Kari van den Eikhof, Author at Handmade Loves

Aug 04

1

Succulent Fun

By Kari van den Eikhof | DIY, Thoughtful Thursday | No Comments

Last week, my friend Alli gifted me a very unique birthday present. Well, actually, I had to make my make my own birthday present…but it was awesome! She took me to make succulent arrangements at this great little shop called Pigment. If you are from San Diego I highly recommend it.

Jul 25

1

Handmade Loves E-book Review

By Kari van den Eikhof | Food For Thought, Product Reviews, Small Business Tips, What's Trending? | No Comments

Hi, Friends!

I am so thrilled to write this blog post dedicated to the new e-book called, The Handmade Loves’ Guide to Instagram Success: How to Build an Audience and Make Sales, written by our founder Emily Strom! As an artist and small business owner, I have similar concerns and questions as many of the makers in this community. And like many of you, I use Instagram as my main source of marketing. I LOVE Instagram! I Love taking pictures of my products, staging the perfect photo, and editing the color just right. I love creative writing and coming up with silly captions and picking the perfect emojis to go along with it. But after all that fun stuff is done, it’s time for the marketing and hashtagging. If I am honest, marketing, in general, seems extremely inauthentic to me. That is why this e-book is SO helpful. It gives marketing advice that does not seem pandering or cheesy. I am going to list a few of my favorite takeaways from the book that got me motivated to make some marketing changes in my business. Hopefully, they click with you, too!

Jul 14

3

Disorganization

By Kari van den Eikhof | Thoughtful Thursday | No Comments

We have a confession to make. The ladies over at Handmade Loves have been disorganized lately. We have had a ton on our plates lately—and not all of it has to do with Handmade Loves. We wanted to give you a little behind the scenes peek at what’s going on in our worlds to put into context why things have been a bit chaotic!

Jul 07

3

Summer DIY – Crafts!

By Kari van den Eikhof | DIY, Thoughtful Thursday | No Comments

When I was a little girl, my summer break always started off with a trip to Michaels. My mom wanted to make sure I had something productive to do, so we would stock up on some DIY projects. These projects were intended to last for a couple weeks, but I was usually finished within a couple of days. Once I started, I became consumed—similarly to how I am now, actually.

I wanted to list a few of my favorite crafty projects that are perfect for summer vacation. These are my childhood favorites, but they can totally be transformed into adult activities too! Read More

Jun 22

2

Creative Burnout

By Kari van den Eikhof | Food For Thought, Thoughtful Thursday, Uncategorized | No Comments

Last week, I finished my 4^th quarter of graduate school. I was so excited for a three-week break. I was planning on doing some painting, writing, and other fun crafty things. But when my last final was turned in, and the first school free Monday came around, I felt like doing nothing! I didn’t want to write. I didn’t want to paint. I didn’t want to do anything creative. All I wanted to do was lounge around and watch Netflix. I was experiencing the dreaded creative burnout!!

Jun 16

3

Creative Kids

By Kari van den Eikhof | Thoughtful Thursday | No Comments

A couple weeks ago, I was working with a group of second graders in an art class. I love art, obviously, so I was excited to see what was on the agenda. The students were to recreate a picture from Eric Carle’s book, Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me. It required some painting, drawing, and gluing. It was going to be a sticky mess, but I was game for it. I thought they would be too. NOT the case. I immediately heard: I hate art…I suck at this…draw this for me…this is too hard…and so on. These were seven year olds, mind you.

Jun 02

1

Creativity in Quotes

By Kari van den Eikhof | Thoughtful Thursday | No Comments

Hello Handmade Loves,

I got a question for ya. Have you ever read a quote and been instantly uplifted, empowered and motivated? If your answer is yes, you are so my kind of people. If your answer is no, then hopefully I can change that for you. I love me a good quote, but I have a friend who does an absolute eye roll when she sees one. And I get it, some are extremely cheesy and cliché. Read More

May 26

4

New Kid on the Blog

By Kari van den Eikhof | Thoughtful Thursday | One Comment

Hello Handmade Loves,

My name is Kari van den Eikhof, and I am the artist behind Karing Vibes. A few months ago, I was featured as a guest blogger for Handmade Loves. Those posts were so fun to write, and the process provided me with a new avenue for creative expression. I am excited to announce that Handmade Loves has provided me with another fabulous opportunity. Starting this month, I will be the author of Thoughtful Thursday—right here on the Handmade Loves blog!