Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Your Favorite Vendor from the 2011 Holiday Craft Market!

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

THANK YOU to the 800+ shoppers who came out for our 5th Annual Holiday Craft Market!  We were OVERWHELMED by the turnout! 

Soooo many shoppers!  It was a full house!

Our vendors had RECORD BREAKING sales! We're still finalizing the official tally, but as of right now, we are at $17,500+ in total sales!!!

Happy shoppers with their goodie bags!

People were lining up just after 9am for our free goodie bags for the first 25 shoppers.  By the time we opened the auditorium doors at 10am, there were about 100 people waiting in the lobby of The Masonic Temple!

We asked all 800+ shoppers to Vote for Their Favorite Vendor!

The votes have been tallied and the top THREE favorite vendors are...



...Heidi of Madge and Gert!

These three vendors each win a $10 Gift Certificate toward Flint Handmade Knuckles Merchandise!

Here are just a few more of our fantastic 50+ vendors:

Liz of Aromaholic

Lindsey of Craftaholic

Amber of Handleber

Leslie (l) of Lydia's Vintage with shopper/volunteer Michelle 


Amy (l) and Ethan of Small Craft with their adorable kids

For more photos, check out our 2011 Holiday Craft Market Album and Members Only Preview Album on Facebook.

A special thank you to all of the vendors and shoppers who became founding members of Flint Handmade!

We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2012 Spring Craft Market!  The online application will be posted in February.  Keep checking our blog for more details. :)

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you enjoy this time with family and friends! 

And, if you can, try to do at least one thing to express your creativity today, whether it is making placecards for the dinner table or crocheting a scarf while chatting with your loved ones!


We hope to see you at our 5th Annual Holiday Craft Market THIS Saturday from 10am-4pm at The Masonic Temple in Downtown Flint!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Second Saturday Giveaway: November Winner!

We want to thank everyone who commented on our November Second Saturday Giveaway featuring Clara Gibson of Chuber Pottery!  Special thanks to Ali Misner of Alexandria's Soap Garden for such a great interview and photos!

The awesome commenters for November were Andrea Butler, Kristen Mason, Courtney, All Wired Up TOO, Jan, Ali, Toxiegirll, Janel, DesiAnima, Susanna Tippett, DamselFish, lilacpop, Teresa T, Missy Healey, Cathy Danz, disis1, Kara, brownirishgal, Chelsye, Cathy and Chelle.

Just for commenting, all of you will receive a FREE Flint Handmade button in your choice of red, blue or yellow! Ask at the Flint Handmade table at any of our events and we'll make sure you get your button.

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for! The randomly selected winner of the Handmade Tea Cup is...


...All Wired Up TOO!!! Congratulations!

All Wired Up TOO, send us an email at flinthandmade@hotmail.com and we will make arrangements for you to receive your Handmade Tea Cup! You have 30 days to claim your prize. :)

We want to encourage everyone to participate in the next Second Saturday Giveaway to be posted on December 10, 2011!


Be sure to visit the 5th Annual Flint Handmade Holiday Craft Market THIS Saturday, November 26, 2011 from 10am-4pm at The Masonic Temple in Downtown Flint!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Southeast Michigan Crafters Meetup at Maker Works in Ann Arbor

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

Recently, I took a trip down to Ann Arbor with my friend Antonia (aka Toe) to check out a Southeast Michigan Crafters Meetup at Maker Works.


Maker Works is "an 11,000 sq. ft. member-based studio located in Ann Arbor, MI. It features 4 areas of making: METAL, CIRCUITS, WOOD and CRAFT. It also provides hundreds of hand tools, classes, a retail store and more."

From left to right: Rae, Karen and Sarah

Karen of One Girl Circus and Rae of Made by Rae have been organizing these monthly Southeast Michigan Crafters Meetups for about a year to give crafters the opportunity to meet, network and craft together! 

The location for the Meetups often rotates, but I was glad to go to one at Maker Works, which I learned about at the 2010 Maker Faire.

 At the Meetup, Toe made a bracelet with beads she brought...then she gave the bracelet to me!  Thanks, Toe!

This lovely gal was making a fabric puppet theatre to fit in a doorway.  So cute!

 After we crafted for a while, Thea from Maker Works gave us a tour of the facility.  We started in the CIRCUITS area.

Super cute signage!

This area is located between the CIRCUITS and CRAFT area.  It's called the tool crib...what a great name!

My favorite tool at Maker Works was the Amaya 16-thread embroidery machine in the CRAFT area.  Thea said that this is one of the most powerful tools in the entire facility.  It requires a 3-hour class to learn how to use!

The very same Epilog laser cutter I saw at the 2010 Maker Faire is located in the CRAFT area.

The laser cutter makes some cool stuff!

The MakerBot 3D printer that won a blue ribbon at Maker Faire is also in the CRAFT area.  (Guess who else won a blue ribbon at the 2011 Maker Faire?)

Leah used one of the Bernina sewing machines available in the Maker Works CRAFT area.

The ShopBot CNC Router cutting out stools in the WOOD area.

Fullly operable vintage metal lathe in the METAL area.

Flint Handmade is considering organizing a field trip down to Maker Works in 2012.  Please email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com if you are interested!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Second Saturday Giveaway by Ali Misner: Win Tea Cup from Chuber Pottery!

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

We are so excited to announce a NEW FORMAT for our regular Second Saturday Giveaway!

Whenever possible, our featured crafter from the same month of the previous year will do the interview and take photos with a new featured crafter!

In November 2010, I interviewed Ali Misner of Alexandria's Soap Garden.

For our November 2011 Second Saturday Giveaway, Ali interviewed her mother-in-law, Carla Gibson of Chuber Pottery (cjanecare@mac.com).

Carla in her workspace.

Ali: Tell us about your workspace.

Carla: I have a two story 24’ by 26’ pole barn. The first floor consists of my work area with my kiln, my wheel, drying racks, a glazing area, shelves with various pottery tools, slab roller, and of course clay. My husband also works in the pole barn, however with only a mere 8’ X 9’ area we’ve dubbed “The Man Square,” (poor hubby J).

Chuber pottery on display.

The second floor is my storage and display area, as well as office space.  The pole barn is conveniently located right in my back yard, just about 10 meters from my back door! 
  
Using the elephant ear sponge.

Ali: What is your favorite craft tool/material?

Carla: I love throwing clay on the wheel and using my elephant ear sponge. This involves centering the clay and a lot of hand control to form the clay. The elephant ear sponge keeps the clay moist. This process of pottery making is very calming and soothing.

Vegetable steamers made by Carla.

Ali: How did you get into crafting?

Carla: When I was young my mom was very creative. We would make paper dolls, and learned how to make things by using household items. During my senior year I received a sewing machine and in 1975 I began working in the costume department at the Whiting Theater. The head seamstress became my mentor and taught me to sew.

Glazes in Carla's studio.

I continued my crafting passion by taking a pottery class at the FIA in 1978 and fell in love! I purchased my own pottery wheel and kiln and began selling my pottery at various craft shows around Michigan until I had children. From 1983 to 1985 I taught pottery classes in different Flint afterschool programs in the fine arts department.

Carla's pottery tools.

It wasn’t until several years later, after 2005, that I purchased the equipment to create my own pottery studio, where I continue to make pottery and sell at various craft shows today!   

Ali: How did you come up with your company name?

Carla: When I took the pottery class at FIA I wrote my name on the back of my work “C. Huber,” because my maiden name was Huber. When my instructor was handing back the pottery, she asked “Who’s Chuber?” It was so funny that the name just stuck and I decided to call my work “Chuber Pottery.”

Ali: What do you listen to/think about/watch while you craft?

Carla: I love listening to upbeat and organic music, like Arlow Xan [Ali's band with her husband, Alan, who is Carla's son], while I’m working on the wheel. In fact, the music has inspired me to start making musical instruments.

Udu drum.

One of my goals is to make an Udu drum, which is almost like a vase that has holes in it. To create musical instruments with clay is definitely something I’d like to work towards in addition to my more functional pieces such as bowls, coffee cups, and vegetable steamers.  I think it’s something that would be really cool.
 
Making art from clay.
 
It always amazes me how you can take clay from the Earth and make art from it. To sit and enjoy your meal or play music using pieces you’ve created is very rewarding and very earthly.
 
Carla's studio.

Ali: What projects would you like to work on in the future?  

Carla: I’d like to continue to pursue making various types of musical instruments out of clay. I think I know a couple of people who would use them. :)

Blue Rutile tea cup wit lid on.

Ali: Provide a description and retail value of the item(s) you are donating for the giveaway.

Carla: Here is a “Blue Rutile” tea cup with a lid you can use to keep your tea warm, or place your teabag on once it’s finished brewing.

Blue Rutile tea cup with lid off.

The cup has been high fired and colored with different layers of lead-free glaze. It is microwave and dishwasher safe and valued at $20. It’s perfect for sipping warm tea on chilly nights! J

For YOUR chance to win the Blue Rutile Tea Cup by Carla Gibson of Chuber Pottery, just complete steps A and B:

A) Follow Flint Handmade via the blog, Twitter, Google Reader or whatever newfangled "following application" tickles your fancy. Or, if you don't do the whole following thing, email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com and we will add you to our email list.

B) Leave us a comment in response to this blog post by 5pm on Saturday, November 19, 2011 answering the following 2 questions:

1) How do you follow Flint Handmade?

2) If you were to create something out of clay, what would you make?

Please be sure to answer BOTH questions to qualify for the drawing.

The winner will be selected at random and posted on the blog within one week after the deadline. The winner will have 30 days to claim the prize.

We hope to hear from YOU and we hope you enjoyed our November Second Saturday Giveaway by Ali Misner of Alexandria's Soap Garden!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

The Rust Belt Market in Ferndale

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

Recently, I took a trip down to Ferndale to visit The Rust Belt Market.

Rust Belt is a year-round brick-and-mortar market for handmade and vintage goods.  Vendors sell their wares directly to shoppers every Saturday and Sunday from 11am-7pm. 


Chris Best and his wife, Tiffany Best, own and operate The Rust Belt Market.  I had the pleasure of meeting Chris at the 2011 [IN]spire Conference where we spoke on a Creativity & Commerce panel together.

Chris, Tiffany and all of their vendors are doing amazing work in support of the handmade movement in Michigan at Rust Belt!
  
Awesome painted wood journal by Jessica of Ink Stain Design (InkStainDesign@live.com).

Upcycled license plate signs by License Plate Heaven.

DetroitGT has a pickup truck parked INSIDE The Rust Belt Market for their display of Michigan shirts.

Melanie of Earthenwood Studio had a very clever business concept.  She sells premade necklaces with her own handcrafted porcelain beads...

...or you can pick your own beads and charms...

 ...to make your own mix-and-match necklace!

The Rock City Pies looked pretty tasty!

The vendor booths just keep going and going in the 15,000 square foot space!

There is a stage with a grand piano in the middle of The Rust Belt Market for live music!

Flint Handmade is considering sponsoring a carpool field trip to Rust Belt sometime in 2012.  Email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com if you are interested!