The Alliday Show: Sponsor

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Alliday ALLSTAR: Funky Finds!

An Alliday Allstar is an organization or business that has gone above and beyond to aid in making our event a success! Without them, we would not be able to do what we do! In addition to artist spotlights, we also showcase our amazing Allstars here! Read our first spotlight with Unanimous Craft here!

Funky Finds has made easy one of the most difficult tasks for artists and crafters - finding the right shows to apply to. With their incredibly thorough WORLDWIDE calendar of awesome shows, consider every one of your weekends to now be filled. Funkily filled, that is. Not only does Funky Finds produce their own kickin' shows, but they also help promote other shows, provide a virtual marketplace for artists, and SO much more! Funky Finds gives artists, crafters and shoppers endless possibilities to fulfill their incessant handmade needs.

-Briana

Who are you?
Funky Finds (http://funkyfinds.com/) has remained dedicated to promoting independent artists, crafters and designers worldwide since 2006.

Tell us a little about Funky Finds.
Funky Finds offers a variety of services (http://funkyfinds.com/services.html) aimed at helping small business owners promote their work on little to no marketing / advertising budget. The Shops @ Funky Finds (http://funkyfinds.com/theshops) is an online marketplace that is easy to use & affordable. We offer four Shop levels starting at just $1.99 per month. All Shops receive a free web ad, as well.

Where are you located?
Funky Finds is based out of Jefferson, Texas; however, the majority of our services (aside from Texas-based events) are online and worldwide!

How does being involved in the creative handmade community affect you?

We are extremely passionate about helping independent artisans make a living doing what they are most passionate about. Being a part of the handmade community is a dream come true!

What are your favorite handmade items to shop for?

We love unique artwork, jewelry, and accessories. It's also great to purchase hand-crafted pet goods, as well as bath and body products.

What are you most looking forward to at Alliday?

Sadly, Funky Finds will not be in attendance at this awesome event. But we know it will be amazing and we will be there in spirit!

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Decorating the tree is a favorite tradition because we get to see all our handmade ornaments that have been collected and created over the years.

What holiday do you wish was everyday and why?

Christmas would be a great one to have every day, because generally people are so happy and filled with true holiday spirit.

If you could create a new holiday, what would it be and why?

Funky Finds day, of course! Then nobody would be funky lost…everyone would be funky found!!!

Stay funky!

Jessica Dougherty

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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Alliday ALLSTAR: Unanimous Craft

Unanimous Craft is our first of this series and could possibly have taken on the most daunting task any crafter could think of - organizing the crafting community! I can't even imagine taking on a job like that but am thankful that someone else has! And has done so in an effective manner! Their comprehensive website can delightfully suck you in for hours with an endless supply of resources, craftologists, and more. So go, play around for a bit, list your own resources and discover the wonder that is Unanimous Craft. You can thank me later - Briana

Who are you?

Rosalie Gale (and sometimes a Hedgehog dressed in an Artichoke Costume)

Tell us a little about your business.

I run a website called Unanimous Craft. It's kind of like Yelp for crafters. You can add helpful resources to the site and then you and other crafters can vote on how useful they are. You can also create listings for your own shops and ask customers to review you. The more good reviews you get - the higher you rank in our popularity contest: http://www.unanimouscraft.com/popularity-contest/top-rated.

People can also compile lists of resources (http://www.unanimouscraft.com/lists) that can be shared with friends. It's a good way to share info like, "The 50 best ways to market your Etsy shop for free" or "Annual craft shows in our city."

Unanimous Craft also has an event calendar (http://www.unanimouscraft.com/events/calendar) that just launched recently. If you run a show - add your event to the calendar for additional free publicity.

Premium Memberships (http://www.unanimouscraft.com/products) are also available on Unanimous Craft. For $60/year you get a robust profile on the site that links to all your shops and social networks. Your profile is randomly shown on the home page each time it is refreshed. You get discounts on additional advertising on the site and are entered to win a monthly contest for a free ad.

Where are you located?

Seattle, WA

I also sell Shower Art - Waterproof art you can hang in your shower with a suction cup. Or anywhere else. We're no dictators.

You can see examples of them in my Etsy shop: Uglybaby.

How does being involved in the creative handmade community affect you?

I have really become inspired by makers and creative entrepreneurs of all kinds. I love going to shows and seeing all the wonderful and crazy things that people think up. I love seeing the huge crowds at shows buying up all those wonderful and crazy things. It makes me feel better about humanity.

What are your favorite handmade items to shop for?

My latest phase: great headbands.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

My husband and I are normally so wiped out by the holiday craft show circuit that we don't plan anything. Ahhhhhh... Last year we started a new tradition called Nestmas. We had a friend come over and we all wore pajamas. Each of us got a pillow and a comforter and we snuggled on the couch while watching a bunch of movies. Nice! I'm looking forward to doing that again this year.