Things People Make Blog

First of all, thank you to every one who has joined TPM already! We have only done the littlest bit of promotion so far, just enough to get things going — and it feels absolutely great to see so many people on the site already. This post is a special thank you to the 8 courageous souls who have have been the most active so far.

Cindy Pepin/ Shabby Sheik

I’m a mom and grandma and a sucker for crafting..A little of this and that…Sewing, purses, crocheting, babywear, ponchos, capes, hats, jewelry, etc. etc. In between raising 2 daughters and working, I managed to keep myself calm cool and collected with crafting.. Now that my daughters are raising their own families I still find myself remaining calm cool and collected with crafting AND 3 grandkids.. I love it and wouldnt have it any other way… So many things to bring such joy into my life and I hope some of these items bring joy to you too~

Kim Hines

I dye, spin and knit all types of fiber. The world around me inspires my color choices when I dye. I was fixing a salad using spring greens and I thought “this would make a pretty yarn”, so I dyed it! Coffee with cream, fall colors, sunsets, etc. all influence my design. I have been spinning and knitting for about 7 years now. I have a physical shop in my home as well as an ETSY shop. 

Who is the person who taught me the most? Jesus! Followed by my daughter, Gracie. She is only 5, but has been through so many surgeries and always is smiling. No matter how hard life is or how much gets thrown her way, she is always smiling, loving, laughing and praising the Lord. What an inspiration!

Kim Newberg

I have been sewing for over 30 years and crocheting for over 15 years, I love doing both and always looking for the next challenge! I’m inspired by the world around me and the colors of the seasons. My mother taught me most of what I know of sewing and I taught myself how to crochet. Both sewing and crocheting are calming to me and very relaxing!

Sue Murk

My mother is a crafty person and she taught me how to sew and make things. I started making jewelry several years ago for myself and when my daughter got married last year I made all the jewelry for her and the bridesmaids. She encouraged me to make jewelry and sell online so I have a shop at Etsy.com. I also love to paint and recently started painting again after many years. Over the years I done may kinds of crafts, needlework and art. I just find that I always am making something.

Tina Piercy (superfrogscreations)

I love to create! Sewing reminds me of my mom. She taught me how to sew when I was 12 years old. She was a great sewer. Sewing complete suits! I feel closer to her when I’m sewing. She has been passed since 1992 at 44 years old. My site is named after her. 

I enjoy finding just the right socks, creating just the right facial expression for the monkey, and just the right embellishments to pull it all together. Sports team socks are always a favorite gift for the young fan, or older fan too. Girly socks with frilly embellishments are a sweet night time cuddle for little girls. If you have something specific in mind I can help create it for you. Just request a custom order and send me a message.

She also taught me how to crochet when I was 12 years old as well. It’s very calming crocheting. Whether it’s a specific intricate pattern or just going with the flow and creating a design as I go along. It’s fun to see how it all comes together in the end. The crocheted rose is a creation that can be worn on a winter coat, headband, scarf or cashmere shawl. I even put one on the strap of my purse where the strap connects to the purse. Really flirts up a simple black purse! I can also work with you to do custom color roses, just request a custom order and send me a message. 

Creating jewelry is something I’ve done for 20 years, mostly as gifts or for myself. I love working with natural stones, wood, bold chain, and earthy material. Funky, A-symmetrical, and different are all styles I enjoy working with. 

Stained Glass Addie

I’ve worked with stained glass for approximately 7 years now and absolutely love it! 

I’m fairly new to the glass bead making scene but have really enjoyed learning about it and look forward to broadening my knowledge and experience with different types of glass. I never thought that I would be interested in making glass jewelry but it turns out to be very addictive.

I’ve always had a passion for graphic design and also enjoy incorporating photography/graphic design in to my work when possible. I love to restore old photos or create new ones for clients and when I’m able to bring it all together, such as a custom photo charm as a personal touch to a handmade one-of-a-kind bracelet, it gives me a great deal of satisfaction. 

Trina Talma (Hrtsmom)

I started creating jewelry for myself in 2003. From there it was just a short jump to selling my creations - a short jump made necessary by a lack of storage space! I like working in natural materials best, like wood, gemstones and clay.

Angela D. LaMothe

Always wanted to be a Photograher never really did anything to get there until I noticed that everyone was giving me their Cameras to take photos ie: birthday parties, Christmas, things like that. So One day My Hubby bought me a real camera and now I couldn’t live without it.

Everything is still brand spanking new here at Things People Make. Yeah, being able to say that is refreshing. When you look at this chart you can see just how new we mean! Google has only just started bestowing some love on TPM — and by that we mean it has started crawling around on the site. If you are breathing you know you are alive, If Google is crawling your site, you know your site is alive. 

What actually happens when Google crawls your site? Well, this is what happens: someone types in a search for something they’re looking for, like “black white pearl wedding reception” and Coco Wagner, who has posted a necklace that fits matches that search, shows up. In this case, the necklace shows up right near the top of the first page and right behind Etsy and Martha Stewart. Not bad for for a brand new site and not bad for Coco!

And then the person doing the search clicks on the TPM link and arrives at the page for Coco’s necklace.

You can see the page here: Chunky Black and White Pearl necklace - Wedding/Party Pearl Necklace - cocowagner

Ain’t the Internet wonderful?

Yes, Things People Make is free. That means there are no subscription or listing fees and no transaction charges. 

Why?

Here’s the idea. If Things People Make is free, if it offers a place for people to share and to sell if they want to, and if there is good reason to participate, then people who make stuff will sign up. 

And what is the ‘good reason to participate?’ 

It’s simple. Once the site reaches a number of people that makes sense, we will go to suppliers and ask, “Would you like to offer your supplies on Things People Make?” And then we will negotiate discounts for these supplies so that you benefit from the scale the community has reached and offer these discounted supplies to you. 

Sounds reasonable, right?

So, sign up, tell your friends, and help make it happen!

‘My name is Lilach Oren. I’m 36 years old from Israel, mom of 3 amazing children. In my work I’m combining my two loves - digital scrapbooking and sewing in to uniquely designed makeup bags and handbags.  I find my inspiration from my everyday life needs - especially from my kids!’

- LilachOren

Blue Makeup Bag 

Makeup Bag aqua doll

Makeup Bag pink girl

To see more of the Bags and Purses category go here!

Fairy Garden Necklace - Handcrafted in Sterling Silver

I have always loved working with stones, even when I was in my early teens I used to not be able to resist bead and stone shops. My dad is an avid collector of gemstones of all kinds and took me occasionally to mineral shows. EchoesOfNorway 

I am a formally trained Goldsmith and Enamelist, and I have been making jewelry for over 12 years. I took my first jewelry class when I was 16, then attended SCAD for jewelry design. I also did an apprenticeship with an amazing enamelist and his very talented goldsmith. kyleannemetals

Prehnite Ring in Sterling Silver

A pretty light green 10mm square cushion Prehnite cabochon with natural inclusions is set in a fine silver bezel. The band is made of sterling silver round wire. christineclark

For more things in the Metalwork category take a look here!

Over the last few days, we have received several questions about why we require a Facebook login in order to join ThingsPeopleMake.com. In this age of privacy concerns and social media overload, you might wonder why you aren’t able to join our community by simply providing an email address and password. This is a valid concern — and we’d like to take this opportunity to explain our thought process in making this decision.

Makers are an amazing group of people. We understand that the sharing of your creations can be a daunting, even intimidating, task. Many makers already struggle with an internal Critic who provides a running commentary of potential rejection and failure. As a brave maker embarking on a creative adventure, the last thing you need is some anonymous troll named CrochetHater belittling your work.

When we set out to create Things People Make, we wanted to build a community that had a clear vision, generosity of spirit, and the feel of a neighborhood. The best way that we could protect our community was to make sure that those who join our site are real people who are accountable for the things that they say. Requiring a Facebook login helps us better protect the creative process unfolding on Things People Make.  We think that this will encourage constructive criticism and feedback — and discourage anonymous trolling. 

Things People Make does not automatically post anything to your Facebook wall or account, make you add Facebook friends, or pull any other shady shenanigans — we just make sure you’re really you. When you use the Facebook login to access ThingsPeopleMake.com, we don’t see your Facebook password and won’t store any other personal data without your permission. Facebook verifies if your login is successful, and all we save is your email address. For more information about Facebook logins, check out this Facebook help topic. 

We hope this explanation answers the questions you may have had regarding our required Facebook login. Our goal is to provide a safe and supportive community for you to develop your creative process, and to ensure that our members are who they say they are. We’re excited to be part of such a beautiful, growing community. Let’s go make things!

-ThingsPeopleMake.com Team

IMAGE CREDITS: “Troll,” courtesy of Creative Commons License by Doug Wildman on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic.

Wow! Amazing things can happen in a day. In the last 24 hours ThingsPeoplemake.com has grown by leaps and bounds, as tons of makers pour into the site to show their love for making, share their creative process, and sell things for free. 

Because the site is still in beta, we’re still catching bugs and fine tuning the site, so you may experience delays or hiccups. Please be patient with us as we grow, and tell us your ideas for how we can make the site even better!

Want to help make ThingsPeopleMake.com great? Let us know when things go wrong by submitting bugs in the bug tracking slider found in the top right hand corner. Our developers are busy at work, finding problems and fixing them as fast as possible, like intently knitting elves with fingers moving faster than the speed of light.

Most importantly, thank you for your amazing support and enthusiasm. We could not be more delighted. 

ThingsPeopleMake.com Team

Welcome to Things People Make, a social site for crafty people to share their creative process, learn and teach new skills, and even sell their finished products! We’re so happy to have you as a member of our maker community.

Ready to show off your projects and connect with others? After you’ve created your profile, we invite you to poke around, create Things and Tutorials, and share all of your progress on Facebook and Twitter!

If you’re looking for a little more guidance on how this whole thing works, why not read our Community Guidelines and our FAQs? 

Please keep in mind that we’ve only just launched, and are still in beta. This means that we’ll regularly add new capabilities and actions, based on feedback from YOU: our maker community. So, we encourage you to share your thoughts, concerns, and visions for Things People Make – and start making the world you want to live in!

You must be pretty special if you found us. Want to get the inside scoop and an early invite to try out the site? Sign up here:

PHOTO CREDITS: Image {Secrets} courtesy of Creative Commons License via horrigans photostream - Flickr.com