Don’t aim too low. Buyers often select ‘Under $100’ on big jobs, like furniture and engagement rings, in hopes of returning a low cost, but we actually advise against this. By selecting a purposefully low range you’re eliminating interest from highly-skilled Makers who know the project will cost more than that.

If you’re unsure, browse around. It’s totally understandable that you don’t know how much a reclaimed dining room table or a platinum wedding band costs. CustomMade is loaded with tons of galleries for you to peruse to get a good sense of the range of pricing for a particular piece. That way, when you choose a budget that suits you, you’ll attract the Makers who are creating for that range.

Be flexible. You may start your project with specific materials in mind and come to find out they’re out of your price range. If you’re adamant about your budget, ask the interested Makers for good alternatives that will bring the the cost down without affecting durability. Be flexible and keep in mind that most Makers on CustomMade have been perfecting their craft for years and are highly knowledgeable on their processes.

Negotiate considerately. A lot factors into the cost of a Creation aside from the Maker’s profit. After deciding upon sizing, materials and build time the cost you’re negotiating is what the Maker is returning on the project. Be mindful and respectful of their time and the effort going into the project.

Of course, you can always elect “I need help choosing my budget” if you’re entirely unsure and you’d prefer some expertise. The grade of professionalism of CustomMade Makers returns honest input and accommodation to making your vision become a reality.

Now that you know what to expect, what would you like CustomMade?

The post Budgeting for your best Maker appeared first on CustomMade Blog.

As the daughter, son, wife, or even parent of a father, you know this special man in your life better than anyone else so adding a personal touch or putting some extra thought into the gift can go a long way in showing you care. Whether he’s a sports buff, a buttoned-up business man or someone who likes to let loose and have a little fun, there’s a CustomMade gift for every option. 

So get your dad off the ladder, out from under the car and away from the un-mowed lawn for a day and gift him something meaningful.

Scroll to the right to check out and customize some gifts or start a project to get a one-of-a-kind gift in the works. 

The post Gifts for the best Dads around appeared first on CustomMade Blog.

The two friends started out small making beaded jewelry for kids and eventually rolled out an adult line. They continued working through school and treated their growing line as a side job when they landed positions as Jewelry Assistants at fine jewelers. While working at the fine jewelers, both Chris and Alix noticed a big gap in the customization process – the jewelers weren’t incredibly receptive to new ideas because they were set in traditional ways.

Very much the opposite of traditional, and equipped with “can-do” mentalities, Chris and Alix the friends/part-time jewelry Makers became Chris & Alix Jewelry Inc. about six years ago. They dove in with experience under their belts including 3D-Design proficiency, gemology studies certificates and a vast familiarity with jewelry construction.

Now, six-ish years later, Chris & Alix Jewelry is considered one of the most successful Makers on CustomMade with over 50 completed Creations and an evolved expertise in precious metal jewelry. Despite their huge portfolio, Chris and Alix are still faced with design and construction challenges daily.

At the beginning of the year the longtime friends received a request for a cremation pendant to hold the ashes of a couple’s son who had passed away.  They had never been tasked with making a like pendant before, but they eagerly stepped up to the plate and set to work figuring out how to make the customized pendant hollow and include a screw-in closure. It’s those kinds of mind-expanding and unique requests that Chris & Alix love about CustomMade.

“We’re open to anything and everything a Buyer comes to us with,” said Chris. “We piece the puzzle together which makes our days more interesting.”

“The further out that we reach and the more people we can hear custom requests from, the more we’ll get challenges,” added Alix. “[With CustomMade] we have accessibility to people who are looking for all sorts of custom projects.”

To check out some of Chris & Alix’s great work, scroll to the right or start a project to challenge them and make your vision a reality. 

The post Chris & Alix Jewelry: Friends into making appeared first on CustomMade Blog.

Because light pendants are a seemingly small part of the room you can get away with something outrageous or fun without grabbing too much attention.

Pendants are best suited for strategic placement so keeping the scope of the shade in mind when customizing light fixtures is essential. While an unshaded bulb can cast a soft light over the whole room, heavy shades can make the light much more targeted for, say, a kitchen island or dining table. Double up on pendants for added light exposure or choose a lightweight lampshade for a cozy glow.

Scroll to the right to check out some completely customizable pendants and start a project to get yours in the works.

The post Pendant lights to brighten your life appeared first on CustomMade Blog.

[Image via Fox News]

The horrific incident has led many to check their labels when buying clothes and others to avoid the companies involved all together. These are all great efforts to stand up and fight for human and workers’ rights. Here at CustomMade, and now more than ever, we cannot advocate enough for buying local.

Being a conscious consumer is about more than supporting your local economy and your neighbors, it’s about recognizing that the cost of cheaper brand-name clothes is just too high when looked at from a basic humankind perspective. Aside from the benefit of “Made in America” many Makers, like Kathryn Hilderbrand, use organic fibers and sustainable products to support the environment as well. With endless options and the ability to specify, your clothes can be as consumer conscious as you want.

The events and developments regarding garment factories in Bangladesh over the past several weeks have been startling, but you can do something to make a change. Buy local and support Made in USA labels.

The post The need to buy domestic appeared first on CustomMade Blog.

The George W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum in Dallas, Texas. [Image via Time Swampland]

Darren Hussey of All Classics Ltd created busts of former Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Dwight D. Eisenhower and former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Darren was enthusiastic about creating the busts, but he had no idea about the high profile nature of the request when he expressed interest. A seasoned bust-making veteran, Darren set to work and didn’t disrupt his normal work flow to finish these prestigious busts.

From left to right, Winston Churchill, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Abraham Lincoln, all done by Darren Hussey of All Classics Ltd.

Peter Miller of P.H. Miller Studio Frame Makers replicated several frames that former President Bush had hanging in the office, including frames that held the painting of Rembrandt Peale’s rendition of Washington, Abraham Lincoln by George H. Story, and three other frames that held paintings that reminded President Bush of his native state of Texas. Tons of research went into the frame reproduction including trips to San Antonio and Washington D.C. to study and research the original frames.

One of the five completed frames by Peter Miller.

Finally, Arthur Nichols of WoodNicheWorks  used a solid block of clear vertical grain fir to duplicate the Presidential call box that follows the President from the Oval Office to big meetings.

The Oval Office replica. To the left, you can see Arthur Nichols’ call box. [Image via Time Swampland]

A close-up of the call box.

What would you want to add to the Oval Office? Let us know in the comment section below! 

The post CustomMade contributions to the George W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum appeared first on CustomMade Blog.

The inspiration
Newlyweds-to-be deserving of a gift that couldn’t be found in any registry.

The request
A painting depicting a customized pedicab and a couple on the brink of falling in love during a New York City winter night.

The Maker
Fiona Miller

The process
Ellen was looking for something completely unique to the couple she was buying a wedding gift for. Since the couple met in the Big Apple during Christmastime, Ellen figured a painting would pay perfect homage to their fairytale meeting. She requested Fiona include the Rockefeller Christmas tree in the distance and a small detail a knowing eye would pick up on – the couple in a pedicab they rode that fateful night.

Fiona set to work sketching three different iterations in ink pen for Ellen to choose from. When the scene was set, Ellen added watercolor details down to the shade of the couples’ hair (long brown & short black) and their initials, M + J with a heart, on the side of the pedicab.

The Creation
A wedding gift, not to be shoved in a cabinet or stored on a dusty shelf, but rather displayed on the wall for all to admire.

The post Recreating a New York City love story appeared first on CustomMade Blog.

Before and after you start conversations Buyers are perusing the CustomMade pages to pick a Maker that’s right for them – all the while judging your portfolio by its cover. So put on your business and marketing hat and buckle down for CustomMade’s top 4 tips to optimize your portfolio & make Buyers fall in love at first sight. 

1. Focus on what’s important. Search engines latch on to keywords when providing results to Buyers. Including illustrative words that clearly and simply explain different elements of your Creation is essential. Being precise with descriptive words trickles over into the title of your piece since it lays the groundwork for words included in the link, which is one of the top components search engines scan. A general rule of thumb is to use variations of your project title in your description. If your title is “Exotic cocobolo office desk” then use “exotic wood desk” “cocobolo office desk” and “office desk” in your description, for example. Strategic placement is key to turning up in searches (something North Texas Wood Works has nearly perfected!) so don’t splatter the description with tag-like words and instead provide a written visualization of the piece using your key descriptors.

2. Choose great pictures. Nothing sells you better than high quality photos. While the words you carefully choose will make you pop in a search, the quality of your pictures is typically what gets Buyers to click. If the pictures are grainy, dark or small they won’t accurately depict your work and might make a Buyer surpass your portfolio. You don’t need professional grade shots, but following simple tricks for great photos is highly recommended. Julie Glassman has over 150 projects for Buyers to peruse and they’re all gorgeously shot.

3. Spell out specific qualifications. While the back story of how you fell into your craft is intriguing, it’s not completely convincing. Lay out your special qualifications and experience that put you a step above the rest first in your Company Information. Beth & Lynn Stefani of Sorella Jewelry Studio have a fantastic bio that describes specific processes and their talented team. They later get into the back story of their business, but they do not make it the forefront of their conversation.

4. Give your best Creations top visibility. Once landed on your Maker portfolio, a Buyer on a laptop or desktop can immediately see your first three projects. To keep Buyers interested, push your best projects to the top of your page – this can include your most intricate work, projects you’d like to attract, or those with the most compelling photos. On your profile page go to ‘Edit Portfolio’ under the ‘Portfolio’ tab. On your portfolio project listings you can click and drag the listings to move things around to your preference.

Questions on anything you see? Get in touch with our Maker Success Team at help.custommade.com and they’ll, well, enable you to be successful on CustomMade.

The post Amp up your portfolio appeared first on CustomMade Blog.

Throw pillows done in custom upholstery are a great, easy fix. Dull colors can be brightened and modest can be bumped up to fabulous. With endless options that are pretty easy on the pocket, refreshing upholstery can seamlessly bring you through the year.

So ditch that drab upholstery you have zippered on your pillow and opt for something that packs more of a punch. Scroll to the right for some throw pillow inspiration and start a project to get an update in the works! 

The post Refresh your collection: Throw pillows appeared first on CustomMade Blog.

Well, I say no more.

Staircases are an integral part of every home. They’re often the first thing people see when they enter the house, and if not they’re hardly ever hidden from plain site. Staircases are a special built-in feature of nearly every home and they can act as a focal point for design if you give them the time of day.

In fact, these little steps of built-in wonder are so easy to switch up, that the time spent remodeling the rest of your walls, floors and furniture could be cut back with a few spruces of the stairs.

We know many of you fell in love with this tree-inspired staircase on social media, so scroll to the right for a look at some stairs that have received some lovin’ and check out more inspiration on our Pinterest board!  

The post Step it up with unique staircases appeared first on CustomMade Blog.