Written by Jackie Hernandez
Published on May 22nd, 2009

One of the simplest ways to embellish your products is to add a beautiful hang tag. You can have professionally printed hang tags made with your logo, but they always seem so sterile and lifeless. Instead consider buying handmade creative hang tags for a unique addition to each product. They also make a great place to jot a quick thank you. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Jackie Hernandez
Published on May 20th, 2009
You are doing your best to use handmade and recycled packaging. You believe in reusing, reducing, and recycling. Let your customers know that your care. Stamp your commitment to the environment on every package you send. Here are my favorite recycling stamps available on Etsy:
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Written by Jackie Hernandez
Published on May 19th, 2009
One simple way to make your customers feel special when they open their purchase is to tie it up or tape it up in style. In the first part of this series I showed you a variety of handmade eco packaging envelopes, but your special product packaging doesn’t have to end there. Seal up your envelopes or tie up your package with my top recommendations for decorative tapes and ribbons.
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Written by Jackie Hernandez
Published on May 18th, 2009

One of the most prominent tips for Etsy sellers and others in the craft and handmade communities is to make your packaging special. Your customer should feel special when opening their purchase. Many crafts people excel in this area, the rest of us lack the time or inspiration to make beautiful, handmade packaging. This week I plan to share a series on handmade eco packaging with a little twist; it is handmade by someone other than you. You can purchase handmade eco packaging elements to decorate and ship your handmade products. Let’s start with envelopes.
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Written by Lucille Chi
Published on April 30th, 2009
Recently Becky shared Re-Construct: Eco-Friendly Crafts Made Easy here on Crafting a Green World and when the Re-Construct project designer wrote in sharing this amazing diy ottoman for the project I was also thrilled.

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Written by Jackie Hernandez
Published on April 29th, 2009
Not all of us are lucky enough to be craft divas ready to whip up the perfect gift for Mother’s Day. For the rest of us there is Etsy where you can find a beautiful handmade gift mom is sure to love. Whether or not you want to fess up to buying your handmade gift is up to you.
Flowers are a traditional fall back gift for mom, but this year consider a handmade floral-inspired gift that will last a bit longer. Here are my top picks for eco-friendly Mother’s Day gifts. All of the gifts in this roundup are floral-inspired and made from natural and sustainable materials. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Julie Finn
Published on April 28th, 2009
My first craft fair of the season was this weekend, and it suuuuuuucked. Well, partly sucked. Most of the stuff that I really like about craft fairs was still there–checking out the other vendors, gossiping with customers, my daughter drawing with permanent markers on brown paper bags at my feet.
There was really only one thing that didn’t happen: the buying.
There was looking, mind you, from the fewer than normal customers who attended the craft fair. There was admiring. There even was buying, of some of my items in the $1-$5 range. Overall, though, it was slow, slow, slow.
It was a pretty conventional craft fair, with a few fair trade craft or indie craft vendors like myself. And it left me wondering–is this whole craft fair season going to suck? Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Lucille Chi
Published on April 20th, 2009

Since a recent Valentine’s Day pillow fight cost the city of San Francisco $20,000, officials have been talking about a crackdown on flash Mobs. We think this pillow party could be transformed into a craft festival the day after, recycling the wasted feathers into magical crafty creations!

Bridal feather headdresses are stunning and the ideal example of how to upcycle feathers. More ideas include: Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Lucille Chi
Published on April 17th, 2009

While we’re on the topic of Weddings this week, I noticed that these lovely spring flower pins would look just darling on top of a veil or as an exquisite bridesmaid’s corsage.

Have you ever made fabric flowers? Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Lucille Chi
Published on March 29th, 2009

Paper N Stitch is an amazing online exhibition space created specifically to promote talented artists, designers, makers selling handmade goods, and indie boutiques. The exhibition space is currently curated monthly and showcases the best of the best in handmade highlights on an international level.
The Paper n Stitch Blog is a constant source of inspiration too. Shown above is the Studio Fuller shop from their recent reviews, and below are their picks from Blue Thimble’s hand screen prints and textile art.

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