Written by columnist Rebecca of RaigeCreations
Slide and above photo courtesy of kitschville

What is it that men want? And how do we find it? These are questions that have plagued women since the beginning of time. Since joining the world of handmade and its venues for showcasing handmade, this question has been in the back of my mind. It is particularly challenging to find things men want in general, and even more so on these sites. My searches to find things for my husband has led me nowhere. I expressed this frustration to him, and he finally said, “I will look and see what I can find.” He found things within minutes! I should note he is an artist, and has very specific tastes which usually makes any search to find him things he likes near impossible. So how did he find things on Etsy and Zibbet so fast?

The first and most important thing I noticed is how he searched differently than I typically do. His searches are specific to things he likes or thinks are interesting, not broad terms like I would search. Then he weeds through to find things that surprise him.

He likes motorcycles, so he searched ‘motorcycle parts’, not motorcycles as I would have. He was surprised to find this cool clock lamp made from motorcycle parts by ChromeSculptures. He likes clocks and lamps, but would never search for those things. Add motorcycle parts to these things and it goes in the cart with a simple click.

As an artist exploring sculpture, he searched ‘contemporary sculpture’, not sculptures as I would have, and found this artist, Uturn. A figurative sculpture he liked pulled him into the store, but he really found his interest in the masks, and picked this great mask to add to his collection.

A search for just ‘masks’ would have yielded too many results not even close to his tastes.

My search terms led to very different finds, and the creators I found did not lead me to items he would impulsively purchase like these things he found. They weren’t ‘man-friendly terms’. For example, a clutch to him relates to a transmission, not a handbag. I never thought of that!

His searches generally do not use the plural, mine often do. His searches used terms that were specific to his liking while still general in terminology, a method I would have never thought of. And of course, once the search results come up, what peaks his curiosity takes him to an artist, and once in their shop, he finds the “it” he has been looking for without setting out to find it. My searches seem to be less of an adventure than his, but more an end results oriented search. We end up going down completely different paths, he finds items he impulsively must have, and I find items that he should have but probably will not like.

Acting on his attraction to vintage, he searched ‘skeleton key’, and was lead to coldtententacle’s shop, and ultimately to this great pocket watch. I never thought he would be interested in keys so that search did not occur to me, but that path led him to something else that he loves to collect – pocket watches with visible mechanisms.

He tried a search on Zibbet for fine arts as he is always interested in this market. His search was 2 simple words, ‘contemporary painting‘, not a search of fine art paintings like I may have. It didn’t take long to find Laura Barbosa and her Crystal Skulls painting.

The appeal to this one for him, other than the macabre, is the freedom to re-arrange and display the pieces how you like them best. Perfect for my perfectionist husband who prefers interactive, hands-on pieces.

He also discovered, by checking a tag on an item he found interesting enough to click on, search words can be found in tags. By adding the prefix ‘high end’ to ’sculpture’, seen in a tag, he found this dresser by GArtFurniture, and before I knew it, the cart was overflowing.

The dresser, come to find out, was not actually something he wanted for himself, but for our daughter. So it is true, they will shop for others, but it does have to meet their standards and criteria. In fact, GArtFurniture has another item that does have a very good response from men, a bouquet of hand carved roses, with a secret compartment for a small gift.

Now that is a man shopping with a woman in mind!

In the end, I discovered what my man wants, and how he finds it. We search completely different, follow distinctly different paths, and find entirely different items. My husband finds an item that peaks his curiosity and instinctively follows the path to his must have item. Men seem to shop impulsively. The thrill is in the hunt. The search is following the tracks. The purchase is the kill. Women tend to gather.

Hopefully we all can learn from this and find great handmade treasures for the men in our lives. I need to remember, he likes hard materials: metal, clay, and wood. I like softer materials: yarn, fabric, and sparkly things. Perhaps it is true, I am from Venus, he is from Mars, but now I think know what he wants and how to find it.

Slide photo and article by columnist Amy of TenthAvenueSoapworks

How much garbage did you contribute to a landfill today? It’s probably not something you think about when you toss a paper towel or some packaging into your trash can, but it adds up faster than you may realize. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, each American generates about 4.5 pounds of garbage per day. That staggering number becomes even more alarming when you consider that we are becoming more dependent on convenience and disposable products all the time.

There are many things you can do to decrease your landfill contribution, but one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways is by buying crafts made from recycled materials. Yes, really! The skill and creativity of handcrafters is staggering, and you will hardly believe the array of treasures that were once one person’s trash.

With a little effort, it will be easy to find products that are recycled or contain reclaimed elements. When searching online craft sites like Zibbet, use keywords like “recycled” “repurposed” or “upcycled” to find items that started out as completely different products. Look for yourself at some of these products from Zibbet.

Dote sells many charming pieces of jewelry made from recycled items, such as buttons that have been turned into necklace pendants, or earrings, like these here.

Junk mail never looked so appealing! Texas Eagle creates these colorful garlands from brochures and junk mail. Each 5’ strand would lend a fabulous touch to any décor.

Packaging, which makes up a significant amount of our daily waste, is put to a uniquely original use in the handiwork of Wrapper Fashion, making everything from handbags, pouches, wallets, and even belts.

Ragrugs takes clean, used fabrics and recycles them into beautiful rugs, mats, and runners from your home. Check out all the different colors they offer.

So check out these shops and the many others that receive their inspiration from the trash pile. You are not only giving yourself or someone special a one-of-a-kind creation, but you are also supporting artisans who will continue to design products that keep a myriad of once-useless things out of our landfills. And, your purchase will give you a boost in starting your own economical, eco-friendly lifestyle.

Edited by Barbra aka: All About The Buttons

By Columnist Pam aka ElectricPenguin
Orange spiral disc photo courtesy of FlameCrazy

Have you ever ordered supplies on-line, only to find that when they arrive they aren’t anywhere close to the size you thought they were? Sometimes it’s a good surprise and sometimes it’s more along the lines of “whoa, that’s a very large bead!!” I have to admit this happens to me much more often than it should!! You’d think after a while I’d be able to closely estimate how big a 10mm bead is, but nooooo. I finally found these two things help me keep the surprises to a minimum:

First, I have a clear ruler that has both inches and centimeters on it, along with outlines of 2mm to 12mm circles. Mine was a freebie from a supply shop, but I’m sure you can find them for sale (probably at supply shops!). This gives me a visual representation of how big that elusive 10mm is. For most people, that would probably be all the information they need to order correctly. Unfortunately, that didn’t always work for me! There were still times I ended up with things that were the exact size they were advertised as – but not the size I wanted.

Photo courtesy of GenerationsLampwork
So, my solution was… actually have a bead of the size I want on hand while ordering! Seems pretty obvious, right? It really does give me a much better idea than a flat ruler.

I do most of my ordering during lunch at work. In my desk drawer I have a string with round glass beads of 8mm through 16mm on it. All are marked with permanent marker (the 8 was fun to do!) so I don’t have to remeasure them or anything. I also have short lengths of .5mm, 1mm and 2mm string. No labels but those are easy to remember. Now all I have to do is pull the string or bead samples out of the drawer, compare it to the item on-line, order, and the size I really want arrives in my mailbox!!

MiaBellaCollection

Hopefully these ideas will help prevent you from an unexpected surprise in your mail!!!

Slide photo courtesy of SassyPantsGlass
Edited by Barbra aka: All About The Buttons

By columnist Jill aka: JillysStuff

I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet. -Anonymous

Have you heard that quote before? It was brought home to me the other day.

As I scan my shop and many other shops on Zibbet, Etsy, Artfire and Folksy, I can see how blessed we are to have the freedom to sell our crafts. But as I was browsing the blogs, I found that there are women and men who aren’t as fortunate as we are.

I found a website called World Crafts Village, and stopped to have a look.

World Crafts Village is a nonprofit organization that imports crafts from impoverished artisans and sells them by fair trade. Not a new concept but one that deserves a little more attention. By supporting these artisans, they are assisting them to be productive, and make an honest living to support their families. No exploitation.

Amofavelas
Amidst the Brazilian slums, known as favelas, criminals and drug dealers run rampant and disease and dire poverty dominate. Yet, here, women gather and they carefully paint dishtowels, make soap, crochet clothes, and weave ribbon. Although these women live in shacks—without running water, electricity, or a sewage system—they use their skills to help provide a better life for their families. One woman—mother to three children—was able to move to a new town, purchase land, and give her family new opportunities by using her earnings from her handpainted dishtowels.

I can’t imagine, even in my wildest dreams, living like this. Do I feel spoiled? Yes.

Nanyok
Although the Maasai women of Tanzania who formed Nanyok are no longer nomadic, their lives revolve around livestock. The five-month dry season kills the grass, leaving the goats to die, meaning no milk for Maasai children. Each eight-strand beaded bracelet sold through Nanyok creates a savings fund for new goats. In the past year, the women saved $150 from the bracelets and bought 15 goats to nourish their children.

These are just two of the stories that got me going. I am not a strong advocate of anything but I feel that, by writing this, I am doing my part in helping this organization and the people they support. It’s not much, just a small contribution.

There are many more stories from countries all over the world. World Craft Villages have groups in –
Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Laos, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, USA, Vietnam, West Bank, Zimbabwe.

So, as we support each other we should also be getting the word out about all of those who are not as lucky as we are. Drop by World Craft Villages and help support this company in their effort to help those climb out of the oppression and depression of poverty. Even the smallest of gestures would help. A tweet, blog message or discussion is a start. Isn’t that what we are all about – Artisans helping fellow Artisans.

Photos courtesy of World Crafts Village

By columnist Deanne aka: DeannePace
Photo courtesy of WookieHeadGifts

Who hasn’t imagined one of your very own original designs gracing the pages, or even the cover, of a magazine? Well, it could happen to you and it’s not as intimidating as you might think. With new DIY magazines popping up all the time, there is sure to be one dedicated to your art or craft.

The first step is to find the perfect magazine to showcase your work. Interweave or Kalmbach Publishing are a couple of good places to start. All You Can Read also has a long list. Or, just search the internet for magazines about your craft. You may already have a favorite!

The next step is to obtain the submission guidelines for the magazine you choose. Magazines often post their “submission guidelines” on their website, if they accept submissions. Here is an example of submission guidelines from Create and Decorate.

The submission guidelines vary, but most require you to first submit photos of your completed design and a brief description of the process and materials for consideration. Once your design submission has been accepted, you will be asked for detailed step-by-step instructions and materials list. You will probably also be asked to mail in the finished item for photographing by the magazine. (Don’t worry, it will be returned!) It may take several weeks to hear from the magazine. Don’t be discouraged! There is plenty to do while you await their response.
If you haven’t already written your detailed, step-by-step instructions, now is the time to start. In my opinion, this is actually the trickiest part – remembering to write down each step without leaving out anything important. A great way to test your instructions is to have someone else try to follow them. If your design is for beginners, try to get someone that is unfamiliar with your craft to be your guinea pig. You will know right away if you left out a step!

Once you are satisfied that your instructions are complete, you can begin photographing the steps, if that is a requirement. If you are not sure that the quality of your photographs is ready for publication, send a sample to the editor for approval before photographing your whole process. Take a photo of each step of your instructions. Photographing next to a window is generally all the light you need. You can have someone photograph photograph the steps as you do them, but it’s entirely possible to photograph them yourself if your camera has a timer. Either way, use a tripod for super clear photographs. This is one instance where out-of-focus isn’t the desired effect. Edit your photographs for each step before taking photos of the next step. This will save you lots of headaches, not to mention time and materials.

Submit a good, clear photo of each step. The magazine may not use all the photos, but that’s the editor’s decision.

Once accepted, you may not see your article in print for six months to a year and the pay is probably not enough for you to retire. But, it’s fabulous advertising and you’re getting paid for it! Plus, you have just added another facet to your business. The magazine will generally post a short bio along with your photo and website or contact info so you will have a brand-new audience, not only for your finished artwork, but also for your tutorials should you decide to sell them online. There are many possibilities! You might find you love writing tutorials and become a regular contributor. This, in turn, could lead to writing your own book or collaborating with others on a book about your favorite craft. Or teaching!

Not ready to jump head-first into a tutorial? Or give up your trade secrets? Instead, you might want to submit a photo of your completed design for the reader’s gallery of your favorite magazine. Many magazines also post a reader’s galleries in their online version. It’s a great way to see your work in print and get some free publicity at a fraction of the effort of a complete tutorial!

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Photo courtesy of Proofreader

Article and photos by columnist Jill aka: JillysStuff

How many times have you heard the phrase, Necessity is the Mother of Invention ? I often can never find just the right colour of crochet thread for my projects. This is when I decided to try my hand at making my own natural dyes. It was great fun and a real learning experience.

Here is what I did:

1. I gathered all of my ingredients.

2 stainless steel pots, stainless steel only as others may have a chemical reaction with the dye.
table salt
1 wooden spoon.
1 coffee filter
1 measuring cup
3 sad-looking strawberries
1 small bundle of ivory crochet cotton, white cotton heart motif, a piece of synthetic lace and an ivory rose motif.

2. Buck, my rather curious beagle, supervises the whole process from the safety of the livingroom.

3. I started by putting the salt, water and items to be dyed into one of the pots. I brought everything to a boil and let it simmer for about a half hour. This is the fixative process.

4. I mashed the strawberries and added an equal amount of water. I left this mixture until the fixative was ready.

5. As it was midday and I had to wait for the fixative, I decided it was time for a coffee and cookies. Mmmmm, oatmeal raisin!

6. When the half hour was up I boiled up the strawberry mixture and let it simmer for about a half hour. I let the fixative simmer for the same amount of time. The fixative needs 1 hour to simmer and the berry mix 1/2 hour.

7. When all bubbling and simmering was done, I strained out the salt water and ran the items under cold water. I then strained out the berry mixture. Don’t you just love my little coloured clothespins? I bought them for a project that never got off the ground and use them for everything else.

8. I next dropped the items into the berry mixture and simmered them for 5 – 30 minutes. I took each piece out at different times to see how the colour turned out.

Here is the finished results. Everything came out a very pretty light peach colour, except the cotton heart motif which was more of a pale pink. When I took this picture they weren’t dry yet and are still darker than when dry. My camera didn’t do a very good job of this pic but, they are definitely very pretty.

There is no picture of my kitchen as I am a very enthusiastic cook and the mess was all over the place. I am very pleased with the results and will be trying blueberries next.
Food dying and crochet are age old crafts and arts. Another crochet artist shares some thoughts with us here.

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Slide photo courtesy of MariaKonstantin
Edited by Barbra aka: All About The Buttons

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By columnist Pam of ElectricPenguin
Photo courtesy of Gigglebot

Are you one of the world’s worst typists? Do you type words that your spell checker thinks are legit, but you don’t? Have you copied a listing description multiple times only to find that there was a very obvious typo, and now you have to edit 10 items to fix it? I plead guilty to all of the above. In fact, I recently discovered that my shop title had the word “jewelry” misspelled in it!!!! How embarrassing!

Even professional print shops can miss things. I once saw an announcement card for a doctor’s office that was relocating. It was being sent to all of their patients, suppliers, and referrals. The word “Batter” in the title had three t’s!! It had gone through multiple reviews too, so it was kind of surprising that no one saw it until after it was printed. That was a very expensive typo to miss!

Photo courtesy of DinkyDaisy

So I’m here to stress proofreading your descriptions, titles, tags, profiles, announcements, etc. Appearance is everything in the on-line world, and your photos, titles, and descriptions are what draws people into your shop and keeps them there. Let’s also realize that mistyped words may mess up Google Analytics.

The first step is to spell check – if you have access to a program that does that. Unfortunately, it can’t catch things like “tot he” for “to the” and “from” instead of “form” (my most common typos!). Oh, but I wish it could!!! Next, you should SLOWLY reread everything to be sure. Does it make sense to you? Is the grammar correct? Do you read it and wonder if maybe you typed it in your sleep because it’s so bad? If you have the Google toolbar, there is a spell check there. It comes in handy when you are writing while on-line.

After you’ve double checked it, have someone else give it a once over. You’d be amazed what other people see that you might skip over! I’m notorious for skimming over words like “not.” Sometimes that can be vital to the sentence! One seller I talked to had her 10 year old son proofread. He was really good at it too! If you’re a member of a team, you could ask them to take a look. They also might see important things that are missing, such as size or color of an item.

Hopefully this gave you a few tips to help improve your shop!

P.S I had 5 typos in this!!

Slide photo courtesy of sbartist
Edited by Barbra aka All About The Buttons

Photograph courtesy of both the show participant and the banner maker who is www.promopixie.artfire.com. The craft show participant is: www.callunacreationsllc.artfire.com

By contributing columnist Donna Knox of GlassandWireGems

It’s that time of year where summer craft shows are popping up all over. Some are attached to special area events and others are stand alone events. When you are thinking about participating in one there is a lot to consider. Participating in a craft show involves a lot of hard work. So where do you begin? This is a tale of two craft shows run on two consecutive weekends about two hours drive from each other. Both of these shows were stand-alone events not connected to any holiday activities. I’ll be telling this tale as though I was the vendor. In reality, this is the tale of several friends who have participated in recent craft shows.

Upon arriving at the site for the first show, I started setting up my tables. I don’t have a tent but in this instance my spot was under several trees and the weather wasn’t too hot. My tables are set in a U-shape so that people can walk in and look at everything on all of the tables and ask questions if they have any. Holly from Royal Designs (ArtFire and Etsy) said, “I think once people are into your ‘shop’ they are more apt to stay and look. And buy.” As we all know, getting people into your shop is always the first step.

The foot traffic at this show wasn’t as good as I had expected. It was a beautiful day so weather wasn’t a factor. I was wondering why things were so slow when a lady stopped to look at my jewelry and mentioned that she didn’t even know that there was a show. She lives across from the park and noticed the tents and people and came over to see what was going on. After hearing that, I knew why things weren’t going as well as I had hoped.

The second show was a week later. The weather was hot and my spot didn’t have any shade. What a difference. I will certainly have a tent for future shows. One crafter I talked with not only had a tent but also had fans that she would turn on to encourage people to come in, shop and cool off. What a great idea! My morning sales were great. The afternoon sales during the hottest period were slow because there was little foot traffic. I sold a lot more at this show because there was more traffic even though there were slow hours during the heat of the day.

I learned a lot from these back-to-back experiences. Here are some things to consider when you’re thinking about signing up for a craft show.

The first show was the more expensive of the two and cost over $200 for registration alone. The show had been ongoing for several years and because of that the crafters assumed it would be well attended and they would do well or even better than they had in prior years. They also felt that people would return because of its history. This turned out to be not true. The show’s promoter did not do a good job of getting the word out about the show. There were even people in the immediate neighborhood that didn’t know about the show and only showed up because they saw the tents that day.

Promotion for the second show was much, much better. It had been ongoing for several years as well so that wasn’t an issue. Having flyers available, ads in various papers, etc. all helped to get the word out that this show was occurring. One of the things that you need to do is to check out the show’s promoter before you sign up to make sure that you’re getting what has been advertised. You might also want to check around the area to make sure that it is happening.

Another consideration is that registration fee. When you spend $200 for registration, you want to have, at minimum, twice that amount in sales to break even and triple the amount to make a profit. I didn’t at the first one. Getting ready for a show is a lot of work. There’s time spent in creating items for the show. There’s time spent setting up and tearing down for the show. Then you spend a lot of time at the show itself. Try to find others who have participated in previous years and see how they did. In my case, the registration fee for the second show was much lower and I did quite well at it.

Another consideration is the number of crafters with similar items. If you’re a jewelry vendor at a show where there are 50 vendors and ten or more of them are jewelry vendors, you’re not going to do well unless you have something really, really unique. If there’s a way to check this aspect out, do it. It will help you decide if this is a show that you should participate in. The vendor ratio was about the same in both of these shows and it was higher than I would have liked but was more evident in the show that had less foot traffic. Here too promotion plays a factor because it brings in more foot traffic and, if more people are going through the show, the number of competitive vendors isn’t as big of an issue.

For me it was like night and day between the two shows as far as the business part goes. My sales were so much better at the second show. For the most part, the vendors I met and the people that came to shop were great at both shows. I’m sure that I’ll see several of them at other shows and next year. A number of people took my business cards and I’m hoping that they’ll shop on line as well. I know that I’ll be more aware of who is promoting the show and checking out how they’re doing it.

I’d like to encourage you to try a couple of craft shows. They can be enriching and fun even with all of the hard work. Many towns offer Chamber of Commerce juried shows which are less costly. These can be very good. My experience has lead me to believe that the less expensive shows are better for me because I don’t have to sell as much to break even and come away feeling better about the process. Check them out and see what works for you. After all, once the summer shows are over, there are always the holiday shows to look forward to and, for the most part, you don’t need a tent for those!

By contributing columnist Konnie aka Konnie Kappow

Part three of my Crafty Men series is an interview with the man behind Folksy shop Tree Gems. A true craftsman and thoroughly nice chap; I loved reading his answers to my questions and I hope you will too!

Name: Stewart Would (Tree Gems on Folksy)
Age: Mature
From: near Hornsea in Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire
Favourite movie: Probably West Side Story
Favourite book: I have a massive collection of books but most are non-fiction.

…..Honestly, nothing springs immediately to mind for [favourite colour, animal or band]. The fact that I had to rack my brains for five minutes suggests that any answer here would have been artificial. Am I unusual? My music collection centres around the blues, but ranges through almost all genres but I don’t know much about Acid House or Grunge!!

How did you learn your craft?

I’m sure I took an interest as a child, when my dad was working with wood around the house doing what was later called DIY. I enjoyed woodwork at senior school and did well at GCE level (No ‘S’ in those days), winning the year prize for the subject. It was when I retired from a mainly desk-bound job that I set up my wood workshop. Books, magazines and websites have been my main source of learning; those, plus actually having a go and trying new techniques.

Your eureka moment – tell us about your favourite thing you have ever made?

A few years ago I made a very large kitchen dresser, for my step-daughter, in English Oak; in fact the biggest piece I have ever done. Over the weeks I worked on it, all I ever saw were little details, problems and challenges. It was only when I finally assembled the piece of furniture on site, that I had the room and time to step back to look, and see it in its entirety. I was honestly amazed that I had made such a thing. ‘Eureka moment’ is a good description.

Your “D’oh!” moment – tell us about you biggest crafting disaster.

Woodturning a bowl on my lathe one day, I was being experimental and aiming to retain a square surround whilst hollowing out a circular centre. At a few hundred revolutions per minute, the corners of the square tend to ‘disappear’. After quite some time of intense concentration, Radio Four piped up with a reference to Blues singer Blind Willie McTell (see answer about musical taste) which, for a split second distracted me. Without going into too much detail, I had to have a dozen stitches in two fingers. Ouch!

Is crafting what you do full time or do you have a Clark Kent style alter-ego?

I’m extremely lucky in that there is no pressure on me to do my craft work. It’s an extension of the hobby that I love. I go to my workshop when I feel like it. I’m fully supported by my wife in what I do, and I support her in her passion for knitting. She has no issue over my growing stash of wood, and I have none over her wool stash. My other interests include family history research, trying to play the guitar, motor cycling and reading motor cycle travel books; my lovely grandchildren and doing voluntary work at the local museum.

Where do you do your crafting?

My workshop is in the garage, with a buzzer from the kitchen to call me in for regular refreshments!

Tell us a bit about your crafting philosophy (e.g. environmental, heritage, family, therapy!)

I do enjoy using wood that a traditional cabinetmaker wouldn’t even look at; wood with what is often seen as faults – knots, twisted grain, fungal staining and so on. I do prefer home grown timbers; yew and figured elm or oak especially. If it’s ‘found’ or recycled, so much the better.

As for style, the range of things I have made is so wide, from tiny wooden earrings to a bedroom suite, that it’s difficult to categorise, but I have a tendency towards what might be called rustic, retaining the bark edging on some of my work, especially boxes.

Tell us why you think there are far more female than male crafters?

Mmmm. Difficult. Folksy certainly suggests that’s the case. Could it be that there are more young mothers trying to supplement their income from home?
The woodworking community www.lumberjocks.com of which I am a member, has 20,000 members, most of whom are male. However, that’s not a craft selling site.

Tell us something surprising about yourself (non craft related)?

We’ve lived without a television for fifteen years, and have no yearning for one whatsoever.

What’s the manliest thing you make?

Some of my wooden finger rings are considered to be quite manly, as is this more unusual spark plug computer memory stick.

And here’s a manly jewellery / keepsake box I made for me.

What’s the least manly thing you make?

Since ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend’, it’s got to be my pendant memory stick set with a diamond, now on Folksy.

What would you say to encourage more men to craft?

Turn off your television and make something. Have a go. You might be surprised at what you can achieve!

You can check out more of Stewart’s work at his folksy shop.

Next in the Crafty Men Series is an interview with Jamie Brind aka prototyper of Glowbiles!

Don’t forget to check out the previous interviews with Nosuch Disco and Steam Punk Glass too!