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Why No One Wants a Naked Cupcake

Why No One Wants a Naked Cupcake // Eclectic Affinity

Long before I started my own business or even had a degree in design, I noticed something interesting. People (in general) like art and design, but they often don’t value it enough to feel it ought to be a paid service. To them, it’s “extra.” It’s like the frosting on a cupcake. Sometimes even, people are put off that you’d even think you ought to be paid. Some haggle over it, considering that neither art nor design requires energy or effort. In that sense, occupations within that spectrum sometimes get treated like a novelty public service you’re obligated to perform, rather than a legitimate occupation that takes time, skill, and decision-making.

How to Make an Eye Pin

Learn How to Make Eye Pins for Jewelry Making | Eclectic Affinity

There’s something oddly amazing and empowering about knowing how to build or create something—anything, really. For that reason, I’m excited to be teaching some jewelry making techniques and, later, some “recipes” for various kinds of jewelry. This is the first in a meandering series of instructional posts on making handmade jewelry. Of all the techniques you need to know how to do to make handmade wire jewelry, eye pins are fairly foundational. Closed loops connect everything, so other wrapping techniques simply build on that knowledge. There are also a few different ways that you can learn to make an eye pin! Let’s get started!

Potluck Pal Allergy Alert – free printable

Download our free Potluck Pal Allergy Alert printable for your next gathering | Eclectic Affinity

The incidence of food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities is climbing, which is why you’d be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t at the very least know someone with a food allergy, intolerance, or sensitivity even if not personally dealing with one. Some attribute this to our changing food supply, others to food-based additives contained within common medicines, and others to our modern, biologically changing gut microbe. Regardless of the reason, the possibility of food-related reactions makes the basics of eating together—an age-old custom of building community together—a sticky scenario. 

Inspiration and Observation

Inspiration & Observation—thoughts on creativity // Eclectic Affinity

It’s cliché in probably every way possible, but one of the best ways to inspire new work is to step away from the work in front of you. If, like me, you lean (heavily) toward being the task-oriented sort, that can be difficult. Compared to busy work that often requires little creative thought and simply more doing, it can seem counterintuitive that walking away from your work will inspire you to do more and better work.

Advice for Working with Clients

Advice for Working with Clients | Eclectic Affinity

If you’re interested in building a service-based business that includes working with clients on custom work, there are a few things that are helpful to know going into it. A lot of working with clients effectively is about setting the right processes in motion from the start. This is especially true if you’re working with clients who are far removed from your industry. With that in mind, these are some ways to be really intentional with the “how” in your process.

Fruit Soda Floats

Fruit Soda Floats | Eclectic Affinity

I confess. I’d love to be that person—the one with the homemade soda sitting in neat, little rows in a small corner of a beautifully organized walk-in pantry. In this alternate reality, there would be multiple varieties—like raspberry, lemonade, a blend of citrus flavors, and others. (This would pair nicely with the batches of different kinds of homemade ice cream, ice cream treats, and popsicles stored in a big freezer.) I’m not quite there yet, so my solution to a frozen treat was a fruit soda float with as short a list of pronounceable ingredients as I could find. This was inspired in part because a summer stand-by is often root beer or cream soda floats (we like this brand for those—available at your local co-op or here), and fruit soda floats seemed a fun alternative to those!

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