Home Based Craft Business.com

I made it! I have officially walked and shopped the 'Arts in the Park' Festival in Ely, Nevada. 

This weeks interview is with Mary Ann Plavi of Spring Creek, Nevada. This lady of many talents sells her 'magic carpets' at several shows in the area. The fact that she has some really neat ceramics for sale is a bonus.

Mary Ann - contact info:

775-777-8869

meshka@frontiernet.net

The colorful carpets or rag rugs are what draw your attention and beg you to touch. Digging through the piles of rugs, runners and place mats is so much fun… it's like finding a trunk of your grandmothers linens in the attic and reveling in the softy goodness of each lovingly folded piece.

What makes these rugs so much fun, are the "ingredients".  Mary Ann creates these little treasures from sheets and quilt tops.  Yes, the more colorful the better, in fact… children's sheets are her favorite!  

Mary Ann graciously sat with me for over an hour and shared her creative life. She gave up the goods on what it is like to create her artistic crafts and sell them… not for the money, because as she will admit… the pay ain't great, but for the love of crafting and meeting people.

She spends many days on end alone in her garage/studio - dying, sorting, tearing and weaving… oh and did I mention she also is a photographer, painter and ceramicist?  She will be sharing her thoughts about craft as therapy and how she jumped from fabric artist into the potters wheel… and didn't even see it coming.

These are the rugs I purchased… I couldn't help myself.

 The Rug called "Loopers"… you have to listen to find out why….

They are the softest rugs you have ever felt and would be so cozy underfoot in the bathroom or laundry.

Email Mary Ann… and ask for a Looper Rug.

Business Card Size Price Tags! Listen to the show for ideas that Mary Ann uses for marketing her business without advertising.

Technorati Tags: craft podcast, rag rugs, marketing a craft business, Ely Nevada, Arts in the Park

So… what are you waiting for? Click on the Pink Arrow to play or the tiny orange mp3 logo to download. Hey, and do not forget to get your crafty stuff out to play with while you listen.

 

 [PCC] Show #3 - Interview - Mary Ann Plavi - Rag Rug Weaver [47:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

clipped from www.craftster.org Loves to Make Stuff, Hates Potpourri: Total Members: 102,451 Currently Running With Scissors: 1191 Guests, 261 Users

Technorati Tags: craft, business, forum, friends, swap, contest,

If you are thinking that crocheted potholders and lace trimmed magnets are crafts that might sell at your next craft show… think again.

Professional crafter’s know that you must follow the trends and produce products that customers want.

Making and selling simple homemade items is taking over the craft scene by storm. The items are new and inventive re-creations of styles and techniques from generations ago.

Creativity is paramount in the crafter world. Copy or use patterns without exuding your own creative style is death to a home based business.

This creative professional crafter shows us that an old medium, such as felt, can be used to create attractive, quaility merchandise. She can design one of a kind items or pump out inventory by using a systymatic approach.

The trick to creating inventory is: Creating in a mass produced atmosphere without loosing the one of a kind styling.

This article is a perfect read for those of you thinking about starting your own home based craft business.

Read the Cathy of California Article

clipped from cathyofcalifornia.typepad.com just a little more than a year ago a friend heard about a new craft fair that was going to be held in the parking lot of a comic book store. of course we had to check it out. we enjoyed a yummy cupcake from the bake sale and i bought an adorable pincushion to give as a birthday gift and a super cute necklace for myself. we both had a blast that afternoon.