Happy 1 Year Blogiversary! We're celebrating with a giveaway!

Come celebrate with us! Today, our blog turns 1 year old.  And for the party, we’ve got something for you!  One of our amazing sponsors, Lark Crafts, has donated a number of crafting books for this year's festivities, and today we're giving away 10 copies of a fabulous book to our blog readers! You could win a copy of Doodle Stitching, the Motif Collection. 

From Lark Crafts: This follow-up to the best-selling Doodle Stitching offers fans expanded and updated basics, 400+ embroidery motifs on the page and on a CD sealed in the back of the book, 17 projects, and lots of inspiration. More than a dozen categories include Alphabet, Asian Chic, Baby, Celebrations, Embellishments, Flowers, and Woodland Creatures—and each section includes a motif stitched by the author. 

To enter for a chance to win a copy of Doodle Stitching, all you have to do is leave a comment below answering this question:

What craft projects do you hope to accomplish in the month of June? (answer in the comments below.)

Please, only one entry per person. Random winners will be chosen next Monday, June 4th (at midnight) and announced here on the blog on Tuesday! Also, for shipping reasons, only Greenville area residents are eligible to win. You must be able to pick up your book here in town.

Thank you so much for your support over the last year! We so appreciate our followers and look forward to many blogiversaries to come!

Meet our Jury: Doug Young

Today, I'm happy to introduce the third member of our jury, Doug Young. He has been an artist for nearly thirty years, with sculpture as his primary medium. His work is quite recognizable in Greenville. He's best known for sculpting Shoeless Joe Jackson, located in Greenville, South Carolina. As a member of the Metropolitan Arts Council, Doug plays quite the leadership role in the Greenville art scene. He is also on the advisory board for Upstate Visual Arts, as well as the Pendleton Street Arts District Business Association and Indie Craft Parade. His work is on display in his studio as well as in private collections around South Carolina.

Indie Craft Parade: Have you always been a sculptor, or did you start in another medium?

Doug: I’ve always been interested in sculpting, but I didn’t really get consumed with it until 7 or 8 years after college. I took a night class at a community college in North Carolina and “caught the bug.”

Indie Craft Parade: You've been active in the Greenville art scene for a number of years. What kind of changes have you witnessed over the years? Is there a direction that you would like art in our city to take?

Doug: I've seen Greenville develop an appreciation for the arts that makes artists, from other places, very envious. Maybe, in the future, we could start an "art community center" (sort of like the YMCA) where artist could go and work-out.

Indie Craft Parade: Your sculptures have become quite iconic in the Greenville area--particularly Shoeless Joe Jackson. Are you currently working anything that you're particularly excited about?

Doug: I've been working on a sculpture commemorating the start of the first settlement school. It represents a teacher giving a book to a student and will be installed in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Having been a teacher, I'm really excited to be part of this project.

Meet our 2012 Jury: Barb Blair

I'm very excited to be introducing Barb Blair--another member of our esteemed jury. Barb has made quite the name for herself with her one-of-a-kind furniture pieces. As the artist behind Knack Studio, Barb manages to turn passed over chairs, headboards, and chest of drawers into unique works of beauty. And her talent has been noticed by movers and shakers in the industry. She has been a guest contributor to notable publications such as Design*Sponge, and she's even becoming a published author herself. To get a personal look at Barb's fabulous work, you can check out her studio on Pendleton Street in Greenville or at the lovely Antiques on Augusta shop, also in Greenville.

Indie Craft Parade: Your business has expanded quite a bit in the last year, and your upcoming book is incredibly exciting. What can readers expect to find in the new book?

Barb:The book will be chock full of furniture tutorials, makeovers, and beautiful photographs that will get you motivated and inspired to create.

Indie Craft Parade: I know you find your diamond in the rough furniture from all sorts of places. There's potential everywhere from estate sales to junk heaps. In the past year, what has been your most interesting (or favorite) find? Anything with an unusual story?

Barb:I think one of my favorite finds this year was a sweet little nightstand that I purchased at an estate sale. When I started to clean it out and prep it for painting , I discovered that the drawer was full of hand written poetry. I ended up permanently lining the drawer of the piece with some of the poems and named the piece after the author....whose name was "miss Jenkins".

Indie Craft Parade: You've been working in furniture restoration for a number of years, yet your pieces continue to be fresh and inspiring. How do you manage it?

Barb:Thank you so much! Sometimes it is hard to "feel" creative and invent new designs on a regular basis, but I always try to keep things fresh by traveling, taking photographs, pinterest, magazines, and nature. I find that just day to day living inspires me to create, and that inspiration is around me at all times whether it is a fallen leaf, an outfit that my daughter puts together, a pretty plate of food, or a piece of art. Being creative to me is about being able to create even when you don't "feel" like it.

Meet our 2012 jury: Teresa Roche

We have just over 2 weeks until Indie Craft Parade applications open. We're so incredibly excited to see the new talent that comes our way. We're also excited about our fabulous jury that helps us bring to our event the very best of the applicants. And we love introducing them to you. All of our jurors have made an impact on the Greenville art scene and continue to shape and develop it. Our first juror is also an Indie Craft Parade board member. Teresa Roche, the manager of Art and Light gallery, is often at the center for Greenville’s artist community. Besides the numerous tasks that come with running a chic art boutique that boasts some of the best finds in town, Teresa manages to produce her own work. She’s best known for her whimsical mixed media pieces. Next chance you get, visit her gallery in the Pendleton Arts District. You won’t be disappointed.

Indie Craft Parade: What kind of projects currently occupy your time?

Teresa:I am so excited to say that at the end of the summer  I am moving my gallery to a new location - open 6 days a week (#2 Aberdeen Drive off Augusta Rd). In the new gallery I will be curating seasonal openings with four collections a year to include my own mixed media art, as well as some exciting new and "old" furniture and lighting. I will continue to feature many of the same resident artists that I currently feature, but will have a more finely curated collection. A new website/blog is in the works as well!

Indie Craft Parade: Art and Light is famous for hosting trunk shows or events-- such as the mini book collective--that are lot of fun and totally unique. Are you planning any new or different type of events we should expect in the future?

Teresa: Absolutely! An art exhibit combined with a book signing (the art inspired the writer) -- and of course these two talented female artists are from Greenville and two very special people in my life - excitement ahead and more details coming soon! And oh, Sarah Mandell, Once Again Sam is working on a felt installation for the new gallery's grand opening - can't wait for everyone to see!

Indie Craft Parade:In managing you own gallery, you have many opportunities to rub shoulders with many types of artists. Have you learned any great tips or advice that you'd share with artists or crafters who are just getting started?

Teresa: I have learned so much in my career and especially from the artists I have been so fortunate to meet and get to know.  I think the advice is simple - First, start with a business and marketing plan - execute that plan but have enough flexibility that you can respond to changes at any given time. It's not enough to be a great artist or crafter, Business basics are extremely important.  Second, always be a "Love Cat", a term coined in the book, Love is the Killer App by  Tim Sanders. It is the business book that I live by. Embrace your business partners, and remember the value of relationships - sharing your intangibles. Your biz partners are each and every person in your work life. As Tim says, "share your knowledge, your network and your compassion."  Third, have a strong work ethic. I can't say enough about how important that is. And last, create a buzz about your work!

Etsy Treasury of Mother's Day Gifts

There's a week and a half before Mother's Day, which means you still have time to buy presents. Seriously, this year skip the teapots and flowers (unless they're orchids), and make sure she knows how much you love her with a fabulous handmade gift. To give you some inspiration, we've put together this Etsy Treasury, featuring local and regional artists. The list includes cards, jewelry, even a DIY book for all the crafty mamas out there. But if this list doesn't fit your fancy, many of the other treasuries for Mother's Day have great ideas you'll want to check out. Mom's are awesome, and they deserve the (handmade) best.

Mini Book Collective Recap

We've mentioned before the Mini Book Collective that's been on display at Art and Light for most of the month April. Well, if you haven't seen it, there's just a few more days left in the month for you to swing by. Besides the Collective on display, the rest of the gallery is curated with everything made from paper and books. Entry way to Art and Light Gallery where it's books, book, books.

Display of Greenville themed books. Jason Wagoner, Christin O'Bryan and Rachael Madeline have new work including lots of handmade journals. The pieces are quite beautiful.

Teresa Roche also has a new collection of mixed media pieces using book jackets. The pages of the books were folded into creative mobiles shown below.

Only a few more days to see these. It's worth the trip!

What are you working on? Art and Craft in Greenville.

I've got some cute handmade goodness to share with you today. More submissions from around Greenville! We have such an awesome crafty community. If you have a craft or art pieces you want to share, please email photos and stories to

jen@indiecraftparade.com

.

First these adorable applique baby tees from Annabelle Carter from

Humdiddly Blog

. She makes them for her boys and also sells them on her Etsy shop.

Owl appliques for both boys and girls.

I love the giraffe!

Second, I want to share these refinished furniture goods from Shan Grech. This London born girl now lives in Greenville, and as a hobby she refinishes cast off furniture with the oh-so-popular chalk paint.

She gives second hand uglies, like this, a fresh life, like these below.

If you want to see more of her work, she has some on display at

Even A Sparrow Boutique

.

Studio Tour: Quill and Arrow Press

We love getting updates on the success of Indie Craft Parade participants, so we can't wait to tell you about Beth Schaible who owns Quill and Arrow Press. She's an incredibly talented letterpress artist, and she's recently moved into a new studio. Beth was kind enough to share her move with us, so we asked her to tell us a little more about the move and about her work as a letterpress artist.

Indie Craft:  How did you get interested in letterpress? When did you start doing it professionally? Beth: I got interested in letterpress when I was in college. As a graphic design major I felt like I needed to spend more time working with my hands. I completed a two year fellowship at the Penland School of Crafts where I learned the majority of what I know about letterpress and got a lot of time to tinker in their beautiful letterpress studio.

A shot of the front room and gallery.

Indie Craft: What kind of projects make up the bulk of your business? Do you have a favorite type of project (posters, business cards, etc?) Beth: As someone who does both letterpress and calligraphy, I find a lot my time being devoted to wedding invitation projects. While I enjoy that work, my favorite thing to print in the studio are postcards and paper goodies to send in the mail. I really love sending mail, so a lot of my letterpress work revolves around making stationary. In my "free time" I also love printing large monotypes on my press because the process is so much different and open ended.

View of the print shop.

Close up of Beth's press.

Indie Craft:

What prompted the move to the new studio?

Beth:

The studio is a dream come true. After three years of living at Penland and some time away in Virginia, I needed a place to call home. I am lucky enough to have a few lovely friends in Asheville who are also printers (Ele Annand :: Two Step Press, Bridget Elmer :: Flatbed Splendor, Kelly Kelbel :: Tiny Factory Story) and we decided to share a space. We moved into our West Asheville studio on January 1st and have been hard at work cleaning, painting, moving in all of our heavy equipment, and getting the shop in working order. Together we are 7 Ton Letterpress Collective, and I can't wait to see where it takes us! A grand opening is in the works for sometime this spring!

Thanks, Beth! If you want to see more of Beth's work, check out her Etsy page.

Don't Forget! Mini Book Collective this Weekend!

Remember when we announced the call for entries for Mini Book Collective? Well, now all of the applicants have completed their work, and they'll be on display this weekend at Art and Light Gallery. We've got a sneak peek of the work to show you. All of the books are themed on the artists' experiences in Greenville, and I think they've made our little city quite proud. The opening celebration of the Collective is tomorrow night! The show takes place April 6 from 6pm to 9pm as part of First Fridays. This is one special event you don't want to miss!

Mini Book entry by Furman Student, Patrick Rice

Melinda Hoffman, Director of the Mini Book Collective's book

Jason Wagoner's Handmade Greenville Journals

Wallpaper Book Series by Teresa Roche

What are you working on? Art and Craft in Greenville.

You know how we love to share what's going on in the art sphere of our creative little city. We try our best to keep you updated on the professional events, but we've also recently become interested in sharing what individuals do around Greenville (and surrounding areas) to exercise their creativity. We started this post series a couple weeks ago, and I'm happy to share some new projects with you today.

Chalkboard Kitchen Wall.

The ever talented Elizabeth Ramos kindly shared her new kitchen wall with us--which she and her husband painted with chalkboard paint.

From her blog: Around Christmas time, Andrew and I were discussing how (in spite of us both being designers) our everyday lives don’t seem to allow for much creativity. One small way we decided to combat this is by adding a small chalkboard wall to our kitchen. We’re hoping that this will give us a good place to make art that’s intentionally temporary and help us remember to have fun creating things.

Not only did Elizabeth share the pictures, her post includes a great tutorial for doing this yourself

Greenville is getting a letterpress shop!

Our friends over at Dapper Ink have exciting news. They're the screen print shop that makes our tee shirts each year, and they've just expanded their printing capabilities to include letterpress printing. The vintage Chandler and Price letterpress still needs a lot of care to get it up and running, but they expect by summer time to be fully set up and taking orders.

Celebrating the press arrival to the Dapper Ink lot.

Located in the shop window, the press is ready to be cleaned and tuned up for action.

Don't forget--we want to see what you're working on. Please email photos and stories to jen@indiecraftparade.com.

Pecha Kucha Night in Greenville

In my opinion, Pecha Kucha Night is one of the most fascinating concepts I've ever come across. "What are you talking about!"...you might be wondering right now. "What on earth is Pecha Kucha?" Well, Pecha Kucha (pronounced pe-CHALK-cha; from the Japanese phrase meaning "chit chat") is a forum that believes that everybody has something interesting to say and should have the opportunity to share it with others. So, four times a year, the Warehouse Theatre in Greenville hosts an evening where people from the community present a topic and a slideshow to the Pecha Kucha audience. Now, to keep the lectures from getting out of hand, Pecha Kucha has a few ground rules. From their website: Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show.

So within just a few short minutes, you can be educated on a variety of fun topics and have a great time in the process. Those topics can be anything ranging from "Why Bruce Wayne would have made a good architect" to a brief history lesson on "Hipsters." (See Pecha Kucha website for other past topics). Quirky? Absolutely! But this is a great way to know more about the people in your community. And you just need to dive in to enjoy the fun.

Now that you have a general idea of what Pecha Kucha night is, let's get to the details about the event.

Where: Warehouse Theatre When: March 27, 2012, presentations begin at 8:20 Cost: $5 at the door What: Come learn about anything and everything — 6 minutes and 40 seconds at a time. Learn more: http://www.pkngreenville.com/

So you might be wondering what our fascination with Pecha Kucha has to do with Indie Craft Parade. Well, Indie Craft Parade's very own Elizabeth Ramos, co-host of the event, has been heavily involved with Pecha Kucha for the past few years. She's been a presenter before (see presentation below), and this year Indie Craft Parade is actually one of the partners supporting Pecha Kucha night. We believe this event is fun, informative, and a great way to spend a night in Greenville. It's totally worth getting tickets, and who knows what you'll learn by the evening's end!

http://vimeo.com/13962353

Indie Craft Parade Scholarship: Update on Brook Glenn Elementary School

I have a super fun update today. Remember this post when we announced that Brook Glenn Elementary School won our 2011 scholarship? Well, Laura, the school's art teacher, has shared with us some of the work the students were able to do because of the scholarship funds.

From Laura: I just wanted to send you guys a note and say THANKS for choosing us for your scholarship.  We have been furiously making all sorts of ceramic projects since I was able to purchase massive amounts of clay and glaze (hooray!).  I wanted to send a few pictures.  Two of the pictures are of clay animals third graders have been working on (the most awesome zebra I've ever seen!) and one photo is of a stocked kiln room-- something that makes this art teacher very happy.

We're so glad we were able to help out the kids from Brook Glenn. Looks like these students have an art future for sure!

Etsy Handmade Portraits

Needing some crafty inspiration? Head over to the Etsy TV page on Vimeo. They have a high quality collection of short films that feature artists and crafters throughout the States and even around the world. Here's one from a textile artist that I've admired for quite a while. She's Heather Moore of Skinny LaMinx in South Africa. Her designs are beautiful, and I think you'll enjoy this as much as I did.

Handmade Portraits: Skinny laMinx from Etsy on Vimeo.

What are you working on? Arts and Crafts in Greenville and surrounding areas.

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent us pictures of your current creative work in response to last week's post! I have a couple of good ones to show you today, and there will be plenty more to come. We really want to see what our friends are working on. So whether you're a longtime follower, participant, or attendee of Indie Craft Parade or if you're just joining us, please shoot us a photo of the creative projects you're working on (or have worked on). Just email jen@indiecraftparade.com and include a brief description of your project as well as photos that do not exceed 500 pixels wide. Here we go! First a creative headboard by mixed media artist Kristen Solecki.

From Kristen: My fiancee and I recently moved into our new apartment. We wanted something over our bed but did not want a headboard. We are both obsessed with Instagram (who isn't?) and I printed a bunch of our photos from it but wasn't sure what to do with them, there were too many to frame!  I designed this great way to display them using two pieces of found lumber and bull dog clips. This works perfect because it is functional art and the photos can be changed and updated with our current favorites. 

If you're interested in learning how to do this project yourself, Kristen has kindly offered to share the tutorial. Visit her website to get in touch.

Second Cory Godbey has kindly shared a sneak preview into his 2012 sketchbook Menagerie. I'm so glad he sent this over, because it reminded me to tell you all we're interested in a lot more than just crafty/DIY projects (as awesome as they are). If you're a fine artist, we'd love to see your work too.

From Cory: I'm in the midst of producing my yearly sketchbook of all new work titled Menagerie. The 40+ page book will feature drawings and sketches of animals and dragons in sometimes dramatic, sometimes operatic situations. Currently I'm doing study drawings of all the pieces. This is basically me working out all of the tigers and bears and creatures that will populate this new book. 

The final drawing of the sketch above.

Another look at the Tiger King.

Menagerie will be released this May. You can find out more about the project at Cory's blog.

And finally I too wanted to show off a project I did with my little sister this past weekend. We tried making the geometric pendants from the DIY round up featured a little while ago. I think they turned out quite well.

There's always room for more! Let us know what you're working on!

Pinterest as a marketing tool

Do you use Pinterest? It seems like most of the creative types I know do. Pinterest is a fabulous resource for collecting inspiration and finding new resources. It has a simple but lovely interface, and best of all it stores everything in one place. But did you know that some people are using it for much more than just a creative morgue? Pinterest is quickly becoming an effective marketing tool for big and small businesses alike. This creative infographic from MGD Advertising gives a lot of insight into just how powerful Pinterest can be in driving people to you. Granted, the examples given below are for huge corporations. Nonetheless, the information might inspire you to harness the potential of a social media site that you already use and love .

For a better look at this graphic click here.

Just a final note: whether you're new to Pinterest or have been using for some while, please make sure that your usage is professional and above board. And mostly--give credit where credit is due. Pinterest has a good explanation of pin etiquette that is a helpful guide.

Moveable Type Truck Recap

Thank you to everyone who came out to the library last week to support Kyle and her Moveable Type Truck. We had over 150 people signed up to attend, and it was an awesome event! Participants crowded into the truck to learn more about the art of letterpress, and they even got to try the process themselves, taking home a souvenir poster. The great turnout and enthusiastic attitude shown by everyone just makes us so happy that we're part of this community. We're looking forward to many more events in the future!

So many people came! The line was 50 people long at times.

Crowding into Kyle's truck to get a better look at the process.

Inking the type before printing.

Kyle explaining the process.

The final product! A poster just for Greenville.

Indie Craft Parade fans showing off their hand printed goods!

Want to see more pictures? Check out our Facebook page!

Downtown Library and Indie Craft Parade Host Moveable Type Tomorrow!

We're so excited to meet Kyle Durrie and her type truck tomorrow. Letterpress cards, bookmarks, and posters, here we come! If you're just now hearing about Moveable Type, or if you've just put off signing up, don't wait any longer. Call the Downtown Library (864-527-9293) to sign up for the FREE event. You won't want to miss it.

Speaking of the library, did you know that the Main Branch downtown is a great crafting resource? Almost every Saturday they host a knitting and crocheting class, and on weekdays there are fun crafts for kids! Check out their schedule of events to see what all is available.

One Week Till Moveable Type Arrives!

Just a reminder that you only have to wait one more week until Moveable Type arrives in Greenville. Next Thursday, February 16, Kyle Durrie is rolling into town in her mobile letterpress studio. Her demonstration will give you a chance to learn more about and experiment with letterpress printing. Don't forget to call the Hughes Library Downtown at 527-9293 to sign up for visiting the Moveable Type Truck.

This is a free event and definitely something you don't want to miss! Check out all of the details at our previous post.

For a preview of Kyle's work and how Moveable Type works, visit her website and watch this video.

http://vimeo.com/27138467

We've Found the Perfect Handmade Valentine's Day Gifts

With St. Valentine's Day fast approaching, I know many of you still have your shopping to do. This year, show your valentine(s) how much you really care and skip the shrink wrapped chocolate boxes and the mass produced stuffed animals. Instead check out some of these fabulous handmade valentines in our Etsy Treasury. These gifts have all the charm, and your loved ones will have something truly unique.

For another collection of handmade Valentine's goodness, check out the Art and Light Blog. They've got a wonderful selection of local artists' goods.

Buy Handmade — Cupid would be so proud!

Last Chance to Bookmark Artists from the 2011 Indie Craft Parade

The 2nd Annual Indie Craft Parade had amazing vendors. Besides the fact that they are a group of talented artists with fabulous products, they're just great people. So we want to give you one last reminder to support them before we close the links to their websites. We're well under way in planning the 2012 Indie Craft Parade, and it's time to make room for a new lot of artists and crafters. The links on our Participants page will be live through this weekend. We will close them on Monday, January 23. Now is the time to bookmark or pin your favorite artists from the 2011 show.

Here's a little recap of our vendors work.

Letterpress card from Racing Snail Press.

Custom paper dolls from Jordan Grace Owens.

Eco-friendly bears by Pogo Shop.

Sculpture by CME Studios.

Pet clothes and accessories by Tree Parlor.

Pendants by Cameoko.

Thanks again to all of the 2nd Annual Indie Craft Parade participants. We loved having you, and we hope to see you in the future!