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Hello and See You Later

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Hi, hello, and how are you? It’s been a while… we’ve been MIA from your inbox and social media for several months while we took a break for the holidays. Part of this was to leave you alone during your busiest season of the year, but there’s another reason: we needed some time to ourselves to map out shutting things down.

Yup, you read that right. We are leaving the Academy of Handmade. There are lots of reasons for this, but essentially we’ve been burned out for a bit-- for reasons related to and unrelated to AOH-- and just didn’t see going forward as sustainable.

Before we get to what happens next, we first want to take a moment to say THANK YOU-- thank you to all of our supporters and members and customers and participants and readers and podcast listeners. Truly we have loved working with you and it’s your energy and enthusiasm that has probably kept us going longer than we realized. Looking back on over five years of working with makers, we are so proud of the work we have done and the community we supported!

THANK YOUS & SHOUT OUTS

Before we wrap this up, we wanted to thank people who have really been so key in believing in us, supporting us and cheerleading us! This really has been about the friends we made along the way.

Our team: Nessa, Lisa, Sandy and Miriam-- it was such a pleasure working with you ladies!

All our former chapter leaders... you ladies really believed in us and worked hard to help other makers!

Our awards winners and nominees, including our three Master Makers: Jenny Hart, Erin Dollar and Robert Mahar... so honored and amazed by your talents!

Our super-friends and cheerleaders: Lizzie Mae, Rosalie Gale, Holly Marsh, Rebecca Saylor, Nicole Stevenson, Tina Rodas, Jenn Lamb, Katie Hunt, Annika Chaloff, Robin Soltis, Kimberly Taylor-Pestell, Tiffany Kuo... and so many more that we're for sure forgetting!

Our serial experts: Stacia Guzzo, Kirsten Pumphrey, Kylie Fattor, Adrienne Wiley, Lela Barker, Arianne Foulks, Marlo Miyashiro, Lisa Anderson Shaffer, Sarah Mandell, and Carolyn Caffelle. You all made our programming and content better!

All of these people have been incredibly kind and truly want to help the maker community become stronger.

In Our Absence...

There are a few business we heartily recommend you turning to in our absence. They are certifiable friends of makers. :) We'd never steer you wrong! Please check them out.

Dear Handmade Life
Lucky Break Consulting
Creators & Adventurers
Trade Show Boot Camp
VA for Makers
Aeolidia
Smart Creative Social

What’s Next...

Now, to what happens next.

First, we’ve been fortunate enough to find a great maker and online personality who’s going to run the Academy of Handmade - Brittany Lynch.

Brittany is the owner of multiple crochet and craft blogs, the Dollar Yarn Club and also the host of the very successful Handmade Business Summit. We hope you’ll all give Brittany a warm welcome.

Secondly, we’ve migrated almost all of our YHBTV episodes over to YouTube. Visit our channel to revisit your favorites or peruse some killer topics we covered - so pop over and check it out.

Thank you for joining us on our adventures and for supporting us, supporting you!

With a tear in our eyes and a big handmade hug,

Sharon & Isaac.

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Studio Tour: Keira Schultz of KSDesigns LLC

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Studio Tour: Keira Schultz of KSDesigns LLC

Alright guys, it's time for another edition of the maker version of HGTV. We're doing a studio and today we're excited to introduce you to Keira Schultz' fantastic studio. I love how she's set it up so that she can also use it for background in her photo shoots (check out her Insta to see how she sets up her photos). Check it out!

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PACKAGING JEWELRY FOR SHOP DISPLAY: RETAILERS SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS

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PACKAGING JEWELRY FOR SHOP DISPLAY: RETAILERS SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS

This past spring at Craftcation we hosted a Think Tank (group feedback session) on packaging. We did not anticipate the high demand for this class. Apparently a lot of you have questions about the best way to package your products, especially for wholesale and especially about jewelry. So, we thought we'd get some of the smartest shop owners we know to share what they like to see when it comes to jewelry packaged for their shop.  

A NEW DIRECTION

A NEW DIRECTION

We have some exciting new things happening with Academy of Handmade, along with some pretty big changes. There is a lot of information to share and get through, but I hope you will read on as we share how we plan to continue our mission of helping makers grow sustainable businesses. Plus, we’ve got a fun surprise at the end!

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LEARNING FROM THE PERFECT FAIL

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LEARNING FROM THE PERFECT FAIL

Back in May our theme for the month was The F Word: Failure. In our community forums we explored the topic of The Perfect Fail-- essentially the idea that you can do everything *right* and still come out with a bummer result. Maker Lynn Quire got vulnerable and shared the time that she new she literally had to close up shop. I think we all can relate to a lot of the things in this, especially making hard decisions despite what people will think.

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CHRIS AND ANDY WORKSPACE TOUR

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CHRIS AND ANDY WORKSPACE TOUR

Today we've got another chance for you to peep on a maker's studio space! This one has some pretty dreamy windows and is surrounded by what looks like a forest to this city-dweller. It's the business home for creative power couple Chris and Andrea Zatarian of Chris & Andy Design. Check out how they make it work for their multiple and varied business needs, plus learn more about how they built their business!

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How to Prepare to Attend a Creative Live Course in Person

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How to Prepare to Attend a Creative Live Course in Person

We think bettering yourself as a business owner through education is a smart move. One of our favorite places for top-notch handmade business education is CreativeLive* (friends of ours like Katie Hunt, Nicole Stevenson, Erin Dollar and Robert Mahar have done excellent ones, as well!). One of the best things about it? You're able to watch the live classes (and the re-runs!) for free. You can also totally be part of their live audience and one of our members Richelle of redscorpio has been several times. She shares what it's like and how to prepare for it.

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Using Wholesale Starter Packs to Land New Buyers

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Using Wholesale Starter Packs to Land New Buyers

We've noticed a huge trend on Etsy Wholesale: Starter Packs-- essentially putting together what you think would be a good typical first order for a shop. It makes a lot of sense since buyers don't have to guess quantities to buy or popular items, deal with minimums, etc. Starter Packs happen outside of Etsy Wholesale too, but they have especially taken off on there!

I asked our members to share their experiences with them-- both our members that are sellers AND buyers so you get different perspectives. Read on to see how Starter Packs can help you up your wholesale game.

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PART 3: ON TO HANDCRAFTED SOAP & COSMETIC GUILD (BUSINESS ROAD TRIP WITH TWO #AHASMEMBERS)

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PART 3: ON TO HANDCRAFTED SOAP & COSMETIC GUILD (BUSINESS ROAD TRIP WITH TWO #AHASMEMBERS)

Today is the final part of a very special series this week with two members who are soapers and upon first meeting decided to road trip to attend not one but TWO handmade conferences together! If this sounds like the recipe for a handmade buddy comedy movie (we'd see that!), well, we don't have video but we will bring you three blog posts. :) (read part 1 here, part 2 here)

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Part 2: Heading to Craftcation (Business Road Trip with Two #AHASMEMBERS)

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Part 2: Heading to Craftcation (Business Road Trip with Two #AHASMEMBERS)

Today is the second part of a very special series this week with two members who are soapers and upon first meeting decided to road trip to attend not one but TWO handmade conferences together! If this sounds like the recipe for a handmade buddy comedy movie (we'd see that!), well, we don't have video but we will bring you three blog posts. :) (read part 1 here)

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Business Road Trip to Craftcation and Handcrafted Soap Guild with Two #AHASMEMBERS

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Business Road Trip to Craftcation and Handcrafted Soap Guild with Two #AHASMEMBERS

We have a very special series this week with two members who are soapers and upon first meeting decided to road trip to attend not one but TWO handmade conferences together! If this sounds like the recipe for a handmade buddy comedy movie (we'd see that!), well, we don't have video but we will bring you three blog posts. :) 

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FROM HOBBY TO BUSINESS WITH KENDAL KEITH OF K KEITH DESIGNS

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FROM HOBBY TO BUSINESS WITH KENDAL KEITH OF K KEITH DESIGNS

There often comes a point when makers realize they have more than a hobby on their hands-- they can actually make their passion a business. Kendal of K Keith Designs shares with us her transformation and learning some hard lessons. I was so delighted to meet her in person recently at Craftcation. Like so many of our members, she was incredibly business savvy and generous with her knowledge! I am so impressed with how thoughtfully she has managed her business. Enjoy what she has to share (and keep an eye for her business-- she's headed for big things!).

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Studio Tour: Shelley Engstrom of Story handmade

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Studio Tour: Shelley Engstrom of Story handmade

It's time to get a little nosy and pull back the curtain on another maker's studio! Today we are checking out the Seattle studio of #ahasmember Shelley Engstrom of Story Handmade Designs, a shop of thoughtful necklaces and needle-felted and macrame goods. Get to know her backstory a bit and check out her space! I especially love her sunny window. :) 

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Brick & Mortar AMA with Rosalie Gale and Kiley Handy

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Brick & Mortar AMA with Rosalie Gale and Kiley Handy

What's it like your running your own brick & mortar shop? We talk with two shop owners about it! Next week I'm excited to sit down with two incredible #ahasmembers about what it's like to own and manage a physical retail space. We're letting you get to know them a little more today. I hope you'll join as we talk to them more about their businesses and answer your questions. Read on to learn about their shops.

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5 Things We Learned at Craftcation 2017

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5 Things We Learned at Craftcation 2017

For many makers, who often work alone, it can be an isolating experience. Attending conferences, like Craftcation or workshops can help build relationships, find answers to problems we can’t figure out in our business and connect us to a community who can offer support. After spending four days of listening to creatives and business experts, you’d expect to learn a few things, right? Read on for the top five things we took away during Craftcation!

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Workspace Tour: Holly Marsh of MarshMueller

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Workspace Tour: Holly Marsh of MarshMueller

We're excited today to present another studio tour from one of our members! Holly Marsh of MarshMueller is now on her third studio-- so she has a lot to say about the pros and cons of being at home vs. having a separate studio space. And we are so glad she's been able to adapt in the different phases of her life. Read on to see where she's been and where she's at now!