WHERE ARE YOU: Sacramento, California

COMPANY NAME: Peptogirl Industries and Pimp Stitch

WEBSITE: www.peptogirl.com

www.pimpstitch.com

www.indiesacramento.com (it hasn’t been updated for this year’s event yet though)

BLOG: www.peptogirl.blogspot.com

CRAFT TOOL YOU CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT: My pliers!

FINISH THE SENTENCE: When I am not running one of many Indie Businesses I am…probably either working (I work full time as a web developer), or playing with my two cats, or sleeping! Pretty much everything else I do is somehow related to my businesses!

Little Miss Amy Cluck is one busy woman! How do you balance your time between Pepto Girl Industries, Indie Sacramento and now Pimp Stitch. How do you manage to squeeze in a personal life and run so many successful businesses?

Wow, well when you put it like that, I have no idea! I don’t sit still. I’m constantly moving and constantly working on something so I’m pretty productive. Sometimes it’s just a matter of deciding which tasks I can neglect today – then I might have to switch my priorities the next day and direct my attention to the neglected item (or person). I’m pretty lucky with Pimp Stitch, because the 4 of us are good friends and have a blast when we’re together so if I don’t get any other social time, I know I’ll get it during our meetings. The only problem is that sometimes there’s a little too much giggling and not enough work being done. But hey, that’s what email is for, right?!

Besides all of the above you are also a blogger that covers all kinds of topics. What are some of your favorite things to write about? How do you feel that writing a blog helps an Indie Business?

I love writing about all sorts of craft-related things. I know there’s some people who read my blog that don’t keep up on all the latest crafty news so I try to give people a dose of that. I also love doing book reviews and promoting other crafters. This year, I started blogging advice on running a crafty business. I really enjoy doing that – specifically the technology and online marketing aspect of running a business. Since I work as a web designer, there’s kind of an over-lap there between my craft business and my full time job. I like exploring how those two things meet. I also get a lot of people asking me questions or for advice so it’s an easy way to answer the questions once but for multiple people.

Blogging is a great way to meet people. I’ve made quite a few online friendships through blogging (people who left comments or have contacted me as a result of my blog). It’s great for networking in that way. You can promote people and businesses that you like on your blog and people do the same for you, which increases your traffic. People who read your blog feel like they get to know you. They might not purchase something right away, but if you keep people interested by providing tutorials or advice or yummy photos, they’ll keep coming back. Eventually, that person might see something you’ve made that they can’t live without and make a purchase. They are also likely to tell their friends about your blog, which might lead them to buy something. It’s all about building relationships with people so that they want to support you. If I look at my web stats, I can see that the majority the traffic on my web site comes straight from my blog!

So if you were on a desert island with only the supplies to either embroider or make jewelry until you were rescued what would you prefer? Which medium did you get your start in.

Oh, wow. I have to pick?! I’ve really been enjoying embroidery lately. It’s so much easier to take on the go (It’s kind of a pain to lug around a huge box of beads all the time). I find stitching to be really relaxing. I also love seeing my drawings go from paper to fabric! But jewelry-making is my first love so I would have to say “give me some pliers and a box of beads (preferably a very BIG box!).” I’ve always done all sorts of crafts but consider myself primarily a jewelry designer. I was told I may want to try my hand at another craft since there are so many other jewelry designers out there. I’ve tried many different things but I always seem to circle back to jewelry.

Tell our readers a little bit about your new and exciting project Pimp Stitch.

My buddies, Tamie Snow and Missy Ballance came up with the idea for Pimp Stitch but then asked myself and Lauren Brandy to join them. We want to provide another source for cute and hip embroidery patterns. More than that, I think each of us has our own unique style and each of us loves to doodle, so we wanted to create our own unique patterns that represented us as individuals. Missy and Lauren are the sewers in the group so they’ll be offering some cute sewing patterns in the future as well. The patterns are great because once you purchase one, we email it to you in 24 hours or less so it’s instant gratification (or should I say craftification?)! And once we email you the pattern, you can print it out as many times as you like so you can use it again and again.

I love the 4 embroidery patterns you designed for Pimp Stitch, but being a Juno fan I have to say that the Totally Boss collection is my favorite. What was the inspiration behind your design choices?

Thank you! I have one major theme for each of my collections – they are all things that I love! I adore kitschy lawn ornaments and 80s nostalgia, especially the heart-shaped sunglasses. I have 2 pair! I also really loved Juno so I couldn’t resist making a hamburger phone pattern. Oh – and corny jokes, so you can expect a lot of punny patterns from me. I just look around at all the fun, vintagy things I’ve surrounded myself with and I’ve got tons of inspiration.

Have you ever combined your love of embroidery with your love of jewelry? I have a project in the Naughty Secretary Club book with an embroidered brooch that might tickle your fancy.

I am so excited for your book to come out! An embroidered brooch would be right up my alley!I have been toying with some ideas of combining jewelry with embroidery (or vise versa). I’ve got some ideas floating around in my head but haven’t gotten a chance to put them into action yet. Stay tuned!

WHERE ARE YOUR DIGS: Nova Scotia, Canada

COMPANY NAME: 2ReVert

WEBSITE: www.2ReVert.com

CRAFT TOOL YOU CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT: Jeff can’t live without his Dremel, Jann’s favourite tool would be a nice set of flat pliers.

FINISH THE SENTENCE: When I am not recycling skateboards I am working our other full time jobs (ditto for us both!)

Do either of you skate? I’m assuming someone did/does and broke a board at some point to realize there were lovely colored Gobstopper like layers inside and all kinds of design possibilities. If not how did the light bulb go off to use old decks?

Jeff skated until the age of 16, and is currently skating (badly) for the first time in almost 20 years. As for the light bulb effect, Jann has worked in the recycling industry as an Administration Supervisor for 13 years (must note… she started at 17, she’s not as old (I mean *wise*) as Jeff), and have seen decks, bikes, tires, juice packs, bottles, books etc. recycled and turned into things for a long time. We thought we could put our own spin on things and with Jeff’s interest in wood working and Jann’s interest in jewelry it was a perfect match for us to mess around with.

Where do you find your decks? I love the story on your Etsy page explaining how you hypothesize who once owned each deck and what their skating prowess was like.

The old decks come from local skaters and some great local shops. It is very interesting to look at the decks and read what’s been written on them, love that part!

Do the skateboards come to you as just the wooden deck? I was curious what you did with the trucks and wheels, any recycling possibilities for those?

Yes, it’s usually just the wooden deck.

I know some skateboards are very collectible and worth a lot of money. Do you pay any attention to what decks you have to see if you are sitting on something that could put the kids through college or is each deck fair game when it comes to making jewelry?

Certain ones we always keep an eye out for, like some of the first Enjoi boards and there is a local skateboard graphic designer, named Andrew Piper of Monark boards that signed one of his argyle boards so that one’s off limits.

One glance at your Etsy page and it is clear that 2ReVert is very dedicated to the environment. Besides the fact that your jewelry is made from recycled skate board decks what else does your company do to help keep things green as far as top coats, packaging, excess decks and more.

We are huge into the environment and wanted to make sure that our company carried it through the whole process. It starts right from the beginning, even if a deck is unuseable for 2ReVert we will still take it in. The decks that we can’t use (or scraps from decks used) all go to the local Waste Management Parks wood collection for further reuse (so any deck that lands at 2ReVert will never land in the ground!). We then use nontoxic sealer to seal the pieces. Packaging is all recycled materials: we use a single sheet of recycled tissue paper to wrap the item, tie it with natural hemp, place our recycled business card inside a recycled padded envelope (that is padded with paper, not bubbles for easy recycling again). When we are ready to take the package to the post office, Jeff usually hops on his bike to take the package over to them. It’s been so nice to see over the past many years that the environment is starting to take a more important role in many peoples lives.

Tell us a little bit about EcoEtsy Team. How does one join and how does it effect your business.

Team EcoEtsy is like minded people on Etsy that sell recycled or eco-friendly items, it’s a great group of people. They are currently not accepting new members at this time, but you can always check out the blog…

http://ecoetsy.blogspot.com

WHERE ARE YOUR DIGS: I have a little studio in my home in Austin, Texas.

COMPANY NAME: maneki

WEBSITE: www.manekicollection.com

BLOG: manekicollection.com/blog

CRAFT TOOL YOU CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT: my Dremel!

FINISH THE SENTENCE: When I am not making jewelry I am reading, practicing yoga, swimming, spending time with my boyfriend and my friends, or playing with my little Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix, Chibi.

Maneki Neko means lucky cat. Why did you opt for this name for your business?

I did a lot of research on choosing a name for a business, and Maneki had a lot of plusses—it sounds pretty when you say it, it is unusual, and its meaning has positive connotations. Maneki is also sometimes translated as “beckoning,” which has a good connotation, too. Also, I like to think of it as a nod to my six-year-old self, who not only loved fashion but was the president/founder of the Cat Club and had a subscription to Cat Fancy magazine.

You just got a brand spanking new lovely website. How is Maneki 2.0 different from your old site?

I’m most excited about the slideshow on the homepage; I’ve been experimenting with photography and with composing a photograph so that it tells a little story about the jewelry, and I think the homepage displays that really well. I also started a blog!

What is your favorite type of jewelry to make? I find I am an earring gal myself.

Definitely necklaces–probably because I find myself more likely to wear them than I am to wear a pair of earrings (depending on the outfit, of course). I also like to play around with different types of necklaces a lot, using asymmetry, multiple strands, etc.

You and I have crossed paths a time or two at local flea markets scavenging for vintage bits and pieces. Any tips for aspiring jewelry designers on how to divide and conquer at a flea market?

One thing that I constantly have to remind myself—don’t be afraid to bargain. I mean, it’s a flea market, not some fancy estate sale. Also, I like to bring a camera and take photos, because a lot of times I will see something that I don’t necessarily want to buy but can serve as inspiration–even if it’s not jewelry. But, just FYI, be discreet about it, because every once in a while someone will scold you for taking photos (not that I know this from firsthand experience or anything)!

Austin, TX seems to be a hot bead of creativity. You and I both are from small Texas towns and have migrated to Austin, any theories on why this little town smack in the middle of the lone star state is such a bumpin’ spot for crafters?

I think crafty people (especially crafty people from other areas in Texas) are attracted to Austin because it has kind of a “best of both worlds” appeal—it’s still in Texas, I can still visit my family pretty easily, I can still go to small town flea markets or drive out to somewhere beautiful like Pedernales Falls. But on the other hand, I get to live in a town that has an active art/craft community, theaters that show independent films, great live music, functional public transportation, etc. Basically, it’s a town where creative people can feel like they fit in but still get to be Texans.

I just so happen to be a bit craft obsessed so I feel like that makes me a pretty good candidate for the job. I have run my online jewelry shop Naughty Secretary Club and blog by the same name for years and have met many crafters along the way. I am also a member of the Austin Craft Mafia which makes me not only buddies with Craft Gossip’s new knitting editor Vickie Howell, but a slew of other crafty ladies via the craft mafia network. I co-produce Austin’s largest fashion show and craft bazaar called Stitch. For the past 5 years we have had vendors come in from Canada, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle and more exposing me to and putting me in contact with yet more possible interview subjects. Oh and I also host a show on the DIY Network & HGTV called Craft Lab where every episode I get to hang out with a new and exciting crafter who you just might one day find interviewed right here on this very blog.

Since this is after all a blog about interviews with crafters I leave you with the links to a few I have done that might help you get to know me a little better. In the meantime I hope you enjoy this new and exciting addition to the Craft Gossip network. I try to ask fun and informative questions that allow you to take something away to possibly inspire you, help you further your own craft business or sometimes just pass the time.

A few interviews with Moi…
Snippets – The Online Magazine for Cut Out + Keep
Indie Fixx
Road Trip Nation
Marie Claire
Indie Shopping

NAME:Derek Elley

WHERE ARE YOUR DIGS:San Francisco and New Zealand

COMPANY NAME:Ponoko

WEBSITE:www.ponoko.com

BLOG:www.blog.ponoko.com

TOOL YOU CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT:MacBook

FINISH THE SENTENCE: When I am not working at Ponoko I am…playing at Ponoko

For someone who has never heard of Ponoko will you kindly explain what it is you guys do.
Ponoko is a creative place to buy, make and sell designer crafted jewelry.

For shoppers – you can buy original jewelry from the online marketplace.

For designers, makers and crafters – you can customize and make jewelry using your own online workshop.

For sellers – you can turn your creativity into cash using your own online showroom.

A lot of the head honchos come from computer and marketing backgrounds. What gave you guys the idea to start Ponoko?

3 things: (1) Green (2) Make jewelry making easy (3) Make jewelry distribution easy
1) Primarily the climate change crisis. So we’ve designed a new and greener way for products to be designed, made and distributed that means less waste and less carbon emissions. We cut the waste from oversupply by making products on-demand. We also cut carbon emissions by sourcing local materials and making products as close to the point of consumption as possible. We’re just starting out, but this minimizes reliance on the traditional supply chain associated with the transportation and storage of the products we typically buy today.

2) We also started it because Dave found out that, compared to building web software, making real stuff is a really really hard thing to do. So he wanted to create a system that makes it just as easy to make something as it is to launch a blog, for example.

3) And what I am really excited about is making it really easy for creators to connect with and distribute their creations to the world, without going through the traditional gate keepers.

Ponoko has a wide application, but you seem to meld especially well with jewelry designers. I notice you guys are having yourselves a contest for jewelry designers where fame and $1000 is at stake. Tell us all about it!

Cool. Well, we thought we should celebrate summer – so you submit your coolest idea for a jewelry design inspired by summer, the community votes on your design and our judges pick the winners. The top 20 get their product made and shipped for free and the #1 gets $1,000 cash + free making for a month + free home page advertising for a month. You can find out more here … http://www.ponoko.com/mingleandshare/ten-day-design-challenge-about

Rumor has it that you guys are about to branch out into selling jewelry supplies. When do you expect that to start happening?

Yes, to provide a service that’s seriously useful it needs to give jewelry makers a place to get everything they need to make cool stuff and a way to get it to people, all with the least fuss. So if you want to make jewelry you can come and design completely unique stuff, choose the findings and supplies to match, we then make, package and ship the whole thing to you (or your customer) ready to rock and roll.

So besides jewelry what are some of the other things people are using Ponoko for?

There’s soooo many things people continue to use us for and that’s way cool. We’re excited to continue seeing new applications of our service. But we’re focused on jewelry because we love what people are creating as it brings out the best in our service – and its at the right price.

Once people have their wood or acrylic laser cut people can sell their goodies on Ponoko. Tell us how that works.
The best thing to do is to check out the diagrams here

We’re adding metals to our line up too.

(ODB Necklace by Bza, Season Leaves Necklace by Seeing Things Conz, Erik Brooch by Chromatophobic & Endoplasm Hanging Planter by Pollen)

NAME: Sierra Bailey

WHERE ARE YOUR DIGS: Millbrook NY. Millbrook is a New England village where I can walk my dog at any hour and feel completely safe and know every ones name who lives there. I live and work in the apt of a huge old house where the local doctor used to live and work. My apt was actually the dr’s office and the doctor and family lived in the rest of the house. My studio was the large waiting room right when you walk in the door and I adore it! Its located in the center of the village and my land lady keeps magnificent gardens.

COMPANY NAME: Manic Trout

WEBSITE: www.manictrout.com

BLOG: manictrout.blogspot.com

CRAFT TOOL YOU CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT: Well, truthfully my computer, I would not be where I am right now if I was not at my computer for hours a day. For jewelry I could not function without a pair of bent nose pliers in each hand…I am like Edward Scissor Hands with those things!

FINISH THE SENTENCE: When I am not making jewelry I am walking my dog or hanging with family and friends….the usual. I also am an avid reader, I read every night in bed, but my guilty pleasure is reading non business books in the middle of the day.

I am a fan of your amazingly chunkaliscious wire wrapped rings, but every designer has their favorite thing to make. What is yours? What seems to be your top sellers?

Aww, thanks Jen! My top sellers are definitely the Button and Bling Rings and the Sweetest Thing Earrings. I would have to say that I enjoy making the rings the most of all the items I make often, but I love designing the big necklaces like Restless Sinner and All I Want necklaces and seeing them come together as my idea becomes real before my eyes!

Ps…My jewelry is named after songs, the button rings are named after super villainesses and the paintings are named after the book I was reading when I painted them…a fun fact from me to you.

You seem to really clean up in the press department. Manic Trout Jewelry has been featured in WWD, Instyle, Family Circle, Seventeen and tons more. Do you do all your own PR or do you hire out?

I was doing my own, the first magazine and newspapers and most of the blogs were results of my own sad pr attempt…basically the press came to me. I finally realized that I was lacking in the area of being able to pimp myself out well enough and that same week a publicist contacted me out the blue…so I figured I should look into it. The Daily News was my first publicist assisted press followed by WWD, and I knew then that I made the right decision.

I always say that editorial coverage for your product is better than any ad you could pay to take out. Do you have any pearls of wisdom for someone just starting out about getting their work into magazines?

I agree with you so much on that! Although when you hire pr help, you do in a way pay for editorial, so its not free, but it is still regarded differently when viewed in a magazine then an ad is. I do not pitch to magazines, so I am of no help in that area…but I do have to say that its very important to be organized when it comes to getting press, I often get emails from my publicist that an editor needs something immediately, be it a print worthy image to be emailed or a sample of a piece of jewelry (I have hundreds of samples out, most that I’ll never see again…you need to be ready to hand over that much product too!) to be over nighted. If I was not organized and top of things, I would miss out on many opportunities for editorial coverage.

I always thought of Manic Trout as a jewelry website, but once I started exploring further I discovered you are also an artist. Tell us a little bit about your art.

Well painting is my true passion, but I knew I needed a different career then just painting…I actually first went to architecture school, but realized that I had no desire to work in that field so I transferred to art school. I received my BFA in Computer Graphics, (yes 3d animation, which I have never done since school!) but I did minor in painting. After graduating I started Manic Trout and was focusing on painting, but at every show I did people flocked to the few pieces of jewelry I had with me, and admired but mainly ignored the paintings. I had to admit that if I wanted to have a creative career I had to pursue something that I might actually succeed at, so painting has remained something I love truly, madly, deeply, but that I do for me, not for work. I am very attached to my paintings…they are emotive and fueled by my energy and love of color and are a wonderful outlet for my excessive creativity, and hey I have tons of art on my walls!

I know that you are a blogger. If you could only subscribe to 5 blogs, what would they be?

Oh wow, that’s so mean!! Well there are a whole bunch of fellow creatives whos blogs I read daily…yours included! I love that we can share the experiences of running our own creative business each other, so those blogs are very dear to me, but I could never choose between them so…If I could only choose 5 I would have to go with:

Creature Comforts
Such a very pretty blog, I only found it recently and adore it!

Design Sponge
Grace has a wonderful blog, there is so much stuff there daily!

Fashionologie
A great source for a summary of all the fashion news each day

Foto Decadent
My biggest inspiration is photography and this site has fantastic fashion spreads

Modish
Modish was one of the first blogs I became hooked on and Jena is awesome!

NAME: Tammy Powley
COMPANY NAME: Tammy Powley
WEBSITE: Tammy Powley and About.com Jewelry Making
BLOG: Tammy Powley and About.com Jewelry Making
CRAFT TOOL YOU CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT: Chain-nosed pliers
FINISH THE SENTENCE: When I am not writing about jewelry, I am teaching college English and grading lots of essays!

Your craft of choice appears to be jewelry making. How and when did you get you started making jewelry? At what point did you jump from jewelry maker to expert, don’t be bashful we are going to be talking about your About.com and Dummies guides in a minute so I know you are a guru in the jewelry field.

I do a lot of different crafts, always have, but yes, jewelry making is my primary focus. It is where I seem to have done the best too as far as writing and designing. I started making jewelry back in the days of macramé. There was a little craft shop in our local mall that also sold jewelry findings and components, so my sisters and I used to make a lot of our own jewelry back then. I became serious about it in the late 80s when I attended a rock show. I was looking for ideas to make holiday gifts for family and friends and I saw all this jewelry everywhere, and thought, “Hey, I’ll make them jewelry.” I showed my finished gift items to a few people at work, and then they started asking me to buy them. I ended up selling all my gifts and having to scramble around for more stone beads and supplies to remake them all! I knew then I had found a wonderfully creative outlet and soon after I signed up for an 18 week long jewelry making course at my local adult education center. My husband and I both took the class twice, back to back, so that was about 9 months of pretty intense training. It’s were I learned a lot of the basics.

You are such a prolific author! You and I know each other from when you asked me to make some pieces for your fabulous Making Designer Mixed-Media and Memory Jewelry, but your list of titles goes on and on from Jewelry Making for Dummies to your latest venture Picture Yourself Creating Metal Clay Jewelry. Tell me about your latest book and what we can expect to find inside.

Picture Yourself Creating Metal Clay Jewelry focuses on low-fire clay as well as basic jewelry construction techniques. My goal was to make a book that was geared for the total “newbie,” not just a book about metal clay that assumes you already know something about making jewelry. With the low-fire clays our there these days, anyone can make a surprising number of jewelry components with very limited resources and skills. So, my projects really take you through the entire process from making a charm or pendant using metal clay and then putting this together with other jewelry components so that you have a completed jewelry piece when you are done.

Along with “how-to” information, I also have one of my favorite chapters in the book which is about setting up a work area. I asked metal clay artists to let us see inside their studios and homes and show us how they arranged their work space. Space is always an issue for me, and with clay it was even more so because you need to have a place for the clay to dry, to fire, and of course, you need a clean area to form it. So, I was curious about how other artists handled this and decided it was worth its own chapter.

Finally, there’s an awesome gallery chapter with some amazing metal clay jewelry. Though, I had such a wonderful outpouring of support from metal clay artists in the community that I had enough pictures to sprinkle throughout the book, not just include in this chapter. So, the eye candy is plentiful.

If someone had never played with metal clay before could they pick up your Picture Yourself and get started? I have played with metal clay a time or two on episodes of Craft Lab, but must admit I am still a little afraid. Is the book a hand holder for the newbie or something for old pros?

It is so not for “old pros.” In fact, I was a little concerned that with all the quality artists out there now who work with this medium that this might be a turn off for some who are more advanced. But, they are not my audience. This book assumes the reader knows really nothing about metal clay or even jewelry making for that matter.

Because of the advances in low-fire clays today, you no longer need a kiln as long as you keep the pieces you make on the small side. You can either fire them with a simple butane torch (about $20 at your local hardware store) or Precious Metal Clay (PMC) has developed a ceramic “hot pot” where you can fire pieces without the use of a torch. The hot pot costs about $40 (available about PMCSupply.com), and it is a good alternative for anyone who is not comfortable working with a torch.

So, there is really no reason to “fear” this medium.

I love that your books often include galleries with other artists. Who can we find inside the gallery of Picture Yourself?

I think it is really important to bring in other points of view whenever I can in a book, and I have some wonderful artists in this one: Alice Alper-Rein, Shahasp Valentine, Cyndi Lavin, Carol A. Babineau, Robin Walter-Bonnell, Lora Hart, Elaine Luther, and Sarah Peacock are just a few names that are probably pretty recognizable.

What is your favorite jewelry medium? Is it metal clay? I myself am a fan of the found object style, but others peyote stitch seed beads, some dabble in polymer clay and others could solder noon till’ night. What kind of jewelry gal are you?

I am really all over the road when it comes to media; I like it all. I also tend to go into cycles. Right now, I’m on a fiber and metal kick. I am working on designs that combine some of my metal clay components with fibers like waxed linen and hemp. Beads and wire are also staple items that I tend to mix into just about everything I do no matter what I’m working on.

Not only are you a prolific author, you are also a prolific blogger. You have your own blog The Crafty Princess Diaries and are also the jewelry making editor at About.com. I’m a big fan of blogging myself and think it is a wonderful tool to help a craft business. How do you think blogging helps Tammy Powley and your brand?

Blogging is really a great tool for self-promotion, which is what first attracted me to it. While I have a great deal of freedom at my About.com Jewelry Making site/blog, ultimately, my job there is to provide information on how to make jewelry, not talk about “me, me, me.” With my Crafty Princess blog, I write about my latest book, new projects I’m working on, whatever I want. In fact, though I do write about jewelry making, I also cover other topics related to the craft world, so this outlet allows me to continue to underline my already established place as a “jewelry expert” while I show that I have other craft skills and interests.

You and I belong to a group called Bead Bloggers, you have recently started another branch called Crafty Bloggers Unite. Tell the readers about the groups and how they work. Who are some members? What gave you the idea to start the group in the first place?

Both groups sort of work like on-going blog carnivals where we post entries each week which have links to each others’ weblogs, but unlike a carnival, there usually isn’t any specific theme. Each member selects a particular blog entry she’d like to promote. We have a yahoo group set up to house the links and members stop by each week to put their link in a designated folder for that week. Then sometime that weekend (either Friday/Saturday/Sunday) members of the group pick up the links and post them in one entry. For example, I post my jewelry blog entry on Sundays on my About.com Jewelry Making site, and I post my craft blog entry on the Crafty Princess Diaries on Fridays.

For the bead group, which really covers all kinds of jewelry makers not just beaders, we have, of course, you (Naughty Secretary Club), Cyndi Lavin, Jean Yates, Candy Cooper, and Jennifer Heynen to name a few. There are about 15 in the group. The craft blog group has a variety of craft bloggers, about 8 members so far, such as Connie Thomas, Margot Potter, Aileen Roberts, Stefanie Girard, and Kathy Cano-Murillo. For both groups, I purposely wanted to keep them small and limited to professionals in the field who also had strong blogs.

I have to admit that I totally “borrowed” this idea from a group of fashion bloggers, known as the Web Snobs, who I used to do the same thing with when I wrote a fashion jewelry blog awhile back for a blogging network. I had to give up the blog due to my work load, but I thought the idea they had was brilliant. It has been a great way to network with fellow professional crafters/designers as well as bring in readers to our various blogs.

I get your Twitter updates so I know you are active on the social networking circuit. What is your favorite of all the social networking sites and which one do you think is most beneficial to you as far as helping promote your books, bringing in readers to your blogs, ect?

I dearly love Twitter because it is so easy and quick. So, I don’t have to worry about it sucking up a lot of my time. Also, it has a way to automatically feed in blog updates and also to feed into Facebook, so it’s a win/win.

I’m also partial to My Craftivity.com because it is more intuitive to me than some of the other social networks I’ve dealt with, and I do see some traffic from it when I take the time to promote myself over there.

I honestly haven’t been able to determine which is best. A lot of that depends on the time you spend on them, and since the above two that I mentioned I’ve spent the most time on, the result has been more traffic from these than, say Facebook, which I just don’t seem to understand that well.

Do you still sell your jewelry? I find within the Bead Bloggers group lots of the ladies make jewelry for a living, but not necessarily by selling it. Some have endorsement deals with companies, write how-to articles for magazines, author books, but don’t actually have a physical or online place where they sell the jewelry they make. I find it interesting that the traditional method of I make something and then I sell that something is not always the case for people making a living in the craft industry.

I rarely sell any jewelry these days, and if I do, it’s normally some kind of commission work, something specific for a specific person I know who has requested it. I find that, at least for me, I a make more money from writing about a necklace than actually selling the necklace. Plus, I’d much rather write than sell.
You are right. There are a lot of ways to earn an income other than selling finished jewelry pieces. I spent a good many years doing that, and I learned a lot from it. If I had the time, I would do more of it, but I find my time is spent better on the designing/writing end of things these days. This is something I’ve talked a lot about at my About.com Jewelry Making site. Not that people, like yourself for example, don’t make a living from selling their finished work, but there are a lot of other possibilities out there that many designers don’t necessarily consider IMHO.

What is on the horizon for you craftily speaking?

I’m finishing up the edits on my next book, Jewelry and Beading Designs for Dummies, due out in September 2008 (up on Amazon for early ordering now). After that, I’m not sure what is out there for me as far as books. I’m talking with an editor now about a possible book idea I have, but it’s just talk at this point. I have a few book proposals in the works that I need to finalize before I start shopping them around.

I just started setting up an Etsy.com shop (tammypowley.etsy.com) where I hope to sell jewelry making supplies and project pdf files. Over the next few months, I want to get the shop set up and have a few items to sell.

I also will keep at the web writing at About.com (I’ve got a number of new projects lined up for there as well as some book reviews), and I will expand on my Crafty Princess Diaries weblog, putting up a customized template that will include some advertising to help subsidize the cost of maintenance for it. In fact, I write a lot about what I’m doing as far as craft work over there, so if anyone is ever curious, that’s where to find updates about anything new coming out.