Product shoots with young children

I finally had a chance to photograph my most adorable niece, Grace, with my Pixie Suzie collection. Having a model is really important for some products such as hair accessories and clothing, especially for online businesses because consumers want to see how your product will look when they put them on. They may not be able to visualise very well if there isn't a model. I knew I needed that for Pixie Suzie and that I know is the toughest part. I am never a superb photographer myself and neither is my hubby. Shooting the products on their own its pretty easy but when it comes to putting them on a model and when it is a child model, it becomes extremely tricky.

Grace is such a sweet little 2 year old but being a toddler her attention span is naturally short and they can't quite take instructions yet. So I knew we had to take candid shots of her while she was playing. We took loads of it but only a handful turned out ok. Thanks to Picasa, a free photo editing software, we managed to put together a fairly decent collage of all the better pictures after loads of adjustments. We definitely need more practice :)

Pricing My Handmades

Pricing is always one of the most tricky things in any business. I used to be clueless about pricing and tended to price without including my man-hours which should cover design time and the actual crafting time. Then again, I asked myself how am I going to price myself. How much does my time worth?

In order to decide on that, I had to access the amount of effort I had to put into the creative process for each piece of work, the amount of detailed work, the level of skill involve in each design. With these in mind plus the material costs, that is how I am going to price my crafts. Then again, I had to also access my competitors. What is the average market price for similar crafts and designs? With that I can more accurately rate my crafts.

Eternal Covenant US$42.00 
This Italian corded lace ring pillow lined with baby pink satin was customized for a local customer. She was very pleased and she dropped a feedback on my Etsy store that says " I absolutely love my ring pillow and am sooo glad I found Karen's etsy store! She is extremely patient with all my questions and even delivered the pillow to my house (we both live in Singapore)! Pillow was beautifully packaged, simply worth every cent! Thanks Karen!! :) I will definitely send you pictures of the ring pillow in action next year...stay tuned! :) " It certainly made my day that my customer is so pleased especially when it is for a very special ceremony :)

The fact that is handmade, I had to bear in mind that I should never compare my crafts to similar factory products. The selling point is exclusivity, one of a kind or even limited edition. One more thing I always make sure is, never compromise on material quality and craftsmanship as well as service. With these, customers feel that it is more justifiable for them to pay a premium for handmades. However, from time to time, I do face tough competition from some who are willing to price down badly to gain market entry. It does worry me but when I think again rationally, in the long run, pricing low is not at all viable for the handmade business. After a short period, those who price very low may find it difficult to sustain. The amount of effort and energy put into making something is alot. As such, fellow crafters should value all our creations and take pride in our work. Why do designers charge a premium? That is because they do not mass produce from the factory. Their designs are limited and unique and most of all of high quality product. Thus I felt that as an artisan, who genuinely puts in dedicated hours and effort into my creations, I should value them and price them right!

Colours and Concept

I love using laces, cotton, silk and felt for Pixie Suzie, an accessory closet for littel girls. I am never a very girly female and pink is not always my favourite shade. In fact, if you ask me, I do not have a favourite colour. I feel that every colour and colour combination has to compliment the piece of accessory. It boils down to the concept and look that the artist wish to create for each of his/her design, be it a dress, a piece of jewellery, a t-shirt, a hat, a hair piece etc. As such, I do not quite agree that Pink and Red or only bright shades should appeal to girls and are colours that will only look nice on children. 

Ingrid

For example if I am creating a country look like the above hair band "Ingrid", I found those organic and earth tone colours really appealing. Put your sweetheart in a ivory shade cotton dress or any light shade outfit and this hairband will make the look perfect!

On the other hand, I would prefer to use a bright shade felt or a pastel shade felt for my Gardenia, Dahlia and Ruffled lace floral pieces as they look really sweet and pretty. Matching these pretty shades against contrasting headbands give them a touch of originality and freshness rather than sticking to the conventional combinations.

Experimenting with colours and concepts is one of the most exciting part of the design process, be it the hair accessories, ring pillows or jewellery. Putting a little more time and thought into this part of the design is always worth it as it almost always gives me a fun and fresh outcome. My motto "Be adventurous with colours!".

My Fray Roses

Tracy

Celeste

I simply fell in love with these fray roses when I first saw them. They are so versatile and lovely. Depending on the choice of fabric, it can be set on different accessories.
Some materials are easier to manipulate than others. I find good cotton materials with a good thread count much easier to handle than materials like Satin and silk.

The above are some of my latest creations. Pretty headbands for babies, toddlers and little girls.

Branding and marketing craftwork

Marketing is something many of us know we have to do whenever we start a business. It is one of the most crucial and tricky part of every business. But the questiong is always "How to market?"


I started my very first business when I was really young (about 23 years old) and it failed big time. I had no idea of what I needed to do to reach out to my target audience. Tonnes of expensive medias approached me and I simply thought that was the only way to go. Advertising on magazines was costly and the results weren't guaranteed. On top of that, I was clueless about how to price and position myself in the market. My cost was too high and the margin too low. I wounded it up....Bad bad bad....But I learnt a great deal from it!


Through my sister who completed her Diploma in Media design, I also learnt a great deal about branding and image which is getting so so vital these days. Creating a consistant image helps to promote the brand in the long run. In other words, an identity for customers to identify your brand with....from labels, to cards, brand tags right down to colours logos and fonts....there should always be a consistant look. I stuck by that notion and I must say it helped a great deal in my florist business which I sold it as my family feels it is getting too taxing and my husband I were planning a kids then.


I continued to make crafts while I was taking care of my child and started selling them online. With a brand and an identity and of course quality products, the little business (Eternal Covenant) did somehow take off, not in a large scale but enough for a housewife :). Thanks to my sister, I picked up some design and photoshop skills which helped alot. at least I do not need not pay for such stuff.


I am now looking more seriously into promoting my three brands of craft work and am still sticking to the importance of branding plus a new marketing tool....social marketing!! Let's hope to see some results in the months to come.


Here is a link I feel quite good for marketing crafts: http://www.inspiri-art-and-craft.com/craft-marketing.html

Jumping Clay

I was introduced to Jumping Clay by a friend who loves crafts too. It is fun and a great material for kids too as it is non toxic and can be air dried. Made some of the above with jumping clay. The colours are very bright and cheery!

The Pearl Collection

These lovely neck pieces are part of my pearl collection. In order to bring out the elegance in this collection, I have chosen to use high quality materials such as Swarovski and fresh water pearls. These pearls bring out a sophisticated flavour to the clay rose pendant. A great accessory for weddings, formal and semi-formal occasions and defintiely a great gift for the coming mother's day.

They are all available at my Etsy store: www.preciousfindings.etsy.com

*Like my facebook page and I will be giving away a FREE pair of matching clay rose earrings to all my fans with every purchase: www.facebook.com/cosyloft.