Next Event: Bookbinding

Our next event is coming up very soon, and if you've ever wanted to learn more about bookbinding, this is your chance! Cindy Leaders, an Indie Craft Parade alumnus and talented bookmaker will teach us how to create books using reclaimed materials. And what better place to learn about making books than at the library?

Join us at the Downtown Hughes Main Library in Greenville and learn how to make Buttonhole Pocket Books, a simple bookbinding technique that is easy to recreate at home. These little books would be perfect for sketching, journaling or even giving as a gift.

Cindy Leaders, with some of her Useful Books.

Students should bring a pair of needle nosed pliers (curved are preferable). Additional materials and tools will be provided to make three 3” x 4” books. All skill levels are welcome.

When: Saturday, May 3, 2014 from 2 PM – 4 PM Where: Hughes Main Library, 25 Heritage Green Place, Greenville, SC 29601 Cost: $22

Reserve your spot now!

Workshop Recaps

It's hard to believe that there's only a couple of workshops left on the calendar. We've had such an amazing time getting to know all of you who have attended the workshops. We began the monthly workshops to extend our relationships with the community, and we think it's been a great success. I know we've seen some of you at every event--so wonderful! We're also thankful to the instructors who have so kindly shared their talents and knowledge with our participants. Here's a quick look back at the previous two workshops. Also a look ahead at what's on the calendar.

Jivan Dave demonstrating and instructing the best way to use your iPhone for product photography:

Amy Walcher of Urban Digs teaching how to build and maintain a successful terrarium. We had no idea what all went into it--such great information!

A look ahead:

Remaining workshop classes--Bookbinding and Homebrewing Indie Craft Parade applications open on June 1!

Spring DIY Roundup

If you're like us and can't wait for warm weather, you might be in the mood for one of these spring-y DIY projects we found on Kollabora. Find a link to each project at the bottom of this post.

Clockwise from top left: The Garden Skirt / Fresh Floral Wreath / Wildflower Seed Bombs / Houseplant Swag / Hanging Planters

DIY Tea Towel project

Since meeting Rachel Faucett of Handmade Charlotte at The Makers Summit, we're completely amazed by the depth of her both her blog and her product design. She's partnered with top crafting companies to create one of a kind crafting supplies that are unique as well as easy and fun to use.

Today, we're excited to show you what we did with one of these products — adhesive stencils. We had so much fun making some custom tea towels with her stencils, and we wanted to share this fun tutorial with you. Here's a peek at the simple supplies you need. You can find the full tutorial on Kollabora.

The Makers Summit Recap

Wow! What a weekend. It was thrilling to gather with so many new attendees, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and friends. I hope you've been reliving the day through the attendee photos on Instagram. Indie Craft Parade will release our recap video and official photos in the next week or so, but until then, be sure to check out #makerssummit on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also read a really great takeaway from the event from the Brains on Fire Blog. Here are some of our favorite attendee Instagram shots:

Entering The Makers Summit by goinghometoroost.

The main conference hall by bofagram.

The business card guestbook by french_ashley.

Vagabond Barista's pour over bar by theflyformal.

Makers Gonna Make Tattly by tjbreil.

Jude Landry's keynote by indiecraftparade.

Just before dinner by lilyasher.

Menu shot by our presenting sponsor virb.

Party Lounge during The Best Craft Party Ever by michelle_smth.

Goods from all the party stations by onceagainsam.

Sponsor Feature: Frontier Label

Frontier-Logo-blog

We're shouting it from the rooftop: We Love Frontier Label! If you're a maker and want to take your product to the next level, you need to talk to them right away. Frontier specializes in every sort of custom labels. And there's a good chance they've printed labels for companies and products you love.

Fast, efficient, friendly, what more can you ask from a company? Frontier is all these things and more. What amazing products have they done? I'm glad you asked. Just see below.

Liddabit Sweets

Charleston Soap Chef

Knot & Bow

For many more samples of their incredible work, check out their Pinterest page.

One Week away!

Hey Makers Summit Attendees! We'll see you a week from tomorrow. Just to get you excited, here's our video from last year. We're very proud of the 2013 conference, but we think that 2014's will be even bigger and better. It's gonna be a great day!

http://vimeo.com/59165227

Featured Sponsor: Virb

We're only a week and a half out from The Makers Summit. Crazy! We've been planning and working for what seems like months on end, and now it's almost here.

In the short time we have before meeting everyone at the conference, we want to get you pumped up about all the amazing people you'll meet next Saturday. Speakers, sponsors, and attendees alike contribute to make this conference and party memorable, but we really wouldn't be able to provide what we do

without the help of Virb

--an incredible build-your-own website service.

Your website--which tells the world who you are--can make or break your business. That first online impression is so important, and Virb can help you communicate your brand and products in a simple elegant way. This is one product that we'll sing the praises of over and over again.

http://vimeo.com/49684263

Here's some first hand experience from Erin, one of our directors:

I recently used Virb to build a website, and was blown away by how incredibly easy it was to create a beautiful website. My husband is a professional 

illustrator, and had been needing a new website for years. I'm relatively tech-savy, and thought I knew enough to use one of the various website template services. I tried a couple different services, but was so frustrated by the difficulty that I was about to give up, when a friend recommended I try Virb. After tinkering with it for a few minutes, I was hooked. A couple hours later, I had created an amazing website! 

(You can check it out here.)

 Their websites are designed specifically for the creative community, and have all kinds of great features like integrated shops with Big Cartel and Etsy. The templates are so beautifully designed and easily customizable, it was dream to work with. After seeing how easy Virb was to use and how ideal it was for makers, I knew this was a resource we needed to share with the makers community. I reached out to Virb and asked them to partner with us for The Maker Summit, and the rest is history! 

Virb will play a huge role in our event next week. In addition to being the presenting sponsor of

The Best Craft Party Ever

(which is shaping up to be amazing!), Virb is hosting one of our 4 workshops. The lucky people who snagged tickets to the conference will have an opportunity to learn first hand how to make a customized website start to finish.

Whether or not you're attending The Makers Summit, it's worth taking a look at the services Virb has to offer. You'll be amazed at how something so simple will yield such impressive results.

Valentine Inspired DIY Roundup

Have you heard about Kollabora? They're an online community for makers, and we've been loving the wealth of DIY projects to be found there. In fact, we started our own page where you can easily find past Indie Craft Parade DIYs. We've rounded up just a few Kollabora projects that are inspiring us for Valentine's Day this weekend. If you're feeling crafty or just need some extra beauty in your life, these projects will get you started. Find a link to each at the bottom of this post.

Clockwise from the top: Coffee Filter Flowers / Treat Bags / Cupid's Donut Hole Arrows / Geometric Leather Heart Necklace / Crochet Slippers and Mini Heart

Featured Sponsor: Big Cartel

One of the newest sponsors to join The Makers Summit this year is Big Cartel, another partnership we are really excited about! Big Cartel has been around since 2005, and handles behind the scenes shopping functionality for all kinds of beautiful online shops. One of the biggest benefits Big Cartel offers is the ability to host your shop on your own site, fully customized. They also have very reasonable flat fee pricing, beginning with a free plan that you can try out and see if it works for you and your products.

One of the pieces from The Big Cartel Shop

If you're thinking about opening an online shop soon and want to know what options are out there, you'll definitely want to hear our Makers Summit panel about this very topic. We'll have representatives from Big Cartel, Square Market and ScoutMob discussing various methods of selling online, and answering attendee questions about getting the most out of your shop.

Another reason that we love Big Cartel is their support of independent artists. Initiatives like their Field Guides help artists tackle issues like copyright, taxes, and making your shop better. These efforts are perfectly in line with our plans for The Makers Summit, so we're excited to join forces and tackle these things together next month.

If you haven't already, grab your Makers Summit ticket and come see what else Big Cartel has to offer!

MailChimp: Featured Sponsor

MailChimp has been one of our biggest supporters from day one, and we're pretty big fans of theirs as well. They are a sponsor of the 2014 Makers Summit! A few months ago, we finally had the opportunity to visit their Atlanta offices. One of the first things we saw when we walked in was this amazing embroidered front desk! We knew we were in the right place.

MailChimp has a reputation of supporting creative and small business ventures like ours. So it seemed fitting that their front desk would be a giant example of craftsmanship.

We got to explore the offices with our friend Marco, and meet a few of the people that make MailChimp tick.

We were especially impressed by the 3D printer station for employees!

If you receive our Indie Craft Parade or Makers Summit newsletters, then you've seen MailChimp at work. (And if you're not on the list, you can sign up at the bottom of our sites!). MailChimp makes communicating via email so much easier. And they provide a lot of Resources for beginners. Here are a few to get you started:

MailChimp for Online Sellers MailChimp for NonprofitsMailChimp for Bloggers and even, a coloring book for kids!

We know you'll enjoy working with Freddie just as much as we do!

DIY Stamp Set

I've got a great tutorial for you to try this weekend! As you know, last Saturday we spent the day at the Greenville Children's Museum teaching kids how to make their own stamps. Turns out, it is the most fun craft ever! We've been making them non stop--and stamping everything paper in sight.

So we want to share this super easy yet very rewarding tutorial. And I promise, once you get started, you can't stop yourself.

Supplies:

-Adhesive backed foam sheets -2 inch by 1/4 inch wood squares -Scissors -Pen -Ink pads -Paper (wrapping paper, notebook, gift bags, etc.)

1) Cut a piece of foam roughly the size of the woodblock. 2) Draw the shape of your stamp on the foam. Don't forget, your stamped image will be backwards, so draw your shape the opposite of how you want it to stamp.

3) Cut along your drawing.

4) Peel off the paper to show the glue on the back of the block.

5) Place the glue side of the foam on the block, and press to adhere.

Here are some of the shapes we've made. The possibilities are endless!

After that, just place the stamp face down into the stamp ink pad. Press all around to distribute the ink evenly.

THEN STAMP AWAY!!

Try your hand at making these stamps. Then show us what you make! Put them on our Facebook page or tag us on Instagram!

cheers to 2013: Indie craft parade Year in Review

Thank you all so much for joining us for all the fun of 2013. We've had an amazing year...our best yet. This community is so supportive, and we know we can't succeed without you. Just for fun, as we're standing on the brink of 2014, we wanted to highlight our favorite moments of the past year.

SPRING 2013

School Scholarship We love to give back to our community whenever possible. Here's a look at our School Scholarship recipient from 2013.

The Makers Summit It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since the initial Makers Summit--so many great sponsors, speakers, and attendees. Be sure to put the upcoming conference on your calendar. For all ticket information and details about the Best Craft Party Ever, check here.

SUMMER 2013

Indie Craft Parade visits NYC This past June, our staff took a trip to Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, which is a huge part of the national arts and craft movement. This adventure also led us to a great partnership with some of this year's sponsors like Etsy and Tattly.

New website! Thanks to the creative genius of Andrew Ramos and Robojuice, we got an amazing online makeover. Remember this old website? Feels like forever ago.

Community Worknight An expanded festival means more garland. We were really happy to give our artists and attendees more room this year, but that required a lot more decorations. Thanks to the help of an amazing team of volunteers, we cranked out hundreds of linear feet of our 6 color garland, one of Indie Craft Parade's trademarks.

FALL 2013

The Festival Every one of the four festivals we've hosted has incredible memories of meeting new friends, discovering new artists, and making an impact on our community. I can't think of this past festival without becoming a little overwhelmed with gratitude for the support shown to us. We had our biggest event yet--a sold out VIP Gala and filled to capacity attendance throughout the weekend.

Recipe for Press workshop Press guru Amy Flurry brought our community a powerful seminar where she shared insight into how to think like an editor.

WINTER 2013

New to Indie Craft Parade: DIY workshops We're immensely thankful for the people in our community who help foster a love for art, craft, and design. So over the past couple of months, we've partnered with some of them to spread new ideas and skills with our followers. So far we've hosted workshops for furniture makeovers, paper crafts, and wreath making. If you missed this classes, don't worry! We've got a great line up of classes for 2014.

The Holiday Fair And to our last favorite moment of 2013...we closed out the year strong with our Holiday Fair, an abbreviated version of the September Festival. We hope that all of your gift recipients enjoyed their handmade holiday as much as we did.

It's hard to believe it, but Indie Craft Parade is entering its 5th year as an organization. Thank you to those who've contributed to our success, and welcome aboard to anyone who's just getting started. Because of all of you, we're anticipating an even better year for 2014.

Merry Christmas!

Just a little note to wish you all a very merry Christmas! We hope your holidays are filled with all things happy and handmade.

Holiday Fair Recap

Thanks so much to everyone that came out to the Holiday Fair! We had such a great Saturday. Although it was a bit chilly, we were so excited to see the neighborhood full with Greenville's art enthusiasts. To recap the numbers, this past Saturday the festival was made possible by 30 artists, 10 volunteers, 5 food vendors, 1 great neighborhood, and over 1,600 attendees!

If you were unable to make it to the Holiday Fair, you did miss out. However, be of good cheer. Indie Craft Parade will be hosting events all throughout the year. Make sure you check out our Calendar of Events to see what we've got planned next!

Thanks again for supporting Indie Craft Parade and our artists! We're so thankful for everyone who buys handmade.

If you'd like to see more photos from the event, check out our Instagram feed. You can also search the hashtag #indiecraftparade to see shots from attendees.

What to expect at the Holiday Fair

Tomorrow's the big day! We can't wait to see you all come out to the Indie Craft Parade Holiday Fair. Here are some final details to help make your experience the best it can be.

Where and When is the Holiday Fair?

The Holiday Fair will be located at 1241 Pendleton Street in The Village of West Greenville. The hours are 10 am to 6 pm. Please note, this is NOT the same location as our September festival. If you go to the Huguenot Mill there will not be anyone there.

Who will be there?

We will have 30 artists at the Holiday Fair. This makes it a smaller event than the September Festival, but we've specially picked our vendors who are excellent for Christmas shopping. So bring your list!

What about admission cost? 

We are asking for a $1 donation per person at the door. However, kids 12 and under are free, so please bring the whole family. We want everyone to enjoy the festival.

Will there be a line?

Probably. Last year we had 1,300 attendees throughout the day, and we expect that number to increase. However, there's a lot of other things to do in the Village, so the crowd should be dispersed pretty evenly.

So, what else is there to do in the Village?

It's going to be a neighborhood party! All of the shops and studios will be open. There are some really great staples in the Village like Knack, Crave, and The Flatiron Studios. However, you'll have to check out a couple of holiday pop up shops that will make your trip to the Village complete.

Pop Up Shops?

There's two special limited time shops that will be open this weekend. You've already learned about the LP Pop Up Shop in our guest post earlier this week. You also have to check out our friends at We took to the Woods. This is your stop for specialty foods, hand poured candles, luxury goods, an amazing selection of curated antiques, and so much more.

We Took to the Woods Pop Up

LP Vintage Pop Up

What about food?

We've got some great options for you! In addition to the Greenville's favorite trucks, Asada, Neue Southern, and Thoroughfare, we'll be hosting some of our favorite bakeries, Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery and Upcountry Provisions to serve pastries, sandwiches, and sweet treats. Of course the food scene would not be complete without Vagabond Barista, who will be serving inside the LP Pop Up Shop.

SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW!!

Photos from We Took to the Woods,Milk Moon Vintage, and TOWN.

2013 School Scholarship Winner

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

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

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

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

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

Workshop: Paper Ornaments with Mollie Greene

We're so excited for our upcoming crafting class with the amazing Mollie Greene of Royal Buffet and Sweet Paper Crafts. Mollie's fanciful paper lovelies never fail to delight, and now she's going to show you how to create wonderful ornaments for holiday gift giving, tree decorating, or present topping. All the supplies will be provided (vintage papers! glass glitter! and more!), just bring your own pair of scissors. Mollie has nearly 20 different ornament styles ready for you to create, see how many you can make!

WHAT: Paper Ornaments WHEN: Thursday, November 14 from 7 – 10 pm WHERE: Cowork, 1040 W. Washington Street, Greenville SC 29601 COST: $25 REGISTER HERE

DETAILS:Come for a fun evening of handcrafting original paper ornaments using vintage and antique papers, German glass glitter, tinsel, crepe paper, string, and more. Each participant will leave with the ornaments they create throughout the evening, and their own set of templates to take home for more holiday paper merrymaking.  All paper finery and other supplies will be provided, but we suggest bringing your own sharp scissors along with you. Mollie will be guiding you through the ornament making process as well as offering paper crafting tips and tricks along the way.

Here's a little peek at just a few of the ornament styles you'll learn to make:

These paper ornaments are so much fun to make and even more fun to give. They make the perfect gift for teachers too!

You don't want to miss this crafty evening with Mollie, it's going to be swell. Grab your friends and register here!

It's time to make stuff!

Our first few workshops have been a fabulous success! Here's what's coming up next...

Paper Ornamentswith Mollie Greene of Royal BuffetThursday, November 14 from 7 - 10 pm

Winter Wreathwith Julie Dodds of Willow FloralsTuesday, December 3 from 7 - 10 pm

Learn to Knit with Deb Potter of Merciful Hearts FarmThursday, February 6, 2014 from 7 - 10 pm

iPhone Photographywith Jivan Dave March 2014, more details to come

Succulent Terrariumwith Amy Walchers of Urban Digs Tuesday, April 8, 2014 from 7 - 10 pm

Bookbindingwith Cindy Leaders of Useful Books May 2014, more details to come

Homebrewing 101with Ben Alier and Grape and GrainsJuly 2014, more details to come

These classes fill up quickly, so register before it's too late!

The Ethics of Craftsmanship

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

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

image via indieripoffs

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

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

Handlettered by Justin Hall for the 2013 Indie Craft Parade

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

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