Thursday, April 26, 2012

New Display Heads in the Flint Handmade Shop!

We are getting so excited for the 5th Annual Spring Craft Market NEXT Saturday, May 5th from 10am-4pm at The Masonic Temple in Downtown Flint!

But, if you just can't wait to get your fix of handmade goods by local crafters, then check out our Flint Handmade Shop at The Lunch Studio!

We have a large variety of handcrafted items ranging from record album cover notebooks to wonderfully aromatic soaps to notecards featuring original illustrations to felt jewelry and more!


We especially love the new display heads we got for the crocheted hats by Misty of CrazeCrafts!

Visit the shop Monday-Friday from 8am-4pm and on Saturday from 11am-3pm at The Lunch Studio and stay for the delicious soups and sandwiches while you are there!


P.S. We hope to see you at the Spring Craft Market, too!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Second Saturday Giveaway: April Winner!


We want to thank everyone who commented on our April Second Saturday Giveaway featuring Missy Healey of Mah Hemp Jewelry & Accessories!

The awesome commenters for April were EngelAugen, handleber, Misty Bentley, natterchatter87, Dreamzy, KC @ Papercrane, Judy T, stephgoodell, Beth P., Nicole Lewis, Christina, Yuniikuyou and Jennisnyder.

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for! The randomly selected winner of the Hemp Necklace with Flower Charm is...


...Jennisnyder!!! Congratulations!

Jennisnyder, send us an email at flinthandmade@hotmail.com and we will make arrangements for you to receive your item! You have 30 days to claim your prize. :)

We want to encourage everyone to participate in the next Second Saturday Giveaway to be posted May 12, 2012!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Seeking Volunteers for Spring Craft Market!

Flint Handmade is looking for volunteers for our 5th Annual Spring Craft Market (Saturday, May 5) and/or Members Only Preview (Friday, May 4) at The Masonic Temple in Downtown Flint.



Volunteer shifts are 2 hours long. 9-11am, 11-1pm, 1-3pm or 3-5pm on Saturday. 4:30-6:30pm or 6:30-8:30pm on Friday.

Tasks may include staffing the welcome table, handing out programs, collecting donations, etc.

All volunteers will received a special thank you gift for their time.

Email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com if you are interested in volunteering.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

April craftLAB Recap: T-Shirt Reconstruction!

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

We had a great time at Buckham Gallery reconstructing t-shirts with Christa Irons of Ms. Christa's Rockin' Accessories!

Christa wore her reconstructed Flint Handmade shirt to crafLAB. 

She showed Theresa (l) and Nicole how to transform their regular t-shirts into scoop neck shirts with cap sleeves.

Mary cut and pinned her shirt and started sewing right away.

Mary finished quickly and modeled her shirt by a piece of art at Buckham Gallery.

Christa assisted Monica with sewing her shirt.

Toe used Christa's serger to sew her scoop neck without pinning.

Toe was all smiles in her modified shirt!

Christa helped Nicole with pinning her shirt and sewing on Flint Handmades' new-to-us sewing machine.

Theresa (l) and her daughter, Nicole, showed off their cute new shirts.

Group photo!

Special thanks to Buckham Gallery for hosting craftLAB.

In May 2012, we will be back at the The Lunch Studio for craftLAB to learn the coiled papercraft known as quilling

We hope to see you there!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Second Saturday Giveaway: Win a Necklace from Missy Healey of Mah Hemp!

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

For our April Second Saturday giveaway, we are featuring Missy Healey of Mah Hemp Jewelry & Accessories!


This is Missy holding bunches of her colorful hemp necklaces on the balcony of her apartment.  When the weather is nice, she likes to spread a blanket on the grass and make jewelry in the sunshine!


Missy's indoor workspace is a cozy little dining nook.  She says:

"I have a VERY small apartment.  Therefore, my entire home turns into my work space at times.

The shelving unit I use as storage was made by my father when I was a child. It was initially used as a shoe shelf. When I got older and moved out of my parents’ house he painted it from baby blue to black to match my living room. Now I use it to place all of my beads, hemp and other craft materials."


Can you guess Missy's favorite craft material?  Hemp, of course!  She says:

"My favorite material to use is hemp twine. It is a natural material that has thousands of benefits for the environment and over 25,000 uses. I enjoy utilizing it, as well as educating other about the plant properties, uses, and benefits."


In additional to her necklaces, Missy has started making home decor with hemp.  Above are hemp-wrapped flower vases made from upcycled glass vessels such as frappacino, spaghetti sauce and pop bottles.


"Lately I have been working on hemp bowls, baskets, flower vases and other containers. This is a new field of hemp crafts I have not done before. I was inspired to create these types of items after I had seen them on Pinterest.com. Next, I want to make wind chimes and mobiles."

I asked Missy what she likes to do while crafting:

"I like listen to people who inspire me to be the best and most creative person I can be. Therefore, I typically watch Oprah Winfrey while I am being crafty. If she is not on the television at that time I watch Create TV or I listen to Bob Marley because his music is very relaxing."


Missy's other crafty hobbies include sewing.  She has two machines, one of which (in the background of the above photo) was given to her by her aunt.

I asked her how she got into crafting:

"I definitely got the crafty gene from my mother. She has always been making arts and crafts since she was a child. My whole life she encouraged me to be as creative as I could be.

Mah Hemp Jewelry & Accessories began in February of 2009. I initially started doing macramé just to pass the time after I had a minor surgery. Within days my friends all wanted a necklace, anklet or bracelet. Before I knew it I was heading to craft shows and it grew much bigger than I ever expected it to."

I can attest that Missy's mom, Cindy Healey, is very creative.  She makes photo quilts for her family members with vinyl pockets that allow the photos to be easily changed out.


Missy has an attractive black and white photo quilt by her mom on display in her her living room, which is right next to her craft nook. 

(I'm hoping to get one of Cindy's unique quilts to display at our Flint Festival of Quilts "My Favorite Things" Exhibition!)

Missy has other great crafts on display in her living room.

If Mah Hemp didn't keep her busy enough, Missy also manages the Grand Blanc Farmers' Market and one of her craft vendors gave her this lovely arrangement.


(She gave me one of pinwheels to use a template for a future Flint Handmade craftLAB.  Yay!

In addition to Mah Hemp and the Farmers' Market, Missy a social work major at the University of Michigan-Flint and she is participating in a study abroad class this spring to bring free health care and health education to orphans and disabled children in Cambodia.

In fact, Missy and her classmates have organized a craft fair to raise funds for their study abroad.

Crafts for Cambodia will be at the Davison VFW Post 4087 (9474 Lapeer Road, Davison, MI 48423) on Sunday, April 29, 2012 from 10am-4pm.  The event will feature over 30 vendors with handmade crafts, home party goods and local foods as well as a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and kid's games.  Admission is only $2.


"Mission: Hempossible" is the name Missy used for her study abroad fundraising endeavor:

"I’ve been saving all of my money that I earn from jewelry sales to fund my study abroad program to Cambodia this May. I have an amazing group of supporters that have encouraged my growth within my business...which in turn has helped me grow as a person."

Well, we think that Missy's dedication to the handmade movement, eating locally and global health care are very inspiring and could help all of us grow as people, too!


For the Second Saturday Giveaway, Missy has graciously donated a beaded hemp necklace with a bronze-colored flower charm. 

For YOUR chance to win the Hemp Necklace with Flower Charm (valued at $8) by Missy Healey of Mah Hemp Jewelry & Accessories, 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, Apirl 21, 2012 answering the following 2 questions:

1) How do you follow Flint Handmade?

2) What other crafts could Missy make out of hemp to help fund her study abroad?
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. You must check back with the blog to see if you won!

We hope to hear from YOU and we hope you enjoyed our April Second Saturday Giveaway!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

May craftLAB: Quilling!

Join us for a FREE Quilling Workshop at craftLAB on Sunday, May 6, 2012 from noon-3pm at The Lunch Studio!

Learn the basics of the coiled papercraft known as quilling from Flint Handmade Founding Member Jenni Snyder!

PHOTO CREDIT: http://cynchronicity.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/paper-quilling

VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE BRING A QUILLING TOOL.

You can make one yourself with a wine cork and large hand needle or you can buy one from a craft supply store

We will have some corks and needles on hand for those who want to make their quilling tools at craftLAB, but it might take a while for the glue to dry and we want to make sure we have lots of time to quill!

All other supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring any of your own papercrafting or quilling supplies (including scissors, scrapbook paper, etc.) if you would like to use them!

Flint Handmade hosts FREE craftLABs on the first Sunday of every month at The Lunch Studio in Downtown Flint! Come explore and express your creativity!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Field Trip: Yellow Door Art Market in Berkley, Michigan!

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

Recently, I took a trip down to Berkley (near Royal Oak) to check out the Yellow Door Art Market.

I went with my good friend, Tunde Olaniran, who serves as on the Board of Flint Handmade and who is a local Flint musican/activist/maker.

We specifically wanted to gather ideas for displays and possible vendors to bring back to our Flint Handmade Shop at The Lunch Studio.

Yellow Door was easy to find in the heart of Downtown Berkley with it's attractive teal awning.

Immediately upon entering, you see three colorful display tables that keep the front of the store open and airy.  The table on the right is occupied by Vacuum Tube Bots by our friend, Deanne of Deets!

To the left and right of the tables are long aisles straight to the back of the store featuring bright nooks.  The set up is very similar to an antique mall with each vendor having his or her own space.

Between each nook is an end cap display, usually featuring jewelry in glass cases.  This is Elana's Little Sisters Jewelry, which I first discovered at Mitten Made at Blue House Ann Arbor.

Sometimes, the nook vendor has so many great products that they wrap around to the end cap like this display from Wendy of Marshflowers.

Vendors have such creative ways to display their goods!  These rods and baskets show off all of the fabulous ellembee shirts.

At the back of the shop are more tables.  Green Daffodil, which has its own shop in Ferndale that I visited in 2010, also has a table at Yellow Door and displays their lip balms in a vintage muffin tin...too cute!

Fantastic modern quilted goods from Sarah of Hip to Piece Squares!

On the other side of her table, Sarah had a Stitch magazine on display featuring her Patchwork Lunch Sack pattern...which makes a lunch bag like the one we gave away in a free raffle at the 2010 Festival of Quilts!

Something we really liked was the photograph and brief bio of each artisan in their space with business cards!  For example, Susan of daisy chains makes sterling silver and semi-precious jewelry.  We would love to incorporate something like this into our Flint Handmade Shop at The Lunch Studio.
  
We loved this color half nook display featuring fabric goods including bags and aprons from Barb of Excess Baggage.  Great vintage sewing machine, too!

Our friend, Kate of Chicaloo Photography & More also has a nook at Yellow Door!  For more on Kate, check out her Second Saturday Giveaway.

Even the restroom, dubbed "the loo-uvre" featured photography by a local artisan, Mandy of Ginger Mandy Photography.

A few of Mandy's photos in the loo-urve.

The very back of Yellow Door featured an area dedicated specifically to up & coming young artists aged 18 and under...

...and well as a full stocked corner of Michigan made food stuffs and books by Michigan authors.

Cheryl (l) and Molly at Yellow Door were very helpful and we appreciated them allowing us to take pictures to promote Yellow Door on our blog.

Yellow Door features a revolving display of the arts and crafts of over 50 Michigan artisans, only a fraction of which are featured in our photos above.  We encourage you to take a trip to Berkley to check out Yellow Door in person!

P.S. If you are interested in vending at Yellow Door,

Thursday, April 5, 2012

St. Patrick's Day Volunteer Work Party Recap!

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

Thank you so much to the Flint Handmade volunteers who attended our work party at The Lunch Studio on Saturday, March 17, 2012! 

The weather was beautiful and we got to see a lot of colorful St. Patrick's Day revelry on Saginaw Street.  :)

Maureen arrived first, so she got to choose her task...stamping the Knuckles logo on to our new small merchandise bags!

Sarah pitched in to work on birthday cards for our members.

Juanita (l) and Jodi took hundreds of our Knuckles tape measures out of their individual plastic bags.  The tape measures are on sale for only $2 in our Flint Handmade Shop inside The Lunch Studio!

Amber drove over an hour just to help us out!  She cut cards for our vendor table signs.

We wrapped up the day with Maureen and Sarah tying bows on the birthday cards.

Special thanks to Amy and Danielle who also volunteered but managed to escape getting their pictures taken! ;)

Everyone had a great time chatting with fellow crafters while helping out Flint Handmade with some fun projects.

We will host another Flint Handmade Volunteer Work Party at The Lunch Studio in Downtown Flint in couple months, so keep an eye on the blog for the announcement!  

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Guitar Picks Wanted!

Flint Handmade needs guitar picks for a super top secret project!


The picks can be new or used of any color or thickness.

We will also glady accept used up gift cards, old program rewards cards, fake credit cards and/or any other plastic cards to make picks with the fancy "pick punch" that our friend, Nick Horn, is generously letting us borrow.  Thanks, Nick!

Bring your picks and plastic cards to our
5th Annual Spring Craft Market on May 5, 2012
 from 10am-4pm at the Masonic Temple in Downtown Flint!

We will have a pick/card donation jar on the welcome table.

If you can't make it to the Spring Craft Market, but still want to donate guitar picks, just mail them to us by May 31, 2012:

Flint Handmade
PO Box 13473
Flint, MI 48501

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Spring 2012 Members Only Raffle!

We are so pleased to announce our first Members Only FREE Raffle!

Every season, we will be raffling off a handmade item or gift certificate to our members.


Our Spring 2012 prize is a $25.00 gift certificate to Angelic Soaps and Gifts donated by our friend Dieshawn Holmes, who will be vending at our 5th Annual Spring Craft Market on May 5th!

Our members have THREE ways to enter to win:

1) Reply to the email we sent to members only last week.
2) Leave a comment on our Facebook.
3) Leave a comment on this blog post.

The more ways you enter (one entry per person per entry method for a total of three entries per person), the more chances you have to win!


The winner will be randomly selected on May 1st and will be able to pick up the gift certificate at the 5th Annual Spring Craft Market or Members Only Preview. :)

If you are interested in becoming a member to participate in this raffle and receive all of the other fantastic benefits of membership in Flint Handmade, CLICK HERE!