Sponsor Feature: Pink Olive

With The Makers Summit just over a week away, we're busy putting the final touches on what's going to be an amazing event. We can't wait to bring our attendees, speakers, experts, and sponsors together. One sponsor/speaker we're particularly eager to meet is Grace Kang of Pink Olive. She is one talented lady who will be sharing her wealth of insight into the world of retail.

From the Pink Olive website: Grace’s success is the culmination of over 10 years as a retail buyer and consultant in the fashion industry. After graduating from Cornell University, Grace quickly moved up the corporate ladder and became a successful buyer at Bloomingdale’s where she was awarded "Buyer of the Year." Her accomplishments continued on to Saks.com and Barney's New York which allowed her to excel and think outside the box in both the business and creative sense of the word. 

With success in hand, it was time for her to launch PinkOlive.com, an online emporium with a peculiar name inspired by her niece’s favorite things—the color pink and olives....Grace opened her first brick and mortar store in East Village, Manhattan in May 2007 followed by her second location in Park Slope, Brooklyn in March 2008. Aside from running her two boutiques and website, Grace Kang consults with fashion designers, small business owners and startups entering the retail world.

In addition to the Pink Olive stores, Grace also curates Olive Box, a monthly subscription service for paper lovers. Olive Box members will receive a specially picked and packaged collection of paper goods from around the craftisphere. Additionally, she regularly coaches budding small businesses through her service Retail Recipes. She answers important questions like: Do you have a great product, but you’re not sure how to get it into retail stores? or: Do you ever wonder what the store buyers are looking for and how you can make your products more appealing to them?

At The Makers Summit Grace will be an invaluable asset to our attendees looking to push their products way beyond their own front doors.

Announcing the winner to the best craft party ever

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in our Best Craft Party Ever Giveaway. We're so glad you're all supportive of the event. It's going to be a great night---an ultra-cool setting, dinner catered by Larkins, and meeting new friends while making awesomeness! Unfortunately, however, we only have two tickets to giveaway this time.

So without much ado, we're happy to announce that the winner of our giveaway is commenter #24, Candice! We'll be in touch shortly on how to redeem your tickets.

Thanks again to everyone else! We'd still love to see you at The Best Craft Party Ever, so please reserve your ticket today!

Sponsor Feature: Spoonflower Fabric

We're so thankful to have incredible sponsors that make our work possible. So today I want to tell you all about Spoonflower fabric. Founded in 2008 Spoonflower fabric is the world's first internet based print-your-own fabric company. If you can imagine a fabric, then you can print it! Oh the possibilities! We in the craft world have been going nuts with it ever since.

Not only do we love Spoonflower for the amazing service they provide and the community of crafters they've built up, but also for their support of The Maker's Summit this year! Spoonflower's very own co-founder, Stephen Fraser, will be opening our conference as a keynote speaker. In many ways, he is the entrepreneur's dream come true. Using his background in the tech industry (consulting for Internet start-ups and serving as marketing director for Lulu.com), Stephen created this custom fabric company and has been inspiring small businesses ever since.

At The Makers Summit you'll see plenty of evidence of Spoonflower goodness including giveaways and tons of custom details that will make our conference even more unique. So don't miss out on everything there is to gain from Spoonflower! Check out their website for amazing fabric and projects, or come to The Makers Summit and get inspired to create your own success story!

Giveaway to The Best Craft Party Ever!

We're so excited about the upcoming Makers Summit and even more so for The Best Craft Party Ever that we're giving away 2 tickets to the evening event!

The party begins at 7:00 PM on February 2, and you don't have to attend the conference to participate. The Craft Party is a separate event designed simply to celebrate the fun of making and meeting other makers. You also don't have to be naturally crafty or artistically inclined to join us. We've designed the party so everyone---professional and newbie alike---can try their hand at something new.

So here's what to expect:

Enjoy a full dinner and open bar provided by a local chef; Choose one of four crafty kits to work on while you create and mingle with experts and peers alike.

You'll have the opportunity to learn to make one of the following: Glass terrarium Beeswax candles Hand stitched leather journal Paper wreath

And believe it or not we're giving away two ticketsto one lucky winner! This amazing evening can be all yours! Simply leave a comment below telling us who you would bring to The Best Craft Party Ever and why. One winner of two tickets will be chosen at random and announced next Thursday, January 17. Commenting will be open until then.

If you'd rather not take your chances, you can reserve your spot here.

Details for the Best Craft Party Ever!

We've had so much fun over the past few months planning The Makers Summit, and today we're giving you a sneak peek into our after-party. Sponsored by MailChimp, we guarantee it will be The Best Craft Party Ever.

The party begins at 7:00 PM on February 2, and you don't have to attend the conference to participate. The Craft Party is a separate event designed simply to celebrate the fun of making and meeting other makers. You also don't have to be naturally crafty or artistically inclined to join us. We've designed the party so everyone---professional and newbie alike---can try their hand at something new.

So here's what to expect:

Enjoy a full dinner and open bar provided by a local chef; Choose one of four crafty kits to work on while you create and mingle with experts and peers alike.

You'll have the opportunity to learn to make one of the following: Glass terrarium Beeswax candles Hand stitched leather journal Paper wreath

As mentioned before, you don't have to craft professionally to join the party. The kits include everything you need to take home a completed project. So this is a perfect time to either learn something new or simply try your hand at a craft you've always wanted to make.

Even though you can simply come to meet other creatives, we think this will make an ideal night out for couples or just a group of friends.

On top of all the crafting and eating, we'll have screen print and letterpress stations set up where you can learn to print your own tee shirt and letterpress posters.

So please put The Best Craft Party Ever on your calendar. Tickets are $50 per person (separate from the conference)  and include a complete dinner, a craft kit, access to letterpress and screen printing,  plus the chance to make new friends who also love handmade.

Reserve your spot today!

Welcome back, everyone

We're happy to be starting off 2013 on an exciting note. We're less than a month away from The Makers Summit! We can't even say how excited we are to meet everyone and listen to our various experts. Stay tuned over the next few days! We're especially excited to give some sneak peaks about The Best Craft Party Ever. It's going to be epic!

Merry Christmas from Indie Craft Parade! See you in 2013!

We've had such an amazing year with Indie Craft Parade. We met amazing new artists at the September festival, topped our goal of attendees, added a Holiday Fair, and are in the midst of planning a new small business conference. We'll be taking off the next week or so to get some much needed rest and time to start scheming for everything to come in 2013!

We'll be back bright and early in the New Year full of new details about The Makers Summit.

See you then!

Presenting The Makers Summit sponsors: MailChimp

The closer we get to the The Makers Summit, the more we want to tell you about the people who make the meet-up possible. We have worked with and used the services of MailChimp since the beginning of Indie Craft Parade, and they have proved time and again to be an indispensable resource.

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 great design make MailChimp a great tool for anybody.

For The Makers Summit, not only has MailChimp shared their monetary support, but also they're sharing their staff. We are so, so excited to have Amy Ellis, the Head of Integrations and Partnerships at MailChimp, as one of our panelists. She is truly a girl after our own hearts. Besides helping people do awesome things with their businesses everyday, Amy is a regular speaker for crafty conferences, a foster parent for her neighborhood dogs, and an ardent fan of yarn bombing (so fun!).

For The Makers Summit, Amy will be sharing her wealth of knowledge about email marketing. She understands how overwhelming it can be to step away from the hands-on projects to promote yourself, so we can't wait to hear loads of tips and practical advice from her at the conference. For a sneak peek of her genius, check out this interview as part of Unbounce's Conversation Heroes.

Thank you again, MailChimp. We love working with you and so greatly appreciate everything you do for the making community.

The gift of the Makers Summit, A perfect Christmas present

Christmas is right around the corner, and we've got an awesome idea to help you finish off your shopping list. Why not give the gift of the Makers Summit? We're gearing up to create the best one day conference in the Southeast,  and this is an amazing gift for creatives and small businesses alike. Help jumpstart or further the career of an artist, crafter, or creator by giving them the opportunity to connect with fellow creatives while learning how to start or grow his or her creative business.

But guess what!The Makers Summit isn't just for full or part time makers. We're ending the conference with an after party that's open to anyone who loves great food, crafting, and hanging out with other creative types. This will be the perfect evening for friends, couples, or anyone who just wants to learn more about the creative world.

So we have 3 gifting options:

An all-access pass for both the conference and after party for $150. The conference day pass for $100. The Greatest Craft Party Ever evening pass for $50.

So surprise someone special with this amazing gift. With your ticket purchase, we will send your recipient a specially printed invitation to the Makers Summit with all of the details for their registration.

Purchase tickets now.

Tote Bag Giveaway

Thank you so much to everyone who came out this weekend to support the Holiday Fair! We had a great crowd with over 1,300 people attending. And it was also great to make new friends in the arts district. There's some amazing talent over there. If you'd like to see more pictures of the Fair, check out our Facebook album.

Well, it's Christmastime, and we're feeling really festive today. Not to mention...We just hit 2,000 fans on Facebook, so as a thank you to all our fans, we're doing a little giveaway.

What's up for grabs: 2 of our Buy Handmade tote bags. These totes were screenprinted right here in town by Dapper Ink on fabulous Baggu bags. These totes are super sturdy and durable, and fold up into a tidy little pouch for carrying wherever you go.

How to enter: Comment on this post! Tell us what you're buying or making handmade for the holidays.

Deadline: The 2 winners will be drawn randomly and announced on Friday, Dec. 7. We'll ship the prize anywhere in the continental US.

Holiday Fair Gift Guides Part 2

We're back with more handmade suggestions for all of those people on your Christmas list.

FOR THE COLLECTOR:

For those who are always looking to add to their gallery wall.

Benediction print by Chris Koelle

Operatic Dragon print by Cory Godbey

Collage art by Emily Jeffords

Felt cactus garden from Once Again Sam

GREAT STOCKING STUFFERS:

Need just a little something for a party, gift exchange, or stocking? These artists will have items under $10.00 at their booths.

Assorted Bobbies from 17 Dove Street

Letterpress greeting cards from Quill and Arrow Press

Hand spun yarn skeins from Merciful Hearts

Locally made soaps and scrubs from The Herb Garden

Animal magnets from Juxtaposition

Two more days! See you Saturday!

All that Glitters: a special tree for the Holiday Fair!

Well, do we ever have a surprise for everyone who plans to attend the Holiday Fair! Last night the Indie Craft Parade staff had quite the crafty get together where we made over 60 handmade ornaments. (I'm not sure the glitter will ever come out of the carpet.) And guess what?! They're all going on an adorable 4 foot tree provided by our friends at We Took to the Woods. And we're going to raffle off the entire tree this Saturday at the Holiday Fair!! Check out this sneak peek at our work.

Pretty cool, huh? We'll have raffle tickets available at the event. And next week we'll even give you DIY instructions for a couple of the ornaments we made, so you can give it a try.

So if you didn't already have enough reason to attend, you can check out our beautiful tree and purchase raffle tickets to win it.

See you Saturday!

Holiday Fair Gift Guides Part 1

We're just days away from the Holiday Fair, and we can hardly hold in our excitement! We've made our shopping lists, and I want to share these ideas with you. Here are some ideas for all those special people in your life.

FOR HIM:

Know a creative guy or someone who just appreciates the cool things in life? Be sure to visit these vendors at the Holiday Fair to pick up a gift that will leave you looking awesome!

For the socially conscious guy with good taste: handprinted Toms shoes by Matt Butler.

For the guy who loves jeans: Locally printed and designed tees by Parachute Clothing.

For the Perfect Gentleman: hand sewn ties from The Cordial Churchman.

For the Man Cave: prints from Shed Labs.

For the Cycle-phile: prints by Matt Butler.

For Her:

All girls love jewelry, but not just any jewelry...something that sets them apart from the rest. We'll have quite the selection at the Holiday Fair. Plus other awesome fineries for the chicas you know.

For the bibliophile: Leather wrap bracelet from the found'ling.

For the nature girl: animal rings from Audrey Laine.

For the Explorer/Adventurer: felt fungi necklaces from Heather Keew.

For the Accessorizer: hand woven scarves from Teri Goddard.

For the Coffee/Tea Connoisseur: hand thrown and carved mugs from Rachel Feece.

Who's on your list? I guarantee we'll have something for everyone! Stay tuned for more guides.

Holiday Fair Etsy Treasury

Want a sneak peek into some of the goodies available for the Holiday Fair? Check out this Etsy treasury we made, and learn to make your own! But don't stray far. Over the next two weeks we'll have more holiday goodies to share including gift guides and details about other local partners we've picked up.

Don't Forget! School Scholarship Deadline Coming Up!

Does your child's school need funding for their art program? Well, we want to help. We've put together a $500 scholarship that any Greenville County school can apply for. Last year Brook Glenn Elementary school used some of their funds to work on ceramic clay projects that were pretty adorable.

This is from Laura, the art teacher: I just wanted to send you guys a note and say THANKS for choosing us for your scholarship.  We have been furiously making all sorts of ceramic projects since I was able to purchase massive amounts of clay and glaze (hooray!).  I wanted to send a few pictures.  Two of the pictures are of clay animals third graders have been working on (the most awesome zebra I’ve ever seen!) and one photo is of a stocked kiln room– something that makes this art teacher very happy.

Applications are open until October 31, so please let all of the art teachers in your life know about it. For the full details, check out this blog post. And for the application check here.

Indie Craft Parade Presents The Makers Summit!

For the past few months we've been working on the next big thing for Indie Craft Parade, and today we're so excited to share it with you. If you attended Indie Craft Parade this year, you may have heard a little about this already, but here's the official announcement. The Indie Craft Parade mission is to empower the creative community by cultivating a knowledge and respect of handcrafted goods while providing valuable resources to independent artists. We're always looking for ways to benefit those in our industry, which is the impetus for our very first Makers Summit. It's a one-day conference focused on art, craft, and design and jam-packed with golden information to either start or grow your small business.

Join us February 2, 2013 to learn collaboratively through panel discussions, one-on-one sessions and keynote speeches from industry experts like Stephen Fraser, founder of Spoonflower. Conference tickets are $100 and include breakfast & lunch.

Besides an incredible day of creative business sessions, we're finishing off the conference with The Best Craft Night Ever!  The Makers Summit Afterparty is a great time to mingle with both peers and experts over dinner, followed by a time of making! The party is separate from the conference and tickets can be purchased for $50.

We have so much more to tell you about the Makers Summit, so stay tuned! Our website will be updated with all of the information in the next couple of weeks. Mark your calendars!

Fast Stats: A look at Indie Craft Parade

Well, it's hard to believe it, but we are closing the books on the 2012 Indie Craft Parade festival. BUT we have so many amazing things planned for Indie Craft Parade in 2013...including a big reveal this upcoming Monday! But this year again, we've recapped our festival using a beautiful graph making site called Daytum. Got data that you need to look amazing? Check them out.

For the full set of statistics, visit our Daytum listing.

Indie craft parade in review: the goodies!

I have a final round of photos to show you today, all provided by local bloggers. We're so thankful for their support in spreading the word. Today's pictures all center on my favorite part of Indie Craft Parade---the goods we all took home. I thought my personal shopping experience was better than ever this year, and I get the feeling these bloggers would agree. Check it out.

Let's start with some of my personal loot:

Felt Bonsai by Once Again Sam

Cut metal necklace from Ashley Buchanan

Collage from Emily Jeffords

And from our blogging friends:

From Elizabeth Ramos: Clockwise from top: Screenprinted set of 4 napkins from Tiny Peepers / medium bowl from Jeanette Zeis Ceramics  / inside, three soaps from The Herb Garden, a necklace from Spectrum, and my first Finkelstein creature! / letterpressed tags from Concrete Lace / hand-lettered, letterpress cards from Ink Meets Paper  / The New Empires latest album / Tea towels by Chomp Textiles  / letterpress coasters from The Gilded Fete / Metal bangles from Lily / an extra bright Spectrum bead

I love this look from the Baintons: Tee from Parachute, skirt from So She Sews , Necklace from Once Again Sam

From Barb Blair of Knack Studio: animal place cards from the Gilded Fete

From 17 Dove Street: fiber art piece by Heather Keew / lavender hand soap by Whispering Willow/ carved porcelain bowl by Rachel Feece Pottery / fabulous figurines by The Runny Bunny

From Beautiful Spoon: Instrument postcard from Quill & Arrow Press, banjo kitchen towel from Tiny Peepers, and postcard set from Marisol Spoon.

From Oliver's Fancy: quilt and covered journals from Stitched in Color; handmade napkins from The High Fiber, and illustration sketchbook from Cory Godbey

Hope you had as much fun shopping as we all did!

The 2012 Indie Craft Parade School scholarship

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 the 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. Last year we established the Indie Craft Parade School Scholarship Program in which we donated funds to the art department of a Greenville County school. We understand that school budgets are always tight, but unfortunately it is often the fine arts programs that are the first to suffer when  funding cuts are made. It also breaks our hearts when we learn that art teachers sometimes have to pay out of pocket to supply the most basic tools like markers and crayons for their classes.

So we want to help.

Our goal is for the scholarship program to 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 2012, one scholarship of $500 will be awarded to a school in Greenville County.

Application photos from last year's winner Brook Glenn Elementary.

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.

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

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.  So let your school know about this opportunity! 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.

Indie Craft Parade in review: Hanging with the vendors

We couldn't put on a successful event without the word of mouth information that people pass around. This is why we're so thankful for the bloggers, facebook fans, and contributors to our Flickr page who share their love of indie craft with everyone else. Today I have another round of photos to share. This time we're looking at the specific work and booths of the vendors themselves. Again, all these photos are gathered from bloggers who attended our event. Thanks again, guys!

Check out more of Elizabeth's work at her shop in town! Image courtesy of Yellow Elm.

Booth of the ever lovely Emily Jeffords. Image courtesy of Beautiful Hello.

Yes we did have custom printed Toms! Booth of Matt Bulter. Image courtesy of Gap Creek Gourmet.

Fun at Ivey Handcrafted. Image courtesy of The Best Laid Plans.

The plushest, sweetest toys ever from Finklestein's Center. Image Courtesy of Liza Jane Sew.

Booth shots of Lily Pottery, Joseph Bradley, Ink Meets Paper. Image courtesy of Beautiful Hello.

Quilts and other goodness from Rachel. Image courtesy of Stitched in Color.