“How do you do all of that stuff?” This is a question I get asked often by people who know me, as well as by people I meet who find out I’m juggling two businesses, a blog, writing a book, freelancing and a home life. My standard response has always been, “I don’t know, I […]
Patchwork Show: Modern Makers Festival
Festivals featuring local craft and food makers, live music, and community.
Craftcation: Business + Makers Conference
Four days of creative business classes and craft workshops on April 15-19, 2020 at the Ventura Beach Marriott in Ventura, California.
Dear Handmade Life Blog
DIY projects, tips on creative entrepreneurship, recipes, our adventures and inspiration to make everyday awesome.
Dear Handmade Life Podcast
Conversations on creativity, business and life
Dear Handmade Life Shop + Online Workshops
Unique Goods & Online Workshops to Build Your Skills at Home
Unique Goods & Online Workshops to Build Your Skills at Home
Unique Goods & Online Workshops to Build Your Skills at Home
Consulting for Creative Business Owners
One-on-one consulting sessions for creative business owners
Consulting and event production services
Personalized consulting and planning for events of all sizes
8 lovely plant + succulent diy craft tutorials
“want to smell some curry?” delilah asked holding a leaf up to my nose. we were standing in her backyard garden nearly a decade ago. i’d never been in a garden like that, where you could eat pretty much anything. i got my food from a grocery store and embarrassingly had no idea that curry […]
are you ready to hire a rep for your creative handmade business
“Where’s the rest of your line?” The woman asked as she pulled my shirts out of a Trader Joe’s paper sack. “My line?” I had no idea what a line was and at that point I didn’t know enough to pretend that I did. That woman was interviewing me to see if she wanted to […]
our first diy, craft, food and creative business magazine
I’ve carried a sketchbook with me pretty much everywhere for the past 20 years. It isn’t just a place to draw. It’s a journal, a place to work out thoughts on a short story, or brainstorm ideas for a new business or craft project. It’s the occasional recipient of lengthy to-do lists and it always […]
14 washi tape craft diys + giveaway
We jokingly deemed this years Craftcation ‘year of the washi tape’. If you attended the Craftcation Conference 2014 a few weeks ago, you totally know why. Delilah and I (along with the help of our awesome staff and volunteers) covered pretty much everything at Craftcation with Scotch Expressions washi tape. Scotch (one of our conference […]
craftcation conference 2014
It’s been about 10 days since Craftcation 2014 and I am still waking up several times during the night. A week before the conference, that was explainable; there was a list a mile long of things to do, people to contact, materials to buy, etc… I was so paranoid about forgetting something or screwing something […]
How to survive (and thrive at) conferences
Expert speakers. Valuable workshops. Sparkling parties with industry influencers. Meeting your social network in real life. These are just a few advantages of going to conferences. As fun as they are, they can also be overwhelming. I just returned from a marathon time at the South by South West (SXSW) music, film and interactive conference […]
13 Business tools that help keep me from going berserk
You all know Delilah and I are busy gals. We each run our own businesses as well as three businesses together – Craftcation Conference, Patchwork Show and Dear Handmade Life. This past year we’ve gotten a lot more efficient by using business tools and services that help us make the most of our time. We […]
giveaway + how to print and sew an art supply bag with lumi
Just so you know: Dear Handmade Life received products from Lumi that we mentioned in this post. However, we only write about and recommend products that we use personally and believe are awesome! I’m not a light traveler. Years ago, before laptops and wifi, I was known to travel a distance as short as a […]
maker: rosalie of uglybaby shower art
I’ve heard that sometimes people have amazing epiphanies in the shower. I have never been one of those people. If I have a moment to think in the shower, it’s usually focused on trying to clear my mental fog so I can plot out my day. And if I do get that moment, it’s because […]
