Saturday Artisan: Wildemoon

Saturday Artisan is back! We had a little break during the holidays and now with a full swing I'm introducing more great artists.

Meet Beth, our first 2011 Saturday Artisan. She has 3 shops: Wilde Designs, Power Ups, and Tacky Fab You can tell that she is one busy woman and she loves doing them all.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?
I've been a crafter ever since I was a little. My mom put crayons in my hand as soon as I could hold them, and my grandma's an avid sewer and crafter. Thanks to them I've always found it fun to play with the materials at hand, which means I dabble in everything from painting to jewelry making to resin casting.

Which part of creation process that you like to do the most?
Seeing a project that I've envisioned coming to fruition. There are few things as cool as sitting back and realizing, "I did it!".
Could you share on how your organize your products, we all can use a little tips here and there in this department?
For me the biggest part of getting organized was going through everything. If I hadn't used something for years, I threw it out, gave it away, or put it up for sale. Keep the things that matter to you, the things you're really going to USE. Don't hide the good stuff in piles of clutter you aren't attached to.

What is your goal for 2011?
Production! I've actually started this year to work on making cohesive sections in the various shops and keeping them filled with new merchandise as often as possible. I'd like to really work on getting some new and different things out in 2011 like more original artwork, new types of magnets and a few other goodies my husband and I are cooking up.

What is your favourite tool that you cannot live without?
The Adobe Creative Suite. Someday I hope to upgrade to the newest version, but it's absolutely essential to my design and art.


How do you promote your shop?
I use Twitter, Facebook, the forums at Etsy, my blog, and Project Wonderful as well as other one off opportunities as I find them. I do whatever I can to make it very easy for people to find and get in touch with me since if they want my products, I want it to be simple for them to find!


Any advice for others running their on-line shop?
Never underestimate the power of just plain chatting to people. I've gotten more treasuries through my Twitter and Facebook friends than from anything else. It really does pay to appreciate how valuable it is to be friendly.


Saving money is important; tell us one thing that you do to save money?
I recycle everything - and I don't mean in the blue bins. The gift cards I send with each item ordered are made from old cards, calendars, etc. There's a use for everything if you want it, and it can save you a lot of money as well as making your shop and/or shipping more unique.