buy handmade :: Kobi Levi

Most people want to stand out from the crowd, so what better way to do this then with a pair of handmade shoes designed by Kobi Levi.

Specializing in footwear design and development, Kobi started working as a freelance designer after he graduated from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem.

In his words, "The piece is a wearable sculpture. Most of the inspirations are out of the "shoe-world" and give the footwear an extreme transformation. The result is usually humoristic with a unique point of view about footwear." It is indeed. To see more of his work, check out his blog here.

things to do :: weekend markets

Before you head out for Halloween, get ready for the holiday season with these two events!

Event: Portobello West's 50th Anniversary Market
Date: Sunday, October 31st, 2010
TIme: Noon to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Rocky Mountaineer Station - 1755 Cottrell Street, Vancouver
Cost: $2.00 (12 and under are free)

Come out and take part in Portobello West's 50th market event by spoiling yourself with tons of fashionable treats from local, talented designers and artists! In celebration of their 50th, they are giving away 50 free membership cards to the first 50 attendees!

**************************************

Event: Blim Monthly Market
Date: Sunday, October 31st, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Chinese Cultural Center - 50 E. Pender Street, Vancouver
Cost: by donation

The Blim Community Market will include 60 vendors, music, hot food, beverages, and entertainment. Vendors will include food, fashion, accessories, supplies, fine art, vintage items and records. This is the first time that the market has taken place at the Cultural Center and they are super excited to contribute to Chinatown’s artistic vitality and encourage the local creative community.

things to do :: midori holiday heaven

I first spotted Midori at Urban Craft Uprising last July in Seattle. Jars of buttons, spools of ribbons, stacks of pretty paper... crafters with arms full of supplies headed towards the cash desk... I asked myself, who was this vendor? Started 21 years ago, Midori is a wholesaler of fine ribbon and decorative packaging. Located in Seattle, Midori will be hosting their 12th annual Holiday Heaven event on Saturday, November 20th and Sunday, November 21st, 2010 in Seattle.

Holiday Heaven is the one weekend where Midori opens their doors to the general public where they can directly purchase products such as discontinued, second, sample and overstock items at discounted prices. Fabric ribbon, decorative packaging, craft items, oh my! Perfect for the upcoming holiday season!

Here are the details:

When:
Saturday, November 20th, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 21st, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to Noon

Where:
Midori warehouse - 708 6th Avenue North, Seattle, WA

inspire :: mark khaisman

found via Apartment Therapy

Have you checked out Mark Khaisman's Tapeworks? He painstakingly layers 2 inch swaths of packing tape over plexiglass until images form. He considers his works to be "conversations with light, and if tape is his paint brush, then light is his blending medium."


Check out more of his work here and here.

inspire :: jenine bressner

Remember Jenine Bressner from Handmade Nation? She was the one that was working with molten glass while being interviewed. Completely cool and calm while drawing glass rods in and out of a hot head torch flame that is almost 2000 degrees. Each bead is made by hand one at a time and usually takes 1 to 2 hours then another 5 hours in the kiln. Isn't her work amazing? Check out her flickr page here or on the handmade nation trailer at around 2:02 here.

She's on the Martha Stewart show today as part of the Maker Faire series. You can watch the video here if you missed it.

inspire :: ai weiwei

found via magpie and cake

I wish I was currently in London so that I could go see the latest installment of Britian's largest comptemporary art commission that opened up earlier last week. The art piece by artist Ai Weiwei consists of over 100 million porcelain replica sunflower seeds each hand assembled and molded, hand fired and hand painted by inhabitants of Jingdezhen, the 'porcelain capital' of his native China. That's around 150 tons of seeds that has been used to make an inches thick carpet that visitors to the gallery will be encouraged to play in.


The exhibit has been so popular, that it has actually been roped off to due to the number of visitors stepping on the seeds causing a dust to rub off. The concern was that Tate staff might risk respiratory problems from long-term exposure to the porcelain dust being raised by visitors running through the exhibit and kicking through the seeds.


You can check out more of his work here.

got craft :: guest post by Kim Werker

photo credit: sara +h

A few weeks ago, Andrea and Robert asked me if I'd help them test out the new jury system they'll be using to select Got Craft vendors after they move to London next year. Since they receive more than three times the number of applications as they have slots, I can now totally appreciate the difficulty they face in choosing which vendors are accepted.

The day of the jury test, the four of us test-jury members sat in front of a big screen attached to a Powerpoint slideshow of the applications. We first saw the applicant's description of their wares, then we saw up to three photos they had submitted (they were limited to submitting three). We tried out a couple of different jurying approaches, and discussed our often similar and sometimes very different opinions.

I was struck by a few things I hadn't really thought about since I left Interweave Crochet and reviewed design submissions four times a year. So here are my thoughts about craft-fair applications after my one day being on a test jury:

• Photographs are everything. I was surprised that a few applicants didn't include photos at all. How were we to decide if they'd be a good fit for the show?
• Photos should be appropriate to an application. A few applicants included very fashiony or artsy photos that were lovely as photos but that didn't really show off the products very well. A few photos left us all confused about what the product actually was. Unless you're applying to sell your photos at the show, please take care to include good photos of your work, and even include one of a craft-fair table you've designed in the past.

(Sidebar: Photos of your process are irrelevant, since you'll only be selling your finished products.)

• Even though you're not being chosen to be a writer, please please please spellcheck your application. It takes two seconds and it really does affect the first impression you make.
• Please please please then take an additional three minutes and proofread your writing. Spellcheck isn't fail-proof. If you're uncomfortable doing this, ask a friend to do it.
• Know the show you're applying to. Got Craft, for example, has a very distinct atmosphere and type of vendor. If your crafts are, say, more upmarket or traditional, they'll probably fit better at a different show. And that's okay. There are a ton of craft fairs in Vancouver. Each one is different.

Holy smokes, there are a lot of things to consider when choosing vendors for a craft fair! Got Craft has only 48 spots, and they received over 180 applications. And Andrea and Robert can't simply accept all the vendors they love – they have to make sure there's a good balance between types of wares (to avoid, say, too much jewelry or baby things) and price points. That means that sometimes very awesome vendors aren't accepted. That's some very tough decision-making. I'm glad they're shifting to a jury system, if only because I love them both and want them to maintain their sanity!

got craft :: holiday vendors announced

The holiday event on December 5th, 2010 marks our eighth show and fourth year running Got Craft. With our move overseas in February 2011, we decided to take a good look at the entire event and streamline it the best we can. Got Craft will continue to run in Vancouver with the help of a few key individiuals in the handmade community and with us returning to Vancouver for shows in May and December. One of the changes that we will be implementing in the new year is a juried process. This year, we received an incredible 190 applications for essentially 48 table spots. That's almost a 4 to 1 ratio. As organizers, we make sure that we offer a varied selection of items and a good balance of new vs. returning vendors to each show to keep attendees interested. Nobody wants to go to the same year after year. Unfortunately, as organizers, we also get the job of sending out the wait list emails to some amazing artists including some that had supported us back in 2004 when we first started out.

To prepare for the jury process, we gathered up 3 people that were not necessarily involved in Got Craft, but were active in the handmade and design community of Vancouver to do a practice run. We talked, we reviewed, we snacked, we hummed and hawed, we provided feedback on what worked and what didn't. We did this for a good 8 hours, before I headed home to review the remaining applications and then to review again the ones that we went through during the day. There was a lot of back and forth, but we are pleased to finally announce the vendors participating in our holiday event! You can check out all of the images and their descriptions here.

Check back soon for a guest post by one of our jury members discussing their experience!

Thanks to Crafty Bastards for guiding us through our first jury process and answering all of my many questions!

things to do :: IDSwest 2010 giveway

photo credit: scout.magazine

The Interior Design Show West (IDSwest) is Western Canada’s annual premiere design show featuring a diverse range of 200 exhibitors from design competitions to original installations. Some amazing companies have been gathered under one roof including Brent Comber Studio (image above), cause + affect, Marimekko and LU Prints.

Interested in checking out IDSwest 2010? Leave a comment below and a random winner will be chosen by Friday, October 15th, 2010 at noon.

As an ongoing commitment to the future of our design industry, IDSwest 2010, in partnership with Vancouver's own Artsy!Dartsy, is thrilled to present FUTURE MASTERS: Young Designers West. Close to 20 design students and recent graduates are presenting their latest work ranging from communication, industrial, and architectural design.

Here are the details:

When:
Friday, October 15th - 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 16th - 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 17th - 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where:
New Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver

Cost:
$12.00 online

Thanks for entering the Canzine West giveaway! The winner is Ka Po.

things to do :: canzine west giveaway

Who says Toronto has all the fun? Last spotted on the West Coast in 2006, Canzine West, Zine Fair and Festival of Alternative Culture, makes its triumphant return to Vancouver on Saturday, October 16 at W2 Storyeum

Got Craft will be hosting a mini market as part of Canzine West featuring Bliss in a Teacup, Firefly Notes, It's Your Life Handmade, Sam Made, a Cagey Bee, pomo mama designs, Irit Sorokin Designs, Thistle Town Studio, Sam Bradd Designs, Love Bobbie, Civil Disobedience, Open to Chance Designs, Locomotive Clothing Co. and Hand + Shadow!

Interested in attending? We have a pair of tickets to giveaway! All you need to do is send us an email to info(at)gotcraft(dot)com with your full name and phone number. Contest closes Thursday, October 14th, 2010 at Noon (PST).

Canzine West is a Zine Fair and Festival of Alternative Culture, with a focus on indie publishing. Guests can peruse zines, magazines, books, art, crafts, and can listen to readings, watch poetry collide with improv comedy, view art exhibits and installations, create art with Collage Collage, buy handmade goods at the Got Craft mini market, watch indie film shorts, pick through vintage treasures, and more.

Here are the details:

When:
Saturday, October 16th, 2010 from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Where:
W2 Storyeum, 151 West Cordova Street, Vancouver

Cost:
$5.00 includes a copy of Broken Pencil

For more information, visit Canzine West

buy handmade :: MrPS

I'm not exactly sure how I found MrPS's etsy shop, but I'm in love.


True love. Can't wait to place my order after our move!


Check out her featured seller interview over on etsy.com.

Shop, Look + Learn

Collage Collage - Shop, Look + Learn from Pike on Vimeo.

found via Vancouver is Awesome

Check out this amazing video of Collage Collage, workshop + retail space + classroom, by local agency Pike. If you haven't made your way over to Fraser and 15th in awhile, you may want to plan a trip soon and check it out!

DIY :: refresh and rethink

Convert. Rethink. Refresh.

In the latest issue of InStyle Magazine, they invited designers, stylists, fashion bloggers and creative directors to transform a basic item in their closets into a whole new look in two steps (or less). You can check out the online article here, or pick up the September issue of InStyle.

check it :: confetti betty

Confetti is the paper equivalent to glitter right?


78 party poppers purchased for $7.80 US plus 78 minutes later = the works of Confetti Betty.