Furniture Makeovers Blog Tour and Giveaway!

We're so excited to be the next stop on the Furniture Makovers blog tour. And we're particularly proud of the woman who made it possible---our hometown girl, Barb Blair of Knack Studios. Not only is Barb an indispensable part of the Greenville, SC arts community, but also she is a long time friend of Indie Craft Parade. Since our beginning Barb has served as both a board and jury member, lending her wisdom and advice. This past February Barb contributed to our very first Makers Summit by serving on a panel session giving advice to young businesses and creative startups. We can't say enough about how she's helped make our organization a success.

But we're here to talk about Barb's personal work:

What started as a kitchen cabinet makeover, slowly and organically grew into the full blown furniture design business that Knack is today. Barb has created a name for herself through her furniture makeovers with designs that are original, fresh, playful, and full of character.

It's been five years since Barb started her endeavor as an entrepreneur, and now, she's launched a book---a great book! With gorgeous photos, thoughtful tutorials, before and afters, helpful resources, and tons of inspiration, this is one you need to add to your collection. The best part is that Barb has something in here for everyone. Whether you're a newbie, wanting to try your hand at repurposing furniture for the first time, or an old pro, looking to expand your style, Furniture Makeovers will help you create something beautiful.

Next time you visit Greenville make a point to visit Barb's studio and retail space. Not only will you see her work for sale, but also you'll find paper, home, and kitchen goodies that you probably can't live without. Can't make it to her space? Check out Barb's online store.

 THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

GIVEAWAY!

Now for the super exciting part...we're giving away a special book & tote set, thanks to Chronicle Books. You could be the lucky recipient of a signed copy of Furniture Makeovers and accompanying tote bag...yes you! All you have to do is check out Barb's online furniture store and tell us which piece is your favorite. Leave your thoughts in the comments below. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted on Wednesday, July 24. This giveaway will ship anywhere in the USA.

Good Luck!

Photos by Barb Blair and J. Aaron Greene, used with permission from Chronicle Books.

Featured Sponsor: TOWN Magazine

 Our media sponsors play a key role in helping us spread the word about Indie Craft Parade. Today, we're introducing one of these valuable partners: TOWN Magazine. What we love about TOWN is their focus on finding and showcasing Greenville's talent, whether it be in the realm of food, music or art. Flip through the most recent issue of TOWN and you'll read about Greenville makers, including several of our own Indie Craft Parade alumni. You'll also learn about the revitalization happening in Greenville's art district, new restaurants to try, and so many other things we love.

TOWN helps highlight small businesses and entrepreneurs, and they do it well. Their focus on quality photography, layouts and writing make all the difference.

In February, when we hosted The Makers Summit, we assembled gift baskets for our out of town speakers. We wanted to include a copy of TOWN alongside other Greenville goodies, to introduce our guests to Greenville. Until then, we didn't realize exactly how many other people love TOWN Magazine too! We had to visit three separate locations to find the handful of issues needed for our baskets.

So next time you see a copy of TOWN, pick it up before it's gone! You'll be excited to learn about all the amazing things happening in Greenville, and you might just see someone you met at Indie Craft Parade!

Indie Craft Parade Visits NYC

As many of you know from our Facebook page or Instagram feeds, the staff at Indie Craft Parade took a brief hiatus last weekend to the big city. For a long time now we've been watching the success of long standing craft shows like Renegade Craft, so we decided to attend the fair hosted in Brooklyn. We're always fans of people or organizations who contribute to the modern craft scene, and we try to attend shows whenever possible. Our treks have been fairly local, however---Atlanta, Columbia, Asheville, etc.---so the prospect of attending a huge festival was quite exciting. Showing our excitement in the Renegade Photo Booth.

So, with a date on the calendar we saved up our pennies, begged a couple days off work, kissed our husbands goodbye, and made the most of our time in New York. Although the trip centered on visiting the artists at Renegade, we did have a couple of days on either side of the festival...and did we ever fill them with the most wonderful things. Our game plan was to visit or learn about as many arts and craft locations as possible. We wanted to know how other people organize their festivals, storefronts, or studios with hopes of making our endeavors here in Greenville even better.

We'd like to share with you a little bit about our trip---highlights of who we visited, what we saw, and how we're planning on making the Indie Craft Events better than ever!

Day 1: We hit the ground running as soon as we landed. After checking into a cute apartment in Greenpoint Brooklyn, we headed to Manhattan to check out studios and supply stores. The highlight of the day, by far, was getting a tour of the Lower Eastside Printshop. This is a collaborative space where artists can either learn new mediums or rent studio equipment to further their own body of work.

One of two giant communal studios.

The printmaking equipment, particularly the screen printing setup is some of the best we've ever seen.

Day 2: Renegade Craft Fair! In the very warm summer sun we perused 300 artists along with 20,000 other people for 6 very long hours. We took our time and saw EVERYTHING. We only stopped to cool ourselves with frozen treats and make new friends from the awesome website Kollabora. If you don't know this site, then you really should. It's a community based site that's meant to find or share crafting projects. Here you can post what you're working on, learn new skills that will make your projects easier, and connect with other makers you share your passion. It's a super great resource.

Getting ready to enter the fair.

A single row of tents.

Checking out an embroidery artist.

Day 3: We headed back to Manhattan. Since most offices and studios were closed for the weekend, we spent the day wandering the coolest shops in New York. Two of our favorite stops were Best Made Company and Purl Soho.

Best Made...the home of wonderfully handcrafted or in-house designed goods for men...and where we picked up treats for the husbands.

Purl Soho...yarn, felt, and fabric heaven.

We found a Hugo lookalike project!

Day 4: After finding a pie shop for breakfast (this was an amazing food trip, by the way), we headed to the corporate office of Etsy. We got a tour of the offices and Etsy Labs and were delighted to find that the Etsy office was basically one giant DIY project--everything from vertical pocket gardens to crocheted ventilation pipes to quilted room dividers and even a tech conference room that looks like a space station.

Our last big stop before heading home was at Tattly, an innovative company that produces design-y temporary tattoos. We had a great meeting with the staff, and we've got a fun collaboration coming up...details to follow.

Well, that's a brief look at our trip. Thanks for joining us! We're back in Greenville and more excited than ever for the upcoming festival!

All the applications are in, which means this weekend our jury has the heavy task of deciding who will be in the show. Check back in next week to see the vendors. We can guarantee you're going to be excited about who'll be there.

Etsy Global Craft Party

It's time for another Etsy Global Craft Party, this time hosted by our local South Carolina Etsy Team!

If you aren't familiar with the Global Craft Party idea, the goal is to get people around the world making things 'together'. This year's party is happening next week, on June 20, from 6-8pm.

Etsy explains the idea for us: In a nutshell, Craft Party is a celebration of meeting and making, of creativity and community. It’s a time to meet your neighbors and share a creative skill. It’s a time to have fun and party down with your favorite craft supply in hand.

Our local Etsy Team will be hosting next week's party, and if you have an Etsy shop or are thinking about setting one up, you'll want to meet the ladies behind the team! Not only can they answer your Etsy questions, they regularly post helpful resources and links in the Etsy Discussion Forums, so be sure to check them out.

They describe the Greenville Etsy Craft Party as: a casual get-together where you can bring your own craft(s) to work on with other local crafty peeps! We'll also have a craft supply swap (bring some supplies to trade/leave in order to take some new ones home) and shop critiques at the Greenville event!

Here are the details:

Date: June 20, 2013 Time: 6-8 pm Place: Oriskany Glass Studio, 1112 Rutherford Rd Bring: your own craft to work on, craft supplies for trading RSVP here.

The good news is that even if you're not in the area, chances are there's still an Etsy Craft Party near you. Visit the Craft Party site to find your local party!

The Haberdash Fox

Have you heard of The Haberdash Fox? Well, you're in for a treat.

The Haberdash Fox is "a collection of the best menswares on Etsy." In short, they scour Etsy for the most amazing handmade and vintage men's goods and then share their best finds. All the hard work of digging through endless pages is done, and the curated collection is a dream to browse.

The creators of The Haberdash Fox (our super cool friends, Marco Suarez and Mason Stewart), have made something incredibly wonderful and completely new. It's not a shop that sellers must pay a fee to list their goods, nor do they take a cut of any sales. It's a labor of love, a desire to share quality vintage and unique handmade goods for men and to connect people with the makers and finders of those items. If you are interested in purchasing an item you see on The Haberdash Fox, you are directed back to the original Etsy listing, and can complete the transaction as usual.

The collection changes quite often, so check back for new items weekly. It's not too late to shop for Father's Day! If you want to get Dad a gift he'll really love, choose something from The Haberdash Fox. This is one to bookmark, a perfect resource anytime you need to shop for the guy in your life (or if you're a guy, to shop for yourself!).

The Haberdash Fox showcases a trend we've been loving: the growing presence of men in the indie craft scene, and the ever-increasing market for unique, high quality men's goods. Guys are joining the modern craft movement, which used to be primarily a girl's club. We've seen more males exhibiting and shopping at our festival every year, and we are delighted to play a small part in spreading the belief that handmade art is for everyone.

Are you a dude who makes awesome things, or do you know someone who is? Apply for the 2013 Indie Craft Parade festival!All the details are here; applications are open through June 23. Of course, ladies are welcome to apply as well!

Furniture Makeovers Launch Party

We'll be introducing our 2013 jury very soon, but in the meantime, we want to share and celebrate a huge accomplishment by one of our previous jury members and a longtime supporter, Barb Blair. We select each Indie Craft Parade jury member because of their involvement in the Greenville art scene as well as their contribution to the creative community at large. We think these folks have a lot to offer, so we're thrilled when they get recognized well beyond the scope of our city. This weekend, Barb will be celebrating the release of her first book, Furniture Makeovers, with a book party at her studio. The celebration starts Friday at 5pm, complete with amazing freebies for the first 100 guests in the door! Check out all the event details here.

If you're not familiar with Barb or her work, she specializes in redeeming found goods and furniture, often giving discarded pieces new life. More about the book from Chronicle:

Furniture Makeovers shows how to transform tired furniture into stunning showpieces. You’ll never look at a hand-me-down dresser the same way again! The book offers 26 easy-to-follow techniques that can be applied to all different types of pieces, from bookshelves to desks: painting, applying gold leaf, wallpapering, distressing, dip dyeing, and more. In addition to the core techniques, author and Knack Studios founder Barb Blair shares 30 beautiful before-and-after makeovers from her studio and outlines how to achieve each look. With helpful step-by-step photographs, a visual glossary explaining all the tools and materials needed, and a lovely contemporary aesthetic, Furniture Makeovers is a treasure trove of ideas and instruction for the home decorator.

Join us at Knack Studios this Friday to see Barb's work in person and celebrate with one of Greenville's many creative entrepreneurs!

Craft night workshops hosted by the SC Etsy street team

Listen up, South Carolina Etsy Shops! There is a special event, just for you, organized by the SC Etsy Street Team. On April 27 in Greenville, SC and on May 11 in Charleston, SC, the Etsy Street team will be hosting workshops to benefit fellow Etsy shops. Each Craft Night Workshop is an opportunity to network, learn some ways to improve your shop, see a product photography demonstration, and make an awesome craft! On top of that, food and beverages will be provided, and the whole thing is free! Simply register in order to attend. (Don't forget this part.)

Also, to get more information about the event, pop over to the Etsy Team Page and check out the Discussion Thread. And don't foget, if you decide to attend, make best use of this opportunity. Be ready to discuss your shop. Find out the successes and difficulties of fellow shop keepers. And of course, come armed with business cards to trade with other attendees. You don't want to forget all of those cool people you're going to meet (and vice versa).

South Carolina etsy street team

Did you know that there's a local network of etsy sellers that you can get involved with? Whether you want to learn to better present and sell your own crafts or just make connections with other local makers, the South Carolina Etsy Street Team has something to offer everyone. Led by our friends Jessica Sharp and Brooke Jones, the SC Street Team's goal is to help improve members' Etsy shops and business practices through discussions, meetups, mentoring, shop critiques, team promotions, and information sharing.

A treasury of handmade goods by Street Team members.

They just finished their 2013 Team Survey, the results of which can be found here. The survey results will help Jessica and Brooke guide the team for the year. They've informed us that they'll be making some exciting changes soon, like adding regional leaders to help team members outside of the Upstate feel more connected and engaged. They're also hosting a series of craft night workshops with opportunities for networking and mentoring.  The workshops will help participants improve upon skills like photography, product styling, pricing for profit, and other important issues for crafters. (Stay updated on these workshops via Twitter.)

The Street Team might hold some exciting potential for your Etsy shop. To learn more about the Team or to get involved yourself, check out their page on Etsy's website.

Holiday Event you don't want to miss: December First Fridays, Kid Art show, and Joey Bradley Heirloom and ornament show

If you're weren't able to attend our Holiday Fair (or even if you did), here are a couple of great art events that are taking place this weekend. Tomorrow is the first Friday of the month, which means it's another great night for an art crawl. Studios up and down the streets of West Greenville will be open to the public, and two of our food favorites---Neue Southern and Asada---will be there to make it a party! In conjunction with the December First Fridays is a fabulous show (AND GIVEAWAY) by one of our long time artist friends--Joey Bradley. Joey has exhibited at Indie Craft Parade for the past two years, and we're continually amazed with the beauty of his work. At this event he'll be doing two giveaways, so be sure to check out the details on his Facebook page and attend the event for a chance to win some amazing fine art.

And to finish things off for tomorrow evening on Pendleton Street, you have to check out a show that will steal your heart. It's the annual Kid Art Show, featuring 5 young artists. The show will be hosted at the photography studio of Jeff Hall, Aaron Green, and Christine LeGrand. Here is a video from last year's show!

http://vimeo.com/14185061

Edit: Another great event we almost forgot to mention is the Art Bomb Luminary Christmas Show! The Art Bomb is a shared artist studio located just down the road from Joey Bradley and the Kid Art Show, at 1320 Pendleton Street. To find it, just follow the luminaries lining Pendleton Street. You can't miss it!

2012 Scholarship Winner!

Thank you to all of the teachers who applied for the 2012 Indie Craft Parade Scholarship Program. We received some really great applications from schools around the Greenville area. And as always, we wish we could help every single one of them. But we're happy to announce that this year's winner of the scholarship is Gateway Elementary School in Traveler's Rest. Joanne, the school's art teacher, shared with us that her classes are the only creative outlet for many of her students, who don't typically have access to art supplies at home. Also because of severe budgeting, her own program is lacking in many resources. We're so happy that we were able to more than double her yearly budget with our scholarship.

We can't wait to see what great things her students will produce. And we're looking forward to sharing that with you in the near future!

Indie Craft Parade Holiday Fair: The official details

What: Indie Craft Parade Holiday Fair When: Saturday December 1, 10 am – 5 pm Where: A smaller, more intimate venue in the Pendleton Street Arts District Artisan Traders, 1274 Pendleton Street, Greenville, SC 29611

We're less than a month away from our first annual Christmas event, and we're getting ready to celebrate a handmade holiday! Please share the word with friends, family, and anyone else you know who would love Indie Craft Parade.

New Venue! For our smaller, one day event, please note the change in venue from the Huguenot Mill. Here's a map to the new location.

We're so excited about all of the artists who are on board for the show. Here they are!

2D

Emily Jeffords Cory Godbey Shed Labs Chris Koelle

3D

Rachel Feece Pottery

Fiber Arts

Heather Keew Merciful Hearts Farm Once Again Sam Teri Goddard Handweaving Heartfelt

To Wear

17 Dove Street found*ling Hand Printed by Matt Butler Fox to the Opera Parachute The Cordial Churchman Audrey Laine Jewelry 

Paper Goods

Quill and Arrow Press The Gilded Fete Royal Buffet

Everything Else

canoo juxtaposition The Herb Garden The Chubby Cupcake Annie Koelle

**We're not joking about helping us spread the word. We've got stacks of postcards ready to share. Please email jen@indiecraftparade.com if you'd like some to put out at your work, school, local coffee shop or anywhere else.

The Makers Summit

Registration for The Makers Summit is now open!

Check out TheMakersSummit.com to purchase tickets, see the schedule , and meet our amazing speakers.

All the details are there, but here's a brief run-down:

What: A one-day conference for the art, craft, and design world.

When & Where: February 2, 2013 in Greenville, SC

Who should attend: Any creative individual who wants to start or grow their businesses.

What is the cost: Conference tickets are $100 and include breakfast and lunch. Our evening event, The Best Craft Party Ever, will feature an amazing supper followed by a time of crafting, and is $50 to attend.

Head over to see all the wonderful details!

Greenville Open Studios 2012 this weekend

Many of you probably work or live right around the corner from a Greenville artist, and you don’t even know it. Local artists don’t always work out of galleries or official studios, which is why you should take advantage of Greenville’s annual Open Studios. This event not only gives the community a chance to meet more of Greenville’s artists but also to tour their work spaces, to get to know their processes, and to connect on a more personal level. Open Studios is THIS WEEKEND! Saturday, November 3, 10am – 6pm & Sunday, November 4, Noon – 6pm. A few artists are even open on Friday evening.

About Greenville Open Studios from the Metropolitan Arts Council: Now in its eleventh year, Greenville Open Studios began as an idea cast about during a casual conversation between a small group of artists several years ago; they discussed doing something to raise awareness in the greater community of the tremendous creative energy in the area. The idea has evolved into a full-fledged annual event.

The 2012 self-guided tour will feature 140 artists and their studios this year.  Studio locations vary throughout a 15-mile radius of downtown Greenville with Easley, Greer, Travelers Rest and Dacusville included. Catalogues are available at MAC as well as at each artist’s studio. 

Open Studios even has a smart phone app that you can use to guide you to the artists and tell you about their work. Check it out at greenvilleopenstudios.com.

Indie Craft Parade Holiday Fair

It's time to announce yet another fun project we've had up our sleeve. This December, we'll be hosting the very first Indie Craft Parade Holiday Fair! This will be a much smaller scale version of our main event, featuring 25 previous Indie Craft Parade participants.

The Fair will be held at Artisan Traders in Greenville's art district (see map below) and will be open from 10am - 5pm Saturday, December 1. Come support local artists and give one-of-a-kind gifts this year.

Admission is free, so mark your calendars and plan to bring your friends and family! More details will be coming soon.

What: Indie Craft Parade Holiday Fair When: Saturday December 1, 10 am – 5 pm Where: A smaller, more intimate venue in the Pendleton Street Arts District Artisan Traders, 1274 Pendleton Street, Greenville, SC 29611

The Lamp Post Guild on Kickstarter

We love sharing with our community the newest resources and trends in the world of making, which is why I nearly flipped when I saw this new Kickstarter project called The Lamp Post Guild. Three professional illustrators from Greenville (2 of which have been Indie Craft Parade vendors) have created an online course to teach people how to turn their passion of art/illustration into a career.

Statement of purpose from The Lamp Post Guild:

Every kid drew pictures until someone told them they couldn’t.Millions of people wanted to become artists when they grew up,but they were told that being an artist is not a "real job."Only a few of them will actually make it as professional artists.It doesn't have to end this way.

We want to make this story end differently for these aspiring illustrators and artists by teaching online courses that will help them improve their craft and earn a living doing what they love.

This presentation is done beautifully, and if you have people in your life who would benefit from taking these classes, you should seriously consider supporting!

Knack Studio Grand Opening This Weekend!

We love this time of year in the arts and craft world. It seems like between now and the new year, every week there is a show, a market, a gallery crawl, or (as in this announcement) a studio grand opening! We've got so many events to tell you about in the coming weeks, so make sure you're checking back with us. Today I want to share an upcoming event for the creative genius that is Knack Studio--Barb Blair. She's been a long time friend of Indie Craft Parade, serving as an exhibitor as well as a jury and board member. Not to mention, she's a foundational piece of the arts scene here in Greenville. Barb specializes in remaking antique furniture, often finding beauty in pieces long overlooked. Not to mention she has an impeccable decorative sense which means she has a wonderfully curated line of "found goodness" for sale. Over the past few months she's been renovating a new studio that has its Grand Opening this Friday night! We've had a sneak peek into the new venue, and let us tell you--it's worth going to see.

The new studio opening will be in conjunction with another Indie Craft Parade friend, Lily Pottery. To check out the details, head on over to Barb's blog. We can't wait to go!

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 we're no longer in peak season, our prices for blog advertising has dropped. But that doesn't mean that your ad won't be seen by hundreds or even thousands of people. Our website traffic will continue to be high through the holiday season as people are looking for handmade gifts from our artists and learning more about the upcoming Maker's Summit. We’re offering competitive pricing and great exposure for your business–so click on the image below to get more information and see how advantageous this opportunity can be!

Reminder: Etsy Craft Party!

Don't forget, the Etsy Global Craft Party is tomorrow night!

Friday, August 24th from 7 - 9 pm at the studio of J. Aaron Greene (1252 Pendleton Street Greenville, SC 29611)

Please join us for this night of BYO Crafts. It's a perfect time to start, further, or finish a project you haven't been able to get to. Just bring your supplies, and get to work.

To participate in this one night of crafting awesomeness, simply sign up at Meetup.com.

Martha Stewart's American Made Awards

Are you the owner of a small creative business looking to expand and bring more attention to your craft? Well, today I'm sharing one fabulous opportunity with you. Martha Stewart has created the American Made Awards, where she will be recognizing a number of artisans. See the details from her website.

Martha and the editors of Martha Stewart Living magazine are searching for the rising stars in a new generation of small-business owners. Ten American Makers will be selected. Their work will share the quality, beauty, inspiration, possibility, and creativity embodied by Martha.

One American Maker will be selected by our audience and will be given the Audience Choice Award. If you have your own small business, shop, or Etsy shop and are doing innovative, high-quality work, nominate yourself (or someone you know) for the Audience Choice award.

The winner will be honored at the American Made event in New York City, will appear in Martha Stewart Living magazine, and will receive $10,000 to further his or her business.

So if you want to showcase yourself as the next American maker, check out the simple application form. Or, if you know of a really great business who should be recognized, you can refer a friend. If nothing else, this is a great way to get your business listed on Martha Stewart's website.

And this is great news...Indie Craft Parade veteran Sarah Mandell of Once Again Sam has already been nominated. We'd really love to see more friends and participants of Indie Craft Parade on the list.

Applications close on August 25th, so hurry on over there to apply or just to see who's in the running. There are some really gorgeous businesses to browse.

Join us for the Etsy Global Craft Party

We're so excited to be helping again with the local manifestation of Etsy's Global Craft Party. Last year we had so much fun meeting new crafters, sharing our current projects, and learning more about art and craft in Greenville. Well, it's that time of year again. We're partnering with the local Etsy Street Team to bring you this fun (and FREE) event. Even though the party is still over a month away, we want to give you plenty of time to put this on your calendar.

Not sure what the Etsy Craft Party is? Here's what Etsy has to say about it: Craft Party is a time to get to know your neighbors and exercise your creative spirit. Craft Parties take place around the world when communities come together to participate in art, craft, design and DIY in every form. Anyone can organize a Craft Party and anyone can participate — the power is literally in your hands!

So join us for a night of BYO Crafts. It's a perfect time to start, further, or finish a project you haven't been able to get to. Just bring your supplies, and get to work. Or you can participate in the global theme for the night: "Wish You Were Here." Etsy is encouraging everyone to make crafts inspired by their hometowns.

To participate in this one night of crafting awesomeness, simply sign up at Meetup.com. And the sooner you sign up the better. If we have 25 participants committed by August 12, Michael's will donate a box of craft supplies for us to share the night of the party. So don't drag your feet. Get over to the Meetup page and sign up. You can always find updates for the event on our Facebook Page.