Great prices and variety at Wilde-Ideas.com

Happy Friday! Today's resource is Wilde-Ideas.com, a virtual wonderland of crafty supplies that I lucked upon recently.

Prices: Wow. 'Nuff said.

Variety: Wow again. There are only a few supply sites I've found that have that same I'm-in-artsy-crafty-heaven, kid-in-a-candy-store effect as walking through a big B&M. This is one of them.

Experience: I placed an order several weeks ago and was very happy with the service and experience. Used a debit card in their on-site checkout with no problems (they also offer Paypal checkout) and my goodies arrived in perfect shape about a week later.

Shipping: Okay, so this might be a matter of opinion, but I love that I can choose actual shipping. It's great for small orders and hard to find these days. I haven't placed a large order there yet, but they do regularly offer shipping discounts that would be great for bulk purchases, like the current 99 cent flat rate deal.

Anything else? Like some of the other online craft supply sites, there are affiliate possibilities. I'm not an affiliate member yet myself, but I do see potential for blog and website sidebars.

That's it. Go check it out!

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Save your styrofoam - make your own plastic!

It's Friday, I'm back, and I'm pretty excited about today's find - the ultimate trash-to-treasure Instructable on recycling styrofoam into a useful, craft-worthy material.

I'm building up a nice little styrofoam collection for just this purpose and can't wait to try it out. According to the tutorial, the soft, malleable result is perfect for sculpting or pressing into molds - it takes detail very well and cures to a hard plastic.

Toxicity. This is definitely a grown-ups only project that should be done outside or in a well-ventilated area. The process requires acetone - a fumey paint-stripping chemical easily found in the paint aisle at hardware stores. You don't want to breathe this stuff and should probably avoid skin contact. I'm a safety freak, so I'll probably geek it up some more with safety glasses, dust mask, and gloves for extra precaution against splashes and fumes. (The acetone evaporates as the plastic cures, so your finished piece should be safe.)

Color. The instructable writer used white styrofoam and got white plastic. I have no idea if colored styrofoam will retain it's color after you add the acetone. The tinted stuff is relatively rare anyway, so it will be interesting to see if acrylic or dry pigment color can be kneaded in before curing.

Mega possibilities. I'm thinking this would be great for making plastic cameos, charms, and gems from jewelry molds. Or ornaments or sculpture, you name it. Check it out here and let me know what you think. I'd love to see any plastic treasures you make!

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Blog neglect and creative block, part 2

Okay, so here's what I had in mind. At some point I may start a new blog to talk about creating these new things, and I may transfer posts over when I do. But for now I'll be working on this one. It's been a while, but I've maintained a regular blog before with a small but regular readership (not just me entertaining myself, I promise). (Well, it was partly me entertaining myself, because that's pretty much how I get myself to write. But there were other people reading too, I swear it. :D) Anyway there's no doubt that I can write and post something interesting enough to... um, keep you interested I suppose, and manage do it maybe once or twice a week.

Of course time is an issue, especially right now with the kids off from school for the summer. So I'm going to try to commit to just one teeny tiny post per week. I can probably handle that. ;) For now I'll most likely just be cherry-picking from my resource folder. Then as I find more time or start receiving submissions I'll add in other interesting bits like indie artists and their products.

Now here's the part I'm no good at. I will try to stick to a certain day per week. Bleh. No I won't. Ergh. Yes I will. To be honest, I have a terrible memory for such things, so it's entirely possible that I might completely forget to post if I try to wait for a certain day of the week. "A post this week" is far more likely to occur than "a post on such & such day." But I'm going to try anyway. Who knows, maybe I'll end up being a (gasp) *daily* blogger once again. Or at least something more regular than hit-and-run bursts every couple months. ;D

That's it for now. I'll meet you back here next week, say sometime late-morning-afternoon-ish on Friday? (What time of day is that anyway?) And if I forget completely, you can send me nasty letters and I won't even get mad. (Actually, I would probably be pleased to find out that someone really is reading besides me, because I'm silly like that sometimes. So send me nasty letters anyway, will you?)

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Blog neglect and creative block, part 1

Hello again! My apologies for the lack of posts the last couple months. As I said in my first post, my primary reasons for starting this blog were to share my collection of resources, feature some favorites, and have something to DO while I work through a massive creative block. While I'm delighted to say that I've made some progress with the creative block, sadly I've been terribly neglectful with posting. Luckily I had just barely gotten started with this and certainly hadn't done any promoting yet. So chances are good that I'm the only person who has actually read those few posts. :D

Creative block, artist's block, writer's block... whatever you call it, whatever variety affects you, I think we can agree it's all a big pain in the rear. Mine has not been so much a lack of ideas or even inspiration, but a drought on satisfaction with my own work. I guess you could say this is part and parcel of something bigger and more profound for me - a need for major change, without quite knowing what or how. But I suppose feeling blocked is always a profound experience for people who rely on creativity for their livelihood and/or well-being, particularly if it's a long, struggling battle. (Definitely feels like battle.) Maybe it's impossible to come through something like that and not be changed by it.

So here I am making things, reading, browsing my favorite spots, and taking great care to note what I'm most drawn to, what feels right. It's like starting back at square one: what do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want to do? So far I've managed to rediscover the basics - materials and techniques I'm drawn to and love using. As it turns out, they're very different from what I had been doing, and not so different from things I enjoyed as a child, whether on my own or helping my mom or grandmother. Duh me.

I'm going to take a break before this gets too long, but I'll be back with the rest in a bit.

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Free and low cost stitch converters

Truth be told, it's been more than 15 years since I've embroidered or cross-stitched a single stitch. I thought I was done with it. Old news. No longer interested in doing any of my own, even if I do still have a soft spot for other people's handiwork with needle and that delightfully colorful floss.

But then I found out that there are such things as "converters," programs that convert your photos or art into stitching charts. Swoon. I felt almost giddy, with every bit of that rush my twelve year-old self had once experienced at the thought of "painting" with thread.

So I set about finding an open source version of such a program. I literally spent hours chasing dead links and even deader leads. I found what seemed like a million programs that came with embroidery machines. Meh. If I could afford an embroidery machine, would I be looking for open source? (Maybe yes, actually; in my opinion open source is well worth supporting regardless of one's personal finances. Of course it appears that many embroidery machines do come with such a program, so I suppose I wouldn't need an open source version. But I digress.)

I also found several programs that were supposed to be *FREE* (can you picture the flashing lights and confetti?), but just turned out to be free trials that would eventually segue into hundreds of dollars spent on a licensed copy. Thanks, but maybe some other time.

Just when I was about to give it up, I came across PictureCraftwork.com. It's not the prettiest, flashiest site, nor is it completely free. As far as user-friendliness goes, it's available in four languages and you can adjust everything except canvas size.

Personally I think the ability to change canvas size is pretty important, so perhaps it will be added in the future. But overall, if you're looking for an easy and affordable way to convert your pics into basic charts for 10" square canvases, it's not too shabby.

Charts under 1001 stitches are free, anything over that is a flat fee. Each pixel counts as a stitch (eep) so you can expect to pay 5.00 Euro or 7.00 USD unless you're working with a very small, simple design.

Check it out and let me know what you think. Blogger appears to be having issues with image uploading today, so I'll be back later to try again.

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Starting and Running a Successful Craft Business

Whether you've been selling your artistic wares for ages or just starting out - or trying to figure out how to get started - About.com's Arts / Crafts Business section is chock full of information and resources.

Just browsing through the articles you'll find excellent info on the essentials - what to consider when starting up, how to price your wares, participating in shows and fairs, and tons more.

You can also sign up for the free weekly newsletter (I've been a subscriber myself for forever) and read and participate in threads on a variety of relevant topics with other professional artists.

It's definitely worth a look if you've never been there. Check it out, then let me know what you think.

Or, if this is old news to a seasoned vet like you, maybe you'll still consider sharing your thoughts? What's your opinion on the quality of information, and what other sites would you recommend for beginners?

Thanks for reading! Check back soon for the results - and reward? - to my hours of searching for an opensource pattern maker (aka picture converter) for embroiderers and cross-stitchers.

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Call for submissions!

Got a tip or resource to share? Drop a line to "stellarindie [at] gmail [dot] com" with the subject line "SUBMISSION" and the link, tip, tutorial or idea in the body of the email. Make sure to include your name and a link to your own site so I can give credit and a bit of free exposure for your time.

Suggestions for new site features or categories are welcome. I'm also looking for great handmade products to showcase, as well as potential interview features with makers, sellers, and groups like artists' organizations and Etsy street teams.

You heard it, boys and girls. Submit your own products, shop, site, or an organization you belong to, or recommend your favorites. If it's a good fit, I'll post a writeup here and send a free badge for your website or blog.

If you'd like to contact stellarindie for any other reason, you can send your thoughts to the same email. Thanks for reading - I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

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Shop indie at Etsy.com

Just a few months shy of their third anniversary, Etsy is a virtual wonderland for buyers, sellers, and lovers of all types of unique, handmade goods.

If you make and sell practically anything with your own two hands -- or if you sell vintage goods or crafting supplies -- chances are you probably already know it's a great place to sell online. (If this is you, skip ahead to the next post's call for submissions!)

If you make your own wares (or sell vintage or supplies) and this is the first you've heard of Etsy, you should definitely check it out. You can sign up for a free store with subdomain (yourshopname.etsy.com), and listings cost only $0.20 per single item for four months. (That's right. It's not a typo. If you like, you can tell 'em stellarindie sent you.) Just click "Sell" in the navigation bar at the top to get started.

Several innovative, fun and interactive features for finding fabulous goods can be found in the sidebar on the left, and just below these neat toys you'll find a list of the main categories to give you an idea of what can be bought and sold on the site.

A few other features of note:

Shop Local for finding sellers near you.
Help for info on buying and selling, site rules and terms of use, and more.
The Storque for site news and tons of helpful articles on everything from listing tips to handmade weddings.

Did I mention it's also the freakin coolest community of indie artists, crafters, and business people ever? It's true. Go now, and find out for yourself. ;)

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Hello!

Hi and welcome to stellarindie!

As a freelance artist/designer and generally crafty type person, I find I'm constantly researching everything from tutorials to marketing, to the best places to sell online and more.

Right now I'm at a point where I feel the need to shift focus... but to what, I'm not sure yet. So while I work it out, I'll be operating in support mode - by sharing my massive and ever-growing library of free and low cost resources to help you in YOUR business.

Occasionally I'll also showcase fabulous finds from independent artists - people who are making their creative businesses work through amazing art, ingenious products and marketing, wonderful customer service, and stellar contribution to the creative community.

This is a brand spankin' new project, so bear with me as I get it underway. In between posts I'll be tweaking the layout of the site, uploading graphics, arranging navigation and such. Suggestions are always welcome, so please do let me know what you think! :)

Thanks for reading and be sure stick around - there's lots to come!

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