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Fav Photo Editing Apps for Instagram

As I am sure you all know 99.99% (totally made up statistic) of Instagram posts are edited in some fashion. Whether it be a major edit where the image looks nothing like the original or a mild edit to bump up color saturation. Now before we delve in to this post I must make a disclaimer: I am NOT a pro at photography or editing, am I better then I used to be..absolutely. I am sure down the road as I learn even more I will need to do an updated post, but for now here the apps I have found to be the most helpful!


Lightroom CC

My go to app is lightroom CC. The mobile version is free and easy to use. I used to primarily use snapseed (which I still do and will explain when later on in this post) until I found lightroom CC.
The main features I use in this app are the light features (exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites & blacks). I also really like the effects section (textures, clarity and dehaze).

This app is something you need to play around with a bit to figure out which s…
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Meet Your Maker-Coffee Bean Knitting

I stumbled across Coffee Bean Knitting on Instagram and absolutely loved Kristin's style and aesthetic. I was so happy when she agreed to participate in MYM. Kristen has tons of beautiful both ready made items and patterns for sale on Etsy!Be sure to show her some love after reading this post.


Introduce yourself and your business.

I'm Kristin and I'm the creator of Coffee Bean Knitting! I was taught to crochet and knit when I was 7 or 8 by my grandmother, I stopped for a while in my teens but got back into it in my early 20's and haven't stopped since!

How did you launch your business & what made you want to start a small business?

I started Coffee Bean Knitting back in 2013, until then knitting and crocheting had just been a hobby but they were both things I really loved doing. I finally reached the point where I couldn't possible make any more hats, scarves, or blankets for myself and that's when I decided to launch an Etsy shop.

What are some struggles …
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Small Items & Table Set Up (Market Prep Series Part 3)

Now that you have your crochet or knitwear stock ready to go, what else do you need to think about? Well for one it is good to have smaller items for smaller price points (i.e. stocking stuffers for Christmas markets) but also an attractive and organized looking set up to draw people to your table.

*Post contains affiliate links*

Table Fillers

Smaller items are great to fill space on your table, but to also offer options that are in everyone's price point. Having some smaller items that cost $10 or less can provide extra revenue. Some ideas for smaller items include:

scrunchies: very popular at the moment, great way to use up that scrap yarn. I have a few free  patterns you can check out here.

earrings: also very popular right now, highly recommend the crafty loop boho earrings by acraftyconcept (free pattern)

keychains: you can use mini faux fur poms, yarn poms or I even saw someone turn a crochet earring into a keychain!

small amigurumi: nothing to detailed that will take up tons of t…
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Dealing With Failure as a Maker

I am here today to talk about something that I am sure all of us have faced at some point in our maker journey...failure. In a world where everything is now picture perfect, our insta feeds are highly curated and we only see everyone's highlight reel I am here today to tell you not everything is perfect that's OK!


I do way more crochet then I do knitting. Until recently the largest thing I knit was a hat, but one of my goals for 2019 was to learn some more knitting skills and to knit myself a sweater! I looked for an easy pattern that used chunky yarn that would work up quickly for my first sweater and chose the Ski Lodge Pullover by ErinBethCrochet. I was so excited to start my first sweater and was so proud that I managed to get all the yarn I needed for it at Dollerama! So my sweater making journey began.

This is a bottom up sweater and technically a crop sweater, but based on the size chart the size small would be a perfect length for little ol' me! I did my gauage swa…
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Meet Your Maker- Spunky Owl

This week on MYM we have the lovely Allison from Spunky Owl. Allison sells both patterns &  finished items, as well as running a crochet blog.  Be sure to check out her blog after you read this post as her maker journey is truly inspirational.


Introduce yourself and your business.

Allison Marks, Spunky Owl

How did you launch your business & what made you want to start a small business?

I taught myself how to crochet with the help of YouTube videos and a lot of cuss words and patience. October will be 1 year since I picked up my first crochet hook! I start making small gifts for Christmas, and figured I could sell items to help pay for my yarn addiction. Therefore, in February 2019, I officially launched spunkyowl.com!

What are some struggles you had starting your business and how did you over come them?

My biggest struggle with starting my own business was self-doubt. Because I haven't been crocheting for long, I questioned whether I was good enough to be selling items and wr…
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Fav Quick Knit Patterns (Market Prep Series Part 2)

I Hope Part 1 of this Market Prep Series was helpful to all of those who crochet. This installment will feature quick and east knit patterns. Now I am by no means an expert knitter, I would consider my skill set pretty beginner and all of these patterns worked up beautifully. All of these patterns once again use chunky yarn (I clearly have an obsession).


Beanies

Linden Hat

This hat by Whirls and Purls has one of the most beautiful textures ever! It is amazing and only uses the knit & purl stitch so definitely beginner friendly. This was one of the first knit patterns I made that had purls in it and was honestly intimidated at first, but it is such a quick and easy pattern to follow!!!!



Aurelia Beanie

Now you are prob looking at this like "that does not look quick,easy & beginner friendly"...Let me tell you IT IS! This was my first time doing cables EVER and this pattern by mbymknitwear was amazing and so easy to follow. Please do not be intimidated by how intricate this…
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Meet Your Maker-Sunday Morning Glassworks

This week on MYM we have Emily from Sunday Morning Glassworks.  Emily makes lovely stained glass artwork that is inspired by nature. If you are looking for a beautiful gift for someone these works of art are perfect.


Introduce yourself and your business.

My name is Emily and Sunday Morning Glassworks is my stained glass business. It’s inspired by nature and all things that light up the soul. In the past I’ve sold tons of small sun catchers, but I want to start moving towards bigger home projects.

How did you launch your business & what made you want to start a small business?

I started my business right after I finished taking a stained glass class at my local art center. I didn’t really know I wanted to start a business until it happened and all of the sudden I was releasing things to sell! I sold to a lot of friends and family first. I quickly got on etsy and was surprised to have them feature me on Instagram a few months later which really got my name out there and my account flo…
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