It's very important when selling items via ecommerce to draft a very complete product description. When Justin Giunta, 2008 Ecco Domani's Fashion Foundation best accessories designer, was Target's featured jewelry designer, any less than positive Guest ratings on the Target web site were due to the fact that the purchaser was surprised by how oversized the jewelry is. This is due to the fact the jewelry was not shown on a human model and the Target item description gave inadequate size descriptions.

I see the same thing happening for the Rachel Roy and Estelle limited collection line of jewelry that became available this month. With the exception of giving the length of the necklace, there is really no other size identifying information.

It is expensive and time consuming to process customer returns. If selling via ecommerce, it's important to always take the time to write a complete product description so your customers know exactly what they're getting before it's shipped.

• Wondering how to write a good policy page for your ecommerce web site? Check out my article, Letting Your Online Customers Know How You Do Business.

• Interested in viewing the Rachel Roy and Estelle collaboration? Visit the Rachel Roy web site.

Web Site Product Descriptions originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 08:13:19.

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Most in the trade have probably heard of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts even if you haven't had the occasion to take a class there. Located in Gatlinburg, TN since 1912, there has been quite a controversy brewing over the fact the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity doesn't appear to be willing to maintain the $1/year lease term with Arrowmont past 2012.

I kinda-sorta attended one class at Arrowmont (more about that later) and was very impressed with the entire facility. It was very well-appointed equipment-wise and quite beautiful once you got off the main Gaitlinburg drag which is a tourist mecca. I have their 2010 workshop & program catalog and they are offering some extremely cool classes.

While I opted to stay at a hotel on the Gaitlinburg strip, Arrowmont has onsite accommodations for students that range from private room/private bath (limited availability) to dormitory style. I also opted to not change planes in Nashville to fly into the closest airport which is the McGhee-Tyson Airport and it was kind of a haul driving to Gaitlinburg from Nashville.

My only complaint about Arrowmont was their totally inflexible approach to their policies. The person I was attending the class with got a telephone call from a family member regarding a death in the family and we had to leave after attending less than one day of class. We had visited the school store to rent our tool kits about 2 hours prior to turning them back in (unused and unopened) and the school refused to refund our entire rental fee of $40.

I think that was poor customer service to the extreme. I would never have dreamed to ask for a rebate on the $800 class fee. However, considering the circumstance for our departure, the short period of time we had possession of the tools and since the tools were unused, I feel it was petty of them to enforce the 50% refund rule - especially since we were only talking about a difference of $20.

Arrowmont Location Undecided After 2012 originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 10:45:25.

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Designer Anna Sui's recent Fall 2010 show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week provides some great tips on planning for all fashion craft businesses. She concentrated on earthly colors such as mushroom, plum, cornflower and olive. Of particular interest to those in the jewelry-making trade, she accessorized her garments with Erickson Beamon tiled necklaces - each made from the reproduced works of Charles Rohlfs, an artist and designer during the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Image: Getty Images for IMG. Photographer: Frazer Harrison

Arts and Crafts Inspired Jewelry and Anna Sui Fall 2010 MDFW originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 17:35:49.

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Last weekend I was catching up on my reading and came across an article in the March issue of the Crafts Report about Korean craft artists who had exhibited at the Philadelphia Musuem of Art Craft Show last November. Among the pictures in the magazine were three images of very cool lamps made by Chang-Ho Jun using paper and forged iron.

I found it very interesting that the paper was saturated with herbs so that the heat from the lamp creates a therapeutic scent. I can just image having a night-light set on a timer releasing the scent of lavender essential oil. The lamps further had mystical appeal as a stylized wood bird perches from a twig attached to the lamp symbolizing the essential elements of light, water and air.

The musuem website has images of all the Korean artwork.

Examples of Korean Mixed Media originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 05:11:17.

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Don't forget - if you issued 1099-MISC to any artists or crafters who were subcontractors for your business, the deadline to mail the transmittal form 1096 and attachments is the last day of February. If you issued W-2s, the W-3 and attachments have to be postmarked that day too.

I'm mailing my transmittal forms today before I forget about them!

Here's a link to my article about the 1099-Misc and 1096 for more information about each.

1096 Filing Deadline Approaching originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 12:24:59.

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If you're a furniture maker or involved in functional crafts, the February issue of ARTnews has a very interesting article about Brazilian designers transforming so-called 'garbarge wood' - leftover wood - into high style furniture. The article also references using driftwood. Both great ideas that should reduce your cost of goods sold (based on how hard it is to get the found wood) and appeal to your eco-friendly customers.

As I looked at the examples, naturally my mind went to the cushion design as well - how some elegant surface design pillows would add value to the furniture and also create a side-line business. In particular I was thinking about some lovely pillows I saw on season 2 dvd of the television show Damages that I was watching last week.

The hotel room of the Ellen Parson character has some very appealing aubergine colored pillows silk-screened with white Persian poppies. A very cool look that would be easy to duplicate with batik, fabric stenciling or block printing.

You can find out more about ARTnews and read the article online by visiting their web site.

Also, check out my article about three arts and crafts trends, one of which is eco-friendly and sustainable designs.

Image of stylized poppies by Elisabeth Perotin / Dreamstime.com

Fancy Furniture Design with Found Wood originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Saturday, February 13th, 2010 at 13:07:14.

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I recently read two articles by Risa Borsykowsky who is the owner of Jewish Gift Place, which sells handmade Judaica for every occasion. The first article contains interviews with eight artists discussing topics such as getting started making arts and crafts, where to get training and how to get inspiration.

The second article is a compilation of information from other artists and crafters on the topic of "What Advice Would You Give to an Artist Just Starting Out?"

Some of the info may be old news for more experienced artists and crafters. However, I found useful information in both articles - especially for newbies or for those crafters that feel they've hit a wall in their business.

Image courtesy of Risa Borsykowsky, owner Jewish Gift Place

Advice for New Artists and Crafters originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 05:33:00.

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Well, just a few comments on the season finale of Launch My Line. It's not much of a surprise that the one designer with fashion industry construction and cost of goods sold estimation was the final winner. You can never disregard the value of having good practical experience in the type of arts or crafts business you choose to operate.

Personally, I preferred the convertible designer's garments. I hope she continues on the path to market them. However, this is a case of not realizing the retail aspect of the garment's design. The full out convertibility is fantastic for a boutique operated by the designer but the garments would be a nightmare for any type of mass-market retail.

Can you imagine going to a shop like Banana Republic with the zippers flying, the mess it would be to put the garments back together after the customer finished in the dressing room? I really think this designer would have won had she throttled back on the conversions for the final runway show.

Lessons learned: secure practical experience in your art or craft and carefully consider your marketplace when designing your arts and crafts.

Launch My Line Finale originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 16:26:55.

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I always find inspiration and a renewed appreciation for work of my fellow artists and crafters when I attend shows. If you feel the same way and you live in or plan on visiting Manhattan, the 1st Annual Harlem Fine Art Show is being held on February 20 and 21. Over 60 of the world's most celebrated African-American artists will be at this new addition to Manhattan's annual Black History Month celebrations.

The event will be held at the 369th Armory, 2366 Fifth Ave., between 142nd and 143rd Streets. Prices for the artwork start at $100. Adult admission to the show is $20, $10 for children 12 and under. Hours: Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

To launch the Harlem Fine Art Show, The New York Times, the event's media sponsor, will host a preview party at their new headquarters on Feb. 19 as part of the publication's salute to Black History Month.

Image courtesy of PRNewsPhoto / Harlem Fine Art Show.

In New York? Don't Miss the Harlem Fine Art Show originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 06:22:07.

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I'm always in awe of the skills shown by artists and crafters in fields that I'm unfamiliar with. The February/March issue of American Craft magazine has two fantastic articles on the craft of hand-making shoes and felting. While I've never deliberately felted, I have inadvertently felted by washing and drying a wool sweater. As the article states, you will loss up to 40% of the volume.

It also has a beautiful, approximately 20-page full-color ad for artists and crafters attending the Baltimore American Craft Show at the end of February. For more info about the Baltimore craft show check out the craft council internet fact page.

American Craft magazine is complimentary for members of the American Craft Council. For any artist or crafter that is not already a member, I highly recommend membership in this very useful organization. The annual membership of $40 is worth every penny. Some articles from the current issue of Amercian Craft are available online.

Current American Craft Council News originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 08:59:19.

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