We thought we’d give you an insiders guide for places to eat while attending the conference. We will be providing breakfast and lunch but there is dinner to think about too! Or maybe more importantly what about dessert? In the course of three days you are bound to find this spot as it is just [...]

To round out the conference the last evening we will be holding a happy hour at Grey Gallery and Lounge. This will be a great way to make sure you gather contact info from all the amazing folks you have meet over the weekend. We are excited to be able to incorporate these down times [...]

A great new venue for lovers of craft opened in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle in 2009. Assemble integrates a gallery space, a workshop studio, and a retail shop to host creativity of all kinds. Their mission is to showcase craft as modern art, while teaching both traditional and avant-garde crafting techniques in a workshop environment. [...]

1) You have one of the best craft podcasts (CraftSanity) on the planet (the other one is Diane’s of course). What made you get into podcasting? Thank you. I never planned to get into podcasting. It all started in the winter of 2005 when I asked my husband, Jeff, what he was listening to on [...]

Come meet Samantha Fisher and Cary Lane at the Elliot Bay book signing event who have just recently released The Sock Monkey & Friends Kit by Chronicle Books! With this book and kit you can transform stray socks into stuffed-animal friends with this utterly cute craft kit! It featuring step-by-step instructions for 9 unique sock [...]

Are you super excited about this years CCE conference but are wondering about ways to stay involved year round with groups that support small business owners in the art, craft and design community. First, Kristen Rask and Andrea Porter two of the organizers of this years CCE event are also the minds behind Seattle’s Grassroots [...]

Thanks to everyone who entered our recent CCE contest for a free one day pass. We have picked a winner! Dave Sheely of Dave Sheely Designs. We appreciate everyone giving it a shot and helping us spread the word! Be on the lookout for more contests in the future!

We thought we’d give you an insiders guide for places to eat while attending the conference. We will be providing breakfast and lunch but there is dinner to think about too! When I go out of town I always like to go out for a more “fancy” meal but nothing that is going to really [...]

Thinking of getting a one day pass? Be a backer on kickstarter and get lots of goodies in addition to a CHEAPER ticket price!

Looking for a way to finish up the weekend at the conference? How about heading just across the street for an amazing free concert in the park! Join the Monktail Creative Music Concern Sat. August 14th, 2010 for Sounds Outside: A Celebration of Adventurous Music & Community! The 5th annual free, outdoor, festival of jazz [...]

We are excited to announce a special fundraising project! Kickstarter is a new model for rasing funds towards a specific project. Each project has pledge contribution levels where individuals can get special bonuses for helping us reach our fund raising goals! Every project has a funding goal and a time limit. When the deadline is [...]

CCE- We already heard from Lauren about how Raised Eyebrow came about. How were the first years of being in business for yourself? What are some highlights or harsh lessons learned?

EM- Wow, that was such a long time ago that it almost feels like someone else experienced all that, but it is fun to remember, so thanks for asking.

The early days were really incredible. I remember feeling like I had this huge burst of energy suddenly fall into my life. Somehow the process of deciding that I would spend my days working on my own project — our company — gave me all this extra energy to devote to… well at the time it felt like everything. I was just so fueled and fed by the idea of working for myself and (forgive the cliche) building my dreams and not someone else’s that I felt like I was on top of the world. I started sewing in earnest. Took on all kinds of personal projects, rode my bike more, everything I was unstoppable.

An important business lesson that we learned early on was that your personal credit has little to do with your business credit. We were really surprised to learn that our impeccable personal credit histories had little sway when we went to apply for a line of credit for the business. Of course, we left applying for credit until a time when we needed it, so that was a bit stressful. The lesson learned there? Apply for credit as your business as soon as you can, even if you don’t need it. I recommend a line of credit (lower interest rate) and a credit card (useful for online purchases etc) to everyone, even if they have small limits and you don’t think you need them yet. Once you’ve got a toehold, you can expand your credit as you need to overtime and it will be much easier than starting from scratch.

If you currently live in Seattle the Capitol Hill Art Walk is growing and growing so you should check it out! A particularily good month is June as it is Blitz’s 1 year anniversary on June 10th. If you are coming into town for the conference you will have an opportunity to check out the [...]

We thought we’d give you an insiders guide for places to eat while attending the conference. We will be providing breakfast and lunch but there is dinner to think about too! Just downstairs from the Century Ballroom, our main conference hub, is Oddfellows. A great place for sandwiches and salads during the days – I’ve [...]

We are planning some fun events at night after the finish of each day of the conference. On August 14th from 5:30 – 7:00 we will be hosting a book signings with various authors and illustrators from the crafty community at Elliot Bay Books. This is a great opportunity to find out how these folks [...]

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We are offering one lucky winner a free one day pass or half off the ticket price of a three day pass for getting word out about CCE! All you have to do is 2 of these 3 items things: Help spread the word about the giveaway on your blog, twitter, or facebook & leave [...]

If you mised our June 1st dealine for the 3 day early bird ticket discount no fear you are in luck! We have extended the deadline through July 15th! Buy now