Holiday Fair Gift Guide: For the Home

We are so excited about all of the Christmas shopping we'll do this weekend at the Holiday Fair, and we hope you're putting your shopping list together after seeing our gift guides. Here's one featuring all of the great gifts you'll be able to find to create a more handmade home. Prints and originals by Emily Jeffords / Hand lettered posters by Paige Elizabeth Designs / Ceramic trivet by Crave Studio / Soy candle by Mercy Verity

Hand turned muddlers by Slab / Hand stamped flour sack towels by The Hiber Fiber / Felted terrariums by Once Again Sam / Pet teepees by LoveLane

Holiday Fair Gift Guide: Part 2

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We know as soon as the dinner plates are cleared tomorrow, you're going to start strategizing your holiday shopping. Have fun out there in the Black Friday madness (those of you who choose to participate). But remember, those truly memorable, meaningful gifts come from real people...people like our Holiday Fair artists. As you're planning your gift giving, consider these two new gift guides to help you find the perfect treasures for the people in your life.

 FOR HIM:

Skinny Straight Jeans by Billiam / Bowtie by The Cordial Churchman / Anchor Bracelet by Maritime Supply Co. / Tent and Trail Pullover by Dapper Ink

Shave Soap by The Herb Garden / Hand-thrown Mugs by April Schwingle / Sketchbooks by Shed Labs / Hand-turned razors by Slab.

 FOR HER:

Collar Necklace by Lily Pottery / Cameos by Once Again Sam / Feather Pendant by Crave / Hand-dyed Necklace by Spectrum

Embroidered Napkins by The High Fiber / Yarn Skeins by Merciful Hearts Farm / Hand-lettered Notecard by Paige Elizabeth Designs / Brick Feathers Clutch by Auspicious Miss

Holiday Fair Gift Guide: Part 1

If you're looking for unique and one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts this year, our Indie Craft Parade Holiday Fair can help! Featuring handmade goods from 29 artists, there's something for everyone. Starting with stocking stuffers and gifts for the little ones on your list, let us make a few suggestions to get you started!

Stocking stuffers clockwise from top left: handkerchief/scarf from Dapper Ink / Leather keychain from Billiam Jeans / Recipe cards from Ink Meets Paper / Sketchbook from Shed Labs / Ceramic cloud magnet from Crave Studio / Soaps from The Herb Garden

Gifts for the Little Ones clockwise from top left: Canvas crown from Lovelane Designs / Not-so-magic wands from Slab. / Boy's necktie from Cordial Churchman / Baby spoon from Block & Hammer / Baby booties from Pogoshop /

2014 Artists Announced

We are excited to announce the 2014 list of Indie Craft Parade participants! Our fifth annual festival will feature 80 artists — 33 new and 47 returning. Mark your calendars for September 12-14 and come see us at the Huguenot Mill at the Peace Center. We know you can't wait to start shopping, so go check out the complete list on our website, and start making those wishlists!

Giveaway #2 Winner

Congratulations, Jackie! Winner of our beeswax candles craft kit. We'll be in touch about picking up your prize. Thanks again to everyone who participated.

MailChimp Hat Winners

And the winners of the MailChimp hat giveaway  (as chosen by random.org) are:

Commenter #24: Marcus Wickes

Commenter #9: Michael

Commenter #4: Roman

Commenter #18: Jeff

Commenter #12: Stan

Winners, we'll email you with instructions on how to claim your prize, and thanks everyone for sharing where you buy your favorite handmade goods!

MailChimp Hat Giveaway!

If you follow us on Facebook, you may have already seen the fun monkey hats we received from our favorite email newsletter makers, MailChimp. Today, we're giving away five of these fun crocheted hats to our blog readers!

To enter, leave a comment below answering this question:

Where do you buy your favorite handmade goods? (e.g. from Etsy, a local shop, a festival, the artist, etc.)

Please, only one entry per person. Random winners will be chosen next Monday, March 26th (at midnight) and announced here on the blog on Tuesday! Also, for shipping reasons, only US Residents are eligible to win.

"Curtain Call" at Art & Light

There's a fabulous new show at Art & Light Gallery called "Curtain Call", and you won't want to miss it. "Imagine finding your favorite paintings in the form of a fabric curtain -- hang it as a wall tapestry, a window curtain, shower curtain...the sky's the limit.  Eight talented artists (Paul Flint, Kyle Buttram, Diane Kilgore Condon, Teri Pena, Hannah Sloan, Signe Grushovenko, Annie Koelle and Angie Schmerbeck)  have painted these original fabric curtains. If you treasure hand-made art works that beg to be touched join usfor "Curtain Call."

Here's a peek of the show, which will be up until the end of the month.

And while you're at Art & Light, be sure to check out Kent Ambler's newest collection, "Running With Paint."

Of course, there's lots more to see. You'll find everything from handmade jewelry and cards to miniature paintings at Art & Light.

Art & Light is a fusion gallery, bringing together visual arts and home accessories to provide a boutique that is at once unique and incredibly usable. Open Friday – Saturday (10 am - 5 pm) and  Monday – Wednesday by appointment

2011 Food Vendors

In order to provide easy access to refreshments for our artists and attendees, we save room at our event for a limited number of local food vendors.

We invite and select individuals whose food is in keeping with our theme of local, high-quality, and independent. Which means restaurants and caterers that prepare their goods with fresh, high-quality ingredients and present their offerings attractively are given top priority.

This year, we have a few returning food vendors, and we're proud to introduce you to a local tamale maker! These vendors will be on hand to feed us Saturday and Sunday. Here's a glimpse of what they'll be serving!

Bavarian Pretzel Factory: apple strudel, poppy seed streusel cake, pretzels with dipping sauces, sandwiches

Fresh Tamales: pork tamales with red sauce and refried beans O-CHA tea bar: coffee, water, iced Jasmine Green Tea, Iced Lavendear Rooibos Tea, and a selection of loose teas for hot tea FiggyWhigs Cupcakes: cupcakes, brownies, cookies

These great food vendors are just one more reason to come out and see the show!

2011 Indie Craft Parade Musicians

We feel that live music is an essential part of the Indie Craft Parade experience. Last year, many of the musicians that played at Indie Craft Parade were new to us, but we came away from the weekend with a whole set of new favorite bands! This year, we have a few returning musicians, but with an extra event day to fill, we've also got some great new music to introduce you to as well. Thanks to all the great recommendations we received, we're pretty sure you'll find a few new favorites of your own this year.

The schedule of music for this year's Indie Craft Parade is below.

The Bent Strings

Friday's VIP Night 6pm-9pm: The Bent Strings

Esther Grace Ellis

Saturday 9am-11am: Lindsay Morelli 11am-1pm: The Ragged Orchids 1pm-3pm: Esther Grace Ellis 3pm-5pm: Jentry Rose 5pm-7pm: Corey Pelton

War Jacket

Sunday 11am-1pm: B Natural Jazz 1pm-3pm: War Jacket & Joel Madison Blount 3pm-5pm: Jay Albright

Many of these musicians will also be bringing CDs to sell at our Indie Craft Parade booth, so if you like they way they sound, you can take it home with you!

VIP Gala Tickets on Sale!

Be sure to check out the VIP Gala page of our website! Tickets are now on sale, and we expect them to go fast. You don't want to miss out!