Collage Couture is dense with multi-faceted art techniques, pattern traces, and tutorials for the girly-girl and fashion fantasizer within. Most of the projects are inspired by the sketchbooks of fashion designers, and involve sketching or cutting out figurines and their accompanying outfits. There’s a paper doll tutorial, multiple tracings for dress sketchings, and advice on how to use stamping and collaging to create patterned dresses. For those less fashionably inclined, there are also projects for picture frames, inspiration boards and book covers.

Chapter 1 is a pre-requisite before setting up any art supplies, as it outlines techniques for stamping, figure sketching, and cutting out paper clothing that are used in projects featured in the subsequent chapters. The projects are do-able but complex, as most mixed-media projects are, so be prepared to prepare a hefty supply list before starting them, as well.

In terms of detail and writing, collage couture gives explicit but simple instructions. Each step is broken into a manageable task that’s accompanied by an illustrative picture. While many of the projects seem pretty ambitious, the quality of the instructions make them accessible to a slew of ages. If you want to re-create, to a T, the exact project featured, Collage Couture’s instructions are detailed enough to help you do so. But they’re also flexible, and encourage the reader to foster their own creative voice and style.

If your artistic impulses lean towards paper mixed-media and fashion, Collage Couture is rife with a week-long worth of artsy activities. But I do think it caters towards a specific audience. For those who love creating something that’s functional or wearable, this book isn’t for you. However, it could be a useful resource for learning to sketch your designs or to create mood boards and collages that instigate inspiration.

WIN A COPY OF COLLAGE COUTURE

Hello Craft has one copy of Collage Couture to giveaway to a lucky reader! To enter just comment on the post and tell us why you’d like a copy of Collage Couture by next Wednesday, 06/29.

* Update: winner has been notified. Thank you to everyone who entered!*

This weeks picks:

Taking Plastic
Girls Can Tell
Any crafter who can process credit cards on-site will tell you that being able to accept plastic at craft shows definitely helps with sales. However, on the back end of things, sometimes getting to those funds can be a long wait or a headache in the making. Sara Selepouchin, of Girls Can Tell, shares a great info-graphic on her blog that she found through Twitter. The graphic shows the path of your credit card funds though all its twists and turn, in a simple, well laid-out way.

Tell Your Story
The Fiction Project
Calling all zine makers, comic-book writers, diarists, poets and storytellers: The Fiction Project need your work for it’s traveling library show. This project is a fantastic opportunity to tell and shares stories from across the country using text and visual art. The 2011 coast-to-coast tour has been set, and after traveling across the country, the Fiction Project will enter into the Brooklyn Art Library’s narrative collection, archiving all the stories to share with the public. The participation fee is $25 and includes a Moleskine book for you to write in. Each book has its own barcode, which will allow you to see where your book is during the tour, as well as how many times it’s been read…. and that’s pretty darn cool.

Free Business Mentoring
MicroMentor
Whether you’re a part-time crafter just starting to sell at craft shows or you’re an entrepreneur looking to open up your first boutique, having a concrete business plan is a must. While there are lots of friends to consult and lawyers to deal with, it’s best to be able to talk to someone who has had success in the business world, and can help get you started on the right path. That’s where MicroMentor come in. This free, online service connects business professionals (who donate their time and knowledge), with entrepreneurs, to share one-on-one advice to help build successful businesses. This is a great resource for anyone looking to grow their business as well as their revenue streams.

Handmade Snow Ice Cream
Crafting a Green World
With a blanket of snow rocking the Northeast, this timely article on Crafting a Green World share awesome tips and links on how to upcycle the abundance of white stuff to make your own yummy snow ice cream. The recipes are pretty simple and you probably own all the ingredients already (coffee creamers, vanilla extract, etc). This is a fun and inexpensive crafting activity for kids and adults alike.

Smartphones and Business
Small Business Trends
Business mobility is becoming a necessity. Between credit card-taking devices, business apps and social networking, there is no limit to how much of your business your can conduct on the road… which comes in handy during the busy if not crazy summer craft fair season. In this Small Business Trends article, TJ McCue, dishes on tips and programs you can utilize with your smartphone to help you save money on your business while on the road. For those constantly on the craft fair circuit, this is a great way to stay in touch and conduct business matters on the cheap.

Neat-O Book
N.E.E.T. The Book
N.E.E.T. Magazine has been an online fixture in the handmade community since 2005. To celebrate its 5th-year anniversary, the magazine has come out with a retrospective book by 5 writers, who highlight 5 people, 5 shops, 5 bloggers, 5 photographers and 5 homes. For anyone in the indie crafting biz, you’ll recognize at least a few names and get swept up in the cute design and layout of the book. The same book can be bought in either the hardback or the cheaper soft cover versions, as well as relish in the choice of cover art from 5 different artists.

This weeks picks:

Pop-Up Shop
Crafty Wonderland Pop-Up Shop
Portland, Oregon is a hub for awesomeness and the Crafty Wonderland Pop-Shop is no exception. The amazing ladies of CW have put together the cutest, temporary store selling handmade goodness from more than 80 vendors. The store has been in full swing since mid-November with special happenings every weekend including art shows and tastings. We recommend stopping by this  Thursday, from 5-7pm, for the Crafty Holiday Happy Hour! The Crafty Wonderland Pop-Up Shop is located at 802 SW 10th Ave. in Portland, OR.

Get Skills
Discount classes at the 3rd Ward
If you live in NYC and have any sort of creative inkling or you need help getting your hands dirty, the 3rd Ward is where you should be. This member-based art and design center in Brooklyn houses multiple photo studios, a professional wood & metal shop, a fully loaded digital media lab, a jewelry studio and lots of shared & private work space. To help you get to making, the 3rd Ward is offering 10% off a bunch of their classes starting in early January. Whether it’s learning serious stuff like HTML or Final Cut Pro, hands-on classes from sewing to oil painting, or the cool workshops that will get you instant street cred like jailbreaking your iphone, you can learn it all for very reasonable prices.

In the News
Handmade-goods movement goes corporate, by David A. Keeps
Chain stores like Urban Outfitters and Target have been preying on the street trends of young hipsters for years (think cupcakes and Shawn White). So it should be no surprise that more and more corporate companies are trying to tap into the insanely successful independent handmade community, to increase their hip factor along with sales. Writer David A. Keeps puts this all into perspective in his L.A. Times article that pits the independent craft fairs of L.A.  against the box stores like West Elm and CB2.  Keeps’ article is a good read that shows just how far our community has come, but also begs the question- Is outsourcing one inevitable part of indie success?

The Cutest Mail Ever
World’s Smallest Post Service
Although holiday mailings can get tedious with all the back and forth to the post office, waiting in line, buying envelopes, remembering addresses, etc., there is no denying that receiving mail (the good kind), in this digital age, is still exciting and joyful. So once the craze of the holidays is over, don’t give up on the snail mail world! The World’s Smallest Post Service is here to serve your itty bitty letter needs in the tiniest, cutest way possible. Postmaster Lea Redmond sets up her little roaming office in cafes and shops in the San Francisco bay area and beyond, and offers her teeny tiny letter transcription service to passers-by. You can also order services via her website and check out all her other cool tiny projects. Viva la petite snail mail!

Government Money
New small business loans approved in ‘minutes’, by Catherine Clifford
For those trying to pave their way to be their own boss, start-up funds are important, yet sadly not always accessible. But help is on the way, as explained by Catherine Clifford in this CNN Money post. The SBA has recognized the funding issues that many have with the big banks, and is working on 2 initiatives to help serve start-ups. One cuts the paperwork burden, bringing the approval time for small business loans down to minutes or one business day, and the other initiative aims to get SBA-backed loans to under-served communities. Aside from explaining these initiatives which will start on March 15th, this article also comes with a short video that should be inspiring for those looking to start their own business with little funding but lots of big ideas.

Call for Crafts
Indie Fixx Galleria
The Indie Fixx Winter Galleria is now accepting accepting applications. This seasonally curated/juried online gallery showcases handmade and vintage goods from individual makers and boutiques. You can check out the current selection of items in the the Holiday Galleria, which will be up until January 6th. The Winter Galleria is set to run from January 15 – March 15, which is a great time to promote your craft online, since it’s during the down-time from craft shows. The small cost of $40 to have your wares featured for 2 months on this indie craft powerhouse site makes this an awesome and accessible promotional outlet.

Last Minute Poster Gifts
Poster Cabaret
No matter how old you are, you can still bank on Aunt Edna or Grandma Betty to send you a holdiay check for $10 that you’re never sure what to do with.  Well, combine those awkward family checks together and get yourself some truly amazing wall art at the Poster Caberet this year. This online gallery is a great place to check out a variety of intriguing handscreened posters and prints from more than 75  top designers and artists from across the globe. With great prices and a huge selection, you can support super talented poster artists such as past Crafty Bastards vendors, Brainstorm Print + Design and Nate Duval.  And best of all, this website is simple and void of clutter so that the focus of the site remains the posters, prints and artists.

This weeks picks:

Online Magazine
UK Handmade Winter Issue
If you’re curious about what’s going on in the handmade community across the pond, this lovely online  magazine is worth a read. Their winter issue is a great place to get crafty ideas for yourself as well as your digs. Check out their latest winter issue for holiday crafting ideas.

Craft Show
Craftland Shop
This annual holiday shop is a favorite stop for many Rhode Islanders during the holiday season. At this month-long store, shoppers can get their mittens on super cool handmade goods from 170 artists. If you’re in the area be sure to register for their Farm Fresh RI Arts + Eats event, only $20 and includes yummy food and booze. Craftland Shop is located at 235 Westminster Street, Providence RI 02903.

Buy This
Boxsal
I love when functionality meets cute in a nice, neat way. Which is why I’m in love with Boxsal. This Texas-based company creates eco-friendly picnic boxes made from post-consumer waste. Their boxes are not only printed with stylish, clean designs, but they contain everything you need to have a a picnic wherever, whenever. And best of all- the utensils that come with the boxes are all compostable, making this a cute and environmentally-sound holiday gift.

Book Event
Pitch for Chairity
Ever dreamed about writing your own book? The folks at Chronicle Books might be able to help you out. This Wednesday, December 8th, from 3-5 p.m., go to their San Francisco office to pitch your book idea. You’ll receive in-person feedback from a Chronicle Books editor, and if they like what they hear and the project is a match, you might have a new career as a Chronicle author. This is an exciting offer from a great publishing company, so take a chance and get out there! A suggested donation of $10 will go to Habitat for Humanity.

PR for Hire
Miss Modish
One of our favorite Summit of Awesome speakers and blogger of all things kitch has a PR Firm geared toward us independent makers. Modish creator Jenna Coray has started Miss Modish- her own firm that can help those in the indie biz with all of their social networking and marketing needs, as well as general consulting and banner ad design. Coray is a true blogging force in the handmade community, so check Miss Modish out.

Secrets of Success
Keri Smith
As we all bounce around from one project to another, and from craft show to craft show, it’s easy to get lost in the stress fray and lose sight of the joys that got you started making stuff in the first place. In her 11/27 blog post, illustrator Keri Smith dishes on the mental tools that creative folks need to be successful and keep their success. This post is crazy peaceful, and although it was originally geared towards students in her Illustration class, her words of wisdom should ring true for every type of crafter.

The Future of Social Networking
TechCrunch
We all know that Facebook will take over the world even after the zombie apocalypse has come and gone, but who will it share its throne with? This and other questions (for the pre-zombie apocalyptic future), are discussed in the last installment of this TechCrunch series by Mark Suster.  As a majority of folks in the handmade community need to be on one networking platform or another to stay in business, it’s important to know where this information highway is headed. Suster points out some possible prospects that you can bet we’ll start to see within the next few years.

I was lucky enough to help man the Hello Craft booth at Crafty Bastards this past October (if I met you there, hi again!) Craft-In, a set of 12 project booklets for craft parties, was enticingly displayed on our table that day as part of an awesome giveaway that was connected to our newsletter. With it’s unique packaging and intriguing concept, it immediately caught my eye, and I spent the whole afternoon waiting for a few quiet moments so I could check it out. At one point I was so itchy to get my hands on it, that I considered ducking behind a nearby trash can to get away from the madness and casually peek at the book (Weird, I know.) Thankfully, I managed to restrain myself (and spare my fellow Hello Crafters embarrassment), and the generous publishers at Lark Books sent us a copy a few weeks later. In the end, I was able to experience Craft-In at my leisure — as this awesome box set should be — and with nary a trash can in sight.

At first gander, Craft-In looks more like a decorated box than something you’d find at a bookstore, which I think is what originally piqued my curiosity. As with any item, packaging is key! But it’s what’s inside that counts and keeps you hooked, and in this way Craft-In does not disappoint.

Once you slide out Craft-In’s contents you will find a mini library of artfully illustrated booklet tutorials that range from sewing projects to advice on cupcake decorating. The diversity of the projects is all inclusive, with ideas for paper enthusiasts, fans of yarn and other fibers, and even moss lovers (sneak peak: there’s a build your own terrarium project!) They’re all meant as ideas for crafting parties, or projects you could do with a gaggle of friends. However, they’re also perfect activities if you find yourself solo and with ample free time on a rainy day.

Each booklet features one project, thoughtfully imagined by an experienced crafter. The contributors are all successful and established in their own right. Each have paid their dues in the trenches of the handmade industry by marketing and selling their wares, managing their own businesses, honing their skills, and inventing their own projects (cupcake decorator included — she runs her own bakery.) Basically, they know what they’re talking about, and their enthusiasm, passion and expertise about their specific craft shows through each detailed tutorial.

Easy to pack and go, each mini booklet is twelve pages or less in length, and feels more like a small 9” x 6” magazine than a bulky bound book. They’re easy to slip into the Craft-In box set, or to bring sans packaging to pass around the craft table at gatherings.

The booklets open up to brief biographies of the crafters/contributors, which lends an immediate feeling of personality and a down- to-earth conversational voice to each project. This is no generic “Crafting for Dummies”, nor is it a formal and dry manual for installing your DVD player. It might sound silly, but the easy-breezy tone definitely makes the reader less intimidated (if you’re a beginning crafter), and more eager to jump into the projects these contributors so thoughtfully write about. It’s like having your own friendly personal tutor staring up at you from a colorfully designed page, warmly encouraging you to get started.

The writers are also completely aware that you’ll be reading and completing the projects without them peeking over your shoulder for in person, real-time assistance. As such, each tutorial is written in a concise but very detailed way, that makes sure to cover the bases and answer any questions that could come up along the way. While reading the booklets is definitely fun, they don’t skimp on useful information and advice.

As for general layout, graphics and style, I could definitely tell that the booklets were arranged by experienced crafters who’d read enough awful tutorials to know what works and what doesn’t. Images and their accompanying text do an excellent job illustrating and breaking down the steps of each process simply and clearly. This clarity immediately makes each craft seem do-able and fun from the onset. Even skills and materials I had little experience with were un-intimidating because of the relaxed and accessible way these booklets present them.

Now to the main and best point of Craft-In — the parties! If you want to plan a get together, or just manage your personal crafting time, the book has you covered there as well (naturally.) The beginning of each tutorial includes time estimations for each project, supply lists, and various helpful hints to consider practicing before getting started.  This is definitely useful when planning how and when to begin a project, and whether or not to organize it as a full afternoon soiree or short evening get together. And another ingenious and completely charming detail is that some of the booklets include recipes and music listening ideas! These personal suggestions are meant to add general cheer, and to encourage good times at your craft-ins. If nothing else, you’ll at least get a few killer cupcake recipes to add to your baking repertoire (or to beg someone to make for you.)

Craft-In is meant for craft gatherings, but the beauty of this box set is that it’s for one and for all. It’s also a great idea for the holiday season when crafting en masse could motivate you to fill your orders, or get the ball rolling on that amazing new line you’ve been putting off.  Seriously, go out and grab it, and then get crafting (in)!

Lark Books is having a Craft-In giveaway! Click here to enter to win a copy of Craft-In and a crocheted cactus that’s featured in the book.

Have any craft party stories or experiences that you’d like to share? Thinking about throwing a creative gathering yourself? We always love to hear from you in the comments below!

Crafty Superstar is a business guide to help you achieve the book’s tagline to “make crafts on the side, earn extra cash and basically have it all.” A cast of excellent business-savvy crafters lend their invaluable advice including: Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge, the aforementioned Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching, Olivera Bratich of Wholly Craft!, Heidi Kenney of My Paper Crane, Jessica Manack of Miss Chief Productions, Garth Johnson and Caitlin Phillips of Rebound Designs.

Dobush starts with a very important question. “Should I try to sell this stuff I’m making?” It’s definitely a query to think about along with your expectations such as, “What makes my product stand out from the crowd?” and “Is there an audience for my work?” which is important in terms of monetary gain.

From there, the book is organized by different situations part-time crafters face. It starts with beginner tips like setting up your crafty business including, finding the right name, how to price your product, options to sell on online marketplaces, simple legal advice, different blog platforms to utilize and the importance of good customer service.

Crafty Superstar also boasts information more experienced crafters will find pertinent. Such as tips on selling wholesale by Kati Hanimagi of Oddball Press who said, “My biggest move to generate business in the wholesale market was to attend the National Stationary Show.” Or the pluses and minuses of sponsorship by Cinnamon Cooper of Poise.cc stating, “It’s up to each crafter or organizer to figure out how their brand identity and personal beliefs and business correspond with the business they’re teaming up with.”

Excellent photos and illustrations complement the text making Crafty Superstar a fine investment for visual learners. There are even mini-tutorials such as how to make your own light box out of items found in your home. There’s also a screenshot of an Etsy store and step-by-step directions to setting one up.

All in all, Crafty Superstar is an outstanding source of advice for the part-time crafter. Don’t think of it as a book. Think of it more as an intimate sit down Q&A crafters wish they could have with someone more experienced.

Crafty Superstar by North Light Books is available for $17.99 online or at your local bookstore.

To our honor and surprise, the kind folks at Three Potato Four (owners of a super cute brick and mortar shop in Reston, VA) gave us a totally awesome shout-out in their Go! Place Setting article about their town.

Can you tell we’re blushing?

Awww, shucks. We’re totally bowled over and would like to say a simple: thanks.

Johnson is currently looking for submissions for his book. 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse will feature 21st Century craft and design, all made with recycled, upcycled, repurposed and reused items. Extreme Craft invites designers, artists, visionaries and crafters from all over the world to submit examples of paper and book arts, jewelry, clothing, home and personal accessories, furniture, art, and miscellanea for possible publication.

Help the save environment and inspire idle hands, by sharing your upcycling and recycling craft and design work with Extreme Craft.

The deadline for entries is January 5th, but Johnson is strongly encouraging early submissions. For the details and information downloads, or to post questions and comments,  check out http://extremecraft.typepad.com/extreme_craft/creativereuse.html.