Pictures from CRAFTED at the Port Of Los Angeles

Hi Everyone!!! I promised pictures of what we have been up to at CRAFTED today and here you have it!

Here is what we started with:

After 2 weeks of all day hard work:

It all came together!!!

There are 259 pictures uploaded to our Facebook page, so if you still haven't gotten your fix - find all the pictures here.

Here are blog posts with behind the scenes-

CRAFTED - Move in Begins 
How-To's Day: CRAFTED Upcycled Stitched Stationery 
CRAFTED - Update on Wall Treatments (Day 2) 
What I Wore: Friday 6/22/12 Painting Gear 
CRAFTED - Countdown to Launch: 5 DAYS! 
CRAFTED - Update on Market Stall (Day 9) 
What A Difference Some Paint Makes 
My Big CRAFTED Debut On Los Angeles Local News

Plus, I still have a TON more pictures if you can believe it, and a video in-progress which Kevin and I will be working on. Right now, my house is an absolute mess and I totally need to make more inventory for next weekend. We sold out of a whole bunch of items that I need to replenish before Friday! What a good predicament to be in, however it doesn't leave much time for all the R&R I had hoped to enjoy after the Grand Opening push. Oh well. That's fine by me :)

Enjoy the rest of your night!

XOXO, KC

What A Difference Some Paint Makes

Yesterday I rehabbed this find from the Melrose Trading Post. This wooden shelf was a steal at $15 and all it needed was a coat of paint to freshen it up. Sometimes all you need to make something new again is paint!

Speaking of paint, the CRAFTED murals and signs are finally up on the building and they are looking great!!!

On the outside walls of the market stalls there is now this sweet honeycomb pattern that got applied yesterday too.  Best part of this detail is it is chalkboard paint so it is multifunctional as well as nice to look at.

Tonight we are able to set up and work in our stores until 9PM so I am off to a long, productive, and fun day :) Hope you have a stellar day today and we look forward to seeing you at the opening this weekend!

XOXO, KC

CRAFTED - Update on Market Stall (Day 9)

It has been a fun way to shake things up going to work at the port for NINE days now. The time has been flying by and we have been getting so much done. There is still a lot of work to do, which is why I am glad I have 2 more days of work before the Grand Opening on Friday.

There will still be more fun additions to our shop but I think it is coming along nicely. Hope you stop by this weekend and check it out!

XOXO, KC

CRAFTED - Countdown to Launch: 5 DAYS!

We were at the warehouse all weekend! Here is some progress pictures of how our space is coming along for CRAFTED.

KC and I had such a blast work on the space together yesterday. It is really coming along! There is still a lot of work to be done, but by the Grand Opening on Friday we are confident that the store is going to rock!!!

Stay tuned for more fun to come!
XOXO, Kevin & KC

CRAFTED - Update on Wall Treatments (Day 2)

Today will be my third day down to San Pedro to work on our market stall walls for our upcoming store at CRAFTED. It has been hard work these past two days and I am very anxious for everything to start coming together. One thing that has taken me the longest is prepping the walls so that I have the best surface for painting. The wood on the walls have knots all over as well as some of the sections of the wood is gashed and gnarled up.  If you paint the wood without filling up these imperfections the dimpling in the walls is very noticeable through the paint unfortunately.

  

Here is the two main walls. Top: Close-up on texture. Bottom: Covered in wood filler.

I did however complete the staining of the two smaller walls that will be behind the cash wrap yesterday, YAY!

Top: Sanded and prepped walls. Bottom: Wall stained with 1 heavy coat of gel stain.

Today I will only be putting in a half day down at the port so that I can get some neglected work done at home. Beforehand I will celebrate my hard work with Sharon by checking out the unveiling of the *NEW* Expo Line Culver City Station which opens today. All the rides are FREE today in celebration, departing from the Culver City Station beginning at Noon! I'll share news of the fun, and will be tweeting away as we check out the opening. 


Hope y'all have a super day!!!
XOXO, KC

CRAFTED - Move in Begins

 

CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles will be Make Shop Live's first permanent store.  We are so excited for the grand opening on June 29th!  It's open every Friday-Sunday and will feature local handmade artists and tons of food and crafty demos!  

Crafted before renovations in Feb. 2012

kc hard at work on an upcoming project for the store

checking out the space

Let us know if you are excited and planning on coming July 4th weekend (June 29th, 30th and July 1st) for CRAFTED grand opening! You can RSVP on Facebook and find more details on the Grand Opening here.


XOXO KC & Kevin

3 Local Etsy stores talk Tech

Last Thursday evening, the Santa Monica Apple Store hosted an Etsy Team Community Session about developing your online presence.  Since KC couldn't attend, I decided to take a walk over and get some good tips any Etsy user could use.

Courtney Prince, of Doloris Petunia

Three Los Angeles local users were invited to speak for a few minutes on their experience and relationship with successfully building a store on Etsy. Andie's Specialty Sweets went first.  The nature of a handmade custom order store has it's challenges when it comes to profits.  Even with past months doubling orders, the clear attention to craft takes time and money.  There was a mention made that no press had been done yet.  The photography of the work was very good though, as was the level of craftsmanship.  It seems all the ingredients are there!  Best of luck!  Courtney Prince of Doloris Petunia was next and spoke openly about how the business was developed in NY and expanded after a move to LA.  Someone introduced her to Etsy one weekend at the Rose Bowl Market Fair.  She had a great bit of advice that I'll paraphrase, "Do what you are interested in, then think about what the customer would want".  Basically, if you are passionate about it and are willing to edit yourself, they will come!  Finally, Kelly Massey from Pretty Penny Designs spoke of her journey with Etsy and how she learned to make a splash.  She humorously reminiscent how she started by listing a few items and ..... nothing happened.  Then she "heard people like natural lighting" so she took her products outside and re-listed those pics........ nothing happened.  After a few months she had gone online and done her research on professional product shots and places to outsource fabric printing so she wasn't up past midnight every day.  All the speakers were great, and overall it inspired me and reminded me of how the basics are so important:

Great photography of products

Have passion for your work

Edit to what customers want

Think about how you would appear in press

Best of luck Etsy users!