Marketing Your Craft: Give It Value!

Okay you guys.

I'm getting real tired of seeing under-priced items riddling the aisles of craft shows and covering the pages of Etsy. While overpricing may hurt the individual seller, underpricing hurts us all.

WAL-MART MENTALITY
You don't have to be a marketing genius to understand that if your price is too low, the buyer is going to think your products are cheap. And "cheap" is the last thing we want people to associate with our handiwork.

When the general shopping public is exposed to an abundance of under-priced handmade work, they are going to start believing that handmade work is tantamount to bulk generic diapers at the Shop & Save. We have got to banish this Wal-Mart mentality when it comes to the art and craft we work so hard to produce.

A DELICATE BALANCE
Keep in mind, you still want to price your items fairly, and not alienate your potential customer base. Here are the things I consider when pricing my items:

+ How much do the materials cost? Include the gas it took you to drive to the place where you bought them, the postage you paid to have them shipped to you, and any other costs associated with acquiring the raw materials.

+ How much is the design worth? If you're working off a tutorial or pattern, this price point should be lower than if you designed the item yourself.

+ How long did it take you to complete the item from start (design) to finish (completion)? At a bare minimum, you should charge yourself no less than $10/hour. Making an item by hand is worth more than flipping burgers - give yourself a proper wage.

+ How are you selling your product? So you have your finished product, but you aren't anywhere near done. Build into the price the cost of maintaining a web site, creating good product photography, and selling at craft shows.

+ What about all that other stuff? Yes, long-term overhead costs should be built into your pricing. Think: business cards, office/studio space, gas/travel, paper, ink toner, computer, internet service, utilities. In other words - all the things you expense in order to create and promote your handmade product.

+ Finally, as a person who appreciates and understands handmade art/craft, I ask myself: What would I pay for this?

GET YOUR HEAD STRAIGHT
If you still feel uncomfortable paying yourself a fair wage for your handmade work and (gasp!) actually pricing it so you make a profit, do these three things:

(1) Say this out loud, "My art/craft has value. If I believe it's cheap, everyone else will, too." Repeat this to yourself until you get it.

(2) Tell the world your story. It's time to get comfortable talking to strangers, y'all. Do craft shows, work on your web copy - tell your story so everyone knows exactly why they should pay $35 for this handmade, originally-designed t-shirt.

(3) Pick up a book at the library on shopper psychology and read it. You'll soon learn why the same shoppers who shell out $98 for a mass-produced necklace at Anthropologie balk at your better-crafted $30 handmade necklace. It's the perception of value. Make people believe your stuff is worth buying, and they will buy it.

I'M BEING SELFISH
I'm not writing this to help you. Really, I'm not. I want all the sales for myself. Okay, that's not entirely true, but I'm not going to lie to you and say I did this altruistically. I want the handmade market to improve, and the only way to do that is for us all to collectively improve the way we sell our items and the story we tell the public.

So get to it! You have a lot of homework to do and the clock started ticking 2 minutes ago.

Tomorrow at the Bash: New Wall Art

These photos do not do justice to the two new large fabric wall art pieces I made this week to debut tomorrow at the 3rd Annual Spring Bash!

{dangit this thing didn't rotate! tilt head to the right}

>>>SEE YOU AT THE BASH<<<

Kitteh!

Special thanks to my gal Kim for helping solve this Blogger mishap. Notice the right sidebar is empty? Blogger has foresaken me and Kim has offered to look into it and fix if she can.

But this is my Goliath to battle. In the meantime, check out Kim's beautiful photography. My favorites (surprise, surprise) are the funny black kitty photos. Check out the stark details on this yawning kitty. Meee-ow!

photography by Kim Ulrick

Does Your Art Have Value?

Here's a great blog article from artbizblog I came across recently. It's awesome! Read the entire article here for the juicy details, but in short here are seven ways to give your art value:

1. Make great art.
2. Treat your art with care.
3. Don't ever belittle your art.
4. Speak the words, "I'm an artist" with confidence.
5. Keep a price list handy.
6. Maintain a list of collectors and collections
7. Mention your venues and galleries.

No go forth all ye artists and be awesome!

Tefi Loves: Amy Blackwell

Love love love her artwork, her lovely aesthetic, the colors. I'll just let the illustrations speak for themselves.





Visit her Etsy shop: www.blackoutwell.etsy.com

Vacation Day 2: Button Maker

Today I decided to bust out some buttons using Ian's school artwork as my "canvas." I think these turned out rather awesomesauce! They'll be turned into magnets and gifted to friends and family (i.e. the only ones who really give a crap about my kid's artwork). Lovely!

Want want want this fabric.

Sweet and foxy fabric by mummysam.etsy.com. Gimme gimme. Gimme!

Tefi Loves: Trying to be happy a lot of the time

Gorgeous and lovely, isn't it?

Art print by Sarah McNeil - $22

http://www.sarahmcneil.etsy.com/


And how can you deny the utter adorable-ness of her porcelain pendants?

Lovely New Bash Art by Christina of paperfingers

Big thanks to Christina of paperfingers, fellow Etsy Dallas member, and now the 3rd Annual Jingle Bash's official artist! My co-conspirator, Pamela Michelle, normally does our show art, but she's got her hands full helping me plan the Bash + planning her own wedding coming up in October. Christina is donating her incredible talent to this year's Jingle Bash. Pretty pretty!

Pictured above is our official show flyer, which we are in the process of getting printed as we speak! Check out more versions of Christina's lovely artwork at the official Handmade Bash site.

Mother and Son, and a Childhood Bench

This has nothing whatsoever to do with handmade or crafts or design, but it's uncanny and adorable. Me on the left, Ian on the right 30 years later, same desk and bench... And here are some great "mother and son" art prints I found browsing Etsy, because I just can't hit "Publish" without showcasing some great art or design: 1) art print of original oil painting by Kat Hannah, 2) art print of original acrylic painting by creativethursday, 3) art print of original oil on wood painting by Lisa Hurwitz

Tefi Loves: Animal Portraits

Enna: enna.etsy.com

Chet Art: chetart.etsy.com

fellow Etsy Dallas member and Bash artist

Berkley Illustration: berkleyillustration.etsy.com fellow Renegade Austin artist

And this is what I look like when I sing karaoke.

Needless to say, it was for a good cause. We raised $3,500 in support of the 7th Street Mural project. The evening, dubbed Pints for Paint, consisted of free beer samples at the new Eno's Upstairs Pub, camaraderie, and karaoke. Good times - pass the mic:

photo by Andrea Roberts

And hey look! I'm wearing one of my new LiaMolly sweaters purchased on mega-sale at the recent Shecky's. Her booth was the one shining light in the whole place (um...except for the free bars, right Pam?), which was full of imported, trendy, Sam Moon-ish, Made In China yuck-yuck crap-crap. LiaMolly is an indie designer out of New Orleans and my new favorite place for unique knitwear.

"Cutie headed your way today."

Christmas Comes Early to the Tefi Household* (say what?) Yes, I bought this: Message from Denny, the artist: "Thank you for the purchase and fast payment...Cutie headed your way today." * Hey HK - I want a Cutie 'View In A Room' under my Christmas tree this year! kthxbye!

I've Been Stalked!

Whoo-hoo! I woke up this morning to the glorious honor of being stalked, and I'm not talking in a "boil your bunny" kind of way. The always-entertaining blog Etsy Stalker picked my This Little Piggy fabric necklace (only $10!), and even gave a shout out to my gal Cut Out & Collect (a.k.a. my fabric scrap dealer). Holla! The best part about the write-up is Etsy Stalker's appreciation for my product description: "He cried wee-wee-wee all the way home. Man, what a wuss." The blog post also features some other great pig-tastic handmade items. I am in good company! My favorite is A Cagey Bee's A Tiny Pig original painting. Wish it were in my budget b/c this guy needs to be in my studio. Etsy Stalker's reason for posting this amazing group of piggies is because her little one is sick at home with the swine flu. Bless her heart! Here's wishing her a speedy recovery.

Tefi Loves: Independence

Two hundred thirty three years ago we kicked the Redcoats' hineys (thank you, France)! While our country's history is a bit, uh, spotty at times, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Here's to us, America.
American Girls wooden dolls $25 Shop: http://www.mooshoopork.etsy.com/ Location: Wisconsin
Willie Nelson painting $100 Shop: http://www.jessemosher.etsy.com/ Location: San Francisco, California
Primitive Bird House $89 Shop: http://www.ozarkprim.etsy.com/ Location: foothills of the Ozarks
Frannie folk art cloth doll $25 Shop: http://www.maclancy.etsy.com/
Location: Sedona, Arizona
Continental Soldier figurine $97 Shop: http://www.middleburg.etsy.com/ Location: St. Charles, Illinois
Barack Obama art print $20 Shop: http://www.smokeyfriedfolkart.etsy.com/ Location: America

Tefi Loves: Cicadas

The first clue that it was cicada season in my neck of the woods (Oak Cliff, a shady and hilly historic section of Dallas) was the humming, rhythmic song. The old, tall trees in my neighborhood come alive with the cicada's music starting early at dawn and well into the twilight hour. I love their small reminders: the hollowed out shells they leave behind after molting. I used to romp around during my summers at Camp Gilmont, searching for these shells to wear on my shirt like a medal. Here's to you sweet cicadas!
Cicada watercolor painting: $80 Shop: http://www.gollybard.etsy.com/
Location: Upperville, Virginia
Cicada Wings earrings: $30 Shop: http://www.hemlockhollow.etsy.com/ Location: Chuckey, Tennessee
Vintage Dictionary Cicada pendant: $13 Shop: http://www.oliviamoon.etsy.com/ Location: South Carolina
Afternoon Guest fine art photograph: $30 Shop: http://www.ara133photography.etsy.com/ Location: State College, Pennsylvania
Cicada print skirt: $35 Shop: http://www.uniquery.etsy.com/ Location: Chicago, Illinois
Summer Cicada soap: $5 Shop: http://www.soapopotamus.etsy.com/ Location: Arlington, Texas (fellow Etsy Dallas member!)

Tefi Loves: Janet Hill Studio

This afternoon, as I was doing one of my usual Etsy browsings, I came across a sweet, vibrant painting by Janet Hill Studio on the front page treasury. It's a collection of crisp summer dresses (below). If I were a fashion designer I would hang this smack in the middle of my studio for daily inspiration. (Update: The Summer Dresses print was just purchased as I was attempting to order it myself. When she relists it, I plan to buy it and hang it in my studio, even tho I'm no fashion designer).

Naturally, I clicked on the dresses print, which took me to her Etsy shop and I quickly resumed browsing through her paintings. The artist focuses mainly on still lifes of colorful, feminine apparel and scenes from different rooms in a home I wished I lived in. She paints alcoves, mantels and tabletops that seem to me as if I'm peeking into someone else's life, perhaps a life lived in a poem.

Shop: http://www.janethillstudio.etsy.com/

Blog: http://www.janethillstudio.blogspot.com/

Location: Stratford, Connecticut

Tefi Loves: Snow Days

Raincloud scarflette $36 Shop: http://www.allinstitches.etsy.com/ Location: New Mexico

Puffball 5x7 photograph $15 Shop: http://www.robertsocha.etsy.com/ Location: Sparta, New Jersey

Mr. Snowee keychain $5.50 Shop: http://www.yummypancake.etsy.com/ Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Meeting Mr. Bear art print $22.50 Shop: http://www.secretsuperheroes.etsy.com/ Location: Inverness, Scotland

Snow Tree pendant necklace $25 Shop: http://www.sammi84.etsy.com/ Location: Toronto, Canada