My name is Carrie Collins, owner of Fabric Horse. All Fabric Horse products are incredibly functional and all handmade in Philadelphia for both men and women. Originally designed for urban cycling our products expand far and beyond. The utility belts are perhaps what we are best known for, especially our originally designed U-Lock Holster made from seat belts of junked cars. Everything we make uses recycled, reused and new materials to make the most durable product possible.

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? After 6 required internships during my undergrad in Industrial Design I knew I would start my own business. Having been raised by two parents that either made most things they needed or knew how to fix what they already had I grew up learning to be self sustainable. After working all sorts of jobs (mainly for R.E.Load bags) for a bunch of years and running an art gallery I am now doing FH full time. I started Fabric Horse not necessarily in response to the craft scene out there (which I was honestly somewhat oblivious to at the time) but because I believe in domestic manufacturing and healthy work environments. I use FH as a vehicle for any and all projects I take on which include traveling to teach skill building workshops to sewing co-ops, art installations, costumes for parades, or working on the set of a film.

Describe your creative process when designing/making your product line. One of my bottom lines is to be original. In a design world where everyone rips everyone else off this can be challenging. Especially now when several companies across the globe are now ripping me off. It is the nature of the beast. We do our best to supply our market with the most functional, durable, sustainable, and original products . . . and at times we pay tribute to those timeless designs that everyone has grown to love.

What’s the best thing about what you do? The best thing about running your own company is doing what you love and doing it well. Once you realize that you truly can do anything you want in life the world becomes your oyster. And the worst? The worst thing about running your own company is going through a recession doing everything you can to afford payroll. Once you have amazing skilled workers, they become your biggest asset.

What’s the best advice you have been given about your business or craft practices? The best advice I have heard is that there is an inevitable ebb and flow in business. Nothing stays the same and you have to ride the wave of change. When we freeze up in fear that is when everything can slip away. Taking risks are the ways we make great leaps. Another great piece of advice is no matter what you make, somebody will like it and buy it. You might have it for a while, but it will make that person’s day someday.

Our website will be undertaking a complete overhaul this spring!  Keep an eye out for our new products and look book.
www.fabrichorse.com
http://fabrichorse.blogspot.com/

I am Samantha, one of the members of the Sweet Dreams Cooperative. I am 18 years old and in 12^th grade at Lincoln High School. We are young women between the ages of 14-19 who live here in San Francisco. We work as a team to create several products: lavender eye pillows, dream pillows, yoga mat bags, sachet and zipper pouches. All products are hand crafted. We are a vendor to stores around the city, in West Marin and in Pescadero. As coop members we participate in all aspects of Sweet Dreams: product design, inventory, production, marketing, sales etc.

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? Turning Heads Sewing & Fashion Design Program mentored students to start our sewing cooperative. The craft business is fun and it’s interesting to create something out of nothing. Attending school is our day job.

What do you like best, coming up with ideas or executing them? Executing the ideas.

What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? The best thing is working with others in a team. The coop is always fun and always challenges me to do better. The worst is traveling from school to the Turning Heads studio because Lincoln is across the city and buses are unreliable.

What are your creative influences? Making products that are useful, practical and needed.

What’s the best advice you have been given about your business or craft practices? The best advice was to make a business plan and the importance of market research. Before we developed our final yoga mat bag we went to Yoga Tree in SF and interviewed the retail buyer. This was very helpful! The best advice has been always measure – it is most important!

How do you stay inspired? Learning about business is inspiring. Also in the coop we are inspired to grow as a team and to grow productively.

We are passionate about what we are doing and thank you for this opportunity to be in Bazaar Bizaar

Learn more: http://www.sweetdreamscoop.org/
Learn more: http://www.keepturningheads.org/

My name is Debbie Huey and I am the creator, artist, writer and MAKER of Bumperboy. Bumperboy mostly consists of an all-ages comics series that combines whimsical characters, clever plot lines, and a whole lot of silliness. I was a late-bloomer in terms of reading comics and didn’t become hooked on them until my early 20s. Since then, I haven’t stopped reading comics and gained the courage to write my own. If I’m not writing or drawing the comics, I am usually creating Bumperboy merchandise that is inspired by the stories. My latest obsession is needle felting and I’m currently trying to build as many characters in the Bumperboy universe as I can.

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? After going to my first indie comic book convention, I was completely inspired by comics and their creators. The comics industry has a great community that is enthusiastic and helpful, so it was easy to get started in writing and drawing my own. I’m currently making my attempt in dipping into the craft industry since I love to do both. I think the DIY aspects of both industries complement each other well. As for a day job, I work part-time at my local library as a Library Assistant. I love all of my jobs!

Describe your creative process when designing / making your product line. Most of my ideas come to me at random times, such as when I’m driving my car or taking a shower. So I keep a sketchbook with me at all times and I try to write down all of those ideas. I think of my sketchbooks as catalogs of my brain. Whenever I’m writing a story or crafting, I go through my sketchbooks and pull ideas from them and things eventually come together.

What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? The best thing about making comics and crafting is when people tell me that they enjoy my work. My goal in comics is to make people smile, even if it is just for a few minutes. The worst thing about what I do is the fact that comics currently do not get the respect that they deserve from the general public. Too many people out there think that comics are not “real books” and cast them off as junk.

What’s the best advice you have been given about your business or craft practices? Make sure that what you’re doing is something that you love. I don’t do comics and crafts for the money; I do it because I truly enjoy making things and I love to share my craft with others.

Learn more and shop at http://www.bumperboy.net

My name is Bill Robinson and I run a small business called Flimflammery. I sell original art prints, handmade recycled sketchbooks, paintings, bookmarks, pins, and greeting cards. I do all the art myself, which tends to be somewhere between cute and creepy.

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? I’ve always been enticed by the idea of making money off my art. I remember as a kid I would get requests for handmade or hand painted gifts. When I realized that there was a market for art prints and handmade books I thought it would be the perfect venue for my work. By day I toil away in the video game industry, but by night I like to channel my creativity into personal projects.

Describe your creative process when designing/making your product line. It’s not very organized. I’ve been doing this now for a little over a year and I am starting to feel more comfortable with it. When I know I have a show coming up I like to sit down and make a list of all the cool new ideas I can think of. Then I have to go through and consider my costs for each item and whether it is feasible. If the final product is an art print, what size will sell best? What sort of packaging will I need for the item? How much time and effort will I have to put in versus the final profit? Will it be a labor of love or a moneymaker?

What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? The best thing for me is meeting people and getting my name out there. Craft shows and comic conventions are terrific exposure for an artist that’s trying to build a brand. Also, just knowing that your art is hanging in someone’s house is a really fun feeling. That never gets old. The worst is probably the amount of time and organization involved in running a business. Keeping track of expenses, coming up with new ideas, actually producing products, knowing your competition, etc.

What’s the best advice you have been given about your business or craft practices? I would say the best advice is to make friends at every show you do. You will see these people over and over and there is a real community around these type of events. There tends to be a good rapport among the DIY indie craft/art crowd and most are happy and willing to share names of suppliers, printers, materials, processes, etc.

Anything else you would like to tell us about your business? Promos/coupon codes etc…for your website or other news can be included here. If you would like to check out my work, you can view my blog at http://flimflammery.com. I also have an etsy shop at http://flimflammery.etsy.com. I have plans for two books that will hopefully be self-published within the next year, so keep your eyes out for those.

Hi. I’m Amberry Jam. I’m a costume and fashion designer based in Texas (Houston and Austin to be specific).

I fell in love with the process of hat making and it just took over my life. Millinery combines the methodic, preciseness of pattern making to create a solid, well fitting foundation with the absurdness of asking yourself- “What completely unnecessary item do I feel like balancing on my head today?”

I recently launched a ready to wear line www.classic-harlequin.com.

It’s a fun site, erasing the line between costume and fashion to create unique pieces that can be worn everyday. But my favorite work is customorders. I adore creating one of a kind pieces of playful, wearable art.

The design process is different for each hat, but usually it’s begins with talking to the customer and sketching out different possibilities. After creating the base structure and layering with fabric, I trim the hat with ribbon, resale-shop jewelry, or found items.

Thanks to the unpredictablity of thrift stores, the final product is usually different (and better!) then originally designed. Top hat’s are my favorite thing to make, but the space required to haul that many tophats from Texas to Cali is a lot more than you would think! So the items at the San Francisco Bazaar are going to be smaller cocktail hats and ornate headbands. I’m so excited about Maker Faire and I can’t wait to see everyone else’s work!

Shop: http://classic-harlequin.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/amberry.jam

I live in a small old house in Oakland, Ca with my two funny little dogs and my very tall boyfriend and I have a peculiar propensity for things in miniature.

Eristotle is about fun and funky ways to decorate your pad and your life with reduce-reuse-recycle front and center to every design. All of my creations are designed and sewn by me using vintage, reclaimed or eco-friendly materials whenever possible.

I was raised with a recycling bin under the kitchen sink and a compost pile in the backyard. “Put your scraps in the compost bin like a good little hippy child” was heard at every meal. The ‘rents were kind of kidding about us being hippy children, but not about the composting! It is important to me to continue that line of eco-thinking with my business as much as I can.

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? This seems to be a recurring theme amongst the crafty set; I’ve been crafting since I was a wee tot. I love how it seems like so many crafters started with paste, big fat crayons and plastic lanyard – and just kept that going into adulthood. I’ve always loved to make things, and turned it into a professional career when I finally figured out how. I went to school for Interior Design, and worked for a couple different architecture offices after. I had never really sold anything I made as a legitimate business, though. I decided crafting as a business was my next big adventure. I now moonlight (or maybe I should say “daylight”?) doing merchandising for the kids’ store, Monkey Bars in Alameda.

What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? I love playing with the fabrics, figuring out which ones go best with others for the best visual impact. And I love when people get excited about one of my pieces they bought. It’s so nice to get that appreciation from a customer on a piece I’m proud of. The worst? I feel like I’m not the greatest time-manager in the world. And I really feel that’s a key element to success in one’s business. Sometimes I get down on myself for it, but I try to see it as an opportunity to grow.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given about your business/craft practices? “you need an agent.”  We’ll see how that pans out. ;)

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/eristotle
Tweet: http://twitter.com/eristotledesign
Stalk: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eristotle/

Motormouthpress originated as my press name while earning my MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. My first love is making books. I enjoy the entire process from making the paper to printing the pages with text and/or imagery to binding the book. I have always wanted to share my good design sensibilities with the others, but books can be expensive to manufacture. So I thought I could translate my designs easily to greeting cards, and poof Motormouthpress was transformed into Motormouthpress, LLC a few years shortly after graduation. Motormouthpress, LLC specializes in food-themed greeting cards and stationery that doubles as mementos.

Do you still have a day job? Yes, I am an Adjunct Graphic Design Professor at the California Art Institute in Sunnyvale, CA.

What’s the best advice you have been given about your business or craft practices? When I started my business, signing the paperwork was easy, but to get it off the ground and make it a realization seemed overwhelming at first. Someone told me that the best way to get started is to do one thing for your business everyday, no matter how small, and eventually it will become a habit, and you will know what you will have to do.

We offer personalized greeting cards through our partner Cardstore.com. The vibe is slightly different, not everything is food-themed. Some of our designs you can only find on Cardstore, while others are line extensions of some of our most popular designs. We also will be offering an exclusive summer sale on our newly redesigned website, just in time for Maker Faire!

Shop: www.cardstore.com
Website To come: http://www.motormouthpress.com/

Kiu Designs is the brainchild of Ann Cun, attorney turned fashion designer.  Sewing since the age of 10, and after having practiced law in corporate America for a bit, I decided to finally pursue my most favorite passion of all, designing clothes.  My speciality is women’s evening dresses, bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses.  By popular demand of friends, I eventually started to design handbags and purses as well.  I customize most of my designs to my client’s tastes.  I handcraft all my designs at my workshop in the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.  Some people have actually babies to call their baby. I have my startup business I call my baby.

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? The dream of being my own boss really pushed me over the edge to make that great leap.  Also inspired by a death of a very close friend in 2008, I vowed to always live my life to the fullest and to avoid postponing the pursuit of my dreams.  It was all scary and wonderful at the same time.  While I don’t maintain a traditional “day job,” my bar license is still active and I maintain strong legal connections in the field of law.

Describe your creative process when designing/making your product line. I make regular trips to the fabric stores and to suppliers.  I am usually inspired by looking and touching various fabrics.  That’s what allows me to create images of dresses and bags.  It’s either a shape or color that comes to mind.  I then sketch out the design from my head, create a prototype out of muslin fabric and if I like what I see, make the final product.  I undergo a similar process for clothing as well but I have multiple dressforms in my workshop that help with the draping and dressmaking process.

What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? The best thing about my career as a designer is that I’m my own boss.  I decide what I work on, how time sensitive my projects are, and how detail oriented I need to be on any given project.  The freedom of choice fits my personality very well and I love it.  The most challenging part of my career is ensuring that I budget judiciously to plan for those lean economic times we all endure.

What’s the best advice you have been given about your business or craft practices? The advice came from a good client of mine.  One was about keeping my overhead costs low so I can be profitable.  The other advice was developing client relationships by treating my customers, big and small, all with respect and processing each project with equal vigor.

Shop: www.kiudesigns.com

jim dandy’s is a boutique of unique, tackily delicious, kitsch, feather fascinators , sexy aprons, and the likes, that are used to fascinate suitors, coworkers, objects of obsession, and your own fancy. these feather fascinators are inspired by the daring and courageous, the young and  not so young, peg bundy as well as clara bow, playas and the serene. feathered together in the beginning of 2009, jim dandy’s has progressed into more than imagined.

jim dandy’s would be nothing without the women who constantly inspire, dazzle, impress, motivate, and instill strength and outrageous laughs in everyone.

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? I have always been a very creative person for myself and others. My creativity for Jim Dandy’s was inspired as a shopper on Etsy. It was so motivating to see all these beautiful items that people MAKE. It just made sense to me, and in no time I had set up shop. Feathers were just an obvious ingredient in the mix.

My day job is trying to extend daylight. I am a full time freelance writer, mother of a beautiful 8 year old daughter, girl scout troop leader, and more. The list is endless.

Describe your creative process when designing/making your product line.
Step 1. Acclimate with creative space.
Step 2. Music music music. (I heart PANDORA).
Step 3. Immerse in creativity and lay out designs.
Step 4. Make said designs fabulous objects of obssession!

What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? I love watching my hairpieces find their way on to customer’s heads. Time and time again, my pieces know exactly who they belong with. I love the dance of that process. It is even sweeter when my customers email me photos of them wearing one of my pieces out on the town. It’s so fun! …….. The worst part is keeping up with all the good parts. :D

What’s the best advice you have been given about your business or craft practices? Whatever you think you don’t know, make it up as you go.

Shop: www.jimdandyshop.com