Pricing your precious unique handmade items - Part 1

 I'm happy to publish another guest post here on my blog!

My friend Monique (Yemanja) has started an exciting experiment 

concerning pricing handmade items 

& she will share her experiences here with us!

♥♥♥

How to go about pricing your precious handmade items?

How to balance the very thin line between under- and over-pricing

in a world where many people struggle to make ends meet?

Two months ago I have started an experiment:

I let my customers price the item they are interested in!

They have to take my material-costs into account

(plus the 21% VAT I have to charge in the country I live.)

And that's it! Then my customers decide on the price.

In a way it fits perfectly in what I think of as (ideas of) a New Economy.

Besides, I really want my Crazy Creations to go out into the world,

not stay hidden in my atelier.

It makes for great conversation with my customers!

I feel more appreciated in my work,

people really think about the value of handmade,

the hours you put into it, your craftmanship.

I never hear anymore that it is too expensive ;)

Not one customer has not bought because of this policy.

Yes, sometimes it makes them feel uncomfortable.

They'd prefer me to put a price.

In that way they don't have to think about the value of handmade

and what it is worth to them.

They only have to "look inside their wallet":

can I afford this, does my budget allow it?

I found it is important to let them lovingly know

that it is not possible for them to disappoint me in any way,

that one's € 10 is not the same as the other's € 10,

that they can pay me what they can afford to pay for the value of the item.

I just did an exhibition/ fair in a small village on 'my' island in Greece.

A country in a deep crisis also on personal and family level.

I gave it some serious thought, if I should continue my experiment in Greece,

knowing that people are really low on money

and are looking for cheap-above-all or not buy at all.

Then I thought "well if I truly believe that the Universe will balance things out,

then I must do this, especially in Greece!"

I will keep this experiment till the end of 2015.

Then I 'll decide how to go on.

I 'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject!

Love, Monique

♥♥♥

A huge

"THANK YOU" to Monique,

Pricing is one of the most difficult things

& I hope her experiment

will become a real success!

We will read more about

Monique's experiences

with this unusual pricing method

in future guest posts,

can't wait!

Please get in touch with Monique

on her fabulous page Yemanja!

Hugs & Love:

Dada

A yarnpainting - with buttons!

My flatmate & good friend 

has celebrated his birthday yesterday!

Actually I wanted to create a crochet-only-painting

as a present but time was working against me

(as always)!

Instead of crocheting

I used a less time consuming technique

to fill the missing parts with colours:

Buttons!

I have thousands of buttons,

a few hundreds less

don't make a real difference! ;-)

A pretty fast technique -

I just put some glue on the canvas

& pressed the buttons on it!

Completed it just in time, yay! :-)

I see the head of a psychedelic bird in this yarnpainting

by the way!

Funny how things just appear while creating dadaistic art!

Sending much love:

Dada

♥♥♥

My first experience with a hand spindle!

I wanted to try spinning since years!

Last year I got me a spinning wheel

& I washed & prepared 3 kg of fluffy sheep wool

a while ago...

...first I read a lot about spinning.

Some experienced bloggers

wrote that it's best to start with a hand spindle first.

I got me one & tried it with video tutorials.

To be honest: I don't like watching videos

to learn something new...

I'm not very patient

& it's just so much easier to learn

it from someone else!

I googled & really!

I found someone who teaches spinning in Leipzig!

Sister Gudrun is such a lovely Lady

& the Kreativstube is just a wonderful place!

Creative people meet here

to felt, knit, crochet, craft or spin!

Some other Ladies wanted to learn to spin

with a hand spindle as well

& it was really nice to have company

while spinning my first "pregnant worms"! :-)

The sister's order of sister Gudrun

owns own sheep

& so their nice soft yarn turned into

my first irregular wool!

I don't mind my yarn isn't perfect,

it takes some training to spin & to get the right feeling.

At home I went on spinning

(so addictive!)

with some colourful merino wool

& that's how it looks like:

Spinning with colourful wool

is so much fun!

Another photo to show my imperfection

a little bit closer:

I'm excited to improve my skills on the hand spindle

& next week I can learn to spin

with a spinning wheel!

And here a last photo of my first handspun yarn

with Nana Sheila:

Sending love:

Dada & the Nanas!

♥♥♥

My cute little mermaid!

I shouldn't start new projects

as there are already uncountable 

works in progress...

But when I saw this

cute little mermaid in "Simply Crochet" issue 32

I just HAD to crochet this mermaid!

♥♥♥

(Crocheters from Germany

can also find the german pattern in

"Simply Häkeln" 04/2015!)

This was my progress yesterday...

I've used a 4,5 mm hook instead of 3 mm,

more to cuddle! ;-)

...and now she is completed! :-)

I got her some eyes today

& some sequins for her tail!

Actually I also wanted to make a braid

in the end as you can see on the photo

of the original mermaid...

But I just made my little mermaid

too many hairs!

It looked strange & so she is

wearing her hair wild!

So happy to have a new family member!

Only a strange selfie

but to give you an impression

of her size... 

The pattern by Ilaria Caliri

is easy to follow

& fast to crochet!

I can totally recommend it!

Sooo, back to my other WIPs! ;-)

Hugs from Dada

(and the Nanas! And the mermaid!)

♥♥♥