Behind the scenes of Indie craft parade: the evolution of our mascot

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:

Featured Artist: Hawks and Doves

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!

Sponsor Feature: Vagabond Barista

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.

Behind the scenes of indie craft parade: why greenville?

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

Featured Artist: Emily Jeffords

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.

VIP Gala tickets now on sale!

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!

Sponsor Feature: BuySellAds

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!

Featured Artist: Spectrum Jewelry

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.

Announcing the 2012 VIP Gala!

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.

DIY Round Up: Pet Accesories

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.

Featured Artist: Jeanette Zeis Ceramics

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!

Sponsor Feature: MailChimp

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!

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.

Featured Artists: Ink Meets Paper & Sparrow Nest Script

Now that we've posted this year's official vendor list, we get to do something fun--give you a sneak peek of what kind of goods will be available at the 2012 Indie Craft Parade. Each week from now until the festival, we'll be featuring a smattering of artists from each of our 6 categories. So be sure to keep checking in to not miss anything! Today we're featuring two artists who will be selling paper goods--specifically cards and other stationary. Emily of Sparrow Nest Script creates beautiful, hand-lettered cards. These are absolutely amazing! I cannot wait to see this beautiful calligraphy work in person.

Then I also want to introduce you to Ink Meets Paper. They're husband and wife team Daniel and Allison, and they have a letterpress studio that's brand new to Indie Craft Parade this year. They have a great website where you can not only buy their paper goods but also you can see a little bit about their process. Check out the video below! If you're not very familiar with letterpress, this is a great clip to learn a little more.

http://vimeo.com/44220265

We're getting so excited about this show! Can't wait to share more vendors with you next week.

Sponsor Feature: Lark Crafts

We've officially entered festival season! Only 9 short weeks and Indie Craft Parade will be here--9 weeks, can you believe it? We've got so much to share with you between now and then: featured vendors, new things to expect this year, details about the VIP Gala...the list goes on and on. But today, we're excited to share with you one of our fabulous sponsors--Lark Crafts--a resource you need to have in your crafty arsenal. From their website: Lark Crafts is a creative publishing group based in the beautiful and artistic mountain town of Asheville, NC. We love showcasing the best the craft world has to offer through how-to projects, comprehensive technique guides, spectacular visual galleries, and everything in between. Lark has been in the business of providing crafters with information and inspiration for 25 years, so we’re steeped in tradition. We’re also enthusiastically engaged in where crafting is going. We’ve been an integral part of how the craft community has grown, changed, and evolved over the last couple of decades—and how it has recently exploded in size and expanded in all kinds of exciting new directions. 

For the 2012 Indie Craft Parade, Lark Crafts is generously sharing from their stores of crafty knowledge by donating over 100 books to the event. That means over the course of the festival we're able to give away all of those books to our attendees, pushing crafty inspiration even further into our community. Just take a look at some of the titles that we have access to!

Making Mini Books

Hand in Hand

Soapmaking the Natural Way

Simple Stitches: Sewing

Paper Cuts

Stash Happy: Felt

Easy Concrete

Doodle Stitching

So, if you didn't already have a million reasons to attend Indie Craft Parade this September, come to win one of these amazing books! Just a note: your chances of winning a book are greater when attending the VIP Gala, so stay tuned to know when tickets become available.

DIY Roundup: Ombre Dyeing

Ombre dyeing continues to be a trend in the fashion, craft, and decor scenes, and why not? Ombre done right can yield the most beautiful, artsy results. So, here's a small collection of DIY ombre projects to get you inspired. With a little time and patience (and guidance from these great tutorials), you too can create the trendy ombre products you've seen. Ombre dyed ballet flats from Swell Mayde.

Paper gift tags from Momtastic.

chrysanthymum-lantern640

A giant chrysanthemum--perfect for parties-- from Aunt Peaches.

Of course, no round up for ombre dyeing would be complete without a tee shirt tutorial, like this one from A Pair and A Spare.

Then to finish things up, these lovely ombre napkins from Camille Styles. These are actually spray dyed.

Have you experimented with ombre dyeing? We'd love to hear about it!! Email photos and stories to jen@indiecraftparade.com.

The Jurying is complete!

We had a great weekend with Indie Craft Parade! This past Saturday, we spent the whole day with our prestigious jury, as they sorted through scores and scores of applicants to select this year's vendors. As always, the jury's job was not easy. We had so many good applications, which makes for stiff competition. However, we believe they did a great job (why we picked them to serve on the jury in the first place). And we're thrilled because we'll get to announce the official list of participants in the very near future viewing anonymous application photos on a flat screen TV, keeping in mind the Indie Craft Parade standards

All applicants should receive their status notifications today via email. Once they've sent us confirmation, we'll be able to share with you who's in the show. It's killing us having to wait like this, but we think you'll agree...this year will be an amazing show!

Inside Look: The Jurying Process

Our jury will be meeting this weekend to review all the applications we received. Here's an inside look on the jurying process. The 2012 jury is Marco Suarez, Barb Blair, Teresa Roche, Doug Young, and Mollie Greene. These talented individuals are 5 professional artists with expertise in many genres, and we're very happy to hand over this difficult task to them. They jury each category separately and judge individual applications on how well they match the vision of Indie Craft Parade, as well as their  originality, quality, uniqueness, and innovation. All applications are reviewed anonymously to avoid any bias. Each jury member views an applicant's description of their work, along with the 4 photos they submitted. They briefly discuss the merits of the application, and then vote on whether or not it should be accepted. The jurying is a tedious process, but this thoroughness is essential for selecting just the right mix of exhibitors.

Work featured above is from Marco Suarez's 2011 application. Jury members are not allowed to exhibit at Indie Craft Parade if they are currently on the the jury.

We can't wait to see all the wonderful submissions! All applicants will be notified on Monday, July 2 with their status.

Handmade Business Cards

Every artist or crafter needs business cards! Why not show off your talent from the start and make a memorable impact with a handmade or hand-embellished card? Here's a few of our favorites.

Stamped glassine envelopes filled with confetti, what fun! By PuglyPixel (with DIY tutorial)

Stamped kraft cardstock with brass tag embellishment. By oh, hello friend (with DIY tutorial)

Offset stamped cardstock. Via MaeMae Paperie

Sewn fabric strips embellish these printed cards. By Craftoholics Anonymous

Tiny kraft envelopes, stamped! By Hey Look

Gilded edges dress up these simple printed cards. By Camille Styles (with DIY tutorial)

These printed cards are embellished with washi tape, twine, and a hole punch. By Mint

Watercolored card with the printed info stitched on. By Ethan Martin Have you designed a unique business card? We'd love to see it!

Reminder: Applications close in 3 days!

If you haven't gotten your application for our 2012 festival yet, don't delay! Applications will close promptly at midnight on this Sunday, the 24th, and we don't accept late submissions. You can find out more details about applying on our website, and submit your application using our simple online form. We've received so many wonderful submissions so far, make sure your work is part of the mix!