Indie Craft Parade + The Children's Museum

 Next Saturday we're going to have a station at the Kids' Maker Fest--a special event with The Children's Museum of the Upstate. The whole day is dedicated to teaching kids about the value of making and the different avenues that people use to incorporate making into their lives.

From The Children's Museum:A maker is a do-it-yourself kind of person, who engages their creativity and knowledge doing hands-on projects. Some makers are science and technology oriented while others are more crafty. All makers share a passion for creating, and believe that if something can be imagined it can be made!

Highlights from the day include:

• --Make and launch your own paper rockets
• --A hovercraft demonstration & make a mini hovercraft
• --Coder demonstrations on SCRATCH and STARLOGO
• --Use your imagination and build with MAKEDO cardboard projects
• --Playdough circuit activities
• --Make a bristlebot
• --Play with large robots
• --Designing stamps with the Indie Craft Parade
• --Trebuchet launch

If you've never taken the kids in your life to The Children's Museum, this is the perfect opportunity. Not only will you get to see their amazing regular exhibits, but also kids have access to all the stations available with The Maker Fest. Participation in The Maker Fest is free with general admission.

We hope to see you there! It's going to be a great day.

Gift idea help

If you're still in need of a last minute gift idea for the creative person in your life, we might be able to help! Reserve a ticket for The Makers Summit or The Best Craft Party Ever (or both!) in time to give for Christmas.

 I If you're not familiar with The Maker's Summit, here's a quick overview:

The conference takes place Saturday March 1, 2014 from 9am - 5pm. Tickets include a light breakfast, lunch, keynote sessions, panel discussions, and one-on-one sessions with experts. The day is designed to connect fellow creatives while learning how to start or grow your creative business.

While the conference is geared toward creative entrepreneurs, the after party is open to anyone who loves great food, and making alongside others. The goal here is to simply celebrate the fun of making and meeting other makers. Learn more here.

There are 3 gift options to choose from:

· An all-access pass for both the conference and after party for $150.

· The conference day pass for $100.

· The Best Craft Party Ever evening pass for $50.

Reserve your gift ticket this week!

Holiday Fair: Gift Guides

The Holiday Fair is the perfect place to take care of all your Christmas shopping. You’ll find something for everyone on your list, a one-of-a-kind gift that’s sure to steal the show. Here's a little sneak peek at the handcrafted goods you'll see this Saturday.

ChristmasSpecialties

Stocking Stuffers

Homegoods

Food & Entertaining

Artwork

Gentlemen

Lovely Ladies

Jewelry

Children

NatureInspired

And of course, don't forget to get yourself something special too from the Holiday Fair!

2013 School Scholarship Winner

This is always such an exciting time of year! Every November get to share some much needed funds with a Greenville County school's art department. If this is the first you're hearing of our school scholarship program, let me give you a brief recap. For the past 3 years, we've awarded a $500 scholarship to a local school who demonstrates both a need in their art program and a clear plan for the funds.

Every year there are so many good applicants. Reading through the numerous applications, we were again reminded of the great need in all of our schools to improve art resources. Yet we are also so humbled and amazed to know how much the teachers are able to accomplish on limited budgets. We certainly wish we could award everyone the scholarship funds. They all deserve it.

That being said, we are pleased to announce that the recipient of this year’s scholarship funding is St. Anthony of Padua School. This school largely serves the impoverished neighborhood surrounding the school in West Greenville. In addition to creating an art program for the students who attend St. Anthony's, the art teacher, Catherine Pate, has created an after school program to further student's art techniques and imaginative skills.

We're so happy to be partnering with this school. We're already discussing fun plans for artists demonstrations and ways to help the kids who attend St. Anthony's learn to love the arts.

If your school or a school you know of would like to participate in our scholarship program, please stay tuned. Applications are open every year in September and October. We want to know of the needs in Greenville, and we rely on you to tell us.

2013 Holiday Fair

It's hard to believe that it's already time to think about Christmas gifts, but we're less than a month away from our Indie Craft Parade Holiday Fair! Mark your calendar for this one-day event on Saturday, December 7th in The Village. Once again, it will be a neighborhood affair, with open studios, food trucks and much more!

Our Holiday Fair will be in a brand new space, with room for over 30 previous Indie Craft Parade participants. See a sneak peek of their handmade goods below and keep reading for a full list of artists.

Here are all the details.

What: Indie Craft Parade Holiday Fair When: Saturday December 7, 10 am – 6 pm Where: Midtown Artery, 1241 Pendleton Street 29611 Admission: $1 suggested donation, children 12 and under are free

2DCory Godbey Emily Jeffords Handprinted by The Matt Butler Shed Labs

3D Gypsy RakuPhoenixfire

Fiber by erin elizabeth Heartfeltlovelane Merciful Hearts Farm

To Wear Audrey LaineAuspicious Miss Billiam Jeans

Cordial Churchman

Dapper InkFlytrap

Olivia de SoriaSpectrum

Paper Ink Meets PaperThe Paper RabbitQuill and Arrrow

Everything Elsecanoojuxtaposition The Paper Posy Mercy Verity Oh Kay Annie Koelle Sweeteeth

The Tee Pee Co.Whispering Willow

Xenia Hospitality and Home Decor

The Ethics of Craftsmanship

When Lisa Congdon wrote "My Art was Stolen for Profit" earlier this week, we were outraged on her behalf. Several pieces of Lisa's art were reproduced without her permission by the wholesale supplier Cody Foster. Lisa is not only pursuing legal action, but she publicly called out Cody Foster and has garnered a good deal of support in her efforts to share the story. In every industry there are knock offs, but the craft world seems to be especially plagued by this phenomenon. Whether it's an artist creating work that's uncomfortably close to another artist's or DIY tutorials about how to make something just like what so-and-so sells, the disrespect for creativity is the same. In this instance, Cody Foster regularly purchases items from independent artists and then resells a mass-produced version of the item to retailers. The revelation that Cody Foster has done this for years is maddening, and yesterday it got even more personal for us.

Sarah Mandell of Once Again Sam shares our hometown of Greenville and is an Indie Craft Parade alumni. Her felted curiosities are playful, unique, and take hours to create. This year, Cody Foster is selling owl ornaments almost identical to the needle-felted owls Sarah has been selling for the past three years at our events and many others across the Southeast.

image via indieripoffs

Today, we are officially joining Lisa's cry to spread the word and stand up for independent artists. Let your local retail shops know that Cody Foster has made a habit (and a business) of ripping off artists, most of whom can not pursue any kind of legal action. Write an email to retailers you frequent, or if you're a shop owner and have access to the Atlanta Market, stop by Cody Foster's booth in person and politely let them know your purchasing dollars will be spent with companies who respect artists.

Fast Company states it well in their article: "A wholesale company like Cody Foster might not fear lawsuits, but it can be imperiled when consumers start telling their friends and complaining to the big companies that buy from wholesalers."

Handlettered by Justin Hall for the 2013 Indie Craft Parade

We were thrilled to see retailers like West Elm and Fab drop Cody Foster wares in a show of support for artists, but there is still plenty we can do. Indie Craft Parade has reached out to our retail contacts about Cody Foster and we encourage you to do the same.

Lisa's post, among other revelations in the past few weeks, has confirmed in our mind the importance of education when it comes to ethical choices in the craft world. As a result, we will be including this topic in our 2014 Makers Summit lineup, addressing issues like inspiration versus copying. Plagiarism isn't tolerated in the academic world, and we don't think there's any reason the line should be blurred in the art realm.

Holiday Display Workshop with Anthropologie

We're excited to announce another fun Greenville event coming up very soon! We've teamed up with our Anthropologie store to spread some early holiday cheer in our community! Keep reading for more details.

More about the evening from Anthropologie:

Join Indie Craft Parade and the Anthropologie visual team to prepare shimmery baubles and paper festoons in preparation for the holidays. Each workshop attendee will help to craft a store display as well as a handmade treat to take home. We'll craft garland and ornaments from magazines, cardboard, caps, tassels and straws, all in the spirit of creating the extraordinary out of the ordinary.

Learn about Anthropologie's unique aesthetic vision, handmade craft and what's in store for the holidays! All materials and tools will be provided.

The event is free, but you do need to RSVP because space is limited! Email anthroevents@anthropologie.com to reserve a spot.

Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 Place: Anthropologie: 1 North Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601 Time: 6-9 pm Cost: Free, but RSVP is required

Recipe for Press Workshop Recap

This past weekend, we hosted the first of our 2013-2014 event series, a DIY PR workshop with Amy Flurry. We met Amy at last year's Makers Summit and it didn't take us long to realize that artists and small business owners need to hear what she has to say. We were excited to bring her back to Greenville for this event.

Amy wrote a book called Recipe for Press and gave our group insight into how to think like an editor, sharing habits of people who get press. She also introduced a very cool tool called the Pitch Wheel to help keep track of when to send material to editors who are typically planning content months ahead.

photo by Miss Wyolene

One of our favorite quotes from Amy's workshop: "If you only pitch, but don't follow up, you've only done half the job."

Be sure to like the Recipe for Press Facebook page for more tips from Amy and check out the next few events in our lineup so you don't miss any of these great educational opportunities.

Thank You for another great show!

This past weekend was a blur, and it's still hard to believe another Indie Craft Parade has come and gone! With 6,500+ attendees throughout the weekend, we think it was our best show yet! In case you missed it, one of our sponsors, Sam Windell, put together a really fun event video for us!

Things that were new this year: · More space! For the first time, we had two floors of artists.

· A fitting room. (not pictured) · Our giant logo sign. Which inadvertently became a fun photo backdrop.

· New food and drink vendors. · Sponsors on-site. We were so excited to have both Etsy and Spoonflower join us at the show this year. They sponsored a special Meet & Greet party just for our artists! And we had a special guest show up from MailChimp.

And as always, our show wouldn't be possible without our talented artists, our volunteers, our sponsors, and the fans of handmade who patiently wait for their turn to see what we've all been working on for the past few months. Thank you all so much for another great year!

What was your favorite part? Handcrafted popsicles? The free photobooth? Tattly tattoos? Handmade goods as far as the eye could see? And don't forget to check out #indiecraftparade on Instagram to see what people loved most.

Gift Guides

There's such a wonderful variety of handmade goods at the festival, this weekend is the perfect opportunity to start your Christmas shopping. You'll find something for everyone on your list, a one-of-a-kind gift that's sure to steal the show. Who are you shopping for? The Foodie

The Art Collector

The Fashionista

The Nature Enthusiast

The Dapper Dude

The Little Ones

The Hipster

The Jewelry Admirer

The Animal Lover

The Home Decorator

The Person Who Has Everything

But enough about all these people, let's get to the important stuff... what are you going to get for yourself at Indie Craft Parade?

Artist Showcase: Everything Else

In our artist showcase series, we feature a few makers from each category, who you’ll get to meet at the festival this weekend. We guarantee this little sneak peek will have you counting down the last few days until Indie Craft Parade! Last but not least, our Everything Else category! The various goods in this catch-all will surely delight. These talented makers are handcrafting everything from artisanal chocolate to dog treats (not chocolate treats, obviously!), painted pillows to plush creatures, cake plates to candles, and stamped silverware to soap. Check out a little sample...

Finkelstein's Center never fails to wow us with their fabulous plush animals and dolls. These creatures have personality by the boatload! Not just for kids, everyone's going to want one for their own.

Asheville Soap & Sundry Company makes olive oil-based bath soaps,  solid shampoo bars, and natural cosmetics. They are dedicated to using natural ingredients,  always buying locally and chemical-free, and often grow the botanicals used in their products themselves.

Block & Hammer rescues vintage silverware, and hand-stamps it with fun phrases and custom messages. They also offer copper and aluminum collar stays, the perfect gift for groomsmen or any dapper gent.

Need to see more? You can check out the full list of our 75+ artists here, and come out this weekend to meet them all!

Artist Showcase: To Wear

In our artist showcase series, we feature a few makers from each category, who you’ll get to meet at the festival in just one week. We guarantee this little sneak peek will have you counting down the last few days until Indie Craft Parade! Our "To Wear" category is chock-full of amazing makers. The handcrafted wearables include apparel for men, women, and children, jewelry, purses, and accessories. Here's just a little sample of some of the fabulous goods.

"Acorn + Archer is a Nashville-based accessories line inspired by natural specimens, ancient artifacts and the balance found in modern physics." We love the simple lines of their pieces, the smooth tones of reclaimed wood paired with a pop of color is just what every outfit needs.

Flytrap Clothing features hand-printed apparel for men and women. Those fabulous scarves are calling our name, how about you?

Billiam(pronounced "bill-yum") is a local fan favorite, churning out custom jeans, belts, and wallets right here in Greenville. Their line focuses mostly on fashion for males, though the recent addition of women's skinny jeans has made all the ladies giddy.

Need to see more? You can check out the full list of our 75+ artists here, and we’ll be back with another artist showcase next week.

Artist Showcase: Fiber Art

In our artist showcase series, we feature a few makers from each category, who you’ll get to meet at the festival in just a couple weeks. We guarantee this little sneak peek will have you counting down the days until Indie Craft Parade! The work produced for our fiber art category is so varied and wonderful. These amazing makers spin wool, weave, felt, sew, embroider, and so much more! Here's a little look at a few of our talented artists working with fiber:

Chomp Textiles - Dana begins her process with hand drawn patterns which she then silk screens onto organic and sustainable fabrics using water based inks. These fabrics are sewn into a fabulous line of home goods, everything from totes to tea towels.

Precious America - artist Allison Jarrett's work is an excellent example of modern craft. The classic art of crewel embroidery becomes fresh and lively with her monochromatic color palette and streamlined stitching. What a wonderful way to commemorate a special date!

Once Again Sam - these felted curiosities never fail to bring a smile to our faces. Sarah Mandell creates an amazing range of work, everything from felted succulents (finally, a plant I can't kill!), morbidly wonderful anatomical hearts, and sweet creatures like owls, rabbits, and more!

Need to see more? You can check out the full list of our 75+ artists here, and we’ll be back with another artist showcase next week.

Artist Showcase: Paper Goods

In our artist showcase series, we feature a few makers from each category, who you’ll get to meet at the festival in just a couple weeks. We guarantee this little sneak peek will have you counting down the days until Indie Craft Parade! Over here at Indie Craft Parade headquarters, we're all obsessed with pretty paper goods. Letterpressed note cards cause us to swoon, screenprinted posters get us giddy, and perfectly bound notebooks make us weak in the knees. We love all the work produced by the talented makers in our paper goods category, here's a peek at just a few!

Em Dash Paper Co. - We love the happy-go-lucky calligraphy style of Emily. Her cherry notecards and hand-painted notebooks are the perfect gift to treat yourself to.

Ink Meets Paper "creates delightful letterpress greeting cards to foster the art of handwritten correspondence in today's modern world." These wonderfully modern cards are just right for every occasion. (We featured a little peek into their studio on our Instagram a few weeks ago, check it out!)

GREENville Books are made in, you guessed it, Greenville! Jason Waggoner hand-sews environmentally conscious papers with the perfect feel, color, and weight and binds them together into a one-of-a-kind book. We're loving the series with milk-painted covers!

Stay tuned! There's another artist showcase coming right up. Need to see more? You can check out the full list of our 75+ artists here, and we’ll be back with another showcase next week.

Feature Sponsor: Greenville Journal

Our media sponsors play a key role in helping us spread the word about Indie Craft Parade. Today, we’re introducing one of these valuable partners: the Greenville Journal. Besides their reputation as a source for important Greenville and Upstate news, the Journal is the place to go for details on community events, small business introductions, and cultural news including music, art, and festivals.

Currently the cover story for the Greenville Journal is the new development in the Village of West Greenville, the hub of Greenville's art community. If you haven't heard, West Greenville has recently undergone some exciting rebranding and new development. Every time we look we learn of new studios, shops, and even restaurants opening or relocating to West Greenville. And we're so excited to see this group getting more exposure from the surrounding community.

Also, keep an eye out for the Indie Craft Parade ads in upcoming issues. As you spot them, snap a photo and tag us in Instagram.

Artist Showcase: 3D Fine Art

In our artist showcase series, we feature a few makers from each category, who you’ll get to meet at the festival in less than a month. We guarantee this little sneak peek will have you counting down the days until Indie Craft Parade! Today we're highlighting some of the artists from our 3D Fine Art category. In this section you'll find amazing handmade work created with wood, glass, metal, and ceramics. And once again we had a difficult time choosing who to showcase, there are so many talented artists in this category!

"HollerDesign creates and constructs furniture inspired by the traditions of the American South, but informed by modern sleekness and simplicity. And uniquely, each piece is sourced, designed and crafted from and on the Lascassas, Tenn., dairy farm that’s housed HollerD owner Matt Alexander’s family for more than a century." We are drooling over those cutting boards, can't wait to get our hands on them! Head over to their website and check out the gorgeous video on the homepage, it documents one of their furniture pieces from start to finish.

Rachel Wilder's terrarium collection has us swooning. These beauties are hand crafted from reclaimed window glass and lead free solder. She also makes a line of miniature terrarium necklaces. What a delightful way to bring green life into your everyday!

Jeanette Zeis and her colorful ceramics are a crowd favorite. "Her pottery line contains beautiful and original housewares. Wonderfully crafted, with an eye for detail. Gorgeous pieces for everyday use and for lovely displays." We're thrilled to see that Jeanette has recently launched a new collection of dishes tailor-made for vegans. No matter what you're serving, these cheerful pieces are sure to brighten your day!

Need to see more? You can check out the full list of our 75+ artists here, and we’ll be back with another artist showcase next week.

Volunteers needed!

Indie Craft Parade is only a month away, and we need your help to spread the word far and wide! This Saturday, we'll be hanging Indie Craft Parade posters throughout Greenville, and we've got several ways you can get involved:

1. Bring a friend and meet us this Saturday at 10am in front of The Peace Center, at the corner of Main and Broad Streets. Together we'll cover downtown.

2. Take posters to another area, near or far. We could use your help reaching other parts of Greenville, or nearby cities. If you can help, posters will be available for pickup at Dapper Ink.

3. Download and print your own poster to hang at your desk, in your dorm room or your place of work! Or email it to friends and family members.

4. Spread the word with or without posters! Tell everyone you know about Indie Craft Parade and the upcoming festival.

PoWhen you see this year's posters, you'll notice another one of our wonderful sponsors, Graphics Now. Graphics Now has donated poster printing for us several years now, and they never fail to impress us with their quality and turnaround time.

Whether it's local businesses like Graphics Now or our volunteers, we are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our organization and our mission. We couldn't do it without you!

Artist Showcase: 2D Fine Art

It's time to start one of our favorite blog series. We'll be featuring a few artists from each category, who you'll get to meet at the festival in just a few short weeks. We guarantee this little sneak peek will have you counting down the days until Indie Craft Parade! Let's start off the series with some makers from our 2D Fine Art category. There are so many talented artists, it's hard to pick just a few!

Paper-Sparrow features delightful art with a music and animal theme. They offer pieces made with traditional printmaking techniques, as well as screen-printed and digitally printed works.

Rebekka Seale's illustrations are just too charming for words. She is a talented fine artist hailing from Tennessee, and stays quite busy creating pieces for cool clients like Anthropologie and Land of Nod.

Emily Jefford's mixed media collages are incredibly original. From the inky landscapes to the wood bases gathered by her grandfather, and from the little bits of paper ephemera to the delicate lines made by string and nails, these one-of-a-kind works of art are filled with personality and meaning.

Need to see more? You can check out the full list of our 75+ artists here, and we'll be back with another artist showcase next week.

Exhibitors Announced!

In case you didn't already hear, the official list of exhibitors for the 2013 has been published! Head over to our website and scroll down to the Participants section to see the full list of 75+ artisans.

We'll be featuring a little sampling of all the amazing handmade goodness on the blog starting next week. Until then, here's a sneak peek to tide you over!

From top: Finkelstein's Center / Rebekka Seale Art & Illustration / Ink Meets Paper / Jeanette Zeis Ceramics / The Herb Garden / Quill and Arrow Press / Pine Street Makery / Emily Jeffords Studo / Lily Pottery

Start making your shopping list!

A stop-motion treat & winner announced

Congrats, Jessica, commenter #6! You are the lucky winner of the signed copy of Furniture Makeovers and accompanying tote. We'll be emailing you shortly to arrange shipping your prize. (The winner was randomly chosen via Random.org.) To everyone else, don't despair! You can get your own copy of Barb Blair's Furniture Makeovers at Chronicle Books, or anywhere books are sold.

We've got one more treat from Barb to share! This delightful little video lets you flip through the book, peek into the studio and shop, and showcases some of the refinishing techniques, complete with a stop-motion transformation of a piece of furniture.

Such fun! To see what Barb is working on, follow along at her blog. What piece of furniture do you want to makeover for your home?