Our Beautiful handmade living. Calendar

It's finalised! We are thrilled to implement a stunning handmade living. calendar, to accompany the book - and Tina Snerling of Tiny Concept has finished drafting a design that will have you drooling.

The calendar will be changed up and a different format will be used each and every year - but for 2011, we will be featuring the most stunning, French-style postcard format, which will be presented in a beautiful keepsake envelope.

The actual size of each postcard will be double the regular size so that once the calendar has expired, the top part of the card (featuring the designer's product) can be snipped off and either scrapbooked, memo-boarded, fridge-pinned, framed or posted to a loved one.

We will also have a stand included with this calendar, so that each month can be displayed on desk or bureau, showcasing the gorgeous design.

This mock up done by Tina, featuring her breathtaking dolls, does NOT represent the final look - it will just give you a glimpse at the structure and unlimited design potential.

Each month of the year will feature ONE DESIGNER, and details of the designer's product will be printed on the front of the card (alongside the actual calendar portion), with a designer profile on the back.

THERE ARE ONLY ELEVEN (11) SPACES AVAILABLE TO FILL FOR THIS AMAZING CALENDAR. You will need to get in fast if you want to be involved, and showcase your wares in this limited edition product. Just send an application form with the Calendar portion ticked to Tania.

Please contact Tina directly if you have any queries or anything you would like to discuss about the calendar.

A mock-up of this amazing calendar

Huge Thanks to Mathilda's Market

Huge thanks to the lovely Anne Lewis of Mathilda's Market for the shout out about handmade living. in the Mathilda's newsletter tonight! Publicist Peta Levett did an amazing job of writing about our call-out for designers to take part in this fabulous publication celebration of handmade designers, Australia-wide.

Our inbox is really in overdrive now! What an inspiring way to network in the handmade community. Love your work, gals!

Make sure you check out the Mathilda's blog, and sign up for the fab newsletter here.

Make Sure You Provide an Inspirational Project or How-To

Hello talented designers,

Applications are coming in and it's sheer joy to see the amazing ideas from you enormously clever people!

Just a reminder - some are sending in applications with information on their product only. Yes, they are very beautiful products, but this is not a book advertising your creations. This is a HOW-TO, PROJECT and INSPIRATION book. You need to come up with some kind of idea that readers can RECREATE themselves.

If you are a jeweller, for example, it's obvious readers will not have the tools or the know-how to recreate precious jewellery. So think outside the square. Can you create a project that is INSPIRED by your jewellery? Or what about a way to keep or gift your jewellery? Or use your jewellery in ways other than on your neck, ears, wrists??

If you provide a service, eg: photographers - think up a special way to showcase your talent, whether it be instructional or physical, like ways to display photos or take them.

Please do not hesitate to email me if you would like to discuss some more design ideas or need inspiration, but also talk to your friends and colleagues about your ideas - the more you talk, the more you will be inspired to think creatively.

Remember, we are NOT just advertising your products, we are ensuring readers receive something they can 'take away' from handmade living. so they rant and rave to everyone about it and more people buy this beautiful book... featuring YOU!

So please remember to *add a project or how-to idea to your application!

*Of course, all this does not apply to people who only want to place a photo as an End of Chapter product shot.

Tania

Think Outside the Square!

Stunning designer applications continue to come in and we are so impressed by the quality and calibre of your ideas - however, we need to reiterate that handmade living. is a book that showcases your talent in ways that have not been seen (or are not frequently seen) before.

We are looking for applications that feature items bursting with imagination.

We realise that some classic idea templates will still be featured in the book, but the whole premise and attraction of handmade living. is that it will give its readers something new and something fresh - a whole new take. This is what will make handmade living. stand out from the plethora of other creative books on the scene, and make it a must-buy, ensuring your maximum exposure to the public.

When you send your application in, ask yourself:

• is my idea unique?
• has it been seen before? if yes, how can I make it stand out/different?
• what new elements can I incorporate/interesting materials can I use?
• how can I think outside the square?

I hope this sends your creative juices into overdrive!

Tania

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Trouble Receiving Your Designer Info Pack?

Dear Designers,

If you don't receive your designer info pack soon after requesting, please do be in touch. The info pack includes:

• A Designer Information document (PDF)
• An Application Form (Word doc)
• 4 x jpegs totalling around 4MB

I am sending these documents over two or three emails and some of you are still not receiving them, despite the size being quite small (the PDF is only 145KB!).

Everyone's email address and server capabilities are different, so please do let me know if you are struggling to receive documents. Check your JUNK or SPAM folder and adjust settings if need be.

Also - please note: as outlined in the PDF file, the jpegs sent to you are a MOCK UP and an EXAMPLE only. They represent how the end result MAY look. We do not own these images and will not be using these images.

Lastly, remember that although the deadline for applications is 7 May, that deadline is for your expression of intererst (ie: application) only. You will have plenty of time to create and photograph (if required) your projects!

We've been indundated with designer applications - this is very exciting indeed. We look forward to seeing what you come up with!

REMEMBER: WE ARE LOOKING FOR PROJECTS THAT ARE UNIQUE AND HAVE NOT BEEN SEEN BEFORE!

Tania
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Support from the Creative Community

I just love the supportive and warm environment of the handmade and artisan community, both here in the ACT, and Australia-wide. We've had an unprecedented amount of requests for Designer Info Packs today, and the word is certainly getting around.

It was so exciting to have Craft Australia contact us today, offering to help us put out the call to talented designers to appear in handmade living. Many thanks to Belinda for her help - she has most kindly added us to her Opportunities Calendar.

My, this is going to be a beautiful production.

Craft Australia publishes a free online newsletter every month.

Head to craftaustralia.org.au/enews to sign up.

Changes to Five Ways Feature

Just a quick note to let you know we've made changes to the Five-Ways feature of the book, making it easier for you to be involved. There are now two of these features...

3-Ways over a single page

5-Ways over a double page spread

ONE DESIGNER will be responsible for creating a single product 3 or 5 different ways.

The cost of these packages has changed. Most of you who have asked for a Designer Info Pack would have received the changes by email, but please email us if you haven't received the updates and need to see them.

Tania

Calendar in Production

While you gorgeous designers are busy-beeing yourselves, readying applications for Le Book, the handmade living. team is also squirreling away at prepping and designing a spectacular showcase for your work... both the book and, of course, the calendar.

Tina has been drafting up some stunning calendar ideas (there will be a different style calendar each and every year) and we'll soon announce what style we'll be going with - a traditional flip calendar? A desk calendar? Postcards or something really different?

You'll have to wait and see. Needless to say, it will be stunning. If you are interested in being featured in the handmade lving. calendar, remember you'll only be one of 12 designers featured. What an amazing opportunity.

Just more Handmade bliss.

Talk of the Town

Well, it seems handmade living. is currently the talk of the town! Lots of buzz going on and people coming into Shop Handmade asking for more info. We've had loads of interstate inquiries, too - so exciting to know that our glorious designers are going to enjoy being part of such an incredible book, packed with luscious goodies. Just too exciting.

Have you asked for your Designer Information Pack yet? Just ping us an email and totally wow us with your talent! The more unique, beautiful and 'different' your idea, the better! Now is the time to really yet your creative juices flowing.

Applications are coming in!

Thanks everyone for the applications! They are already coming in and it's just so exciting to see people's ideas! I am trying to contain myself and not just launch straight into production with each and every one of you... but right now, it's important to catalogue your ideas and work out where they could fit.

Remember, the more creative and 'out there' you can be, the higher your chances are of gaining a place in the book. Send in your gorgeous ideas but also try to think of ways they can be done differently. handmade living. is not just another creative showcase book - we need to give our readers things they've never seen or done before - let's show them how utterly clever our Handmade designers are!

Tania
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A note on the Five Ways Feature

A lot of you are LOVING the Five-Ways feature idea and I'm not surprised - it's also my favourite!

Remember that when you apply for this special feature, you must provide a product that fits in with the nominated Five-Ways categories.

So, as per your info pack, we are looking for two Five-Ways features per chapter and I've listed them below...

Homewares – refurbishing a kitchen chair or an unusual lampshade/lightshade
Décor – a clock or a message board
Textiles – a cushion or a fabric tote
Clothing – most creative use of a scarf or ways to dress up plain white shirt
Jewellery & Accessories – creative ways to utilise a brooch or creating jewellery/an accessory from paper
Children – decorative flag bunting or a set of blocks
Papergoods – a greeting card or calendar
Food – a lunch table setting or food gift box/hamper
Collectibles – a keepsake book for families or a photo album

If your product is one of the above, you can submit it for the Five-Ways feature. If you're unsure about ideas for this feature and want to be involved, please email me and I can help.

Remember - the more OUT THERE and unique your Five-Ways idea, the more likely it is to be featured.

Also remember, you will need to have your Five-Ways how-to photographed in steps.

You may be ASKED to contribute a Five-Ways feature if we think one of your products or ideas is particularly fab. You are not at all obliged to submit if you don't want to, but we'll still ask!

Fun!

Tania

Which Package Will You Choose?

My goodness, we are already receiving applications for handmade living.! You designers are some organised people and it's very exciting to see your gorgeous ideas, already!

I just wanted to make a note on your Package choices.

Any singular product you submit will only be featured once in the book. You cannot submit it for more than one package (unless you are also submitting for End Papers, Contents and End of Chapter Pages, in which case the same product can absolutely be featured in all of those).

For example, you cannot submit the same project for the Five Ways package AND Single Page AND Double Page.

If you want the option to be considered for all three (above) packages, then that's absolutely okay - tick them all and we will let you know which one we consider it would be suited for.

If you have your product approved for the Five Ways feature, for example, then you are absolutely encouraged to put in a different product for the Double Page spread, if you want to have more presence in the book.

I hope this helps make this slightly complicated process clearer! Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need any clarification.

Receiving Information Packs

Dear All,

I have been busy sending out loads of information packs. I have started sending them as a zipped file, which you will need to UNzip.

Some of you are not receiving packs and some are - this is probably due to your email server's size limits. The pack is only 4MB, so it should come through to everyone okay.

If you don't receive the pack within a few hours of request, please do be in touch and I can resend in smaller parts.

Tania

contact.

For all administrative enquiries including fees, deadlines and all designer liaison, please email Louise adminAThandmademarket.com.au.

For business or distribution enquiries, contact Julie infoAThandmademarket.com.au.

For creative enquiries, contact Tania booksATtaniamccartney.com. Please ONLY contact Tania if you are already in the process of liaising directly with her on your book feature. Please direct most enquiries to admin.