Handmade Parade has a brand-new site!

Yep, you heard it right, Handmade Parade has a brand spankin' new site, at www.handmade-parade.com.

Handmade Parade started out as a neighborhood craft show. There's also a Handmade Parade blog, where we brought you the best of handmade holiday shopping this past holiday season. Now Handmade Parade has evolved into a virtual Craft Show of sorts, where you can purchase handmade merchandise from all over the world!

There will be new artists added all the time, so check back often! And if you are interested in joining the Handmade Parade revolution, email thehandmadeparade@gmail.com.

P.S.) I designed the site. Do you like it???

CRAFTALUMA: Venue Change

Gather round crafty-cool crafters and craftoholics, due to a plethora of crafty applications, The Petaluma Craft Mafia has been forced to change our venue from our beloved downtown Phoenix Theatre, to the Petaluma Veteran's Hall. Both great venues.

Though we can't stay away from the Phoenix, so expect the PCM to host trunk shows at the Phoenix and a few charity events as well this year.

The new address for Craftaluma, "The Greatest Show on Earth" is:

CRAFTALUMA
Petaluma Veteran's Memorial Hall
1094 South Petaluma Boulevard
Petaluma, CA 94952

(by the bowling alley) ! Huzzah!

Come on down and meet the "notoriously crafty" Petaluma Craft Mafia. (We promise to behave).

See you there!

p.s. Bonus ..plenty o' parking now.

Mucha Muchacha Jewelry from L.A. Craft Mafia will be at Renegade Craft Fair - San Francisco

I'm so excited that my application was accepted and that I'll be a vendor at Renegade Craft Fair-San Francisco! Renegade Craft Fair - San Francisco is happening on July 12th and 13th. What is Renegade Craft Fair, you ask? "The Renegade Craft Fair is a unique DIY event held 4 times a year in Brooklyn, NY, Chicago, IL and San Francisco, CA. RCF has gained a reputation over the last five years as being the biggest, best and the most well-known of all the DIY craft fairs out there. Each individual fair draws hundreds of applicants and tens of thousands of shoppers from all over the country and abroad! At the RCF you'll find all sorts of cool handmade stuff ranging from comic books to craft kits, silkscreened posters to reconstructed clothing."

I can't wait!

Craftaluma

The Petaluma Craft Mafia is proud to announce that our own homegrown "Craftaluma" will take place on Sunday, June 29th, 2008 from noon until 5:00 PM. The show will feature local crafters, artists and passionate do-it-yourself-ers (DIY'ers) with hand-made offerings ranging from toys, home accessories, purses, clothing and other accessories, stationery and hand printed greetings, paintings and baby products, bath and beauty products to jewelry, and much more. Shoppers will also get a chance to , participate in crafty demos, make n' takes. Peek into the future and have your fortune told by Madame Kat. See local artists at work. Digg the tunes of local musicians and bands. Awesome goodie bags for the first 50 attendees and raffle tickets are available. Admission to non-vendors is 1 dollar.

Attention Crafty Vendors, wish to strut your awesome crafty stuff? Applications are now available for your convenience to submit online at http://www.craftaluma.com. Vendor application deadline is June 10th. For more info, please see our website or contact petalumacraftmafia@yahoo.com.

Craftaluma, "The Greatest Show on Earth."
June 29th, 2008
Time: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location: The Petaluma Veteran's Memorial Hall
1094 South Petaluma Boulevard
Petaluma, CA 94952

Book Review: Beadalicious by Sonya Nimri

As both a jewelry designer and a collector of vintage jewelry, I love Sonya Nimri's fun and simple approach to DIY jewelry design in her new book, Beadalicious. She encourages her readers to recycle old jewelry into something fresh and new in their own style. Sonya arms them with the know-how to complete every project in the book and includes a brief education on beads, tools, jewelry findings and best of all, techniques for jewelry construction. Jewelry styles range from funky to minimalist and the simple instructions allow for beginners to complete any of the projects. My favorite designs are the "Bohemian Wrapsody Ring" and "Amber Drops" earrings. Infused with a sense of whimsy, many projects in the book offer related side bars with recipes for things like "Queen Bee Soap" and "Moroccan Mint Tea". There is also an "Extra Goodies" section where you can find instructions to make things like a headband made out of buttons or your own romantic beaded hair comb. This book and the fun projects inside will make gifting to your favorite people a snap!

The Chicago Craft Mafia Presents Hand May-ed!

This Saturday, May 3, the Chicago Craft Mafia will come out in full bloom for our Spring extravaganza, Hand May-ed! We've teamed up with Zola Jones Design, creator of the Bumpy Ride Bag, in his shop at 1944 West Montrose Ave., Chicago. Hours of the event are 11 AM-5 PM.

Also returning in May for the CCM--The Craft Racket, our quarterly networking meeting, open to all Chicago craft artists!

Bazaar Bizarre & Maker Faire SF

Maker Faire and Bazaar Bizarre are happening THIS weekend!

Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset. It's for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things.

72 Crafters! A smorgasbord of handmade items, many cleverly made with recycled materials. Something for everyone—jewelry, toys, lotions, art, glass, fiber arts, ceramics, handbags, baby items, even crafting supplies.

Saturday May 3rd, 10am-6pm
Sunday May 4th, 10am - 5pm
Bazaar Bizarre & Maker Faire SF
San Mateo Fairgrounds

Check out the other vendors here and here. Hope to see you there!