conference of creative entrepreneurs

ok, wait there is one thing:  the upcoming Conference for Creative Entrepreneurs taking place in Seattle August 13 – 15, 2010.

just another (like you needed one) excuse to head south and hang with the fab DIY folk who are actually making a go of the do-art-for-a-living dream.  the lovely Faythe Levine (of Handmade Nation fame), Mandy Greer and Jenny Hart will be there along with scads of other inspirational peeps.  and me too!

wow – that was one serious hiatus

friends,  

this is a quick post to apologize for the serious radio silence that has been this blog.  life has been busy!  i am excited to share the new forms and facets of my renewed inspiration with you.  lots of blog-cleaning to do first, so stay tuned… this time i promise to be back *very* soon.

enjoy the blossoms!

urban uprising favs

yesterday was probably the most perfect weather day to travel to seattle.  crystal clear, tons of sun and a straight shot to a pile of indie craft goodness.  it was also fun to explore the whole exhibition grounds area around the space needle.  tons of beautiful studios, warehouses and green space.  ah, seattle.  you do well.

the urban uprising craft fair rocked in general, but one of my favs had to be marked.

marie khediguian, a montreal-based artist makes this     amazing jewlery using 1970s-era new york times microfiche.  entirely brilliant and exquisitely crafted.

reading her blog, i have also learned that she has a masters in architecture, but recently decided to take the plunge and do her art full time.  inspire much?

then there was soopajdelux – aka jenna.  her stuff was beautiful.  it took be forever to choose, but eventually i bought three pieces for $20 (her sign said 2 for 20 but she threw in another for free).

jenna works not only in print, but sculpture and multimedia as well.  her site also leads me to believe she is pretty political and has a soft spot for street art.  that’s my kind of craftivist.

’tis the season to get your craft on

i freaking love craft fair season. you know it exactly when it arrives. one day you wake up and BOOM – wall to wall craft fairs every weekend. it’s funny, i have never been a big christmas person, but man, craft season is like one big extended seasonal high for me. i just can’t get enough.

this weekend in particular is shaking down to be a bit of west coast DIY craft-off with both Seattle & Vancouver hosting their largest indie craft fairs on the same weekend.  what’s a girl to do, but hit both?

Seattle’s Urban Craft Uprising is going to be amazing.  the ladies & i will be joining the celebration of 5 years of craft fantasticness right after we hit the outlets on the way down.  this lady needs some new duds to wear to her new office come january. too bad i couldn’t pull off one of these hats as a casual accessory.

Vancouver’s Got Craft is going to rock equally as hard, and maybe harder if my super-geek plan of being one of the first lucky 30 through the doors of the Commerical Drive Legion works.  two words.  swag. bag.  i know, right?  i mean, seriously.

and for all my yankee readers, check out this week’s list of US-craft fairs put together by Handmade News.

craftalicious 2009

apologies for the lack of posting recently.  i have been super distracted, soaking up every last juicy morsel of our gorgeous summer days.  a number of highlights that simply must be noted….

• the opening of “baaad anna’s” knit store in Hastings Sunrise last month!  yayayaya finally a knit store in the neighbourhood with a great ethic run by a fantastic delightful craftivist.  needless to say, i was like a kid in a candy store the day of the opening.  check out their classes and upcoming ‘yarn-tasting’ event this weekend – just a few tickets left!

• ‘it’s yours take it‘ street art bonanza on the steps of the VAG (see post below).  was so happy my crew got their in time and were able to participate in the entire event (which essentially lasts as long as it takes folks to scoop up all the art).  my piece comes from CYDN – make sure to check out his work… great sketches, stencil art, photography… next Vancouver IYTI takes place Jan/Feb 2010

• renegade craft fair, san francisco.  ’twas one hellava huge show, definitely the largest wow-factor indie craft emporium i have been to.  wish i had taken much more time and likely gone back a second day to soak it all in.

• book launch for ‘yarn bombing – the art of crochet & knit graffiti‘ by mandy moore and leanne prain at three bags full.  Check out this video clip of the launch (and soak in the delicious colors of the yarn!)

bring on autumn!

IYTI event Vancouver

IYTI event Vancouver,
originally uploaded by CYDN.

Just found this while trolling through Flickr… It’s me at this summer’s “It’s Yours Take It” event at the VAG. The theme was re-use, recycle. I got super lucky and snatched up this fine piece which is now proudly adorning my living room wall.

pushing it over the needle’s edge

last night’s gathering of DIY folks & screening of handmade nation was super fantastic.  I have to admit to having spent at least an hour this morning trolling the websites of the amazing artists that were showcased in the film.

Check out these fine folks:

Buy Olympia:  a couple of cool start-up cats spreading the word and selling the goods

Jenny Hart:  embroidery like you have never seen before…. *shhh…think i’m going to try this next….*

Mandy Greer: fibre art fantasticness

The *most* exciting part is knowing that in seven short days i will actually get to take in 200 of these amazing people at my very first (and san fran’s 2nd annual) renegade craft fair (see previous post).  it is seriously, the best birthday gift ev-ah.

Handmade Nation rocks the rio

handmade nation

listen up vancouverites:  handmade nation is coming to town! check out the western canada premier of this fantastic, and often sold out film thursday july 9th @ the rio on broadway. seriously peeps, this is an event not to be missed.  a craftivist convergence.

the doc tells the stories of a whole bunch of cool cats, including houston’s clandestine crew, knitta.  heart. them.

assuming my words may not be enough for you, check out this plug:

“Tagged as the ‘Ambassador of Handmade,’  Faythe Levine has traveled 19,000 miles to document what has emerged as a marriage between historical technique, punk culture, and the D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself) ethos.” –Raincoast Books.

get your tix now.  did i mention the 14-artist craft showcase?  and if you bring your own DIY treasure photobooth will snap your pic and post it on flickr. i mean really.  so good.

DIY renegades

chicago + 2003 + craftivist convergence = birth of the renegade craft fair. now in its 6th year, this rock star of do-it-yourself events is one that has risen to the top of my must-experience list.   having just missed the Brooklyn gathering (*so sad*), the next possibility is July 18 & 19th in San Francisco.

crafters. they are just so cool.

city of glass

georgia viaduct

i love my city. it’s big and busy and noisy and growing like gangbusters (even in the midst of what is apparently a global recession).  these factors don’t lend themselves well to a lot of things that are important to me – like affordable places to live for everyone – but they have certainly played a role in the growth of the arts and culture scene.

as a pretty peripheral scene-type gal myself, my total go-to source is definitely Chalked Up.  the mag is fab for music, arts, food, and general indie anything.  it also act as a great aggregator of a bunch of other cool sites and even has an interactive venue guide of the city.  what else do you need to kick off another incredible west coast weekend?