We’re talking about what it takes to have a polished and professional web presence on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast today. My guests are Arianne Foulks and Alicia Paulson.
Arianne Foulks runs Aeolidia, a web and graphic design studio that has been working with creative handmakers and designers since 2004, helping them put their best foot forward online. She started out doing client work on her own, and now manages a team of 20, and spends her days improving processes, coming up with ideas, spreading the word about Aeolidia, teaching, and writing.
Alicia Paulson is a craft designer who develops original patterns and kits for embroidery, quilts, softies, bags, and crochetwear. She’s the author two books and the wildly popular blog, Posie Gets Cozy. She lives with her husband and daughter in Portland, Oregon.
After eight years with a Typepad blog she’d designed using a free template, Alicia Paulson hired Aeolidia to redesign her website, blog, ecommerce shop and branding. Alicia went from an ad hoc site she’d pieced together bit by bit over the years, with PayPal buttons for a shopping cart, to a professionally designed online presence that matches the beauty and good design of her craft kits and patterns.
The Posie Gets Cozy design brief created by Aeolidia
Hear how Alicia knew it was time for a change, how much it cost, and what the redesign process was like. Alicia and Arianne talk frankly about what a new website will (and won’t) do for your business and when investing in one makes sense.
During our chat we refer to:
- Shopify and the Shopify experts directory
- Alicia’s new logo for Posy Gets Cozy
- ShipStation
- Basecamp
- Aeolidia’s newsletter
- Aeolidia’s new budget Shopify setup service
- Alicia’s designer, Mariah, at Aeolidia
And, of course, I asked Alicia and Arianne to recommend great stuff they’re enjoying right now.
Alicia recommends:
- the Paprika recipe manager app
- Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
- The Noisy Plume
Arianne recommends:
Connect with Arianne on the Aeolidia website and blog, or follow along on Instagram. Connect with Alicia on her blog, Posie Gets Cozy, and shop for her kits and patterns on her website.
You can listen to the show right here by clicking on the arrow below or subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher and listen on the go. If you’ve never listened to a podcast, give it a try! You might just find you like it. And if you do, please tell a friend about it. Thank you!
Abby,
Your podcasts are the best! They are engaging and so well organized. I always get both valuable and fun information from them. I’m often cutting fabric while I listen and it is so hard not stopping my productive activity to pick up the iPad to start checking out the recommended links! I do get there later–so thanks for posting the links on your blog.
I feel like you are building up a whole secondary business with your interviews. I’m not quite sure what that will be…but it definitely feels like it is becoming something beyond stuffies!
Can’t wait for the next podcast!
Judy
That one was fun! So interesting hearing Alicia Paulson and putting a voice to the words. I wasn’t disappointed either as she is just lovely. Very interesting discussion from all sides, I love Alicia’s quietly confident but never arrogant attitude to her blog which underwent quite a few changes. What a nice lady Arianne is too. She seems to be genuinely wanting to do her best for her clients. Thank you for your pod casts Abby, you often have blogging and crafting royalty and I am frequently impressed by the blogging and crafting heroines you get to have a chat with you.
Wowsers that was a fabulous podcast. To go through all the details of how such a service works is so useful. I’m at start up stage of my business and I’m nowhere near ready to get a full website (much as I’d love to) so I ‘m having to cope with doing my own, which is definitely not a skill set of mine. Both ladies were so easy to listen to and made such sense about what a website/blog can bring to you and your business. I do worry too much sometimes about the design/style of my online presence but the main thing I’m taking with me from listening to the podcast is that I need to promote the business by being relaxed about who I am and what I’m offering. My story and that of the business is what make me and the business unique. I need to trust in that and roll with it..
I could go on for ages but I’ll finish with a huge thanks to all three of you for giving me access to such a professional and yet personal podcast.
Take care out there
Once again Abby – great interview! Thank you. You do such an awesome job and find the best people to interview!
Thanks, Kristin!
Wonderful information and insight into the process of developing a web presence and especially loved Arianne’s advice in response to your question “What’s important when presenting yourself on line?” I can’t wait to listen to your other podcasts and am happy to have found you.
Thank you!
Cathy
Hi Cathy,
Thank you for listening to the show. I think that was my favorite part of this episode, too!