With a name like Smuckers ...

Ohio's economy is moving away from manufacturing into different and much more diversified economy. However, we should not lose all of our manufacturing. With the manufacturing that is left, we need to make sure that employees are treated fairly with a decent wage.It is important make consumers understand that buying a jar of jam that is marked One or Two dollars higher than the generic store brand has the cost of the employee worked into the pricing. Sure the company profits but the employees get health care and above average manaufacturing pay. That is important. People complain about jobs getting shipped overseas but they are the same people visiting dollar stores and paying for cheap wares made in China. Word the the wise, buy quality not quanity and consume less.

I had the opportunity to visit the Simply Smuckers Store in Orville, Ohio a few weeks ago. Smuckers is a name that is synonomous with wholesome goodness. It is not a just a well crafted advertising campaign, it is the truth about the company. Sure all large corporations have pitfalls but this company has not strayed from its core values. I watch the ticker symbol and monitor the stock market based on Smuckers stock. You would never guess that they have many brands under the umbrella of Smuckers. Some of the brands are Borden / Eagle Brand, Pillsbury, Jiff, Martha White etc. The company is located in a farming community that is vibrant and has an excellent workforce. Think of fresh air not smokestacks.

tugboatprintshop

Tugboat print shop told me about the way they work and this is what they had to say:

Our work is our day job. Its much more work than a day job, and much
more stressful at times, but always more satisfying!

We have always known that we would have our prints for sale online
through our official website, www.tugboatprintshop.com. The idea for an
additional online shop came to us when we discovered Etsy. Etsy provided
us with a easy-to-use template and the means to reach a broader
clientele. We are always eager to find new ways to let people know who we are,
what we do, and what we make.

Traditional Printmaking techniques are processes that are drawing
focused-media (etching, woodcut, lithography, etc). We love
drawing--especially detailed drawings. With printmaking, we create the time-consuming,
intricate drawings that we want to be making and are also able to
print multiples. Editioning allows us to share our work with more people at
more affordable prices.
It's true that digital media can also reproduce things. But giclee, or
offset or inkjet prints, have no real artistic merit. It is just a
file or an image, it isn't really an object of art.

Running a business is something that is new to us, that we learn more
about everyday.

We work to keep ourselves scheduled for more and more shows, projects,
and opportunities each year. This keeps us attuned to what is going on
and propels us to make new work that is part of what is going on in the
arts. Also, our lifestyle basically centers around constantly making
newer and better work. Thankfully, we're the type of individuals that
tend to find inspiration/ideas in nearly everything! We are
continually bouncing ideas for new projects off of each other and often
experience a back-log of ideas (too many projects--so little time!)

Our best advice for people selling work online is to maintain your
vision for your work. Take good pictures, communicate with your customers,
ship fast, and deliver something you can be proud of!

Take the Handmade Pledge

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

I had the chance to meet Kerri Frech from Frech Studio. Her work is in a case in the back of Lake Erie Artists Gallery in Tower City Center in the center of downtown Cleveland. She does beautiful jewelry with a victorian flair. Her creativity doesn't stop there. I saw some beautiful snow flake ornaments that are made out of glass. Buy her ornaments because they make wonderful additions to your holiday display. During the dark days of December they catch light. Put in your order and support handmade products for your holiday instead of mass produced junk that is often shoved down our throats from September until January. See her snowflakes and other pieces of art by visiting her shop. Kerri Frech

Sweetest Pea

This storefront is fantastic. Handmade stuffed animals. Great design concept from Boston.

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The Cleveland Independent Movie Goers!

A Scientist's Take on a Creative Life

When did you know that you were cut out to be artistic?

Late. Very late! Everyone in my family is very artistic. My Mom, brother and sister all draw and paint. My dad and brother build awesome things and put on amazing Halloween “Haunted Houses” that are like Hollywood productions. They’re famous in the San Fernando Valley! I was the ugly duckling of art, the poster-stepchild for artistic deficiency, the black sheep…baaaa. Then again, I made doll furniture, clothes, mini doll food and household items. I just didn’t think it was art. I was a purist at 7. So I went the other way and I became a scientist and banned all artsiness out of my mind. But as I grew older I realized people copy my style, my decorating, my outfits, my original ideas in SCIENCE! A friend got me to make jewelry with her and the creative side of me finally busted out and couldn’t be denied! I still tend to think “Art? Me?” and then I realize that a lot of my science –like worrying about the composition when taking electron images of tiny structures in fish IS art!

How did it make you feel when someone bought something that you made?

Amazing! The most wonderful part is when you realize someone actually “gets it”; that they share your aesthetic. So much that they have to own a piece of it. I find it so weird that we go about the world looking for like minds. To be understood. And when it happens it’s a BAM! moment. It’s so exhilarating! I’ve had people at shows say “I want every single thing on your table” and “This is the exact…(ring, necklace, object)…I’ve been looking for!” or “ I like how your stuff is a little random” or “your color combinations are weird but so right”. It’s like two minds have been wandering around and slam into each other in a moment of recognition and it’s very strange and satisfying. It’ s why I love doing shows and I think it’s why we all like the Treasuries on ETSY so much. A chance to express this shared aesthetic and fish for other like-minds!

What keeps you inspired?

The desire to make something that will strike a chord with people. That will become one of their favorite things. The work of other amazing artists in all genres. I strive to become better and better to deserve to be in the company of such artistic spirit, inspiration and originality. To get something just right, even just for me. The things I haven’t tried yet, the tools I haven’t bought yet (!), the shapes I haven’t produced yet, the colors I haven’t combined yet, the ideas I haven’t expressed yet. There’s a whole world of possibility and even if I’d started at birth there would always be more to try!




www.phbeads.etsy.com
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