Giant Scrabble

If you plan on heading over to the fair at the PNE, make sure you visit the giant scrabble game next to the Canstruction exhibit.



Each piece looks like it was handmade by wrapping a pre-printed piece of paper around an empty box. Would be super fun for a backyard garden party or a block party. Maybe even for something like the summer space events around town!

Sam Made - feature #11

Name: Samantha Wagner from Sam Made
Website: Sam Made, blog

What do you make?
I make bags mostly. Recently I started making jewelry by painting on porcelain pendants. I am really enjoying this new medium. I also make chocolate mustaches, and a mean spinach smoothie.



What or who inspires you?
Anyone making and creating. Vintage pieces, people’s nostalgia to said pieces and the feeling of nostalgia of newer generations for times they unfortunately were born too late for. Scandinavian design, particularly their textiles!

How did you get started?
I’ve always made things, as most creative people have, I believe. Before I knew how to sew (as a kid) I would glue fabric together. I was always keen on making money being creative too. From a kool-aid stand with homemade cookies on the corner of my cul-de-sac to making friendship bracelets and selling them at our yard sales, the entrepreneurial bug bit me early. I started making and selling bags the Christmas after I quit fashion design school. I made bags for my sisters as gifts and the following March discovered etsy.com via craftster.org. I went out immediately and got my first credit card so I could sign up.

When I moved back to the city (from the Okanagan where I was raised) I started doing craft fairs and selling in stores such as Favourite in North Van and Shop Cocoon on Cambie street.



What are your favourite materials to work with?
Fabric with bold prints. Heavy cottons, broadcloth, wool and denim. Ceramic paint and porcelain. Hardware (metal snaps)!



What is the hardest and most favourite part of crafting?
I suppose for me, it’s the pressure to sell what I create that stifles me most creatively. I find my most satisfying moments are derived from making a gift for someone, or even a custom order. It’s thinking about a person individually and figuring out how to combine my style and their preferences that I enjoy. I think the “pressure to sell” aspect of creating (or crafting) is two-fold for me. Just as there is a pressure to create something someone will like enough to swap their hard-earned cash for, having someone like something I make enough to do so is my favourite moment of creating.

I’d also like to acknowledge the issue of hoarding supplies. Considering my studio is the dining room of a small one-bedroom apartment, needing to keep everything I could potentially use is a tad overwhelming sometimes.



List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them

Lovely Package and The Die Line: both sites dedicated to product and package design. Very inspirational and so many beautifully designed products.

A Cup of Jo Blog: I love her personality and all the things she posts about. And her Wednesday giveaways are always exciting.

Color Me Katie Blog: An amazing photograper who is able to capture (and orchestrate) so many magical and beautiful images.

The Think Bakery Blog: Great articles about aspects of running an independent and creative business and/or blog.

Jordan Ferney blog: Another great blog that features incredible products, fashion and style. Jordan also makes some fabulously creative invitations.



Do you have any advice for those in the biz?
Just do it. I mean, yes, it is of course important to have a plan (for advice on this I recommend books such as The Boss of You and Craft Inc.). But I have found I have spent countless hours thinking about what I want to do and looking at what other people are doing and admiring their successes rather than working on my own.



Art vs. Craft – Are these terms different? Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?
Although I have always been artistic, I never considered myself an artist. I wouldn’t consider myself a crafter either. I consider myself more of a designer. Because I create bags both the function and the aesthetic are equally weighted when I am in the design process. I think this attention to function is where I find the distinction between design, craft and art. But who am I to say? You are what you want to be and I think the distinctions between design, art and craft are becoming more and more fuzzy everyday.

(photo images courtesy of Samantha Wagner and / or Sam Made)

If you are interested in being featured, please send us an email at info(at)gotcraft(dot)com.

Check out our past features...

All Things Paper - feature #10
Owl + Pussycat - feature #9
Bliss in a teacup - feature #8
It's Your Life - feature #7
Faythe Levine - feature #6
Coco Cake Cupcakes - feature #5
pomomama design - feature #4
GroovyGlassGirl - feature #3
Bueno Style - feature #2
The Beautiful Project - feature #1

Blim Community Market this Sunday!

Sunday,August 23rd, 2009
12:00 - 5:00pm
Between 12th and 16th Ave at Main Street

For more information, visit Blim.

Blim will be presenting a monthly Main Street Community Market this month in conjunction with Market 1886 Day.

This Months market will include over 50 vendors, live music, hot food, beverages, and entertainment. Vendors will include food, fashion, accessories, supplies, fine art, vintage items and records, and not be limited to crafts, and there will be a focus on nurturing and promoting creative production in our community. We want to appeal to young, old, hip, plain, babies, animals, men, women, everyone.

We are very excited about this event and what it can contribute to Main Street’s artistic vitality, and how it can help support and encourage the local creative community.

All Things Paper - feature #10

Name: Ann Martin from All Things Paper
Website: All Things Paper blog

What do you make?
I make paper filigree jewelry and framed art pieces.



What or who inspires you?
I often find myself making mental notes of design details I see in the world around me and sometimes do on the spot sketches… perhaps a wrought iron gate, an unusual plant, or an ornate antique catches my eye and sparks a new project.

I also find much inspiration in the work of paper artists I discover online. That’s why my blog is as much about the work of others as my own; I love sharing my finds.



How did you get started?
I first gave paper filigree a try shortly after seeing an article in Martha Stewart’s magazine that featured intricate Valentines and monograms shaped from paper coils and scrolls. I was captivated by the elegant look and seemingly magical things that could be done by simply rolling and pinching narrow strips of ordinary paper. In the beginning I cut paper by hand and used a cake tester from my kitchen drawer as a tool. I learned techniques via books, websites, and helpful quillers I met online.

What are your favourite materials to work with?
There are so many beautiful specialty papers available today – graduated and reversible colors, gilded edge, parchment, vellum, pearl finish, and of course every color under the sun. Sometimes I cut strips from found paper that intrigues me... theater programs, envelope liners, old books. As long as the paper is similar in weight to standard computer paper, it should handle well. Any glue that’s suitable for paper is fine… the main trick is to not use too much.


calligraphy credit: Riva Brown of Living Letters Studios

What is the hardest and most favourite part of crafting?
I try to stay true to a challenge I’ve set for myself… to never make the same design twice. I have lots of ideas, but sometimes it’s tempting to crank out a duplicate because it requires lots less thought. I much prefer to clear a block of time and create an entirely new piece, or at least tweak a previous one and improve upon it in the process.

My favorite part is introducing what I do to people who have never seen or heard of paper filigree. They’re always surprised by it and are interested to hear about its long history that dates back to the European Renaissance.

List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them

I’m a fan of blog reading and am almost embarrassed to say that I have a favorites list nearly as long as my arm. Blogs appeal to me because of their always evolving, fresh content.

Cold Antler Farm: Jenna Woginrich's blog is one I enjoy because she writes so vividly about the kind of country lifestyle I admire, but will never have. (Don’t be sad for me; that’s not what I meant… I love my life!)

Craftypod: All-round creative maker, Diane Gilleland, covers many aspects of crafting for a living via interview podcasts.

Twitter: Twitter has the constantly changing content aspect that I like about blogs, but in much shorter bursts. It’s a wonderful way to network with those who share your interests.

Pandora: Realizing I could create my very own radio station was a stellar moment as I often listen to music while I work.

We love indie: Recently I discovered this site that features indie art, craft, and design blogs.



Do you have any advice for those in the biz?
Connecting with others online who are involved in the arts and crafts community via groups, blogs, and Twitter is a great way to keep your mind on a creative track. You’ll hear of opportunities and the people you meet will be a source of support and understanding for what can be an isolating career.

This will sound trite, but remember to be kind; the internet is a huge, but not impersonal place – quite the opposite really. If you put your best foot forward, I think you’ll soon find that whatever goodness you give comes back to you. Take time to leave a comment when you see an idea that speaks to you and post free tutorials and/or helpful information about a topic you know well.



Art vs. Craft – Are these terms different? Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?
There is a difference; we all think of the Mona Lisa as art and a paint-by-number kit as craft. It’s unfortunate though, when people are dismissive of crafts as a whole without considering each on an individual basis. The quality of workmanship determines whether something is a fine craft. Words such as artisan and craftsperson imply skill and we appreciate the term handcrafted when it’s applied to beautiful furniture or tooled leather, for example.

There’s no doubt in my mind that paper filigree can be both an art and a craft. I had the pleasure of exhibiting my work at a museum last summer, but have to say that making a simple quilled gift for someone special is also satisfying.

(photo images courtesy of Ann Martin / All Things Paper unless otherwise noted)

If you are interested in being featured, please send us an email at info(at)gotcraft(dot)com.

Check out our past features...

Owl + Pussycat - feature #9
Bliss in a teacup - feature #8
It's Your Life - feature #7
Faythe Levine - feature #6
Coco Cake Cupcakes - feature #5
pomomama design - feature #4
GroovyGlassGirl - feature #3
Bueno Style - feature #2
The Beautiful Project - feature #1

Craftwerk 2.0

Got Craft? was selected to be a part of an exhibit at the Jonkoping County Museum in Sweden! Running from September 2009 to January 2010, this exhibit represents the resurgence in craftivism and DIY production.

Named Craftwerk 2.0, it will include global representations of the craftivism movement which will be presented around a huge map of the planet to show its distribution all around the world.

Curated by Otto von Busch, we are pleased to have our print material on display with the likes of Amy from Button Empire, Faythe Levine from Handmade Nation and Stephanie Syjuco.

Thank you to Jeannette from the beautiful project (May 09) and Jamie from Fort Design Co. (May & Dec 08) for their respective designs.

Austin, TX

Sublime Stitching has been huge supporters of Got Craft? and the Vancouver premiere of Handmade Nation, so when they approached us to help out with the Austin premiere of Handmade Nation, of course we said yes!

Swag bag goodies with a touch of kawaii getting ready to head to Austin, TX:

Bevy of Japanese candies - check!

Got Craft?, Handmade Nation and Indie I Do pin backs - check!

Vintage sewing buttons - check!

Cute paper bags to hold all the goodies - check!

The Austin premiere of Handmade Nation takes place on September 5th and 6th. Of course, I have wanted to visit Austin for quite awhile now and what a better time to go then this!

Labour day long weekend isn't exactly the best time to travel, but we found a decent flight and booked a studio condo for 5 days.

My #1 to do is to visit Uncommon Objects! Thrifting, relaxing and mexican food.. here i come! Not exactly looking forward to the 105F weather though!

Thanks to Jessica at Sublime for all of your wise expertise! Can't wait to finally meet you in person.

PS. Any "must visit" or "must eat" places in Austin that we should add to our list? Leave us a comment or send us an email!

Owl + Pussycat - feature #9

Name: Amanda Wood from Owl + Pussycat
Website: Owl + Pussycat shop and blog

What do you make?
Jane Brocket has written a wonderful book about what she calls the domestic arts. I guess you could say that I am a domestic artist. I like to create useful things and since I have a young family I tend to focus on whatever we need at the moment. Right now I am making simple accessories for children and things that make a house a home like tea and coffee pot cozies, placemats, and aprons.



What or who inspires you?
I'm inspired by so many things! It could be something I've seen while out on a walk, the silly things my children say, the feel of natural fibres, or the way colours play together. I love peaceful colours like grey, blue, brown. I'm also experimenting with photography a lot and trying to improve my skills so I am keenly interested in the relationship between light and colour.



How did you get started?
I was very lucky to grow up in a family of creative people who by necessity were constantly making things. As a result I had access to lots of raw materials. From a very young age I was making things out of whatever I could get my hands on. When I had my own children it seemed natural to make things for them and their friends.

My grandmother was a key person in my young life and she showed me how to sew, bake, make jam, crochet (unsuccessfully) among other things. Every Christmas she would make dozens of stuffed animals for me and the hordes of cousins. I still have many of them. She was such an inspiration to me. So when I finally got up the courage to sell my handmade things I started with her children's apron pattern. I modified it slightly to make the pockets larger and more useful and added velcro so that even little kids can put them on themselves. It is so important for them to do things on their own.

What are your favourite materials to work with?
I love to work with natural materials. Wool, cotton, linen. Natural materials seem to tell a story. They have a history that works its way into the finished item. I also love to use old textiles like sheets, wool sweaters and any old thrifted fabric that speaks to me. One of my favourite pieces of fabric is a thrifted sheet covered in orange, yellow and brown daisies. I love it!



What is the hardest and most favourite part of crafting?
The hardest part is definitely finding time to do it! With two little ones to nurture it is a definite challenge.
My favourite part is something that happens after lots of failed attempts, when the ah-ha moment arrives, everything clicks and I have figured out a new technique or created a new product.

I made these little felted wool bunnies for the boys on a whim a couple of days before Easter. Thankfully, they worked the first time (a rare occurrence) and they turned out so well! That was definitely a good moment.

List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them

blyberg: I love old books and sorely miss the card catalogues of my childhood. This quirky little site acknowledges this loss and provides an opportunity to celebrate geeky librarian stuff.

grain edit: I’ve been working with graphic designers for a number of years and I have learned so much about design in general through that medium. This site is great for inspiration.

indexed: A little reality check for my over-analytic and neurotic brain.

the impossible project: So inspiring to see these guys try to bring back an institution

the pursuit of happiness: Pure genius and poetry, almost childlike naivite. You really must read all of her work.



Do you have any advice for those in the biz?
Boy, I don't really feel qualified to give advice. I have been making things on a very part-time basis in fits and starts for a relatively short time. I guess the one thing I could suggest is to not be too hard on yourself. There is a lot of advice out there about putting in a lot of time in order to make your craft business successful. While that is an admirable goal, I think it's also okay to experiment and make stuff, without putting a lot of pressure on yourself.

If you can get it out there, get feedback and improve your skills, you will be much farther ahead in the long run. I would rather make fewer things more carefully and thoughtfully and have fun doing it than get stressed out.



Art vs. Craft - Are these terms different? Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?
Ahh, the art craft dichotomy. It reminds me so much of the discourse around high art and pop culture from my university days. Suggesting that somehow one is more valuable than the other. That one is born of necessity and one is simply for pleasure.
I can't say whether art and craft are different or whether one is more important than the other. I think there is space for both and perhaps sometimes they are one in the same. Personally, I enjoy experimenting and mess-making with materials that are traditionally considered craft materials. I like to make things that are both beautiful and useful. I'm not sure if that would be considered art or craft.

(photo images courtesy of Owl + Pussycat / Amanda)

If you are interested in being featured, please send us an email at info(at)gotcraft(dot)com.

Check out our past features...

Bliss in a teacup - feature #8
It's Your Life - feature #7
Faythe Levine - feature #6
Coco Cake Cupcakes - feature #5
pomomama design - feature #4
GroovyGlassGirl - feature #3
Bueno Style - feature #2
The Beautiful Project - feature #1

letter writing club

What: Letter Writing Club
When: The first Thursday of every month at 7:00pm
Where: Regional Assembly of Text - 3934 Main Street

Paper, envelopes, typewriters, tea, cookies and encouragement are all provided!



For more information, please visit their website or give them a call at 604-877-2247

PS. our featured artist series will resume next Monday, August 10th due to the long weekend.

(photo images courtesy of The Regional Assembly of Text)