Neuneu Booboo

Last weekend I attended the first annual Waverly Art & Craft Show. It wasn't overly crowded but the price to be a vendor was extremely reasonable and once again, chatting with the other artisans was thoroughly enjoyable. I met one woman who is also creating art for children but her work is in the form of illustrations. Her vivid designs have a range of themes, here are a few:

See more of her work at www.facebook.com/neuneubooboo or in person this weekend at the East Coast Momma Christmas Fair!

New Website

My new website has been launched! A good friend of mine was kind enough to put together a website for me several months ago. Unfortunately it wasn't functional. I couldn't add the amount of photos I wanted to, plus it was tricky o edit. So I ended up creating a website through VistaPrint. There's a small fee going this route but it is very user friendly. Editing and updating is a breeze. So far I am very happy with it. Check it out when you get a chance: www.madebylins.ca

Acrylic on canvas by Adam Young

You gotta see this guy's work!



I love the playfulness in his paintings. His work is abstract yet an obvious depiction of Newfoundland's sublime landscape. His name is Adam Young and you can see more of his work at: 

http://www.ayoungstudios.com

Back to Blog

It's been well over a month since my last post. I have been struggling a little the last few weeks with feeling discouraged that Made by Lins isn't taking off as quickly as I'd hoped. The custom orders keep coming,  which is great, but it's the wholesale market I'd like to explode into.
I love to create and (many) people seem to enjoy what they see. My issue isn't with my product but how to properly market my product. As much as I hate to admit it, I tend to be a procrastinator... Especially when things aren't going my way :) My blog has suffered due to that fact. So really, I only have myself to blame. Which frustrates me even further!
When it comes down to it, I am very pleased with the reception my work has received. I need to put my head down and plug away. I know I haven't put my all into this yet. This is my pledge that from here on in I give Made by Lins everything I've got. Because if I do that and it still doesn't work out in the end, I'll know I gave it my best shot.

Balloon Fiesta

Last weekend I set up shop at the Atlantic Balloon Fiesta in Sussex, NB. Once again, my sales for the weekend were rather disappointing. I had added the flash cards to my inventory and had high hopes for them. But I don't think I had them displayed properly plus, I realized they should be laminated. (You would think I would have have thought of that since I have a toddler of my own!) The bright side to the weekend were the other vendors. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with my neighbors and learning some tricks of the trade from people that have been doing this for years. This lovely couple was a few booths down from me:

They are new(ish) to the crafting scene but seem to already be making a name for themselves with their distinctive creations. Terra Bijou means earthy jewelry which fits as many of his pieces include pebbles and stones from the Bay of Fundy, paired with sterling silver, copper, and brass. Check out their works at: http://terrabijoubypach.ca/

The balloon are really an art in themselves. They were spectacular to watch. Up up and away!

A New Product

I had decided several weeks ago that I needed to expand my product line before my next craft show. I need to have items that are a wider range of prices...
I decided to paint each letter of the alphabet on a small canvas along with a word representing each letter to make flash cards for babies. Here are all 26 paintings:

Em's 1st BDay "Cake"

Yesterday we celebrated our darling daughter's 1st birthday (actually, it was party #1, party #2 is Sunday :)
As a cake, we ordered cake pops from Sugarpop. in Moncton - little balls of fudgy delicacies. Not only are they delicious, they look fantastic too! Plus they were perfect for our little pumpkin to hold onto and munch on her first taste of sweets.

Here are a couple more pics from their website: http://sugar-pop.ca/

Victoria Park Art & Craft Fair

I learned a lot from my first 3 day show this past weekend:

• I need to have more of a selection at a range of prices.
•  I should also be maximizing the space I have. No reason not to fill up my 10x10' tent with product. 

I think my prices do turn some people off, but the Etsy pricing workshop instructs that if your prices aren't right for your market, you're in the wrong one. If I budge any further, I'm just setting myself up for failure.

Here was my set up:

My neighboring vendors were helpful, and I must say very talented. Across from "Made by Lins" was,
Michaud Toys (Classic wooden handcrafted board games) Here is a picture of their shop in Jarvis, Ontario:

http://www.michaudtoys.org/

I have some work to do before the Sussex International Balloon Festival in a few weeks!

Time for a Change

This past weekend I set up shop with my mobiles at the Moncton Farmers Market on Saturday and on Sunday, at the Shediac Market in the Park. It was my first time at the market in Shediac and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is Atlantic Canada's largest summertime weekly market, run by this fantastic couple, Shawn and Treva. You will find everything from musical entertainment to face painting, organic produce to, of course, arts and crafts:

Although I love the atmosphere, I don't think it's the right venue for my mobiles. Nine times out of ten, they aren't going to be an impulse purchase. It's more something that is carefully thought through. That being said, I think it has been a great way to get my name out there.
So my plan of action is to focus on my upcoming shows, the Victoria Park Art and Craft Fair in Moncton next weekend and the Sussex International Balloon Festival in September. As well as the custom work. It feels odd changing my plan so early in the game, but my gut says this is the right move.

Knitastic

My dear friend Anna is a phenomenal knitter. She creates these hand spun wonders that look more like works of art than garments. Her classic yet modern sense of style has always been one of the many things I admire in her. We met at flight college nearly 10 years ago where daily dress was a uniform. Anna would add a suttle accessory to make it her own and keep it (even slightly) unique.
You can tell by the delicate detail in her work and the obvious time put into her pieces that she undoughtedly LOVES to knit:



Vintage Baby Cardigan



Wedding Shawl



The Essential Tank Top



Boat Neck Striped Pull Over



Impressive, eh? You can see more of her work at http://www.ravelry.com/projects/MsAnnaLisa

New Mobiles

My first two Saturdays at the Moncton Farmers Market went very well. I had some serious replenishing to do this past week in preparation for Saturday. Here are some of my latest mobiles:

Space Balls

Geishas

Hot Air Balloons

Owls

My Brother's Craft is Woodworking and Carpentry

My brother took a bench I had bought online, sprayed it white, and built a beautiful entryway way for our home:

The marketplace

The East Coast Momma Collective Summer Craft Fair last weekend was, overall, a success. It was my first time displaying my work in public. I enjoyed watching people's reactions to my mobiles, especially from the young ones. Although I didn't sell one mobile, I left the fair feeling mildly disappointed, but mostly positive about my new business venture. The following Saturday, I set up shop at the Moncton Farmers Market. I really enjoyed the relaxed, social, marketplace atmosphere. I plan to attend again this week. Here are a few mobiles that will be up for grabs:

Baby Decks by Lisa McCloskey

As I mentioned in my last post, this weekend is the East Coast Momma Collective Summer Fair. This group is full of talented, creative women making beautiful products from hand sewn toys and blankets to photography and cupcakes! But I must say, one of my favorites in the group is Baby Decks... Hand painted designs on the back of skateboards. Check out some of Lisa's work:

Aren't they fantastic?? You can find her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baby-DecksBuckshot-Skateboards/195834927195470

Or at St. Mary's Boat Club on Sunday, June 24th between 11:00 and 3:00! 

Coming up this Sunday (June 24th), I will be a vendor at my first craft fair!

The East Coast Momma Collective (ECMC) is a coming together of Atlantic Canadian Moms who love to knit, sew, bake, decorate… create! The ECMC hosts 4 Craft Fairs a year in Halifax NS so these talented Moms can sell their unique products in a market-like setting, giving you the chance to buy one-of-a-kind locally made gifts.

Felting Creations

Here are some of my felting creations that will soon find themselves hanging from a handmade wood hangar:

Learning to Needle Felt

Several months ago I came across a technique called needle felting. (For those who have never heard of it, it's basically sculpting with wool). There were characters I wanted to create for my mobiles that I couldn't get just right by sewing them, so I started researching other options. Needle felting seemed simple enough, but I decided to take a class anyway. I contacted the woman that owns London Wul, Heidi Wulfraat, just outside of Moncton, NB and she set me up to do a private lesson with one of her instructors.
Any of you fibre/knittting enthusiasts that have never visited her shop, you must go! She has a BEAUTIFUL, national award winning boutique/studio that showcases a variety of hand woven yarn, hand dyed fibres, spinning, weaving, felting equipment, you name it! Plus, it's so much more than a shop. She runs a learning center where you can experience everything from knitting to processing and spinning your own wool! To top it off, she raises her own sheep where the animals are neither destroyed nor sold -without exception. Check her out at: 
 www.thewoolworks.com

My Logo

I had decided I would draw a logo myself. It would be cheaper and I figured I could make it look exactly the way I had in mind. Only problem with that... I had no idea what I wanted! So I started doodling... And it wasn't that I didn't like the drawings, they just didn't grab me the way a logo should. So I contacted a lady whose work I had seen at the last ECMC (I'll tell you all about THEM soon!) show. Her name is Jill Jackson, she was super patient with me (seeing as i gave her nothing to start with!)and wonderful to work with. And Imust say, very affordable... not that i had any idea on what it would cost going into it :) She made it a very enjoyable experience, it was such a treat to get her next email and see what she had come up with. She does beautiful work! Check her out at: www.jillandjackpaper.blogspot.ca See my new logo at the bottom of this page!

Time to get to Work

I have been painting, crafting, and just loving art for years. Since my friends and I reached the age where children started coming into the picture, I began creating art and decor for nurseries. And what fun that is! It made me think, "If only I could do that for a living"... Well, I've been given a chance to do just that. I qualified for a gov program that pays some of your living expenses while you work on getting your business off the ground. (In Nova Scotia it is called the Self Employment Benefit Program, for anyone looking to venture out on their own) They also guide you in creating your business plan and you are required to attend workshops on managing a small business. So I have 9 months to give Made by Lins a real shot at becoming a sustainable business. I am ready and willing to face this challenge head on! Here it goes: