--items."
FEATURE
--items."
As each "pin" links back to a different, distinct website, Pinterest is a resource for young artists like Taylor to market their Etsy shops. She recently posted a photo of a handmade necklace on Pinterest, but hasn't seen a major increase in her Etsy sales.
"I don't think I have enough followers there yet," Taylor says with a laugh.
But according to the RJ Metrics study, Etsy.com is the site most linked back to from Pinterest, so there's hope for Taylor. Etsy generates approximately 3 percent of all pins, the most of any site. Although small, the 3 percent is respectable compared with the second place of Google image, which has already gathered images from other websites.
The Final Product
Although artists like Taylor and Detrixhe bypass the retailer to sell their products on Etsy, Made on Mass store owner Jennifer Richards embraces Etsy to find items to sell in her shop downtown at 737 Massachusetts St. She looks for classic, vintage-looking things
that have a new twist and are popular, and especially ones that remind her of things she had in her house growing up.
"People told me at the craft festivals, 'I love Etsy, but I never think far enough in advance to order something.' Or. 'I love Etsy but I really want to feel the cotton of the T-shirt or I want
"People are so creative," Richards says. "It's fun to find out the story behind each artist; some are individuals, some are couples, some are families. I feel like I get to know them from ordering from them and I help them do what they love to do."
Richards began stocking her store using Etsy as a starting point, ordering her favorite items and selling them alongside her handmade children's clothes. She began sewing in college and, after many requests for children's clothes from friends, decided to open shop. She's now transitioned from an online store to Made on Mass, and while she and her husband and co-owner, Matt, used to buy from only 50 to 60 artists online, that number has grown to almost 100 since opening in July of 2011. She sells products from other local artists as well.
to smell the candle first," Richards says of why she opened her store.
Along with the challenges of online shopping, Taylor mentions that price-setting and self-marketing are difficult as well.
"As much as people like handmade things, they don't want to pay the price," Taylor says. "You don't want to under-price, but then you don't want to seem over your head, so it's been hard to balance. It's so much easier and cheaper to buy something fabricated."
The materials and time taken to make a piece must be reflected in price, as well as the originality of vintage and repurposed items. And there's always promoting yourself without bothering people or seeming too pushy, Taylor says. But regardless of the challenges, the consensus holds: Handmade is making a comeback.
“When I give a gift I like to give something that's different, special and unique,” Richards says. “That's why I like to buy handmade.”
What It All Means
"With leisure and access to better and more diverse materials, people are coming up with new exciting things, new spins on old concepts, and also just more stuff, whether it's good or bad," Detrixhe says.
good of luck Although Taylor and Detrixhe's handmade items have been successful, both still hope that the revival isn't just a fad.
Although sites like Pinterest and Etsy may deceive you, handmade items haven't always been as fun and accessible as online entities have recently made them. Detrithe noticed the shift from the necessity of handmaking to the pleasure that now accompanies it.
"So many products made in factories are easily reproduced," Taylor says. "Handmade items impart a history that makes everything unique. Even if you're making several of the same things you're putting your care in it. It's so much more personal."
"I'm reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's books to my four-year-old daughter now, and the family's self-sufficiency, skill, and plain hard work are amazing," Detrixhe says. "Just about everything was handmade because it had to be."
Everything from quilts to toys to houses used to be made by hand. Many things available in stores were simply the raw materials used to put the products together yourself. With the technological advancement of mass production in factories, crafters now have the freedom to create, rather than out of necessity.
Made on Mass owner Jennifer Richards sells handmade products from neckties and purses to home decor, trinkets and children's clothing.
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with Missourians.
The temple, which is one of 137 in the world, was built in Kansas City, Mo., to accommodate the 100,000 church members in Kansas and Missouri. Before the temple was built, they traveled to Omaha and St. Louis to reach the nearest temples.
Christina Edwards, a graduate student from Dubuque, Iowa, is the president of the University's Latter-day Saints student organization. She said temples are a sacred space to members of the church.
Sacred ordinances, like wedding ceremonies and baptisms for deceased relatives, take place in the temple, which also has areas for instruction on the scripture and personal reflection, said William Walker, a Church authority.
ing will be allowed to enter the temple. Tour reservations can be made online at kansascitymormontemple.org.
"We occasionally get comments that the LDS church is very secretive about things, but really we think we are open," Walker said. "It's not a secret matter. It's a matter of being sacred."
Dennis Karpowitz, an associate professor of clinical psychology, is retiring at the end of this semester to serve as one of two counselors to the temple's president.
"I'm going to miss working with students," he said. "But this opportunity came along, and I feel that it's a wonderful way to be helpful."
— Edited by Corinne Westeman
Next year, students can expect to wash their hands with studentmade liquid soap on campus. Student Senate approved the bill that finances the Alternative Energy Society during its regular meeting Wednesday night.
AES' biodiesel fuel project converts used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel, which is used for lawnmower equipment, the inflatable figures at football games and portable power for Potter Lake. But the process also makes a byproduct, glycerin, which program co-director Ilya Tabakh said can be made into liquid soap with this equipment.
This bill asked for another $15,000 from the Senate's reserve account to fund soap-making equipment.
AES has produced more than 5,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel and Tanakh thinks the soap-making initiative will push the student organi-
"I think what this group is doing on campus is fantastic," Dollinger said. "This is better than about 98 percent of the things we spend through the reserve account, but that doesn't mean it's right for this account."
But the bill concerned some senators as they debated whether AES provided a "long-lasting impact for students," a requirement used to justify funding from the reserve account.
Aaron Dollinger, a liberal arts and sciences senator, likes the project but didn't believe it should be financed through the reserve account.
CLASSIFIEDS 11
CROSSWORD 4
chalking is allowed," said Aaron Harris, a liberal arts and sciences senator, referencing past coalitions that started chalking early.
tunity to upgrade our processor a little bit and add soap to our portfolio," Tanakh said. "Hopefully this will set us up to be sustainable at this level."
Index
Another bill passed by Senate updates Senate's budget code by introducing language that puts unwritten practices into its rules and regulations.
Senate also passed bills granting funding to student organizations.
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OPINION 5
pass a bill limiting student election chalking to registered coalitions or candidates. Currently, Article XII of the Senate's rules and regulations doesn't regulate chalking, but after this semester's election, coalitions can't chalk until they are officially registered with the election commission, a nonpartisan panel that oversees student elections. The change was made because the commission had some concerns with early chalking.
Dollinger also said the money saved through this process went
Vikaas Shanker
to the University, not to students, and that it didn't contribute to a long-lasting impact for students. He suggested that the funding be taken out of the sustainability portion of student fees instead of the reserve account.
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SUDOKU 4
But the bill passed after other senators contended the group
contributed a long-lasting impact by reducing the carbon footprint of the University for the biodiesel project, and said that the sustainability fee wouldn't cover the expenses.
Don't forget
— Edited by Corinne Westeman
r contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
Student Senate coalitions can start active tabling today. That means coalition members can approach you on campus.
Today's Weather
Sunny
Have some fun in the sun.