This first day of the Summit of Awesome in Baltimore was a total blast! We want to thank all of our super amazing attendees, volunteers and speakers for coming to make it a success.

The morning began with registration and a chance to craft your own name badge or project in the Make Something Awesome Area.

We then started the first morning sessions: Branding and Identity with Jeffery Everett; Making the Not-So-Fun Stuff Easier So You Can Save Time and Sell More with Willo O’Brien; Screen Printing with Christy Petterson; Unblocking Your Creativity with Danielle Maveal and Community, Mafias, and Street Teams with Rachel Bone, Jen Menkhaus and Isaac Watson, as seen to the right.

Next was the lunch and Craftnote with BUST co-founders Debbie Stoller and Laurie Henzel on the topic of DIY or Die: How We Started and Maintained Our DIY Business for 18 Years and Counting, as seen below. They talked about the early days of BUST (when it was just a zine!) and Debbie’s first job at Nickelodeon (helping transcribe the script of Hey Dude).

Following that were the first afternoon sessions and workshops: Shameless Self-Promotion with Debbie Stoller and Laurie Henzel; Craft Fair Organizing with Rachel Bone and Andrea and Robert Tucker; Crafting Green with Becky Striepe and Shannon Mulkey; Licensing 101 with Jeffery Evertt and Jon Wye and Etsy Shop Critique with Danielle Maveal.

The next afternoon sessions followed with: Reverse Applique with Shannon Mulkey; Let’s Gocco Like It’s 2004! with Rania Hassan; Nerdy Tech: Understanding SEO and Analytics with Tara Gentile;  How to Use Light in Your Product Shots with Miranda Lievers; The Press: How to Get and Deal with Coverage with Kelly Rand and Christine Ernest and Pitch Your Craft Book with Kate McKean.

Finally, the last afternoon sessions were: Make Your Own Body Scrub with Kasey and Kelly Evick; Show Me the Money! with Caitlin Phillips; Blogs, Books and Magazines, Oh My! with Kate McKean, Lish Dorset and Kari Chapin; Legalities of Starting Your Business with Diane Leigh Davison MLA and Etsy Shop Critique with Danielle Maveal.

If you have photo from the Summit please add them to the Summit of Awesome Flickr group or to the Hello Craft Facebook page.

The 3rd annual Summit of Awesome kicks off today and we couldn’t be more excited! If you’re attending, make sure to check out our updated schedule here, as floor and speaker changes have been noted.

Also, if you couldn’t make it but want to follow along online on Twitter please follow the hashtag #summitofawesome for updates from the Hello Craft Directors and attendees.

Now excuse us while we continue last minute prep for all the awesomeness to come today.

Congrats to our winners of the Etsy giveaway, Meg Murray and Jett Superior chosen by the True Random Number Generator on Random.org.

We hope you’re sufficiently excited for the Summit of Awesome! Got your pass? Reviewed the schedule and speaker line-up? Then you know a challenge awaits: deciding which sessions to attend.

Don’t worry. We’re here to help. This post includes suggested sessions that focus on one of the following areas:

Business Operations and Management
Sales, Revenue Streams and Profitability
Branding, Marketing and Promoting Your Business
Craft Shows
Handmade Community
Publishing for Handmade Businesses

First, consider where you could use improvement or what areas of focus might have the most impact on your business. Are your business operations in order or could they use some brushing up? Do you enjoy the creative side of your business, but cringe when it comes to sales? Or maybe you’re interested in connecting with and growing your local handmade community. Keep reading- we’ve got you covered.

More after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Sponsored by Etsy, Make sure you’re ready for holiday sales with Etsy’s Holiday Boot Camp

Etsy is sponsoring two 3-day passes to this year’s Summit of Awesome!

Want to enter to win? First check out the schedule and speaker line-up, then leave a comment below (including an email address where we can reach you) telling us the one session, workshop or Craftnote you would be most excited to see. Make sure to include why attending would help your crafty business, increase your inspiration or just be the most fun!

You have until 5pm on this Friday, 10/14 to enter, and winners will be notified that evening. Winners will be responsible for their transportation and accommodations.

Even if you don’t win, Summit passes are still available. Get your three, two or one-day passes today! And make sure you’re ready for holiday sales success with Etsy’s Holiday Boot Camp.

Good luck!

Update: this contest is now closed.

Thinking of attending the Summit of Awesome only on Thursday, October 20? The full schedule is available here, and below here’s a rundown in more details of the first half of Thursday’s line-up.

The morning kicks off at 9:30 a.m. with registration, breakfast and time to make your own name badge at the Make Something Awesome Area. After welcoming remarks, the first morning sessions begin. They last from 10:45 a.m. to 12 noon.

In the workshop Unblocking Your Creativity with Danielle Maveal (pictured at right), you’ll learn how to break through artistic ruts you may find yourself in. Danielle will walk you through some simple techniques designed to get your creative juices flowing again.

The workshop Screen Printing with Christy Petterson will teach you simple screen printing techniques. You will have the chance to try your hand at screenprinting yourself and print a design onto a handkerchief. You may also bring a cotton t-shirt, scarf or tote bag to print on instead if you’d like.

In the session Community, Mafias, and Street Teams with Rachel Bone, Jen Menkhaus and Isaac Watson a discussion will be led on how to connect with your local crafting community. Learn how Etsy Street Teams, Craft Mafias and I Heart Art programs are great ways to get involved and continue your crafty business education. Read the rest of this entry »