CraftDiner

Saturday Afternoon Fun on Polyvore

2008-12-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

Handmade Twitter Wars Part Two

2008-11-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

The gloves are off and Etsy has thrown down for the first time since Artfire became a real contender. Kind of.

Etsy has added the word Artfire to it's Google Ads causing a sponsored link for Etsy to pop up when you search the word Artfire. In the normal course of online business this move would be expected but for Etsy, a company that has found itself a happy handmade island in cyber space, this move is one of the first indications that it's even aware the island is being invaded. The discovery caused a minor ripple over Twitter and some high fives from Etsy's toughest critics but the move was soon dwarfed by the unveiling of Etsy's new front page layout.

From the moment Etsy uploaded their new design, visiting the front page has been a feast for the eyes. Every collection of "Handpicked Items" has been color coordinated and arranged so beautifully it's hard to imagine that Etsy is a home for things like diaper cakes and quilted fanny packs. The front page is slick, modern and inviting, which is exactly the sort of first impression Etsy needs to give. After all, the first step to changing the image of buying handmade is to um, change the image. In this way, the front page is a success and not a moment to soon, as we head into Black Friday, the official start of holiday shopping. Hopefully this sophisticated look will carry through to Etsy's advertising at some point as well.

The critical angle with Etsy's new look is that Etsy is perhaps, simply applying a fresh coat of paint over what should be a much deeper renovation of the site. Sellers who have been waiting for some of the more basic site functions to be revamped, like search, find the front page an unwelcome distraction from more important site issues. These sellers are starting to find a satisfying home on Artfire, where new and desired selling features are rolled out on a weekly basis. Artfire may not have the sleek appearance that Etsy has but it may end up having the functions that everyone wants. In the end, the venue that can successfully incorporate both, at the lowest price, will end up with the lion share.

Click Here to view Handmade Twitter Wars Part One

What are you Amish!

2008-11-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

2008-11-15T23:08:00.000-08:00

Handmade Twitter Wars

2008-11-13T13:35:00.000-08:00

If you haven't found Twitter yet and you are a handmade artist you're missing out. Twitter is now the battle ground for your handmade dollar. Companies like Etsy and Artfire have representatives at the Twitter wheel from nine to five schmoozing the same handmade audience all day long.

Etsy Twit weighs in with over 4,500 followers. If you frequent the Etsy forums you'll find all of your favorite sellers buried in Etsy's followers list. They update their audience through out the day about articles and Etsy happenings. If you look further you can also find lots of Etsy staff on Twitter reinforcing their formidable presence. The addition of Etsy's collaborative effort, BuyHandmade.org, brings handmade heavy hitters like Craftster.org into the arena as well. Craftster itself has a seat saved on Twitter but no activity yet. It is all very reminesent of the early days of the internet, when no one knew why they needed a web address but got one anyway. You just knew a turf war is brewing.

The real story here however, is the underdog ArtFire.com. Artfire weighs in with over 1,000 followers, a number they have achieved in a little over three weeks. Compare that to Etsy's 4,500 followers, from ten months of Twittering and it's clear, ArtFire is gaining serious Twitting ground over Etsy. To understand what's at stake you need to know that Etsy has not had a stitch of real competition since it's launch on June 18th 2005. The site has been successful despite itself, primarily because of it's customers, who used grassroots advertising to push the site along into the mainstream. While Etsy customers brought in the buyers, Etsy loosely maintained the site, always one step behind the needs of it's sellers. Artfire has positioned itself to take over a good portion of Etsy's market, by appealing to sellers who are tired of waiting for basic and not so basic site features. In addition, Artfire is offering a low monthly rate and no additional fees to list and relist to your hearts content. There are so many promising avenues for Artfire to go down, that it is hard to imagine what this handmade battleground will look like come January.

If you use Twitter and you own a small handmade business, these are two companies you'll want to be watching over the next couple of months. You may want to consider taking Artfire up on their Stimulus Package too. They're offering the first 5,000 new members a lifetime membership for seven bucks a month. Dang!

WillowBead

2008-11-11T22:42:00.001-08:00

I got to feeling a little nostalgic and decided to Google my first entrepreneurial adventure WillowBead. I found an old customer of mine in the UK still has some of the product line. Jillybeans Scrapyard. God they used to buy box loads. I remember carefully packaging every single product myself. And this old customer, wow, she has bead vials, even I don't have any of those left. My Paper Moon. There are still a few sites that link to WillowBead.com. Expression Magazine, Scrapbooks Etc. Links to no where! That's all I could find though for a line that peaked eight years ago. Lots has changed since then. Craft Diner Inc. was born and Bead Diner too. Bead Diner had it's own little success, getting printed up in the book Stitch n Bitch as a supply source, but that was about it. Craft Diner Inc., my wholesale distribution company is what really made a dent.

To be continued...

We Survived!

2008-11-05T12:49:00.000-08:00

Proud To Be An American!!!

2008-11-05T04:21:00.000-08:00

Website Review - Etsy Bitch

2008-11-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

I joined the Etsy Bitch forums a week or so ago and was surprised to discover that the only people in there are the bitches, the people who agree with them and couple of others who rarely participate. Basically, you are allowed to say whatever you want about Etsy but if you feel that they have gone over the line in some way and dare to use your own mind, you are suddenly on warning. It's an odd phenomenon really because they are in essence the mirror image of Etsy. One all light and fluffy and the other dark and miserable. They are a single group of people doing things their own way and to hell with any other member. Ironically, the same complaint they have against Etsy Admin.

From my brief peek behind the scenes, I saw a group of women and one man, bludgeoning sellers and admin alike, over any small issue they deemed thread worthy. The fun comes to an abrupt halt however, if anyone disagrees or posts a contrary opinion. In other words, if you are planning on joining, get ready to see your fellow sellers become fair game and don't be surprised if you find a few comments about yourself as well. Also, keep in mind that if you DON'T say anything you are kicked off the forum because they purge the member list of people who don't participate. Oddly enough almost every participant has been banned from the forums at one point or another, myself included, I just don't carry around my muting like crown of thorns, constantly pointing at it like a wounded child.

Another regular event is, members crying out "mole" when they suspect information has been passed on to Etsy admin by secret courier. This causes a small tidal wave of fear and worry which I imagine stems from their own guilty consciences or their fear mongering puppet master. There are also regular breakouts of "I know who you are" so don't bother joining with an alias, they don't care about yours as much as they do their own. Either way you are not immune to this and will probably find yourself accused of being someone you are not anyway. If you enjoy being a follower in a highly paranoid and accusatory clique of disgruntled Etsians, you'll find a comfortable home in the Etsy Bitch Forums. Keep in mind, it's pretty much just them talking to themselves and it's not likely you'll ever be respected as your own person. When I discovered that, I simply deleted myself as others had before me. Looking through the threads you'll find some high profile Etsy forum contributors who were there for a while and just left, perhaps sensing the pointless nature of it all.

Etsy Bitch Forum Summary - Speak and agree or stay silent and be "purged" from the forum. Not fun for free minded adults.

Cheesecake and Jack = love!

2008-10-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

Up in the Maison!

2008-10-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday Night Live - Update: Jean K. Jean

Rockin a new DO!

2008-10-24T18:29:00.001-07:00

Adorable!

2008-10-24T05:54:00.000-07:00

My Dream Kitchen

2008-10-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

Brilliant Upcycle

2008-10-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Artomat started out as an artists installation. In 1997, Clark Whittington used one of the recently banned cigarette machines to dispense his photographs for a buck each at a gallery opening. The idea inspired what is now a nationwide movement to make art part of our daily lives. These cool cigarette machines have been recycled, upcycled and repurposed to dispense little works of art, whether they be paintings, pictures, sculpture or jewelry. If you are hitting the road, make a point to seek one of these wickedly cool machines out. Check out the Artomat site to find a machine or submit your work. Isn't this the limit!