In 2005, St. Louis-based mechanical engineer turned knitter Danielle Landes began the World Wide Knit in Public Day, hoping to bring the community of knitters out into the open and together on the first Saturday in June. What began with just 25 events around the world quickly blossomed into over 200 in just a few years!

We at Crafty Scout are huge fans of artists and crafters doing their thing out in public. It’s one thing for a “non crafty” person (though we believe there’s no such thing) to see art and crafty goods on sale at a show or in a shop, but it’s an entirely other thing altogether for them to see those goodies being made live, in person. We hope that WWKIP day will inspire people all around the world to pick up some yarn and needles and find the crafty person within.

Curious to know if there’s a Knit In Public Day event going on in your neighborhood? Head on over to the event finder on the WWKIP Day website and find out!

The fair grounds are pretty massive, and there’s a ton of stuff to see, and in the middle (well, corner) of all this craziness is Bazaar Bizarre, one of our favorite big craft shows on the West coast. The 2010 vendor gallery shows an impressive collection of wares, from jewelry to art prints, textiles , clothes, soaps, edibles… you name it! We at Crafty Scout always feel the people behind Bazaar Bizarre to a fantastic job of curating their shows, and this one looks to be no different!

One complaint we heard from last year’s show was that Bazaar Bizarre wasn’t well-promoted once you were inside of Maker Faire, so if you happen to be wondering to yourself, “Where in San Mateo’s green fairgrounds IS Bazaar Bizarre?”, we’ve taken the liberty of pointing it out for you on this map, here:

We hope to be putting up pictures and updates over the weekend, but even more than that, we hope to see you there! Directions can be found on Make’s website here.

Bazaar Bizarre Maker Fair: http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/sanfrancisco/

Maker Fair: http://makerfaire.com/

[UPDATE]: Make Online has put up an awesome map of the Maker Faire as well as the schedule of events! Check it out here, and get your plannnnn on!

Don’t forget to R.S.V.P!!

The world of indie crafts is getting bigger and bigger all the time.  Craft shows abound and it seems like all you need is an Etsy shop to get invited to do one show or another.  What this means for the newbie vendor is that you’ve really got to do your homework before signing up for any show!  Many, many of us seasoned crafters have either started out at absolutely the wrong fair, and most of us have done a desperately bad show at one time or another.  Think of Margaret and Polly as your worldly older sisters, showing you the ropes and sharing our lipstick.

The Minor Leagues- Smaller shows usually have a low show fee ($20- $65) and are a low-pressure way to enter the crafty scene.
You’ve just received a request to participate in a craft show and you’re thrilled!  You didn’t even have to go out of your way to find the application, they sent you a link! This is a really common scenario and it can be the gateway to an educational, even a profitable show!  Then again, it could be the keys to six hours of boredom, misery, and regret.

There are definitely some things you’ll want to know before you sign up for that show.

• Did you receive a mass email/convo, or was the message specific to you and your shop?
• Does this show have a website?  Is it decent, or does it give you that Grandma-made-a-website vibe?
• What happens when you Google the show?  Is the show making its way around the world wide web?  In what capacity?
• How do the show promoters plan on getting the word out?  Will you be expected to help promote? (note: you should be doing this anyway!)
• Most importantly- what kind of a feeling do you get about this show?  Instincts are important!

The Big Leagues- Big names, big crowds, ($100- $400)
You’ve shopped them, you’ve drooled over the vendors, and now you want to run with the big boys (and girls).  So where do you start?  First things first- you’ve got to want it.  I mean WANT it.  You’ve got to want in on that big, bad craft show so badly you’ll take a day off of work to re-take all of your product photos and fill out the application.  This requires a certain level of confidence in your product.

When Margaret started doing shows her theory was, “I don’t want to work my way to the top, I want to start there”, so she started with one of the biggest craft shows out there- Renegade.  She had a modest amount of goods, but her f-ing adorable product line, combined with a determination to be badass did not go un-noticed by the Renegade application reviewers.  She’s been doing the Renegade shows ever since.

Here are some things to consider before applying to big name shows:

• Make sure all of your product shots online and in the application are fantastic and consistent.  Flash photography or fuzzy images are an absolute NO-NO.
• Write and proofread a short bio, no more than 4 or 5 sentences.  Have a friend or honey proofread it as well.  This never hurts.
• Keep your bio and photos in a file so that you have easy access to them for all of your show applications.  This does not mean it’s okay to recycle the same exact bio for every show, but it is handy to have everything in one place.
• Do you have enough product to sell?  Will you have enough time to make products to sell at this show?  Big shows can be two days or more, so you’ll want to stockpile well in advance.  This is especially true for holiday shows.
• In addition to the show fees, will you have to put up money for a tent, table, or chairs?  How about travel expenses and displays?  Do you think you’ll make this money back, or are you willing to accept part of that as business startup costs?
• A handful of home-printed business cards really won’t cut it.  You’ll want to have a fat box of business cards printed well in advance.

It’s important to note that you never know how well your show will go, or how great a fit it might be until you actually vend there.  Margaret and I have done the same shows on many occasions and had totally opposite experiences in some cases.  What might be awesome for one vendor can be mediocre or downright crummy for someone else.  It’s important to keep that in mind when shopping around for applications.

Margaret and I really hope that these tips help you find the right craft fair for you!  Keep your crafty ears perked up for any crafty opportunity and stay tuned for more on this topic soon!

You can see Polly Danger and Paper Pastries in person June 5+6 at Renegade Brooklyn, where they’ll be sharing a booth!

The application deadlines for Renegade LA and Renegade SF are coming up quick! All you crafters out there who want to be a part of the Renegade magic need to get your applications in by April 2nd, mere days away!

Renegade LA is going to be held outdoors in the most ‘there’s a what now?’-named Los Angeles State Historic Park right next to Chinatown! There’s lots of room for the 200 or so vendors to sell their goodies to the throngs of shoppers on July 24th & 25th, 2010, from 11am to 7pm. Apply here while there’s still time!

Renegade SF will be held once again in the absolutely cavernous Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion on July 31st & August 1st, 2010 from 11am to 7pm with about 225 crafty spots available. Application info can be found here!

Both shows are going to be gigantic, and are FREE to attend! The big questions is… what’s the easiest way to get to both? Carpool, anyone?!

I was personally ticked the entire day by the juxtaposition of cute, crafty goods and horse racing… the Santa Anita Park was an incredible venue! There were so many fantastic things to see, we had a hard time picking out our favorites! Here’s the short version of a very long list of the great vendors selling their goodies:

The Felted Chicken

Ok, seriously? LOOK INTO HIS EYES. How awesome is that? Chrissy of Felted Chicken does some amazing things with a clump of raw wool and a whole lotta stabbing. Have you ever done any needle felting before? It’s a hypnotizing, and magical, and by our accounts, that makes Chrissy a wizard. Check out her shop here for adorable needle felted sushi magnets, cupcakes, and more!

The Head Shop

Virginia and Shawn of The Head Shop had some awesome screenprinted good featuring Virginia’s illustrations which have the awesome feel of woodcuts, minus all the hand cramps and plentitude of opportunities to shank yourself! They had a photo frame people were posing in, and the evidence of just a few of the many smiling faces at The Pink Parlour can be found via The Day of The Head 2010 on flickr here! If you’re looking to sport some sweet art, or maybe just your Fullerton pride, check out their Etsy shop!

Polly Danger

Bias tapes, buttons, cute booths, and more should be Polly Danger’s motto. She has a keen eye for fabrics, which she mentioned she sources from all over the globe and then translates into the many cute, cute things she sells. Like these rings, for example! The perfect accessory to cute up any outfit. You can find her handmade mini wallets, bags, and more on her Etsy shop here, or if you’re crafty, her handmade bias tapes, patters, and other sewing notions here!

Paper Pastries

If you could somehow capture springtime in a bottle, press it between two pages, and then calligraphate (it’s a word *now*!) on them, you’d have the Spring collection of printed goodies from Margaret at Paper Pastries! Her delicate cursive doesn’t read at all in this photo, so you’ll have to check out her shop to see the cards up close! One of our particular favorites was the Mother’s Day card for the “almost-Mother” (our words, not hers!). Smashing!

Man oh man! So many wonderful crafters there, and I know we didn’t have time to take pictures of them all. If you happen to be in the Los Angeles area the next time Pink Parlour rolls around, do yourself a favor and go check it out! Were you there? Leave notes in the comments!!

Holy wow! There was an incredible variety of deliciousness at Home Ec’s Homemade for Haiti. I didn’t catch the names of the actual makers, but here’s some pics from the event. Everything there was not only delicious, but also adorable… but I’m not surprised.

It is HomeEc, after all!

See all the pictures here:

The recent earthquake in Haiti has caused an outpouring of support from communities all around the United States, and the crafty community is no exception! One of the sweetest crafty shops in Los Angeles, Home Ec., will be hosting a “Homemade for Haiti” Bake Sale Sunday, January 24th from 12pm to 4pm. 100% of the proceed will go to Doctors Without Borders to help aid them in their battle to save lives.

Yummy goodies can be dropped off before 12pm if you’re interested in donating, and the purchasing of yummy goodies happens after that if you’re hungry! Some of the Crafty Scout team will be in attendance, so check back for pictures next week!

Home Ec. Shop
3815 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

And here’s a link to Google Maps in case you need directions!

Have you ever been to a craft show inside an incredible old church? I sure haven’t, but the folks behind the Worcester Arts & Vintage Events sure have! They’ll be holding their (almost) Valentine’s Day Vintage & Craft Fair at St Helen’s Church, in Worcester, UK on Saturday, February 13th.

The goodies for sale will be vintage clothing and accessories as well as handmade crafts, and you can get a taste of the wares on their blog here.

Can’t make it all the way over there this time around? Check out the pictures from previous events on their Facebook page! Are you going to be in attendance? Let us know how it went in the comments!

Oh the Tacoma Dome…

The Pacific Northwest is no stranger to the DIY spirit, and Tacoma Is For Lovers is holding it down! They’ll be hosting their first-ever Craft Night at the awesome Kings Books in Tacoma, WA February 11th at 7pm. Every month will feature a different theme, and what better way to start of Craft Nights in the winter than with a night on warm fuzzy needle felting?

$15 gets you a felting needle, warm fuzzy wool, and the ever important foam pad to stop you from stabbing yourself repeatedly as you birth cuteness from raw wool! More information on their blog, and you can follow them on Facebook as well!