Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Dance into Spring - Pantone announces their Spring 2012 Fashion Palette



Dance Into Spring 2012
“Consumers look to spring for renewed energy, optimism and the promise of a brighter day,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®.

prominent colors
“Bright and Sun Bleached Yellow paired with Dusty Oceanic Blue, and Rich Purple that pops against Warm Terracotta and Citrus Orange: Cairo Yellow, Crescent Moon, Mountain Stream, Prism Lilac, Terra Cotta and Harem Orange” — Elie Tahari

Read More... Designers reveal their inspiration, colors and must-have items for spring 2012 at  Pantone's Fashion Palette for Spring 2012 at the Pantone website. 

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Pantone Color of the Year for 2012



The world doesn’t need more gray, and the blues are covered, too. What consumer products need is a jolt, a shot of energy and boldness, all of which comes from Tangerine Tango, the reddish-orange hue that Pantone announced last week as its top color for 2012.

“There’s the element of encouragement with orange, it’s building on the ideas of courage and action, that we want to move on to better things. I think it would be a disservice to go with a relaxed, soothing color now,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, the research division of Pantone Inc., which creates color standards for the fashion, beauty and home industries.

The annual forecast for the next year’s dominant color takes into consideration both what Pantone thinks shoppers want and need. Those are influenced by the designer runways, fabric shows, news events, pop culture and consumer habits. “Part of whatwe do is look at the zeitgeist,” Eiseman explained. “We have to look at everything in the world around us. It’s not an arbitrary choice.”

Consumer spending is a big player in reviving the economy, and it needs adrenaline, she said. Orange is a more urgent call to action than last year’s hot-pink hue Honeysuckle, which was also supposed to channel cheerfulness coupled with nostalgia. Before that, there was the more serene turquoise and optimistic yellow.

“Color is really emotion,” agreed Beth Eckerstrom, director of trend and product development at Crate and Barrel. “Everyone thinks it’s a physical thing, but it’s really emotion.”

As she picks the palette for future products, Eckerstrom said, she looks for shades that feel fresh but still are familiar, not foreign. “Over the past years, there’s been a return to organic, natural product finishes and colors. They’re complex neutrals, not beige and taupe, but people want to bring the outside in. This tangerine color is a fresh accent. ... It seems like such a bright, but it’s really a gerbera daisy-flower shade, which makes it sort of neutral.”

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Making A Difference One Home At A Time®

Cleaning for a Reason
        If you know any woman currently undergoing chemotherapy,
please pass the word to her that there is a cleaning service that provides
FREE housecleaning - once per month for 4 months while she is in treatment.
All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the
treatment. Cleaning for a Reason will have a participating maid service in
her zip code area arrange for the service. 


This organization serves the entire USA and currently has 547 partners to help these women. It's our job to pass the word and let them know that there are people out there that care. Be a blessing to someone and pass this information along.
        

        
       Cleaning For A Reason is a nonprofit organization partnering with maid services to offer free professional house cleanings to improve the lives of women undergoing cancer treatment. 

You may not know someone going through chemo, but someone on
your email list might. Please forward!

Friday, December 16, 2011

Facebook Friday - Promo Tip #1- Tagging Photos

When you attend a craft show, market or any public event, take lots and lots of photos. Post the best of them in albums to your fan page, then encourage friends and fans to tag themselves in the photos. You can also tag popular businesses or locations that may appear in the photos. Also, if you want people to look at more of your photos, take the time to add captions. People do enjoy reading witty captions.

Every time someone tags themselves or a friend in one of your photos, it goes out onto their wall and the friends' News Feeds, plus gives your a link back to your page that someone else might explore in the future. These thumbnails in the Feed are more noticable than text and more likely to be explored by a curious user.

Visit IndieCraftstravaganzaa on Facebook.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Twitter - Free 7 day E-Course

The great guys at handmadeology are offering their Twitter e-course, if you are interested. 
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 For the handmade world, Twitter can be like hanging out at the water cooler.  It gives you a chance to have conversations with people who share some of your interests and offers an opportunity to broaden exposure for you and your products.
I will walk you through the steps of creating a Twitter account and using it effectively to promote your handmade business.  We will cover the following:
The breakdown of each day.
Day 1 – Getting Started
Day 2 – Building Followers
Day 3 – Getting in on the Conversation
Day 4 – The Power of the Network.
Day 5 – Tools to Help Manage your Twitter Life
2 Bonus days!
Day 6 – How to grow and nurture your Twitter following.
Day 7 – Long list of helpful links to awesome Twitter and social media marketing articles.




http://www.handmadeology.com/handmade-twitter-blueprint-free-7-day-ecourse/

Spring Craftstravaganzaa 2 Day Show!

Exciting News Everyone!
After our successful first time out at Ben's Bikes we are moving forward with our plans for Spring--we like our new location so much that we have decided to do our Spring event there not one but 2 days this year, April 28-29, which is also Twilight weekend. For those of you who may not know, Twilight is a bike race that brings crowds to rival autumn game days, and we want to take advantage of this influx of out-of-towners who will have downtime to fill during their 4 days of races. There will be overnight camping for artists, so plan on spending the last weekend in April here in Athens, where there will be plenty going on and lots to see and do! Applications go up January 5th, so get them in early---we look forward to hearing from you!

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Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa 
      Athens Largest Handmade Market.™
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    http://athensindiecraftstravaganzaa.com/

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Spring Craftstravaganzaa Announcement

Things certainly are falling into place for the Indie Craftstravaganzaa Spring Market. We're going to stay at Ben's Bikes for the Spring show. The guys there were great, very supportive and still excited to host Craftstravaganzaa. 


The Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa Spring Market dates will be April 28th and 29th - yes, it is a 2 day show.  Applications will be posted on January 5, 2012.


Check back for more info soon, we've got some surprises in store that I know you are going to be excited about. 

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Beautiful Day + Beautiful Crafts= Success!

The mild sunny weather this year provided the perfect backdrop for  a day of laid-back holiday shopping. We are pleased to say that our first time at Ben's Bikes worked out wonderfully, and the Athens community came out to shop and support our many local and regional artists throughout the festival. With beverages from Ursa Minor and eats from the local Farm 255 food cart, many lingered for hours enjoying the friendly atmosphere at our small-scale show. The nearby playground turned out to be a nice addition for the little ones, and live music from Brazilian band Coconut Moon added holiday cheer and interest to DJ Mahoghany's upbeat grooves.  All in all, we couldn't be more pleased with the turnout and the transition into our new home, and we look forward to planning our Spring show. Details will be released in the coming weeks, so check back soon for all the latest!

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Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa 
      Athens Largest Handmade Market.™
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    http://athensindiecraftstravaganzaa.com/