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:

- Making celebrations throughout the winter season - another conversation with mu crafty Mom!

- Learn about lots of winter holidays from other cultures.

- See how my Mom incorporates craft, cooking, and decorating into all these holidays, to create a lovely, festive season.

Linkies!

- Visit Mom's awesome blog, Gingerbread Snowflakes. It's all about wintertime celebrating.

Holidays to Explore:

- The Feast of St. Nicholas is December 6th.

- The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is on December 12.

- St. Lucia Day, is December 13th.

- The Winter Solstice is December 21st.

- The Twelfth Day of Christmas is January 6th.

Other things Mom mentioned:

- Luminarias, or Farolitos, are so beautiful on a cold winter night.

- Wanna try making some Sopapillas?

- Or, you can make an Advent Wreath.

Have a wonderful season!

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:

- Building great crafty celebrations, with Maura Madden, author of Crafternoon.

- Why craft is good for gatherings of family and friends at holiday time.

- Good ideas for group projects.

Check out Crafternoon:

- Visit the Crafternoon website.

- . . . And check out the Crafternoon book.

Try these good group crafts:

- A big collection of ideas, on Craftideas.info.

- This list is holiday-themed, from AllFreeCrafts.

- . . . And another list, from About.com Teens.

- I even did a little podcast on this subject, way back in the day. (Be kind, I was new at this then.)

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:

- Crafting with neckties: it's addictive! Here's why...

- Where to find ties, and what to do with them.

- Lots of fun necktie project ideas.

- Even a little necktie history, just for fun. Necktie Linkies:

- Check out Artful Ties, a blog about necktie projects.

- Here's a little treatise on making a necktie quilt, from LoveToKnow.com.

- An absolutely stunning necktie quilt.

- . . . And even more necktie quilts!

- Lee did a great roundup of necktie projects on Threadbanger.

- Here's a tutorial for the necktie rosette.

- Rick Rack Ruby makes some stunning necktie bags, like this one, this one, and this one.

- Here's a great tutorial for the classic necktie skirt.

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:

- An interview with Jennifer Perkins about something she does exceptionally well: marketing crafty work online.

- A rundown of online marketing tools: which ones are best? How can you tell they're working?

- Finding the time to keep lots of online marketing efforts going.

- Getting over your fear of rejection and maximizing your online opportunities. Bring On The Links:

Visit Jennifer's home on the web: her website, and her blog.

Check out Jennifer's book, The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry.

And then, see how Jennifer's using all these online tools:

Naughty Secretary Club Etsy shop

Naughty Secretary Club on Flickr

Jennifer on Twitter

Naughty Secretary Club on MySpace

To find Jennifer on Facebook, you have to be logged in.

Naughty Secretary Club on Indiepublic

Naughty Secretary Club on My Craftivity

Naughty Secretary Club on ThisNext

Jennifer on LibraryThing

Jennifer on Shelfari

Jennifer on Goodreads

Some other tools mentioned in this podcast (or not):

If you need a free source of website/blog stats, try Sitemeter or Google Analytics.

If you sell anything on Amazon, try Amazon Connect.

We also talked a little about Plurk.

. . . And Jennifer also mentioned Problogger.

WHEW.

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:

- Interviews with Christina Loff, a publicist at Chronicle Books, and Kate McKean, a literary agent.

- Find out what really goes into writing and publishing a craft book.

- Discussion of agents: do you need one?

- And how has the blogosphere affected craft book publishing? Bookish Links:

- Visit Chronicle Books online.

- Christina Loff has a blog and an Etsy shop.

- Kate McKean can be found online at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency website.

- Kate mentioned Publishers Marketplace as great resource for keeping track of craft book deals.

- Christina mentioned Publisher's Weekly.

- Here's a good outline of what goes into a book proposal.

- Here's a very thorough article on proposal writing.

- Definitely read this post on book proposals from an editor's view, at the Chronice Books Blog.

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:

- An interview with Leah Pellegrini, a longtime member of Etsy Street Teams.

- Learn about what a Street Team is and how it can help your crafty business.

- Ways to make the most of your Street Team. There's great power in banding together with other small businesses!

Links:

- Learn more about our awesome guest! Here's Leah's main website, her Etsy shop, and her blog.

- Here's the master list of Etsy Street Teams. There are soooo many!

- Etsy also offers great support workshops for teams, by the way.

- The Craft Mafia - another great business collective with local groups in many cities.

- The Switchboards is an online collective many small business owners swear by.

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:

- An interview with Stephen Fraser, co-founder of Spoonflower.

- All about having custom fabric printed - how to do it, and what it means.

- Lots of interesting technical detail about how fabric printing is done, and how it impacts the environment.

Some Spoonflower Links:

- First, a link to the Spoonflower website. Get yourself on the beta list!

- Keep up with developments on the Spoonflower blog.

- Feast your eyes on the Spoonflower Fabric Designs Flickr Group.

- Here are some folks who've blogged their Spoonflower expreriences: Jinjur, A Little Hut, Polka Dot Cottage, Thaneeya, and moi.

Scrapbook page by Lain Ehmann. See more at Scrap Happy.

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:

- Lain Ehmann helps us understand scrapbooking - why doesn't it get any respect?

- Learn how scrapbooking is much broader, and much simpler, than you might think.

- Find out more about travel scrapbooking, cancer scrapbooking, digital, 3D, and more.

Scrappy Linkage:

- Check out Lain's ScrapHappy Blog.

- Also, give a listen to the ScrapHappy Podcast.

- Here's Simple Scrapbooks Magazine, too.

- Lain's right - Stickles rock!

- Here's some cool pattern-edge scissors.

- Check out this Google Directory of scrapbooking sites.

- An interesting basic scrapbook tips compendium, at LifeTips.

- If you want to play with digital scrapbooking, find some free elements here.

Left to Right: Doll by Digibudi, Poster by Adam Louie, Hat by Josh Moon. All images used with permission.

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:

- A look at the world of men who craft, featuring Josh Moon, Adam Louie, Michael Handley, and Digibudi.

- What does crafting mean to these guys, and what's it like to be a male crafter in a predominantly-female crafting culture?

- Possibly a sweeping gender stereotype or two, but only by accident.

Link to my Guests:

- Sewer-Sewist, a blog Josh writes with his wife, Sarah.

- Adam shows up from time to time on his wife Kayte's blog, Love Forever.

- State of the Craft is Michael's blog about quilting.

- Read about Digibudi over at Digibudi's Digital Garden.

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:

- An interview with spiritual crafter Amy Kleene.

- Thoughts on how crafting is a spiritual act, and how handmade things can be sacred objects.

- Ideas on how to use handmade things to create sacred spaces, and how to use them.

Links for you:

- Amy's website, Blessing Bird.

- A great book: Crafts for the Spirit, by Ronni Lundy.

- Creative/Spiritual food for thought, on Soulful Living.

Lots O' Weave-y Links:

- Check out eloomanation, an awesome site about small, simple looms.

- This cabinet door loom has great potential.

- Some interesting history about the Weave-It loom.

- If you covet a Weave-It loom, Roger Stark shows you how to build your own.

- The diagrams at this link will help you understand how to change color in your weaving.

- Here are some great pictorial instructions for cardboard looms.

- Another cardboard loom how-to, this one based on a box.

- A Cardboard Looms photo pool, on Flickr.

- Amazing stuff made with the Weave-It, also on Flickr.

- . . . And one last Flickr link: the Weavette Photo Pool.

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:

- Learn about marketing your art and craft, with Ryan McAbery of Littleput Books.

- Pick up some tips for marketing your work within the community of Etsy.com users.

- Consider some ways to market yourself to the world outside Etsy.

- Get over your fear of marketing once and for all!

Some Markety Links:

- Check out Ryan's Etsy shop, Littleput Books.

- Check out Ryan's blog as well - great tips there!

- Pamela Slim has good marketing advice, too.

- CraftBoom is another good resource.

- A resource for international sellers: Etsy for Everyone.

- ...And lastly, here's Etsy's own marketing advice.

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:

- An interview with Lauren Redniss, author of Century Girl.

- A glimpse into Lauren's fascinating visual style of collage combined with drawing and handwritten text.

- The equally-inspiring story of the book's subject, Doris Eaton Travis.

Images here are posted with the kind permission of the author.

Links:

- Check out Lauren Redniss' website.

- Order a copy of Century Girl.

- Watch Doris dance on her 101st birthday.

- Doris has written a book, too!

- Doris at IMDb, just for fun.

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:


- An interview with Ann Rubin and Laura Truffaut, of afghans for Afghans.

- Thoughts on using creative skills to bring comfort to people in need.


- A glimpse into what it takes to run this amazing project.

Links to many topics discussed in the interview:

- Explore the afghans for Afghans website.

- Photo galleries of Afghan people with their knitted and crocheted gifts.

- Learn more about the CURE Hospital Campaign for newborns in Kabul.

- Browse Afghan themed knitting patterns - an afghans for Afghans fundraiser.

- Participate in Heidi's knit and crochet-along for Afghanistan.

- Read How Knitting for Charity Changed My Life, by afghans for Afghans volunteer Candice Key.

- Read about Mason-Dixon Knitting's Afghanalong.

- Read Knitting for Peace, by Betty Christiansen.

- Read Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini.

- Read Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson.

- Learn a little bit of craftivism history, from the Red Cross Knitters.

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:


- Making stuff with pasta . . . for grownups!

- An interview with pasta-crafter extraordinaire Lancea LaPorte.


- You know you're curious . . . .

Links (Marinara or Alfredo?):

- See more of Lancea's work, pasta and otherwise.

- Check out these Pasta Lace Ornaments on How Stuff Works.

- Pasta crafting on HGTV? I kid you not.

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:


- An interview with artist Kirsty Hall, about her year of daily making, The Diary Project.

- Thoughts on how making something every day will change you, and challenge you.


- Excellent advice for embarking on a daily practice of your own.

Kirsty Hall's Links:

- Kirsty's artist website.

- Kirsty's main blog.

- The Diary Project Blog.

- The Diary Project Flickr Set.