Happy Handmade

I buy and sell handmade goods - with a passion!  Etsy, Zibbet, Ebay to name a few.  Our fine art prints are available on FAA, Zazzle and Society 6.  We've sold in local markets since 1974, so I feel qualified to share my opinion on the current state of the "handmade" marketplace.  It's not a very happy place these days, and I hope that is due to change!

Recent turmoil on Etsy has spilled over to other venues, most recently showing it's ugly head at Zibbet. Folks are angry, hurt and upset.  Name calling, finger pointing and pure hatred fill the social media sites that once promoted our wares.  While I'm distressed and sad that my friends and colleagues are hurting, I view this event as a good thing - a long overdue cleansing of the field.  Consider the stock market and the inflated prices that created a bubble.  That bubble burst because the underlying value of the stocks could not support the inflated pricing.  I believe the handmade market has just experienced a bubble bursting, and am hopeful for a real recovery.

As both a buyer and seller, I've experienced this recent flurry of anger.  I've encountered many vendors with hateful attitudes and unreasonable shop policies.  I've dealt with overly demanding buyers.  It puzzled me for some time until I realized that most of these sellers were more interested in profit than in their craft.  They bought into the advertising and promotion telling them they could "quit their day job" and make a living selling arts and crafts.  Many of these new shop owners  had never sold their wares before.  They hopped on the Ebay and Etsy wagons and were dragged to some success by a tidal wave of "handmade" passion.  Etsy became a designer label, and substandard goods sold with ease.  Buyers were confused and unable to count on high quality workmanship. Sellers were cautioned to raise their prices and promote their "brand".  But like every trend, the "handmade" movement has passed it's heyday.  That does not mean that high quality, well-priced goods are out of style.  Far from it!  What I see is the end of the love affair with the label, with ANYTHING sold on Etsy being considered a prize.  What I envision is the survival of the fittest - the artists and crafters who value their work beyond it's monetary value.  Those are the people that created the frenzy and will continue to create their wares whether they sell them or not.  Those sellers with a primary interest in earning a living wage will cry out in anger and eventually find other sources of income.  Those of us with a passion for creating will continue making and sharing our wares.

Now, I'm not saying that art and financial success are mutually incompatible.  I've known several lucky artists who have done very well.  But I've also seen many who thrive with a popular product then crash and burn when the trend subsides.  Think about it…how can 1 person alone create enough quality product each week to financially sustain a household?  The very definition of true handmade goods makes profitability almost impossible.  History tells us that most artists are not valued until their death!  Where do you think the term "starving artist" was born?  Chasing a profit is like a dog chasing it's own tail!  It doesn't make one very happy!

Folks like me make things because we must!  Creating is a way of life, a true passion that has nothing to do with profit.  Now, profit is wonderful and there is nothing more thrilling than receiving that email saying "a sales has been made on your account"!  But it's the validation, the knowledge that someone, somewhere liked your work enough to want it!  That is even more thrilling than the monetary gain.  That's what keeps us selling!  If you are lucky enough to love your work AND make a profit, you are truly blessed!

Learning things like SEO and product photography, not to mention keywords and descriptions are challenging.  They are a necessary "evil" in marketing our work.  Some have made money simply because they excel at the marketing end of the business.  But, most of the happy artists I know struggle with the marketing.  Again, it is not the REASON they create, it is simply a necessity.

In conclusion, I wish all my fellow artisans continued success.  But most of all, I wish them happiness!  That, to me, is the difference in a vendor and a true handmade artist.  Here's to Happy Handmade Artists and Crafters!

With a Little Help from my Friends no. 2

This week's featured artists are very near and dear to my heart..as well as talented!  Please meet my good friends, and fellow Texas artists, Gwen and Pat Knieff.

Gwen is a woman of many talents, which she currently showcases in her BaiBai Emporium shop on Zibbet.  She creates adorable little fairies, just bubbling with personality.  The tiny details that she paints on their faces are amazing!  She pours the molds, paints and fires them, then dresses each fairy and gives it a home and a personality!   This is Fairy Joan

                                        and this is Geraldine Showing off her Crystal

Gwen's equally talented husband, Pat, is a photographer who sells his art on Fine Art America.  You can find him at Pat Knieff Art.  
His works range in subject from stunning beauty to downright funny!
Here are a couple of favorites:

                                                                    Delicate Flowers

Beautiful Fowl




                        




               And this fine piece to make you laugh:

                                         Unique Hair Piece









Gwen and Pat are new to the online world of arts and crafts.  Stop by their shops and show them some love!  Tell them Texas Eagle sent you!

With a Little Help from my Friends no. 1

Have you missed me yet? 
This poor old blog has been sadly neglected for many months.  I'm hopeful that my plans for a new weekly feature will get me back doing what I truly enjoy - sharing beauty and inspiration through this site.
First, as an excuse, I'll explain that our house burned down last November and has been a constant drain of time and energy for 6 long months.  But, as usual, the blessings outnumber the hardships:  1)nobody was injured;  2)we already had a new home under construction;  3)the rebuild has created a fresh new space; 4) the kindness of friends and neighbors has been overwhelming;  and on and on. 

 

With this major task behind me, I'm pleased to announce my plans for a weekly post featuring one or more of my amazing artisan friends.  I take much pleasure (and find sanity) in creative endeavors.  These folks inspire me, advise me, and promote our works.  I'm pleased to start this first edition by featuring the wonderful and varied works of my friend Becky West!

  Rockers III 

Refreshment

Lighthouse VIIII 

Sample Bag

Build your Own Necklace components

So grab a cuppa tea, sit and enjoy the wonderful creations that Becky has available.   You can find her at Body & Soul by RWest Designs, Rebeccas Jewelry, and at Rebecca West Art on FAA.

 She's one amazing gal, I can vouch for that!

 

Handmade Soap Challenge

Who knew that I'd fall head over heels in love with SOAP?  It was "Love at First Try" when I received a sample of Fresh Snow from RWest Designs.   I couldn't believe the difference I felt over commercial bars and body washes!  They either left me feeling oily or dry, with no in between that just felt Clean.  I knew I'd never go back, so I started a quest to try as many handmade soaps as possible.  I promised a review of my favorites in October, so here we go:

My mission was to fully explore each bar, not just do a quick hand wash test.  I quickly discovered that these long lasting soap bars would take me months to enjoy, so family members from ages 2 to 80 were engaged in my challenge.  My Dad enjoyed washing his hair with one; my little granddaughter needed some skin soothing softness.  I adored the long soaks in the tub with soothing lather and scents.

Bars were sliced into pieces so a full range of opinions could be gathered.  That said, there were NO losers.  Every single bar of soap was a delight to use.  Soap qualities were graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest standard.  So here we are to share all our winners with you.  We hope you will try some of these amazing products and find your own favorites.  (Please visit these fine shops by clicking the embedded links)

As you can see, the highest rated soap of all was the aptly named "True Love" by Uber Dreamer Concepts.  The lather is luxurious and leaves the most amazing silky smoothness to your skin.  The scent is simple and clean.  Check out Uber Dreamer, as the research and insight into each product's ingredients is obviously well done.  Additionally, all Uber Dreamer soaps scored highest among Men, so there's a fine gift idea for the Males on your list!

On the subject of gift giving, it's a great idea to keep some extra bars around for last minute gifts.  Who wouldn't love these sweet handmade treasures?  My favorite packaging reflects the simple goodness of all things Handmade.  Tierra Verde won the highest marks for packaging, and her soaps are lovely and diverse.

Our other recommended shops are Soaps that make Scents and Tenth Avenue Soapworks.  I hope you'll check out all of these fine handmade soap shops.  Every single bar was a delight to use and far superior in every way to commercial products.  There are still dozens of soaps in the cabinet to discover, so join us for another edition of our Soap Challenge soon!

Just one more thing...check out that fantastic washcloth in the photos...you can find them at The Needle House!  They are super!

A new Twist - Turn Peace Around

I was recently introduced to the concept of Turn Peace Around - a wonderful new twist to an old idea.  As a child of the 60s, I grew up in the groovy world of peace signs.  This new take on the classic peace sign took me back to my youth, then lifted me up with an inspiring new message!  The original symbol, which was actually drawn as a man in despair, with arms down and out, has been turned upside down!  The new version, with arms upward, is a much more positive symbol for peace.  For most of us, this means we are PRO-peace, not anti-war.

Texas Eagle Gallery has joined forces with a collective group of new age "Peace- niks" to share our wares on Zibbet.  You can find dozens of items in the Turn Peace Around shop.  Hope you'll stop by and take a look.

For more information about the Turn Peace Around movement, to connect with others that believe in a positive peace sign, and to keep up with new projects and specials, please check us out at:
~ Facebook page [http://www.facebook.com/turnpeacearound]
~ G+ page [http://gplus.to/turnpeacearound]
~ the blog [http://turnpeacearound.blogpost.com]

Homemade Halloween Fun

Some of my fondest memories are of the "just for fun" holiday - Halloween! It was the one day of the year that I could stay out late roaming the streets with my friends - boys & girls! As we became teens, we papered a few houses and rang doorbells and ran. But mostly we just dressed up in homemade costumes, gathered candy, cupcakes, popcorn balls, and apples. Yes, I grew up before we were enlightened about all the evils that folks can do, so homemade treats from the neighborhood were totally acceptable. What a wonderful, naive time in which to grow up!

Sweeter still are the memories of Halloweens with my children. We spent weeks before the big day creating costumes. Of course they were handcrafted! We never even considered "store-bought"! We made huge messes in the kitchen too - Carmel apples, Popcorn Balls, and Krispy Kritters were the treats we enjoyed for weeks before and after October 31st. Everyone created and cooked and enjoyed weeks of fun in the name of Halloween.

Now the grandchildren are the only trick-or-treaters in the family. I so miss the bedlam of the good ole days! No sticky carmel, no rice krispies on the sofa....no face paint on the lavatory and mirror! But I still take time to create some handmade fun each fall.

My new passion is creating beautiful new items from re-purposed materials. I've revived the art of making pumpkins from vent hoses.

 Another favorite craft is garlands from "JunkMail Jewels" - my folded paper stars. These were made from leftover Halloween bags.

So while times have changed, my passion for Halloween fun has not! I'm finishing up my "kitty" costume and headed into town to take my 2 little munchkins trick-or-treating! They are just 9 months and 3 years old, so it should be a "treat" to see their faces as they discover the age-old fun. Hope you and yours make this time of year special too! Memories are forever!

My husband thinks I'm "Blooming" Crazy!

Yep, my dear husband's an engineer, and a very fine photographer too.  Everything he makes is done with a precision that is agonizing for me to watch.  His work is fantastic, and was the origin of our online gallery. 

...and then, there's ME!  His polar opposite!  He just shakes his head when he enters my workshop.  Take my flame fashioned organza flowers for instance.  I like to purchase fabric because it "calls me", not because I have a project in mind.  It sits and ages until we get to know each other well enough to become creative partners.  This beautiful rainbow organza decided to take on a new life as beautiful blossoms. 

I assisted by cutting and applying the heat.  I allow each petal to mold itself, holding it gently near the flame as it twists and curls into a petal or leaf.  Then I mix and match the petals until we are all happy with each other and I have a bouquet! 

I'll add beads or button centers as they come into full bloom.  I'll sew or glue each blossom into a pin, hairclip, pillow accent, or bookmark so that it can find it's useful place in society.  After all this interaction, I'm sad each time one of my babies leaves me for it's new home. .... and once again, Dear Husband just shakes his head.

CPSIA: An open letter to my Congressman

The CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008) is killing business for many of us.  We can make a difference if we make our voices heard.  Following is my letter to the Honorable Kenny Marchant.  Please feel free to copy any part of it in your own message to your representative.  You can look up and contact your representative at Write Your Representative by entering your address and complete zip code.

My letter:
I recently lost my full time job and I supplement my part time income selling handmade arts and crafts, including children's items.  I produce high quality clothing and toys that I use with my own grandchildren.  CPSIA compliance has made it nearly impossible for me to comply and  will put me out of business when fully implemented in 2011.

I am joining many in the handmade community asking for you to bring relief to thousands of small batch children's product makers.  A law intended to stop  the import of shoddy and dangerous products into the US is now threatening the small business owners within our borders.  It also hurts parents by limiting the goods they can buy for their children, my local fabric store by lowering their sales, charity and thrift stores by cutting off their supply...and on and on.

Thanks to the collective voices of American small business and citizens, we were heard by the media and our representatives, and a bill was introduced by the Department of Energy and Commerce, to amend the CPSIA, offering important relief to thousands of small batch business owners.  This relief would prevent many of us from closing our doors.  We need Democrats and  Republicans in Washingon to work together to help American small business owners.

Please take a stand and show your commitment to keeping our businesses alive.  We are  asking the House Commerce Committee that the CPSIA draft bill go to mark up and become open for discussion.  Please help me, and thousands of others, to keep our shops alive.  Please work to pass this important legislation.

Sincerely,
Norma Brock
Texas Eagle Gallery
www.texaseaglegallery.com

p.s.  You will notice my shop has almost no children's items.  They were my biggest sellers up until 2/10/10 when I had to remove them to comply with CPSIA.

Zibbet and Etsy

There are lots of folks out here bashing one venue or the other.  Not me, I've loved being an Etsy seller for over a year now and have done quite well with our shops.  But the opportunity to join Zibbet just felt right so we followed our hearts and jumped right in.  Glad we did!

Zibbet is not Etsy.  So what?  It's warm and friendly with a hands on, small town shop feel.  I think it's like having a shop on a lane in a lovely neighborhood as opposed to a booth in a market on the highway.  Both attract buyers, and both are necessary.  Why choose just one?   Different strokes for different folks!

Zibbet makes listing a breeze and it's been no problem keeping up with both.  We've continued to have views and sales at both.  We do market and promote the Zibbet site more strongly at the moment,  but we certainly have more Etsy followers and fans.  April stats showed more views on Zibbet items than for the same items in Etsy....Sweet!  So, all things considered, we highly recommend you try Zibbet.  You can sell up to 25 items in your shop for free, or move up to  a premium account for a small monthly fee.  Click here for more info:
http://www.zibbet.com/texaseagle/sell

More fine Texas art from Zibbet.com

I love the feel of this shop...makes me want to sit on my Texas patio and have a marguerita!
GardenPathDecor

This collection of original handcrafted stained glass mosaics is unique and well made.  Of course, my favorite is the LoneStar Mosaic Cross.  Stop by this shop and check it out.  Then you can find all the other fine Texas team members by searching zibbet with "zbtx". 

Cupcake Corsages for Mothers Day or Prom

Organza is one of my favorite fabrics, and I fell in love with this rainbow blend. Take a look at our latest organza creation - Cupcake Corsages. These would be perfect for a lovely Mothers Day gift, or for prom. We've made matching earrings. We package each corsage on a reusable cupcake stand inside a ribbon tied cello wrap. Perfect for gifting!

Cool Irish Soaps

What's not to love? Irish Cream and Irish Beer soaps? I stumbled upon these products this morning & just couldn't wait to try them. Thought I'd share the love with you!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43394326

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=43007630