Defining Your Niche!

I often see threads or comments posted on the internet crafting forums concerning the internet and sales. Generally, the question is "When am I going to sell something?" "How long does it take?"

Unfortunately, for crafters on the internet it takes a long time to get established. You might not have a sale for a year or more or you might have dribs and drabs during that first year. It is usually during these periods that the crafters give up and close their websites down. That is unfortunate.

If you are going to sell on the internet then you need to set your "sales" expectations during the first year lower. A lot of crafters feel that the day after they publish or create their websites that they will be swamped with sales. Just because you are on the internet it does not mean that your products are going to fly off the web. It's not a "If you build it, they will come!" adage. Just ask the founders of Amazon.com how long it took to get established. A very long time.

Selling handmade crafts on the internet requires, first and foremost, patience. It also requires some serious forethought - defining your "niche" before you embark on this new internet adventure.

What do I mean by "defining your niche?" You need to consider the fact that there are millions upon millions of crafters websites on the internet selling something. It might be e-patterns, it might be handmade dolls, it might be woodcrafts, it might be food products, candles, soap, etc. Just about any craft you can imagine is being sold somewhere on the internet.

"Defining your niche" is taking a look at yourself and your craft product and determining how you are going to stand out. What makes you unique amongst all the other crafters. What is going to identify "you" to the customer? And, once you've identified that then your next task is trying to determine whether or not it is a product that will sell.

The latter statement is a hard thing for crafters to come to grips with. We suffer from our own love of our creations. Everything we create is "beautiful" in our own minds. Who wouldn't want to buy it? It's OOAK (i.e. one of a kind)! It's unique!

For me my "niche" is my "faceless Victorian dolls." They define me and what I am all about. And, I've built my image up around them. They are what makes me "unique."

Sure I design and sell all kinds of doll patterns. I've even made thousands of handmade dolls and crafts of all types and sizes. But, my "faceless Victorian dolls" are what I'm known for. They make me stand out amongst the millions of crafters on the net.

And, my "Little Victorian Girl" image represents that. You see the "little Victorian girl" and, hopefully, you see me and my "faceless Victorian dolls." I've built my whole business image around my "niche." Is there a market for this? I believe there is. And, I have the patience to play a wait and see.

It is not easy to be patient and it is not easy to define yourself and your product. It is, however, necessary to selling crafts on the internet. You have to find your "niche" within the crafting community and stick with it. Eventually, the sales will come.

Copyright © 2006—All Rights Reserved - Written By Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals and Linda's Blog. Linda is a doll maker and doll pattern designer.

We're Going To The SPCD!

Things had been calm for a few days before I received the SECOND note.

This note was neatly folded and left under my pillow with a chocolate. I thought the chocolate was a nice touch even though I have acid reflux and can't eat chocolate. It was still a nice gesture.

This time the note was printed on a pretty blue flowered stationary and, again, written in the same beautiful calligraphy. I made a mental note that I absolutely HAD to find out who was so talented and where did they learn their calligraphy? Plus, this note also contained the most wondrous scent. Who was the perfume designer?

Once again, this note was addressed "Confidential - To Linda - For Your Eyes Only!"

It simply said:


We know you love him dearly!
And, he is your husband of many, many, many years!
And, we guess, technically he's - OUR DAD!
But, "SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT HIM!"
He is becoming obsessed with the electric meter!"
It went on further.

Do you know how many times a day this past summer he went out to look at the electric meter?

Do you know that sometimes when he looks at it he stays there for a long period of time as if he's in a trance from the spinning meter - all the while mumbling incoherent curse words?

When he comes out of his trance he starts cursing, swearing, stomping, and jumping up and down. Like a maniac!!!!! Like a mad leprechaun with smoke coming out his ears!!!!!

He then makes a beeline into the house and the next thing we know it's boiling in here.

HE SHUT OFF THE AIR CONDITIONERS!!!

We simply cannot have him doing this with the heat in the winter. The results would be catastrophic.

Our hands are tied. Unless someting is done you leave us with no alternative. We will have no choice but to take this to "SPCD."

Well, now I knew where the note was coming from.

I still didn't know who was writing the note in that wonderful, wonderful calligraphy. Or, where they got the money to buy the stationary in the first place? Or, who the perfume designer was? Or, what the "SPCD" was.

All I knew was they were getting desperate and I had to do something right away. Bad news all around.

However, the good news was that I knew the note was coming from someone in "The Dollie Storage Room."

You see, the electric meter is right outside the "The Dollie Storage Room" and the dolls are all well positioned to see it and my husband's maniacal behavior.

I had to admit he really was becoming obsessed with the electric meter and the weather. Retirement was getting the better of him.

I thought to myself, "He needs a JOB!!!! Something to occupy his mind besides the electric bill and the weather."

I started to wring my hands and with the tension could feel a "hot flash" coming on. This wasn't good - I HATE hot flashes!

And, yes something HAD to be done.

However, it was going to take delicate diplomacy. My husband versus my "dollie" children - the very essence of me! Hmmm.......

Did this then mean it was going to be a confrontation between my husband and the "dollies?"

If so, WHO WOULD WIN? Would there be a winner? And, what would the outcome be?

I only hoped it would not come down to a choice between them or my husband. And, what was the "SPCD?"

I knew 'd better try to find that out right away. I surmised it had to do with a "governmental" agency and I knew I didn't need that.

So, I entered "SPCD" into my "Google" browser window. The results were surprising. I'd never heard of such an agency!

Something Has To Be Done About Him!

Since I'd started to write the dolls' stories on my blogs I thought everything was quiet and calm in "The Dollie Storage Room." Little did I know another storm was brewing - and it had to do with my HUSBAND!

I had been merrily blogging away on my computer when I suddenly noticed a piece of blue stationary underneath my computer keyboard. I didn't know what it was or why it was there. So, I pulled it out.

It was a neatly folded piece of stationary that was handwritten in the most beautiful calligraphy that you'd ever want to see. It was addressed "Confidential - To Linda - For Your Eyes Only!" Hmmmm.......

Several thoughts were running through my mind. What was this about? Who sent it? And, where did they learn to do write such beautiful calligraphy?

So, I opened the stationary. Inside was a note to me that simply said:

Something must be done about him!

About the curmudgeon!

He has gone too far this time and is carrying conservation to the extreme!

We don't want to, but we may have to take this to the "SPCD!"

Please help us!

I was curious on several counts. Not as to who the curmudgeon was - I knew who that was.

But, I was curious for several reasons. Who had written the note in beautiful calligraphy? Whose stationary was that and where did they get it? What fragrance did they use to create such a wonderful smelling piece of paper? And, what was the SPCD?

I wasn't as worried about their demands or what the issue was since I knew who the curmudgeon was and I was sure if it involved him - it wasn't good.

So, I decided to wait a few more days to see if there would be another note.

I went back to blogging.

We've Lost Our Place In Her Heart!

Well, the dolls have finally decided to revolt on me. They told me last week that they'd had enough of my writing for all my other blogs and "NOTHING, NOTHING" being written about them.

"What about our Dollie Fashion Show Series?" they asked. "What about The Boys Are Back In Town Series? And, what about the Hey What About Us - The Other Dolls Series!!!" they cried. "You've neglected us for far too long!" "Far too long!"

With that final statement they all started sobbing, and sobbing, and sobbing enmasse. Thousands of dolls just crying their eyes out. What a sight to see.

Given that I was only one person and that there were 1,000's of them at the door to my office I decided the most prudent course of action was to accede to their demands and start writing about them. Plus, I really didn't like the idea that I was making them unhappy and I really was spending toooooooo much time on my other blogs.

After all, the dolls are my creations. In effect, they are my children. You never want your children to be unhappy, do you? And, truth be told, they really have been very patient with me. It has been months since I'd agreed to write about them and, after all, Linda Walsh Originals is all about them.

They actually accused me of falling in love with my other blogs and falling out of love with them. I was crushed. "How could they think such a think of me?" "I'm their creator! I absolutely love them! I'm their mother. I was hurt beyond repair. Or, at least I put on a good front.

I, of course, told them that was ridiculous they were and always would be my first love. I've loved them since I was a little girl and that was not going to change. "Rest assured", I told them,"You'll always be number #1 in my heart."

A couple of the dolls in the "Dollie Senate" who were and always are the leaders gave me a questionable look - not totally sure they believed me. The rest of the dolls looked to them. If the "Dollie Senate" believed it then the rest would follow suit.

What they didn't know was the "Dollie Senate" was no match for me when I was speaking from my heart. I did my best to reassure them all that what I was saying was truly heartfelt. I was hurt and taken aback that they would accuse me of such a thing - their creator, their mother.

"Not love them anymore!" I cried. "How could you say or even think such a thing!" I wailed. I told them that not loving them would be like not loving myself anymore. They are, after all, the very essence of me! They might as well have ripped my heart out.

Of course, by this time all the "softies" were patting my head and trying to hug me - to console me. "Don't cry, Linda! We didn't mean it!" They were crying. I was crying! I was surrounded by "dollies" all crying and trying to console me.

They were in my lap, surrounding my chair, patting my head, sitting on the bookcase, lying on the computer keyboard, hanging off the lamps, sitting and jumping on my desk, just everywhere. Crying dollies everywhere. Another sight to behold.

Some of the boys, of course, took the opportunity to surf the web while I was distracted and off the computer. They, of course, were NOT crying. They would later argue that they were crying, too, but I knew better. Besides, I checked my IE history trail and there were websites there I know I don't frequent. BOYS will be BOYS!!! And, my boys love their computer games. In fact, they want me to get them Xbox. This I absolutely refuse to do.

Back to the story. So, the whole house was crying, except my husband, of course. He was just looking at all this and shaking his head. "Women! Dollies! Too much estrogen in this house!" he said. "We don't have enough tissues for all this crying!" He, of course, had remained at the back of the crowd.

So, I dried my tears and they ALL dried their tears. Even the "Dollie Senators" dried their eyes. We had to dry our tears on our sleeves, used tissues, our shirts, the computer paper. Whatever was available as we seemed to be out of enough tissues to go around. But, we'd all had a good cry and definitely felt better. You always feel better after crying.

So, with a renewed understanding that I would begin to immediately write about them they decided to go back to "The Dollie Storage Room!"

However, their return to "The Dollie Storage Room" was not going to be easy. You see, the problem was that all 1,496 of them had stomped over to my office which has a long narrow hall off of it. With thousands of dolls jammed in the hallway it was a nightmare scenario trying to turn them all around to go backwards.

They were falling all over each other. The dolls in the back were still trying to come forwards to hug me and the dolls in my study were trying to leave. What a nightmare! Of course, my husband left immediately as he had predicted this would happen when he saw all 1,496 dolls marching out of "The Dollie Storage Room!" I suspect he chuckled as he left. Plus I suspect he hid all the tissue boxes deliberately. Men!!!!

After several hours of logistics they were all turned around and heading back to "The Dollie Storage Room."

Phew! Another nightmare avoided. Another revolt squashed.

My children still love me and I still love them.

Now, I'd better get to writing.

I've Been Tagged!!!!!

Okay, I'll play along.

I've been 'tagged' by NeeNee of The Krazy Kraft Lady . NeeNee (aka Denise) is a crafting friend of mine. She is a very talented crafter who creates primitive and extreme primitive dolls and crafts and loves to write about them in her blog. If you get a chance, please check out her blog!

The rules of the tag are that I'm supposed to list 5 weird things about myself or my pets. I then tag 5 friends and list them. These people write on their blogs, 5 weird things about themselves/pets and then tag 5 more people.

You should let these people know they've been tagged by posting a comment on their blog.
I am tagging Angie of Heartland Marketplace , Julia of Camille's Place , Shashi of Moonbeams Art Dolls, Angela of Angela's Gift Nook, & Tina of TC Fragrance Crafts.
5 weird things about myself:

I live in a house with over 1,000 handmade dolls & crafts that I have made myself.

I get the "hiccups" at any hour of the day or night.

As a child I could play in the woods barefoot and with shorts and tee shirt on - Now I can't get with 25 feet of the woods or I'll get "poison ivy."

My dog - who is the ruler of the house - expects to be carried up the stairs - he doesn't like to climb them.

I love "pumpkin ice cream" and can hardly wait until the Fall season to get it.

Barbie - A Young Girl's Obsession!

To say I love dolls is probably an understatement.  I've been in love with them ever since I can remember.  I wish I knew back then that my dolls would be worth a lot of money now - if only I had saved them.  Unfortunately, most of my dolls were well worn from playing with them and most were thrown away over the years.  Alas....

Since I was a child many dolls have come along that I have loved - like 'Blythe."  However, none have had quite the impact on me and held my attention for the longest period of time as "Barbie." did.

In a post from several years ago on my Linda's Blog entitled "Blythe Dolls - Where Have I Been?" I told you that I used to think that I was really "cool" as I had owned a Barbie doll when they first came out in the early 1960's. Mine had blond hair and a ponytail and worn a black and white bathing suit like the picture above.  She had holes in her feet to allow her to stand up in her doll stand.

During the early 1960's one of my Christmas present's was the Barbie's with the red short-bob haircut. I loved that doll with her red bobbed haircut.

When the Ken doll came out I had to have him, too. And, then the Barbie dream house, etc. Of course, my best friend had the pink Barbie car when it came out. I didn't so I had to concede my "coolest" crown to her for awhile. And, she got her Barbie dream house before I got mine.

 

My best friend and I would sit and play "Barbie" in her room for hours upon hours upon hours. We liked to play in her room as she had her own room and didn't have to share her room with a younger sister like I did.

We'd set up our houses and various other scene's and have Barbie cleaning house, going to school, out on a date, getting married (that was one of our favorites), and having children. Sometimes she'd be in the hospital after some horrible car accident or have some terrible illness or disease. Why we'd envision that I'll never know. Kids do the strangest things. Maybe we were working out our fears or the unknown.

Given that I was born in the fifties our playing Barbie emulated society's ideas of what a "woman's" life was and what she "did." Later my friend and I both came to realize over time that "women" could be and do a whole lot more than that. By that time it was the late 60's and early 70's and we were off to college and part of the "flower generation." However, the times we spent in her room playing Barbie were wonderful idealistic times and memories of a childhood friend that I will always cherish.

As I mentioned in my Blythe post - I am no longer "cool." "Fool" might be a better word. You see, if I still had the Barbie's they'd be worth a small fortune now. But, they were thrown out with the trash as I got older. A little insight back then might have been a good thing. Ya think!

Barbie is almost 60 years old or will be in 2019. We've aged together only she doesn't show any sign of aging. Me, on the other hand.....

So, given that I love dolls and given that I love to do research for my Linda's Blog I thought I'd do a little research on Barbie for all of you who are too young to remember her first birthday.

Shown below are a few excerpts of Barbie's history according to Wikipedia.org that I thought you might like:

Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.

Barbie is the figurehead of a brand of Mattel dolls and accessories, including other family members and collectible dolls. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and her lifestyle.

History

The first Barbie doll was introduced in both blonde and brunette in March 1959.

Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company. He was unenthusiastic about the idea, as were Mattel's directors.

During a trip to Europe in 1956 with her children Barbara and Kenneth, Ruth Handler came across a German toy doll called Bild Lilli. The adult-figured doll was exactly what Handler had in mind, so she purchased three of them. She gave one to her daughter and took the others back to Mattel. The Lilli doll was based on a popular character appearing in a comic strip drawn by Reinhard Beuthin for the newspaper Bild. Lilli was a blonde bombshell, a working girl who knew what she wanted and was not above using men to get it. The Lilli doll was first sold in Germany in 1955, and although it was initially sold to adults, it became popular with children who enjoyed dressing her up in outfits that were available separately.

Upon her return to the United States, Handler redesigned the doll (with help from engineer Jack Ryan) and the doll was given a new name, Barbie, after Handler's daughter Barbara. The doll made its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959. This date is also used as Barbie's official birthday.

Mattel acquired the rights to the Bild Lilli doll in 1964 and production of Lilli was stopped. The first Barbie doll wore a black and white zebra striped swimsuit and signature topknot ponytail, and was available as either a blonde or brunette. The doll was marketed as a "Teen-age Fashion Model," with her clothes created by Mattel fashion designer Charlotte Johnson. The first Barbie dolls were manufactured in Japan, with their clothes hand-stitched by Japanese homeworkers. Around 350,000 Barbie dolls were sold during the first year of production.

Louis Marx and Company sued Mattel in March 1961. After licensing Lilli, they claimed that Mattel had “infringed on Greiner & Hausser's patent for Bild-Lilli’s hip joint, and also claimed that Barbie was "a direct take-off and copy" of Bild-Lilli. The company additionally claimed that Mattel "falsely and misleadingly represented itself as having originated the design". Mattel counter-claimed and the case was settled out of court in 1963. In 1964, Mattel bought Greiner & Hausser's copyright and patent rights for the Bild-Lilli doll for $21,600.

Ruth Handler believed that it was important for Barbie to have an adult appearance, and early market research showed that some parents were unhappy about the doll's chest, which had distinct breasts. Barbie's appearance has been changed many times, most notably in 1971 when the doll's eyes were adjusted to look forwards rather than having the demure sideways glance of the original model.

Barbie was one of the first toys to have a marketing strategy based extensively on television advertising, which has been copied widely by other toys. It is estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries, with Mattel claiming that three Barbie dolls are sold every second.

The standard range of Barbie dolls and related accessories are manufactured to approximately 1/6 scale, which is also known as playscale.The standard dolls are approximately 11½ inches tall.

Barbie products include not only the range of dolls with their clothes and accessories, but also a large range of Barbie branded goods such as books, apparel, cosmetics and video games. Barbie has appeared in a series of animated films and is a supporting character in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.

Barbie has become a cultural icon and has been given honors that are rare in the toy world. In 1974, a section of Times Square in New York City was renamed Barbie Boulevard for a week. In 1985, the artist Andy Warhol created a painting of Barbie.

In 2013, in Taiwan, the first Barbie-themed restaurant called "Barbie Café" opened under the Sinlaku group.

In January 2016, Mattel announced that it will add tall, curvy and petite body shapes to its line-up of dolls. Alternative skin tones, hair styles and hair colours will also be added.

50th anniversary

In 2009, Barbie celebrated her 50th birthday. The celebrations included a runway show in New York for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The event showcased fashions contributed by fifty well-known haute couturiers including Diane von Fürstenberg, Vera Wang, Calvin Klein, Bob Mackie, and Christian Louboutin.

Fictional biography

Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. In a series of novels published by Random House in the 1960s, her parents' names are given as George and Margaret Roberts from the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin.  In the Random House novels, Barbie attended Willows High School, while in the Generation Girl books, published by Golden Books in 1999, she attended the fictional Manhattan International High School in New York City (based on the real-life Stuyvesant High School.

She has an on-off romantic relationship with her boyfriend Ken (Ken Carson), who first appeared in 1961. A news release from Mattel in February 2004 announced that Barbie and Ken had decided to split up, but in February 2006, they were hoping to rekindle their relationship after Ken had a makeover.

Barbie has had over 40 pets including cats and dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub, and a zebra. She has owned a wide range of vehicles, including pink Corvette convertibles, trailers, and jeeps. She also holds a pilot's license, and operates commercial airliners in addition to serving as a flight attendant. Barbie's careers are designed to show that women can take on a variety of roles in life, and the doll has been sold with a wide range of titles including Miss Astronaut Barbie (1965), Doctor Barbie (1988), and Nascar Barbie (1998).

Mattel has created a range of companions for Barbie, including Hispanic Teresa, Midge, African American Christie, and Steven (Christie's boyfriend). Barbie's siblings and cousins were also created including Skipper, Todd and Stacie (twin brother and sister), Kelly, Krissy, and Francie. Barbie was friendly with Blaine, an Australian surfer, during her split with Ken in 2004.[18]

Controversies .......

Barbie has been involved in many controversies over the years.  If you'd like to read more about them please CLICK HERE for her Wikipedia.com page.

Fifty years ago I would never have imagined that Barbie would have been as successful as she has been. A billion Barbie dolls sold in 150 countries is just unbelievable!

Nor would I ever have imagined that she would have stirred worldwide controversy or gotten the ire of many a feminist. I didn't even know what a "feminist" was back then - let alone envision I'd become one.

She was a plaything that allowed my friend and I to get lost in our imaginations for a short period of time. I did not envision that I was her or that she represented me. She was never a role model. The lifestyle and activities of our imaginary Barbie's life mimicked our lives back then, but our own self-worth and confidence were already well intact and had nothing to do with our Barbie's imaginary life.

Even back then her figure was unrealistic to us. No one we knew looked like that and none of our friends ever wanted to have her figure. The only thing we wanted was for the dolls knees to bend as her legs struck straight out when she sat in a chair. Luckily several years into the manufacture of Barbie her knees finally became bendable.  And, of course, I got a bendable Barbie.

My friend and I eventually outgrew Barbie. However, I will always be grateful to Barbie for having provided my friend and I with a lifetime of sweet memories of a time of innocence and childhood play. Of a time long ago that can never be replaced. And, of a time when children could still dream of imaginary and idealistic lives.

What Is It About This Season That Drives My Creativity?

It's almost like clockwork. Like some internal drive. Some innate driving force. For sure, it's something!

By now I'm sure you must be wondering what I'm talking about.

Well, I'm talking about my "creativity drive" and the Fall/Christmas season. What is it about this season that drives my creativity?

Every year around the end of August I can start to feel it. This urge to create starts to show itself. It starts slowly and builds gradually until it reaches a full-blown crescendo in November. But, I can feel it starting and I know that I won't have any control over it, once again.
Every year it just takes over my body. And, then I just have to either sew, create floral arrangements or craft something.

Or, I have to design patterns and sew some more dolls. Like I need any more dolls! But, that's a subject for another article! The point is, I just have to create - SOMETHING! ANYTHING!

Of course, my husband would say; "Why don't you create doing the housework!" Nah! That's no fun.

This inner force, whatever it is has got a creative mind all its own. And, it definitely has a hold on me. Look out, anyone or anything that gets in its way.

Forget the housework - what's a little dirt and dust! Forget the shopping - who needs to eat! Forget the bills - YIKES!!! Forget the family! Oh, boy! That's a no-no! Forget eating - that's okay - it's called creativity dieting! Even forget to take the dog out to do his business! Come on now that's something you have to do! Well, maybe not. He can hold it.

So, what is it that takes over? I'm not sure but I know that I'm not alone with this. Many crafters that I've talked to tell me that they also experience this. It might be at different times of the year, but they know when it's starting. Maybe it's a crafting thing? When you're in the "crafting", "creating" mode you are "IN THE MODE."


And, when I'm in the mode, I'll sew hundreds of dolls or design hundreds of patterns. I might put together multiple numbers of floral arrangements, or anything else that I seem to want to create.
I don't know about you, but I'm a little obsessive when it comes to my sewing and crafting. I have to cut everything out first, then sew everything, then put everything together. That means if I have 100 items to cut out I cut all one hundred before I start to sew anything.

The same holds true with sewing. I'll sit there and sew all one hundred dolls and then I'll put all one hundred dolls together. Of course, this means that I have to write-up 100 patterns all at once - which is really a chore. All the pattern designers will know what I mean by that statement.

In any event, I never said my way was the way to go about it. It's just my way of feeding my "hungry" inner creativity drive. Maybe I should call it my "hungry" inner obsessive creativity drive?
Sometimes I don't know what's worse. My inner creativity drive or living with over 1,000 handmade dolls. Hmmmm.....? Definitely, living with over 1,000 handmade dolls is worse. They talk back to me.

So, what is this creative drive and where does it come from? Why in late August? Why the Fall/Christmas season?

Maybe it relates back to the fact that as a child I loved to sew all my Christmas presents? I come from a large family so there were quite a few presents to make. Maybe it's the act of making presents to give to my loved ones? Generosity drives it? Hmmm..... Probably not.

Or, maybe there's just something about the bright, cheery, vibrant colors of the Fall season? Maybe it's feeling the cool, brisk, New England climate while raking leaves and then going inside to a cinnamon candle burning and a cup of tea or cocoa? Hmmm...... Probably not.

Maybe it's because for every holiday as a child I would scour the woods for materials to make a centerpiece? Or, every holiday season the family would gather together to make a new Christmas decoration? Hmmm.... Probably not.

Maybe it's just because I come from a family of crafters and sewers? It's just plain in my genes - in my DNA. Hmmm.......

Is that possible? Can a person have "creative" DNA? Hmmmm.... I wonder. Creative DNA!
I don't know. I just know that I'm not alone with this. Other crafters have told me they, too, have an inner driving force. Maybe we all have "creative" DNA?

I don't know if I'll ever find out why I have this drive or what it is about this season that enhances my creativity?

Maybe, however, I should I should stop worrying about it and just enjoy the "creative" moments? Tis the season - the "creative" season that is!

Copyright © 2006—All Rights Reserved - Written By Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals and Linda's Blog. Linda is a doll maker and doll pattern designer.

Look What Kim Made Me!

If you're a reader of my Linda's Blog then you know how much I just love "blinkies". So, I just had to show all of you this. Kim Banks who is a forum friend of mine and the owner of Craftisan DeSigns made this for me out of the blue. Isn't it adorable? I just love it, Kim. Thank you so very much. That was so sweet of you.

Kim is a VERY talented crafter and graphic artist. She, like most of us, is a self-taught crafter and is extremely good at whatever she has tried. At Craftisan DeSigns she makes the most beautiful custom designed wood signs. You really need to see them for yourself.

According to Kim, "Craftisan DeSigns offers individually handcrafted woodcrafts and unique wood signs that will make perfect gifts for your family and friends. You will find a unique selection of wood signs and woodcrafts at our store usually in a variety of styles including rustic, country, whimsical, and primitive. We have a unique selection of items to compliment your home decor or to give as gifts. Our specialty is to create wood signs with quotes and sayings that invite you to smile, laugh out loud or ponder life."

At her "Craftisans DeSigns Graphics" shop she makes custom designed graphics as well as some predesigned graphics. If you need custom designed graphics I hope you pay Kim a visit.

Thanks, again, Kim for my new blinkie. I just love it.

Yikes! My E-Pattern Files Are HUGE!

If you create E-patterns then you know that file size is very IMPORTANT. Especially if you are going to send your e-patterns as email attachments or if you're going to upload them to a craft pattern website or instant pattern download website.

You have to keep your e-pattern files to a minimum. But, how do you do that? The pictures are usually HUGE and the scanned sheets are usually HUGE. Even if you scan them in black & white. So, what do you do?

Well, you have to reduce the size of the pictures and scanned images either by adjusting the resolution, pixels or actual physical size of the image. There is no hard and fast formula for this. My results have been based upon trial and error.

Here's what I do for my pictures. First I use a picture program to crop and clean-up all your images. I have all of my pattern pictures saved on my computer as .jpg files of various sizes. I keep a master copy of the original picture in it's original HUGE size and then I use Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Picture It! to reduce the size of my images down to whatever size I may need.

Most picture programs will allow you to reduce the size of your image either by resolution, pixels, or physical size. I prefer using pixels for most of my pattern pictures and inches for small pictures to display on the side of my blogs. I have found through trial and error that 300 to 350 pixels is a good size for most applications.

For example, let's say my original doll picture is 1276x1671 pixels and 453kb in size. I would reduce this picture to around 300 to 350 pixels, depending upon the picture I want, to say 284x371 pixels or 17.1kb for my E-Pattern cover picture. Just by doing this I've reduced the size of the picture from 453kb to 17.1kb without really destroying the quality of the picture.

For this same picture starting out at 1276x1671 pixels and 453kb if I'm going to send it to another website (say for a craft show booth) I'd probably keep the picture around 300-350 pixels, too. I would reduce this picture to around 300 to 350, depending upon the picture I want, to 284x371 pixels or 17.1kb for displaying on another website and to 137x180 pixels or 8.56kb for a 1 inch size picture.

If I'm sending the picture to another website for say, a home page display ad, they usually want a picture around 150 pixels. So, I'd reduce my original image down to 150x150 pixels or so and save it under another name.

If I want to show some of my product images on the sidebar of my blog then I'd reduce the pictures to about 1 inch. This equates to about 150 pixels. Might be a little more or a little less, depending on the picture. Adobe Photoshop allows you to reduce by pixels or by inch. For this application I prefer inch.

Each time I want to reduce the size of the picture I start with the original picture, reduce the size, and then save the reduced copy under a different name.

I'm always getting off track, aren't I? Back to the E-Patterns. If you're scanning in whole pages (i.e. 8 1/2 x 11 size) then you will need to cut the pixel size of your 8 1/2 x 11 inch picture in 1/2 or even 1/3 or your .pdf file will be way too big. My 8 1/2 x 11 inch scanned in b/w images that I use for my doll patterns pattern piece sheets and diagrams are usually 2529x3300 pixels and 1.0mb in file size(color images would be a lot more).

I always crop and clean-up my scanned b/w image first using a picture program and then reduce my b/w in half down to 1265x1650 pixels or less. This drastically reduces the size of the image down to around 250kb. Since you're going to insert this into whatever program is creating your .pdf file you want to start out with the least amount of file size as possible. Around 1265x1650 pixels would be the least amount you would want to reduce any images that were drawn by a heavy pencil and scanned in. If you go over your pencil drawn pattern piece sheets and diagrams with a black marker then you can reduce these in half again down to 633x825 pixels. I wouldn't go any lower than that or your .pdf E-Patterns will be hard to read.

Once you have everything reduced in size then you would want to import them into whatever software you are going to use to create your E-Pattern. I do everything in Microsoft Publisher so its easier for me to use that. I'm sure there are lots of software programs out there that would produce something similar.

Once I have my doll pattern completely in Publisher I compress the file which reduces the resolution of any of the pages to around 200 in resolution. This reduces the file size even further. Here is where the original quality of the scanned image comes into play. If the image is too light to start off then you will have a problem reading the E-Pattern or the image will be blurry. That is why a lot of hand-drawn sheets are traced over with a black marker.

I try to keep all of my E-Pattern between 500kb to 900kb. My largest E-Pattern is 22 pages but only 1.08mb in file size due to all of the above mentioned adjustments. My smallest E-Pattern is 8 pages and 437kb in file size.

The key to keeping the size of your E-Patterns down is to reduce the size of your images, diagrams and pattern sheets down to a manageable size. You can do this without destroying the quality of your picture or E-Pattern.

The Innu Tea Doll

In researching my article on "faceless" dolls I came across a type of doll that I had never heard of before who has a fascinating history. The dolls are called "Innu Tea Dolls" and were made by the Innu people from Nitassinan (Quebec and Labrador) Canada. The Innu have been making dolls for a very long time.

According to history the Innu people were always on the move. As such, space to carry items was always at a premium. When the Innu people traveled to their hunting grounds everyone had to carry their fair share, including the children. Innu women would sew the dolls and stuff them with tea. The tea dolls were intended to be carried by the children and would hold two or three pounds of loose tea. When the main supply of tea ran out, the dolls were opened and the tea inside was shared. The dolls would then be stuffed with caribou moss to retain their shape and then given to the children as toys.

The illustration at the top of this article is of an Innu Tea Doll that was given to the Smithsonian Institute by Lucien M. Turner in the early 1880's. According to the Innu.ca website he obtained some of the Innu Tea Dolls from the Innu people who came out of the Hudson Bay Company post to trade. The Innu of Labrador are the last known hunter/nomadic people of North America.

I hope to visit the Smithsonian one of these days. That is, when I'm not crafting or sewing. When I do I'll be sure to look for the Innu Tea Doll.

I Just Love These Cards!

Two years ago when my Mother and I were at a Sewing & Quilt Exposition we came across a booth that was selling these wonderful "Quilt-a-Card" kits. The kits contained die-cut cards and envelopes. The cards were pre-cut stencils that you would pop out. Then you would sew your fabric to the stenciled opening of the card using your sewing machine and a zig-zag stitch. Depending on the design of the card you might then add padding or other decorations, such as buttons, ribbon, etc.

They were absolutely wonderful so I decided to buy some of the kits and make some of the cards for Christmas presents for my mother, sister, and sister-in-law. I combined 6 cards together and tied them in a little ribbon and then wrapped them in their Christmas box. I could tell from the expressions on my mother, sister, and sister-in-law's faces when they opened them that they just loved them. We're a "crafting" family and just love getting handmade items.

Of course, they can't compete with my niece Laura's hand drawn Christmas cards every year but, they were nice enough. Laura's cards are so wonderful that I'm going to tell you about them in another article.

My sister told me that she thought that the cards were so beautiful that she wanted to keep them all herself and would never send them to anyone. I told her that wasn't the purpose but, they were her cards. She could do what ever she wanted with them. To this day my mother, sister, and sister-in-law have all kept their cards. Unfortunately, none have been mailed to anyone else. What a shame. No one else gets to see them. But, hey that's their decision.

Last year when my mother and I went to the Sewing & Quilt Exposition I looked for the "Quilt-a-Card" booth. I was sadly disappointed as they weren't at the show. I had wanted to buy some more. Foolishly, I hadn't kept the original packaging so I didn't know what the company name was or if the designer had a website. I didn't even bother to search on the web as the paper/scrapbooking business is too huge now and I would have gotten thousands of results in a Google search. I resigned myself to never finding the kits again. I left the show disappointed.

This year when my mother and I went to the Sewing & Quilt Exposition (which I wrote about in a previous article on my Linda's Blog entitled "We've Got Sewing In Our Bones!") I was pleasantly surprised to find the designers had a booth again. I was ecstatic. I know. I'm a little crazy!

Plus, they had some new designs. I was in definitely in heaven. Hey, that's me. I love anything related to dolls, genealogy, florals, and crafting. So, I decided that this year some of the Christmas cards that I would be mailing to my family and friends would be my handmade "Quilt-a-Cards." At least this time they would be sent out.

While I was paying for all my card kits (and there were a lot of them) I told the owners that I was thrilled they had a booth again and that I had missed them the previous year. They told me that they hadn't been able to attend the previous year due to some personal issues. I told the owners that I just loved their card kits and wondered if they had a website. Of course, they do. It's called "Paper Creations" and is at www.papercreations.com .

Of course, when I went home I had to go on the internet to check out their website. I shouldn't have as I'll probably be ordering more kits. They have a wonderful website called "Paper Creations and Atlas Coffee Mill." The "Quilt-a-Card" kits are on the website as well as "Quilt-a-Tag" kits, which I'm going to order next. They also have scrapbook kits and paper supplies, etc.

PLUS, they offer online classes almost every day of the month. How GREAT is that! I want to take a class. Of course, I'd never have time to take the class but I do want to. Maybe I can fit one in before the end of the summer.

So, I left the Sewing & Quilt Exposition happy as could be. I'd found my card kits again. All was right with the world. Yeah! I know. It doesn't take much to make me happy. I hope the owners don't mind. I just had to tell you about these wonderful Quilt-a-Card kits.

Our Victorian "Faceless" Poll Results

I've posted a couple of articles on my Linda's Blog during the last year concerning the poll I am running on my Linda Walsh Originals website.

The poll concerns my Victorian "Lady" series of faceless dolls. The question is "Should our Victorian Dolls remain faceless?" For awhile we were running in favor of faceless. Now we are running in favor of faces.

Out of 56 votes, 21 or 37% feel the dolls should remain faceless. That means 35 or 63% feel that they should have faces. Of the 56 votes 1 vote was from a male and 55 were from females.

For those of you that love our "faceless" Victorians I have good news. We will continue to carry "faceless" dolls and I will continue to design "faceless" Victorians. Personally, I love the "faceless" Victorians and love to design them.

But, for those of you who like Victorians with "faces" I also have good news. I'm currently in the process of designing some Victorians with "faces." Something for you to look forward to. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind and decide that I like "faces" better. Nah!!!!! That will never happen!

Thanks to everyone for taking our poll.