Craft Industry Alliance

Today's episode is sponsored by Creativebug. Use the code NAPS at checkout and get a free 1-month subscription. On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about ceramics with my guest, Diana Fayt. Diana is a modern day scrimshander whose chosen medium is clay rather than whalebone. Drawing on her background as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, and clayer, Diana's clay surfaces are alive with strange and exotic stories, part folklore and part personal narrative. Her work can be found in a myriad of public and private art collections. She teaches workshops online and in person. We talk extensively about how to self-produce an ecourse that includes video, weekly assignments, and chat rooms in this episode. Visit Diana online to see her work. Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm visiting Durham, North Carolina and I stopped in at the headquarters of Spoonflower, the world's largest marketplace of independent surface designs, to talk with co-founder Stephen Fraser. Stephen traces the history of Spoonflower from it's early days with just two employees in an old sock factory building to today with over 100 employees, industrial printers working 24 hours a day 7 days a week to print custom fabrics, wrapping papers, and wall paper for customers all over the world. Visit Spoonflower online to shop for fabric or upload your own design. Thank you to Cody from Lu and Ed who talks about her email newsletter at the start of the show. Grab my new ebook, How to Create a Powerful Email Newsletter: A Comprehensive Guide for Creatives, and get started with your own newsletter today. Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with Deborah Balmuth, the publisher at Storey. We recorded this podcast at Craftcation 2015 in Ventura, California. In this conversation we talk about what makes a great how-to book and how Storey selects authors, including what Deborah is looking for in a book proposal. We also talk about how craft publishing can create something that sets it apart from all of the free content available online now and we discuss the future of publishing, including an in-depth discussion on ebooks and digital marketing. And, of course, I ask Deborah to recommend great stuff she's enjoying right now. Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about embroidery as an art form with my guest, Rebecca Ringquist. Rebecca is a Brooklyn-based visual artist and designer. Approaching the technique of embroidery as a way of drawing, Rebecca has taught hundreds of people new ways of making marks on fabric with thread. Her popular Dropcloth samplers have designs pre-printed on them ready for you to hoop and stitch. Rebecca has nine workshops on CreativeBug and her new book, Rebecca Ringquist's Embroidery Workshop: A Bend the Rules Primer, will be published by STC Craft/Melanie Falick Books in April 2015. Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about how an indie designer can create a worldwide wholesale textile business while keeping production small scale and local with my guest, Heather Moore of Skinny LaMinx. When Heather started experimenting with screenprinting in her spare time in 2007 she had no idea that just a few years later she'd have a shop in Cape Town, nine employees, and a wholesale business sending her fabrics, cushions, housewares, and more all around the world. Heather also recommends some great stuff she's enjoying right now. Check out Skinny LaMinx online. Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about organic fabric today with my guests Michelle Engel Bencsko, the co-founder and creative director of Cloud9 Fabrics, and Gina Pantastico, the co-founder and director of operations of Cloud9. Michelle and Gina each bring over a decade of experience in the fabric manufacturing business to Cloud9 where their vision of producing organic fabric in socially compliant mills with great design has come to life. Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about art retreats with my guest, Elizabeth Duvivier. Elizabeth is the founder and director of Squam Art Workshops. Elizabeth founded Squam in 2008 as a way to bring a similar experience to the one she had at Artfest to the East Coast. Attendees of Squam Art Workshop describe it as a magical experience in which they can let go, connect, learn, and rejuvenate. Elizabeth explains how she works to create that feeling at Squam. We also talk about the business side of running an art workshop including choosing instructors and hiring staff. Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about what it takes to run a successful brick-and-mortar crafts shop with my guests Jaime Jennings and Amber Corcoran of Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver, Colorado, and Virginia Johnson of Gather Here in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a handmade doll business with Christina Platt, the owner of Bamboletta Dolls. Christina is a wife and mother of two little boys. Her company makes one-of-a-kind handcrafted dolls using all natural materials. With a team of 48 women and her husband, who makes the heads, they create over 80 dolls per week that find homes all over the world. Dedicated to working within her community and employing stay-at-home moms to work for her, she believes she's found the 'secret sauce' to keeping the magic in her product - and that's love. Her dolls put a modern spin on a traditional doll making them fun, colorful, and childlike. Christina has been making dolls for over 12 years and still is an integral part of how they are brought to life. She lives in Vancouver Island on the west coast of British Columbia in Canada. Visit Bamboletta online: http://www.bamboletta.com Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I talk with Kelly Wilkinson, Editorial Director at Creativbug, and Liana Allday, Senior Editor at Creativebug, about online learning. Hear the story of how this innovative online learning platform got it's start and learn about what the Creativebug team looks for in a new class or teacher. Is video the new frontier in craft publishing? We explore this question including thinking about the nimbleness to follow trends and the heightened story-telling ability that video offers. Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.