Like thousand of others I’ve taken the pledge to buy handmade this holiday season and am requesting that others do the same for me. If, like me, you live in the Los Angeles area I want to plug a handful of handmade shopping events taking place this month and next. But no matter where you reside, take a moment to visit the vendor pages on each of these event’s websites - many, if not most, of the artists, designers and craftspeople participating have online shops stocked and waiting for you!
Felt Club: XL Holiday
On Sunday, November 18, from 11am-6pm Felt Club is hosting 75+ artists, crafters, and designers from SoCal and beyond who’ll show off their latest and greatest D.I.Y. wares for your handmade-shopping pleasure! There will be fresh and delicious eats and drinks from renowned Eagle Rock eatery Auntie Em’s Kitchen and you’ll enjoy happy shopping music from our DJs, Dirty Robot and Lance Rock. With your $5 admission, you’ll receive a ticket to win a fantastic door prize, and the first 250 visitors will be treated to swag bags full of cool magazines, craft patterns, coupons, buttons, li’l gifts and samples from sponsors and vendors. Last but not least, they’re offering a full roster of hands-on craft classes throughout the day. Click here for complete event information.
Maker Square
Maker Square is the fair-within-a-fair - a mini version of the popular Maker Faire event - hosted by the staff of Make and Craft magazines. Maker Square brings together science, art, craft and engineering in a fun, energized and exciting public forum. The aim is to inspire people of all ages to roll up their sleeves and become makers. Expect to see demonstrations (often hands-on) in robotics, unusual musical instruments, soft circuits, microcontrollers, and more. The Maker Square portion of Felt Club will feature people like Mister Jalopy, who will demonstrate his Mobile Drive-In Movie Projector (featured on the cover of MAKE Vol.11), Jason Torchinsky’s “Super Stick”, a 5-foot tall Atari 2600 joystick (which actually works!!), Jed Berk and his Blubberbots, and many more. In short, Maker Square is DIY meets techno-nerdiness at it’s best!
Handmade for the Holidays
On Friday and Saturday, November 23 and 24, from 11-6pm The HomeGrownMarket.com will be hosting “Handmade For The Holidays” Art, Fashion & Crafts Fair at Fairfax High School on the corner of Melrose and Fairfax. This is the first year for this market but it looks to be not only well located, but well organized with over 150 vendors selling an amazing array of beautiful, creative, and thoughtful products. Find unique and one-of-a-kind fashion, jewelry, baby and children’s items, furniture & decor, bath & body products, art, novelty gifts, holiday items and more. FREE Gift Bags (while supplies last, valued $10-$250 each), FREE Gift Wrapping, FREE Parking, FREE Sit & Relax Lounge, FREE GIVEAWAYS every hour, great holiday music, free chocolate giveaways, Craft & Art Stations, & gourmet lunches and holiday treats. Admission is just $2. Please click here for complete event details.
Little Monster Market
On December 8th from 10am-3pm Little Monster Market, LA’s only handmade market dedicated soley to items for the short set, pairs up with Cool Baby to host a special holiday shopping event. Free Admission. Click here for complete event details.
“So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall.” - Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
A book is always a great gift -which is why I’ve just finished doubling the size of this year’s gift guide by compiling a selection of literary favorites from Powell’s City of Books in Portland, OR - a favorite, BIG, independent book seller. The guide is divided according to age with some old stand-bys, a few classics and a handful of lesser known recent finds to add to your shopping list or to find during your next trip to the library. Visit the Jamboree and scroll down to the Book Brigade.
I am extremely pleased to present for your consideration the International Chapter of the Junior Society’s first annual holiday gift guide!
The illustration found above is from the coloring book Coloring Can Be Funny! by Junior Society Member S.Britt (who also illustrated our club house!) and be found here.
Where in the world is the Grand Poohbah? Was he lost on an overnight scouting outing? Has he finally gone to that great clubhouse in the sky? Fear not my friends, all is well. But I sincerely appreciate the concern. Your occasionally technologically challenged pal here has just return from four weeks on the road where despite all of his advanced planning he ran into a few too many roadblocks and detours to be able to post in absentia. Sigh. So please accept my sincere apologies for the unannounced disappearance and know that it was completely unintentional. Let me tell you what I’ve been up to and regular club meetings will commence this coming week.
I love a good road trip, I really do - but after four weeks in the car, 15 states, countless drive-through meals and three shows I am happy to be home again. Earlier in the year I decided to take my business, Mahar Drygoods ‘on tour’ and signed up for the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago and Country Living’s Annual Fair a week later. It wasn’t until after I paid my fees and received show confirmations that I realized my scheduling blunder - the shows were actually two weeks apart! It actually worked out for the best though allowing me to visit family in between shows and participate in the Eastown Street Fair in my hometown of Grand Rapids, MI…making the trip more of working holiday. The following gives you an idea of my route:
So, Santa Monica to Chicago in just under four days and then the Renegade Craft Fair which I had the pleasure of working with my sister who came down from Madison, WI and my pal Beth Doherty of Gourmet Amigurumi. I don’t think I had a concept of what 200 vendors looked like, but needless to say it took up several city blocks. We were set up down the center of Division Street in the great Wicker Park neighborhood. The organizers made a brilliant move in partnering up with the Do*Division Street Fair - so the craft fair ran for several blocks and then the neighborhood street fair ran for several more which made for amazing foot traffic. There were so many talented artists and small indie companies that participated like Golden Hen Press, the Small Object, and Circa Ceramics just to name a few. Below are a few shot of the weekend and note the incredibly cute kid - my nephew.
After Chicago, it was up to Madison for the week to visit with my sister and her family, allowing for some quality ‘uncle time.’ Then I took the very cool car ferry across Lake Michigan to visit family in Grand Rapids and to participate in the Eastown Street Fair. My parents and my brothers were great sports in helping me setup/tear down and man the booth. I had the added benefit of sharing the booth with my friend and Mahar Drygoods artist Hilary Seabolt of Lilly Bean Play Food! I regrettably was lax in taking pictures at this event, but needless to say I had a great time and had some very fine barbeque.
And after a nice week of visiting family and friends in MI, my mom and I drove down the beautiful rural town of Morrow, OH - just east of Cincinnati. We set up in a steady drizzle on Thursday and were hopeful that it wasn’t a sign of worse weather to come. This was only the second year Country Living Magazine hosted a fair - last year it was in Chicago’s Botanical Gardens and attendance for the entire weekend numbered around 5,000. Much to everyone’s amazement on Friday morning the sun came out and close to 10,000 people walked through the gates! Left somewhat dazed, the Fair’s organizers really stepped up their game bringing in reinforcements for the food vendors, seating and the all important port-o-johns for Saturday and Sunday. And miraculously the foot traffic increased. Needless to say, at the end of each we had just enough energy to go eat and then pass out at the hotel.
This was really an impressive fair, held on the farm of furniture maker David T. Smith. The grounds were styled to the hilt with straw bales, corn stalks, pumpkins and gourds around every corner and even a tram styled like a vintage train that toured kids around the grounds. Amidst all of the shopping they also held workshops, demonstrations and classes on everything from furniture restoration to broom making. And the food! Despite very long lines we were spoiled with barbeque, grilled sweet corn, Cajun dishes and of course frozen lemonade. We had a great time and if it’s held in your neck of the woods next year I wouldn’t hesitate to attend.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say some very heartfelt thanks to my friends and family that acted as hotels, support staff and cheerleaders during my little Midwest tour. A warm thank you to the overwhelming number of friends who paid us a visit at the various fairs. It’s always a pleasure to meet customers face to face and a great treat to make so many new acquaintances!
I’m calling today’s club meeting to make certain that our Los Angeles area members mark this coming Tuesday, September 4th on their calendars for the ‘Back to School!’ Little Monster Market! LMM is LA’s only crafty market dedicated to all things for the short set. I’m really pleased to see this event continue to grow and add great new vendors.
And for Junior Society members that reside further abroad, while you may be unable to attend I invite you to visit the LMM vendors through the links below. Have fun exploring!
Congratulations to Debra who writes, “What an awesome collection - yes! We want to be members of these clubs since they are cool, cool, cool. My twins are crazy for pandas - and all animals, really. I love the photos since they’re reminiscent of dioramas in the dusty hidden parts of Natural History museums. Thanks for hosting a great contest.”
Congratulations to tuliptoe who writes, “Wow! What lovely cupcakes! I love the Liliputians site! My favorite shirt was the brown with the pink striped number. My daughter would love one for her big number 4 next year! Thanks again for the great site!”
Congratulations to Tina who writes, “i love this blog, and i don’t even have kids of my own! however, i do know and love several children of friends/family who will hopefully forever consider me the “cool aunt” this site helps me continue towards that goal. thanks!”
And congratulations to Susan who writes, “I love carnivals and State Fairs. I won a ribbon in the Texas state fair for one of my knitted monsters. I love your blog - I have been creating an archive of all the wonderful things you find. I especially love the crooked little houses lately. What a find!”
I also just want to say a warm ‘thank you’ for all of the kind comments. Spending so much of my day in front of the computer it can feel like I’m working in a vacuum at times - so the feedback and encouragement is very much appreciated!
I always appreciate it when bloggers pass along sites they enjoy or provide links to the new blogs on the block - a warm welcome to the world wide web.
Our pals over at GoodyBlog are especially good at this practice and actually brought the following two sites to my attention. GB is run by a team from Parents Magazine and do a great job of scouring the web for umm, well…goodies.
Nested is a particularly attractive site whose “coverage skews toward the three-and-under crowd and the parents who are trying to make their lives a happier and prettier place.”
I think TeensyGreen’s tagline “think outside your playroom” is brilliant and in our current climate of increasing eco consciousness this is a great resource site for caregivers who want to raise green kids.
Indie Babies covers subject matter near and dear to my heart - independently produced and often handcrafted gear for the short set.
Oh man, if you’re in the Los Angeles area this coming Sunday, July 15, from 11am-7pm head on over to the Felt Club: XL Summer event with 70+ crafters from SoCal and beyond (click here to check ‘em out!) who’ll show off their latest and greatest D.I.Y. wares for your handmade-shopping pleasure! You’ll enjoy fresh and delicious snacks and sweets from renowned Eagle Rock eatery Auntie Em’s Kitchen and a selection of all-natural sparkling fruit juices from IZZE (free while supplies last) - in addition to happy shopping music from our DJs, Dirty Robot and Lance Rock. The event will be hosted by lovable L.A. “histo-tainer” Charles Phoenix!
With your $1 donation at the door, you’ll receive a ticket to win a door prize, and the first 250 visitors will be treated to swag bags full of books, magazines, craft patterns, coupons, buttons, li’l gifts and samples from our sponsors and vendors (sneak peeks are viewable in our Flickr pool!). They’ve even published an event program full of D.I.Y. craft projects (limited to 2,000 copies)!
The event happens at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, 4315 Melrose Ave. (between Vermont and Heliotrope). The UCC is located near LACC, the 101, and the Red Line Metro. Right around the corner, you’ll also find a fabulous ice cream shop called SCOOPS. The owner agreed to stay open on Sunday (it’s usually closed!), so be sure to check it out and tell them Felt Club sent ya! There’s a ton of metered street parking (ranging from 2-6 hrs), plus unmetered spaces on side streets, or you can buy a $2 parking pass in the garage at the LACC lot on Vermont (btw Melrose and Monroe, right behind the swap meet…click here for a map.).
Last but not least, they’re offering a full roster of hands-on craft classes throughout the day. How cool is that!
Throughout the day, Felt Club is offering a selection of craft classes taught by various vendors. The classes are free, you only pay for materials. Space is limited and spots are first-come, first served. You must sign up at the Felt Club Info Table when you arrive and pick up your supplies.
Here’s the class list:
11:00 AM - PRINT GOCCO DEMONSTRATION - FREE
w/THE EDITORS OF CRAFT MAGAZINE
A hands-on demonstration of the Print Gocco, a Japanese tabletop silkscreening device. You’ll be able to make (then take!) a fun commemorative Felt Club print of your very own.
12:00 PM - HANDSPINNING YARN 101 - $20 for supplies
W/JAMIE CHAN OF MARYJANE’S ATTIC
Ever wonder how yarn is made? Yarn is simply a long, twisted continuous length of interlocked fibers, for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving and rope making. Yarn can be made from a variety of natural or synthetic fibers. Students will learn a brief history of yarn making, then learn how to spin yarn with some colorful wool and a drop spindle.
1:30 PM - NEEDLE FELTING 101 - $15 for supplies
W/JAMIE CHAN OF MARYJANE’S ATTIC
Ever wonder how wool felt is made? Felt is very easy to make given the right circumstances. Wool, which comes from sheep, is a very strong and stretchy fiber. When you use a needle to add pressure, wool shrinks and becomes felt. In this class you will be learn to make felted balls, beads, bracelets and flat objects. You will be given a variety of colorful wools and shown how to make these objects with just your hands and felting needles!
2:30 PM - CHARM JEWELRY 101 - $15 for supplies
W/LAURA STOKES OF CHARCOAL DESIGNS
Learn to use jump rings, metal or plastic chain, lobster clasps and more to make one-of-a-kind, super-colorful jewelry (bracelets, earrings, etc.) using kitschy-cute handmade resin charms.
3:30 PM - HANDSPINNING YARN 101 - $20 for supplies
W/JAMIE CHAN OF MARYJANE’S ATTIC
Ever wonder how yarn is made? Yarn is simply a long, twisted continuous length of interlocked fibers, for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving and rope making. Yarn can be made from a variety of natural or synthetic fibers. Students will learn a brief history of yarn making, then learn how to spin yarn with some colorful wool and a drop spindle.
5:00 PM - NEEDLE FELTING 101 - $15 for supplies
W/JAMIE CHAN OF MARYJANE’S ATTIC
Ever wonder how wool felt is made? Felt is very easy to make given the right circumstances. Wool, which comes from sheep, is a very strong and stretchy fiber. When you use a needle to add pressure, wool shrinks and becomes felt. In this class you will be learn to make felted balls, beads, bracelets and flat objects. You will be given a variety of colorful wools and shown how to make these objects with just your hands and felting needles!
Meet Gluey Gluerson (I didn’t name him, they didn’t ask me.) the officlal Felt Club mascot. He’ll be there on the 15th at the Felt Club table. Who is this intriguing character you ask? What makes him stick? Read his recent interview with the fine folks over at CRAFT Magazine/Blog.
The last Felt Club was held in December 2006 and featured on the Your LA news magzine show. Check out the following clip from the tv segment:
this site helps me continue towards that goal. thanks!”
