Reminder: Crafty Daisies Book Club–Lotta Prints, Wed 10/22

Hamburg-Schnelsen is a sedate part of my childhood town where the butcher shop is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary and my brother’s kindergarten buddy took over the family pharmacy business.  So my mother was excited to tell me about a new shop on our main street. “The woman who runs it just reminds me so much of you,” she said. And that’s how I met Alexandra in her store Das Kleine Koenigreich. The little kingdom over which she presides is filled with pretty pink and blue linens, fabrics, and other treasures she crafts in her studio in the back of her shop. Of course I had to stop by for a chat to find out how she became our new-girl-in-town.

So how did you get here?

It all started five years ago when my mother gave me a sewing machine for Christmas. I had never sewn before and started to teach myself while my toddler daughter was napping. A few months later, I was leafing through a magazine and found a pattern for a patchwork blanket. And that’s when I had this epiphany; I thought ‘I’d like to make this and sell it in my store.’ Of course there wasn’t a store, but the idea became my vision statement. 

How did you make the jump from a hobby to a business?

First I sold my collection out of a stall at the Isemarkt. After a while, some stores around town picked up my products, but every delivery reminded me that my original goal was to have my own shop. My first location was in a shopping mall in downtown Hamburg. I had to close it, but was able to re-open this neighborhood shop. My present storefront works out much better for me. I’m only five minutes from my home. Whenever I have a sudden inspiration that needs to be executed immediately I can just stop by the workshop.

What inspires you?

My ideas seem to strike me out of the blue, but I also read a lot of home design magazines. My personal style tends to be cozy and Scandinavian. 

What advice do you have for someone interested in starting this type of business?

You have to have realistic expectation and a certain level of financial security. For example, the closing of the first location could have had disastrous consequences if I had overextended myself. In the end, although it sounds like a cliche, you have to have a positive attitude and believe in yourself.

You can visit Alexandra at her online shop www.daskleinekoenigreich.de and take a look at the linens, pillows, bags, and musical pull toys she’s designed. Google Translate can help you with the German.

Also check out my post about alternatives to business cards to promote your crafting enterprise on craftevolution.com.

Lately, I’ve been lurking on German crafting blogs; maybe a little homesick, looking for some inspiration for the next great project. In my browsing I was impressed by the number of multi-lingual blogs out there offering glimpses into someone’s life who strickt, tricot, or het breien instead of knits.

Here is a very abbreviated list of some of the blogs I came across; there are many countries, cultures, and languages that will not be included and I apologize to anyone I left out. If you have other suggestions please add them in your comments. I think it would be exciting for all of us to learn about fellow crafters around the globe.

Germany

Okay, Simone started it all for me so she will be the first one in the line-up. I think I discovered her through a comment she left. She writes her blog www.seemownay.de in German and English and shares her family life and crafting explorations. She is especially known for her clever geese.

Next is Katharina. She recently started blogging in English as well as German and maintains a blog called Nähsucht (Sewing Addiction). She loves fabric. You have to check out her awesome Amy Butler Flower Bag.

Finland

Hanne writes in Finnish and English on Väkerrellen. Her motto is the “Thinner the Yarn, better the Knit.” Sadly, WordPress recently ate her older posts, but you can check out her amazing yarn stash if you follow her links to her Flickr profile. (Note to self: always back up.)

Belgium

Isabel lives in Belgium and blogs at Tarte Tatin in: Dutch, French and English! She has great pictures of her projects, purchases, and just sundries around her house.

England

Florence blogs at Flossie Teacakes about her musings, projects, the Zebra Girl and Dinosaur-Boy. Reading her blog always makes me want to make myself a nice cup of tea to sip while I accompany her on her day.

Portugal

Manuela has this wonderful blog at Macati. She writes in Portuguese and English about her crafts, swaps, You Tube finds and other things that move her.

Australia

Di has been blogging at Clementine’s Shoes since September 2, 2004. How’s that for endurance. She’s a prolific knitter and seamstress and has some fun patterns to share. Right now she’s in the middle of a bathroom renovation project.

I hope you enjoyed this roundup. Maybe you rediscovered some old favorites or found some new talented people you’d like to read about. And please, if you have links to other international blogs share them with us.

I have a friend Amy who is a beading genius. I’m sure there is some official name for these people that make incredible creations by stringing beads together. I’m going to call her this for now. Here’s some of her stuff she was finishing up for the Cuirim Craft Fair. She’s a genius I’m telling you!

She spends hours on this stuff.

I swear there is a difference between “artists” like her & my friend Joanna and “crafters” like me and my girlz. I mean, Amy and Joanna actually feel their work. When they finish something it is like they have given a piece of their soul. Not me I just try it out and if it works I’m like, cool! Then I try something else. I love that there are different ways to craft. It’s not that I feel less than them or anything they are just a different breed. I’m just thrilled to see art like theirs. That they spend any time with “crafters” like us is just a gift.

I stenciled this then gave it to Amy. She spent hours beading it for me before we made it into a bag. Here’s the way the bag turned out. Sweet work Amy – thanks so much!! Brian and Kirsten are going to love it. We are going to give them this bag with the fat check we made from the Cuirim Craft Fair in it.