Indie Craft Parade in review: a look at the event

We're back! Thanks for your patience while we recouped our strength after a long crafty weekend. Now it's time to share all of the fun we had. We'd like to start with a round of thank you notes to the various bloggers who have recapped our event. They've kindly shared their pictures with us, and we'd like to share their blogs with you. If you like what you see, be sure to follow the links to their sites. You'll find a whole new realm of inspiration.

Today, we're featuring a round up of photos about the event in general. There's plenty more to come. Thanks so much to all of the bloggers who contributed!

Indie Craft Parade tee shirts, literally hot off the press. Printed at Dapper Ink. Image courtesy of Light Night Rains.

A look at the "daunting but well-worth-the-wait" line to enter the event. Image courtesy of All Mapped Out.

Entering the festival. Image courtesy of Daily Dzynmkr.

We love this slogan! Image courtesy of The Baintons.

Image courtesy of Liza Jane Sews.

Show those guns! Image courtesy of The Baintons.

Craft brewed coffee by the Vagabond Barista. Image courtesy of Ink Meets Paper.

The hustle of the lobby. Image courtesy of Oliver's Fancy.

Making cut-and-sew Hugos provided by Spoonflower Fabrics. Image courtesy of Good Morning Darling.

Fun Oh Snap! photobooth shots. Lots more of these to come. Image courtesy of Life Without TV.

Thanks for an amazing event!

Well, our third annual Indie Craft Parade was a smashing success! We had a fabulous weekend with our vendors and attendees, and we can't wait to tell you all about it. We're going to be taking a short blog break to gather all of the stats (and recover our strength) from this weekend. We'll return shortly with recaps, pictures, and many many stories about the festival.

See you soon!

What to expect at Indie Craft Parade

You might be wondering what you as an attendee can expect at Indie Craft Parade, so hopefully this post will answer all your questions!

Who is this festival intended for? The whole community! Indie Craft Parade is for anyone interested in purchasing handcrafted goods. Indie Craft Parade features the best handmade art in the Southeast from 75 independent artisans. We invite the public to attend this festival and enjoy high quality crafts, local food, live music, and getting to know the artists in their community.

When is the 2012 Indie Craft Parade? This coming weekend, September 7-9. The VIP Gala is Friday night from 6 - 9 pm and is for ticket holders only (see details here).  The rest of the festival is free admission, and is open Saturday from 9 am-6pm, and Sunday from 11 am-5 pm.

Where is the festival being held? Indie Craft Parade is held indoors at the historic Huguenot Mill in downtown Greenville, SC. The mill is located at 101 W. Broad Street, next to the Peace Center. The venue is handicapped accessible. There is street parking available, and several parking garages with easy walking distance.

Is this event family-friendly? Absolutely! Saturday and Sunday are both free admission, so bring the whole gang. If you've got small children, we suggest you leave your stroller at home if possible. The aisles are a bit narrow, and can make maneuvering a stroller a little difficult. The only time alcohol will be served is at the VIP Gala, and attendees must be 21 years or older to partake.

What type of goods can I expect to see? At Indie Craft Parade, you'll find the best handcrafted goods in a variety of categories, everything from paintings to children's toys, paper goods to jewelry, ceramic mugs to artisanal chocolate. You can get a sneak preview of some of the work by checking out blog posts like this one or this one.

Will credit cards be accepted? Maybe. This is primarily a cash event. Many of the vendors may have the ability to accept credit cards or checks, however you should be prepared to pay cash for most of the items you purchase. There is an ATM on site in case you forget your cash.

Photo by Britt Hildreth

Will I have to wait in line? It's possible. We've expanded our hours and added an extra day to better accommodate the crowds, but depending on the turnout, you may have to wait in line before you enter. Obviously, our goal is to get everyone in as soon as possible, but we do have to respect the venue's fire code. If there is a line, we'll do our best to keep it moving quickly, and aim to have everyone in within about 15 minutes. If you'd like to avoid the line, you should attend our VIP Gala!

Is there food and drink on site? Yes! We're delighted to have the offerings of several local establishments available to our attendees. You can purchase items from The Chubby Cupcake, O CHA Tea Bar,The Bavarian Pretzel Factory, and Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery on Saturday and Sunday. Our VIP Gala guests will receive complimentary food and drink from The Community Tap,Vagabond Barista, and Chef 360.

If you have any questions, please check out our FAQs. Or, leave a comment below and we'll reply!

Sponsor Feature: PayPal

We have one last amazing sponsor to tell you about: PayPal! PayPal has come on board to supply a host of tools that can make our lives and businesses better. We all know about electronic card readers. People hook them into their smart phones and tablets to get paid on the go. (I've even used an electronic reader to pay back friends). These inventions are great, and PayPal now has it's own system called PayPal Here. PayPal has the best rate on the market when you use PayPal Here. You now can accept checks, email invoices, access your funds almost immediately, and multiple people can use the account (Yay!)

When you attend Indie Craft Parade, be sure to stop by the PayPal booth to learn how they can make your financial life easier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5woIGSOLGk

VIP Gala Giveaways!

Have we told you how amazing the giveaways at our VIP Gala are going to be? Check out these sneak peeks below. Just so you know, the average value of our giveaway baskets is over $160. What a chance to win one of these baskets? Or one of our other many prizes? Get your VIP Tickets here!

Workshops Galore!

Well, we've officially entered festival week. I can't believe it's here. There's so many great things going on to finalize preparations for the event. It's going to be amazing. Come Thursday we'll be gussying up the Huguenot Mill, getting ready to welcome participating vendors, and about to make a secret reveal about the future of Indie Craft Parade (hint, hint)! But for the meantime, I've got a great show to tell you about. One of yarn makers for Indie Craft Parade is having a special event here in Greenville. This would be worth your time to check out as you get ready for a weekend packed with crafty goodness.

First, this Thursday, Sept. 6, Stacey Budge-Kamison of Urban GypZ Yarns is having a trunk show at Greenville's very own Wool Over Your Eyes--a premier retailer for all things fiber. It's sure to be a beautiful show.

And then, speaking of workshops...we still have spaces available for our workshops on Saturday. There are 5 amazing classes that will teach you a new skill and cap off your Indie Craft Parade experience perfectly. Buy tickets here.

Also, VIP Gala tickets are available for only $25. This night is going to be our best event yet!!!

If you need a reminder of what the classes are, here's what we're offering:

PAPER GARLANDS Taught by: Erin Godbey, cofounder of Indie Craft Parade and compulsive crafter Class Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am Details: Learn to make quick and easy paper garlands that will elevate the level of any event. Take home 6 foot garland perfect for a party or home decor. Ages: 12 and up Cost: $15

LINOCUT STAMP CARVING Taught by: Matt Moreau, professional printer and adventurer Class Time: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Class Details: Learn the basics of linocut carving and make custom stamp as well as your own prints Ages: 16 and up Cost: $25

FLOWER ARRANGING Taught by: Mary Campbell, creator of We Took To The Woods and nature enthusiast Class Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Class Details: Learn the foundations of floral design, and make an arrangement of your own. Ages: 16 and up Cost: $40

PINT GLASS ETCHING Taught by: Ben Alier, beverage expert and inventor of things Class Time: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm Class Details: Learn the basics of glass etching, and make 2 custom pint glasses. Ages: 16 and up Cost: $25

PAINTED WOODEN BROOCHES Taught by: Annie Koelle, fine art painter and lover of triangles Class Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Class Details: Paint a wooden brooch; learn about color pairings and aesthetics. Ages: 16 and up Cost: $15

And the vip giveaway winner is...

This event is now closed. If you're still interested in the VIP Gala, we still have some tickets available for purchase. And after I give you a few more details about the event, you're certainly going to want a ticket.

Here's what makes our VIP Gala so great:

1) Relaxed shopping atmosphere. We're expecting a very large attendance on Saturday and Sunday, which means crowded aisles and limited access to all the artists. When it comes to the variety and extent of the artists' work, Friday night is definitely the best to get it. We frequently have artists sell out of goods before the festival even ends, so if you want the best selection, get it on Friday night. 

2) Giveaways! Our artists have gone above and beyond this year in donating work to our giveaway baskets. We have 15 baskets assembled---each one is worth over $100. Some are worth almost $200. The lucky winners of these baskets will be going home with a lot of loot. Besides the baskets, we're also giving away around 100 other items that evening. Both Lark Crafts and MailChimp (Yes, thank you sponsors!) have generously donated crafting books and swag for attendees to take home.

3) Free Food and Drink. We've received the menu from our amazing caterer, Chef 360, and the food is going to be out of this world. The incredibly talented Chef Peter has worked up quite the menu for us---As artful as it is tasty. He's hinted at pork sliders and lo mein shooters on the menu...and something really amazing he's making from Krispy Kreme donuts. Not to mention, we have a special appearance from The Vagabond Barista---who'll delight us with some of the latest trends in coffee brewing. Will Schurtz will brew specialty coffee to order for our attendees, and his techniques are unparalleled for enjoying your coffee. Additionally, a variety of beverages will be provided by The Community Tap.

4) Live Music from Regional Band: The New Empires. We've secured The New Empires for entertainment on Friday night. Their fun, indie tunes are sure to round out the evening perfectly!

It's not too late. Get your tickets here!

Sponsor Feature: TALK Magazine

TALK Magazine is Indie Craft Parade's premier media provider for this year's event, and we're very thankful to have them on board. TALK is a notable resource for the Upstate on fashionable living and trendy events. So if you ever need to know where to go or what to do in our area, make TALK your go-to source. To learn more, check out their online site.

Sponsor Feature: Spoonflower Fabrics

We've recently joined forces with yet another amazing sponsor---Spoonflower Fabrics. If you're a crafty soul, and you've never heard about Spoonflower, then I am about to make your day. Spoonflower is a specialty fabric provider---and get this---you can actually design and print your own fabric. Yes, you heard me right. You can design your own fabric. No more looking at a project and getting frustrated because you can't find the perfect fabric. Now you can get perfectly customized fabric in a variety of weights.

From their website: Spoonflower was founded in May 2008 by two Internet geeks who had crafty wives but who knew nothing about textiles. The company came about because Stephen’s wife, Kim, persuaded him that being able to print her own fabric for curtains was a really cool idea. She wasn’t alone. The Spoonflower community now numbers over half a million individuals who use their own fabric to make curtains, quilts, clothes, bags, furniture, dolls, pillows, framed artwork, costumes, banners and much, much more. The Spoonflower marketplace offers the largest collection of independent fabric designers in the world. The site has appeared in the New York Times, Associated Press, Vogue, Martha Stewart Weddings, Make, CRAFT, ApartmentTherapy, Photojojo, and many other terrific publications and blogs.

So we pretty much think Spoonflower is amazing. Besides the ability to make your own fabric, you can choose from hundreds of pre-made designs...most of which are gorgeous. Spoonflower also has resources like cut and sew patterns and a blog dedicated to DIY sewing projects.

And we're thrilled about this...for Indie Craft Parade this year, Spoonflower is donating a significant number of cut and sew Hugos (our elephant mascot)! People who attend our event can make and take home their own plush Hugos. It's going to be amazing.

So thank you, Spoonflower! We think we've got quite a future together.

VIP Gala Ticket Giveaway!

Alright, everybody! It's that time for us to give away 2 VIP tickets to a lucky winner. We're so excited about this year's VIP Gala, so this is a giveaway worth participating in.

The VIP Gala is your best chance to get to know the artists and get first dibs on their work. As Indie Craft Parade is such a heavily attended event, the Gala allows you to avoid the crowds of Saturday and Sunday. Not to mention the other great perks for attending Friday night: free food and drinks from some of our favorite local establishments and a host of fabulous giveaways. Food will be provided by Chef 360, drinks from Community Tap, and a coffee bar by The Vagabond Barista. This is also the night to win giveaways — baskets of handmade goods straight from our vendors' booths. We'll also have live music that evening, so come and enjoy it.

The VIP Gala will be held on Friday, September 7 from 6 to 9 pm at the Huguenot Mill in downtown Greenville, SC. This ticketed event kicks off the festival weekend and helps support our artists and the mission of Indie Craft Parade. Check out the full details on our website!

So, how do you get these 2 free tickets? Simply leave a comment on this post, and you'll be entered to win! The winner will be announced a week from today, on Friday, August 31.

Don't want to take your chances? You can purchase VIP Gala tickets here and be guaranteed a place at the party!

COMMENTS FOR THIS POST ARE NOW CLOSED

Workshop Tickets now on sale!

Last week we spilled the exciting news that you can learn a new skill from the experts at this year's festival. We've gathered some of the best teachers we know, and now you can sign up to work with them. We're hosting 5 workshops on Saturday, September 8. See below for the times, costs, and details of the classes. Click here to purchase. PAPER GARLANDS Taught by: Erin Godbey, cofounder of Indie Craft Parade and compulsive crafter Class Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am Details: Learn to make quick and easy paper garlands that will elevate the level of any event. Take home 6 foot garland perfect for a party or home decor. Ages: 12 and up Cost: $15

Purchase Paper Garland Class Ticket

LINOCUT STAMP CARVING Taught by: Matt Moreau, professional printer and adventurer Class Time: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Class Details: Learn the basics of linocut carving and make custom stamp as well as your own prints Ages: 16 and up Cost: $25

Purchase Linocut Class Ticket

FLOWER ARRANGING Taught by: Mary Campbell, creator of We Took To The Woods and nature enthusiast Class Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Class Details: Learn the foundations of floral design, and make an arrangement of your own. Ages: 16 and up Cost: $40

Purchase Flower Arranging Class Ticket

PINT GLASS ETCHING Taught by: Ben Alier, beverage expert and inventor of things Class Time: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Class Details: Learn the basics of glass etching, and make 2 custom pint glasses. Ages: 16 and up Cost: $25

Purchase Pint Glass Etching Class Ticket

PAINTED WOODEN BROOCHES Taught by: Annie Koelle, fine art painter and lover of triangles Class Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Class Details: Paint a wooden brooch; learn about color pairings and aesthetics. Ages: 16 and up Cost: $15

Purchase Painted Brooch Ticket

Sponsor Feature: Chef 360

This past week we had the fun experience of meeting with Peter Collins, the mastermind behind Chef 360 and our caterer for the VIP Gala. At a luncheon tasting, Chef Peter delighted us with both his creative dishes and his larger than life personality. Our stomachs full of treats such as pork tenderloin sliders and house made hummus and pitas, we knew asking Chef to put the finishing touches on our VIP Gala was one of our best ideas. Chef Peter will certainly make the VIP Gala an evening to remember. Beside providing creative, delicious hors d'oeuvres, Chef is bringing a few creative surprises to top off the event (hint: he's mentioned something about face painting for dessert...).

We're so excited and thankful to have him on board with our event. For more details about his catering services, be sure to check out the Chef 360 website. Chef Peter also hosts cooking classes--I can't even imagine how much fun those must be.

Calling all Volunteers!

We've been lucky every year to have an amazing crew of volunteers. Want to join us?

We need festival volunteers! Volunteer shifts will be 4-5 hours, and duties will involve admitting attendees, assisting vendors, passing out programs, etc. We need volunteers during the festival at the following times: Friday, Sept. 7 (8 am - 9 pm)Saturday, Sept. 8 (9 am - 6 pmSunday, Sept. 9 (11 am to 5 pm). 

We also need volunteers before the event to help us put up posters and distribute stacks of postcards. We'll be meeting this Saturday, August 18th at 10 am at the corner of Main St. and Broad St. (in front of The Peace Center) to canvas downtown Greenville. Can't come then but still want to help out? If you'd like to pick up some posters and postcards and distribute them on your own time, just let us know! Our goal is to distribute 300 posters and 10,000 postcards by the end of next week, so we need your help!

Email us at info@indiecraftparade.com and let us know what how you'd like to be involved!

New at Indie Craft Parade: Workshops!

We're always thinking of ways to make our festival more enjoyable, so we cannot wait to introduce this new part of Indie Craft Parade for the 2012 event. For the first time, we're hosting workshops throughout the day on Saturday, September 8. These classes will be taught by local artists and cover a range of mediums. There will be 5 classes from morning to late afternoon on Saturday, including:

paper garland making flower arranging linocut carving brooch painting pint glass etching

Each class can accommodate 10 to 15 people, and will cost between $15 and $40. Tickets will be available for purchase 2 weeks before the event and sold in a first come first serve manner.

So stay tuned! We've got so much more to tell you about these workshops. If you're interested in knowing more about the workshops, or if you want to know when tickets go on sale, sign up for the notification email, and we'll be sure to remind you about all the goodness to come.

Sponsor Feature: Vagabond Barista

We've got a real treat for any coffee lovers at this year's event. Will Shurtz founder of the Vagabond Barista is setting up his mobile coffee bar as one of our sponsors and food vendors. He'll be donating his services for the VIP Gala event (in case you need yet another reason to attend), and he'll also be among our food vendors on Saturday and Sunday of the event.

After working as a local barista for the past 3 years, Will realized a gap in Greenville's coffee/breakfast culture, namely that precious few places brewed coffee using methods such as siphon and chemex brews, and you certainly wouldn't be able to find anything this specialized at local events. Besides making one seriously good cup of joe, Will is a coffee guru. He has a deep knowledge about the beans he's serving, and he only sources coffees that are top quality from planting to roasting.

Will currently brews for various events about town. You can contact him via Facebook or Twitter if you're interested in having at your next event. Otherwise, you can visit him at Cowork Greenville where he's brewing on a weekly basis. The processes through which he makes cups of coffee are both beautiful and delicious. We're so excited to introduce yet another handcrafted element of Indie Craft Parade.

Behind the scenes of indie craft parade: why greenville?

Within the past decade, there has been a rebirth of the handmade, DIY ethic. Now in cities across the nation you can find huge communities of part-time and professional artists, as well as a population of non-artists willing to support them. Three years ago we saw this trend developing in places like San Francisco, Brooklyn, Austin, and Portland and decided we needed to bring it to Greenville, South Carolina. photo by Mike Burton

Why Greenville? It certainly doesn't have the population of a large city, and South Carolina as a whole doesn't necessarily have the reputation as a trend setting state. Nonetheless, our little city has caught the attention of many outsiders. Within the past year, Greenville has been listed among Forbes' "best downtowns" and CNN's "fastest growing cities." Greenville has even impressed the New York Times,which has taken note of our developments. On top of that, Greenville for many years has boasted a thriving fine art community.

We've lived and worked in Greenville for a number of years, fell in love with the city and all it has to offer, and decided that it would be the perfect location for an Indie art fair--just like all those big creative cities.

We frequently get asked if Indie Craft Parade is part of a franchise or a larger national craft fair. We're so happy to reply--no! Indie Craft Parade is an independent event, created specifically for the city we love. Most of our sponsors and nearly all of our volunteers come from right here in the Upstate. And while we invite people from our surrounding states to visit our event, even our attendees hail mostly from here.

We're so thankful to be going into our third year as Indie Craft Parade--so thankful to the people in our town for supporting us! And we think it's pretty awesome that Indie Craft Parade is making a contribution to the national crafting movement.

"Love Greenville" tee created by Indie Craft Parade vendor Parachute Clothing

VIP Gala tickets now on sale!

Get 'em while they're hot! Your ticket guarantees you an evening of relaxed shopping, great food, and a chance to win gift baskets from our artists. Food and drink will be provided by Chef 360 and the Vagabond Barista. Keep checking back with us to learn more details about this fabulous evening.

Tickets are already going fast, so make sure you reserve your spot! We hope to see you there!

Sponsor Feature: BuySellAds

We're so thankful for all of the companies that donate goods and services to make Indie Craft Parade possible. However, there are a few that go above and beyond in their contributions--one of which we want to introduce today. I'm referring to BuySellAds.com, a company that can help you wade through the confusion of online advertising. BuySellAds is a hassle free way to either increase the amount of people who advertise with you or to find the best means to tell others about your business. Whether you're a small business, a large corporation, a developing blog, or a event (like us!), BuySellAds has a solution for you. Not only does BuySellAds have plans within a variety of price ranges, but also they provide great support for their customers. They're a team of real people ready to answer your questions about where and how to advertise. They also have help topics and fun infographics (like the one below), to help you learn more about the online advertising industry.

Thank you BuySellAds for all you do support the creative community!

Announcing the 2012 VIP Gala!

After the smashing success of last year's VIP Opening Gala, we decided the 2012 event would not be complete without another one. We're so very excited to share all of the details with you.

On Saturday and Sunday, September 8 & 9, Indie Craft Parade is free and open to the public. With the fabulous vendors, great food, and fun atmosphere, those days attract hundreds of people per hour. So we've created an exclusive event that gives a limited number of attendees a first look at the amazing goods for sale. On Friday night, September 7 from 6 to 9 PM, ticket holders will be able to not only enjoy the relaxed shopping atmosphere, but also enjoy complimentary food and drink as well as live music and a chance to win gift baskets provided by participating artists.

We received rave reviews about the event last year, and we believe that this year's party will be even better. Tickets will go on sale August 1--less than 10 days away. We expect  the passes to sell quickly, so be sure to put the sale dates on your calendar. To learn more about the event, see more photos, or be notified of when tickets go on sale, visit the VIP Gala page of our website. We hope to see you there!

Food and Drink will provided by these amazing sponsors!

Some Fine Print from our website:

Tickets will be sold online in a first come, first serve manner beginning August 1st at 10am. At the event, ticket confirmations must be presented at the door.

Tickets include admission for only one person. Children cannot be included on an adult's ticket. Tickets only apply to the Friday night event — Saturday and Sunday are free admission and open to the public.

A selection of wine and beers will be included in the menu. You must be 21 or older and present a valid ID to drink.

Sponsor Feature: MailChimp

The closer we get to the main event, the more we want to tell you about the people who make the festival possible. Today, I want to share all the goodness of MailChimp with you. If you're a business owner, event coordinator, or leader of any group that takes a lot of communication, MailChimp could be an indispensable tool for you.

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.

We at Indie Craft Parade have used MailChimp to organize our newsletters and campaigns for the past few years, and we're so happy to say they've joined forces with us this year. The generous donations of this creative company truly makes it possible for us to continue putting on the high caliber event we give Greenville each year. We're so thankful that MailChimp supports the creative community!