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The Smiles Coupon Campaign is where Sue and El list promotions that are being held by independent businesses. We call it a coupon but we actually list any discount, even if its not a coupon.  AND ITS COMPLETELY FREE!

All we need from you is the pertinent information via email to info@indiesmiles.com.

Please send us:

• Your first name;
• Your complete store name;
• Slogan for your store (optional);
• Complete link to your store;
• A short description of your store (please write in the third person);
• Details of your discount (coupon code, if coupon; duration; limitations; etc); and
• Our Smiles Pledge (simply copy and paste the below info).

Also please copy and paste the following into the email (make sure to read it as including it in the email is your agreement to our Smiles Pledge)

Smiles Pledge
—The shop I am requesting to be included is independently owned and operated by me.
—I agree to accept the Smiles Coupon during the campaign period that I subscribed to on all items in my store except custom (alchemy) requests and PIFs.
—I agree to refund any customer that properly redeems the Smiles coupon to reflect the discount of the Smiles Coupon if they should pay the full price of an item.
—I agree that I will send a revised invoice to my customer if such customer has properly redeemed the Smiles coupon and has not yet paid for their purchase. Such revised invoice will reflect the discount of the Smiles coupon.
—I agree that should I violate these agreement, my membership shall be reviewed and may result in cancellation of my Smiles membership without refund.
—I understand that Indiesmiles has the right to refuse any shop that does not fit the independent lifestyle that we have promised our customers.
—I understand that Indiesmiles is advertising my independent shop (indicated in the subject of my acceptance of this agreement) on my behalf and that any situations that may occur, including and not limited to, sale disputes, feedback and returns, are the responsibility of the shop owner and that owners and affiliates of Indiesmiles are to be held harmless.
If you have any questions, please contact Sue or El at info@indiesmiles.com.

Christine of PillowThrowDecor had one Extreme Marketing Idea and put it into action. This is what she says:

I knew for our Bootcamp program I would have to come up with some really compelling ideas that would bring traffic and make sales for our sellers. One afternoon I was off to do errands and experimented with a new marketing idea as an opportunity to hand out business cards about my new pillow and throw store and this new Canadian Handmade Online company icraft.ca.

I grabbed my camera and strapped one of my Geek Pillows to my chest and off I went packing it around as though I was wearing a baby bundle. I made three stops; the bank, the post office, and the insurance company.  At each place I was asked for cards and “the story”. I had carefully rehearsed my “new store, new company” script and explained it to anyone that would listen even people walking by on the street. I laughed with a lot of people that afternoon but always when I explained I was writing an article they wanted to get in on the act too. I handed out 23 cards and at the end of the day sold my Geek pillow at my last stop. Doesn’t get any better than that!

As part of the iCraft.ca bootcamp experience, Sue and I randomly chose two of the iCraft.ca bootcamp / indiesmiles coupon advertisers to win a featured store spot and a showboat smiles feature. The winners were Carvel Country Soapworks, who won the store feature spot, and Studio 2:24, who won the showboat smiles.

This is what Studio 2:14 told us when she was asked to describe a little about herself and crafting.

How long have you been crafting?

I am Trish and I have been crafting ever since I remember. I learned to sew at 13 when my Mom won a sewing machine, and lessons came with it. And I was off to the races! I soon branched out into crochet and knitting – and still love doing them, especially now that there are year-round fibers to use!

Later I tried my hand at jewelry, and found my true love. I started with marbled paper earrings, then beads, then larger beads – and now use more of the Swarovski crystal beads, wire, and mixed media. I host a monthly craft night at my church during the school year, and have a great deal of fun trying out new things for that, which I then use in my own crafts.

Currently I am exploring the possibilities of wire – amazing the things you can do with this versatile material. I am also trying out drawing and making hand-crafted cards.

Tell a little about yourself.

I am “retired” – and that is in quotes, since I am now far busier than I ever was when a had a “real” job! I am married to a pastor of a small non-denominational church, and am the resident ‘techy’ person there. I also participate on the Praise and Worship Team and the Performing Arts Ministry.

I am also a free-lance website builder – and build and maintain sites for myself and several others. I love the instant gratification that writing my own code gives, and the fun of seeing the result of my work out here on the internet.

I have raised three sons, and in our blended family there are a myriad of grandkids from babies to teens. There is never a dull moment in our family get-togethers!

What do you want people to know about your crafts?

I truly believe that God gives every one of us gifts, and we are then responsible to develop and use them for His glory. I named my craft studio “Studio 2:14” – which is from the Bible: 2nd Chronicles, Chapter 2, Verse 14.

I love crafting, and every creation I make is an original – using the best materials I can get and all the skill and talent I can bring to bear. I consider each piece I make a little bit of myself, and my biggest wish is that it will delight the one who wears it as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Now at iCraft.ca, enjoy the handmade experience while iCraft members participate in bootcamp – the rigorous 28 day program to teach habits of effective and consistent marketing. iCraft.ca is a Canadian based website but enjoys worldwide attention.

Please take a look at what each indie shop has to offer and take note of their special coupon offer with coupon code. For information on how to redeem the IndieSmiles coupon, please see this post.

o u r f e a t u r e d s t o r e s

I just bought soap from Rebecca’s Soap Delicatessen on artfire. I needed (or should I say wanted) soap for my face and at the same time I wanted to test out exactly how artfire customers do their thing – after all, since I sell on artfire myself, I should know how to use it!

So off I went scouring the shelves of artfire. I found so many soap shops on artfire that I didn’t know which to choose from. But, since my main concern was a facial soap formulated for mild acne and reasonable shipping (after all I believe that you should reflect your true pricing in the price and only charge the cost of shipping and handling in the shipping charge). I narrowed it down to Rebecca’s Soap Delicatessen – aka SoapDeli.

I ended up purchasing two of SoapDeli’s Cedar and Sage Soap, one for myself and one for my mother (its mother’s day!).

What did I find in my mailbox? Exactly as pictured – two bars of Cedar and Sage Soap. But to my surprise, Rebecca also included  two samples of her other soaps, a Mango and Papaya and unscented goat soap. It was great to try out her other creations but I have to say that I am in love with her Cedar & Sage soap. I hope it hasn’t been discontinued!

She runs a fantastic blog called Soap Deli News and helps her husband in promoting his new website byhand.me.

Check her out! She is very good at what she does (in making soaps and in promoting!)

Do you ever wonder just how these talented artisans work? Well, then, check out how one artisan, BeyondthePicketFence on etsy makes her soap.

Today, they are on Day 14 of Bootcamp at iCraft.ca. What is that you say? It’s a ‘Sellers’ Bootcamp’ 28 day marketing programme, headed by ‘Experts’ with backgrounds in sales and marketing, in the form of their very own talented iCraft Creators!

They began a 28 day period with daily assignments designed to encourage Creators to get into the habit of effective and consistent marketing. These assignments were simple ideas with low to no cost methods, and took up only 30 minutes of time daily, with ‘Bootcampers’ reporting back to the community with their daily progress. The assignments are still available for everyone to see here.

There are 55 bootcampers signed up! And, it looks like you can join the fun at any time. Just sign up here.

Take a look of some of the wonderful creations by these bootcampers. A more complete list is available here.

If you are hard on cash but are willing to spend the time and have a passion for something, then consider uniting with other artisans with your same passion.

For example, if you love animals or make accessories for animals (like Sue and I), then consider joining a cooperative of animal lovers. If you are an animal lover like Sue and I, and you are on Artfire, join Crafting for Animals; if you are on Etsy, join Etsy for Animals. I am the guildmaster and member of Crafting for Animals and Sue and I are both active members of Etsy for Animals so these groups come highly recommended. Of course there are many more groups out there but what comes to my attention (of course) are the animal friendly cooperatives

There are also geographic cooperatives that bring together people of the same continent, country, state, city, etc. I am based in California so it was natural for me to join CCCOE – California Crafters Club of Etsy. CCCOE is a very organized and active group of artisans that are dedicated to promoting handmade in California.

But lest you forget, joining is not enough. To get any benefit from these wonderful groups, you need to become active! What does that entail? Well, just about anything. First, find out what you are good at. I’m not much of a forum browser so, for me, trying to keep threads alive, is nearly impossible (Michele of EFA, on the other hand has a great knack for this!). I’ve found that making updates is my cup of tea so I’ve joined the CCCOE blog admins in updating the CCCOE blog.  

By doing something for the group, people get to know you and that’s the great thing about handmade. Your life is what adds to the story of your creations so its natural that sharing your passion with others will get people to love your creations.

This article is particularly aimed at cooperatives that unite like minded individuals for two reasons. First, you are sharing a little more about yourself to your customers and clients, which adds a piece to an ongoing puzzle that facinates customers of handmade items. Second, you are increasing your network of like minded individuals with varied crafts. This means they are your potential customers as well. I mean what better way to find people that are passionate for what you love! And better yet, they don’t make items like you do and many of them may not even have a clue about your type of craft.

Of course, you could also join cooperatives of individuals of the same craft but make sure you are going into the group for a slightly different reason. This type of marketing is a little different than the cooperatives uniting people of similar passion or geography. These types of cooperatives generally bring together people for mentorship and idea gathering (although several do actively market together). Of course, I also highly recommend them – the most active groups I see (related to my crafts, of course) are FAST: Fiber Arts Street Team and Etsy Greetings.

You can find a list of cooperatives on Etsy here. If you are on artfire and a verified member, consider some of the cooperatives listed here.