hints :: win a YUDU

We announced last week that Got Craft will be giving away a YUDU to one lucky winner at our Spring show on Sunday, May 2nd. You can read the full announcement and contest details here. Remember, contest closes on April 30th, so start uploading!

A few of you have been asking me for hints and we have been staying pretty tight lipped, but thought we would share a few tips...

1) Check out the photos in our flickr group. Just because somebody has uploaded an image, doesn't mean that you can't go to the same street corner and take another photo.

2) Check poster poles in these neighbourhoods - Kitsilano, Commercial Drive, Main Street

3) Does Your Mother Know?, Capers on 4th, Barefoot Contessa on Main St, Bean Around the World on Main St, Plush on Main, Kitsilano Neighbourhood House, Gene, Solly's on 7th Avenue, IGA on 4th Avenue, Black Dog Video, Jitters Caffe, Arbutus Coffee, Our Town, Britannia High School, JJ Bean on Commercial, Commercial Drive Organics.... some places to check ... you know.. just saying

xx double points xx
If you see our poster covered by somebody elses, please remove it and reposition theirs elsewhere. Take a picture before and after.

contest :: Crafty Superstar

Approximately 3 years ago, Grace Dobush, the author of Crafty Superstar, contacted me to talk about Got Craft and our experiences with both craft vendors and running a craft show. Fast forward to late last year when I started seeing tweets pop up about Crafty Superstar, I knew I had to track down my very own copy. I happened to be at a Borders in San Francisco when I came across a copy and when I saw Got Craft listed in the appendix as a major North American indie craft show along with only two other Canadian craft shows, I was almost squealing down the aisles.

Crafty Superstar is a fun read and great resource for any craft looking to take their crafts to the next level. It includes lots of handy notes including how to approaching media, participating in craft shows, maintaining a personal life, setting up shop and a slew of helpful worksheet templates at the back. Grace also includes her interviews with Faythe Levine from Handmade Nation, Cinnamon Cooper of Poise CC and Vancouver’s own, Lauren Bacon of The Boss of You, who share their advice and experiences.

As a crafter myself, one of the hardest things that I do is pricing my items. Crafty Superstar covers many points on this topic that you need to consider including:
• Customer perspectives
• Expenses
• Time
• Wholesale price (usually 50% of your retail price, so you need to consider this when pricing or you will be in the red)

As a craft show producer, I found myself agreeing along with statements made in this book by Kristen Rask, PR and Marketing Coordinator for Urban Craft Uprising, and her experiences with running their show. The chapter titled “Get Noticed”, gave some insight as to how other shows in the crafting community market themselves as well as tips on ways to successfully contact media outlets and bloggers.

For those new in the crafting community and for those that have a few sales under their belt, I suggest you pick up a copy of Crafty Superstar and share your experiences with others from around the world.

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So you want to be a craft superstar? (sung to the tune of Rock Superstar by Cypress Hill)

Enter to win your own copy of Crafty Superstar by Grace Dobush by leaving a comment below telling us what you make and a crafty business tip! A winner will be chosen by random on April 15th. Please make sure to leave an email address that we can contact you at.

contest :: Yarn Bombing

Hey! Have you made your way over to Granville Online to enter the Yarn Bombing giveaway? That's right. You can enter to win a copy of your very own Yarn Bombing - The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti by Vancouver locals Leanne Prain and Mandy Moore. All you need to do is follow this link and post a comment about the DIY project you're currently working on (or want to start). A lucky winner will be chosen on March 31st, 2010.

Yay! Free stuff!