Update May 23rd:

Today I received my Certified Handmade Artifact from Artfire!  Now when you enter my store there you’ll see a pretty blue seal on the left that says I’ve gotten their stamp of approval.  Woo hoo!

April 1st Post:

I have homework.  I’ve been itching to apply for this designation, but I had to wait until I had been on Artfire for 60 days before I could apply.  I sold my products on etsy before this, but this is a certification offered exclusively at Artfire.

What do I get if I get approved?  Well, I get a super fabulous little seal I can put on my shop site that says I’ve received the artifact and my items have been certified as handmade.  And I get bragging rights…that’s the part I really want….

Once I submit my application, I’ve heard that it can take up to two months to be approved.  Another long wait, but worth it.

The qualifications and requirements on the application:

“Artisans must meet the following prerequisites before an application for the Certified Handmade Artifact will be accepted:

1.      Artisan must be a PRO member of ArtFire for at least 60 days.

2.      Artisan must be in good standing with ArtFire.com including

a.      No outstanding cases concerning non-delivery of product.

b.      No outstanding cases concerning misrepresentation of products for sale

c.      No outstanding cases concerning other violations of the ArtFire TOU

3.      100% of the items in the Applicants studio must be Handmade.  Digital media such as pdf tutorials, hand assembled supplies kits, designed (but not handmade) products, or any other product that does not meet ArtFire’s definition of handmade will make a studio ineligible to receive the artifact.   Gift Certificates to your studio can be listed as they would only be redeemable for handmade items as long as all other items are handmade by you.

4.      Artisan studio must be complete and contain sufficient information including:

a.      An avatar

b.     A banner

c.    Complete Studio Policies

d.     A Bio with photo

5.      Product photographs must be in-focus and of a reasonably sufficient size.”

So…my homework I’ve been working on today has been taking pictures of my studio. There’s no big factory in China.  There are no elves stringing together beads.  Your jewelry may arrive in your mailbox, but there was a place it came from before it got there.  Welcome to my studio…and welcome to my home.