New Changes // Getting Our Etsy Shop Holiday Ready

old look

For those of you who have been following the team here at Make. Shop. Live. for a while you have noticed the massive overhaul and major work we have been doing to the company this year. It is hard to believe what we have been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time, but it is truly amazing what you can achieve with some determination and the right people in place.

new look

One thing I have realized since we did our re-branding and website redesign this summer is how wonderful things come together when you realize your strengths as well as weaknesses. It is hard when you have a DIY attitude sometimes to admit that there are somethings that maybe you could do but you should enlist someone else to do instead. I am so thankful to have had the pleasure to work with such amazing and talented people such as Sharon Fain of Fain Consulting, Steph of Hearts and Laserbeams, and my wonderful husband Kevin Sears as we put together all of our public image facets of Make. Shop. Live.! If I had not worked with these talented artists there is no way our website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Etsy Shop would all be cohesive and comprehensive in time for the holiday shopping rush. Not only would working on all of these things taken me away from being able to focus on making my crafts, I also wouldn't have been able to elevate the end result to the level achieved using my basic Photoshop and photography skills. I want to take a quick moment to not only thank everyone for their hard work, but to point out that you too have time to enlist the help of a graphic designer, photographer, and social media strategist in time for the holiday business, if you act quickly.

If all you do is tweak your photography, it is amazing how just investing in a few professional shots can elevate your products and brand! Plus, it can actually be more affordable than you'd expect. Here are a few examples of what we have been up to reworking our holiday inventory for 2012-

Upcycled Address Books:

Address Book (Before)

Address Book (After)

Reinbeers:

Reinbeer Holiday Ornament (Before)

Reinbeer Holiday Ornament (After)

Pincushion Rings:

Pincushion Ring (Before)

Pincushion Ring (After)

We understand that all small businesses run on a tight budget and some aspects (like hiring a graphic designer or photographer) may not be an option for you. We have compiled some suggestions below that can still make a huge difference for your business while being easy enough that you can do it yourself.

You can make a lightbox inexpensively at home with this quick tutorial. Having pictures of your products on a white background help your items make it onto Etsy treasuries helping with sales and other promotions.

Join an Etsy Team or sellers group.

Participate in common interest twitter chats and promotions.

Try a new social media platform like Instagram or Tumblr to gain followers while creating content for your business effortlessly. Here's a post we recently did that explains how easy and effortless it really is.

Promoting others helps promote you! By creating your own treasuries on Etsy not only do you do something nice for your fellow artists but your treasury can be seen and promoted by tons of other folks. Another great tip for spreading the love, while making treasuries know what types of products and pricing are on the market. Sometimes you can realize a gap in services and be inspired to make something that isn't yet available just by seeing what is already out there.

Send a handwritten letters to family and friends that you have been neglecting. It is always nice to receive a letter in the mail and what better way to spread the warm fuzzies then with a thoughtful note. By writing someone a letter that you haven't spoken with in a while you put your life in perspective and you realize just what things matter to you and what goals/plans you may have. I find that while writing people concisely what your plans are, you ultimately cut out the fluff and streamline what works and doesn't work for you.

Take a well deserved break and ask for help! No one expects you to be a craft super hero. If you begin to feel overwhelmed or a task is getting out of control for you, ask a peer for help/suggestions/critique to manage your task. They may just come up with a solution that blows yours outta the water and cuts the time! Then, you can cross promote both parties involvement and the collaboration becomes a win-win for everyone!!

And lastly, I must stress this one: force yourself to try something new that is stimulating each week. Maybe it's trying a new computer task like a plug-in or program, or maybe it is going to a place or event you have never been to. There has been so many times I have wanted to flake out on something that has been an invaluable and inspirational experience. If I had allowed myself to skip something I had planned on I would have missed out majorly. Life has a wonderful way of presenting exactly what you need to you. Make yourself available for these opportunities to come to you and welcoming new things by being flexible. You never know when opportunity comes knocking until you open the door!

I hope this info is helpful for you. If you have any additional advice or helpful tips to get others inspired and ready for the holidays feel free to leave the info in our comments section. :)

I hope to see you at CAFAM's Etsy Craft Night tonight!!!

XOXO, KC

DIY Toothpaste: Pearly Whites for the Cheap, Lazy and Green

A couple years ago when I was literally living below the poverty line for my year in Americorps, I started making my own toothpaste. I did it because of the reason I do many DIY things: it was cheap and easy. It really is. You just have to make an initial investment investment in peppermint oil (about $5) and that is literally the most expensive ingredient AND it will last you more than a year (you can find the cost breakdown here). Promise.

So, how do you make this great homemade toothpaste? There are lots of variations, but for the most part it involves:

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1 tsp salt (optional – gives paste extra scrubbing power and adds to antibacterial power, but is okay to leave out if the taste is too salty)
• 5-10 drops peppermint essential oil (you can use other oils for flavor, but peppermint is also supposed to help with disinfecting your teeth... so if you use peppermint extract like that silly person in the link above does you are not getting full benefit of the peppermint. The essential oil is important!)
• water (add to desired consistency)

Literally the only three ingredients you will need to make toothpaste (salt, peppermint oil and baking soda) plus water.

I keep it in a small tupperware container in my medicine cabinet and scoop a little onto my toothbrush or you can dip it right in. This lasts me about a month or so. I haven't had a cavity since!

There are other variations on this that involve coconut oil (also disinfects) and hydrogen peroxide (too much is not good, though, but I mix with water sometimes to use as a whitening mouthwash). Do some exploring and see what you like! 

Some choose to make the toothpaste at home because it is free of chemicals, sweeteners and flouride (I don't care that much). What is great is that you can swallow this paste and not worry about it. You can buy Tom's of Maine or some other expensive toothpaste or you can make this and save tons! Plus whenever you run out of toothpaste, no need to go shopping, just go to your cupboard.

Review: Organix Hair Care Products

So, I am super picky about my conditioner. I've got thick hair that likes to frizz. I've also recently had a keratin treatment done on my hair (all natural, no formaldehyde) and I color it so that means I need to use a shampoo that doesn't contain sulfates. A friend had left her Organix argan oil shampoo in my shower and I gave it a try. Pretty good (not super foamy because it lacks those sulfates, but good).

Photo from Organix, www.organixhair.com

The next time I was buying conditioner I looked to see what Organix offered. I was a little skeptical if it's going to be as good as what I currently use, but I was also looking to find something that was a bit more eco-friendly so I gave their keratin conditioner a shot. I have to say I was VERY impressed. Super smooth, moisturizing and silky. Only complaint is that it is a little hard to wash out.

NOW, to the "green" aspects to this line. It's always hard to know when to trust manufacturers on this stuff and also know exactly what you are putting on your hair without a chemistry degree. So, this becomes hard for the lay person to figure out sometimes. I've read a few things that say they use other not-so-great ingredients in place of the really bad ones. That's not cool. 

In other aspects, the bottles are made with recycled materials, the labels use environmentally friendly inks, and the label film is made from corn (so that's also controversial at a certain level). It's also not tested on animals (I mean, it's 2012, why would any product like this still be doing that, but I guess not everyone does). 

As someone who doesn't have a lot of money to spend on salon haircare products (or time... this stuff is right at Target where I'm already doing some shopping), and as someone who likes green options but also options that work for my hair, this product seems like a good compromise. But I'm open to others. Anyone else have a great shampoo and conditioner that is also green? And how do you define green?

http://www.organixhair.com/

Pinned: Success or Fail? Avocado Macaroni and Cheese

So this avocado mac and cheese has certainly made the rounds on Pinterest. The photo is what really sells it, right? Well, I guess that's probably why it's so big on Pinterest. Plus it sounds like it would work well. Avocado, plus cheese, plus pasta... what's not to love? 

Well, if you basically want guacamole on top of pasta, then topped with melted cheese that is basically what you are getting. It was edible, but only for like a day because it browns quickly. This photo makes it look amazing and if you cook it yourself it will not resemble this at all. See my photos below.

I was excited to use the avocados I bought from the side of the road when KC and I went to the lavender fields.

I used some ricotta in place of some of the milk. I also used gluten free noodles. These changes shouldn't have made too big of a taste change.

You can see it has an ugly color even after just being mixed together.

So, the verdict: FAIL. I really had high expectations for this and it fell very short. Don't bother with this recipe.

Made in L.A. at the Hammer

Thursday night I finally made it out to the Made in L.A. exhibit at the Hammer Museum. It's the first biennial for Los Angeles, which is about time because contrary to what some believe there is culture here (FYI, a biennial in the art world is an every other year showcase of the best in contemporary art). 

Not sure if this was a piece of art, but we had so much fun playing with these interlocking blocks. Definitely brought out the big kid in us!

The event features 60 Angelino artists who are up and coming and making their mark on the Los Angeles art scene. There's also art at exhibited at LAMAG and LA<>ART. There was good amount of the exhibit to see at the Hammer, along with the permanent collection, which was also open that evening.

Art is enjoyed best with adult beverages. Tasty sangria.

The Hammer usually does music in the summer, so I was excited to see the Allah-Las perform that night. I didn't know much about them, but they were pretty great. Very retro sound, with surf and Beatles-esque influences. They had a good following in the crowd and a great energy.

The Allah-Las ended with drummer Matt Correia singing us out.

If you can make it out to Made in L.A., I highly recommend one of the musical evenings at the Hammer. I think they go until mid-August, but their website also has a listing of all the events that goes along with this really cool exhibit which ends September 2. Support local artists doing cool stuff and also encourage more exhibits like this. Admission was free, but parking is $3.

Love and sunshine!
Sharon

Quick Tip: Citrus Vinegar DIY Drain Freshener

Today Sharon shares with us a quick tip for non-toxic household cleaning. Enjoy!

XO, KC

I was inspired by KC's citrus vinegar post to make my own. I'm a vinegar enthusiast. It's super versatile and I've been using it as my all-purpose household cleaner for a while now (I've completely given up on Alvin Corn... the alcohol does something weird with the air pressure in the bottle). So, adding the citrus element seems smart, especially since the vinegar scent needs something to take the edge off.

KC only used peels in her citrus vinegar, but I just dumped any old lime or lemon I squeezed right in
there and it's  worked fine. The large bottle of vodka in back is not for drinking but for making Febreeze. ;)

Well, my latest use is to start using the citrus vinegar to help clean my drain (my apartment was built in 1940 and garbage disposals were not standard). I dump a little bit of baking soda down the drain (it won't really go far, but will just sit on top of the mouth of it) and then slowly pour a bit of citrus vinegar until it's all gone. You will get a foaming reaction... just like the volcano science projects that use the same concept. I try to do this a couple times a month to keep things fresh.

Day Trip - Keys Creek Lavender Farm

Last year around this time I found out about Keys Creek Lavender Farm but was unable to make it down before the season ended. Sharon and I made a pact that we would go this year for sure!

They have more than two dozen varieties of lavender on the farm. Each variety typically blooms at different times from May into July, however the largest field blooms mid June. The weather plays a part in timing so they say any time during May and June is a great time to visit. With a few more weekends left where the lavender is is bloom this is a great weekend adventure to add to the mix if you are looking for something to do.

They offer free "Walk 'n Talk" tours in May and June on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only at 10:30 and 1:30. Also, they have an English High Tea on the weekend. We went on a week day so I can't express how yummy the tea must be, but on my next visit I am trying out the tea for sure!

They have distillery on site and a wonderful gift shop where you can buy all kinds of lavender goodies.  I made sure to bring home a half-pound bag of lavender bulbs for upcoming craft projects :)

The farm has a TON of pollinators, but not to worry they are way more interested in the lavender and don't seem to notice anything but the flowers.

We made sure to get their specific directions on how to get to the farm from their website here. The grounds don't get the best cell phone service and GPS directions tend to not be the best at navigating to the farm.

Make sure to wear some sunscreen and a hat. Also a suggestion - save your appetite to re-fuel at the Yellow Deli just down the road from the farm. We had lunch there (and no embellishment needed) we had the most amazing meal at the Yellow Deli. Seriously they have this sourdough bread that I am still thinking about...
Yummy!

Enjoy and have a fun trip!!!
XOXO, KC

Long Beach City Guide on Design*Sponge

Sharon wrote an Ah-Mazing Long Beach City Guide for Design*Sponge this week. Major Kudos to Sharon for such a thorough and encompassing list of all that the LBC has to offer. If you haven't had the pleasure of checking it out yet, hop over to her full post here.

Maybe it can inspire some fun weekend plans ;)

We hope you have a super weekend!!! Until next week...

Unique Find: Upcycled Skateboard Accessories

One of the best things about doing shows is all the wonderful vendors we are surrounded by! Some of them are our friends so it's great to catch up (like Maiden Voyage and Fruition) and others are fun discoveries (like this Otter Wax that I'm sure we'll be writing about later). This last weekend at Unique LA we came across a vendor doing some really rad stuff. As fate would have it he was just a few tables down from us.

Mukee is jewelry and belt buckles that were formerly skateboards. Upcycling +Jewlery= Make Shop Live Love! Designer Derek Keenan used to be in the Peace Corps in West Africa. He was inspired by locals who would not let anything go waste--tops of broken flip flops become muzzles for mules for instance. When he got back to the States he wondered how he could embrace that ingenuity and disdain for waste. And all those wrecked skateboards out there suddenly have a new life!

  

 *photos from Mukee's Etsy site

If you think abou it, skateboards are their own works of art and there's a lot of craftsmanship that goes into making them. It would be really heartbreaking if you couldn't rescue them from the trash heap.

I had to buy these guys... you like?

So cute! I'm in love with my purchase.

Did you find anything spectacular at Unique LA? Please share with us!

-Sharon

Pinned: Success or Fail? Chocolate Covered PB Bananas

Another Pinterest review post from Sharon Fain! We're glad she's making this a regular thing. :)

I am no Julia Child in the kitchen, but I can follow a recipe. As I've mentioned before, I am also often impatient and lazy, which is probably why I am no Julia Child. So I am in love with simple recipes that don't require lots of prep or speciality techniques. 

I found this Pinterest recipe for chocolate covered frozen bananas that also have a dollop of peanut butter on top. I thought, "This sounds and easy enough." And looks to be delicious because I go through boxes of those chocolate covered frozen banana slices from Trader Joe's all the time.

The ingredients (yes, my milk is in a small container
because I don't usually buy milk and had to borrow some)

Here's the basics of the recipe (parentheses mine):

2 large bananas (I used three small ones)
1/4 cup nat­ural peanut but­ter (why measure this when you can just spoon directly from jar)
1/2 cup choco­late chips (hah! double that)
2 tbsp-1/4 cup milk of choice

This is about how far I got before the chocolate ran out.
I had to go back and add to some.

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or parch­ment. Slice bananas into coins about 1/2–3/4 inch thick. Spread a lit­tle dol­lop of peanut but­ter on top of each one. In a small bowl, com­bine the choco­late chips and milk: remem­ber, less is more. Microwave in 15 sec­ond increments until you can whisk them together. You want it to be a dip-able con­sis­tency, not spread­able. Add a splash more milk if nec­es­sary. Dip the banana chunks using a fork as a little chocolate-coating fork­lift, dip­ping them into the melted choco­late. Place choco­late coated bananas on the pre­pared sheet and place in freezer until completely frozen: 3–5 hours (mine took probably on the 2-3 side). Remove frozen banana chunks from the sheet and store in a freezer container.

Setting up in the freezer!

Success or Fail? Success on Taste, Fail on Recipe

THE FAIL:
I guess this is why you do these things because how could such a simple recipe go wrong? Well, first of all the peanut butter was very difficult to wrangle in the chocolate covering process (hence my very messy photos). I would suggest freezing the cookie sheet of banana slices with the PB on it before going into the step with the chocolate covering, especially if you are using a PB that is not a processed kind like Jif or Skippy. I did this on a cool day and even after a few minutes my PB started to spread on the bananas and then became completely uncooperative during the chocolate process.

Also, I did try the chocolate dipping technique the blog pictures, but because of the PB it wasn't happening and because the chocolate was just maybe a little to thick to be "dip-able." This is probably a bit my fault since I fear burning chocolate after some bad experiences. However, the unruly PB still would have made this hard to do even if it was as watery as chocolate syrup.

In the end I just spooned the chocolate on top of the banana slices (which I held over the bowl in a spoon). It did the trick.

The chocolate was not really enough either. Even if the consistency would have been more liquid, I don't think it would have helped (I also like a lot of chocolate).

THE SUCCESS:
I tried one of the bananas before it went in the freezer and it didn't taste that great. I was a little afraid it would be too peanut buttery. But when I took them out of the freezer they were delicious. They set up very nicely and store really well. I ate them in two days. Despite the inaccuracies of the recipe, I would do it again.

These got eaten real quick!

What about you? Would love to hear how this recipe turns out for you and any other tips or tricks you may have to perfecting it.

Pinned: Success or Fail? Alvin Corn Cleaner

Today is the first post of a new segment... Pinned: Success or Fail? Now with so many DIYers trying things they pin on Pinterest it is so helpful to get the results & reviews they found. Which pins are awesome and what are your thoughts while trying out the things you are inspired by?

Alvin Corn Cleaner in refillable bottle

Pinned: Success or Fail? Alvin Corn Cleaner

I’m a DIYer mostly out of laziness and cost. Example: I started making my own Febreeze because I have a dog and go through it like whatever it is that people go through things quickly. Making it saves me multiple trips to Target each month and a lot on buying bottles of Febreeze (which isn’t cheap). I have also been making my own household cleaner out of vinegar and water. Super easy. But I’m not really thrilled about the smell and it could do better cutting grease. So when I came across this recipe for “Alvin Corn” cleaner (called that because it uses alcohol, vinegar and cornstarch) on Pinterest, I was intrigued. The pinner who pinned it raved about it. I had to try it and decided to share with you all whether this is a Pin Fail or a Pin Success.

Alvin Corn Recipe
1/4 c. rubbing alcohol
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 c. warm water
Pin- http://pinterest.com/pin/47217496063223515/

Results: Pin Fail (mostly)
I followed the instructions and tried to mix it really well, but to no avail. The cornstarch clogs up the bottle and drips everywhere. I tried removing the filter at the bottom of my bottle, but that just made it worse. It is super annoying. However, the cleaner itself does seem to work better that just vinegar and water. The problem is just getting it out of the bottle. From now on I will just pour it on a rag to use it. This recipe filled up most of my bottle, so I’ve got a lot left to go through. But when it’s done I will try to do the recipe with either far less or no cornstarch.

Alvin corn photo where you can see the sediment

What about you? What’s your favorite homemade cleaning solution?

Sharon is part-time professor, sometimes DIYer, and full-time mother to a rescued French Bulldog. She lends her creative talents as a PR strategist and writer to small businesses and community organizations. You can follow her at @sharskee or http://pinterest.com/sharon_fain.

Local Love- Wrap Up and Pictures

We had such a wonderful time at this past weekend's Local Love show downtown! It is always such a treat to see everyone + the quality of everyone's items makes the shopping fabulous :) It mixes all of my favorites- creating displays, shopping, good people, and great music. 

Thanks to our Pal and PR Guru- Sharon Fain, we had these cute little masks that stopped tons of people dead in their tracks to take a picture at our Table. Kudos for the great masks :)

Here are some pictures of our table at the show:

UNIQUE LA and the State of Unique is so mind-blowing to me! Sonja Rasula the founder has such an amazing vision for her independent design shows as well as the State of Unique Blog.

The State of Unique Blog- which is filled with DAILY content :) is proving to be the hottest online destination for modern, curated, Made in America design! I am just so honored to be a part of her shows and the culture she is not only highlighting but stimulating into existence. What an amazing and talented young lady! Wanna hear this visionary speak + an evening of talk show style events? Check out This is Your Library HERE for more details.

Well, finally off to bed!

XOXO, KC

OC Mart Mix

Sharon and I stopped by the OC Mart Mix Celebration and it was a pretty amazing day! I got even more jazzed about our endeavor in CRAFTED after seeing the OC Mart.  Kinda close in concept to CRAFTED except it is more of a retail/ boutique/ showroom concept space.  I have attached pictures of some details I noticed while visiting: 

 

I really, really like this succulent wreath. I kinda want a whole bunch of them- EVERYWHERE!!!

If you are in OC, you should totally check this place out. I totally recommend it :) I really like how a lot of the spaces had these suspension shelves which I totally need to put a pin in for later- they are super easy and affordable to create.

Enjoy & have a super day!

XOXO, KC