Join us for the Etsy Global Craft Party!!

Indie Craft Parade is co-hosting the Greenville branch of Etsy's second global craft party. This Friday, June 10, people all over the world will gather for a evening of spontaneous creating. If you live in the Greenville area, please join us for the party. We'll be meeting from 7:00 to 10:00 at Dapper Ink, located at 207 Wade Hampton Blvd, Greenville, SC 29609. Bring a your own craft to work on and a snack or drink to share. Please RSVP at the Indie Craft Parade Facebook Page.

Check out the stats from last year. This is from the etsy blog:

It's time to celebrate! Last year's first-ever global Craft Party was so much fun, we've decided to orchestrate it again this year on Friday, June 10, 2011. No matter where you live or what you love to make, you are invited to participate. Musicians, painters, sculptors, photographers, farmers, hackers, gardeners, designers, jewelers, bookbinders, printmakers, teachers, makers and doers of all stripes, as well as art enthusiasts, curators, vintage lovers and supporters of the independently made, we're calling on you! We challenge you to meet your neighbors and come together to make something surprising.

Last year, over 5,000 people participated in over 500 meetups from Dallas to Romania, and this year our goal is for over 15,000 people to share in the spirit of Craft Party.

Advertise with Us!

One of Indie Craft Parade's goals is to serve our greater community. We want to help you tell the world about your business, and we can do that by offering advertising space on our blog. Since its beginning last year, the Indie Craft Parade website has had over 20,000 visitors, and we expect that number to sharply increase during our second year. We're offering competitive pricing and great exposure for your company--so click on the image below to get more information and see how advantageous this opportunity can be!  

icp_blog_advertising

Now Accepting Applications!

We are now accepting applications for this year's Indie Craft Parade! All regional artists and crafters are encouraged to submit their work for consideration. Applications must be submitted before midnight EST on June 19, 2011. Our application process is completely online this year, and is much more streamlined and user-friendly.  A huge thank you to Duo Interactive, a local web design team that donated this wonderful feature. Click here to apply!

Join us for a special film screening!

UPDATE:Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the Handmade Nation screening! We thoroughly enjoyed the discussion after the film, and it was wonderful to meet some new friends.

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Hopefully by now you've seen the posters around town or heard the news on our Facebook page, but in case you missed the announcement, we are very excited to be hosting a special screening of the independent documentary, Handmade Nation! The showing is TONIGHT, so please reserve your tickets now! After the film, there will be a short discussion and we'll share what's new this year for Indie Craft Parade.

Handmade Nationdocuments the new wave of art, craft and design that is capturing the attention of the nation. It is the feature film debut of director, author, artist and curator Faythe Levine. Levine traveled to 15 cities and covered more than 19,000 miles to interview artists, crafters, makers, curators and community members.

Director Faythe Levine captured the tightly knit community that exists through websites, blogs, and online stores that connect to the greater public through independent boutiques, galleries and craft fairs. Interviews were conducted on-location in artist studios, homes, boutiques, offices and craft fairs, giving the public an exclusive and rarely seen look into the lives of these creative individuals. This screening is hosted by Indie Craft Parade in collaboration with Greenville Forward and The Warehouse Theater. Join us on Tuesday, May 31 at 6:30 pm; admission is $10 and space is limited! Reserve your tickets online here, or by calling 864-233-8443.

Our vision for Greenville

Last year people kept telling us how happy they were an event like this had come to Greenville, SC. And we were a little puzzled when many of them asked us when Indie Craft Parade would be back in Greenville--as if it had originated somewhere else. Now, their questions were certainly valid. Frequently craft fairs will move from location to location on a rotating basis, and if you're lucky enough to be close by, you can attend. But we want to make it very clear that Indie Craft Parade is different. We created and maintain this event as something unique to our city. We love Greenville and want to encourage growth in the local and regional art scene from right here in our hometown. Although we love the fact that we're contributing to the national movement of emerging artists, independent crafters, and small business owners, we've decided to put our best efforts here at home. And we hope to make a lasting impression in our special city.

What we've been up to

Even before we packed up our goods from the first Indie Craft Parade last September, we began planning the second event. A party this big takes a lot of prep and coordination, and we've been working on a few tricks to make this year's event even better than the first.Let me share a little of what we've been scheming:

1) We've applied to become an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization. This not only opens us to a broader range of sponsorships, but also (and more importantly) it will help us give back to our own arts community. As Indie Craft Parade grows, we want to use our proceeds to benefit the art programs of local schools. We want kids to continue the rich tradition of arts and crafts that has flourished over the past few years, and Indie Craft Parade can really help encourage that end. If you want to assist us giving back, please review our sponsorship opportunities.

2) We've expanded our organizational team into an official board of directors and assembled a new jury for this year's event. We called on the help of long standing friends, art professionals, and members of Greenville's art community to assist with the planning and selection process for the Second Annual Indie Craft Parade. These individuals have all influenced Greenville's art scene and have graciously partnered with us to find the Southeast's best artists for our event. Don't worry...we'll introduce them and their fabulous work in later posts.

3) We keep crafting. In the months since Indie Craft Parade, we have yet to put our tools down. We don't just organize this event, we actually participate in and attend similar festivals around the Southeast. We've had so much fun connecting with vendors at regional fairs such as The Big Crafty,Indie Craft Experience, and Crafty Feast, and we hope to see lots of the friends we've made take part in our event as well.

Thanks for joining us!

Welcome to the official blog of Indie Craft Parade! It's hard to believe that in a few short months our second annual event will be in full swing. We're in the midst of all the planning, and have created a blog for sharing all the wonderful details along the way.

We'll introduce you to the amazing people such as our jury, organizers, and sponsors who make this event possible. You'll also have a chance to preview a lot of the work that will be on display at Indie Craft Parade through our artist spotlights. (You'll have a shopping list ready by September for sure!) Plus, we're developing a whole section of tips and tidbits for emerging crafters. We'lll share secrets of the trade from veteran crafters and small business owners and discuss topics like creating a successful booth display and how to better sell your work. Also, expect some fun posts about crafting trends, upcoming events, and a few DIY projects for when you need a little inspiration.

Thanks for coming along for the ride!