One of the trends I reported from the CHA Shw (Scroll waaaaayyy down and you'll see it) was a lot of inspiration in baby themed crafts for gifting, decorating and dressing. Retailers can take some inspiration from two recent television references.

One was on the Gilmore Girls (ok, I confess, I like the banter).Lorelei, a woman known in her communicty for crafting, sewing and decorating puts together the baby shower to end all shows for her daughter's friend. One of the activities- all of the guests get to decorate a onesie.

So each guest got to decorate a little tiny onesie with paint. Here's where TV met reality. True to the reaction of most non-crafters but in a crafting situation, some got nervous and "messed" up. If this Inn thing doesn't work out- Lorelei could be a great teacher because she encourged Sally Struthers to turn her mistake into something cute.

Decorating onesies- CUTE idea for a baby shower and an example of how retailers can help create unique celebrations for parties. Stick with embellishment techniques that are bonded to the fabric- Fabric paint is excellent. How about computer generated images that can be ironed on. A little photo of Mimi + PopPop maybe? A photo of dad (or mom) that says My Hero. Or heat transfer letters for unique names? Tie-dyeing techniques.  I would advise having extras on hand in case someone makes a boo-boo.

The other reference I saw was a teaser for an entertainment show on Tori Spelling's  baby shower. If only I could have gotten a closer look there were lots of great gifty ideas to mine there.

I did get a good look at the Sippy Cup Cake that with rows of bottles and cups built up like a wedding cake and tied with wide ribbons. It didn't beat the cellophane-wrapped Washcloth Hoagie I got for my baby shower but it sure was practical!

Women who don't craft any other time love to make clever things for baby and bridal shows. When you see a cute idea, get a picture or sketch and come up with your own version. Display these cute ideas in your store and share them with your local media.

There's nothing better than helping people craft for a baby celebration, well except maybe to babysit later-. Have a great weekend- Beth 

News via Jenny Hart, a founding member of the Austin Craft Mafia:

Craft Congress, the first-ever gathering of the DIY/indie craft movement¹s
leaders will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 31 and April 1,
2007.  The goal is to build connections between the movement's organizers
who have been primarily working in their communities; Craft Congress
attendees will share knowledge and experience, creating a network and
fostering the movement¹s growth.Fifty participants from across the U.S., Canada, (and one from England), will attend this gathering of leaders in the increasingly popular craft subculture.

If you don't know Jenny Hart, she is the designer.creator of Sublime Stitching, an embroidery pattern line promotes as "Not Your Gramma's Embroidery." She is a talented crafter/artist who has done a lot to bring the efforts of young and independent craft designers to the attention of our industry. It doesn't surprise me that she'd be participating in this first ever Congress, Jenny is a woman who celebrates traditional techniques by adding her own spin. She represents a future generation of designers and customers that we have yet to speak to in any direct way.

Craft Congress is organized by the creators of Handmade Arcade,
 Pittsburgh's first indie craft fair, which began
in 2003.  The idea grew from the indie craft community that was forming
across the country, primarily via the internet. Countless websites, web
stores, blogs and forums connect crafters. These new crafters are mostly
young women, in their 20's and 30's, who delight in combining retro images
with traditional craft techniques to produce practical items with an
off-kilter, humorous streak. There is no right or wrong.  If anything, the
movement is defined by its eclecticism.

Fueled by internet relationships, the number of indie craft fairs across the
U.S., has tripled in recent years. Craft Congress' goal is to strengthen the
indie craft community by sharing ideas, experiences and discussing the
future of indie crafting. Portions of the sessions will be podcast for those
who are not able to attend. Participants will discuss best practices and
explore ways to expand their markets, techniques for guerilla marketing,
business challenges, such as big box stores' attempts to rip off the diy
aesthetic.

The press release included this interesting factoid:

A recent survey of 100 indie crafters found that over 25% have recently
switched from part time crafting to full time. Almost 85% report their 2006
sales were up from 2005.

Not all of these indie crafters design patterns, many design their own fashions, jewelry and home accessories. What makes them so interesting to watch from the craft industry perspective is how they are showing a new face of the crafter to their local communities. Typical to their generation they use the Internet to network and connect. They are buying supplies in our stores but they are experimenting with new uses. They are parlaying their passion for crafting into a social network as well as an income generating venture.

Members of these groups are fierce, but only in the context of their name and the belief in the merits of crafting for personal expression. I'm not sure what  "rip off the DIY aesthetic," means but I can only guess it has something to do with backlash against the proliferation of cheap  "handmade crafts made in China."

By just doing their own thing, these indie designers evangelize for crafts. Their events show young people that crafts don't have to be left behind with the Scout sash or that a quilt doesn't have to incorporporate a traditional design. Without any design help fron the craft "industry" these folks have expanded their crafting horizons and are bringing us new converts.

Exciting!- Beth.

The year I was a sophomore year at Drexel University the school made history by requiring incoming freshmen to own a personal computer. This is a common practice today but at the beginning of the 1980s it was pretty radical. We used Macs at DU, my experience for the most part was limited. Admittedly, I quickly learned that clothing alteration services could be exchanged for typing services so I avoided that computer at all costs.

Fast forward 20+ years and I am back in the world of Apple computers, which are frequently used in the publishing world. Podcasts are a new feature at www.cnamag.com and I am learning how to record and edit the podcasts to prepare them for posting. So I contacted my local Apple Store to sign up for a class.

The Apple Store was an unusual and fascinating experience for me. When I first walked in, I wasn't sure what to do or where to go but within seconds a staffer had greeted me and directed me where to wait. that same person checked in with me every few minutes to let me know they would be starting soon (showing me I wasn't being neglected). No worries. I took advantage of the time to observe.

I am not what you'd call an "early adopter" of technology, in most cases I have learned new skills only after being thrown off the deep end.  Just "overhearing" other conversations showed me there were a lot of folks like me in the store. For the most part, the staff of men and women were young - 20s and early 30s but the clientele was diverse on all levels.

When an associate greets you they determine the need and get you signed up for help. You can take the next available appointment, but if you need to run an errand you can sign up at any available appointment. So, you can go grab lunch and know at 1:20p.m. someone will greet you by name and help you.

Clearly this staff was trained to put people at ease and not make them feel stupid because they didn't understand something.   Lucky me, I got a (free) private podcasting lesson which turned into "what did you want to do," and the young man who helped me walked me through and patiently answered my questions. Gauging my uncertainty, he asked a lot of questions about how I used my computer. Now I am signed up for an annual education support program that for less than $100, I get 50 hours of staff time for training or repair. Money well spent aready.

Other neat things-There was a very high staff to customer ratio. Employees were constantly moving and engaging people or checking equipment displays. No hanging about chitchatting.

Employees used handheld credit card scanners, no need to wait in line at the counter, they come to you, do the transaction and boom, you're done. A children's area was set up low to floor so that little ones could just sit down and play a computer game. What better way to show future customers that Apple products = fun.

How can I best describe the mood at that store? Fun and upbeat, not in a silly way but in a "hey I like the people and I got what I needed done kind of way." I felt more confident when I left the store. 

Looking back I have to smile at the savviness of selling me that "help" package. When they sold me that customer service, they also earned dozens of return visits to their store. Sure, I go there with the intent to learn, but then I remember my niece's birthday is next week and she'd love an iTunes gift card and so on and so on-Beth

A large part of my job is tracking trends and to know what is going on in the industry- quashing inaccurate rumors or getting the real story of what is happening. Having served as a media contact for manufacturers and organizations, I am ever aware of how a reputation can be irrevocably tarnished by a comment made in anger.

Often industry friends clue me into some response threads on website forums that are so misguided, and shall I say venomous, that they strike me speechless (That's right... pretty hard to do).

I think forums are a great thing, when used responsibly. They can be an excellent resource for identifying problems with a product or service or at least getting immediate consumer feedback on something. Wise companies monitor key forums to know what their customers are thinking.

What makes me sad when posts to discussion groups are used as a billy club by someone with a personal agenda. Nasty comments made behind the anonymity of a web moniker diminish all of us.

Craft industry companies that offer forums for customers to communicate with each other do it in the spirit of promoting the sharing of ideas and making personal connections. But no matter how many times you say "the editorial comments of this person are not necessarily the views of the sponsor," the negativity is still associated with you.

Friends, just because something appears on a forum or message board, it doesn't make it true. In fact, when I have spoken to companies that have been on the receiving end of the nasty messages, their side of the story is quite different. Consider that there are three sides to every story- yours, mine and the real one- there is a lot of room for interpretation.  Unfortunately it only takes one snarky comment to create a firestorm of negativity.

We are all entitled to an opinion and those opinions will vary wildly, it's how we express those opinions, the choice of vehicle and words that can change a truth into an attack. What you send in an email or what you post on a website can last for years.

It’s a tough call, how strictly do you monitor message boards and how do you determine what is “appropriate?”

What do you think? Have you ever been on the sticky end of a nasty web post? Are you a web site forum moderator who has “seen it all”? How are you monitoring forum posts related to your business? I’d like to hear from you directly. Please share-someone else can learn from your experience and advice.-Beth

 Email me at Beth.Mauro@fwpubs.

I didn't watch much of the Academy Awards last night. I find that the highlights on the morning news give me a good enough snapshot of the event so that I can make small talk later. But the Oscars are on my mind because of how the entertainment industry influences lifestyle trends.

There seems to be a whole industry built up around the Academy Awards and other shows like it. There are the shows before the shows, fashion reports forecasting what may or may not be on the red carpet and then there's the whole segment about the food and decorations at the famous parties that take place after the event.

Obviously, the public is eager for a birds eye view into the lives of entertainers. We want to go into their homes, eat the food they eat, wear similar clothes, style our hair the same way. Oh, and we want to do it on 10 cents on a dollar.

That is where the knock off artists come in. Now in sewing, craft and home decor it is very common for designers to be inspired by something on a movie set or a dress on the runway. Dressmakers have been replicating gowns seen in couture shows and movies ever since newspapers have been printed.

Here's what gets my goat. We glorify the ready-to-wear designers who sit in front of the television set, sketch a dress line for line, race to the studio to source fabric then drape it to manufacture an excellent copy for sale within 48 hours.

I could wax eloquent about intellectual property and how the designer's original idea will make millions of dollars for someone else.  But the issue is that for the most part, consumers think it's perfectly fine to mass manufacture a product that is someone else's original idea.

In an age where intellectual property litigation is on the rise, consumers (for the most part) don't get what the beef is. That's why in our vigilance to combat copyright infringement, there needs to be an educational element. 

That's also why manufacturers tell me that rather than dwell on someone copying their successful products, they make sure they are one step ahead. Invest in a fight over copyrights or invest in R&D for the future? Savvy craft product manufacturers have learned from high profile designers... compete with creativity and leadership.--Beth

Alyson Udell, the high-energy communications manager at Duncan Enterprises shared some consumer profiles that provide an excellent snapshot of the diverse customer base our industry serves. Thanks for letting me share these Alyson!

I am 13 years old.  I am not a crafter…what’s a crafter anyways…oh, wait, I think my grandma does that stuff?!  I love MySpace, my cell phone, my Ipod…my, my, my.  My mom says that the world doesn’t revolve around me, but I know it really does.  Don’t you dare buy me clothes and accessories that my friends have – I’ll be horrified and totally embarrassed.  I want things that express what I’m about…I want to stand out…I want to be seen and heard…I count.

I am 26 years old.  I don’t consider myself a crafter but I love to be creative.  I love fashion but am horrified if I walk into a room and someone is wearing my top.  I love to give gifts, but they must be unique…and with a unique wrapping…and they must have meaning to the recipient.  I work full time, attend grad courses at night and study on the weekends and I find that creativity provides a stress relief.  In just about everything that I do, I strive to do it in a different way than others. 

I am 38 years old.  My family is my life…my life is my family.  I want the best for them and I tend to forget about myself…but I don’t want to forget about myself.  My wardrobe more closely resembles my single days in the 80’s than today’s Chanel, Gucci…or even Isaac Mizrahi for Target for that matter!  I spend more time, energy and money on my home…probably because it’s for my family.  I do love to find unique items for the home, but it’s hard to find them…I want to find the time to be creative and make those unique items…I need projects that are quick and easy.  I want my friends to visit and ask, “Where did you get that”, and be proud to say, “I created it myself”. 

I am 55 years old.  Yes, I’m a boomer!  I am a grandma, but not a granny…please, don’t call me “young at heart”…I am young.  I am redefining what mid-life looks, feels and sounds like in American society.  I am embracing technology…I have email, a MySpace account (to stay in touch with my children and grandchildren), an eons.com account (to stay in touch with my friends), an Ipod, a digital camera…yeah, I’m cool.  I’ve always crafted in some way, but these days, I tend to craft for or with my grandchildren.  I want to pass along my creativity, but I know that my family isn’t crafting in the same way I always have.  Heck, I don’t even want to craft the way I have been!

I find it so interesting how each person is influenced by the place they are in their lives.  Yet we can't assume that as the customer ages, she just rolls over into the next category. Each of the demographic groups represented here:  Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Gen Y and Millenials has a recognizable set of beliefs that will affect their activities as they age. 

The craft industry has TREMENDOUS opportunity to apply target marketing towards specific customer groups. I think we know this. I think we just haven't figured out how to do it with the resources currently dedicated to marketing.

I wonder what would happen if we can pull back from our adherence to the belief that customers constantly need something new (Who trained them to believe that, anyway?) and invest some of those R& D dollars into marketing existing products towards different groups.

I'm not saying to stop new product development, I am saying curtail it a bit and place the investment in consumer development. The "let's just throw it out there and see what sticks" approach isn't going to work anymore. We need to speak to individual customer groups.

Here's an example from another industry to stretch your thinking. Heinz introduced a new version of it's popular ketchup, it is green. Green ketchup. Now my reaction to that was "yuk, gross" but kids love it. And who buys it for the kids, moms who want to make kids happy. One corporate message to the kids- Green ketchup is fun. One message to moms- your kids are going to love it.

Mother Nature certainly isn't showing any love to retailers this Valentine's Day.

When I woke up this morning ice was falling from the sky- little pellets that look like the stuff you put into bean bag chairs. It's so bad that from the Midwest, East, companies were forced to close for the day or at least let employees work from home.

Of course if you're in the craft industry you could look at this icy mess as a blessing in disguise. After all, snow days, particularly the messy ones where sledding isn't any good or the wind chill factor is too intense, call for family crafting. In my house it was dad who got to pull out the paints and foam stickers, an activity that I am sure was repeated in households across the country.

I  must have the heart of a retailer because even as I was looking at the pristine blanket of bright snow, all I could think of were the retailers who depend on Valentine's Day to make their first quarter. The florists that have been working 24/7 for days. Or the candy shops who won't have another big season until Easter. My heart just goes out to them.If only the snow could have waited two more days!

I think Valentine's Day is one of those occasions that our industry doesn't capitalize on enough.The cardmaking opportunities alone are immense! Most every grade school child has a party at school that day. Cards and treats are part and parcel of the celebration. In more and more cases though, schools are asking for non-candy treats.

Of course I wanted a craft product solution for my son's Valentine's Day Party and ended up with a little rubber stamp set with small stamps and an inkpad. Very cute, not too girly and fun for snowy days like today. But there weren't many choices of little gifty things in the one dollar range ( I needed 24 and it sure adds up when your preschool celebrates everything under the sun).

It got me thinking. Parties for kids are a big deal and now goody bags aren't just an add-on, they're expected. And let me tell you, the kids compare goody bags. The whole party favor thing (birthday or school party) could be a great year round niche for a retailer. Look for items that you can resell for $1 or less, you need things for boys, girls and both. Stickers, paints, brushes. novelties, jewelry, totes- things that have value compared to other things found in the party favor aisle.

You'll need easily accessible bins of each and they need to be well-stocked because parents will need quantities of a half-dozen or more. This is where you can take advantage of promotional goods. There's no reason why you have to have refillable items- when they're gone they're gone.

Then you need to advertise it ALL the time so people think to come to the craft store instead of the Dollar Store.

Having a party favor endcap may create some traffic with non-crafters who you can upsell with seasonal merchandise or home decor products. It must work, Target puts their bins at the front of the store.  $1 is a nice round number when it comes to favors..... if you could keep that product turning it will become a destination area for customers of all ages.- Beth

Yesterday our family visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a fun day out. If you find yourself in Philly and you have a few hours to spare, I encourage you to check out the museum, which is possibly more famous for that image of Sly Stallone's Rocky running up the steps than it is for it's wonderful collections of painting, sculpture and decorative arts.

The Museum offers free entry on Sundays between 10-1 and there were lots of families taking advantage of the offer. In addition to the free admission, the museum was holding a series of events geared towards children. The first event involved a reading of the story Snowy Day followed by a craft project it started at 10:15a.m.

We were in line by 10:03 and still were closed out of the session. It seems that the Museum's children's arts & crafts classes often sell out and savvy parents have figured out how they can register in advance for these sessions. So getting admission to a craft program may be likened to securing a seat at the Super Bowl.

No matter. We spent the time exploring the nooks and crannies of the museum. I so enjoyed seeing the children interact with the art. For the most part kids were just itching to touch the painting and sculpture. In snippets of conversations you'd overhear kids saying "I don't like the red one because I like blue better." Or, "Mom, Lindsey says that is a horse but I think it is a tiger."

My son, who was having a ball galloping through the Asian temple past the Warhol Brillo Boxes en route to a Pollock stopped dead in front of a floor-to-ceiling brilliantly colored stained glass angel. It was gorgeous and he was mesmerized. Finally he turned around and said, "I like that one best,  and trotted off again.

I can tell you from my own experience it is never too early to expose children to art. Who knows how much they process? I bet it is more than we think. Plus, seeing paintings or sculpture in the museum inspires them to come home and create.

Art museums provide a vital window on our culture.I encourage you,  particularly with National Craft Month (March) and Youth Art Month (April) just around the corner, to reach out to local museums and support their efforts to provide children with hands-on crafting experiences.

Museum staff may need to purchase supplies at a discount. They may need instructors. They may need some suggestions on child-friendly supplies. They may just need your project ideas and expertise in the field.

You will be providing a tremendous community service. Plus, you never know if the next child who stops and says "I like that one best," will be the Warhol or Pollock of his or her time. - Beth

CHA's PR agency must be doing a great job of publicizing National Craft Month because it seems that many of the "women's" and "shelter" publications are talking about crafting, showing how-tos and featuring new products in their editorial pages.

Just yesterday I was perusing the pages of the new issue of Country Living and found them chock full of crafting inspiration. From women entrepreneurs who turned their art and craft skills into thriving businesses to quick and easy projects like making shoe bows out of ribbon it was an all-about-crafts issue.

Congratulations to Amy Barickman of Indygo Junction/The Vintage Workshop for being included in a group of women entrepreneurs who inspire. National Craft Month and the related website are also mentioned so if you are a retailer and haven't notified the association of your special activities for NCM- please do so. The association is really trying to drive traffic into stores.

I wonder what the tipping point was that pushed these magazines over to the merits of promoting crafts? We've been waiting so long! Checking out the mastheads I see some familiar names and just as many new ones. So it isn't just a matter of getting more "friends" on the editorial staff. Or is it? Could it be that having a passion for crafts is now a big selling point for new magazine editorial hires? We can only hope.

I don't think it hurts that the chains have gotten more aggressive with their consumer advertising. I hope we'll see some halo effect of that for independent stores as well. Also- and you may find it surprising- the outside editorial world is just discovering scrapbooking and paper crafts- how easy it is and how versatile the tools are. And especially- that people enjoy doing paper crafts.

I confess that the little fashion ideas that require some sewing, needlework, felting etc. really make my heart swell. Folks, we are poised to see an comeback in fashion crafting and fashion sewing, but we've got to get out there with inspiration and education!

I plan to track this uptick in media coverage of the craft industry. Will you help me out by sharing what is going on in your neighborhood?

Who are the influencers who are making crafting cool and worth dedicating valuable magazine pages? We should be supporting their efforts, and saying thanks, too. Stay warm this weekend.- Beth

I'm getting some interesting feedback to the Web posted article on Pay Per Project. The article is about projects that are available online to download at a price per project.

Not surprisingly the designer community is interested in hearing more. The idea that the Web can provide a cost-effective way to self-publish patterns is an enticing one. But not everyone thinks it is a good idea.One designer told me that a retail customer told her that the retailer would drop the designer's patterns from her store if she sold the patterns online. Ouch!

When conducting research on the article I asked all of my contacts- Where does the retailer fit in here? And from what I learned I believe that a retailer can benefit from online project instruction sales.

Our business folllows fashion, whether it is apparel, gift or home decor. Some of those trends are regional, some are seasonal, some last a while. Celebrity-fueled trends get hot overnight and fizzle out just as fast. The problem is that the trend cycle does not always jive with print production cycles. Or, the trend is too regional to publish in a national magazine. And what about those neat niche products that never make it into chain stores or a wide showing of independents? We still need projects that use those products

If you look at it strictly as a pattern sale, I can see where a retailer might be fearful. However, a unique project that may never see the pages of a craft magazine or book could sell a bunch of product. 

Some of the designers offer lesson plans. And most of these sites have some kind of wholesale purchase option for the retailer. So if you have a class you buy the project wholesale and pass it along to the customer at full retail price.

Every time I go to a show I see hundreds of patterns and projects. Not all of these projects sell into the independent store. After all, your display space is finite. Plus, a lot of those patterns aren't carried by distributors. So some stores will never carry those designers' innovative projects. If a consumer could download these projects from the Web, the retailer could still get the sale of supplies.

There is a lot of design talent out there. Not all of the designs are going to sell 1000, much less 10,000 copies. Some will have a limited dedicated audience others will bring their following from books and magazines. My question is: " If more ideas translate into more crafting, isn't there room for everybody?" Let me know what you think- Beth 

Now that everyone has (hopefully) rested and recouped from an exciting week in Anaheim, it's back to work to sythesize everything we took in at the show. One day of entries can hardly wrap up a show the size of CHA and as I am getting phone calls and emails from folks offering feedback from the show, we'll continue reporting...

A bright spot was the activity in the Art Materials category. Not only did we see a good turnout of retailers, there were some great new products offered.Whether they were selling tiny canvases, new paints or giftable art sets the art materials suppliers came to CHA to do business. 

Unfortunately, the strong showing by art materials folks did not quell a growing concern that CHA Winter has become a scrapbooking show. I think this is a situation where perception becomes reality. If you don't want to do a show, you can always find a reason not to. Could it be that most of the excitement was in paper crafts because some long term general craft and hobby exhibitors have opted out of the show? There were some great items for general craft stores but you had to dig to find them.

Where have all the flowers gone? We know home decor crafting is growing. We also know that florals can bring in the non-traditional crafter. Yet, floral offerings were slim at this show.

Don't knock knitting. If you passed on some of the yarn exhibitors you missed out. Knit and crochet enthusiasts are out there, they've just moved on to new projects and different kinds of yarns. The  fuzzy, hairy, furry, skinny scarf was a fashion trend that brought thousands of people to needlework. That trend has run its natural course. Some customers have moved on many are sticking around. They are using more traditional yarns and are trying new projects especially socks and purses. Crochet is very exciting right now with plenty of new fashion projects for clothing or home.

Yes, the craft gadflys have moved on from knitting scarves but the ones who really got the needlework bug are sticking with it. Be sure you have the product they need!

How about hobbies? CHA was born from the hobby industry and this is one area that I think is vastly untapped by general craft retailers. Each year kids have to create projects for school and Scouts that involve models- Styrofoam, Clay, wood, modelling compound, scenic materials, paint, adhesives, etc. It's not just for kids. For some adults, decorating for the holidays involves detailed sets and accessories. Model train enthusiasts need supplies to create their vignettes. 

Have miniatures moved on? The miniature business has tapered off at  this show. Ironically, just when miniatures are given a new life as pieces in altered art projects or as elements of scrapbook/paper decor.

Something to consider... the timing of this winter show was tricky. It came a week after TNNA in San Diego, it came right on the heels of the big Christmas market in Dallas, a gift show was on in NYC, folks were leaving early to go on to the bead extravaganza of shows in Tucson or getting ready for Toy Fair. Retailers and manufacturers were spread thin if they wanted to attend the key shows in those categories. Hard choices had to be made because marketing dollars are stretched to the limit.

What is the solution? Let's open it up to your thoughts!

As for me, combining shows does not look like an immediately actionable choice. For now, the best thing retailers can do is to urge their key vendors to attend CHA Shows. For those of you vendors who say, "we have to have 40 feet to do the show right," I say consider cutting back if the alternative is not to do the show. We miss you- Beth