Upcoming Events

A few quick notes on exciting happenings in the Rebound world.

Tonight is the opening of Zenith Gallery’s Reincarnations exhibit. It is being held at the Alternative Gallery Space at 1111 Pennsylvania Ave. NW DC, from 5:30-8:30. All of the art in the show has been created from found objects and recycled materials. I am exhibiting a series of Book Purses with a travel theme, called “Journeys Through BookPurse Land.” More information about the exhibit can be found at the Zenith Gallery website.

Thursday I will be heading up to NYC to hear a lecture at the American Craft Council Library. The ACC is picking up where SNAG and Imogene left off
in their second ‘Summer in the City Salon’ program, ‘Connect/(Dis)connect.’

Featuring jeweler and educator, Bruce Metcalf, and Chanel Kennebrew of Junkprints, an indie craft artist, graphic designer and Etsy seller in conversation, the two esteemed makers will explore the complicated relationship among the broad spectrum of craft makers today in this not-to-be missed dialogue!

I’m really excited for this! There was some drama between established old school crafters and the “New Wave” group at the ACC show in Baltimore this Feb, and I got pretty riled up. I’m looking forward to hearing a lively debate and maybe even chiming in. It’s also a good excuse to go up to NYC and explore. I’ll be staying in Brooklyn with my friend Margaux Lange who makes the most amazing jewelry out of Barbie dolls. You can buy her production line at her Etsy shop, they’re really something.

Crafting Online 101

I was recently asked to speak at a workshop hosted by the Washington City Paper and Crafty Bastards. I spoke about selling and marketing your crafts through the internet, but since the workshop was limited to 25 people, I’m going to post the whole thing here for you all to enjoy. I’ll warn you upfront; this post is epic.

Crafting Online 101

Having a strong online presence is quickly becoming essential in the crafting world. With the huge boom in the popularity of indie craft, competition is fierce, so the more people who see your work, the better. Here are some tips on how to use the Internet to get your craft business going, or to promote your existing business to new audiences. Don’t get too overwhelmed – you don’t have to do it all at once. I’m not an expert at all of these things and I still have a lot to learn, so if you have anything you’d like to add or correct, please leave a comment.

Your Online Presence: Yourshop.com vs. Etsy

Having a place online where customers can find you is essential to success today. There are two main options: Your own website vs. an Etsy shop. There are pros and cons to each.

Etsy:
Pros: The hard work is done for you: you don’t need to have any computer skills other than being able to take digital photos and type. The internal marketing opportunities within Etsy are excellent, and you have a built-in audience for your work. Plus, it’s a great community. Tina Seamonster has an excellent three-part series on how to market your Etsy shop:
Tina on Etsy Pt. 1
Tina on Etsy Pt. 2
Tina on Etsy Pt. 3

1460 Wall Mountables

Come out tonight for the opening of DCAC’s annual open exhibit 1460 Wall Mountables. Participating artists chose 2′x2′ spaces on a first come first served basis, and can show whatever they like within that space. 8 of my purses are hung right by the bar, so you can’t miss them. And there’s lots of other great artists showing as well, including fellow Craft Mutineers Tina Seamonster, Rania Hassan, and Sean Hennessey. My work is hung right below a new friend, Sean Welker, who I recently met at Artomatic.

Hello and Welcome

Hi new readers! This is my first blog post ever, so bear with me.

I’m Caitlin, artist and crafter and owner of Rebound Designs. I live just outside Washington DC in my live/work studio with my 3 cats, and more books than I can count.

I’ll be blogging about not only my own work, but also other artists and crafters whose work I love, crafting opportunities, and even some how tos. So, keep checking back for more, and thanks for reading!