On the move

Within the next week, this blog will be moving to it's new home - nisseworks.com. I will try to keep this as painless - for everyone - as possible. I will keep this blog running for as long as I'm moving posts & comments, but in the new year, it will no longer be my home.

I'm starting a new venture - a shop. My own shop. I will list pieces and products there that aren't available in my ArtFire and Cargoh shops. I need a home for the stationery/design work I'm creating and this seemed like the best solution. I'll probably list a few special pieces, too, like handmade felt toys and such... it's also where I hope to showcase my custom work.

Things are going in a very different - but happily different - direction than I had planned when I started this little handmade adventure earlier this year. I know where I want to end up and the path I was on was not going to help me get there. I'm happy I've made the decisions I have and hope that things keep progressing. Even if it's at a snail's pace.

(and yes, I did mention this previously. this time, it's a definite go.)

Customized creations

This is how my head feels today. Ugh.

I'm sick - again, 3 time in 6 weeks - but thanks to my iPod Touch, I can keep on top of emails and read some pretty fantastic blogs (scoutiegirl - seriously wonderful. Same with design*sponge).

And it's a good thing I can check my emails from under a pile of blankets on the couch. I sold this wallet a few weeks back to a customer in Austin, TX. It was one of my favourites to do - I love the argyle print on this oh-so-soft material and business card holders are a must-have in my life. I've gone through 4 since I started carrying my own earlier this year (3 were 'just because'; 1 ended up being a victim of spilled apple juice in my purse).

This morning, I had an email from the wallet's buyer to do a custom order. This will be the first custom order I've had from someone that I isn't a friend; this will also bring the number of custom orders I've had since mid-August to 6.

I've been very interested in doing custom orders since I started doing this earlier this year. I've tried to research exactly how to do it, how to promote the availability of doing custom work, and the only thing I can come up with is to just say I'll do it. Make sure it's mentioned somewhere, everywhere, I can. Especially with the holidays coming up, custom work should be in demand. Handmade should equal custom; custom should equal one-of-a-kind. And who doesn't want one-of-a-kind pieces? Individuality is a good thing :)

So here's my first official statement & promotion: I do custom work. I can't sew a wedding dress, but if you take a look at one of my shops - ArtFire or Cargoh - or my Facebook page, there may be something that strikes your fancy (even poke around on this blog - I've posted some things I've done for Maddy that might be of interest). I will be totally honest and upfront about what materials I have access to and time frames for completion.

If you would like some info on custom orders, just email me: nisse.works{at}gmail{dot}com. I'll try to get a more 'official' posting up this week for custom orders and what I can offer.

Purposefully repurposing

My parents, Maddy and I went into Winnipeg yesterday to visit my sister and her husband. We haven't seen my sister or her husband since the end of June when she left to go work up north on a couple of archaeological digs, so it was nice to have a chance to hang out and do some shopping.

I have been looking for vintage luggage - specifically, train sets (although, hat boxes would be awesome, too) - for a while now for the craft sales I'm in.  I want to use them to display my wares in a more unique fashion and as transport/storage. I want to stand out in a crowd at a sale and as I'm not a very extroverted person and am pretty unlikely to obviously seek people out to talk to, having an eyecatching - and memorable - display is the best way to bring people to my table.

I went to Value Village in hopes of finding some luggage. I've seen a few online classified ads selling them here in town, too, but wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to end up paying through the nose for them. I didn't find any luggage, but managed to pick up a few random grab-bags of sewing notions, a bag of Fisher Price toys for Maddy - including a camera - and a few sturdy belts I'm going to use as straps on future bags.

And then I found what could be the turning point in my bag business. That coat in the photo? That coat that's 50% lamb wool, 50% camel hair? That coat that is so soft and well cared for that it's a shame it was in a second-hand shop?

$7.99.

I know there are other bag makers out there who only use repurposed materials and they make some pretty amazing stuff. I like working with the materials I have on hand now - mostly cottons and poly-cotton blends - but trying to make something with this, a beautiful and elegant material... well, it scares me.

I have no immediate plans for the coat. When a plan starts to formulate, there's going to be a lot of research put into it. I may have only paid $7.99 for it, but the coat is worth far more than that. I certainly don't want to be butchering it up like a Sunday roast.

Or maybe I'll keep it for special requests. It may come in handy as a nice incentive to get shoppers to sign up for some custom work.