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!

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!

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: 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.

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!

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!

Product Photography Class!

Although a cliche expression, when it comes to product photography, a picture is truly worth a thousand words. Whether you're trying to stand out on Etsy, pitch your product to a wholesaler, or simply apply for a craft show (hint hint), most often your work is only as good as your photographs. If people can only see your work...they can't touch, try on, or experience how great your stuff is...they WILL make judgments only on what they see. Perfect example, for the jurying of Indie Craft Parade participants, everything is anonymous. The jury can only see the photographs of artists work. No names, no extra information.

So obviously, we think this issue of product photography is a big deal. Therefore in the month of May we will be addressing it as we help people prepare for Indie Craft Parade applications and beyond. Expect guest bloggers, example works, and other tips to make your application the best possible.

To start off with we've had a great offer from local photographers Michelle and TJ Getz. Michelle knows the value of good product photography, and she came up with the idea of hosting/teaching a product photography class while attending The Makers Summit. On Saturday May 18 Getzcreative Photography will be hosting a limited attendance class to help people get the most out of their product photography. They have a keen eye for details, and for all of the skills you could develop from the class, the price really is a steal.

See the details from Michelle below:

Product Photography Class

Attention Crafters! Let us teach you how to take good product photos on your own! Learn how to use background, props, and available light. Avoid the common photography mistakes. Bring your own product, bring your camera (yes, even iPhones will work), and we will help you use what you have to showcase your particular product.

When: Saturday May 18; 10 am to 12 noon Where: Getzcreative Photography Who: Open to anyone, but there only 10 spaces available How Much: $45

Email shootme@getzcreative.com or call 864-354-2548 to reserve your spot today!

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!

School Scholarship: Artists Day

It's been a while since we've given updates about our school scholarship program, but today, I'm really excited to share some photos from this past Monday when three Indie Craft Parade participants shared their skills with the students of Gateway Elementary in Traveler's Rest. This post is also a really good opportunity for us to say THANK YOU to everyone who financially supports Indie Craft Parade. These are the kinds of projects that we can do because people and companies sponsor us. We're working really hard to make sure your investments are worth it, and we think that immersing kids in the arts is one of the best things we can do.

I spent the better part of the day with the artists and students, and I really had a great time. There's nothing like seeing kids discover something new. I loved hearing the questions they had for the artists. And I especially enjoyed watching the kids learn that art is a much broader field than they may have thought.

We coordinated 3 local artists to demonstrate their craft/trade throughout the day: Cory Godbey showed 4th graders and kindergarteners his work as a professional illustrator. Deb Potter brought her spinning wheel and felting supplies to 1st and 2nd grade. And Matt Moreau let 3rd and 5th graders try their hand at letterpress printing.

Cory shows the 4th grade class how he paints digitally. They were completely mesmerized by his work...particularly with this video that he designed and animated. They couldn't get enough of it.

Cory's presentation to the kindergarteners, however, quickly turned into a game of pictionary. "Draw a snake!" "Draw a dog!"

Deb taught the kids how she spins the wool that her husband shears into yarn. One girl told us it was "the best art class she ever had."

They particularly loved touching some of the dyed wool.

Muscling the Kelsey letterpress. The kids did a great job!

Numbering and signing their prints.

Thank you again to the art teacher, Joanne, for helping us coordinate the day. She's doing a great job with her students!

The Spring Flea at Swamp Rabbit Cafe

Looking for something fun to do this Saturday? Walk, ride, or drive over to our friends at Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery for The Spring Flea!

Winner: The MaieDae Mixer

And the winner is... Brittany! (Chosen at random thanks to random.org.) Hooray for Brittany and The MaieDae Mixer! Brittany, we've just emailed you to arrange your free ticket.

For everyone else, hurry over and buy a ticket, they're going like hot cakes! The MaieDae Mixer is must-not-miss event for bloggers, small business owners and creatives. Get the details here and get your party on!

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).

The MaieDae Mixer & Ticket Giveaway!

Have you heard about The MaieDae Mixer? It's "an annual fancy networking event for bloggers and creatives in the Southeast," and it's all the rage. It's going to be held on June 1, 2013 in beautiful Rome, Georgia, and you don't want to miss it. Pssst - keep reading, we're giving away a ticket!

From their website: We are incredibly excited to launch the first annual Maiedae Mixer event! Hosted by the owners of Maiedae: Jenny Highsmith & Savannah Wallace. This excitement is rooted in a passion to create a community of bloggers and creatives in the southeast region. Because, let's face it...we are a pretty small community and it's time to get out, mingle, and make this side of the states more "known" for its blogging and creative community! It's a time to celebrate, meet new friends, and spur one another on towards great and exciting things! Plus, it's going to be a *great* excuse to buy a new dress, put a little lipstick on, and get yourself gussied up for a fancy evening.

So to break it down a little more for you. This is a "Get Fancy, Get Connected" (as we like to call it) networking event for bloggers with delicious desserts, great music, swag bags, giveaways, crafting time, photo-booth...and a couple more surprises. It's a time to pamper yourself, meet creatives and best of all, dress up!

T I T L E : The Maiedae MixerH O S T S : Jenny Highsmith & Savannah WallaceL O C A T I O N : 7-Hills Fellowship Hall, 538 Broad Street Rome, Georgia 30161D A T E  &  T I M E : Saturday, June 1st, 2013 - 6:30PM-10:00PMT I C K E T S : $95.00 - Only 50 available! Purchase yours here.T H E M E : Will be announced on April 15th!

Jenny and Savannah from MaieDae are not just completely adorable, they know their stuff too. These girls are a ridiculously talented team; check out their blog, design studio, and photography. The MaieDae Mixer is sure to be a splendid evening of meeting, making, and partying! You can see more fun details about the event here.

They have graciously offered us a ticket to give away, so one lucky winner will get a free ticket to The MaieDae Mixer!

TO ENTERComment on this post! Tell us about the best party you ever went to. The winner will be drawn at random and announced on Tuesday, April 16.

Guidelines:- The free ticket is not transferable, so don't enter unless you know you would be able to attend.- If you've already purchased a ticket, you can still enter! If you win, MaieDae will refund your original ticket.

UPDATE: This giveaway closed on Monday, April 15. Congrats to Brittany, our winner!

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.

Dates for the next Makers Summit

The first ever Makers Summit was such a success, we've decided to do it again next year!

We'll be updating the website with more info about tickets and speakers in the coming months, but in the meantime, you can check out photos and video from our first event.

Live Art Installation

We have a very fun public art project to share with you today!

In anticipation of their new store opening, Anthropologie has partnered with the Fine Arts Center to create a temporary art installation in downtown Greenville. A team of artists will work alongside high school students from the Fine Arts Center to create a large-scale piece of art and we're all invited to come watch.

This Saturday and Sunday, March 9-10, head to the site of Greenville's new Anthropologie (at the corner of Coffee and Main Streets) to observe as the project takes shape.

A note from Anthropologie:

"The piece will be painted on the barricade currently outside of the Anthropologie store location at 1 North Main Street on the weekend of March 9th and 10th. The 20’ by 8’ painting is designed and conceptualized by the students of the Fine Arts Center and we invite the community to observe as the students, along with the team of artists who will work full-time at the Greenville location, progress from first brush strokes to final touches. The painting will be on view at 1 North Main Street until the store opens at the end of March."

Mark your calendars and head downtown this weekend to see the artists in action. This should be a lot of fun!

Holiday Event you don't want to miss: December First Fridays, Kid Art show, and Joey Bradley Heirloom and ornament show

If you're weren't able to attend our Holiday Fair (or even if you did), here are a couple of great art events that are taking place this weekend. Tomorrow is the first Friday of the month, which means it's another great night for an art crawl. Studios up and down the streets of West Greenville will be open to the public, and two of our food favorites---Neue Southern and Asada---will be there to make it a party! In conjunction with the December First Fridays is a fabulous show (AND GIVEAWAY) by one of our long time artist friends--Joey Bradley. Joey has exhibited at Indie Craft Parade for the past two years, and we're continually amazed with the beauty of his work. At this event he'll be doing two giveaways, so be sure to check out the details on his Facebook page and attend the event for a chance to win some amazing fine art.

And to finish things off for tomorrow evening on Pendleton Street, you have to check out a show that will steal your heart. It's the annual Kid Art Show, featuring 5 young artists. The show will be hosted at the photography studio of Jeff Hall, Aaron Green, and Christine LeGrand. Here is a video from last year's show!

http://vimeo.com/14185061

Edit: Another great event we almost forgot to mention is the Art Bomb Luminary Christmas Show! The Art Bomb is a shared artist studio located just down the road from Joey Bradley and the Kid Art Show, at 1320 Pendleton Street. To find it, just follow the luminaries lining Pendleton Street. You can't miss it!