer and owner of Boodlebags . Angela creates stylish, washable diaper bags and baby-changing kits, which have been featured on the incredibly popular shopping guide DailyCandy Kids. Here, Angela dishes about running her online vs. offline business, how to get products featured on review sites, and how she's prepping her shop for the holidays.
Getting Started
by Courtney Dirks / Glitter & Gold Stars
Welcome to Meylah, a new network for artists and crafters. I'm Courtney and my craft is making jewelry. What's yours?