Introducing The Indie Craft Parade Year of Workshops/Partnering with Amy Flurry.

Anyone who has followed Indie Craft Parade for even a short amount of time knows that we have two main objectives: 1) bring handmade awareness to our community and 2) assist artists and creatives in growing their businesses. Well, we're super excited to announce that over the next year we have even bigger and better plans to make that happen. Of course, we'll be again hosting The Makers Summit and the Holiday Fair. But additionally we will be having once-a-month workshops or meet-ups to further encourage either hand-making or small creative business success. We've planned an assortment of events where attendees could learn a new skill they've always wanted to try, further connect with other makers in our community, and develop valuable tools for growing their trades.

The full details of these events will be available at the festival in a few weeks. However, we wanted to introduce our first workshop right away. It's an extremely valuable tool, and we want as many people to know about it as possible. On October 5, we will be partnering with Amy Flurry, the genius behind Recipe for Press, to hold a Saturday mini-conference.

At this event, Amy will address questions about successfully getting your work into the hands of publishers and receiving long term exposure. She will breakdown this daunting subject by answering questions like these:

How do you find the right editor to approach? What are they really looking for?  How far in advance should you pitch a magazine? How long should you wait before following up?  What one word is an editor looking to find in every pitch? How long should a pitch be? Do you need a press kit? Can you pitch an idea to multiple editors at the same time? Should images be sent with a pitch? How often can you pitch a blogger? Should you give away tons of products? What is the best way to thank an editor? What do editors need to find on your website?  How many editors should you approach at one publication? What kind of approach gets results?

Amy speaking at the 2013 Makers Summit.

There really is no one better to be addressing this topic than Amy. Besides her own book, Recipe for Press, Amy has contributed to magazines and online publications including Lucky, InStyle, O @ Home, Country Living, Condé Nast Traveler, Better Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Budget Living, Design Sponge, and Refinery 29. And she's willing to share what's she's learned through the process with you.

If you have a small creative business, or even if you're in the processes of building your business, this workshop would be an invaluable tool.  Tickets are available for sale from Amy's website. And here are the official details on the workshop:

Event: DIY PR Workshop with Amy Flurry When: Saturday, October 5 from 10 AM to 12 PM Where: OOBE, Textile Hall; 201 Riverplace, Suite 301, Greenville, SC 29601 Cost: $40 To Sign Up: Visit the Store on Amy's website 

Please contact us at info@indiecraftparade.com if you have questions about this event. We can't stress enough how important this workshop could be for your business.

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!

Featured Sponsors: Robojuice & Andrew Ramos

Earlier this year, we launched a brand new Indie Craft Parade website to replace the original site launched in 2010 — a lifetime ago in Internet years.

From the beginning, we felt that the Indie Craft Parade brand should reflect the quality of work our artists are producing. We worked with local web designer Andrew Ramos and development company RoboJuice to create and launch a new site that would better accomplish this goal.

Andrew helped us plan out how we could restructure and simplify, then worked through several iterations of our new design. He created a look for us that was fresh, functional and unique. Focusing on smaller blocks of content allows the site design to remain flexible and interesting as our needs change.

Here's our old site:

And the new one:

The end result not only raises the bar, but it displays our information in a creative and original way that readers can engage with. We love how it reflects the colorfulness and the spirit of Indie Craft Parade. The new design also allows us to showcase handcrafted elements, like original illustrations by Cory Godbey as well as photos and video of our past events. But the new design is just the first part of the process.

Our next step was to find a developer who could make Andrew's design function beautifully. And that's where our new friends, Kevin and Jeff at Robojuice come in. Robojuice is focused on people and process.

From their mission: The personal attention we give our clients is to help them flow through our process in order to meet their expectations. Web can be intimidating to some so we are very clear with clients about what we are doing, what we need to do it, how long it will take, what it is worth to them and what is the final outcome. We listen for the real challenge and respond with the proper digital solution - we are not about just delivering a dictated web product.

We want clients to love web and love working on web initiatives. Hearing the words "partnership" and "trust" from our clients means we are on the right track. Robojuice gives attention to people and process so that clients enjoy and want to work on web initiatives.

We couldn't agree more. Robojuice implemented our new design with an amazing attention to detail. And they even added some fun touches of their own to the mix (did you notice the TV static on our video? Their idea!). We loved that they were just as excited about our new design as we were!

It's always a treat to work with people who not only love what they do, but are good at it. And this designer/developer team is no exception. We are so grateful for the time they contributed to bring our new site to life.

Pink Olive School

One of our favorite industry heros is Grace Kang, founder of Pink Olive and Olive Box. Grace is a seasoned retail expert, formerly a buyer for Bloomingdale's, Saks, and Barney's, and now successfully operating her own Pink Olive stores. She was one of our keynote speakers for the first Makers Summit, and gave an informative and inspiring talk on how independent artists can get their products in retail stores and challenged them to "make it happen!" We're thrilled to announce the launch of Grace's newest project, Pink Olive School!

Pink Olive School is an expansion of Grace's business coaching service, previously known as Retail Recipes. It's a one-on-one mentorship designed to help independent makers take their creative passion into a sustainable business. Grace will help participants lay the fundamental groundwork for running a business, build a desirable and cohesive brand, pitch to retail buyers, price products and create a linesheet, and even share her industry contacts and referrals.

No matter how passionate you are, "you can't change what you don't know." We are so glad that Grace is willing to share her knowledge and expertise with independent artisans; she shares our passion for supporting and empowering the creative community. If you're looking to grow your business, take a look at Pink Olive School... it might be just what you need to take the next big step!

We're gearing up for the next Makers Summit, and look forward to hosting amazing industry experts like Grace Kang. What area of your creative business could you use the most help with? Are you looking to make the leap to a full-time career, interested in growing your online presence, or just want to know how to get started? Let us know what topics you'd like to see covered or speakers you'd love to hear, and mark your calendars for March 1, 2014!

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?

Sweet Paper Crafts: DIY Project and Party!

We've got two wonderful treats to share, a project tutorial from Mollie Greene's  new book Sweet Paper Crafts and a special party invite just for you!

Sweet Paper Crafts, published by Chronicle Books, is a collection of 25 wonderful paper project tutorials. Mollie Greene has a fabulous knack for bringing life to bits of paper, whether through a dancing mobile or a celebratory garland flung over a doorway. These aren't your Aunt Edna's scrapbook projects, every one of Mollie's unique designs embodies her special flair for bringing life to bits of paper. Anyone can create paper art with these wonderful projects, from the eager beginner to experienced crafter. The simple, clear instructions and step-by-step photos in addition to the one-of-a-kind designs make this book a real treasure!

Mollie Greene is our personal hometown hero, we at Indie Craft Parade are total groupies. She is an artist and writer living in in Greenville, SC with her 4 adorable children and talented photographer husband, J. Aaron Greene. Her handcrafted paper lovelies have been available at past Indie Craft Parade festivals, and can be purchased through her online shop, Royal Buffet. Mollie's papercrafts have been featured in numerous online and print publications, including Martha Stewart Weddings, Design*Sponge, and Southern Living. She self-published a wonderful papercraft book in 2011, Make & Do, and has just released a new collection of paper projects, Sweet Paper Crafts, published by Chronicle Books.

We are so proud of Mollie and her continued success! She constantly inspires us with her fabulous style & aesthetic, her devotion to her family, her commitment to her work, and the incredible paper art she never fails to churn out. Mollie chronicles her everyday adventure on her blog, read along to join in the fun.

PROJECT TUTORIAL

Huge thanks to Chronicle Books and Mollie Greene for allowing us to share a project from Sweet Paper Crafts! This delightful garland is a quick and simple craft, perfect for a multitude of occasions. We love the whimsical look of stars punched from vintage magazines, but feel free to make it your own! Try parchment paper for a minimal, ethereal look, or swap out the star punch for a mini heart and craft a garland fit to make your lover swoon.

TINY STAR GARLANDfrom Sweet Paper Crafts by Mollie Greene

If you have small scraps of paper just large enough to punch with tiny shapes, save them in a box for projects such as this garland. A star is just one of the cutouts you can use to make garlands to string from room to room and beyond. The sky is the limit when you consider all the punches available.

Supplies: Scissors Ruler Thread Small star-shaped punch Papers Bowl or cup Liquid glue Glue stick (optional)

Instructions: 1. With the scissors, cut thread to the length of the garland you want to make. If you are using fine thread, the garland should be no longer than 6 to 10 ft/5.5 to 9 m to prevent knots and tangles. You can make additional garlands, if needed, and hang them end to end. Tie a loop in one end of your thread.

2. Using the star-shaped punch, punch out a number of stars from your chosen papers, letting them fall into the bowl.

3. Lay out about ten stars in a row away from you, placing them right-side down. Apply a small dot of liquid glue to the center of each star. (If using a star punch 1 in/2.5 cm or larger, you may want to cover the stars with glue stick and then with dots of liquid glue. This will keep the edges together when you apply another layer of stars in the next step.)

4. Beginning at the end of the thread with the loop, place the thread on the dot of glue on the star closest to you. Choose a star from the bowl and set it right-side up on the thread, aligning the points of the two stars. Repeat with the remaining stars in the row, spacing them as far apart or as close together as you’d like. Continue making rows of stars, dotting them with glue, and attaching the thread and the stars from the bowl until you reach the end of your garland.

5. Tie a loop at the other end of the thread and string your garland wherever you want to add a bit of whimsy.

YOU'RE INVITED!

If you're in Greenville, you don't want to miss the official launch party for Sweet Paper Crafts. Everyone is invited to join the celebration! Mollie will be welcoming guests, signing books, displaying some of her latest paper crafts, eating cupcakes, and showing off her adorable baby. See above for all the details. There's a lot happening in The Village that night (First Fridays, food trucks, artist studios and galleries open), so drop by Mollie's party and then keep the fun going!

Photos by  J. Aaron Greene, used with permission from Chronicle Books.

Furniture Makeovers Blog Tour and Giveaway!

We're so excited to be the next stop on the Furniture Makovers blog tour. And we're particularly proud of the woman who made it possible---our hometown girl, Barb Blair of Knack Studios. Not only is Barb an indispensable part of the Greenville, SC arts community, but also she is a long time friend of Indie Craft Parade. Since our beginning Barb has served as both a board and jury member, lending her wisdom and advice. This past February Barb contributed to our very first Makers Summit by serving on a panel session giving advice to young businesses and creative startups. We can't say enough about how she's helped make our organization a success.

But we're here to talk about Barb's personal work:

What started as a kitchen cabinet makeover, slowly and organically grew into the full blown furniture design business that Knack is today. Barb has created a name for herself through her furniture makeovers with designs that are original, fresh, playful, and full of character.

It's been five years since Barb started her endeavor as an entrepreneur, and now, she's launched a book---a great book! With gorgeous photos, thoughtful tutorials, before and afters, helpful resources, and tons of inspiration, this is one you need to add to your collection. The best part is that Barb has something in here for everyone. Whether you're a newbie, wanting to try your hand at repurposing furniture for the first time, or an old pro, looking to expand your style, Furniture Makeovers will help you create something beautiful.

Next time you visit Greenville make a point to visit Barb's studio and retail space. Not only will you see her work for sale, but also you'll find paper, home, and kitchen goodies that you probably can't live without. Can't make it to her space? Check out Barb's online store.

 THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

GIVEAWAY!

Now for the super exciting part...we're giving away a special book & tote set, thanks to Chronicle Books. You could be the lucky recipient of a signed copy of Furniture Makeovers and accompanying tote bag...yes you! All you have to do is check out Barb's online furniture store and tell us which piece is your favorite. Leave your thoughts in the comments below. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted on Wednesday, July 24. This giveaway will ship anywhere in the USA.

Good Luck!

Photos by Barb Blair and J. Aaron Greene, used with permission from Chronicle Books.

Featured Sponsor: MailChimp

The closer we get to the main event, the more we want to tell you about the people who make the festival possible. Today, I want to share all the goodness of MailChimp with you. If you’re a business owner, event coordinator, or leader of any sort that handles a lot of group communication, MailChimp could be an indispensable tool for you.

MailChimp describes themselves as a way to help you: design email newletters, share them on social networks, integrate with services you already use, and track your results. In short, they call themselves “your own personal publishing platform.” Besides keeping you and your followers organized, MailChimp provides beautiful design templates, loads of free advice and tutorials, and even ways to manage all of your features on the go. Best of all, you can get most of the MailChimp services for FREE! Their no-nonsence approach to mass communication combined with their fun personality and design make MailChimp a great tool for anybody.

And on a personal note: We at Indie Craft Parade have used MailChimp to organize our newsletters and campaigns for the past few years, and we can't imagine using anyone else's services. Not only does MailChimp provide a great product that makes our lives so much easier, but also we love them because they truly care about the creative community that we're a part of. They've given amazing business advice to our followers through participating in The Makers Summit, they always provide an element of fun to the events they're part of (i.e., Freddie the Chimp hats), and they donate generously so Greenville can can continue to enjoy Indie Craft Parade.

So please, if you're looking for a service that provides solutions such as MailChimp does, give them a try. We stand behind their product, and we know they're good people to do business with.

Featured Sponsor: TOWN Magazine

 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: TOWN Magazine. What we love about TOWN is their focus on finding and showcasing Greenville's talent, whether it be in the realm of food, music or art. Flip through the most recent issue of TOWN and you'll read about Greenville makers, including several of our own Indie Craft Parade alumni. You'll also learn about the revitalization happening in Greenville's art district, new restaurants to try, and so many other things we love.

TOWN helps highlight small businesses and entrepreneurs, and they do it well. Their focus on quality photography, layouts and writing make all the difference.

In February, when we hosted The Makers Summit, we assembled gift baskets for our out of town speakers. We wanted to include a copy of TOWN alongside other Greenville goodies, to introduce our guests to Greenville. Until then, we didn't realize exactly how many other people love TOWN Magazine too! We had to visit three separate locations to find the handful of issues needed for our baskets.

So next time you see a copy of TOWN, pick it up before it's gone! You'll be excited to learn about all the amazing things happening in Greenville, and you might just see someone you met at Indie Craft Parade!

Indie Craft Parade Visits NYC

As many of you know from our Facebook page or Instagram feeds, the staff at Indie Craft Parade took a brief hiatus last weekend to the big city. For a long time now we've been watching the success of long standing craft shows like Renegade Craft, so we decided to attend the fair hosted in Brooklyn. We're always fans of people or organizations who contribute to the modern craft scene, and we try to attend shows whenever possible. Our treks have been fairly local, however---Atlanta, Columbia, Asheville, etc.---so the prospect of attending a huge festival was quite exciting. Showing our excitement in the Renegade Photo Booth.

So, with a date on the calendar we saved up our pennies, begged a couple days off work, kissed our husbands goodbye, and made the most of our time in New York. Although the trip centered on visiting the artists at Renegade, we did have a couple of days on either side of the festival...and did we ever fill them with the most wonderful things. Our game plan was to visit or learn about as many arts and craft locations as possible. We wanted to know how other people organize their festivals, storefronts, or studios with hopes of making our endeavors here in Greenville even better.

We'd like to share with you a little bit about our trip---highlights of who we visited, what we saw, and how we're planning on making the Indie Craft Events better than ever!

Day 1: We hit the ground running as soon as we landed. After checking into a cute apartment in Greenpoint Brooklyn, we headed to Manhattan to check out studios and supply stores. The highlight of the day, by far, was getting a tour of the Lower Eastside Printshop. This is a collaborative space where artists can either learn new mediums or rent studio equipment to further their own body of work.

One of two giant communal studios.

The printmaking equipment, particularly the screen printing setup is some of the best we've ever seen.

Day 2: Renegade Craft Fair! In the very warm summer sun we perused 300 artists along with 20,000 other people for 6 very long hours. We took our time and saw EVERYTHING. We only stopped to cool ourselves with frozen treats and make new friends from the awesome website Kollabora. If you don't know this site, then you really should. It's a community based site that's meant to find or share crafting projects. Here you can post what you're working on, learn new skills that will make your projects easier, and connect with other makers you share your passion. It's a super great resource.

Getting ready to enter the fair.

A single row of tents.

Checking out an embroidery artist.

Day 3: We headed back to Manhattan. Since most offices and studios were closed for the weekend, we spent the day wandering the coolest shops in New York. Two of our favorite stops were Best Made Company and Purl Soho.

Best Made...the home of wonderfully handcrafted or in-house designed goods for men...and where we picked up treats for the husbands.

Purl Soho...yarn, felt, and fabric heaven.

We found a Hugo lookalike project!

Day 4: After finding a pie shop for breakfast (this was an amazing food trip, by the way), we headed to the corporate office of Etsy. We got a tour of the offices and Etsy Labs and were delighted to find that the Etsy office was basically one giant DIY project--everything from vertical pocket gardens to crocheted ventilation pipes to quilted room dividers and even a tech conference room that looks like a space station.

Our last big stop before heading home was at Tattly, an innovative company that produces design-y temporary tattoos. We had a great meeting with the staff, and we've got a fun collaboration coming up...details to follow.

Well, that's a brief look at our trip. Thanks for joining us! We're back in Greenville and more excited than ever for the upcoming festival!

All the applications are in, which means this weekend our jury has the heavy task of deciding who will be in the show. Check back in next week to see the vendors. We can guarantee you're going to be excited about who'll be there.

Featured Sponsor: Oh Snap! Photobooth

It's become an Indie Craft Parade tradition. One that lives long after our festival on refrigerators, cubicles, and in profile pictures across the Southeast. And it might be one of our favorite parts of the show.

Since the very first Indie Craft Parade, Jon Monts at Oh Snap! has been a regular, helping our thousands of attendees take a few of their memories home. If you check out the new video on our website, you can even spot the booth in action. They’re another one of our fabulous event sponsors, and we’re so happy to have them back again this year. It's always fun to see how people use our props in the booth to capture the spirit of Indie Craft Parade.

Oh Snap! has been so supportive of our event over the years, and we've been happy to recommend them to party planners, brides and anyone else who will listen. We think they're an important part of what makes Indie Craft Parade so great. Plus, their booth looks fantastic, just one of the reasons they stand out from the rest.

If you have an event like a wedding or other party coming up, Oh Snap! Photobooth might be just the thing you need.

Etsy Global Craft Party

It's time for another Etsy Global Craft Party, this time hosted by our local South Carolina Etsy Team!

If you aren't familiar with the Global Craft Party idea, the goal is to get people around the world making things 'together'. This year's party is happening next week, on June 20, from 6-8pm.

Etsy explains the idea for us: In a nutshell, Craft Party is a celebration of meeting and making, of creativity and community. It’s a time to meet your neighbors and share a creative skill. It’s a time to have fun and party down with your favorite craft supply in hand.

Our local Etsy Team will be hosting next week's party, and if you have an Etsy shop or are thinking about setting one up, you'll want to meet the ladies behind the team! Not only can they answer your Etsy questions, they regularly post helpful resources and links in the Etsy Discussion Forums, so be sure to check them out.

They describe the Greenville Etsy Craft Party as: a casual get-together where you can bring your own craft(s) to work on with other local crafty peeps! We'll also have a craft supply swap (bring some supplies to trade/leave in order to take some new ones home) and shop critiques at the Greenville event!

Here are the details:

Date: June 20, 2013 Time: 6-8 pm Place: Oriskany Glass Studio, 1112 Rutherford Rd Bring: your own craft to work on, craft supplies for trading RSVP here.

The good news is that even if you're not in the area, chances are there's still an Etsy Craft Party near you. Visit the Craft Party site to find your local party!

The Haberdash Fox

Have you heard of The Haberdash Fox? Well, you're in for a treat.

The Haberdash Fox is "a collection of the best menswares on Etsy." In short, they scour Etsy for the most amazing handmade and vintage men's goods and then share their best finds. All the hard work of digging through endless pages is done, and the curated collection is a dream to browse.

The creators of The Haberdash Fox (our super cool friends, Marco Suarez and Mason Stewart), have made something incredibly wonderful and completely new. It's not a shop that sellers must pay a fee to list their goods, nor do they take a cut of any sales. It's a labor of love, a desire to share quality vintage and unique handmade goods for men and to connect people with the makers and finders of those items. If you are interested in purchasing an item you see on The Haberdash Fox, you are directed back to the original Etsy listing, and can complete the transaction as usual.

The collection changes quite often, so check back for new items weekly. It's not too late to shop for Father's Day! If you want to get Dad a gift he'll really love, choose something from The Haberdash Fox. This is one to bookmark, a perfect resource anytime you need to shop for the guy in your life (or if you're a guy, to shop for yourself!).

The Haberdash Fox showcases a trend we've been loving: the growing presence of men in the indie craft scene, and the ever-increasing market for unique, high quality men's goods. Guys are joining the modern craft movement, which used to be primarily a girl's club. We've seen more males exhibiting and shopping at our festival every year, and we are delighted to play a small part in spreading the belief that handmade art is for everyone.

Are you a dude who makes awesome things, or do you know someone who is? Apply for the 2013 Indie Craft Parade festival!All the details are here; applications are open through June 23. Of course, ladies are welcome to apply as well!

2013 Featured Sponsor: Dapper Ink

IT'S OFFICIALLY FESTIVAL SEASON!! We're so excited!

With the 2013 Indie Craft Parade just a couple of months away, we get to start introducing all of the people who make it possible--vendors, sponsors, even food providers and musicians. Once the applications close at the end of this month, we'll start giving sneak peeks to who will be joining us. But for now, we want to show a little sponsor love.

Today, we're sharing Dapper Ink--our go to business for local printing. For the past three years, Dapper Ink has been our source for tee shirt printing and more recently letterpress and banner printing. For the upcoming festival we're excited to announce that Dapper is partnering with us to run a print-your-own screen print and letterpress station (more details to come). And when you arrive at the festival you'll now know where the volunteer tees, directional banners, and other printed goods came from.

A little more about them...

Welcome to Dapper Ink. We're your one-stop-shop for all things print and design. Working since 2007 in the beautiful upstate of South Carolina, we serve our local and regional community by providing top notch artwork and printed goods. With small minimums and complimentary design services, we're the perfect source for providing apparel and accessories for schools, youth groups, small businesses, summer camps, and local events. We pride ourselves on creative designs, timely service, and great customer experiences. Almost all of our work is handled start to finish in-house, which guarantees our careful attention to detail throughout production.

We have a great team at Dapper Ink. Staffed by artists, graphic designers, and print specialists, we're a creative place to work and do business. When not at the shop, you'll find us biking the Swamp Rabbit Trail, playing with our pets (we have a Dapper Dog!), obsessing over new Apple products, getting lost in the Blue Ridge Mountains, or geeking out over foodie trends and the perfect cup of coffee.

Each tee shirt is printed by hand.

Dapper ink has a great shop location not far from Downtown Greenville. If you visit, you can also check out their collection of letterpress goods in the front studio. They have a 100 year old press that they use to produce greeting cards and post cards as well as custom work such as wedding invitations, birth announcements, and business cards.

Thanks Dapper Ink for all your work for Indie Craft Parade!!

Applications for the 2013 Indie Craft Parade: Stand out from the crowd!

Photo: Finkelstein's Center

Each year, more talented artists are competing for the same number of Indie Craft Parade spots. The jury may change each year, but what they're looking for doesn't. As you prepare your applications, we wanted to share a few tips that could help you stand out from the crowd.

We state that work will be selected based on how well it aligns with the vision of Indie Craft Parade, as well as its: · originality · quality · uniqueness · innovation

Here are a few ways you can showcase your strengths in these areas with your application.

Photography: This the primary method jury members use to determine the quality of your work. Two years ago, we did a short series about ways to improve your product photography. If you feel that your photos don't portray your work accurately, brush up on these basics or ask for tips from someone you know who takes great photos.

Some other ways to ensure your photos show off your work:

Show more than one product. Photo: Merciful Hearts Farm

Use a neutral background. Photo: Rachel Feece Pottery

Give your product context. Photo: Pogoshop

Or let it have the spotlight. Photo: Lily PotteryThe vision of Indie Craft Parade: We are looking for the highest quality handmade goods in the realm of modern craft. The emphasis is on quality and modern. Experience and background aren't a deciding factor; if you create the most amazing handcrafted work, we don't care if you’ve been doing it for 30 years or 3 months, we want to see it! This isn't your grandma's church bazaar, not a place where you'll find "country crafts" or monogrammed tupperware. We feature modern craft; high quality work with a fresh and unique spin.

Also, as a sidenote, if you typically participate in art shows, you already know you'll want to have a varied price range, with plenty of items that can be sold at an affordable price point. One of Indie Craft Parade's goals is to make art more accessible, which means the average price of goods sold at our festival maybe lower than other Fine Art shows. No matter how well made your items are, remember they need to be a good fit for the audience. That doesn't mean that all your products should be $20 or under, but just be aware that for our show, the more affordable items sell better. So bring those beautiful big ceramic vases or original framed paintings, but also have plenty of mugs or prints that are offered at a lower price point.

2011 Booth: Illyria Pottery

Originality, Uniqueness and Innovation: You want your work to stand out from other applications, especially if you're entering a competitive category like To Wear. Our best advice is to show the jury something they haven't seen before. An item made with an unexpected material or color is going to catch the jury's eye a lot quicker than something they've seen a hundred times before. Also, our jury loves seeing a fresh, modern take on a traditional craft... like a dip-dyed woven basket or a carved wooden pedestal with clean lines.

If you're afraid your product may get overlooked, consider other ways you can innovate, maybe with interesting packaging. Branding is something our jury considers, so a well-designed logo and packaging will certainly work in your favor.

Photo: Sweeteeth

Quality: The jury is looking for signs of craftsmanship, so if an application is completed haphazardly — the description unclear or photos out of focus — this reflects poorly on your work. Take an extra minute to re-read what you've written and make sure you submitted the best photos. This extra attention will convey that you care about what you do.

If you have tiny details that can be missed from far away, consider using one of your images for a close up shot that will show off your skills.

Photo: Royal Buffet

We hope these tips help you put your best foot forward, and we can't wait to see all the submissions! You can apply online from June 1 to June 23.

Are you an experienced exhibitor? Share your tips with us in the comment section!

Look Ma, we're on TV!

Just kidding! But we are on an episode of Smart Creative Women, a wonderful video interview series that the lovely Monica Lee hosts on her blog. Elizabeth and Erin, the 2 founders of Indie Craft Parade, get chatty about everything from the story behind the festival to what new adventures the future might hold.

Who knew we could talk so much! Huge thanks to Monica for featuring Indie Craft Parade. Make sure you check out all the great stories shared on Smart Creative Women!

Meet the 2013 Jury

Today, we are thrilled to introduce our 2013 Indie Craft Parade jury members! Each year, five artists from our local community are selected to sit on our jury because of their experience and skill as well as their commitment to the expansion of the Greenville art scene. These artists will anonymously review the applications submitted and select participants according to the quality, innovation and uniqueness of their work. Without futher ado, meet the 2013 Jury:

Diane Kilgore-Condon

Diane Kilgore-Condon is an artist based in Greenville, South Carolina, who creates imaginative oil paintings with a surrealist feel. She is member and founder of ArtBomb Studios, a collaborative and visionary studio space established twelve years ago in what is now Greenville's Art District. Diane is best known for her paintings and mixed media pieces as well as her great love for rescuing dogs.

Marco Suarez

Marco Suarez is an artist and designer living in Atlanta, GA. Marco's artwork combines landscape photography with digital techniques that he has developed as a graphic designer. He creates digital collages incorporating photography, ink, watercolor, inkodye, and other textures and mediums. He is also the Art Director at MailChimp.

Barb Blair

As a designer, Barb specializes in redeeming found goods and furniture that inspires one-of-a-kind design stories. She is an avid lover of color and has a fresh eye for unpredictable combinations of style and texture. She also loves being behind the lens, carrying her camera everywhere. The art of capturing everyday beauty and detail strongly influences her design concepts. She is the author of Furniture Makeovers, published this spring by Chronicle Books.

Teresa Roche

Teresa Roche is an artist, a gallery curator, and an interior designer. As an artist, she creates mixed media collages primarily working with thin layers of acrylic paint, vintage paper and fabric. Art & Light is Teresa’s fusion gallery/home accents boutique featuring local artists and mid-century modern furniture and lighting. Her particular knack in interior design is the use of re-worked, previously outdated, odd or unusual pieces (from industrial material to old signage or a clock piece!), children’s art, the work of art students, etc. in order to maintain modest price points on furnishings and accessories.

Dan Marinelli

After completing a three-year residency at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, N.C., Daniel relocated to the Greenville area with his wife and children. Daniel has set up his shop and studio in the Old Southern Bleachery in Taylors, S.C., where he makes custom architectural work, sculpture, paintings, and objects for the home.

June 1st is the date applications open, so tell your crafty friends and get your products and cameras ready to apply for the 2013 Indie Craft Parade!

Furniture Makeovers Launch Party

We'll be introducing our 2013 jury very soon, but in the meantime, we want to share and celebrate a huge accomplishment by one of our previous jury members and a longtime supporter, Barb Blair. We select each Indie Craft Parade jury member because of their involvement in the Greenville art scene as well as their contribution to the creative community at large. We think these folks have a lot to offer, so we're thrilled when they get recognized well beyond the scope of our city. This weekend, Barb will be celebrating the release of her first book, Furniture Makeovers, with a book party at her studio. The celebration starts Friday at 5pm, complete with amazing freebies for the first 100 guests in the door! Check out all the event details here.

If you're not familiar with Barb or her work, she specializes in redeeming found goods and furniture, often giving discarded pieces new life. More about the book from Chronicle:

Furniture Makeovers shows how to transform tired furniture into stunning showpieces. You’ll never look at a hand-me-down dresser the same way again! The book offers 26 easy-to-follow techniques that can be applied to all different types of pieces, from bookshelves to desks: painting, applying gold leaf, wallpapering, distressing, dip dyeing, and more. In addition to the core techniques, author and Knack Studios founder Barb Blair shares 30 beautiful before-and-after makeovers from her studio and outlines how to achieve each look. With helpful step-by-step photographs, a visual glossary explaining all the tools and materials needed, and a lovely contemporary aesthetic, Furniture Makeovers is a treasure trove of ideas and instruction for the home decorator.

Join us at Knack Studios this Friday to see Barb's work in person and celebrate with one of Greenville's many creative entrepreneurs!

Craft night workshops hosted by the SC Etsy street team

Listen up, South Carolina Etsy Shops! There is a special event, just for you, organized by the SC Etsy Street Team. On April 27 in Greenville, SC and on May 11 in Charleston, SC, the Etsy Street team will be hosting workshops to benefit fellow Etsy shops. Each Craft Night Workshop is an opportunity to network, learn some ways to improve your shop, see a product photography demonstration, and make an awesome craft! On top of that, food and beverages will be provided, and the whole thing is free! Simply register in order to attend. (Don't forget this part.)

Also, to get more information about the event, pop over to the Etsy Team Page and check out the Discussion Thread. And don't foget, if you decide to attend, make best use of this opportunity. Be ready to discuss your shop. Find out the successes and difficulties of fellow shop keepers. And of course, come armed with business cards to trade with other attendees. You don't want to forget all of those cool people you're going to meet (and vice versa).

South Carolina etsy street team

Did you know that there's a local network of etsy sellers that you can get involved with? Whether you want to learn to better present and sell your own crafts or just make connections with other local makers, the South Carolina Etsy Street Team has something to offer everyone. Led by our friends Jessica Sharp and Brooke Jones, the SC Street Team's goal is to help improve members' Etsy shops and business practices through discussions, meetups, mentoring, shop critiques, team promotions, and information sharing.

A treasury of handmade goods by Street Team members.

They just finished their 2013 Team Survey, the results of which can be found here. The survey results will help Jessica and Brooke guide the team for the year. They've informed us that they'll be making some exciting changes soon, like adding regional leaders to help team members outside of the Upstate feel more connected and engaged. They're also hosting a series of craft night workshops with opportunities for networking and mentoring.  The workshops will help participants improve upon skills like photography, product styling, pricing for profit, and other important issues for crafters. (Stay updated on these workshops via Twitter.)

The Street Team might hold some exciting potential for your Etsy shop. To learn more about the Team or to get involved yourself, check out their page on Etsy's website.