Nutmeg Collective Instagram: Nutmeg Naturals

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here! 

Needle felted whale, first try, made free form based on looking at whale drawings. Total time to make this: 2 hrs. #whale #sealife #oceanlife #whales #fiberart #fiber #handmade #nautical #decor #nauticaldecor #etsy #ctmade #nutmegcollective #whalelove #americanmade #whaledecor #shoreline #whalelife

A photo posted by Jennifer (@nutmegnaturals) on Jul 4, 2016 at 9:44am PDT

Introducing: Workshops

One of our favorite things is the community environment we are building within the Collective as well as with our local small businesses and the maker community.  It is important to us as a group to be able to help each other when questions arise in order to make running our businesses go as smoothly as possible.  We know that being a really small business can be tough and it can be hard to invest in business-related education.  For months we have been working on rolling out a series of workshops based on the needs of the maker community that can also be affordable, and we're excited to announce that our first topic is out!

Instagram Basics for Makers and Small Business is designed for for those looking to use Instagram for their handmade or small business who are just beginning to use the platform or those who are not yet signed up.  We will cover the following topics:

• Why Instagram is important to use for business
• Signing up and picking a username
• What makes a good post
• What's a hashtag
• Basic camera suggestions

Even better, this set of workshops will be held at one of our favorite spots - Get Baked in Windsor - and owner Emily will not only be sharing her Instagram expertise - which is HUGE - but some baked goods as well.  We hope that you'll be able to join us and help kickstart your social media presence.  Purchase your ticket below, or visit https://nutmegbasicig.eventbrite.com.

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Nutmeg Collective Instagram: MSD Design

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here!

#blue #indigo #shibori #jacobean #watercolor #colorswatches #blueandwhite #nutmegcollective #ctmade #illustration #illustratorsoninstagram

A photo posted by Michele Starzec-Ducharme (@msddesign) on Jul 11, 2016 at 1:08pm PDT

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: Erin DeLuca Jewelry

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here!

Restocking Roots Bands, and finding excuses to play with my new ring cones from @averiverastudio 😍 #silver #rings #roots #madeinct #nutmegcollective #erindelucajewelry

A photo posted by erindelucajewelry (@erindelucajewelry) on Jul 5, 2016 at 3:45pm PDT

Wednesday Words

Wednesday Wisdom: Remember to take the time to realized how loved and blessed you are in this world. #hearts#positivevibes #love #loveofmylife #pottery #heartstonegallery #wisdomoftheday #ihavethisthingwithhearts

A photo posted by Pottery: Kerri Michaud-Bagley (@heartstonegallery) on Jun 22, 2016 at 4:16am 

PDT

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: Payne & Comfort

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here!

Rainbow Pom Pom Garland- $16 - ALL of the net proceeds will be donated to the GoFundMe page supporting the victims of the Orlando shooting. Only 5 available at the moment!! Comment SOLD or follow the link in bio to purchase via Etsy. ❤️💛💚💙💜 I'll be honest- when these tragedies occur (all too often) I usually find myself selfishly thinking "that's sad but there's nothing I can do." Enough is enough. It's time for action. I encourage you all to DO something. Whether it's donating to a cause you believe in, signing a petition for change, attending a vigil, volunteering, or simply reaching out and sharing love with someone who needs it, find one thing in your power you can do to help. Love and comfort to you all ✌️ • • • #payneandcomfort #dosomething #orlando #orlandoshooting #orlandosupport #onepulse #peacefororlando #love #comfort #donate #morelovelesshate #loveislove #rainbow #pride #lgtb #pompom #pompomgarland #yarnporn #theinstagramlab #etsy #etsyshop #handmade #supporteachother #nutmegcollective #creativechics #ctmade #smallbusiness #mycreativebiz #makersmovement #makersgonnamake

A photo posted by Payne & Comfort (@payneandcomfort) on Jun 13, 2016 at 6:30pm PDT

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: InDee Designs

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here!

Screaming colors for Summer! #boho #artistic #earrings #jewelry #jewelrydesigner #ctmade #nutmegcollective #summer #colorful #minimalist

A photo posted by Denise Pace (@indeedesigns) on May 26, 2016 at 6:48pm PDT

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: Sprinkles of Color

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here! 

Hey there spring! #spring #handletteredABCs #abcs_spring #calligrabasics #watercolorlettering #createeveryday #calligrabasics_brushes #color

A photo posted by Sprinkles Of Color (@sprinklesofcolor) on Mar 20, 2016 at 2:58pm PDT

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: Hickster Tees

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here!

Test printing my moo-velous new design! I'm so excited that I finished her just in time for the Spring Break Market at @getbakedct this Saturday. I sure was close. I'll be experimenting with color combos tomorrow. #nutmegcollective #tattoomoo

A photo posted by HicksterTees (@hickstertees) on Apr 7, 2016 at 1:21pm PDT

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: Sea Glass Designs

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here!

Day 5 of the#nutmegdailypic Light. Bruce designed this parabolic bezel to reflect light back into the sea glass enhancing the color of the glass. #seaglassjewelry. #nutmegcollective

A photo posted by Sea Glass Designs (@sea_glass_designs) on Apr 4, 2016 at 7:42pm PDT

April Photo Challenge

Every so often, the Nutmeg Collective likes to offer up a fun photo challenge that we host on Instagram, providing a list of topics for participants to follow and interpret how they see fit.  It's a fun way to get to know our followers, and hopefully for the followers on our group feed to learn more about our individual members.

So in the spirit of spring, we invite you to join in our April photo challenge:

One photo per day, following the topic for the number of the day it is.  When posting your photo, please tag them #nutmegdailypic so we can easily find you.  We may even share your photo on our feed.  We start tomorrow- we hope you'll join us!

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: &Morgan

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here! 

#etsy #etsyshop #etsyfinds #etsygifts #etsywholesale #screenprint #kale #shopsmall #shoplocal #nutmegcollective #ctmade

A photo posted by jillian (@and.morgan) on Mar 6, 2016 at 7:59am PST

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: ArtSmith

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here! 

A platter featuring the hand drawn image of Connecticut with a heart on the town of Somers. Get your own custom state platter at artsmithshop.com #ctmade #artsmithshop #artsmith #state #iloveconnecticut #home #etsy #maker #nutmegcollective #nutmegstate #handmade #maker #makermovement #somers #ctartist #pottery #nutmegger

A photo posted by Ruthie at ArtSmith (@artsmithshop) on Feb 29, 2016 at 7:36pm PST

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: Purring Pottery

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here!

Nesting bowls all glazed and happy!! Ready for #treefortnaturals soap #nutmegcollective #ctmade

A photo posted by Purring Pottery (@purringpottery) on Feb 22, 2016 at 9:16am PST

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: Ave Rivera Studio

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed.
On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here!

One of my NOPE mugs that came out of the kiln on Saturday! ✌🏽️🎉😁💃🏽 #mugshotmonday #motivationmonday #makewavesmonday #nutmegcollective #watercolor #purple #blue #coffeemug #coffee #tumblr #handmade #ctmade #makersofig #contemporarycraft #ceramics #pottery #nope #goodmorning

A photo posted by Ave Rivera (@averiverastudio) on Feb 8, 2016 at 6:07am PST

How-to: Create Photo Mosaics for Instagram

At a recent Nutmeg Collective Social Media Meet Up, a few members mentioned they’d like to make the mini mosaics that several of our members have been making for a while and sharing on Instagram, like the one above. It looks like there are a lot of steps, but I promise I’m just being uber-specific. Once you get the hang of it, making mini mosaics doesn’t take much time at all.

1. Choose four items you’d like to use.   If you don’t have specific users or items in mind, this is a trick I use so I don’t re-create the wheel: Look at etsy treasuries. Someone took time to sort through and find a theme, chose coordinating items, and all the information you’ll need is 80% right there. In the search box on the treasury page, search NUTMEGCOLLECTIVE.  Evelyn Pelati, DiGiJewels, and Designer Dwellings have current treasuries that have some Nutmeg Collective items in them that I have used. Note: They’re not ALL member items in team treasuries, so you do need to select who is a member to use this method.

2. Once you’ve picked your items, save the picture to your computer or device. Since I usually do this task while my family is relaxing at night, I mostly make these mini mosaics on my laptop, but I can do this from my phone just as quickly. Make note of the people who made the items and what they have named them, this will help when you add a caption. On my laptop, I just leave allllll the tabs open, or put their name as the file.

3. Using the design app of your choice, arrange photos in a square mosaic format. I use Pixlr. When our group was polled, others use Picstitch (for phone), fotor (for computer), Aviary, PicCollage, and PictureCollageMakerLite. What it comes down to is that there are plenty out there, you can pick the one you like the most.

4. Once you have the layout you like, save the photo mosaic. If I’ve done these steps on my computer, I now email the mosaic to myself so Iyou can access it from my phone. If you use a cloud or link your devices, move to the one where you can upload to Instagram.

5. Upload to Instagram. List the items shown with the maker’s Instagram username. If they’re not on Instagram, I use their Etsy shop or web address. Note: I started making these mosaics to share Instagram user’s items, and people are more likely to click and follow your team members on Instagram if the links work. I try not to use too many items that are for people NOT using Instagram.

6. Tag the users on the photo as well as in the description.

7. Hashtag #nutmegcollective so team leaders and your teammates can see it!

8. I also hashtag #madeinct #ctmade #connecticut and maybe one or two other relevant tags.

That’s about all there is to it! Some nights I’ll make three or four and space out posting them to prolong the fun.   Please ask if something isn’t clear here, I do love to chat!

Photos and items in this sample mosaic are by:

Treefort Naturals // tinymack //  Baby Blossom Co.  // Sprinkles Of Color

Vanessa Felie, aka "Queenvanna" juggles a husband and two blond pixies while running her burgeoning paper arts and crafts business, QueenvannaCreations. Her job and family inspire her to create crafty projects for holidays, vacations, as well as times when there's just not much going on. Perpetual calendars and other home items, scrapbooking album kits and personalized gifts of all kinds - She looks to add a little flair to everything she makes, to put some extra fun in to daily life, as well as special occassions.
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | queenvanna@cox.net

Instagram Vignette: Wintry

Connecticut Made! Bracelet: @thetinywren Garland: @msddesign Photograph: @lilypadprints Card: @cyn_riverdogprints #nutmegcollective #ctmade #madeinct

A photo posted by Queen Vanna (@queenvanna) on Jan 21, 2016 at 2:34pm PST

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: Cottage Wicks

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed. 

On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here!

Sunday experiments

A photo posted by CottageWicks 🌙✨ (@cottagewicks) on Jan 10, 2016 at 1:25pm PST

Nutmeg Collective Instagram: The Burnt Shop

We have some great photos in our #nutmegcollective Instagram feed. 

On a regular basis, we'll feature some of our favorite photos here!

Sweet botanicals #simple #theburntshop #nutmegcollective #ctmade #glastonbury #picoftheday #wood #love #localart #oldschool #recipe #family #heirloom #passitdown #eat #dinner #salad #grandma #mom #fall #warm #cozy #autumn @CRFM @food52 @mysticcountry @townandcountry @coastalconnecticut @ctvisit @connecticutgram @cteatsout

A photo posted by Denise O'Reilly (@theburntshop) on Oct 23, 2015 at 6:59pm PDT

Instagram Vignettes

The Nutmeg Collective has many clever makers and one of the things that's great about the group is learning from each other about business, resources and networking.

Etsy treasuries can be gorgeously curated, but our group is expanding from that platform, and looking for other ways to share and enjoy each other's work. Some of our members have begun creating vignettes of our goods on Instagram and the result is beautiful and informative.

Take a look at a few recent examples and be sure to follow the tag #nutmegcollective on Instagram.

Monday's best of the #nutmegcollective Print: @lilypadprints baskets: Rhymeswithsmile on etsy Earrings: @miloandmolly Felted pumpkin: @thefelthaus

A photo posted by Queen Vanna (@queenvanna) on Sep 21, 2015 at 7:51am PDT

I love partnering up with other artists! This beach-themed gift set features our #soap, photography by @hockmanphoto and rope basket by #rhymeswithsmile. Completely Connecticut-made!

A photo posted by Jennifer (@nutmegnaturals) on Jul 16, 2015 at 1:08pm PDT

Simply Black & White from the @nutmegcollective Photo by @hockmanphoto, @lilypadprints, earrings by @evelynpelati, soap by @purenakedsoap #nutmegcollective #ctmade #handmade #connecticut #connecticutmade #hockmanphotography #lilypadprints #evelynpelati #purenakedsoap #photography #jewelry #soap #etsyteam #etsy #blackandwhite #black #white #bw #bnw #etsygroup #nature #simple

A photo posted by Doug Hockman Photography (@hockmanphoto) on Oct 5, 2015 at 3:18pm PDT

Nutmeg Collective goodness, made in Connecticut. Place cards: @paperlaura Ginger Orange Soap: @nutmegnaturals Rose Gold Necklace: @digidiane Felting Wool: @thefelthaus #nutmegcollective #papercrafts #soap #rosegold #felting #autumnleaves

A photo posted by Queen Vanna (@queenvanna) on Oct 14, 2015 at 6:10pm PDT

Awesome how a visit to the Farmer's Artisan Market feels like a day spent with friends. Check out my fellow makers behind all this lovely work: @treefortnaturals awesome-smelling organic, handmade soap and body products. @cyn_riverdogprints fun and functional stationery and paper goods @theburntshop amazing wood-burned kitchen utensils, cutting boards, etc. @purringpottery funky and fabulous ceramic buttons, magnets, mugs & more #nutmegcollective #ctmade #colchesterfarmersmarket #artisanmarket

A photo posted by Michele Starzec-Ducharme (@msddesign) on Sep 13, 2015 at 11:03am PDT

Cyn Thomas is the illustrator, designer and pattern maker of RiverDog Prints. Her paper goods and gifts are guided by earth, animals, function, food and cocktails. You can also find Cyn canning in her kitchen, walking her dog, being outnumbered by her boys and husband or reading herself to sleep.
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | woof@riverdogprints.com