The Minnesota Tile Festival registration has started. This is the 11th year of the event. It is moving back to the American Swedish Institutewith the new addition of the Nelson Cultural Center. The big news is this will be the first year that the entire show will take place outside on the lawn of their new space. From an organizational stand point this is great; everyone will be in one square area there will not be long hallways or a downstairs to try to direct traffic it is all about getting people to the American Swedish Institute. 

Drawing of the American Swedish Institute Nelson Cultural Center

 

 

The newest tool for artist to make money has got to be the invention of the Square. This is a must have for any artists wishing to take credit cards and save on the cost of processing fees and equipment. Actually created for artists by the inventor of Twitter Jack Dorsey. As the story goes his friend an artist was explaining to him the challenges and costs that traditional credit card companies present he was able to develop this tiny insert credit card swiper that goes into your smart phone or I Pad and allows you to take any credit card for one low swipe fee of 2.75% per swipe for all cards. the device the Square is FREE!  

This is a major advancement for all small businesses. A traditional credit card machine forces its users to either purchase for hundreds or thousands of dollars or lease a credit card terminal for $60 to $200 a month depending on the services you want. Plus swipe fee starting at around 1.5% going up to almost 5% for some all these expenses can add up to be thousands to tens of thousands of dollars a year. 

The new Square is portable and can be used anywhere there is a internet or WiFi connection. If you own an I Pad you can create a store where you can put in your items as a photo and just use the touch screen to track inventory of the sales each time someone purchases an item. Patrons just sign with their finger or a stylist pen tool and they can get an automatic e-mail receipt. It is a slick concept. 

So far we have not heard of any security issues and they continue to improve the product and services. Click here to read more about Square and see if it would be helpful to your business.

It would seem so. Pinterest has grown by 2400% since it's creation in 2009. Its audience is primarily female---over 70%... prompting a possible male site called mantertaining...(coming soon?)

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a pinboard-styled social photo sharing website. The service allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections. The site's mission statement is to "connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting

In December 2011, the site entered the top 10 social networks, with 11 million total visits per week. The next month, it drove more referral traffic to retailers than LinkedIn, YouTube, and Google+

Users of Pinterest create themed image boards, populating them with media found online using the "Pin It" button, or uploaded from their computer. Each such item of media is known as a "pin", and can be a picture, a video, a discussion, or a monetary gift. Pins can be grouped into "boards", which are sets of pins created on a given topic.

To register for Pinterest, new users must receive an invitation from a friend already registered on Pinterest or request an invitation directly from the Pinterest website. The registration process currently requires users to link their Pinterest account to their Facebook or Twitter account. 

Handmade Tile Association Meeting  

 

March 27

 

Pot Luck Please bring warm yummies!

 

Time - 6- 8pm

 

If you are not in the Minnesota region consider creating a meeting of tile and mosaic artists in your area.  The HTA can promote your meeting through this newsletter and on the website, Facebook, and Linked in. It is a great way to learn and promote tile ideas.

 

 

Register to have a booth at the 2012 MN Tile Festival. Click here for more details.