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.
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
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
Time for another sneak peek! This time from one of our fiber artists, Heather Keew. Heather specializes in creating nature inspired pieces from felt and stitching. I love her work for its creative twist on plants, trees, and landscapes. Her pieces have such an ethereal quality to them, and the whimsy of it all just makes me want to collect each piece. (I am lucky enough to already own one.) Come see Heather's work in person! You'll love it as much as I do.
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.
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.
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!
Olivia DeSoria's pieces are a fresh take on handmade metal jewelry. Inspired by nature and travel, Olivia designs her necklaces and earrings to reflect the beauty she's found around her. All of her pieces are cut and assembled by hand. The clean lines and quirky designs make her jewelry perfect for any look or occasion. To see more of her work, check out her Etsy shop.
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.
I've got a treat for you today. Of all the things people note about Indie Craft Parade, our mascot--Hugo--gets a lot of attention. Our adorable little elephant perfectly embodies the whimsical spirit of Indie Craft Parade, and we thought you might like to know a little more about him.
With all of the indie craft fairs across the country, we worked tirelessly to make sure our name and branding stood apart. We labored over the name, and once we settled on Indie Craft Parade, it didn't take long to decide that we needed a mascot that could match our excitement about the event. An elephant was perfect: marching, leading our parade, like a fabulous circus. We named him Hugo, after the location of our event, the Huguenot Mill.
Below are some of the many versions of Hugo that were drafted by the ever talented Cory Godbey. We thought you'd really enjoy seeing this.
And one of our final versions that we still use today:
One of the great themes of the indie craft movement is repurposing. Whether the objects be vintage finds or things headed for the trash, indie artists can find a beautiful use for them. Jessica Reed, the artist behind the Hawks and Doves shop, does just that. She finds vintage feed sacks and turns them into these fabulous pillows. Every feed sack has a story, and Jessica preserves that story through her amazing work. I can't wait to see these in person!
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.
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
Emily Jeffords, one of our 2-D participants, has her hands full as a wife, mother, and full time artist/designer. But she still manages to produce really beautiful, fresh work inspired by life's travel and experiences. Adept in many mediums, Emily will be bringing paintings, collages, and unique jewelry pieces to Indie Craft Parade...in just a couple of weeks! I can't wait to see these in person.
Emily also has a fantastic blog. If you want to know more about her work and inspiration, check out Beautiful Hello.
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!
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!
Julia Riffel has been a vendor at Indie Craft Parade in previous years. But she's bringing a brand new line of jewelry to this year's event. Within the past few months, Julia began playing wood shapes, and soon after, Spectrum Jewelry came into existence. Her beautiful geometric inspired pieces are sure to make a stand out presence at Indie Craft Parade. To check out more of Julia's work, see her blog: Life without Television.
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.
We like to put handmade touches on all aspects our lives. Why shouldn't that apply to our pets as well? Give your pets a little handmade love this weekend, and get crafty with something you know they'll enjoy. Cats and kittens just want a hole to cuddle up and hide in. So why not make it a cute cubby like this one from Eilen Tein. (English knitting pattern at the bottom of the post.)
Always forget to bring the plastic baggies on the walk? Make your pet carry his own. This cute collar pouch tutorial from The B-Line.
Love this adorable dog bed DIY from My So Called Crafty Life.
Love cute treat bins, but don't want to pay the designer price? Tidy Mom managed to make this cute tin for just a couple of bucks. Works for pets of all shapes and sizes.
I really do enjoy having my cat chase me around the house as I drag a string in front of her. I'm looking forward to making something cute for her to catch. Tutorial from Martha Stewart.
My heart really does go out to people (especially kids) who can't have a pet because of allergy or space reasons. So I think this fun make-your-own pet tutorial could be a way to get your kids crafting and to give them a pet of their own. Make your own jellyfish in a bottle from Bhoomplay's Blog.
I'm so happy to be sharing the work of Jeanette Zeis Ceramics with you today! Her work is amazing, and I'm so excited to add this brand new vendor to Indie Craft Parade this year. Jeanette has created a fresh line of functional ceramics from her Atlanta based studio. These whimsical pieces from cake stands to berry bowls to salt cellars and more are going could look incredible in any kitchen. To see more check out her Etsy shop. She also does custom work such as personalized items and registries. Can't wait to see these in person!
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!