Don’t forget to R.S.V.P!!

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!!

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!

Some of the crafters in this video include Polly Danger, Oh Hello Friend, Paper Pastries, Tiny Whales and more!

Do you have a video to share from any holiday craft shows this season? Post a link in the comments! Happy crafting!!

The weather was lovely Saturday, August 15th, as we headed out to the Silver Lake Art*Craft & Vinatge flea market put on by Ghettogloss. Holding it in an elementary school on the weekend is a great idea, and a portion of the proceeds go to the school, which is even better when California is in a bad budget crunch! Unfortunately though, most of the 30 or so vendors were selling second-hand wares, and we were a little hard pressed to find actual hand-made… but alas, there were some fantastic crafters on hand!

Tyler Bender Book Co.

The Tyler Bender Book Co. breathes new life into forgotten library books, record covers, and more by creating blank journals and sketchbooks from their beautiful covers. The craftsmanship is wonderful in these hard bound gems, and the covers are definitely unique, one-of-a-kind finds. You can find his wares on Etsy, or also at many retail locations around Los Angeles. More info, including a calendar of live appearances are available through his website here.

Polly Danger

Talk about a fabric-palooza! Sewing-crafter Polly Danger culls an impressive fabric collection from LA to Tokyo, using her finds to create utility aprons, bias tapes, the mini wallets you see above, and more. You can browse her Etsy shop to see the full range of goodies, but as with any fabric-based craft, it’s best to see and touch them in person! She’s also got a notions shop on Etsy where you can find her bias tapes, fabric covered buttons, and more supplies for the crafter in you.

Courage & Cowards

Purveyors of limited edition graphic prints Courage & Cowards was on hand selling their Victorian-meets-Pop-Art prints. I didn’t get to speak to the girls themselves, but their vinyl posters were popular! Check out more online at their website.

All in all it was a good day at the Silver Lake Art*Craft & Vintage, even if there weren’t too many handmade things there. If you happen to be in the area, I’d recommend checking out this new free burgeoning flea market, held Saturdays at the Micheltorena Elementary School in Silver Lake, 10am to 4pm.

Hello Los Angeles! If you happen to be in the Silver Lake area tomorrow, come on down to the Ghettogloss Silver Lake Art*Craft & Vintage at Micheltorena Elementary School! The selection ranges from thrift & vintage gems to handmade goodies. Some of the crafters in attendance are:

Polly Danger makes a wide variety of the mini-wallets above, as well as crafty utility aprons, hand-made bias tapes (and we know what it’s like to make bias tape ourselves! I’ll take 6 packs please!), mini-fix sewing kits, and more. Check out the cuteness on Etsy, or in person tomorrow in SIlver Lake!

Robots! LRHB Industries makes a variety of printed good, including prints, gift cards, and more. We bought some of his printmaker pins at Bazaar Bizarre San Francisco one year and we’ve been keeping our eye on his stuff ever since. I read on his blog he just opened up an Etsy shop, but maybe he’ll have more at the fair tomorrow to sell. Even cuter: LRHB Industries and Polly Danger are girlfriend and boyfriend! Swoon!

These are just two of the crafty crafters to be found tomorrow at the flea market, from 10am to 4pm at Micheltorena Elementary School, 1511 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles CA 90026. Border Grill taco truck parked outside all day!

How hot is this?! Cinefamily, at the most awesome (and only?!) silent movie theater in Los Angeles is screening Handmade Nation this weekend. The first screening will be at 12:00 PM on Saturday, August 15th, with Q&A with director Faythe Levine to follow. Craftzine reports “a mini craft fair with hands-on demos will span the afternoon between 2:00 and 6:00 before that evening’s screening at 7:00 PM”. Sunday, August 16th showtimes: 3:00, 5:00, 7:00 and 9:00.

The screening is co-presented by Silver Lake’s fantastic crafty shop ReForm School, as well as the educational branch, HomeEc!