Upcoming Class: iphone photography

We're continuing our spring series of Indie Craft Parade workshops, and next on the calendar is the iPhone photography class. People who attended The Makers Summit may have gotten a taste of this class. However, if you were unable to attend the workshop at the conference or if you're just looking to up your photography game, this is the class for you. In this 2 hour seminar, you'll learn how to get the most of your iPhone as well as some really great editing tips.  Taught by the incredibly talented Jivan Dave, this class will be invaluable to your Etsy shop, Instagram feed, or however else you share your products with the world. And it's very reasonably priced. The $20 class fee will pay for itself over and over again.

For further details or to sign up for the class, see information here.

The Makers Summit Recap

Wow! What a weekend. It was thrilling to gather with so many new attendees, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and friends. I hope you've been reliving the day through the attendee photos on Instagram. Indie Craft Parade will release our recap video and official photos in the next week or so, but until then, be sure to check out #makerssummit on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also read a really great takeaway from the event from the Brains on Fire Blog. Here are some of our favorite attendee Instagram shots:

Entering The Makers Summit by goinghometoroost.

The main conference hall by bofagram.

The business card guestbook by french_ashley.

Vagabond Barista's pour over bar by theflyformal.

Makers Gonna Make Tattly by tjbreil.

Jude Landry's keynote by indiecraftparade.

Just before dinner by lilyasher.

Menu shot by our presenting sponsor virb.

Party Lounge during The Best Craft Party Ever by michelle_smth.

Goods from all the party stations by onceagainsam.

Sponsor Feature: Frontier Label

Frontier-Logo-blog

We're shouting it from the rooftop: We Love Frontier Label! If you're a maker and want to take your product to the next level, you need to talk to them right away. Frontier specializes in every sort of custom labels. And there's a good chance they've printed labels for companies and products you love.

Fast, efficient, friendly, what more can you ask from a company? Frontier is all these things and more. What amazing products have they done? I'm glad you asked. Just see below.

Liddabit Sweets

Charleston Soap Chef

Knot & Bow

For many more samples of their incredible work, check out their Pinterest page.

One Week away!

Hey Makers Summit Attendees! We'll see you a week from tomorrow. Just to get you excited, here's our video from last year. We're very proud of the 2013 conference, but we think that 2014's will be even bigger and better. It's gonna be a great day!

http://vimeo.com/59165227

Featured Sponsor: Virb

We're only a week and a half out from The Makers Summit. Crazy! We've been planning and working for what seems like months on end, and now it's almost here.

In the short time we have before meeting everyone at the conference, we want to get you pumped up about all the amazing people you'll meet next Saturday. Speakers, sponsors, and attendees alike contribute to make this conference and party memorable, but we really wouldn't be able to provide what we do

without the help of Virb

--an incredible build-your-own website service.

Your website--which tells the world who you are--can make or break your business. That first online impression is so important, and Virb can help you communicate your brand and products in a simple elegant way. This is one product that we'll sing the praises of over and over again.

http://vimeo.com/49684263

Here's some first hand experience from Erin, one of our directors:

I recently used Virb to build a website, and was blown away by how incredibly easy it was to create a beautiful website. My husband is a professional 

illustrator, and had been needing a new website for years. I'm relatively tech-savy, and thought I knew enough to use one of the various website template services. I tried a couple different services, but was so frustrated by the difficulty that I was about to give up, when a friend recommended I try Virb. After tinkering with it for a few minutes, I was hooked. A couple hours later, I had created an amazing website! 

(You can check it out here.)

 Their websites are designed specifically for the creative community, and have all kinds of great features like integrated shops with Big Cartel and Etsy. The templates are so beautifully designed and easily customizable, it was dream to work with. After seeing how easy Virb was to use and how ideal it was for makers, I knew this was a resource we needed to share with the makers community. I reached out to Virb and asked them to partner with us for The Maker Summit, and the rest is history! 

Virb will play a huge role in our event next week. In addition to being the presenting sponsor of

The Best Craft Party Ever

(which is shaping up to be amazing!), Virb is hosting one of our 4 workshops. The lucky people who snagged tickets to the conference will have an opportunity to learn first hand how to make a customized website start to finish.

Whether or not you're attending The Makers Summit, it's worth taking a look at the services Virb has to offer. You'll be amazed at how something so simple will yield such impressive results.

Valentine Inspired DIY Roundup

Have you heard about Kollabora? They're an online community for makers, and we've been loving the wealth of DIY projects to be found there. In fact, we started our own page where you can easily find past Indie Craft Parade DIYs. We've rounded up just a few Kollabora projects that are inspiring us for Valentine's Day this weekend. If you're feeling crafty or just need some extra beauty in your life, these projects will get you started. Find a link to each at the bottom of this post.

Clockwise from the top: Coffee Filter Flowers / Treat Bags / Cupid's Donut Hole Arrows / Geometric Leather Heart Necklace / Crochet Slippers and Mini Heart

Featured Sponsor: Big Cartel

One of the newest sponsors to join The Makers Summit this year is Big Cartel, another partnership we are really excited about! Big Cartel has been around since 2005, and handles behind the scenes shopping functionality for all kinds of beautiful online shops. One of the biggest benefits Big Cartel offers is the ability to host your shop on your own site, fully customized. They also have very reasonable flat fee pricing, beginning with a free plan that you can try out and see if it works for you and your products.

One of the pieces from The Big Cartel Shop

If you're thinking about opening an online shop soon and want to know what options are out there, you'll definitely want to hear our Makers Summit panel about this very topic. We'll have representatives from Big Cartel, Square Market and ScoutMob discussing various methods of selling online, and answering attendee questions about getting the most out of your shop.

Another reason that we love Big Cartel is their support of independent artists. Initiatives like their Field Guides help artists tackle issues like copyright, taxes, and making your shop better. These efforts are perfectly in line with our plans for The Makers Summit, so we're excited to join forces and tackle these things together next month.

If you haven't already, grab your Makers Summit ticket and come see what else Big Cartel has to offer!

MailChimp: Featured Sponsor

MailChimp has been one of our biggest supporters from day one, and we're pretty big fans of theirs as well. They are a sponsor of the 2014 Makers Summit! A few months ago, we finally had the opportunity to visit their Atlanta offices. One of the first things we saw when we walked in was this amazing embroidered front desk! We knew we were in the right place.

MailChimp has a reputation of supporting creative and small business ventures like ours. So it seemed fitting that their front desk would be a giant example of craftsmanship.

We got to explore the offices with our friend Marco, and meet a few of the people that make MailChimp tick.

We were especially impressed by the 3D printer station for employees!

If you receive our Indie Craft Parade or Makers Summit newsletters, then you've seen MailChimp at work. (And if you're not on the list, you can sign up at the bottom of our sites!). MailChimp makes communicating via email so much easier. And they provide a lot of Resources for beginners. Here are a few to get you started:

MailChimp for Online Sellers MailChimp for NonprofitsMailChimp for Bloggers and even, a coloring book for kids!

We know you'll enjoy working with Freddie just as much as we do!

DIY Stamp Set

I've got a great tutorial for you to try this weekend! As you know, last Saturday we spent the day at the Greenville Children's Museum teaching kids how to make their own stamps. Turns out, it is the most fun craft ever! We've been making them non stop--and stamping everything paper in sight.

So we want to share this super easy yet very rewarding tutorial. And I promise, once you get started, you can't stop yourself.

Supplies:

-Adhesive backed foam sheets -2 inch by 1/4 inch wood squares -Scissors -Pen -Ink pads -Paper (wrapping paper, notebook, gift bags, etc.)

1) Cut a piece of foam roughly the size of the woodblock. 2) Draw the shape of your stamp on the foam. Don't forget, your stamped image will be backwards, so draw your shape the opposite of how you want it to stamp.

3) Cut along your drawing.

4) Peel off the paper to show the glue on the back of the block.

5) Place the glue side of the foam on the block, and press to adhere.

Here are some of the shapes we've made. The possibilities are endless!

After that, just place the stamp face down into the stamp ink pad. Press all around to distribute the ink evenly.

THEN STAMP AWAY!!

Try your hand at making these stamps. Then show us what you make! Put them on our Facebook page or tag us on Instagram!

Learn to Knit

The next workshop in this year's series of events is Learn to Knit with Deb Potter. You may remember Deb and her beautiful yarn from our festival, or from our About video, where she gives us a tour of her farm.

If you've always wanted to learn how to knit, or maybe you're just a bit rusty, this is for you! And in the spirit of all things warm and cozy, what could be a better location for this class than a tea room?

WHEN: Tuesday, February 4, 2014 from 7 PM – 10 PM WHERE: Tealoha, 131 E McBee Ave Greenville, SC 29601 COST: $25

DETAILS: Come for an evening of fun where you'll learn the basics of knitting. Create a cup cozy using a skein of Deb's handpainted wool yarn and go home with a finished product at the end of the night. All supplies are included in the cost of the workshop.

Class size is limited, so grab your friends and register here.

Indie Craft Parade + The Children's Museum

 Next Saturday we're going to have a station at the Kids' Maker Fest--a special event with The Children's Museum of the Upstate. The whole day is dedicated to teaching kids about the value of making and the different avenues that people use to incorporate making into their lives.

From The Children's Museum:A maker is a do-it-yourself kind of person, who engages their creativity and knowledge doing hands-on projects. Some makers are science and technology oriented while others are more crafty. All makers share a passion for creating, and believe that if something can be imagined it can be made!

Highlights from the day include:

• --Make and launch your own paper rockets
• --A hovercraft demonstration & make a mini hovercraft
• --Coder demonstrations on SCRATCH and STARLOGO
• --Use your imagination and build with MAKEDO cardboard projects
• --Playdough circuit activities
• --Make a bristlebot
• --Play with large robots
• --Designing stamps with the Indie Craft Parade
• --Trebuchet launch

If you've never taken the kids in your life to The Children's Museum, this is the perfect opportunity. Not only will you get to see their amazing regular exhibits, but also kids have access to all the stations available with The Maker Fest. Participation in The Maker Fest is free with general admission.

We hope to see you there! It's going to be a great day.

cheers to 2013: Indie craft parade Year in Review

Thank you all so much for joining us for all the fun of 2013. We've had an amazing year...our best yet. This community is so supportive, and we know we can't succeed without you. Just for fun, as we're standing on the brink of 2014, we wanted to highlight our favorite moments of the past year.

SPRING 2013

School Scholarship We love to give back to our community whenever possible. Here's a look at our School Scholarship recipient from 2013.

The Makers Summit It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since the initial Makers Summit--so many great sponsors, speakers, and attendees. Be sure to put the upcoming conference on your calendar. For all ticket information and details about the Best Craft Party Ever, check here.

SUMMER 2013

Indie Craft Parade visits NYC This past June, our staff took a trip to Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, which is a huge part of the national arts and craft movement. This adventure also led us to a great partnership with some of this year's sponsors like Etsy and Tattly.

New website! Thanks to the creative genius of Andrew Ramos and Robojuice, we got an amazing online makeover. Remember this old website? Feels like forever ago.

Community Worknight An expanded festival means more garland. We were really happy to give our artists and attendees more room this year, but that required a lot more decorations. Thanks to the help of an amazing team of volunteers, we cranked out hundreds of linear feet of our 6 color garland, one of Indie Craft Parade's trademarks.

FALL 2013

The Festival Every one of the four festivals we've hosted has incredible memories of meeting new friends, discovering new artists, and making an impact on our community. I can't think of this past festival without becoming a little overwhelmed with gratitude for the support shown to us. We had our biggest event yet--a sold out VIP Gala and filled to capacity attendance throughout the weekend.

Recipe for Press workshop Press guru Amy Flurry brought our community a powerful seminar where she shared insight into how to think like an editor.

WINTER 2013

New to Indie Craft Parade: DIY workshops We're immensely thankful for the people in our community who help foster a love for art, craft, and design. So over the past couple of months, we've partnered with some of them to spread new ideas and skills with our followers. So far we've hosted workshops for furniture makeovers, paper crafts, and wreath making. If you missed this classes, don't worry! We've got a great line up of classes for 2014.

The Holiday Fair And to our last favorite moment of 2013...we closed out the year strong with our Holiday Fair, an abbreviated version of the September Festival. We hope that all of your gift recipients enjoyed their handmade holiday as much as we did.

It's hard to believe it, but Indie Craft Parade is entering its 5th year as an organization. Thank you to those who've contributed to our success, and welcome aboard to anyone who's just getting started. Because of all of you, we're anticipating an even better year for 2014.

Merry Christmas!

Just a little note to wish you all a very merry Christmas! We hope your holidays are filled with all things happy and handmade.

Gift idea help

If you're still in need of a last minute gift idea for the creative person in your life, we might be able to help! Reserve a ticket for The Makers Summit or The Best Craft Party Ever (or both!) in time to give for Christmas.

 I If you're not familiar with The Maker's Summit, here's a quick overview:

The conference takes place Saturday March 1, 2014 from 9am - 5pm. Tickets include a light breakfast, lunch, keynote sessions, panel discussions, and one-on-one sessions with experts. The day is designed to connect fellow creatives while learning how to start or grow your creative business.

While the conference is geared toward creative entrepreneurs, the after party is open to anyone who loves great food, and making alongside others. The goal here is to simply celebrate the fun of making and meeting other makers. Learn more here.

There are 3 gift options to choose from:

· An all-access pass for both the conference and after party for $150.

· The conference day pass for $100.

· The Best Craft Party Ever evening pass for $50.

Reserve your gift ticket this week!

Holiday Fair Recap

Thanks so much to everyone that came out to the Holiday Fair! We had such a great Saturday. Although it was a bit chilly, we were so excited to see the neighborhood full with Greenville's art enthusiasts. To recap the numbers, this past Saturday the festival was made possible by 30 artists, 10 volunteers, 5 food vendors, 1 great neighborhood, and over 1,600 attendees!

If you were unable to make it to the Holiday Fair, you did miss out. However, be of good cheer. Indie Craft Parade will be hosting events all throughout the year. Make sure you check out our Calendar of Events to see what we've got planned next!

Thanks again for supporting Indie Craft Parade and our artists! We're so thankful for everyone who buys handmade.

If you'd like to see more photos from the event, check out our Instagram feed. You can also search the hashtag #indiecraftparade to see shots from attendees.

What to expect at the Holiday Fair

Tomorrow's the big day! We can't wait to see you all come out to the Indie Craft Parade Holiday Fair. Here are some final details to help make your experience the best it can be.

Where and When is the Holiday Fair?

The Holiday Fair will be located at 1241 Pendleton Street in The Village of West Greenville. The hours are 10 am to 6 pm. Please note, this is NOT the same location as our September festival. If you go to the Huguenot Mill there will not be anyone there.

Who will be there?

We will have 30 artists at the Holiday Fair. This makes it a smaller event than the September Festival, but we've specially picked our vendors who are excellent for Christmas shopping. So bring your list!

What about admission cost? 

We are asking for a $1 donation per person at the door. However, kids 12 and under are free, so please bring the whole family. We want everyone to enjoy the festival.

Will there be a line?

Probably. Last year we had 1,300 attendees throughout the day, and we expect that number to increase. However, there's a lot of other things to do in the Village, so the crowd should be dispersed pretty evenly.

So, what else is there to do in the Village?

It's going to be a neighborhood party! All of the shops and studios will be open. There are some really great staples in the Village like Knack, Crave, and The Flatiron Studios. However, you'll have to check out a couple of holiday pop up shops that will make your trip to the Village complete.

Pop Up Shops?

There's two special limited time shops that will be open this weekend. You've already learned about the LP Pop Up Shop in our guest post earlier this week. You also have to check out our friends at We took to the Woods. This is your stop for specialty foods, hand poured candles, luxury goods, an amazing selection of curated antiques, and so much more.

We Took to the Woods Pop Up

LP Vintage Pop Up

What about food?

We've got some great options for you! In addition to the Greenville's favorite trucks, Asada, Neue Southern, and Thoroughfare, we'll be hosting some of our favorite bakeries, Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery and Upcountry Provisions to serve pastries, sandwiches, and sweet treats. Of course the food scene would not be complete without Vagabond Barista, who will be serving inside the LP Pop Up Shop.

SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW!!

Photos from We Took to the Woods,Milk Moon Vintage, and TOWN.

Holiday Fair: Gift Guides

The Holiday Fair is the perfect place to take care of all your Christmas shopping. You’ll find something for everyone on your list, a one-of-a-kind gift that’s sure to steal the show. Here's a little sneak peek at the handcrafted goods you'll see this Saturday.

ChristmasSpecialties

Stocking Stuffers

Homegoods

Food & Entertaining

Artwork

Gentlemen

Lovely Ladies

Jewelry

Children

NatureInspired

And of course, don't forget to get yourself something special too from the Holiday Fair!

Vintage Makeovers!

Here's a little treat, a guest post and a look at the Indie Craft Parade team.

Hi, guys. This is Mollie Greene and Annie Koelle, long time fans and friends of Indie Craft Parade. A couple of weeks ago we had a grand time dressing up and photographing the lovely ladies of the Indie Craft Parade in pretty vintage pieces that will be coming soon to our brand spankin' new Etsy shop, Free Kittens Vintage.

These girls have great style already, so it wasn't hard to find good, classic pieces to add into their current wardrobes. We asked them to bring a great pair of jeans, leggings that can go with anything, good tights, favorite heels and boots, and belts or scarves that they felt wonderful wearing. We then talked about the looks we'd pulled for them and how they could work with the contemporary pieces that they'd brought along. We worked with them until they felt good in the clothes and talked about how and where certain pieces would be great to wear. Who doesn't love to dress up and feel great? We all had a super afternoon and can't wait to do it again.

We're also participating in the Lily Pottery and Friends Vintage Pop Up shop this Friday from 10-9 and Saturday from 10-7 at 1274 Pendleton Street in the Village of Greenville (only a few steps away from the

Indie Craft Parade Holiday Fair!

), so don't forget to stop by if you want to get your paws on some one of a kind, beautiful vintage pieces and to ask us for advice on how to mix vintage into your modern wardrobe.

Lily Pottery

Free Kittens Vintage

Reck and Roll Vintage

Three Thrifty Gypsies

Milk Moon Vintage

Thanks, gals! We had such fun getting these vintage makeovers;

Mollie and Annie do an amazing job curating their vintage goods. Thanks to their fab stylings, we all want to incorporate more vintage wear into our wardrobe. Make sure you stop in the pop-up shop this weekend, it's going to be grand!

Workshop: Winter Wreath

We’re getting giddy about our upcoming DIY class with the fabulous Julie Dodds of Willow Florals. Her distinctive floral styling is a feast for the eyes, and she's ready to share her tips and tricks with you! Julie will guide the class in making an incredible winter wreath from fresh pine branches and other natural elements. All the supplies will be provided, and at the end of the night you'll leave with a big beautiful wreath to take home and enjoy!

Update! The first class sold out so quickly, we added a second one!

WHAT:Winter Wreath

WHEN: Class # 1: SOLD OUT! Tuesday, December 3 from 7 – 10 pmClass # 2: Thursday, December 5  from 7 – 10 pm

WHERE: White Whale Studios, 401 Smythe St, Greenville, SC 29611

COST: $45 REGISTER HERE

DETAILS: Construct an evergreen wreath with Willow Florals that you can use all season long. There will be more than enough fresh boughs to go around as well as some foraged materials from the mountains of North Carolina. A wire wreath form as well as greens, cones and berries will be provided, and you can feel free to bring any special accoutrements to personalize your wreath.

Join us for this grand wreath-making party! Grab your friends and register here.

2013 School Scholarship Winner

This is always such an exciting time of year! Every November get to share some much needed funds with a Greenville County school's art department. If this is the first you're hearing of our school scholarship program, let me give you a brief recap. For the past 3 years, we've awarded a $500 scholarship to a local school who demonstrates both a need in their art program and a clear plan for the funds.

Every year there are so many good applicants. Reading through the numerous applications, we were again reminded of the great need in all of our schools to improve art resources. Yet we are also so humbled and amazed to know how much the teachers are able to accomplish on limited budgets. We certainly wish we could award everyone the scholarship funds. They all deserve it.

That being said, we are pleased to announce that the recipient of this year’s scholarship funding is St. Anthony of Padua School. This school largely serves the impoverished neighborhood surrounding the school in West Greenville. In addition to creating an art program for the students who attend St. Anthony's, the art teacher, Catherine Pate, has created an after school program to further student's art techniques and imaginative skills.

We're so happy to be partnering with this school. We're already discussing fun plans for artists demonstrations and ways to help the kids who attend St. Anthony's learn to love the arts.

If your school or a school you know of would like to participate in our scholarship program, please stay tuned. Applications are open every year in September and October. We want to know of the needs in Greenville, and we rely on you to tell us.