General Info,Behind The Scenes

Pinterest as a marketing tool

General Info, Tips & TricksElizabeth Ramos

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

For a better look at this graphic click here.

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

Last Chance to Bookmark Artists from the 2011 Indie Craft Parade

Craft News, General InfoElizabeth Ramos

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

Here's a little recap of our vendors work.

Letterpress card from Racing Snail Press.

Custom paper dolls from Jordan Grace Owens.

Eco-friendly bears by Pogo Shop.

Sculpture by CME Studios.

Pet clothes and accessories by Tree Parlor.

Pendants by Cameoko.

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

2011 Recap

Behind The Scenes, General InfoElizabeth Ramos

On this last day of 2011, we're looking back on our festival stats for this year. It's always fun to see these numbers in graphic form. This data comes from applications and from a post-show vendor survey, so keep in mind that any of the vendor information is based only on those who responded to the survey. Click on the countdown graphic below to view all of this year's charts on Daytum — including Exhibitors by State, Entries per Category, and more!

Thank you all for your support of Indie Craft Parade this year and of 'our' artists through this holiday season. We'll see you next year!

2011 Scholarship Winner

General InfoElizabeth Ramos

A few months ago, we announced the creation of an Indie Craft Parade scholarship fund. Today, we are pleased to announce that the 2011 winner of the $500 scholarship for art funding is Brook Glenn Elementary School in Taylors, SC.

An art project from students at at Brook Glenn.

While we knew it would be hard to choose just one school, since every art program needs extra funding, the board was impressed by the thorough plan submitted by art teacher Laura Shaw for utilizing the money in her arts curriculum. Laura's passion for inspiring students was very clear, and we're excited to partner with her and her school this coming year! Check back early next year for an update on the school and their program!

To introduce you to Brook Glenn, we wanted to share a few of the art projects the students have been working on and some quotes from their application:

"I believe that visual art is a language, one we encounter on an everyday basis and children need the ability to decipher and communicate through art."

Giant Holiday Card, Brook Glenn 5th Grade Class

"I have seen firsthand the joy and confidence a child receives from creating."

Primary Colors bubble wrap print, by Daniel (Pre-K)

We are excited about this new way that Indie Craft Parade can give back to our community, and we want to encourage each of you to remember your local schools too. Through this process, we were reminded that many art programs are lacking basic supplies and even a small donation of $25 or $50 could help greatly. This need prompted our board to contribute an additional $100 for art supplies to a second school, Gateway Elementary.

We've seen a glimpse of how much need there is for supporting the arts in our schools and while we can't fix everything, there are ways each of us can make a difference. Donate extra craft supplies you might have lying around the house, or encourage your church or workplace to contribute unused paper and supplies to a local art program. If you have more suggestions on how to help art teachers and their programs, add your comments below!

Christmas Giveaway!

General InfoElizabeth Ramos

Update: This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to Summer, the winner! In the spirit of Christmas, we wanted to do something special for you, our wonderful supporters. You know there are two things we love: handmade art and Greenville! So, we put together a lovely basket of handmade goods created by Greenville artists, and some of them inspired by our amazing city. One of you lucky readers will take home this basket of goodies!

Let see what's inside...

Some cozy fingerless gloves made by erin elizabeth

A set of three ceramic pear ornaments created by Crave Studio(photo by Crave Studio)

A box of peppermint bark artisan marshmallows by Malo

The limited edition "What If Greenville" screen-printed poster by Shed Labs(photo by Shed Labs)

A set of six butterfly gift tags created by Royal Buffet

And a "Love Greenville" screen-printed tee shirt by Parachute Clothing(photo by Parachute Clothing) (Winner will specify shirt size)

To enter to win this basket of goodies, leave a comment on this post and tell us something you love about Greenville. A random winner will be chosen and announced Thursday, December 15.

This giveaway is open to anyone in the continental US. If the winner is local, we'll ask them to pick the basket up  in downtown Greenville, SC. If not, we'll ship it to them.

A HUGE thank you to all the wonderful artists listed above, who generously donated these items for the giveaway. Please remember to support your local artists this holiday season. Be good & buy handmade!

Be Good & Buy Handmade

General InfoElizabeth Ramos
BeGood_blog

Whether you're a shop owner or a shopper, it's always good to be reminded to seek out handmade. Buying mass produced items may be easy, but seeking out something handmade is better for everyone!

To help us remember this, Cory Godbey created a beautiful graphic for us this holiday season! This phrase was borrowed (with permission!) from Micah Coston and the Illyria Pottery holiday show that took place a few weeks ago. We liked it so much that we've immortalized it in official Indie Craft Parade lettering!

And we created a few easy ways for you to share and enjoy:

You can download this graphic in one of three sizes: Huge: high-resolution image you can print for your home or shop Medium: sized for desktop backgrounds! 2560 x 1440, 1920 x 1200, 1440 x 9001280 x 800, 1024 x 768 Tiny: 200 x 200 px badge for adding to your blog or site

There are still a few weeks left until Christmas — plenty of time to be good, buy handmade and encourage others to do the same. We want people to remember artists and makers this time of year, so feel free to share, reblog, or print this for your own personal use. Spread the word and remind people how important it is to support handmade art.

Winners announced!

General InfoElizabeth Ramos

Congratulations to Stephen Crotts, commenter #2 and Robin Asire, commenter #10! You are the lucky winners of the ad space giveaway, as chosen by our good friend random.org. Check your email for instructions on how to claim your prize! Thanks to all who entered, we loved hearing about the special gifts you've given and received. Even if you didn't win, we'd love to have you as sponsors of the Indie Craft Parade blog. Click here to learn more!

We Are Giving Away Advertising Space!

General InfoElizabeth Ramos
win

Our goal for the Indie Craft Parade blog is to bring you useful information all year long, whether you're a buyer, a seller, or just an admirer of all things handmade. Besides our posts, we also have ad spaces for sale. Yes, advertising helps us raise a little bit of money, but hopefully it also keeps you up to date on events and lets you know about great shops and handmade goods outside of our own annual festival. We know that a lot of artists and entrepreneurs are running Christmas sales and that they're figuring out how to get the word out about their shops this time of year. So we have a little holiday special of our own.We're giving away two half-size blog ads for the month of December. All you have to do is leave a comment below for a chance to win.

These two winners will be chosen randomly and announced on November 28th. If you're a winner, keep in mind you will need to give us artwork for your ad by the 30th. We know it's a tight turnaround, but we want to make sure you get the full month of December on the blog!

Please note. This isn't limited to artists. It could be for an event, a business-- anything that you think our readers would like to know about.

To enter to win free ad space, answer this question in the comments below: What is the most meaningful gift you've ever given or received?

It's official! Dates for Indie Craft Parade 2012.

General InfoElizabeth Ramos

We're quite excited because we recently got confirmation on our dates for the 2012 Indie Craft Parade. The festival will be held Friday, September 7 through Sunday, September 9. For a while we were afraid we might have to change our venue or drastically alter the dates due to renovations on the Huguenot Mill (our location for the last two years). However, our dates are in the clear. We'll be back at the beautiful restored mill, and we're so ready to begin planning our work for next year! Stay tuned. All of the new information for next year will be available on our home page within the near future.

Indie Craft Parade Scholarship

General InfoElizabeth Ramos

We're so excited to announce the Indie Craft Parade Scholarship Program! Since we started Indie Craft Parade, we've wanted to do more than just put on a great show in Greenville. We want to make a lasting impact on our community. One of our hopes for Indie Craft Parade is that we can inspire another generation of artists by getting involved with the art programs of Greenville County schools. Our hope that this scholarship program will not only help fund a school's art program that is lacking in resources, but also expose students to a greater spectrum of art than is typically available in a classroom setting. For 2011, one scholarship of $500 will be awarded to a school in Greenville County. We want our scholarship to extend beyond just funding. We hope to establish a true partnership with the school that is selected and work together to create opportunities for students and local artists to connect. This may include demonstrations, assemblies or field trips.

Any school located in Greenville County can apply for these art program funds. Applications can be found online, and must be submitted by October 31.  Let your school know about this opportunity! Applications will be selected based on three main criteria, including:

  • Educational impact of the scholarship
  • Need of the applying school
  • Proposed use of the funds

Read all the details about this program at our Scholarship Webpage.

The Indie Craft Parade scholarship is open to all schools, both public and private, in Greenville County. All schools are eligible for funding without discrimination due to race, religion, or socioeconomic status.

Featured Sponsor - Metropolitan Arts Council

General InfoElizabeth Ramos

If you've been to many art events in Greenville, then you've probably seen the Metropolitan Arts Council logo. MAC is a local organization whose mission is to support every aspect of the art movement in Greenville. Over the past few years, they have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to advance the visual arts in our area. Indie Craft Parade is especially appreciative of MAC--not only for their generous support of all our city's art endeavors but also for their partnership with Indie Craft Parade this year.

MAC's vision from their website:

MAC’s vision is a vision for the community, and MAC will be Greenville County’s trusted and visionary champion of the arts. Our role is to gather support from the community and provide it to member arts organizations - with the outcome being a nationally recognized arts environment enjoyed and patronized by an ever-growing regional audience.

Their vision for Greenville County is quite inspiring, and we can't thank them enough for everything they've done for our community.

Photobooth Galleries

General InfoElizabeth Ramos

The free photobooth at Indie Craft Parade is always a hit, and this year was no exception. With fun props like mustaches, elephants, flags, and chalkboards, everyone seemed to have a blast in front of the camera. We're so thankful for our generous sponsor, Oh Snap Photobooth, for donating this awesome service! The photobooth galleries are now online, and you can browse them here:

Friday, September 9Saturday, September 10Sunday, September 11

Here's a few of our favorite photo strips!

The Indie Craft Parade Booth

General InfoElizabeth Ramos

Here's a few shots of the Indie Craft Parade Booth! We had our fabulous merchandise, free temporary tattoos, sign-up sheets for volunteering, participating, or sponsoring next year, and free felt flags for the kiddos.

Photo by Peter Crane

If you missed out on picking up some sweet ICP merchandise, you can get it over at our online store for a few more days. We'll be closing up shop Sunday, September 18, so don't delay! All orders will receive a free set of our temporary tattoos.

These awesome people made the cool stuff you see above:- Plush Elephants (Hugo, our mascot) made by Three Bad Seeds- T-shirts & tote bags were designed by Cory Godbey- T-shirts & tote bags were printed by Dapper Ink- Notecards were designed by Elizabeth Ramos- Tattoos were designed by Cory Godbey and Elizabeth Ramos

2011 Photos

Behind The ScenesElizabeth Ramos

Our 2011 Indie Craft Parade Flickr pool is filling up fast with great photos! Have you added yours yet? Here's some of our favorite photos so far...

web_370-2_metromix

VIP Gala attendees shopping, photos by Metromix's Angela Cox.  See their full slideshow here!

VIP Gala attendees entering the giveaways, photo by Metromix's Angela Cox.  See their full slideshow here!

ICP exhibitors MaieDae, photo by Metromix's Angela Cox.  See their full slideshow here!

Local bluegrass band, The Bent Strings, photo by Peter Crane.

Parachute Clothing, photo by Peter Crane.

Leslie DeRose, photo by Peter Crane.

Lily Pottery, photo by Peter Crane.

ICP attendees shopping, photo by The Greenville News' Heidi Heilbrunn.  See their full slideshow here!

Free photobooth in use, photo by The Greenville News' Heidi Heilbrunn.  See their full slideshow here!

Owlette Collective, photo by The Greenville News' Heidi Heilbrunn.  See their full slideshow here!

Fox to the Opera, photo by The Greenville News' Heidi Heilbrunn.  See their full slideshow here!

Caleb Chancy, photo by The Greenville News' Heidi Heilbrunn.  See their full slideshow here!

ICP sign, photo by Jennie Raff Photography

canoo, photo by beautifulspoonjenni

Check out the rest of the 2011 Flickr pool and add your photos!

Indie Craft Merchandise

Behind The Scenes, General InfoElizabeth Ramos

Photo by Heidi Heilbrunn, The Greenville News

We had so much interest in the goods at our Indie Craft Parade booth that we've set up a (very) temporary online store for a few of the most popular products. Since we sold out of the red Indie Craft Parade shirts on day two, we'll be printing more for those who missed them. The two Indie Craft Parade tees pictured above and our Buy Handmade totebag will be available to order online, but just until next Sunday, September 18th!

Note: If you pre-ordered your shirt at Indie Craft Parade, you don't need to submit another order. You should have already received an email from us detailing the completion of your order.

Thank You from Indie Craft Parade!

General InfoElizabeth Ramos

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the 2nd Annual Indie Craft Parade this past weekend. We had so much fun, and the event was absolutely amazing! We're working on getting all our pictures in order, so we'll be sharing those soon and recapping the event. In the meantime, if you have any photos from Indie Craft Parade and are willing to share them, please add them to our Flickr pool. We want to see all your pictures too!

Because we know you're all wondering, here are a few stats from this weekend: We had 5,000 wonderful attendees, 74 fabulous exhibitors, 32 amazing volunteers, 10 talented musical groups, 7 scrumptious food vendors, and 2 exhausted but happy organizers.

Thank you all again for an incredibly successful festival! We're so grateful for your support. We can't wait for next year!

Exhibitors setting up their booths before the event.

The 2nd Annual Indie Craft Parade is Here!

General InfoElizabeth Ramos

Just wanting to remind everyone that Indie Craft Parade starts tonight with our VIP Gala. We still have a few tickets left, so don't let this opportunity slip by. The food, music, and giveaways are going to be amazing! Buy your tickets here.

If you can't make it tonight, don't forget the festival is going on all weekend. Admission on Saturday from 9 AM to 7 PM and Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM is FREE and completely open to the public.

We can't wait for you to meet all of our vendors. We've given you a sneak peek of just a few artists' work, and believe us--that's just the beginning. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

2011 Indie Craft Parade Musicians

General Info, UncategorizedElizabeth Ramos

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

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

TheBentStrings

The Bent Strings

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

Esther Grace Ellis

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

WarJacket

War Jacket

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

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

Sneak Peek: Giveaways!

Behind The ScenesElizabeth Ramos

We've mentioned the fabulous giveaways that will take place on Friday night at the VIP Gala, but here's a sneak peek at some of the items that you could win!

Isn't the work just wonderful? And that's just a sampling of the prizes, there will be lots more that our VIP guests will be eligible to win.

The exhibitors have donated these items, and we'll be bundling them into groups. Each VIP ticketholder can choose which group they would like to win, and we'll announce the winners that night! Since attendance is so limited that night, the chances are great! You could be walking away with some fabulous prizes worth much more than your ticket price. If you want to get in on this action, make sure you get a ticket to the Gala!

If you can't make it Friday night, don't worry... Saturday and Sunday will be a blast too!