WRITTEN ON October 9th, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN Southern California
Tags: Southern California
There’s just about a week left to apply for one of the earliest holiday shows of 2009 in Orange County! The Handmade Brigade, who puts on an awesome show in our opinion, is looking for applicants for the 2009 Holiday Show, to be held Sunday, November 1st at The Camp in Costa Mesa.
Applications can be found here, and the website says more details coming soon, but in our experience, the Handmade Brigade always has a fantastic selection, ranging from art, clothing, upcycling, vintage and more. Keep an eye out on their website for more information!
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WRITTEN ON October 9th, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN New York
There’s just a few weeks left to apply for what promises to be an awesome holiday show in New York City. After the amazing success of the BUST London Summer Craftacular, they’re looking to do it all over again this December on our side of the pond!
200 vendors, DJs, goodie bags and more with an admission price of a mere $2. The West Coast is jealous!
Vendor fees are $250 and the application deadline is November 2nd, 2009. If you’re not sure which holiday show would be best for you to do this season, take a look at their website and apply here!
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WRITTEN ON October 9th, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN General
Tags: Southwest
Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and The Arts will be hosting Indie Chic @ 10th Street this holiday season, and they want YOU to be a vendor! Organizer Lekha Hileman Waitoller is looking to bring the community in to support the crafty revolution urging them to shop handmade.
Indie Chic will be held December 5th, 2009 at the Arizona State University Art Museum. Booth fee is $35, and applications are available here!
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WRITTEN ON September 9th, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN Country Reports
Ahhh Argentina! The country that dominates the lower half of South America (and had the world’s first female president, as well as one now!) has a rich craft culture, which can be seen in it’s many fairs and markets (or ferias in the local tongue) around the country.
Feria de San Telmo, held on Sundays in one of Buenos Aires’ oldest neighborhoods, has an impressive mix of artisanal crafts as well as flea market goodies, and a great write up on it can be found here.
And of course, a country with beautiful architecture and a good mix of cultural influences can only mean one thing:wonderful crafters! Here’s just a few of the magical things being made all the way down south.
Maria Lunate
Mmmmmmm-mmm! We are big fans of papercraft, and marialunate sells an adorable variety of things to buy, such as this “Little Red” paper house set! She’s also got super cute prinatbles, perfect for scrapbooking and gift adornment. Check out her shop here!
Ensamble Carro
Though there aren’t too many items in the shop right now, the upcycled/recycled bags of Ensamble Carro are hot hot hot. Fashioned from vintage suits and ties, these things are muy sexitanté!
Capricho Urbano
Awesome vintage-fabric purses and plushies from Argentinean designer Soledad Marteletti, available on Etsy! Goodies of all kinds can be seen on her Flickr photostream as well.
Cynthia Del Giudice
Beautiful handmade minimalist jewelry with a delightfully organic feel, available from Cynthia Del Giudice.
Yet another country on our list of places to see, Argentina no doubt has a wealth of creativity and inspiration, obvious through the goods of it’s fine crafters! Did we miss anyone on your list of favorites? Leave a note in the comments, because, after all, sharing is caring!
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WRITTEN ON September 1st, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN General
Hey there readers! Sorry for the slow down in posts, but the LA wildfires have effected our headquarters a bit, what with the impending doom and unbreathable air and all. We intend to resume your regularly scheduled program as soon as they get a handle on Mother Nature doing it’s thing. Thank you for your patience!
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WRITTEN ON August 26th, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN London
We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Louise of Craft-Sale, a family-run craft event in Northern London which looks to support both crafters as well as lovers of crafty goods!
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Crafty Scout:
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us about Craft-Sale. Would you mind telling our readers how long Craft-Sale has been going on?
Louise of Craft-Sale:
Well the Craft-Sales have been running for about 6 months now and we’re really starting to find our feet. We’ve been trying to meet new people, build up relationships and so on. I must say that so far everyone (including your good self) we’ve been talking to has been tremendously helpful, friendly and interesting … I guess it must say quite a lot about the crafting community in general.
Crafty Scout:
I think a lot of crafters today would agree that the new craft movement is all about crating community. How did you get started in the crafty universe?
Louise:
As well as a being a passionate hobby of mine, I have been involved in teaching craft for about 13 years now. The classes I run give me the luxury of talking to people about craft, and give me a chance to listen to what people are getting excited about, what’s new and what’s going on. On top of this a few years ago my son, Jon (a designer who worked in R&D) decided that enough was enough and I should embrace the internet rather than hide from my “techno fear”.
Subsequently, I got set up with a laptop and wireless connection and never looked back. I discovered much more than I had ever imagined. Sites like Etsy & Folksy were making it possible for people to sell the things their creations. Craft & Make magazines started in the US, and I noticed that “handmade” was becoming a political statement of intent.
I had started to feel that I wanted to do more than teach once a week, I wasn’t sure how but I felt it was the right time. I wanted to bring some of the knowhow and passion I’d seen growing on the internet to our little bit of the world in North London. Ever since I’ve been starting the slow process of setting up a small business based around craft. The main focus of the business so far has been the Craft-Sales, it’s been a steep learning curve but ultimately rewarding.
Crafty Scout:
Independent craft shows have been popping up all over the place in the US. Is something similar happening in the UK as well?
Louise:While there are many other craft sales all over the UK, some of which are excellent I might add, we’d noticed that locally we didn’t have too many options. So we decided to run a regular series of Craft-Sales that operate ethically, don’t rip off the stall holders, have a warm friendly atmosphere, and don’t leave our stall holders feeling unimportant or unvalued. Let me give you and example we come across all the time.
I’m not even sure if it happens anywhere else in the world, but in the UK we have lots of ‘Car boot sales’ – they’re like a collection of yard sales all at the same time where people pay to sell their junk from a car boot (trunk). These are often used by crafters in the UK as an entry point to selling, as they don’t cost the earth to have a table. However, they can be something of a false economy. Those attending are often there just looking for something cheap, and don’t appreciate the effort or love that goes into making things.
So we’re trying to build friendships and relationships with the people who come along to our sales as well as the stall holders. We’re learning as we go and we’re trying to DO things rather than just talk. So rather than spend our time quoting statistics about numbers of visitors to the website, or increased projected sales we’d rather concentrate of building bridges and relationships with other crafters, craft groups and clubs and local businesses.
We want the people who come along both as stall holders and as general public to feel welcome, appreciated and to leave inspired.
Crafty Scout:
Car boot sales are definitely new to me! In the US though, we do have a lot of flea markets, big and small, that new crafters are tending to start out at, and I think they come across the same thing… people looking for cheap things, not really handmade goods. How would you say Craft-Sale supports the crafter, or tries to draw in people who do appreciate making things?
Louise:
As I touched on before we’re really keen on helping getting people’s work noticed… we’re having to do it ourselves and learn the lessons as we go, and we’re interested in taking like minded people with us. We offer a free advert on our website that links directly to our stall holder’s web-shop. We realize it’s not the front page of the New York Times, but sometimes all it takes is one person to see and fall in love with what you’ve made to really get you going. Recently one of our crafters had their entire stock on Etsy bought by up by a shop having seen an advert on our site.
Crafty Scout:
That’s fantastic to hear. Connecting crafters to the people who love craft is a very important, noble mission in this new crafty revolution, and you seem well ready to take up that charge! We’d really like to thank you for sharing all this with us, and we’re sad we can’t make it out to see Craft-Sale in person (this time!). Do you have any last words for our readers?
Louise:
I’d just like to say to all your readers you are very much invited to come along, but if you find it’s a bit too far or you have and ocean in your way, please come see the website as some of our stall holders are really good. Or get in touch as we love to collaborate in craft projects and the wider community in general.
Thanks so much for your time, and the opportunity to talk about work.
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And thank YOU Louise, for the great interview! If you’re going to be in London Saturday, September 12th, head up to Southgate, check out Craft-Sale, and support handmade!
Craft-Sale
Saturday September 12th, 2009
10am – 3pm
St. Andrew’s Church, Chase Side
Southgate N14 6BE
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WRITTEN ON August 19th, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN The South
The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad Railfest
Mountain Craft Fair
September 18th through 20th
The Great Smokey Mountain Railroad Depot
Bryson City, NC
The 7th annual craft fair at the Great Smoky Mountain Railfest has extended their deadline for applicants, and they need more crafters! This seems like an incredible opportunity for indie crafters to participate in a cultural exchange—sharing indie craft while experiencing traditional crafts from a place well steeped in tradition!
Vendors receive half-priced tickets to ride the train from Bryson City to the Nantahala Gorge through an absolutely beautiful part of the US.
If you’re in the area, and you’re an indie crafter, take a look and see if you can participate in this cultural exchange, and share your craft with a whole new world!
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WRITTEN ON August 19th, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN Country Reports
Norway, along with the rest of the Scandinavian nations, has a long history of craft, as well as a strong visual aesthetic unique to the area. The “decorative arts” in Norway go back to ancient times, with artisan’s stamps found on ancient textiles, copper and silver work, and more. On the whole, the functionalist Scandinavian Design that took over (think IKEA!) had a good run, but in the 70′s Norway saw a renewal of interest in the organic, handmade quality of craft.
With that then, it’s no surprise that indie craft is alive and well today! On a larger scale, November brings a massive five-way of trade shows running in parallel to Oslo, the craftiest of which is the Kunst & Håndverk (in Norwegian) featuring all manner of craft goods from around the world.
Let’s take a look at some modern-day indie crafters from this northern country steeped in a long tradition of cuteness!
Carambatack Design
Oslo-based illustrator Annette Mangseth has original artwork prints, stickers, and more in her Etsy shop that have a decidedly cute Scandinavian folk color and design sense.
Mandag
Textile and print designer Sini makes these awesome cards above with bold colors and graphics, but also makes minimalist scarves with beautiful muted, natural tones. More in the shop here.
Wandering The Woods
Norway sure does have a lot of artists, doesn’t it! Katrine of Wandering the Woods celebrates one of the things Scandanavian mythology does best: creepy woods! She does a good job of mixing in the cute with the creepy though in her archival prints of original works, available here.
Have any favorite Norwegian crafters we might have missed? On your way to indie crafty events in Oslo, Bergen, or beyond? Let us know in the comments!
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WRITTEN ON August 17th, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN Southern UK
KittiesCloset Craft Fair
Sunday, September 6th
11:30am – Late Afternoon
The Prince Albert
Copthorne Bank
Copthorne, Sussex
RH10 3QX
Handmade custom card maven Jodie of KittiesCloset will be hosting a quaint craft fair at Prince Albert Pub in Copthorne, West Sussex, UK. The place looks absolutely adorable, and the wares of the crafters in attendance promise to be just as adorable as well!
Handmade Cards From KittiesCloset’s Vintage Wedding Collection
Mixed-media and digital artwork by Jo Harrison
If you happen to be in Southern England, or interesting in making the trip, this should be a cute craft show to check out! Cards, painting, prints, earrings and edibles! Keep an eye out here for up to date information at KittiesCloset.
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WRITTEN ON August 17th, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN Los Angeles
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.
