Featured Shop - RoseLullabyDolls

This is my first installment of many featured shops to come.
I am so happy to use RoseLullabyDolls as my first feature! Here is a link to her shop on etsy - http://www.etsy.com/shop/RoseLullabyDolls

I first came across her shop when I was working on a critique forum on Etsy, and was immediately drawn to her shop. The whimsical nature and uniqueness of her dolls really grabbed my attention.
Located in London, she started her online store in March. After poking around her profile and shop for awhile, I decided, 'why not use her as a featured shop on my blog?' 
A couple months later, swamped with school, I finally got an interview done over convo; here it is uncut!


BK: tell me a bit about yourself, and what you do when you aren't crafting

RLD: I'm Robyn, a mum; a set, costume and puppet designer for theatre and a Londoner

BK: what got you started crafting?

RLD: I've always made things, as long as I can remember. I've cut and stuck, knitted, crocheted, sewn, woven, drawn and painted forever and ever. I have an arty mum and it never crossed my mind that people could live without making things.

BK: How long have you been doing what you have been doing?

RLD: I've been making puppets and dolls for about 18 months, but the skills I use in making them - papier mache, model making, sculpting, dressmaking - these are all things I've been doing seriously since I trained as a theatre designer 8 years ago.

BK: what is the inspiration behind your dolls?

RLD: the materials I find around me, tall tales and people I see on the tube.

BK: What do you love most about your dolls?

RLD: I love seeing people fall in love with them. I love making miniature versions of strangers loved ones, I love finding the angle to photograph them at which they are looking straight down the lens of the camera, I love their personalities, I love playing with them.

BK: What do you want to accomplish in this next year? (whether it is in outside life or on etsy)

RLD: I want to work at putting on more exhibitions, I want to realise at least a small percentage of the ideas buzzing around my head, I want to make lots and lots and lots of puppet dolls and find them loving homes all around the world

BK: what do you love most about etsy?

RLD: The advice and support that is available. I hadn't a clue about photography when I started on etsy, now through nothing more than the advice I've found through the forums and the storque, I'm able to produce photographs I'm really proud of.

BK: Is there anything else you would like to say about yourself or your shop?

RLD: Just that I feel as though I've found the thing I'm meant to be doing and I'm so so grateful to etsy for giving me the confidence to pursue it, I've become involved in the real life art world recently, without the advice and support I've found on etsy I would never have had the confidence to do that.


Her story is truly a success in the power of Etsy and the worldwide community it presents to folks all over the world.




I plan on trying to get one featured shop every two weeks, so be on the lookout, you may be next!

Wow, so much going on.....

Of course at the beginning of this blog I said that the postings would be more regular. Unfortunately life has decided to overwhelm me with being busier than I expected. This is the first week in a set of 2 and a half weeks that involve final exams and papers. If you can forgive me, I will try to work a little more on updating this.

Please expect more regular posts during the holiday season.

CreateCrochet Team SALE!!!

You read that right!

take a look at our team blog to see all of the great deals!
http://createcrochet.blogspot.com/2009/11/friday-finds-team-sale-november-13-15.html

shop shop away!!!

Setting the Tone

This week I have been doing shop critiques for some lovely people on etsy.com.
I have noticed that people aren't focusing on their photography as much as they could be or should be. I wondered, are they intimidated by editing? do they think they need fancy gear?
I want to dispel any fears! In the coming weeks, I will be discussing photography tips and tricks specifically for Etsy!
Tonight, I am going to start by talking about tone of the photograph.
You think "This is a great picture! I can't wait to list this new item!"
Hold there for a moment tiger! have you thought about what type of mood (tone) you want to set with this piece?
photo editing tools are everywhere nowadays, I personally use GIMP, it's an open source software, and I absolutely love it!
GIMP is available here http://gimp.org/

So now here we are, talking about tone and mood. Why? People see your store and the items, and they need to be persuaded into buying your item. They might not buy something if the mood of the picture isn't the same as the mood of the item. This disjunction will make them go to another shop.
I am going to stop chattering now, and actually show you what I mean.

here is an item I sold (I used a cropped "headshot" of this but needless to say this is the original photo)

By adjusting towards either blue or yellow in the color balance tool, I can change the mood this photo emotes

***Note***

DO NOT change the color balance so much that you mis-represent your work. This could lead to some serious issues when the buyer gets the item. If you are unsure about it, don't do it.

by adding more blue, I make it a cool tone, this helps set the "cold" and "icy" scene that I am trying to evoke.

by adding more yellow, I can heighten the "warm fuzzy" feeling of the pup seal.

***note***

This same tone is highly effective and used often in the baked goods market. Warm colors make people feel safe and happy.

by changing other colors along with the preliminary blue or yellow you can make the mood more complex

here, I added more cyan and a hint of green to the blue, I also lowered the brightness and slightly heightened the contrast, this darkens the mood a bit. This can be effective when selling "calming" items or stonework.

***note***

beware: some stonework should be used with a warm tone, it all depends on the hues present in the stone itself.

here we are with a yellow-green scheme. I also brightened this picture up along with lowering the contrast, this gives it a warm nostalgic feel, or maybe even a bright whimsical feel.

These are just a few examples, and this topic can get much deeper, which I hope to do next week if I can get the shop interview I want ;-)

I will be doing a full interview as well as a critique on the shop itself.

Hoping this helps, and feel free to comment with any questions you might have!

cheers!

FInished

I finished this awhile ago, but hadn't had time to post it!
I had so much fun working on this!

Reinvention in the eyes of change.

So as my life is continuing it's odd spiral around, it is getting ready to fling me into a new direction. I plan on updating this blog at least bi-weekly.
I will feature my projects, the process of working on them and the much awaited finished prodcuts of each one.
I also want to feature a shop from Etsy, both from my Team (woot CreateCrochet!) and a non-team shop just to see what goes through their mind as they continue their process of creating their dreams.

Buona fortuna amici, buona fortuna!

Crochet me somethin' good!

As the summer continues, and my sister's wedding draws near, I have found time to work on the wedding blanket!
A lovely "friendship ring" block is being used as the main accents.

Here are a couple of the blocks:

If you would like to watch my progress, follow me at my ravelry account at ravelry.com username:Benjamin Krudwig

I have more projects lined up, so keep an eye on me!

Howdy Howdy Howdy!

just got back from my small choir's concert!

Just wanted to update everyone on what I am up to.

With finals just around the corner I haven't had much time to do any crafting, but I am still working on a pair of finger-tip-less gloves, and I finished my Grandma's blanket last weekend! I will post a note on it later when I can take better photos of it!

Playing God

Here I am, playing God.... with yarn!!!
Creating random animals is one of my favorite things to do in my spare time, So last night I created on of my favorite little creatures, the bat!

His wingspan is pretty nearly a foot wide and he is about 4.5 inches tall

I love him so much!!!

Why hello there!!

So this is a start of a brand new blog and therefore a brand new era!
My first blog didn't take off, and yes that is for lack of self-promo, but those days are behind me!

This blog will not suffer the neglect and shall not gather dust!

I will post my newest creations and my rather un-amusing musings.