letting our message dictate our direction ...

We know that the internet is gigundo immense and that selling things here and creating a business here requires niche thinking.

(niche as in not everybody is going to love us - sniffle - and that is ok, more than ok in fact - it is necessary -

and this is actually a life lesson the internet has reflected back to us that we should have learned in grade school, but if you were like me you were maybe absent that day decorating plastic headbands with puffy paint)

This thinking isn't about our target market or our products or anything as tangible at any of that.

Niche thinking is all about our message.

And I am not really talking about the finding our voice thing that comes with or without the many off-key choruses of do-re-mi when we are alone in the shower.

This message is the very root of our business, the essence really - the part that all things amazing spring from

(and spring is not the right word here, because maker's makings do not "spring" - they meander like weeds in all kinds of directions while we run around behind them with trimmers and miracle grow until we have ... something)

the roots that define why we do what we do and when we get this part straight - and get a focus on this 

then deciding which makings to make, which people to connect with, how to attract our peeps and how to get in the money flow with this thing we have made becomes alot easier.

(and if we are thinking we are doing this to be making money, well, there are lots of things we could be doing to be making money - why are we doing this thing)

* does this poster .... print by 618love

Happy Memorial Day Weekend All - summer is official

This photo makes me want to put all the politicians everywhere into a room and spin them around and poke them with sticks until they get their heads and priorities straight - yes, that includes you Mr. Obama.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend - hubs and I had a nice dinner out last night that actually included a for-real photographer taking a picture of us.

He, of course, looks like he fell out of the Brooks Brothers catalog. I look wild-eyed and unkempt, like I’d arrived at the restaurant by clinging to the bottom of the car.

(I may link to this pic one day ... but I would have to be bribed with a new pair of gladiator sandals and a years supply of Bobby's Burger Palace sweet potato fries and I am thinking that none of you have access to these things so my secrets are safe for now)

xo all

caine's arcade - do what you love and the money ... and the flash mobs will follow - jealous maker tuesday without the jealous maker

This is the story of how Caine Monroy’s hand-built cardboard arcade in his father’s auto parts store led to a flash mob, a $60,000 scholarship fund and an inspiration to makers everywhere to do what we love!

(I especially love how his game pays off in tickets for his customers when they win - pure genius!)

Upcycled Mail Caddy Tutorial - Vintage Book & Dough Kneader

This is an easy peasy little mail caddy you can make with a vintage dough kneader and old book - I think this old stenographer's manual is perfect for office/studio mail!

(it unexpectedly ended up looking a bit like a giant mousetrap which is only a plus, since you know what they say about building a better mousetrap)

gather your supplies and your trusty drill - remember drilling into paper is kind of like starting a fire so unless you want your smoke detector going off or some possible eyelash loss (not that this has happened to me) - drill slowly

1. lay out your kneader with your pipe hangers and mark your holes 2. drill your book - I drill all the way through and then use screws that will be just a tiny bit shorter than the book depth 3. screw in your pipe hangers 4. add your mail - this would also make a great kitchen upcycle with an old recipe book and some recipe cards