Welcome to CreatedBy

Where we introduce the logical (and very necessary!) tools to assist creative people to grow a business. It's like business development, but with colour.

At createdby.co.za we combine the love of innovative design, art and hand-made craft with our experience and passion for SMME Development. CreatedBy.co.za is not only here to assist in building fabulous Micro Enterprises, we spend a lot of time shouting from the rooftops about our business, your business, about your artistic modalities and of course about South Africa. An art & craft ambassador, if you will.

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Casamento Opens at The Old Biscuit Mill

Great to see such style and gracious retail continuing to open up around our wonderful city. The Old Biscuit Mill remains one of the hottest destinations for original hand-made or recycled products.

Maker Review - Seed Bom for a better neighbourhood

I love these SEEDBOM's I found on Etsy!

SEEDBOMs are the friendly bombs that grow, tools for Eco-Warriors and Guerrilla Gardeners. Read more after the jump...

MOTIVATIONAL BUSINESS & CRAFT QUOTES

We all need a little motivation now and then, especially when running a business. There are various ways to help get perspective, advice or even humour to keep you going through the weary moments, but none more simple, yet effective than quotes from those who know.

I have several sources of quotes that I glance through when feeling uninspired and if I were to combine all those that have struck a chord with me there would be hundreds.
Of course I could just list them all, but where's the fun in that? I would much rather know what inspires you. So here's the challenge; from January I will list a different motivational quote on the website for each day and would love to add your favourite quote to the list.

Email me any tips or quotes here.

In the mean time to start the list off, here are a few that I love:

Free Craft Tutorials ~ Review of 2009

Now that 2010 is here and underway, it may seem a little late to be reminiscing about 2009; but bear with me. The Long Thread has blessed the world with a gift like no other for crafters, I have only just seen it today but it is so wonderful I can't not share it with you.

The Top 100 Tutorials for 2009 will keep you crawling the net for hours as you pick your way through the listing, unearthing not only great ideas and tutorials but adding a whole lotta websites to your must visit list.

If you don't have the time to look at each of them yourself, then here are my choice of 12 - I just couldn't limit it to 10!

Is this Craft?

The big Craft vs Art Debate

Now aside from having the excuse to write about a dress (and more to the point, a dress that I don't just want, I need!) thumb_Flare_1 This dress has also identified the gaping difference between Craft and Art/Design that has previously been blocked from my mind.

The word 'Craft' has taken a knock of late. It conjures up images of thousands of identical soap-stone trinkets that you see at every possible spot frequented by tourists and 'Crafters' are perceived to be Guild members of the non-fashionable variety. South African, up-and-coming 'Somebodies' have adopted more flattering titles such as 'Fabric Artist' that shun 'Craft' in favour of 'design'.

Even the Oxford English Dictionary demonstrates the same elitism that is spreading through the industry: