Developing and Refining Your Handmade Product

I've been developing a soft doll mermaid pattern and these are my test dollies. When coming up with a new design, it always amazes me how much time and effort goes into creating a consistent product. Even with handmade items,  if it's for resale and I want to make more than one, I spend a lot of time refining and reworking until I get what I want.  I realize that Handmade means things should look individual and not 'cookie cutter' (at least that's my definition)- but I like to refine my design so it becomes easier on me. I can make each item more quickly and easily and that translates to more inventory (and more money).

Do you spend much time developing your work? Are you a fanatic at keeping records of your progress or do you just "wing it"?   I'm in the wing-it category, myself. 

Look for these dolls and patterns to be listed in my Etsy shop in the next week or so.

Mermaid Painting

I thought I'd share my latest mermaid painting with you. She's painted on canvas that I've coated with a layer of acrylic modeling paste, so there's a very nice texture to it. Professional quality acrylics too, of course.

I went ahead and brought this painting to my booth at Coastal Antiques, but I think I'll have to bring it home to do a proper scan so I can make some prints. I think she'd be fantastic on a few note cards, too!

Feel free to critique or leave a comment :)

Hand Painted Wineglasses by Denise

I've started a line of hand painted wineglasses. These are all beachy themed and pretty girly. Since I live on the coast and it's so touristy, I thought it was a no-brainer.

 The ones pictured above are all customized for Destin, Florida. The sand here along the Gulf is all snow-white and and the water is a gorgeous emerald blue, just like the color I used on the glasses! I have lots of designs; crabs, dolphins, flip flops, fish and more - all suited to the beach market.

A favorite of everyone is the mermaid glass. I have mermaids with all different hair colors and tail colors. I love painting them because they're all kind of sassy and cute.  I paint my designs all around the glass, unlike some wineglasses I've seen out there.

When I take these to the shops, I add a bit of raffia knotted around the stem, to complete the beachy look. 

These are just a few examples of the line. I don't have them online yet. So far, these are just in three shops in the local area:

Foxy Boutique

1822 Alpine Ave/ Hwy 98

Navarre, Fl

Coastal Antiques

135B Eglin Pkwy

Ft Walton Beach, FL

Flamingo's Tropical Wines and Gifts

Crystal Beach Plaza

Suite 140

Destin, FL

Hopefully more to come!