See Martha's take on the 2012 American Made Awards on The Martha Blog.
It has been two fabulous days of creativity and innovation at #americanmade. Thank you for all your follows, comments, and shares. We can't wait until next year!
After two days of inspiration, creation, and innovation, there's only one logical question to sum up the American Made workshop: What's next?
That was the topic tackled by a team of five of the top names in the blogging world in the last panel of our event. Editor-in-Chief of Martha Stewart Living Pilar Guzman hosted the roundtable discussion of what's on the horizon for food, design and lifestyle bloggers.
"For food trends, I'm seeing a lot more natural styling. When food is heavily styled, it may make a magazine look good and pretty, but it doesn't make people want to cook." -Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen
"I'm seeing a return to color in decor. Strong colors like bright pink or fucshia. I think people were depressed and scared a few years ago, and when you're scared, you don't take risks. Color is a risk. But now these are risks people are willing to take." -Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy
"I look a lot at the actual design of blogs, and I'm seeing a lot more joy, more sparkle in blog design. It's a more definitive step in the blog itself." -Stacy Morrison of BlogHer
"People putting type on their photos! It's the thing, and it's doing really well on Pinterest." -Gabrielle Blair of Design Mom
"DIY is now its own vertical. And I'm excited to see that the people, the innovators are not a specific demographic -- it's a psychographic. These are all people who want to make their life more beautiful and fun. More people are creating their own worlds." -Erica Domesek of P.S. - I Made This
Martha thanks the last panel of #americanmade, who discussed their favorite trends in the blogging world.
Pilar, Erica from P.S I Made This, Deb from Smitten Kitchen, Maxwell from Apartment Therapy, Stacy from BlogHer, and Gabrielle from Design Mom on our "What's Next?" blogger panel.
Emeril signing books for fans at #americanmade.
Gael Towey discusses the importance of good design in business with honorees Andrew Tarlow and Peter Lawrence of the Whythe Hotel, Carter Cleveland of Art.sy, and Jonah Meyer of Sawkille & Co., sponsored by @toyota. #americanmade #toyota
Pumpkin treats by #Bouchon are next up in the #americanmade cafe.
Martha took advantage of the JC Penney photo booth at the Workshop this morning.
Source: thebos.co
This morning, Martha Stewart gave a presentation of "Five Things Everyone Needs to Know," her favorite tips and tricks for everything from pumpkin carving to house painting. Here are her five key tips:
1. Use an ice ball maker for perfectly spherical ice for liquor. It's a neat trick that will keep drinks cool.
2. Cut open the bottom of a pumpkin when carving to preserve the look of the pumpkin and coat the cut parts with petroleum jelly to keep them from rotting. See this tip.
3. Put a whole head of garlic between two metal bowls and shake to remove all the paper for perfectly clean garlic cloves. Wash your hands on the stainless steel metal bowl to get rid of the smell. See this tip.
4. To remove thorns from a rose easily, grab a thick washcloth and run it firmly down the sides to rip off the leaves and thorns.
5. When painting in your house, attach a rubber band across the mouth of a paint bucket to wipe the brush on. The drips will fall back into the can. See this tip.
Spotted in the Make & Give station: attendees getting seriously crafty with @averyproducts. #americanmade
Craft and handmade is something we all need to return to. It's what makes us human.
Agatha Strompolos, American Made attendee.
Rachel Faucett, the crafty blogger behind Handmade Charlotte, attended the second day of American Made. We caught up with her to talk holiday trends and her advice for future craft bloggers.
What do you think is the biggest crafting trend for the holidays?
Ombre! Ombre and dip-dyed everything. Gift wrap, decor, ornaments, table runners -- everything!
How do you find the balance between your blogging business and life?
I have a lot of great help. I have an awesome husband who works with me and great contributors. And I pick and choose the things I get involved in. I used to say "yes" to everything, but now I’m making better use of my time and saying “no” more.
What creative ideas are you really excited about right now?
I am really into balloons. I have two commercial helium tanks in my house and a small one in my car, so when I pick up my kids, I am literally ballooning in the car. I’m marbling [the balloons] with paint, layering them -– I’m even working with a manufacturer in Seattle to create my own mold to make my own balloons. I call them Abstract Balloon Structures.
What advice do you have for someone who is just starting out as a craft blogger?
Do it because you love it, and know what you want to do. Do you want it to be a business? You have to just do it. Andy Warhol has a quote where he said, "It doesn't matter what people think of your art -- just keep making it.” That’s what you have to do. I was blogging for two and a half years, five days a week, and I wasn’t making any money. You shouldn’t do it for money -– I would recommend waiting at least 18 months before monetizing [your blog]. Also, you should really attend the Alt Design Summit because that's such a great experience.
If you could only give one tip to new bloggers, what would it be?
Photographs. Learn how to take high-quality photos and invest in a nice camera. If this is your full-time job, treat it as a job and focus on quality.
Alisa Toninato is a metal designer and owner of FeLion Studios in Madison, WI. She's also one of eleven honorees whose work was featured at American Made. We caught up with Toninato today to get her reaction to the event and find out what inspires her to be a maker.
What has been your favorite part of American Made?
It has been thrilling. There's such a stunning amount of talent here, it's like the best curated open maker fair. The camaraderie between the honorees is stellar. I've been gleaning so much from everyone's creative businesses, getting such great feedback and a bounce-back of energy. It has been what I would call a really high-octane, high-volume event. Decisions are made really fast, and it's a great energy.
How did you get your start in iron working?
I got introduced to iron working during undergrad at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, but I had to work find a community of people who were doing this. I found a group in Minneapolis, and they helped me to network and find people all over the Midwest.
What is your favorite part of being a maker?
The control. I have to have that freedom and control over ideas. I have to put my hands in it because that's how I problem solve. I'm driven by a passion to build my own empire and really live it. In a way, that's why I relate to Martha [Stewart]. She is very involved in every part of her enterprise from the magazines to the products and every else, and I get that. You need to do that to be the best at what you do.
When did you know you wanted to be a maker?
I was in the first or second grade, and for art our teacher gave us a bunch of Play-Doh for a sculpting project. We were making dinosaurs. Then it was time for recess, and everyone ran out and I asked the teacher if I could bring the Play-Doh with me to recess. She said okay, but I had to promise to bring it back. And I remember the other kids were playing, and I was just sitting on the wall working with the Play-Doh and working it with my hands. And it was just hot as heck outside, and I noticed how the heat made it easier to work the material, stretching it and fanning it out. And kids starting coming up to me, and I was like, "Tell me what you want me to make!" And they would yell out things, like a giraffe or something, and I would make it. I'm sure they weren't great or anything, but I could make them and I just felt like I picked it up really quickly and just got it. And I remember thinking, "I wonder if this is a job?" And I knew it had to be an artist or something, and even though I didn't really understand what that meant, I knew it was what I wanted to do. Because if I could just make stuff all day? That would keep me alive.
Susan Phillips of #scenterprises takes #americanmade attendees on a fragrance journey by demonstrating how to create your own scents.
Attendees of a master class on #glutenfree eating by Lena Kwak of @cupforcup. #americanmade