Blacksburg Belle

Catch Up: 5 Videos to Watch to Improve Your Marketing

By April on May 24, 2013 in Creative Business Development, Marketing

As I uploaded another Wednesday Wisdom to Vimeo, I realized that I have published over 170 videos! That’s pretty awesome, right?

But, I’m sure you’ve missed some along the way. I mean…you’ve got a lot going on with running your own business, squeezing in a little yoga, whipping up green juice, scrapbooking all the amazing and ordinary moments in your life, and struggling to figure out what the heck SEO is and how to apply it to your site.

I don’t blame you one bit. Since there’s a long weekend coming up {for those of us in the US}, I thought I’d put together some marketing videos in case you missed out when I first published them.

1. How to Use the Psychology of Urgency to Get Your Customers to Buy Now:

2. Are You Selling to the Wrong People?

3. The Difference Between Features and Benefits:

4. Marketing for Introverts:

5. How to Make Your Stuff More Appealing:

And, a few more bonus resources:

1. Why You Need a Marketing Plan + Basic Steps to Put One Together

2. How to Launch Your New Website or Blog

3. How to Get Creative with Your Marketing Budget

Comments { 2 }

Bev Feldman on Her Chainmaille Jewelry Process

By April on May 23, 2013 in Uncategorized

We each have a medium that speaks to us.

For some, it is a new skein of yarn and the endless possibilities for how it could be manipulated with a pair of knitting needles. For others, it is the feel of a camera in their hands, ready to capture the sights around them. For me, it is a pile of jump rings, just begging to be linked together.

For as long as I can remember, I have dabbled in jewelry making, but it wasn’t until I discovered the art of chainmaille and weaving together hundreds of tiny rings that I knew I had found my craft.

My process of creating jewelry varies, but it always includes a pile of jump rings. Often times it begins in a local bead shop, where I can spend hours perusing the trays upon trays of beads, letting my mind wander and imagining how I could incorporate them into my chainmaille. When I get home, I put the beads into little glass jars so that they are easily visible and ready for when inspiration hits.

Sometimes I have a design already in my head and I know exactly what I want to create. More often, I choose some beads from my collection and start to from a sense of what I might want to do with them. Usually it is a vague idea that comes to fruition as I start to work, somewhat like a word on the tip of your tongue that you finally pops into your head.

The inspiration for this piece came from these sparkling faceted beads and a pair of earrings I had already made with them. I wanted to create a bracelet that would make a beautiful complimentary piece, something that was feminine and fun and a little different.

I took a design from another bracelet I had already created and played around with it, experimenting to see how the beads would look interspersed between the chainmaille links.

My process sometimes involves taking designs apart and putting them back together, repositioning pieces if need be. Sometimes a design comes out exactly as I had imagined it, and other times the end result is nothing what I pictured in my head. Occasionally a design just will not work. But that is part of the process, and I will either fiddle around with it until I get it just right, or I move on to the next design idea.

As I work, I often try on what I am making, whether it be a necklace or a bracelet, to test to see if it is wearable, or if I need to make any adjustments. I only make things I would wear myself (and often times I want to keep what I made all for myself!).

If I am happy with the results, I will put on the finishing touches and try it on one last time (and sometimes model it for my husband, he’s such a good sport). It’s time to go make some more chainmaille!

Bev Feldman is the designer/maker/all-around mastermind behind Linkouture, modern and elegant handcrafted chainmaille jewelry. Her jewelry can be found on Etsy, as well as craft shows and select shops in the Boston area. You can read more about Bev’s musings on life and being a creative business owner on her blog. She would love to hear from you on Twitter or Facebook (and she also is a compulsive e-mail checker, though she is working on that).

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How to Add Hand-Drawn and Other Fun Elements to Your Photos

By April on May 22, 2013 in Creativity, DIY, Photography

I’ve received some questions on how I add hand-drawn arrows and opaque circles with text to my photos, so I decided to tape an episode of Wednesday Wisdom to show you how I do it.

Ever since Pinterest launched, it can be helpful to add a little something like text to some of your photos. For instance, if you search for recipes on Pinterest, you’re probably going to find pictures with text that tell you what the recipe is without having to click on it. The person who pins doesn’t always get it right, and they don’t always link it to the original source. Plus, it can be fun to add elements like hand drawn arrows!

There are other programs other than Illustrator that will do similar things. I use Illustrator for far more than adding elements to photos, so if that’s all you want it for, I’d shop around–maybe even use an app like this one for your iPhone photos.

And, if you really want to learn how to use Illustrator, I recommend lynda.com and Nicole’s Classes. I’ve done both and love both.

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Tess from Gilded Notes on how she got started with decoupage, her typical workday, and the everyday objects that inspire her

By April on May 21, 2013 in Interview, Jewelry

1. In a sentence or two, could you tell us what you do?

I bring forgotten stories and sentiments from the past back to life. In other words, I salvage vintage sheet music and use it to create one of a kind jewelry and pieces of art!

2. How did you get started?

I used to do decoupage for a hobby and to sell out of (at that point) my little Etsy shop for fun. My mom, a musician herself, came into a large collection of old sheet music from the late 1800s. After framing all of the nice pieces she found herself with a good deal of music that was too tattered to frame, but still too interesting to throw out, she suggested that I try incorporating some of it into my decoupage. I loved it! I found that even after using the sheet music for decoupage I would still have all these little scraps and pieces of it left over. Not wanting to waste any part of the music I started experimenting with turning these little snippets into jewelry. My first sheet music necklaces were wooden pendants decoupaged with music. Pretty soon my jewelry was flying out of my shop, so I switched gears and started to focus on that.

3. What three words best describe your personality?

Creative, compassionate, dreamer

4. What’s your favorite part of your creative business?

Far and away it’s the freedom. Not just being able to work in my pajamas (which is great too!), but the complete freedom to let myself experiment and try new things. There is nothing as thrilling as starting with a sliver of an idea, molding it, reworking it, and seeing it through to conception. There are few jobs in the world where that’s possible.

5. What’s a typical workday like for you?

My most creative time is in the morning, so I try to capitalize on those precious few hours where energy, inspiration, and motivation overlap. This means a quick breakfast and trot outside with my doggie co-worker. Custom orders get first priority, and then I finish up any batches of music waiting to get set. Depending on the weather and light I will work in some photographing time. My lunch break consists of a proper walk for the dog and me, something to eat and then I practice violin for an hour. After that it’s back to work! I use the afternoon for all my “computery” tasks. This might be listing new inventory on Etsy, editing photos, responding to customer emails, or any other number of things. I try to end my days around five or six o’clock, but it all depends on how much I have to do.

6. Where do you get your inspiration?

I have always been fascinated by found objects and the histories and stories you can build around them. Old postcards, photographs, calling cards, buttons, keys, lace and ribbons….all little, every day, objects that once meant something special to someone but are now relics of an age past. Sheet music in particular is magical because it embodies the intersection of all my passions: music, art, and history. Really though, inspiration can strike anywhere. Lots of my favorite tv shows such as Downton Abby, Boardwalk Empire, Mr. Selfridge all supply fodder for my work. A trip to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the arboretum, or even picking up my violin or autoharp are all activities that can get me out of a creative rut as well.

7. What’s your creative process like?

I like to sit down with a big stack of sheet music and go through piece by piece. I look for words and phrases that either strike a chord with me (hah, no pun intended), or I think would potentially interest my customers. I try to use every part of the sheet music, so illustrations, advertisements, lyrics, and notes are all potential components of my jewelry. As I cut the sheet music I try to loosely associate a feeling with how I want the piece to turn out. The kind of emotion I want to evoke will dictate the setting, embellishments, and finish of each piece.

8. How do you balance family and business?

I don’t know if I so much balance family and business so much as I strong arm my husband into taking part in my business! Since he’s at school during the day I try to get the bulk of my work done so that when he gets home we can hang out and enjoy dinner together. During the summer when I am busy with shows he is right by my side. I really value the fact that I can do what I love and not only have his support, but also his company on those days when it’s slow and I just need someone to chat with!

9. What advice would you give to someone who would love to do something similar to you and make a living from handmade jewelry?

I would hope it goes without saying, but first and foremost do not expect to get rich (at least not quick!). Aside from that, you just need to be willing to put yourself out there. This can be hard if you’re shy or afraid of rejection, but it’s really important. Apply for shows even if you think they’re too hard to get into because you never know. Make connections with other artists and jewelers. Be proactive and find boutiques you think should be carrying your jewelry. Success isn’t going to come find you, you have to go find it!

10. What’s been the most difficult thing about building your creative business?

Probably building momentum without burning out. This is something I still struggle with as I try to find a balance. There are inevitably slow times, and figuring out how to plan ahead and continue to grow during these periods can be challenging. On the flip side, when there are incredibly busy times it can be hard to sustain the momentum.

11. What’s the best creative business advice you’ve ever received?

This is a tough one, as I’ve gotten so much great advice from other artists and crafters over the years. One thing that has really stuck with me though is what my friend told me once: don’t undervalue yourself. To me, that has meant not only pricing my work for a fair profit, but also budgeting my time realistically and learning to say “no” in some cases.

12. If you had to pinpoint one thing that has helped your business more than anything in the past year, what would it be?

Investing in education! I used to have a chip on my shoulder about needing to be self-taught about everything. Once I realized that I would never be able to grow without SOME kind of guidance, I got real and invested in some classes. My first experience was with April’s Six Weeks…course. It was like a magic key that unlocked this whole other section of my brain. Suddenly new ideas were pouring in, but even better, I had the resources to make them a reality. Shortly afterwards I signed up for a jewelry making class at a local bead shop to learn a technique that I had been struggling to learn on my own. Why did I wait so long?! It totally took my jewelry making to another level. Blogging was another area in my business that I was really struggling with, and when I learned that April offered a blogging course I was quick to jump on that. So rather than feeling “defeated” about needing to invest in education, I found it to be completely empowering; now if there is a skill or area that I want to learn or improve, I know that it is within my reach.

13. What books or magazines are you currently reading?

Right now I’m about half way through “The Duchess” by Amanda Foreman. It’s the biography of Duchess of Devonshire and includes a LOT of historical context, so it’s kind of slow going! It’s interesting though because it shows that the cult of celebrity existed way before TMZ was around!

Also on my nightstand: “Gangs of New York” and “Lady Almina and the real Downton Abbey”

14. What are your top three favorite blogs?

The Mod Cloth blog

The Dainty Squid

Cute Overload

15. What are you currently working on? Anything new coming up?

Oh yes! Being a bit of an antique junkie, I have numerous and extensive collections of vintage ephemera and other found objects. I’m working on starting some new jewelry lines which will incorporate these materials!

Don’t forget to check out Tess’s shop! It’s beautiful.

Would you like to be interviewed on Blacksburg Belle? Check out the details on what and how to submit here.

Comments { 5 }

Website Review: Erin from EEF Designs Reviews Art is Basic

By April on May 21, 2013 in Blogging Advice, Creative Business Development

Hi everyone! I’m Erin and April’s been kind enough to let me hang out on her blog today! She recently posted about my website review giveaway and today I’m here sharing the review with all of you so that you can take these tips and apply them to your own blogs and websites.

I chose Marcia’s blog, Art is Basic, because it’s a great mix of blogging and sharing information. Although she’s not really selling anything, she’s offering great resources to her visitors so I felt like many of these tips would be applicable to both personal blogs and business websites. And like many of us, she’s been at this for a while so she has TONS of information and pages, so getting a handle on all of that content can be quite a task! Here are my recommendations for Marcia’s site:

First impression:

I’m overwhelmed. There’s a lot going on and I’m not sure where to look! Let’s dive in!

1. Header

Your banner text is simple and to the point, but the use of the word blog makes me wonder if there’s a website somewhere else. Typically you should only use the word blog in your title if you also have a website with the same name and the blog is hosted separately, or is otherwise at a different URL. I would drop the word blog and create a simpler header because both the colors and the font just add to the busy-ness of the whole site.

Idea: Use a simple, but cute font like Claire Hand or Vintage One in gray to make a simple but drawn header that will look like it was sketched in pencil, tying in the basics of art to the header.

2. Navigation

Holy moly, you have a lot of navigation–your site is huge! This is one of the reasons that I chose this site to review; when we end up with this much content it can be a challenge to organize it all! I can’t get super in-depth in this review, but I’m going to hit some of the major points so that you can apply them and help get a handle on your navigation!

It’s great that you’ve broken some of your navigation up into the sidebar, since the links in your sidebar are relating more specifically to YOU, I’d also move “about me” to the sidebar and move the directory to the top menu.

There’s not really a point in having “recent posts” up there since they’re on your home page. Ditch the link!

Okay, for the others you have got some serious drop-downs! I have to scroll the entire page to see the bottom of the Art History one–that’s just too much! You might be able to get away with the Art by Grade Level since it only goes to 6^th grade, but the other two are far too long to really be useable.

In your case I think you should make pages for each of these categories. For example, if you made Art History link to a page where you listed links to all of the post categories it would work really well. And I don’t mean you just have to use boring text links, you could make a sort of gallery with an image for each category that would be the link, just make sure your page doesn’t scroll forever either!

Another option would be to re-evaluate whether you actually need ALL of those categories or if some could be combined. I’m not an art expert, but for example, perhaps Alaska and American Art could be combined and Alaska could become a tag instead of a category. It would still be searchable on your site, and you could convert the tag back to a category later if you end up with a lot of Alaska posts, but would help simplify your navigation.

Tip: Tags are great for sub sections of a category, and you can always provide links to popular tags in your sidebar.

3. Social Icons

I’d love to see matching icons here–maybe some cute artsy ones that look like paint splatter or something. You might consider moving these up to the header area as well, especially if you end up with a simpler header image.

Here are some free icons I’ve found that you might like:

4. Search

I didn’t even see your search for several minutes–that’s bad! Consider moving it to the top of the sidebar, the header, or the main menu. It’s too hidden where it is right now.

5. Profile Pic

Okay, this has to be moved higher up! You say exactly what your blog is about, but I was on your site for ages before I even read it because it’s too far down and it gets lost. Put it at the top of the sidebar or immediately under your sidebar navigation. Also, consider adding a little more personality to your blurb and linking to your About page with a “read more” or something in the text since it’s not obvious that the image is a link.

6. Archives

Honestly, I don’t know why anyone uses archives like this. Readers rarely ever look for a post by year, they’re going to look by topic. I’d just ditch this completely!

7. Recent posts

I realize this is at least partially your theme, but the recent posts that small with double-sidebars just makes this whole design really cluttered. I’d love to see these the same width as the slider (ditching the right sidebar) with a longer blurb. OR, still ditching the right sidebar, more square with two next to each other and the titles below the images.

8. Share buttons

I hate to say it, but readers rarely, if ever, share based off a little blurb. If you can remove the share buttons from the excerpts I’d recommend that (uncheck “Show buttons on Front Page”). If you really don’t want to ditch the share buttons, go into your options and make them “Icon Only” so that they take up less room and hopefully all fit on one line. This will help clean up some of the clutter!

9. Sidebar and follow options

First, all follow options should be put together, so combine them with your Twitter, Facebook, etc. on one sidebar and use matching icons for all of them.

Second, and I already mentioned this, I’d ditch this entire sidebar so that your content has more room to breathe. There’s not a lot in this sidebar, and everything you NEED should all fit in one sidebar. Try to re-organize and evaluate whether you actually need everything currently in your sidebars (I actually recently wrote an article about this here).

10. Slider

I like your slider and how you use it to feature posts! I would probably get rid of the thumbnails underneath though since you don’t really need them. You might also want to remove the date from the title. Why? Because then you could link to older articles (that are still relevant) and draw traffic to content you’ve already created, but that newer readers may have missed.

Additional Tips

Okay, I’ve already hit my 10 points, but here are a few other tips:

Make sure all your buttons and images in your sidebar are the same width, it looks a lot better and more organized!
While I think featured post excerpts can be great on the main page, the additional articles don’t make me want to click them at all–I’d rather see 4 featured posts with images and then FULL articles on the archive pages for browsing.
Don’t forget your footer. It’s great that you’ve included your disclaimer and copyright, but you could also use the footer as a place to feature other posts, remind visitors to follow you, or a last-chance to get them to sign up for your newsletter!

Mobile Responsive Testing

Not bad, but not great. You do have a mobile version of your site which I checked out on my phone and it worked well. Unfortunately, I don’t know that it will work for every possible device so it’s nice to have a site that resizes properly without relying on an app or plugin.

Tip: Check out your site with Studio Pressís Responsive Tester

As you can see, it’s pretty wonky on a portrait iPad-sized screen. I realize that’s probably the theme and not anything you did to it, but assuming your mobile site app doesn’t automatically work on every tablet/phone, your visitors will have trouble viewing your site and might miss (or might not want to click) your mobile site link at the bottom.

Since you offer some great resources for teachers who may be using iPads in their classrooms, I’d definitely make sure your website looks great on an iPad! Borrow one from a friend if you don’t have one, and play around with your site until you’re sure that it’s easily accessible.

Tip: When the screen gets really narrow, most mobile-responsive designs will re-order your content into a single-column in this order: Header, Navigation, Left Sidebar, Content, Right Sidebar, Footer. To avoid your content getting pushed too far down (and without coding your own design) consider using a right sidebar only so that your content appears before the sidebar OR consider only including additional navigation/search bar in your left sidebar. Either of these options will ensure that your content isn’t pushed down below affiliate links or anything else that will take visitors off your site before they even see your posts!

Browser Testing

Looks great on Chrome/Firefox/IE. Hooray!

Final thoughts

You have obviously put a LOT of work into this website! I can tell you love sharing art and you’ve built a great resource for teachers and parents. I think cutting back on the clutter and keeping the focus on the content will make it easier for your visitors to find what they’re looking for, and simplifying the navigation may make it easier for you to manage too!

*****

I hope this evaluation was helpful to Marcia and all of you reading Blacksburg Belle! Now don’t just sit there, take these tips and apply them to your own blog or website!

Want more? Follow my design blog, sign up for design tips in your email, or visit my personal blog!

Thanks for reading!

-Erin

Comments { 6 }

Giveaway: 5 Books to Boost Your Business

By April on May 20, 2013 in Giveaway

Give your business a solid boost with these five books:

1. The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

2. Start With Why by Simon Sinek

3. The Fear Project by Jaimal Yogis

4. Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

5. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath

Want to be the winner of these five books? All you have to do is leave a comment below by Friday, May 24th at 5pm EST telling me the best business book you’ve ever read.

I’ll choose a winner randomly among all entrants and contact that person on Saturday, May 25th {as well as announce who won right here on this post}. Make sure you use your correct email address when leaving your comment so I can contact you for your mailing address if you’re the winner.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

The randomly chosen winner is Dana who said: “My favorite is The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. Awesome advice for business and for life. I read and re-read it constantly. Erin, I’ll have to try The Anti 9-5 Guide! I’m looking for something good to read on vacation.”

Comments { 58 }

Date Night: Sunday Sushi

By April on May 19, 2013 in Date

Comments { 2 }

Baked Ziti: Vegan and Gluten-Free

By April on May 18, 2013 in Main Course, Recipe

Pasta is the ultimate comfort food, and when I realized I was allergic to gluten, I freaked when I thought it meant the end of pasta for me.

My husband and I have experimented with every type of gluten-free pasta we could find. Some are delicious and some are awful. Don’t stop if you’ve tried one that you don’t like–just move on to another until you find some that tickles your toes.

When we cook this baked ziti, we make a big batch and enjoy it for a few days along with large salads.

Ingredients:

2 packages of ziti pasta, gluten-free

1 tablespoon of EVOO

28 ounces crushed tomatoes with basil

8 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 pound extra firm tofu, pressed and crumbled

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 ½ teaspoons white miso

1 lemon, juiced

½ teaspoon black pepper

pinch of nutmeg

2 cups of Daiya shredded mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup bread crumbs, gluten-free

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a sauce pan, heat the EVOO on medium-low. Add six of the minced garlic cloves and infuse the oil. Do not let the garlic burn.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano and thyme and stir. Cover and simmer on medium-low for 20-25 minutes.

4. Cook the pasta. Drain the pasta one to two minutes before the package directions states, because it’ll cook more in the oven and you don’t want the pasta to overcook and start to fall a part. {If you’re not using gluten-free pasta, you don’t need to undercook it. You can follow package directions.}

5. While the pasta is cooking and the sauce is simmering, make the tofu ricotta.

6. In a medium bow, mix together the two remaining minced garlic cloves, parsley, nutritional yeast, white miso, lemon juice, black pepper and nutmeg .

7. Crumble the tofu in the bowl and mix well.

8. In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup of Daiya mozzarella cheese and the bread crumbs. Set aside.

9. In a 14″ by 9.5″ oven safe dish, combine the pasta, sauce, tofu ricotta, and the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.

10. Top it with the bread crumb/mozzarella cheese combination.

11. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Then, turn on the broiler for four to five minutes, until the top has browned.

Comments { 4 }

For the Weekend: Margarita Showdown

By April on May 17, 2013 in Adult Beverage, Recipe

For Cinco de Mayo, my mother-in-law came over for mushroom and asparagus tacos and a little margarita tasting. I made a homemade margarita and compared it to two Skinny Girl cocktails: the regular margarita and the white peach margarita. I didn’t drink, so I had to rely on my husband and mother-in-law to decide which kind was the best.

For option 1, we have the White Peach Margarita by Skinny Girl {Don’t serve this one with salt like I did! Big mistake.}:

For option 2, we have the homemade margarita:

And, for option 3, we have the regular Margarita by Skinny Girl {which happens to be one of my favorite summertime cocktails}:

My husband and mother-in-law unanimously decided the winner was the homemade margarita:

For the homemade margarita, you’ll need:

tequila {we used 1800}, triple sec, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions:

1. Make the simple syrup. Place one cup of water and the one cup of sugar in a small sauce pan. Heat on medium-high and stir constantly until the sugar has melted completely. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. Combine the lime juice, lemon juice and simple syrup together. We put ours in a mason jar. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

3. Rim the glass with salt using lime juice and salt.

4. In your glass, add a few cubes of ice, 1 and 1/2 to 2 ounces of tequila, 1/2 ounce of triple sec, and fill to the top with juice/simple syrup concoction. Enjoy!

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Megan Petersen on how her childhood led her to beading and how she runs her business while working full-time

By April on May 16, 2013 in Interview

1. In a sentence or two, could you tell us what you do?

I create jewelry and hair accessories for ladies who like to express their artistic and wild side. My one-of-a-kind pieces aren’t made to blend in or help girls stay invisible.