Thanks to everyone who came to the
Yudu Screenprinting Demo on Sunday!
We screenprinted about 30 items with the FH Knuckles! Woo-hoo!
We have lots more photos in our
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Poster Released for the 2011 Cool City Art Auction!
Purchase your tickets at The Lunch Studio or d'Vine Wines
at the Flint Farmer's Market to support Flint Handmade!
If you have an item to donate for the auction, drop it off at the lunch counter at The Lunch Studio with your name, email/phone and the value of the item. Email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com if you would like to mail your donation.
We will have a Wizard of Oz themed table at the Art Auction,
so we especially need handmade and collectible Wizard of Oz items.
In exchange for your donation valued at $25 or more,
you will receive a complimentary ticket to the Art Auction!!!
The 2011 Cool City Art Auction will be held on
Friday, March 25 from 5-10pm in Downtown Flint.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Keep Genesee County Beautiful Conference to Feature Upcycled Crafts!
Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade
My 29th birthday is this Saturday, March 5th. I am excited to be spending my birthday morning at the Keep Genesee County Beautiful Conference!
Our good friend Nayyirah Shariff of Revolutionary Bread will be offering a workshop at the Conference called "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: Lighten Your Load in the Landfill" with Holly Lubowicki of Keep Genesee County Beautiful:
Green your wallet and the environment! Reduce waste by learning how you can make your own cleaning and personal care products and by creatively reusing items that are often discarded. Find out how to “pre-cycle” and set up a recycling collection center in your home or office.
Since Nayyirah knows that I reuse materials that would otherwise get thrown away in most of my crafts, she asked me to lend her a few of my beautiful JUNK upcycled goods to show to workshop participants. Of course, I'm going to give her Flint Handmade brochures to distribute, too. ;)
The 7th Annual Keep Genesee County Beautiful Community Beautification Leadership Conference and 2010 Beautification Awards Program is on Saturday, March 5, 2011 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the University of Michigan-Flint at the Harding Mott University Center.
For more information, check out this Flint Journal Article about the Conference.
Hope to see you there!
My 29th birthday is this Saturday, March 5th. I am excited to be spending my birthday morning at the Keep Genesee County Beautiful Conference!
Our good friend Nayyirah Shariff of Revolutionary Bread will be offering a workshop at the Conference called "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: Lighten Your Load in the Landfill" with Holly Lubowicki of Keep Genesee County Beautiful:
Green your wallet and the environment! Reduce waste by learning how you can make your own cleaning and personal care products and by creatively reusing items that are often discarded. Find out how to “pre-cycle” and set up a recycling collection center in your home or office.
Since Nayyirah knows that I reuse materials that would otherwise get thrown away in most of my crafts, she asked me to lend her a few of my beautiful JUNK upcycled goods to show to workshop participants. Of course, I'm going to give her Flint Handmade brochures to distribute, too. ;)
The 7th Annual Keep Genesee County Beautiful Community Beautification Leadership Conference and 2010 Beautification Awards Program is on Saturday, March 5, 2011 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the University of Michigan-Flint at the Harding Mott University Center.
For more information, check out this Flint Journal Article about the Conference.
Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Not Buying It Update 3: February Results
Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade
I met four of my five Not Buying It Goals for February 2011! Not as good as my January Results, but still some major progress!
Here's a look at my results by the numbers:
February 2011 Results
Money Saved: $1,000 (Total Saved: $2,000)
Pounds Lost: 0 (Total Lost: 4)
Bags Donated: 1 (Total Donated: 4)
Projects Completed: 5 (Total Completed: 10)
Reserves Spent: 0 (Total Spent: 0)
Now, here's the story of how I made it happen by each measure of success:
Money Saved: $1,000 (Total Saved: $1,000)
As in January, I bought my certificate of deposit at the beginning of the month, paid all my regular bills and lived off the remaining money from my paycheck, which was $792.
For February, I kept very specific track of each dollar I spent. Here's the breakdown of my discretionary income:
$216 : GROCERIES
$094 : GAS
$016 : DIGITAL KITCHEN SCALE
$031 : POSTAGE FOR PAPERBACKSWAP
$036 : DOG FOOD FOR YASHA
$041 : VEGETABLE GARDEN SUPPLIES
$060 : TAX PREPARATION
$091 : LICENSE/PLATE RENEWAL
-----------------------------------------------------------
$585 : TOTAL SPENT +
$200 : SET ASIDE FOR AUGUST =
$785 : TOTAL EXPENSES
-----------------------------------------------------------
$792 - $785 = $7 REMAINING INCOME
Technically, the $200 I SET ASIDE FOR AUGUST was actually saved rather than spent. I make less money in August-January than I do in February-July, so I need to set aside some income to cover the difference in the leaner months.
As you can see above, I put expenditures that were not gas or groceries in red. I justified the digital kitchen scale as being related to food preparation and/or storage, but really, I know it was not a necessity. The postage for PaperBackSwap was not a necessity either, but I deemed it a worthy expense. I am going to try very hard not to have any "justified" or "worthy expenses" in March.
The vegetable garden supplies and dog food are actually a form of groceries and they are not regular monthly expenses, so I am fine with these purchases. One bag of dog food usually lasts at least 2 months and I now have about 2.5 bags, so I shouldn't need to buy more food forYasha until late summer.
The tax preparation and license/plate renewal are just those once-a-year expenses that we income-earning, car-driving adults have to pay. I'm glad that they came up, though, because it reminded me that I cannot realistically keep my expenses exactly the same every month at least for now.
I haven't officially decided what I am going to do with the $7 of remaining income. I want to pay off my car loan as soon as possible, so I will probably just apply it there.
Pounds Lost: 0 (Total Lost: 4)
Well, February was not a good month for this measurement of success. There were just a lots of cakes and cookies and candies around for Valentine's Day. I didn't buy any treats, but people still gave them to me or brought them into work.
In March, I'm going to try to be very conscious of how much food I am eating in the same way that I am conscious of how much money I am spending. I realize now that have always been a bit of an emotional shopper/eater and just as I no longer feel any desire to waste money on stuff I don't need, so too do I want to eliminate any desire for unnecessary calories.
Bags Donated: 1 (Total Donated: 4)
Last month, I donated 3 bags to Goodwill. This month, I only donated 1 bag, but that's still meeting my goal.
I mailed enough PaperBackSwap books to fill another bag, though, so that is more stuff that I no longer need or want being redistributed to others.
I also went through my jewelry and found about 10 pairs of earrings that I am never going to wear again and may have never worn in the first place. I'm trying to decide if they are worth trying to put on consignment (along with clothes that no longer fit me) at a local vintage or resale clothing store.
Has anyone had any experience with this? I could definitely use the extra money to pay off my car loan sooner, but my time is extremely valuable to me. If consigning is too much of a hassle, it's not a good return on (time) investment and I wouldn't want to do it.
Projects Completed: 5 (Total Completed: 5)
Once again, I am so excited about the 5 projects I finished this month!
Unlike in previous years, when I was scrambling at the last minute to finish my quilt for the Flint Festival of Quilts in September, this year I have gotten a head start on the project. I recently finished reading Radical Homemakers: Reclaming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture by Shannon Hayes. I HIGHLY recommend it.
Homemakers were once the producers of most domestic goods used by their families: candles, soap, clothing, quilts, bread, wine, etc. Now, so many homemakers are just consumers of these goods...which are often manufactured by underpaid workers in sweatshops in developing nations.
One day, I would like to produce the vast majority of goods I use. So, I have decided to make a quilt of radical homemaking activites, such as baking, spinning yarn and crocheting. My friends and familty members are each embroidering a fabric square I provide them with a traditional craft that they actually do or aspire to do. I finished the plan this month and am now distributing the squares. I can't wait to put it all together!
I bought a digital kitchen scale this month to bake more accurately. My first baking project with the scale was making mini-loaves of carrot cake from a recipe in Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for More Food Cookbook. They turned out so delicious!
I baked on Valentine's Day with my sweetheart and gave away three loaves as little thank you gifts to special people in my life who have been kind to me throughout the past year. I decided to make this my new tradition. Showing gratitude towards others seems to me like a much better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than spending a bunch of money on unnecessary cards and flowers and gifts.
I did not spend any of my $400 cash reserves. However, as I did in January, I did tap into my change jar. This month, I spent about $4 on a sled for Milo, which resulted in the aforementioned CRAFT TUTORIAL: Wine Cork Board Blog Post.
Last month, I spent $3 from my change jar on craft supplies and video rentals for a friend. It makes me happy to know that my miniscule splurges are going toward creativity and/or my loved ones.
Wish me luck for Not Buying It in March!
I met four of my five Not Buying It Goals for February 2011! Not as good as my January Results, but still some major progress!
Here's a look at my results by the numbers:
February 2011 Results
Money Saved: $1,000 (Total Saved: $2,000)
Pounds Lost: 0 (Total Lost: 4)
Bags Donated: 1 (Total Donated: 4)
Projects Completed: 5 (Total Completed: 10)
Reserves Spent: 0 (Total Spent: 0)
Now, here's the story of how I made it happen by each measure of success:
Money Saved: $1,000 (Total Saved: $1,000)
As in January, I bought my certificate of deposit at the beginning of the month, paid all my regular bills and lived off the remaining money from my paycheck, which was $792.
For February, I kept very specific track of each dollar I spent. Here's the breakdown of my discretionary income:
$216 : GROCERIES
$094 : GAS
$016 : DIGITAL KITCHEN SCALE
$031 : POSTAGE FOR PAPERBACKSWAP
$036 : DOG FOOD FOR YASHA
$041 : VEGETABLE GARDEN SUPPLIES
$060 : TAX PREPARATION
$091 : LICENSE/PLATE RENEWAL
-----------------------------------------------------------
$585 : TOTAL SPENT +
$200 : SET ASIDE FOR AUGUST =
$785 : TOTAL EXPENSES
-----------------------------------------------------------
$792 - $785 = $7 REMAINING INCOME
Technically, the $200 I SET ASIDE FOR AUGUST was actually saved rather than spent. I make less money in August-January than I do in February-July, so I need to set aside some income to cover the difference in the leaner months.
As you can see above, I put expenditures that were not gas or groceries in red. I justified the digital kitchen scale as being related to food preparation and/or storage, but really, I know it was not a necessity. The postage for PaperBackSwap was not a necessity either, but I deemed it a worthy expense. I am going to try very hard not to have any "justified" or "worthy expenses" in March.
The vegetable garden supplies and dog food are actually a form of groceries and they are not regular monthly expenses, so I am fine with these purchases. One bag of dog food usually lasts at least 2 months and I now have about 2.5 bags, so I shouldn't need to buy more food forYasha until late summer.
The tax preparation and license/plate renewal are just those once-a-year expenses that we income-earning, car-driving adults have to pay. I'm glad that they came up, though, because it reminded me that I cannot realistically keep my expenses exactly the same every month at least for now.
I haven't officially decided what I am going to do with the $7 of remaining income. I want to pay off my car loan as soon as possible, so I will probably just apply it there.
Pounds Lost: 0 (Total Lost: 4)
Well, February was not a good month for this measurement of success. There were just a lots of cakes and cookies and candies around for Valentine's Day. I didn't buy any treats, but people still gave them to me or brought them into work.
In March, I'm going to try to be very conscious of how much food I am eating in the same way that I am conscious of how much money I am spending. I realize now that have always been a bit of an emotional shopper/eater and just as I no longer feel any desire to waste money on stuff I don't need, so too do I want to eliminate any desire for unnecessary calories.
Bags Donated: 1 (Total Donated: 4)
Last month, I donated 3 bags to Goodwill. This month, I only donated 1 bag, but that's still meeting my goal.
I mailed enough PaperBackSwap books to fill another bag, though, so that is more stuff that I no longer need or want being redistributed to others.
I also went through my jewelry and found about 10 pairs of earrings that I am never going to wear again and may have never worn in the first place. I'm trying to decide if they are worth trying to put on consignment (along with clothes that no longer fit me) at a local vintage or resale clothing store.
Has anyone had any experience with this? I could definitely use the extra money to pay off my car loan sooner, but my time is extremely valuable to me. If consigning is too much of a hassle, it's not a good return on (time) investment and I wouldn't want to do it.
Projects Completed: 5 (Total Completed: 5)
Once again, I am so excited about the 5 projects I finished this month!
1) RADICAL HOMEMAKING QUILT PLAN
Unlike in previous years, when I was scrambling at the last minute to finish my quilt for the Flint Festival of Quilts in September, this year I have gotten a head start on the project. I recently finished reading Radical Homemakers: Reclaming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture by Shannon Hayes. I HIGHLY recommend it.
Homemakers were once the producers of most domestic goods used by their families: candles, soap, clothing, quilts, bread, wine, etc. Now, so many homemakers are just consumers of these goods...which are often manufactured by underpaid workers in sweatshops in developing nations.
One day, I would like to produce the vast majority of goods I use. So, I have decided to make a quilt of radical homemaking activites, such as baking, spinning yarn and crocheting. My friends and familty members are each embroidering a fabric square I provide them with a traditional craft that they actually do or aspire to do. I finished the plan this month and am now distributing the squares. I can't wait to put it all together!
2) VALENTINE'S DAY THANK YOU CARROT CAKES
I bought a digital kitchen scale this month to bake more accurately. My first baking project with the scale was making mini-loaves of carrot cake from a recipe in Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for More Food Cookbook. They turned out so delicious!
I baked on Valentine's Day with my sweetheart and gave away three loaves as little thank you gifts to special people in my life who have been kind to me throughout the past year. I decided to make this my new tradition. Showing gratitude towards others seems to me like a much better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than spending a bunch of money on unnecessary cards and flowers and gifts.
3) DENIM POUCH
I made a gift for someone's birthday (not telling who!) and I needed a something cute in which to put said gift. I've had this dark denim fabric for ages and made a pouch out of it with a simple elastic/button closure. I already had the fabric, thread, elastic and vintage button, so it was completely free...not to mention easy and adorable!
4) WINE CORK BOARD WITH STACKED BUTTON THUMB TACKS
After a sledding playdate with 2.5-year-old Milo, I was inspired to do a CRAFT TUTORIAL and made this Wine Cork Board with Stacked Button Thumb Tacks. I decided after I made it to donate it to the 2011 Cool City Art Auction to benefit Flint Handmade. More info about the Art Auction will be posted soon!
5) 16 SETS OF BOTTLE CAP MAGNETS
One of the first blog posts I did back in 2009 was to say thank you to The Lunch Studio and El Charrito's Restaurant for saving bottle caps for me. I use bottle caps that would otherwise be thrown away to make magnet sets and, now, pinback buttons. The magnets are consistently my bestsellering item at craft shows. I made 16 more sets to sell at the 2011 Flint Handmade Spring Craft Market.
Reserves Spent: 0 (Total Spent: 0)
Reserves Spent: 0 (Total Spent: 0)
Last month, I spent $3 from my change jar on craft supplies and video rentals for a friend. It makes me happy to know that my miniscule splurges are going toward creativity and/or my loved ones.
Wish me luck for Not Buying It in March!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
CRAFT TUTORIAL: Wine Cork Board with Special Guest Milo!
Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade
I can hardly believe it, but I haven't posted a CRAFT TUTORIAL featuring Milo since October's Pumpkin Painting blog post!
We've had playdates since then, but, sadly, no craft tutorials have resulted. If I can at least do seasonal craft tutorials featuring Milo, I will be satisfied!
Earlier this month, I took Milo sledding at Kelly Lake Park.
So, what craft tutorial will you lovely blog readers be getting as a result of my February playdate with Milo?
A WINE CORK BOARD! I've been saving these corks forever and thought this was a very clever idea when I found it online. And, the stacked button thumb tacks were one of my brainstorms a couple years ago. Put them together and you have an awesome upcycled craft project!
DISCLAIMER: I made my cork board after I took Milo home. This project could be good for teenagers with adult supervision, but it's not appropriate for small children. Also, make sure that it's only adults who are drinking to produce the corks, ok? And, that those adults are drinking responsibly, please? Thanks. :)
Wine Cork Board with Stacked Button Thumb Tacks
Materials/Tools:
1) Lots of Clean Wine Corks
2) Serrated Knife
3) Picture Frame (with glass removed)
4) Corrugated Cardboard
5) Paper Cutter or Scissors
6) Hot Glue Gun and Glue
7) Vintage Buttons
8) Thumb Tacks
I can hardly believe it, but I haven't posted a CRAFT TUTORIAL featuring Milo since October's Pumpkin Painting blog post!
We've had playdates since then, but, sadly, no craft tutorials have resulted. If I can at least do seasonal craft tutorials featuring Milo, I will be satisfied!
Earlier this month, I took Milo sledding at Kelly Lake Park.
First, we had to get gas, which Milo insisted on helping pump. I never realized how much kids could love running errands if you just let them participate a little!
Then, it was time for sledding! Milo specifically wanted an orange sled, which we bought at Gill-Roy's to support a Michigan-based company.
For those of you tracking my Not Buying It Project, rest assured...I dug into my change jar to buy the sled, so I'm still only buying food and essentials with my paychecks. Although, in all honesty, I would consider enriching a child's life an essential.
Milo was a brave little boy! He went down the hill twice by himself and then asked me to go with him. Of course, we ended up in the dried grass at the end of the hill, but it's still an adorable picture.
After that, he only wanted to go with me. Ruh-roh! I felt extremely old and tired trying to haul myself back up the hill repeatedly, but it was totally worth it. :)
Before I took Milo home to his mom and my good friend, Michelle, we went to my house for a snack. There, he spotted my jar of wine corks and thought they were cookies!
"Can I have a plate of cookies, please?" he asked.
"Milo," I said, "those aren't cookies. Those are corks. You can't eat them."
"Can I have a plate of corks, please?" he asked.
Of course, I cracked up and gave him a plate of corks. He grabbed two corks and started playing with them and dancing around my kitchen!
So, what craft tutorial will you lovely blog readers be getting as a result of my February playdate with Milo?
A WINE CORK BOARD! I've been saving these corks forever and thought this was a very clever idea when I found it online. And, the stacked button thumb tacks were one of my brainstorms a couple years ago. Put them together and you have an awesome upcycled craft project!
DISCLAIMER: I made my cork board after I took Milo home. This project could be good for teenagers with adult supervision, but it's not appropriate for small children. Also, make sure that it's only adults who are drinking to produce the corks, ok? And, that those adults are drinking responsibly, please? Thanks. :)
Wine Cork Board with Stacked Button Thumb Tacks
Materials/Tools:
1) Lots of Clean Wine Corks
2) Serrated Knife
3) Picture Frame (with glass removed)
4) Corrugated Cardboard
5) Paper Cutter or Scissors
6) Hot Glue Gun and Glue
7) Vintage Buttons
8) Thumb Tacks
Step 1: Collect lots of corks from your favorite wine. I enjoy the Lindeman's Framboise Lambic from d'Vine Wines at the Flint Farmer's Market. Lambic is actually a beer, but it comes with a cork, so it's all good.
Step 2: Cut a piece of corrugated cardboard to fit in your frame and secure it in place. You may have to glue it to the backing board of the frame.
Step 3: Cut the corks in half length wise and lay them on your picture frame in a pattern that pleases you. Remove one cork piece at a time and glue it back in place before moving on to the next piece so you maintain your pattern.
Step 4: Stack two or more buttons in a color scheme that pleases you. Glue them together and then glue the stack to a thumb tack. Repeat for as many tacks as you want.
Step 5: Proudly display your new Wine Cork Board!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Second Saturday Giveaway: February Winner!
We want to thank everyone who commented on our February Second Saturday Giveaway featuring Kate Kehoe of Chicaloo Photography and More!
The awesome commenters for February were Hayley Morris, kelley, Gypsy Moon Art Studio, Sherry-Lynn, DesiAnima, lisa, Marcy, basketsbyrose, Kitoula, DamselFish, TiLT, Robert Burack, dovey, Neita Sudberry, stephgoodell and Patti. We're sure Kate will appreciate all of your wonderful suggestions for new record album cover notebooks!
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 craftLAB or Craft Market 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 Chicaloo Grab Bag is...
...Neita Sudberry!!! Congratulations!
Neita, send us an email at flinthandmade@hotmail.com and we will make arrangements for you to receive your Chicaloo Grab Bag! 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 March 12, 2011!
The awesome commenters for February were Hayley Morris, kelley, Gypsy Moon Art Studio, Sherry-Lynn, DesiAnima, lisa, Marcy, basketsbyrose, Kitoula, DamselFish, TiLT, Robert Burack, dovey, Neita Sudberry, stephgoodell and Patti. We're sure Kate will appreciate all of your wonderful suggestions for new record album cover notebooks!
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 craftLAB or Craft Market 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 Chicaloo Grab Bag is...
...Neita Sudberry!!! Congratulations!
Neita, send us an email at flinthandmade@hotmail.com and we will make arrangements for you to receive your Chicaloo Grab Bag! 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 March 12, 2011!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Now Accepting Vendor Applications for Spring Craft Market!
Flint Handmade's
4th Annual Spring Craft Market
will be on Saturday, May 7, 2011
in Downtown Flint!
Applications are available on our website.
Just click on APPLY NOW!
Applications are due by 10pm on Thursday, March 10, 2011.
Selected vendors will be notified on or before
Thursday, March 31, 2011.
Email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com
if you have any questions.
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