CraftBoom! is featuring another inspiring crafter,  Robin Lemon of Pillows of Lavender.

What is your art or craft?

Lavender Comfort Pillows for aroma and/or heat therapy

How did you get started and what made you realize it could be more than a hobby

I fell in love with lavender the scent and color;)

I made 2 pillows as gifts for my mother and mother inlaw in 2006 and they told 2 people, and they told 2 people, and so on…

Well, not exactly but that is sort of how  it all started.  They showed them to their friends or they bought some for friends and then their friends did the same.  I was keeping pretty busy with orders in addition to being a candle distributor at the time and wondered if I could indeed turn this into a business of it’s own. I always wanted my own gig instead of buying inventory from a company.   Orders continued to flow so I took the steps to become a business with it’s own affiliate program  in September 2008 .

How do you come up with your ideas for your projects?

A lot of designs and styles are born from customer feedback and requests or from me just playing around with my sewing machine.

How do you decide how to price your work?

I have a formula I use to cover my cost of supplies, labor and commissions to my “personal sales team members”. (I mean my affiliates.)

Are you using any websites like Etsy, Artfire, eBay, Twitter, Facebook, etc to promote your business?

I have  etsy and artfire accounts but I haven’t used them for my pillows yet.

I do have my own website with a shopping cart and blog.  Stocking all of these places with my items is one of my business goals.

I promote my business on facebook daily, I love facebook and it has proven to be beneficial for my business.  I update my status when I am working on something and now my personal FB friends are gaining interest in my items.   I twitter too!

What’s the most challenging aspect of your business and how to you conquer it?

Labeling makes me scream, not kidding ask my family.  I am a perfectionist when it comes to this  part of the biz. If it doesn’t sit well with me, I can’t use it.  The frustrations of printing with poor equipment and not having the proper software to work with is very discouraging to me.  So, I haven’t conquered it…yet.  Possibly one day soon I will purchase what I need to run things more smoothly or I’ll just give in and outsource it until then I just keep on screaming.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your work?

Swimming in lavender lol seriously how can you go wrong being surrounded by the scent? Just knowing it’s all natural makes it all the more enjoyable.

I have no trouble relaxing or sleeping.  Also, the customer testimonies,  I love to hear the oohs and aahs.

Debi, what is your art or craft?

I am a painter and also teach.  Over the years, I’ve gone from selling paintings, prints, and cards at outdoor art and craft shows, to selling at galleries, to booking my first museum show!

How did you get started and what made you realize it could be more than a hobby?

I showed an early talent for art, but was discouraged and ridiculed by my family, who felt art was a waste of time (could be the strong Amish influence).  I became a nurse and a frustrated artist – painting the hospital windows for Christmas or entertaining my friends with cartoons.  After suffering from carpal tunnel and being unable to paint, I realized how much art meant to me.  In 1999, I was able to quit nursing and turn to art full time.  I knew there were artists who made a living, but figuring out how was a real challenge.

Bubbles

How do you come up with your ideas for your projects?

Being self-taught, I spent years mastering all types of subjects. (I even traveled to Yellowstone to paint wildlife.)   I love variety, but knew I’d never become known unless I specialized.  After looking back on the paintings I enjoyed most, I realized I realized that small town scenes were my personal favorite to paint.  It’s a timeless subject, near and dear to most American hearts, and I still to get to paint everything from backyard bunnies to urban sunsets.

My first idea was for a school bus picture.  After trying to photograph elusive (and dangerous) wildlife, getting photos of a school bus was like shooting fish in a barrel!  They’re not only easy to find, they stop on every corner, so you can take shots from the comfort of your own car.  While I was on the trail, I drank my coffee and laughed, thinking I was probably the only person in Pennsylvania who wanted to be behind a school bus. Now, I take reference photos all the time – when I run to get milk or go to the post office.  It’s a cushy job.

Early Morning

How do you decide how to price your work?

I know many artists who put huge prices on their work, but I have always priced mine to sell.  By checking out what comparable work is selling for and talking with the gallery owners, I have a good idea what a realistic price is.  And with art, the bigger your reputation, the bigger prices you can get, so I continue to increase my prices as my reputation grows.  People who invest in more expensive paintings want to know that their paintings will hold their value, so raising my prices a bit each year is a good stategy.

My detailed, photorealist paintings take a lot of time, so they get the biggest prices.  The quick studies that I do as demonstrations in the classes I teach can sell a lot cheaper.  I call them my Fast & Furious series.  That way I can target two markets, and still keep my prices consistant.

Barred Owl

Are you using any websites like Etsy, Artfire, eBay, Twitter, Facebook, etc to promote your business?

I have sold some work on eBay and am active on Facebook.  I list my work on many of the art sites, but have only sold off of the Fine Art America site.  I do list my classes on a lot of internet places.  Most successful artists have a spouse who does their marketing.  Since I’m doing everything, I have to concentrate on what brings the best results, which, for me, is my blog and monthly newsletter.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your business and how to you conquer it?

Being female, self-taught, and a watercolor painter makes it darned hard to be taken seriously as an artist.  I asked a museum curator who had just given me a top award at a show if his museum would consider an exhibit of watercolors.  He made a shocked face.  When I pointed out all my awards, he whined, “But it’s watercolor…. couldn’t you at least call it something else?”  So, I target people who’s opinions matter in the art world and send them postcards of my best new work, mentioning my latest awards, but call it ‘watermedia’ or ‘mixed media on paper’.

I want them to know who I am and what I do, and I don’t care what it’s called, as long as they think it’s good.   Having an art ‘reputation’ is about who knows you.  And that takes a lot of exposure, and persistance.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your work?

Having a finished painting that I love.  Just looking at it gives me the warm fuzzies most people get from alcohol.  And having a student who just ‘gets it.’  Art is tough to teach and I’ve tried countless things over the years.  Now, when I can see a real difference in a student from one series of classes, it’s the best feeling ever.

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I couldn’t think of suitable pic to go with this post so I thought this one would do as a close 2nd . Yummy

Earlier this week I was delighted to learn that one of my customers (Henrietta) is in fact an alumni of Cordwainers and her custom handmade footwear business is doing well and the press love her too. I found this very inspiring because Henrietta is still only in her twenties and getting a good job in the footwear industry (at least in the UK) can be quite hard; to make and sell your own collections (as Henrietta does) can be bloody hard! I thought it would be nice to give you a small insight into handmade footwear by focusing on Hetty’s business.

Business Name: Hetty Rose

Unique Selling Point: Handmade shoes and accessories in gorgeous vintage fabrics. Custom shoes handmade to your size and your choice of vintage fabrics.

Sold Via: Various stores and through her own website (for portfolio & contact).

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Making Shoes

If I remember correctly there are approx 200 separate processes involved in making a shoe. One of the first steps (after designing) involves selecting a ‘last’…

A last is a 3D model of the shoe shape and you need the last to make up your shoe pattern. A shoe last is used in the same was a tailors dummy is in dressmaking in that you build the shoe around the last. You need a different last for each shoe size.

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To make up the pattern you wrap masking tape over and over the last and then you cut the masking tape off (usually in 2 pieces) and you draw the desired shapes onto the masking tape and then onto card. Pattern making for shoes requires a lot of skill not least because you are working with the funny angles of a human foot and you are working to millimeters where a couple of mms can be the difference between a great fit and shape or a bad looking shape. Pattern making for bag making is far less involved!

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Fabric uppers on shoe lasts. These fabric uppers will eventually blossom into the gorgeous shoes below (there are lots of steps left before finishing this shoe which I won’t list here!)…

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…this design is called Amalie – yum!

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More designs in mid production. The sewing machine is a super-duper industrial monster machine (which cannot differentiate between leather and fingers!)

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This design is called Mika – delicious! See the complete Hetty Rose collection here. Just so you know my birthday is in June and I’m a Size 4, he he!

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To see a shoe that I made (a long time ago so please be gentle!) look here.

Thanks for all of the lovely images Henrietta. I hope your business continues to go from strength to strength

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