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In this show:

• Paul Overton returns to the show to discuss the idea of Free: how the internet's abundance of free information both enhances and challenges our creative lives.

• We talk about lots of aspects of Free: how it builds community, how it challenges corporate interests, and how it launches crafty careers.

• ...And we talk about some nuts and bolts of using Free in your own craft business.

Links:

We mentioned a whole lot of people in this show. Here they are:

• First, read Paul's excellent post on Make & Meaning - Free: A Case Study

• As you might expect from a discussion about Free on the web, we also mentioned Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, and John Jantsch.

• A really interesting book about the emerging economy of Free is (imagine this) Free, by Chris Anderson. You can get the book for free as an audiobook.

• We also talked about some folks in the craft community who use Free well: Ann Wood, Lee Meredith, and Kathy Cano Murillo.

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In this show:

• Hunter Coleman (a good friend of mine and a true accounting geek) helps us understand the tax side of a crafty business.

• Learn about what kinds of records you need to be keeping, what forms you need to fill out, and what to do if record-keeping makes your brain sad.

• Do you need to hire a bookkeeper, or should you do it all yourself?

Links:

Hunter was kind enough to link us to the appropriate tax forms:

• Form 8829, Home Office Expenses • Form 8829's instruction booklet

• Publication 535, General Business Expenses (That link goes to the 2008 edition, btw.)

• Schedule C: Business Profit or Loss • Schedule C's instruction booklet

For more detail on the differences between hobby and business income, Hunter recommends these links:

• IRS's 8 Important Questions for Hobby Income.

• Hobby vs. Business Income, from Motley Fool.

If you have royalty income to report on your taxes, Hunter recommends this article from eHow.

If you're looking for accounting software, try these links:

• Here's a nice, simple roundup of options from Mashable.

• This comparison of ten major accounting packages offers an in-depth look at what they can do.

• for a craft-focused take on this question, try this Etsy forum thread.

...And if you're looking for tax preparation software, Turbo Tax and TaxCut are major brands.

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In this show:

• Let's look at Engagement Marketing, a very important tool for your crafty business in the internet age.

• We'll talk about how blogging, Twitter and Facebook can help you reach new customers... if you use them wisely.

• We'll also look at the most common online marketing mistakes I've seen crafty business owners make in 2009.

Links:

If you want to go deeper into these ideas, check out my ebooks:

• Making a Great Blog: A Guide for Creative People

• Creating a Blog Audience: An Unconventional Marketing Guide

• Social Media for your Crafty Business

You might also like these engagement-marketing resources from around the web:

• Trust Agents is a book well worth reading.

• Its co-author, Chris Brogan, writes a great blog.

• Another worthwhile book: The Whuffie Factor, by Tara Hunt.

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

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In this show:

- It's a CraftyPod tradition: the annual interview with my Mom, Pam Harris!

- Mom talks about her first year as a blogger, and about being a blogger from a different generation than a lot of the online craft community.

- She also answers questions sent in by listeners - some pretty great ones!

Links:

- Many thanks to these people for submitting questions for this show: - Rachel Klein - Cassi Griffin - Hanna Andersson - Margo Debbs - Chris Miser Debbi Crane - Denise Duclos

- Check out Mom's blog, Gingerbread Snowflakes.

Want to hear Mom's past podcasts? Here they are:

- Show #65: Gingerbread Houses

- Show #81: Making a Season

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

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In this show:

- If you want to make your living in craft, are there other ways besides opening an online store selling handmade goods? You bet there are! Jennifer Chau did it - learn more about her business, Label Tulip.

- Consider all the skills you've learned in your various corporate jobs. Any of them could be applied in a crafty context - and this opens a lot of new opportunities up for you.

- Learn how Jennifer did just that - used her corporate-world skills to find a great crafty business.

Links:

- Check out Jennifer's business, Label Tulip.

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

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In this show:

- With so many blogs, so many projects, and so much crafty Goodness on the web every day, how can we hope to keep up? Rachel Klein, of One Pretty Thing, gives us some tips.

- Learn how Rachel manages to read over 4000 blogs and websites each week, rounding up the best links for her amazing website.

- Apply Rachel's strong organizational skills to your craft projects, too.

Links:

- If you haven't already, do visit One Pretty Thing. It's a fantastic resource, week in and week out.

- Also, Rachel mentioned this Design*Sponge article about running an advertising program on your blog.

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

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In this show:

- An interview with Kathy High (aka Adoxograph), a professional chef who approaches cooking from an almost crafty perspective.

- Find out how food inspiration can be found everywhere - even science fiction.

- Learn what you need to stock a good pantry, and make amazing food regardless of the season.

Tasty Links:

- Visit Kathy's blog, Gelatin Sheets, especially this recipe for Chocolate Moelleux, which will pretty much guarantee you a happy life. And also, this one for Rhubarb Ginger Ale.

- ...And in this video, she makes gougeres look easy.

- Catch up with Kathy on Twitter - always a good time.

And here she is on Facebook.

Bon Apetit!

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

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In this show:

- An interview with Pat Riesenburger, who works with brick-and-mortar craft store owners. She writes a great blog: The Crafty Retailer.

- Get an interesting glimpse into the world of crafty retailing: competing with big-box stores, a tough economy, and the internet.

- Learn some ways to support your favorite local craft stores.

Links:

- Check out The Crafty Retailer, and recommend it to your local store owners.

- Pat's two businesses are Access Crystal and Aussie Threads & Fibers.

- I love these Portland indie craft stores:

Twisted Cool Cottons Gossamer Collage The Knittn' Kitten

...What are your favorites in your city?

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- We celebrate CraftyPod's 100th episode! My partner Katin interviews me, asking questions provided by you.

- Conversation ranges from the ins and out of podcasting to the wider world of the craft community.

- And, I say Thank You.

Links:

- My thanks to everyone who submitted a question on this show:

Wendy Osborne (Please let me know if I can add your link!) Kim Frazier Harley Dee Meg Moynahan Dorothy Walker Elise Bond Alice Merlino Rachel Hobson Katie Vandeur Michelle Jones Kim Werker Dawn Anderson

- If you'd like to see all the questions and answers that didn't fit in the podcast, they're right here .

- News on the big prize drawing for questioners is coming soon!

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- Patricia Zapata talks about how graphic design affects her crafting, and vice versa.

- Some discussion of how design principles can be beneficial to a small crafty business.

- Suggestions for developing your "design eye."

Links:

- Check out Patricia's craft blog, A Little Hut.

- You might also be curious about Patricia's graphic design business, Zapata Design.

- ...And check out Patricia's book, Home, Paper, Scissors.