Keep it Simple

TamaranDesigns has been around for about 4 years now and from the beginning I worried and toiled over making my business look "professional". This meant trying to have a cohesive brand while not spending a fortune on supplies, (bags, labels, cards, etc...). I found this very difficult since I am not a major retailer and don't have the buying power of say Macy's when it comes to having packing supplies look like mailing supplies look like, well you get it. So I inadvertently spent a small fortune on printer ink cartridges in an attempt to make my own matchy matchy brand identity. As I participated in more shows this season than any before I began to notice something from my fellow artisans and started to wonder why do all of my supplies have to look like I'm a major retailer, doesn't that sort of defeat the whole aesthetic of handmade small business? I saw so many wonderful talented artisans who's bags weren't all the same, using re-purposed tissue paper and worrying more about a high quality handmade item rather than looking like Bergdorf's. A heavy weight was suddenly lifted off of my soul, I no longer have to run around printing letter heads and mailer labels that match my business card, or search for the right shade of tissue paper to look like it was custom made for me. Yippeee, now all I will worry about are my creations, as it should be for artisans and craftspeople

How about the whole set?

For the first few years of TamaranDesigns pretty much all of my work was "one of a kind" and definitely all "statement" pieces. The kind of things that you wouldn't want to have anything matching. Last year however I introduced a new line called Alice Toowilliger which are a more streamlined, basic set of pieces. This seemed to be what the customers out there wanted. So far it's been a great success, as a matter of fact I would say that the Alice Toowilliger line has become my "bread and butter". I find that most of the pieces that I've worked into my own wardrobe are from this line as well. I however am a maniac for color, even my favorite dishes are a multi colored set of fiesta ware so it just didn't occur to me to make sure that I had matching pieces on hand at the shows I've been doing this season. At the very first show I did though my customers started requesting them, (matching gloves for this cowl or a matching hat for those gloves). The color combinations that I did have on hand gave me a good bit of insight into my mind set while I was yarn shopping and then deciding what colors to use for what pieces. And even though I can make any AliceT item in any color of the provided swatch pallet, when at a show customers want to buy and take home the whole package then and there. So I got to work making sure I had enough of a variety of my Alice pieces to put together "sets". So how about a nice "set" of winter wear for that gift to your niece, or sister, or mom, or....