Introducing... Sma bla!

1. DaWanda Shop Name: små blå – Swedish design
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://en.dawanda.com/shop/smabla
3. When did you open your shop? Member since 30th Nov 2007
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Just added my link – if you’ll have me!

5. What Category are you under? Jewellery
6. What do you sell? Jewellery made from sterling silver and semi-precious gemstones. I mainly work with wire wrapping in Eni Oken-style and cold forging of silver. When I need a break from that I do some beading.
7. Describe 2 of your current products.

a) I love bracelets, but as I spend my days at a computer they are just not practical to wear. They just keep getting in the way. So I wanted to make a bracelet full of lovely stones, but yet so "flat" on the backside that it wouldn’t get in my way while working. And after much trial and error I finally figured out how I should make the perfect combination of band and clasp. And I am very pleased with how it turned out.

I started with wrapping a handcrafted frame with very thin wire and bound 10 nuggets of lovely turquoise within it. In heavier gauge silver I cold forged the combined band and clasp and attached it to the frame. And then, just to add some patina, I oxidised the bracelet.

b) I really don’t consider myself to be a romantic person - but still - I keep on making very romantic stuff like this Sweet Heart necklace. Must be a hidden personality!

Anyway – this is a very sweet piece of jewellery. The heart is handcrafted in sterling silver wire that I first gently hammered and then wrapped in thinnest silver wire. I coiled up the two ends and between them I strung one gorgeous little garnet faceted briolette (6x6mm). The chain consists of 3mm garnet rounds that I strung together with fine silver wire and of a very fine and almost sparkly silver chain. All metal is oxidised sterling silver.

This piece is – due to the thin wire used in the chain – somewhat delicate and I would recommend wearing it for quiet dinner with your loved one but that you do take it off before doing anything physical. Like mountain climbing, scuba diving and such…;-)

8. Tell me a bit about you...

I think I’ve been doing craft my whole life. Skipping from one craft to the other – all very fun a whole five minutes - and then by chance found jewellery making. Who thought you could make your own lovely little pieces with just some supplies and basic tools?

But then again – I’m one of those people that always say: I can do that – easy!! (A tonne of unfinished/unsuccessful projects hidden in my wardrobe will give you an idea.) So when my husband and I were invited to a rather posh shindig and I couldn’t find just THAT ring I was looking for – what did I do? Yep, I did one myself – easy. Well, I could make it, but it wasn’t so easy at first. It took some time to figure it all out, but all these little beads and pliers and thingys just captured me.

Now I’m addicted and don’t think I ever will stop. There is so much to learn - so many techniques and so many beautiful beads and stones. But there’s also a whole world of other craft out there just begging and luring me with promises of grandeur. Knitting, crocheting, paperwork ….. the list goes on and on and…

I live in the south of Sweden with husband, daughter, two furry cats and a big house, that apparently didn’t come with a house keeper (who knew?) and as I also have a day job, my days are pretty full. My hubby – who doesn’t share the same level of enthusiasm for craft as I do - says I’ve used up all my hobby-points for a lifetime.

I tell him I’m a cat with 9 lives.

And I’ve only used one!

Oh, and do you wonder about the name, små blå? It means something like – small blue or tiny blue. As in tiny blue beads…

9. Do you have a website, or blog?

I have a Swedish site http://www.smabla.se/ but that one is sorely neglected. I keep it mainly because I don’t want to let go of the domain name. I also have shop on Etsy http://www.smabla.etsy.com/.

Get a Mentor for your new DaWanda store!

The idea has been raised at http://en.dawanda.com/topic/2/126757 by http://en.dawanda.com/shop/birdlandcreations

It will need a lot of community support, especially from those who have been here longest, but I think it could really be a great idea for new shops to get help from a 'mentor'. If you are interested in the idea please post a comment on the forum thread at http://en.dawanda.com/topic/2/126757

Meet our New Business Editor!

Today I would like to introduce you to the very lovely Kate of Om Shanti Handcrafts, who has kindly agreed to share her great resources for running your own craft business with us here on the DaWanda Directory Blog.

You may have already spotted Kate's blog on our community site the DaWanda Shopping Community and now we will have the luxury of her knowledge here too! To catch up with Kate and find a few tips for your DaWanda business do check out Kate's articles (usually posted on a Monday) at Index - Craft Business.

Thank you Kate!

And remember if you have a business article idea then please contact Kate through her email at Business Editor, we'd love to hear from you!

Sara x
Written by Sara of http://en.dawanda.com/shop/sarastexturecrafts

Sara's Texture Crafts - SALE!!

I'm having a massive sale over on DaWanda... many items are more than half price!!

Here's the link and a taste of what you can buy


http://en.dawanda.com/shop/SarasTextureCrafts/6936-SALE






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If you have a story like this, please read the following link and post me your articles! http://dawandashopdirectory.blogspot.com/2007/10/want-to-be-guest-writer.html

Sara's Texture Crafts at Craft Fairs.

Sara of http://en.dawanda.com/shop/SarasTextureCrafts (the editor!) presents her (my) craft fair story...


I planned to finish early the evening before and have everything packed up for Saturday morning, so myself and my boyfriend who had kindly agreed to help wouldn't have to run around, niggling at each other whilst getting ready and looking at our watches! Fortunately it worked! So Saturday morning started with frying some bacon for our bacon and avocado salad sandwiches for lunch and a spot of breakfast. The after getting ready, it was only a short journey to a local school (on the bus!) with a suitcase, box and two small (ish) rucksacks full of crafty delights!

All paid up and introduced to the hosts it was time to set up. Oh no, someone in their wisdom thought it was a good idea to put my table next to the cake and sweet stall!! Oh, dear me - could I keep myself focused, would I spoil my carefully prepared lunch? Need I answer!!

I know, I know sleeping on the job! Could she be dreaming of Chocolate?!


'Did someone mention Chocolate?'

We had a lovely day, everyone was friendly and I had lots of compliments on my work. I also made some sales too, so I was very happy - hooray!

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If you have a story about selling your arts and crafts at fairs, markets and in shops, then please send me an email... I would love to share your story.

Email: English Editor

Introducing... Cosy Candles & Aromas!

1. DaWanda Shop Name: Cosy Candles & Aromas
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://cosycandles/dawanda.com
3. When did you open your shop? Jan 2008
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Yes, just joined
5. What Category are you under? other
6. What do you sell? I make hand poured scented soy wax candles and melts
7. Describe 2 of your current products.
Tumbler Candle – This is a 180g (6oz) container candle. It’s made from soy wax which is a renewable resource so it is eco friendly. I use top quality fragrance oils especially imported from US to scent them. I don’t colour my tumblers as soy wax has a natural creamy colour. This enables it to match any decor in your home. All I then do is place a plain clear label and voila! One classy looking product.

Snap Apart Wax Melts – This is a really nifty way of selling wax melts. They’re made from eco friendly soy wax and scented with top quality fragrance oils. I do colour these as we do need some colour in our lives. Now for those that don’t know, wax melts are made to be used in an oil burner. You pop a fragranced block in the top dish and light an unscented tealight underneath to release the aroma. The nifty thing about them is that they “snap apart” just like a chocolate bar. This is very handy as dish sizes vary from one oil burner to another. Most should accommodate 2 blocks but some can only take 1 so this is better than ending up with some overspill. One handy thing about soy wax is that if you do have any accidental spillages it all washes out with hot soapy water. Because it’s veggie based there’s no need for solvents.



8. Tell me a bit about you... I’m a WAHM to 3 teenagers. I help run my hubby’s PC repair business from home and this has given me the perfect opportunity to run my part time candle business from home too. I’ve always loved burning scented candles and was spending a fortune on them. I tried buying cheaper candles but they were awful. No smell, wouldn’t burn properly, some turned into flame throwers, the usual complaints. So I started making them as a hobby for myself. I soon found it to be highly addictive. I started doing more research on the subject and that is when I found out about soy wax. I liked the whole idea about it being a renewable resource. I soon found myself making candles for family and a few friends. They thought that they were better than mass produced ones. They also liked the fact that as they were vegetable based they were doing their bit to help the environment. So after 2 years of research and testing and much convincing by family and friends Cosy Candles was finally created towards the end of 2007. My 16 year old daughter Laura-Jayne helps me in the business. She makes the wax melts as they are easy to do – no wicking involved! I make everything else for the moment but we both wrap, label and package our products. I’m in the process of expanding our range to offer different types of containers and pillars. Eventually, we will also be offering room sprays, incense sticks/cones and pot pourri.

9. Do you have a website, or blog? Yes my site is http://www.cosycandles.com/ and my blog is http://cosycandles.blogspot.com/

The DaWanda European Championship Special!

From June 7th until June 29th 2008 the European Football Championship is taking place, and to celebrate this, DaWanda is organising a special!

And seriously girls... if your man is watching the football, you wanna be checking out DaWanda!

All sellers who choose to participate will be discounting their prices by 11% during official game play times only. Once the official play time is over for each game, the selling prices automatically return to the original amount... so grab those bargains while you can! The change in prices is implemented automatically in the shopping basket by the system.

All of the listings which are included in the 11% discount program will be clearly marked to stand out on the DaWanda website for the duration of play time. So drop in and check out!

http://en.dawanda.com/
http://fr.dawanda.com/
http://de.dawanda.com/

The DaWanda European Championship is running at these times:
07.06. - 14.06. from 6 pm til 7.55 pm and: 8.45 pm til 10.40 pm
15.06. - 22.06. 8.45 pm til 10.40 pm
25.06. - 26.06. 8.45 pm til 10.40 pm
29.06. 8.45 pm til 10.40 pm

Sara says... 'I can't wait to go shopping and hope everyone will pop in to see me too, as I will definately be participating!'

DaWanda Promo Bags - Sold out in 4 days!!

Wow, my friends... wow! They sold out in just 4 days!! I will be sending the last sales tomorrow morning and working on the second batch.

I do need some more entries though... Are you interested? It's a great way to promote your stores.

Here is how it works... each seller provides some or all of the following;
-Business cards
-Small promotional samples/free gifts – no breakables

Enough for 10-15 bags.

Each item you send should be clearly labelled with your DaWanda shop and all items should fit into a small bag approximately 15cm deep and 10cm wide.

I package them up into small bags and sell them for the cost of postage and packaging through my DaWanda shop http://en.dawanda.com/shop/sarastexturecrafts

As soon as I have your items I will add you to my pinboard of participants... http://en.dawanda.com/list/SarasTextureCrafts/5129-DaWanda-Promo-Bags-here-are-the-sellers

I would love to have you as part of the team.
Thank you,

Sara.

Original Link: DaWanda Promo Bags - find indie artists here!

Introducing... Green Island Studios!

1. DaWanda Shop Name: Green Island Art
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://en.dawanda.com/shop/GreenIslandArt
3. When did you open your shop? My shop opened on the 15 February 2008
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Yes, I am in the directory
5. What Category are you under? Art / Photography & Everything Else
6. What do you sell? Mainly photographs and photomontages, a wide selection of works made using techniques which cross over between art and photography. I love to blend my paintings together with photos that I have taken on vintage cameras to create unique pictures that have a vintage appeal to them.
7. Describe 2 of your current products.

I have quite a variety of work in my shop gallery at the moment but 2 of my favourite current pieces are;

· Blue Beach Days I made this picture on the beach – it was a strange misty afternoon. I particularly love the colours and all the people on the beach doing their own thing, running children, surfers, dogs playing, people sitting on the sand gazing out to sea. It is hand printed on lovely textured Somerset Fine Art watercolour paper, which is 100% cotton, and lends an even more painterly feel to it.

· Her Name Is Iris – This picture was taken in my studio, when my friend Iris came to visit and brought me this beautiful Iris flower. The picture was taken on a homemade camera contraption using an antique Ross Ensign Twin Lens Reflex Camera that my granddad gave me, he found it in a box when he was clearing out his attic.

8. Tell me a bit about you... I grew up in Africa and was given my first camera when I was 6. I took it everywhere with me. I met and married my husband in Italy where we lived for a while, and we have now settled in an old cottage by the sea in Cornwall, UK. I got my first class MA in Photographic Art in 2004, and now I work full time in my studio near Falmouth, where I make photographic pictures using alternative processes and I also paint. I have a colour darkroom and also a collection of vintage cameras which I adapt and use. My dog Charlie Brown keeps me company every where I go – he is gorgeous!

9. Do you have a website, or blog? Yes, I have a blog, it is only a few days old, but watch this space……. http://greenislandstudios.blogspot.com/

DaWanda finds on Stylehive!

Title: Beads and Threads Big Town Bag - Sewing - DaWanda - handmade - dawanda - bag Stylehive BM 407744 Tags: Description: more

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