Basket Donations for Local School Auctions

The Guild will be donating baskets to Clinton School and South Mountain School auctions.
Making donations to a local organization is a great way to meet new contacts, promote yourself, and embrace your community.
If you would like to donate a piece of your work to the basket please email somaartisansguild@yahoo.com Donation list needed by Dec.28Th

Princess Mini Camp -During the Break

It's SEW Crafty and Parteaz will be hosting
Princess Mini Camp -During the Break
December 27th-30th
11-1 PM
Gift certificates available!

Dress up and make believe await....
Have lunch and "tea", cook dessert and make a princess craft
with It's Sew Crafty!!

A different Princess each day!

Ariel- Tiana- Cinderella - Belle


email craftykatie@itssewcrafty.com

NJ Art Show examines our Carbon Footprint

eCommerce : charcoal drawing

December forecast : A light shower of packing peanuts, will blanket your family room. Statically charged and drifting like snow, they will accumulate in the most unlikely places

Catch your breath at the Gaelen Gallery West and contemplate the larger than life charcoal drawings of Jo Bradney, examining, cataloging and documenting our Carbon Footprint, before heading back out into the shopping storm
see Carbon Footprints online

December 16 - February 10 2011
SOLO SHOW : Carbon Footprints
Gaelen Gallery West
Rt 10 East
Whippany, NJ

http://www.jccmetrowest.org/

November Meeting Cancelled

Just a quick note to say that this month's meeting has been canceled due to illness (sniffle snuffle sneeze)

Next meeting will be December 16th 7:15pm
And in the holiday spirit we will be sharing our stellar sales tips, shining pearls of wisdom and precious nuggets of knowledge gleaned from this year's holiday shows
(cookie sharing optional)


What worked for you this holiday season?
What didn't?

What was a great show for you this year?
Which ones were lousy?

What will you do differently next year?

So bring your favorite holiday treat to share and your stories from this year's craft fairs

Don't Miss 15% Off On BeastlieBeastie Tees at RedBubble

At RedBubble you get to choose which BeastlyBeastie design you want, what type of tee, and what color you want. Hoodies and baby clothes also available. Allow two weeks for delivery, your order will be specially printed for you and will arrive beautifully packaged.

Pistol braves the Uber-Pink of Parteaz

On October 21st., a small group of SOMA Artisan's Guild members gathered at Parteaz on Springfield Avenue to hear what "Pistol" Pete Kaufmann had to tell us about getting ourselves out of a rut, getting motivated, following our passions and being successful. With a name like "Pistol", and as a successful musician, and lifestyle coach we were all intrigued to meet this "out of the box" guy and hear what he had to tell us. We were not disappointed.


"Pistol" brought a great energy in to the room, much of what he had to tell us, as he said so himself we had all heard before. Much had drifted over our heads and not been acted on. "Pistol's" delivery brought the importance of these various strategies to life for us and for me at least, energized me to hopefully follow through this time.

A big thanks to Katie Clayton for organizing this event

Some Tips from "Pistol"

• Make sure you have multiple streams of income. When one dries up - which it will - you will have something to fall back on.

• Doing a fund raising event through your web site or Facebook page is a great way to bring potential customers to your site.

• Pay someone to put an e mail sign up link on your Facebook fan page.

• A newsletter is a great marketing tool.

• Choose a specific market. If you want to make money, you basically have to target the wealthy.

• Be honest with yourself: Do you have the talent and knowledge to succeed in your chosen business. Not sure, ask your friends and family for an honest opinion.

• Self belief.

• Model what other successful people are doing or have done.

• Read autobiographies of successful people that you admire. Learn from them.

• Build up your social contacts. Contact at least five people a week by e mail, text message, telephone, etc… You never know where these contacts will lead.

• Read… Educate yourself… self help books, how to books, biographies, business books, blogs, take classes… there is a wealth of information out there.

• Live where your industry is.

• Make your 30 minute elevator speech to define what you do and who you are.

• Think outside the box.

• Set goals, whether it is how much money you want to make, or stores you want to be in etc…

• Make sacrifices… you will have to go with out to get to where you want to be…

• Take risks…

• Above all take responsibility for everything that happens to you.

All of you who could not make this meeting missed a really great evening, we all came away energized and I think with higher expectations of our selves and more confidence in our own individual missions.


Resources:
Books
The Answer - John Assaraf
"'The Answer' is inspiring... it motivates you to go after the grandest version of the greatest life and business you ever envisioned for yourself with the knowledge that it is absolutely possible. 'The Answer' gives you the tools to change your life. This is one of the most exciting books I have ever read."

-Suzanne Somers, former television star, New York Times Best Selling Author
http://www.amazon.com/Answer-Business-Achieve-Financial-Extraordinary/dp/1416562001/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289927792&sr=1-1

Rework, by Jason Fried and David Hansson
http://www.amazon.com/Rework-Jason-Fried/dp/0307463745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289927700&sr=8-1

Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk (VAY*NER*CHUK)
http://ownthedollar.com/2009/11/crush-cash-passion-gary-vaynerchuk-book-review-giveaway/

David Wood - Get Paid for Who You Are
http://paulcoughlin.amplify.com/2010/04/18/free-ebook-get-paid-for-who-you-are-by-david-wood/


About "Pistol"

"Pistol" Pete Kaufmann is a professional musician, writer, lifestyle enhancement coach and motivational speaker who spends his time between New York City and Los Angeles. For almost a decade he's toured America as the drummer for Amandla - led by Claude Coleman Jr. of Ween. He is also a contributing writer for Modern Drummer Magazine, having written more than a dozen articles, two cover interviews and a plethora of educational pieces focusing on the musician's mind and thinking. He is owner of Rockin Lifestyle - a motivation company dedicated to creative people and creative living. Kaufmann has been coaching clients privately for over 10 years (including many well known artists) and teaches workshops internationally on reaching one's full potential in life. He passionately believes that the attitude and power of rock 'n' roll can be applied to daily living to improve one's overall state of happiness and success.

http://www.rockinlifestyle.com/home.cfm

Creep Show - Artful Spooks for Halloween

Some of Ann Vollum's Beastly Beaties and Joy Yagid's spooky photos are in Creep Show this Halloween. Stop by to enjoy some weird, wonderful and downright bizarre art this October

Reception : October 28 7-10pm
... costumes encouraged ...

October 12 - November 4
GAS
411 Ridgewood Road
Maplewood NJ
http://www.itisagas.com/

Let Pistol Pete Kindle Your Passion

Get Inspired for Success!

Guest Speaker:
"Pistol" Pete Kaufmann

October 21st 7:15pm
Parteaz, 1860 Springfield Ave., Maplewood, NJ

Are you an artist struggling to make ends meet with your passion and don't know what to do anymore?

"Pistol" Pete Kaufmann is a professional musician, writer, lifestyle enhancement coach and motivational speaker who spends his time between New York City and Los Angeles. For almost a decade he's toured America as the drummer for Amandla - led by Claude Coleman Jr. of Ween. He is also a contributing writer for Modern Drummer Magazine, having written more than a dozen articles, two cover interviews and a plethora of educational pieces focusing on the musician's mind and thinking.  He is owner of Rockin Lifestyle - a motivation company dedicated to creative people and creative living. Kaufmann has been coaching clients privately for over 10 years (including many well known artists) and teaches workshops internationally on reaching one's full potential in life.  He passionately believes that the attitude and power of rock 'n' roll can be applied to daily living to improve one's overall state of happiness and success.

www.rockinlifestyle.com

Facebook Fan Page

Twitter: www.twitter.com/rockinpistol


FREE FOR ALL MEMBERS - GUESTS $5.00

TO REGISTER, CLICK ON THE EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW:
SOMAARTISANSGUILD@YAHOO.COM

For Wedding Calligraphy and Fontophiles

Ann Vollum has a new calligraphy blog showcasing some of her recent work and peppered with fun facts for us Font-o-philes.

This summer she had a number of commissions for wedding calligraphy
Beautiful work Ann!


http://annvollumcalligraphy.wordpress.com/
 

September Meeting

On Monday 20th, September we held our first meeting after the summer break. We are now holding all of our meetings at Parteaz on Springfield Avenue in Maplewood. Our Thanks to Katie for making this location available to us.

For this meeting, the only agenda was to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Guild and to catch up with everyone after the summer break. We all enjoyed home baked treats, coffee and wine whilst we told each other of our latest ventures. Thanks to Aron and Kari's Cafe for home baked treats, Alison and Katie for wine and crackers. It was good to see some old faces and to welcome some new.

We look forward to seeing you all in October when our speaker series for the year starts. We will keep you posted.

Ann
BeastlyBeasties

Help with your Home Business - New Adult School Classes

New business classes at the South Orange and Maplewood Adult School

HOW TO BUILD A FUN AND PROFITABLE HOME-BASED BUSINESS:

code: 0026 / $45.00
1 Session(s)
Sat 12-3 pm, December 4
Class Details: Click Here

Instructor(s): JAMES W. FARNHAM
Location: Columbia High School Room D100

Regardless of the company you choose, you’ll learn skills and activities that, step by step, will lay out what it takes to earn more money and have more fun. Gain access to 70 different ways to market your products and services. Discover one simple tool that’s guaranteed to get you more referrals, get your prospects to choose you over and above the competition, and flat out dominate your market. No hype, no fluff … just straight-up, practical information on how to get the job done.
http://www.ssreg.com/som/classes/classes.asp?catID=2657&pcatID=2656


SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR WORKSHOP:

code: 0033 / $35.00
1 Session(s)
Thurs 6:30-8:30 pm, September 30
Class Details: Click Here

Instructor(s): ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS
Location: South Orange Middle School Room 105
This course provides information and resources for business development, personal assessment for start-up and financial aspects of starting a business. Taught by instructors from Essex County College.
http://www.ssreg.com/som/classes/classes.asp?catID=2658&pcatID=2656


ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING COURSE:

code: 0034 / $265.00
8 Session(s)
Wed 6:15-9:15 pm, October 6 - December 1
No class 11/24
Class Details: Click Here

Instructor(s): ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS
LocationSouth Orange Middle School Room 101

Learn the essentials of developing and maintaining a profitable and successful business. We will provide you with extensive step-by-step methods that are crucial to the start-up and maintenance of a micro-business. Take that first action-step and register for the training you need to pave the way to business success. Taught by instructors from Essex County College.
http://www.ssreg.com/som/classes/classes.asp?catID=2658&pcatID=2656

September Meeting

This week Crafty Katie will be hosting Princess Camp at Parteaz

This week I will be hosting Princess Camp at Parteaz located 1860 Springfield Ave, Maplewood.
Princess Camp is the most magical and creative camp the area has to offer!! I know because I created the games and crafts!! I’ve been busy making a wishing well, and coming up with “princess –like” crafts. I have to say... this was the most girlie -crafting i’ve done in a while.
For the past week, I’ve been up to my ears in pink tulle. I’ve cut 25 tiny, tiny little crowns out of gold sequin pleather and crocheted little pink circles . My hands haven’t stopped cutting or gluing for days!
One of the crafts is called “Princess Portrait”
The kids will make a collage with various materials.
You will need felt, ribbon, beads, yarn, lace and markers, pre-cut matte and matching backing
Paper,
The face and neck, pre-cut felt so that it looks like a head and shoulders. Glue on to paper
Pre cut any “princess colour” felt into a rectangle with the width and length to cover from her neck to the bottom of the paper. Cut out a scoop for around her neck.. Glue on.
String a few beads onto the ribbon. Punch holes around her neck so you can tie the ribbon behind the picture.
Cut lace to the width of the felt. (Add as much as you like)and glue on top of the felt dress.
Cut yarn for hair and glue on. Draw on face
And the final touch- glue on crown
With a hot glue gun- glue matte, picture to backing.
If you get a chance to make this craft- send me a note with a picture!!
If you would like to attend Princess Camp:

Parteaz Camp
@ Parteaz NEW location!
1860 Springfield Ave.
Maplewood


PRINCESS CAMP-August 30th til Sept. 3rd
Attend for a whole week or just a day or two
A little make believe everyday!
Dress - up, tea parties, crafts , manners & FUN!
Bring your lunch! We provide the "tea"!
11:00-12:30
$150/ week
$35 a day
Ages 3 with caregiver
Ages 4-6 Drop-off

Memories of Maplewoodstock 2010

Blue Skies at Maplewoodstock 2010


Joy Yagid - Photography


Jo Bradney - Art Prints

Thanks to Joy Yagid - local Maplewood photographer for sharing her photos of Maplewoodstock 2010. Email your own photos to jo@bradney.com and share your stories in the comments below.

And BIG thanks to Katie Clayton of Sew Crafty for organising the vendors stalls - hope you are enjoying a well deserved rest Katie!

Top Tips for Setting Up a Craft Display

by Ann Vollum of BeastlyBeasties
BeastlyBeasties.etsy.com

I recently participated in The Artist Studio Tour. As usual I had a space at the Baird in South Orange. In order to better display my t-shirts and prints, I did a fair amount of research, which I put to good use. As a result I had many compliments on my set up, and drew quite a crowd into my little corner. The only drawback was that it took me longer than I had expected to set up and take down. However, the benefits were well worth the extra time.

Create an Enticing Space. The most important thing that I learned was that one should never place oneself behind a table. This creates a barrier and is very uninviting. Think of your space as a mini store. You need to create a space that people can walk into. I put my tables perpendicular to the wall and created a little corner store that people could walk into and explore.

Make Sure That You Have Items At Different Levels. This is important as it keeps your customer interested, and moves the eye around your "booth". I hung prints on the walls gallery style, some were framed and others were not. I grouped similar items together to make a comprehensive and attractive display. When hanging images, pay attention to which colors look good next to each other.

To add interest, I had a couple of brackets that I had found whilst rummaging around our basement attached to the wall. Perfect for hanging t-shirts on hangars from. I put one inside the "store area" and one out side. This made it possible for customers to browse a range of shirts and to see the full design with out having to unfold the ones on the table.


Use Multiple Forms of Display to Add Interest. In the past I just laid my t-shirts out in rows on the table sorted by size and design. It looks flat and gets untidy pretty quickly. My solution this time was to use a manikin that I was lucky enough to borrow for the day. I had also been on the look out for cheap manikin substitutes. I found these at Marshalls on clearance for $7.00 a piece. I think they were meant to be some kind of bathroom rack, perhaps to hang hand towels on. I had some lengths of plastic tubing from an old kids tent that I was able to lay across a pair of hooks. Perfect for putting through the arms of the t-shirts. A couple of scarfs artfully arranged and they looked great.

Instead of putting all my shirts out, I just put a couple of each design out in each size. I then replenished from a box hidden beneath the table when things sold. This made for a much more manageable table and a much more sophisticated look.

To add interest and so that customers could see the t-shirt designs without unfolding them, I used my lengths of plastic tubing to hang t-shirts from on the wall. I balanced the tubing on a push pin. It worked great and looked a lot better than using hangars. This method also avoids stretching the necks of the shirts. I like to use children's hangars for hanging t-shirts as far as possible. They are smaller and are less likely to stretch the neck holes.

Arranging Merchandise. I arranged the shirts organically around the bases of my mannequins. I put the darker t-shirts to the front, and the more colorful ones towards the middle of the table. The eye will see the dark shirts and then be drawn in to the colorful shirts in the middle. I always put the white shirts away from the edges of the table as they get grubby easily.

Table Coverings. Use an attractive cloth covering to your table. It should cover the table and then fall to the fall on all sides. This enables you to hide your boxes underneath. I have found flat Queen size bed sheets to work well as under cloths. To smarten these up I used some sari lengths that I had bought in India years ago. I had quite a few compliments on them!

Use Attractive Displays and Props That Fit In With The Look of Your Merchandise.
To hold bookmarks I used an old wood cigar box that I had found at an estate sale in Cape Cod. I also had a wire basket to hold cards and a duck wicker basket to hold buttons and magnets. They made for a fun display which fitted in with my merchandise, but did not dominate it.

Payment and Packaging. If possible have a separate small table in a back corner of your booth for paying at and packaging. Use a receipt book with two copies - one for you and one for the customer. I always get the customer to write out their e-mail and name for me at the top of the receipt. I then write out in detail what they have purchased. For t-shirts, I write the size, design and color. This makes it much easier to keep a track of inventory when you get home. For prints, I write out the name, color and number in the edition. This year I purchased some small paper bags to put the t-shirts in. It looks a lot more professional than not using anything. For prints, I have a protective sleeve, cardboard stiffeners and a stiff cardboard envelope. Always put a business card in with your customer's purchase.

A Final Piece of Advice. Greet your customers with a smile and let them know that you are there to help them if they have any questions, then leave them to browse. Never stand at the entrance of your booth. This is intimidating, a bit like getting past the bouncer. People will be more likely to walk if they are made to feel uncomfortable.

Framing Tips for your Art at The June Meeting

Brian's Top Tip :

To save money, try and use standard sizes frames which can be bought at many home decorating stores like Target or arts and crafts stores, such as Jerry's or Michaels

Don't forget : Guild members get 10% off at Jerry's in West Orange!


Measuring

When measuring your work for matting, leave at least a 1/8" border around the work to allow it to lay flat behind the mat
Leaving less of a margin will run the risk of the art work popping through the mat window

Be aware of this when creating 3D work, or when signing your work
If you are framing your own work, consider signing it after you have matted the piece to ensure your signature i in the right place.
If you are taking it to a framer, make sure your signature is at least 3/8" - 1/2" from either side of the work


Mat Cutting

If you are going to cut your own mats, work out the margins you need and then measure in from the outside edge of the mat
- touch up any mistakes with a razor
- press firmly on the ruler to keep the mat from moving whilst you cut (ask a friend to help hold the ruler)
- use a fresh sharp blade

Mat cutters can cost from $20 - $300 - always read the instructions that come with them

Try and get the most out of your large sheet of mat board
To eliminate waste, try using these templates for common sizes


Assembly

For backing use foam core board, available from good arts and crafts stores

If you are framing something precious or unique like original art, always use acid free archival materials to protect the work

To attach your picture to the mat, you can use
- clear plastic photo corners : good for photos, or paper with square corners
- acid free framers tape : good for thicker watercolor paper, or work with an irregular edge
- to preserve the raw edge, consider floating the work without a mat (see below)

Place 2 temporary strips of blue painters tape help you position your work within the mat window

Once you are happy with the position, replace the blue tape with acid free framers tape
Place 2 tape hinges at the top corners of your picture to attach it to the mat.
Then lay a long length of tape across the top of both hinges, to strengthen them

No Duct Tape, no cellotape, no blue painters tape!


Framing

Clean the glass!
and then clean it again
don't forget to clean BOTH sides

To remove small particles of dust
- use a soft dusting brush
- Q-tips
- small handheld vac
- compressed air can

Place the glass on the table, pick up the mat, art and backing sandwich as one unit and place them face down on the glass
Then transfer the whole package into the frame


Floating Art

To preserve an insteresting edge, such as the raw edge of a watercolor paper you can float the work on a backing mat and eliminate the window mat

To keep the glass in the frame, use a couple of spots of hot glue, or buy a special deep shadow box
To keep the art from touching the glass, make strips of packing the exact size of the frame
you can use
- foam core
- mat board
- wood
- pre-made plastic strips


Dry Mounting is another way of attaching work to a backing board.
This is good for photographs, posters and memorabilia
(Ann Vollum is selling hers at a very reasonable price!)
email her at annvollum@verizon.net for details


Backing

Add a brown craft paper back to the frame to add extra protection against dust and to keep the frame looking neat
Run strips of double sided tape around the edge of the frame
Place a large piece of paper on top and press to stick
Crease the edge of the paper along the frame edge and trim to size
There is a special tool to do this, but a ruler and knife work just as well


Wiring

Avoid using the sawtooth hangers that come with many frames, they are rarely strong enough
Use D hooks, or eye hooks and wire


Place the hook 1/3 of the way from the top of the frame, making sure they are an even distance from the edge of the frame
Loop the wire through the D hook twice, then wind the excess along the main wire like a noose


Recycling Frames

Use spray paint to jazz up a boring frame from a sale or a to give a damaged frame new life
Touch up Frame Markers can be used to conceal scratches in wood frames

thanks for all your tips Brian!

Community Portrait

South Orange/Maplewood Artists:

A community portrait

_________________________________________

Cameron Field, South Orange

Tuesday June 22 6:00 pm


Photographer/artist Greg Leshé, in collaboration with
The Pierro Gallery, has taken a photograph,
a group portrait, of as many artists as he can gather
in Maplewood and South Orange

Ann Vollum and Katie Clayton were among those who participated

Artist Studio Tour

BeastlyBeasties t-shirts and prints on display

BeastlyBeasties Photo by Nancy Heins-Glaser

Some photographs of BeastlyBeasties at the Baird for the Artist Studio Tour. Although the day was rather muggy, we had great traffic at this location. This year I had a corner spot so was able to really set up shop!

Celebrate South Orange

Katie and Denise at Celebrate South Orange, Saturday June, 12th 2010

If you participated please leave your comments as to how the day went. Thanks!

Photo by Nancy Heins-Glaser

Maplewood, South Orange Artist Studio Tour, Sunday June 6th

This is a great opportunity to meet your favorite local artists and to wander around their studios. More than 70 local artists will be participating this year. To help you get around, there is a shuttle bus for the first time, that make stops at the train. I will be at the Baird again this year with BeastlyBeasties. I have some new fun and colorful prints just right for your child's room and yours, why not pick up some note cards too, or a cool tee...

For more information check out Nancy Tobin's article in The Local.

See Where the Magic Happens

SOMA Studio Tour will be held next Sunday 6th June 11-5pm throughout the towns of South Orange and Maplewood, New Jersey

check out the article in NY Time Local by Nancy Tobin for why this is such a cool day
FREE shuttle with your ticket, so Park and Ride or come by train
Both South Orange and Maplewood are on the Morris and Essex train line from NYC
Check out NJ Transit for times

Participating Artisan's Guild Members :

BeastlyBeasties - Ann Vollum - tees, prints, buttons, magnets and cards - at the Baird, 5 Mead Street
Alison Oxman - Semi Precious - jewelry - at Tara O'Leary's - 376 Montrose Avenue, South Orange
Jo Bradney - fine art drawings - at the Clayton House - 174 Village Road, South Orange
Katie Clayton - robots and collage - at the Clayton House - 174 Village Road, South Orange
Corey Wolff - Photography - at the Clayton House - 174 Village Road, South Orange
Joy Yagid - Photography
Patricia Mallory-Miah - Art of the Baby - Sparkhouse, 15 Scotland Road

NancyTobin Writes about The Artist Studio Tour for The Local

The SOMA Artist Studio Tour is coming up on June 6th. Quite a few SOMA members will be on the tour this year. Check out Nancy's article for some great information to help you plan your day.

A Look At Etsy

By Denise McLachlan
of Designs By Denise

Are you looking for a place to sell your handmade items online? Confused about where to start? In this article I'm going to cover one of the marketplaces that you can use. Etsy is a growing website for handmade products, vintage items, art and supplies. According to Answers.com, Etsy has grown to a community of more than one million members and 200,000 sellers. There are about 2.5 million items currently listed on Etsy. Their main competitors are Amazon, eBay and Craigslist.

About two years ago I heard about Etsy while watching "The Martha Stewart Show." She had a woman on who makes dolls, and this woman ended up quitting her day job because she couldn't keep up with the sales she was making on Etsy while working full time. Now, before you quit your day job to open an Etsy store, read on.

It is very easy to set up a store with Etsy and the fees are low. The listing fee is 20 cents per item, and the item, if not sold, is in your store for 4 months before you have to re-list. Included in your listing fee is a place to put a description, 14 tags for customers to search, and you can put up to 5 pictures of the item for customers to see what your item looks like. When sold, the fee is 3.5% of the selling price. Unlike eBay, this is not a site where buyers bid for your product. The item sells for the listed price.

When you start to create your store, choose a good user name that relates to your store, because your user name becomes your store name. After you create your store, the interface takes you step by step to easily add an item to your store. Even adding a picture is easy. You can personalize your store with your own banner and avatar too.

Etsy has a "heart" system where buyers can mark your store and items with a heart, in other words mark it as a favorite so they can come back to it at a later date. This is, in my opinion, a good thing because you can get lost in the millions of items on the site. I marked several items so I could buy them at a later date, and when I went to my favorites area it showed the ones that had been sold, so I could go back to the items still for sale and buy them. As a seller I like this idea; I think people tend to go back to an item if it's easy for them to find it.

As for selling anything, you have to market your store; it doesn't sell itself. From the numbers that you read in the first paragraph, you can see that there are a lot of sellers and items on Etsy, and you can get lost in the crowd. I was very hopeful that I could quit my day job, but found that it takes more than just listing your store and letting it sell itself. As I said before, don't quit your day job yet. You need to have a smart marketing plan, good descriptions of your product, good pictures and a lot of patience.

The good news is that Etsy is inexpensive, easy to use, and a great way to showcase your handmade items online.



Find jewelry for you and gifts for others at: http://www.demdesigns.etsy.com/
FREE shipping on select items
On the web at http://www.jewelrybydm.com/
Blog: http://jewelrybydm.blogspot.com/

Joy Yagid's Top Tips for Photographing your Product

1. Always know what the main subject of your photo is and what background it looks best against.

2. Use a tripod to get the sharpest shot.

3. Consider your light source. Tungsten or incandescent lights will give your photograph an orange/warm cast. Overhead fluorescent (non-photo specific) lighting will give an ugly/green cast. Learn how to use the auto white balance on your camera.

4. Your photographs will look better if you use a soft light. To get a soft light tape foam packing sheets to the window that is your light source.

5. Flash is harsh. You can soften the flash by taping a piece of tissue paper or thin foam packing sheet to your flash unit. This diffuses the light.

6. You will get the best color if you DO NOT use flash.

7. Wear a white shirt to reflect the light.

8. Use a shallow depth of field to add interest. Part of your image will be in focus, part will be blurry.

9. The depth of field on your camera is the opposite of what you would expect it to be... For a shallow depth of field with a blurry background or "bokah" use an f stop of 1.4 to 3.5 (large opening). To have everything in focus use a large f stop of f22 to f32 (small opening).

10. If you are buying lights, Westcott is a very good brand for inexpensive lighting gear.

11. Go to http://www.kenrockwell.com/ for camera manuals written in plain English.

Stop by our tent at Mayfest 2010

Celebrate the beginning of Spring by stopping by Mayfest in Maplewood, NJ this weekend.
Members of the SOMA Artisans Guild will be out and about, so stop by our tent to say "Howdy" and sample our wares in the Spring sunshine (fingers crossed!)

• Semi-precious gems from South Orange jeweler Alison Oxman
• Prints and gifts from Maplewood photographer Joy Yagid
• Silver chainmail bracelets and earrings from Denise McLachlan
• Miniature color pencil art, prints and note cards from artist Jo Bradney
• Crafty Robots from Sew Crafty's Katie Clayton
• Pretty beaded jewelry from South Orange's Amy Goldberg

WHEN : May 16th 11-5pm - weather permitting!
Rain Date : May 23rd

WHERE : Springfield Avenue, between Indiana and Princeton
Maplewood, NJ

Katie Clayton's It's Sew Crafty to open...

Katie Clayton is proud to announce  It’s Sew Crafty is open for enrollment! Located at Parteaz, 1860 Springfield Ave. Maplewood,  It’s Sew Crafty ‘s classes are filling up fast! Don’t miss out on a chance to have your kids learn how to sew cool stuff!

It's SEW Crafty is a new and exciting way to teach kids how to make sewing crafts! Almost all of the crafts are original ideas by our Crafty Staff!!!

We have a variety  of crafts for kids ages 3 and up! 

It's SEW Crafty provides  adorable bright, colorful sewing machines. The machines are simple and easy to use! All materials provided except the recycle classes. Recycling classes kids will  need to bring in clothes to recycle into something new!

We know how hard it is to learn to sew, the Crafty Staff pride ourselves on our patience and teaching of our crafts. We believe that it doesn't matter how you get there..as long as you get there. We encourage the kids to take a break when the get frustrated or overwhelmed. Learning to sew can be a challenge for anyone, but with the right encouragement and a creative environment anyone can learn!

www.itssewcrafty.webs.com

Thanks to Joy Yagid

We would all like to thank Joy Yagid for sharing her talents with us on Friday, April 30th at the last SOMA Artisan's Guild monthly meeting. Joy gave us lots of great tips on how to take better photographs of our products. If you missed the meeting, look out for next month's newsletter where we will be sharing her tips with you.

Don’t miss these two great shows on SOMAtv!

5/8/2010
4:30pm Meet the Artist Special: Book Arts
This show features the BookArts Roundtable, and their show Booked 7 at the Pierro Gallery earlier this year. Ann Vollum of BeastlyBeasties is one of the featured artists and talks about her book “A Walk with Crocodile”.

Next Week on Meet the Artist: 5/10/10 – 5/16/10

10:30pm Meet the Artist SOMA Artisan’s Guild
This show features a discussion between Ann Vollum, Alison Oxman, Katie Clayton and Jo Bradney on the formation of the SOMA Artisan’s Guild a local group which they started to help artists who have small businesses network, share business and marketing skills and sales opportunities.

Produced and hosted by Nancy-Heins Glaser

Friday's Meeting : April 30th 6pm

Just a quick reminder that we have a new venue for tomorrow's meeting

Island Cafe, a brand new store about to open in South Orange, has kindly opened its doors to us for our meeting.
Coffee will be available, but please provide your own nibbles

WHAT :
Joy Yagid, a professional photographer recently featured in the New York Times, will be giving us tips on how to photograph our products for marketing and web use. Great photos are needed before you start any printed marketing campaign, so come armed with some juicy questions

We will also be discussing our booth arrangements for upcoming Mayfest - May 16
People who have signed up will be receiving their promo postcards to mail

WHEN : April 30th 6pm

WHERE : Island Cafe
307 Irving Avenue
South Orange

(parking lot across the street)


see you there!

SOMAtv

I know that some people have had difficulty finding Meet the Artist on TV. I hope this helps! Here is the URL for the schedule for SOMAtv:
http://sovillage.serveftp.net:50000/external_schedule/simple_day_schedule

Here is the list of how to find the channel:

South Orange:
Cablevision: Channel 19 (P/E/G)
Verizon FiOS: Channel 44 (P/E/G)
Maplewood:
Comcast: Channel 35 (P/E/G)
Verizon FiOS: Channel 24 (G)
South Orange/Maplewood:
Verizon FiOS: Channel 22 (P/E)

The SOMA tv info page is: http://www.somatv.org/

Celebrate South Orange Saturday, June 12, 2010 from 2:00 – 6:00

If you are interested in sharing a booth please contact Ann Vollum at AnnVollum@verizon.net. A 10' x 10' space will be $20 per person if 3 people share and $30 per person if 2 people share. See details of contract, booth sharing agreement and inventory sheet on the downloads page of this blog. Ann will send in the application for the shared booths.

MEET THE ARTIST

Need to put your feet up and take a break. Check out SOMAtv Meet the Artist produced and hosted by the talented Nancy Heins-Glaser. Ann Vollum of BeastlyBeasties is a featured artist on this special about The Book Arts Roundtable. Other featured artists are Karen McDermott, Cynthia Weiss and Pat Feeney.

SOMAtv Channel 19 (SO/cablevision) & 35 (MPLWD/Comcast)

APRIL 19: MEET THE ARTIST - Special / Book Arts Roundtable
4:00 PM
and 10:30 PM

APRIL 20: MEET THE ARTIST - Special / Book Arts Roundtable
2:00 PM
and 10:30 PM

APRIL 21: MEET THE ARTIST - Special / Book Arts Roundtable
2:00 PM
and 4:30 PM

Here is how to search for the shows:

WWW.SOMAtv.org
* Search (upper left) on home page you can search for shows by putting this in search function
* Meet the Artist Special / Then look for BOOK ARTS ROUNDTABLE in the program guide

Enjoy!

The SOMA board will be interviewed on April 22nd by Nancy Heins-Glaser for Meet the Artist.

Flowers by Bob Krasner

This will be a great show...Hope you get a chance to go!!!

Flowers by Bob Krasner

Artists Reception

April 17, 2010

5-8pm

G.A.S.

411 Ridgewood Rd

Maplewood

Bodylines Closing Reception at G.A.S.

Thursday night I attended the Bodylines closing reception at G.A.S. There were 25 photos of the human body by Ron Brown. Most of the prints were made using a silver gelatin, some made from infrared, and toned silver gelatin.

There was a lot of conversation about a piece called Undulations. We all could see something different in the photo. One patron thought it looked like an old witch, another a shoulder blade, but the photo was taken from behind the knee looking up to the back of the head. It was really fun tricking the eye and the mind to come up with different images.

My favorite piece was Dual Tone it was a infrared toned silver gelatin print. The piece was of a naked woman on a tree swing. Because of the way the photograph was made the woman's body was faded and her skin looked milky white while everything around her had a soft burnt sienna color. Ron Brown caught the dainty and feminine side of this woman's spirit in this print.

Ron Brown is an accomplished fine art photographer with numerous solo shows in the area. He has been in showing in selected group shows since 1997.

submitted by Katie Clayton