Got Craft? Blog

27.2.10

handmade nation screening at MOV


If you missed the Handmade Nation screening last July in Vancouver with Faythe Levine, start marking your calendars! On Friday, March 19th, Handmade Nation will be playing at the Museum of Vancouver - 1100 Chestnut Street. Event starts at 7:00pm and the film begins at 8:00pm.

Handmade Nation documents the new wave of art, craft and design that is capturing the attention of the nation. It is the feature film debut of director, author, artist and curator Faythe Levine. Levine traveled to 15 cities and covered more than 19,000 miles to interview artists, crafters, makers, curators and community members.

Today's craft world has emerged as a synthesis of historical technique, punk culture, and the DIY ethos, also influenced by traditional handiwork, modern aesthetics, politics, feminism and art.

Tagged as the ‘Ambassador of Handmade’, Directory Faythe Levine has traveled 19,000 miles to document what has emerged as a marriage between historical technique, punk culture, and the D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself) ethos.

A companion book, Handmade Nation – The Rise of D.I.Y., Art, Craft, and Design, features 24 artists, their work environment, their process, their work, and discussions of how they got their start and what motivates them.

Got Craft will also be hosting a mini craft fair before and after the screeening. Our mini craft fair will feature lovely goods from Sassy Contessa, Roxypop, telly designs and Locomotive Clothing.

Ticket and more information can be found on the MOV website here.

26.2.10

chalkboard fun


photo credit: Tracey Heppner

We decided to think out of the box this year and made a chalkboard hard wall for lotus events' indie i do booth display. The hard wall consisted of two 4ft x 8ft pieces that were held together by a strap at the top and one at the bottom and then propped up by a piece of pipe and drape without the drape.


We then had a friend of ours come in and hand draw some wedding planning doodles....


... and maybe some notes on the honeymoon too ...


I * really * wanted to bring the boards home and have them on display, but we just didn't have the room! Don't worry, they didn't go to waste. They were picked after the show by a family who will be installing them in their family room for the kids to play with. Drawing on the walls? Yes, please!

24.2.10

Got Craft 2010 Spring Edition!


Want a button? Apply to be in our Spring show!

Show details:
Got Craft Spring Edition
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
10:00am to 5:00pm
Royal Canadian Legion - 2205 Commercial Drive

Our application deadline, March 5th, is quickly approaching. Complete event information can be found on the Got Craft website and online applications can be found here.

Vancouver’s largest indie craft fair is kicking off the 4th annual Spring show with over 50 local and handmade vendors. There will be giveaways, live demonstrations by Yudu and a DIY table hosted by Spool of Thread to make your own crafts.

22.2.10

Smidgebox Designs - feature #29


Name: Lesley Stenning from Smidgebox Designs
Website links: Etsy Shop, Blog

What do you make?
I sew handmade this + that. I know that sounds like a pretty broad term, but that's the best way for me to sum up what I make!!

I make fun tote bags and fabric buckets for adults and for children. I make many different accessories for babies + tots, including cloth play blocks, wee chef apron sets, and cozy blankets. Many of my items can be personalized with a child's name or initials. I am also planning a line of housewares which I hope to introduce fairly early in the new year.



What or who inspires you?
I am inspired by so many things. We're pretty lucky to be surrounded by some amazing scenery here in Vancouver, and I find the colours of the seasons very inspiring. My family is a great source of inspiration. My two kids are super fun and energetic, and watching them learn and grow inspires me to make new, fun things for children. My husband is an incredible artist, and i love seeing the new art that he produces, kind of keeps me on my toes! Finally, I'm inspired by the amazing fabrics that I choose. The vast array of colours + designs are amazing, and I love mixing patterns in different and unexpected ways.

How did you get started?
Well, I've always been a creative person. I've loved drawing for as long as I can remember, and my mom taught me to sew when I was quite young. I always took art class in school, and also loved woodwork and pottery. Working with my hands is essential. After a few false starts in my post secondary education, I ended up taking an architectural drafting program at BCIT, and fell in love with the detailed and technical side of art. I worked in the industry for a couple years before I had children. When my son was born almost 5 years ago, I stopped working for others and turned my creativity back to myself. I started off making greeting cards and tags out of cut paper, combining collage and paper quilling. i loved doing that, but it was rather time intensive. I bought my first sewing machine when my son was about 1, and I haven't looked back. Someday I hope to introduce a stationery + paper goods division to smidgebox designs, but for now, sewing is keeping me very busy!!



What are your favourite materials to work with?
I am a self-professed fabric addict. I can still remember when I first discovered the world of designer cottons online, and I was instantly hooked. I have a pretty healthy stash going on, and it's all I can do not to buy more and more. I love mixing fun designer cottons + japanese import fabrics with denim + wool felt.



What is the hardest and most favourite part of crafting?
The hardest part for me at the moment is that I have way too many ideas and designs floating in my head, and yet I haven't even got a fraction of the time I'd need to pump it all out. I love being able to be at home with my kids, and am trying to enjoy every moment of that before they are both off to school. Time sure flies. My favourite part of the crafting process is seeing a final product realized in my hands. But the best feeling has got to be getting wonderful feedback from a super happy customer, or seeing people's faces light up when they receive one of my items as a gift for their baby or for themselves. That is pretty great.



List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them
Etsy: for obvious reasons. It is a total treasure trove of goodies just waiting to be found.

Sew, Mama, Sew: great source of sewing inspiration, also lots of tutorials. oh, and a fabric shop, of course!

Room 6: one of the best shops in vancouver. it's the first place I go when i need a gift [other than etsy!]

Poppytalk: who doesn't love to read poppytalk? design, art, handmade. all good stuff! and i love love that jan is from vancouver, writing one of the most popular blogs in the 'sphere.

PaperNStitch: another fun curated online marketplace, and a great blog too with lovely finds and great tips. I like Brittni's sense of style, and enjoy her posts.



Do you have any advice for those in the biz?
I am a total newbie, as I just opened my Etsy shop in May this year, so I'm not sure that I'm in a great position to give advice :) However, I have found that it's important to have a presence online other than just your shop. If you had a brick + mortar shop, you would spend lots of time and energy promoting yourself and your business in person, so the same applies online. What you have to decide is how far you want to go. Start a blog, a facebook fan page, a flickr account, or join twitter. You could choose all or one of these, but I do think it's important to be out there and get seen, and meet some peers. Not to mention, there is a fantastic community of people just waiting to welcome you. The handmade community is incredibly supportive, and if you're looking for more advice, or a sounding board for ideas, you don't need to look too far.



Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?
I think there is a lot of overlap with those terms these days. We're not talking about grandma's craft corner here, although there is such a resurgence of this type of crafting [crochet, knitting, sewing, quilting, etc.] that it's hard to say even that. I guess what I feel is that in the past several years, craft and handmade has become so hip and current. And the quality of work that is being produced is absolutely incredible. So I definitely think that craft and art should be somewhat interchangeable. That being said, I'm not sure I'd consider myself an artist in the traditional sense. If you could see me paint a picture you'd know what I'm saying, it's definitely not my forte. But I do consider myself an artist in the sense that I am creating works with my textiles, and I hope that they are appreciated as being beautiful and functional, both.

(photo images courtesy of Lesley Stenning / Smidgebox Designs)

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

Check out our past features...

heyday design - feature #28
Smeeta - feature #27
ACageyBee - feature #26
Maked - feature #25
Firefly Notes - feature #24
Florence Ann - feature #23
Him Creations - feature #22
Jenny Hart - feature #21
district thirty - feature #20
tinywarbler designs - feature #19
telly designs - feature #18
Cabin + Cub - feature #17
Rachel Hobson - feature #16
Green Couch Designs - feature #15
Tanis Alexis - feature #14
Sweetie Pie Press - feature #13
Fibre Manipulator - feature #12
Sam Made - feature #11
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

20.2.10

Rhizome Free Store - it's free... REALLY!


photo credit: monnibo

I heard about the free shop concept from a friend over at Little Mountain Gallery a few months ago. Of course, my first reaction was "it's free? no, seriously... say what?". Well, I finally get to experience it as the first Rhizome Free Store is happening this Sunday!

Share what you have! Get what you need!

Each month, the Rhizome Free Store has a different theme, allowing us to share our resources with each other. This month, we'll be sharing arts and crafts supplies.

Bring crafts supplies--and ideas on how to use them! Come browse the free store, and choose some new (to you) items.

Rhizome Free Store
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Rhizome Cafe - 317 East Broadway, Vancouver (near Main Street)
(they also have super fab london fogs and chocolate lava cakes!)

it's free... REALLY!

18.2.10

Blim February Community Market!



Kick off 2010 with the first craft fair of the season this Sunday!

Blim Monthly Community Market
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
11:00am to 5:00pm
Heritage Hall - 3102 Main Street

By donation

Blim will be presenting a monthly Main Street Community Market this month to take place for the first time, in Heritage Hall on Main and 15th. 2 blocks north of Blim.

This Months market will include 48 vendors, 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.

17.2.10

studio sale


photo credit: Bronsino Designs for Living / Patina Designs, Flightpath Designs, Su Foster Jewellery

Studio Sale!

Thursday, February 18 and Friday, February 19, 2010 - 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 20, 2010 - Noon to 5:00 p.m.
10:00am to 5:00pm
#225, 975-Vernon Drive (upstairs), Vancouver

Bronsino Designs for Living/Patina Designs (leather handbags, journals and accessories) and Su Foster Jewellery (handcrafted silver jewellery), along with Flight Path Designs (handmade leather belts and graphic buckles) are opening their studio to welcome local and international visitors. Find special deals at 15%-65% off and seconds.

In conjunction with other the Open Studio events in the East Side Arts District,we invite you to drop by for a creative sampling of the famed East Side Culture Crawl.

Refreshments will be served in our studio. Hope to see you there!

16.2.10

shop tour :: Collage Collage


photo credit: Emily Haggar

First stop on the 'Crafty Shop Stop' over at Granville Magazine is Collage Collage. Check it out here!

10.2.10

DIY Vancouver


When I started Got Craft?, I was a complete newbie to the DIY scene. I didn’t know my interfacing from my feed dogs or my slip stitches from my slip knots, but I was very enthusiastic to participate in the so-called contemporary DIY scene. So when Granville Magazine asked if I wanted to curate a DIY blog, I was beyond ecstatic!

This blog is to promote DIY, announce crafty happenings, teach others to make stuff and celebrate crafters and all things handmade with a focus on Vancouver. We will talk to handmade artists, teach you how to incorporate DIY into your life and show you were to locally source your supplies and locally made finished goods.

Interested in contributing to the blog? Do you know of an event that should be mentioned? Maybe you want to see your favourite craft store featured? Leave me a comment and I will let you know how you can be involved!

8.2.10

heyday design - feature #28


Name: Clare Madill
Website links: heyday design

What do you make?
I work in ceramics – I make molds of found, mostly vintage, forms and translate them into fine porcelain objects. These are currently taking the form of vintage canning jars. Also, I make countless variations of earrings and brooches from the positive and negative patterns on the bottom of vintage glass pickle dishes. I am also currently working on a series of porcelain lights...

What or who inspires you?
I definitely get inspired when I go thrift-store shopping – seeing what I can find and how I can use these found snippets of information and translate it into something else. I am super-inspired by the people I know who are successfully make their living creating things with their hands.



How did you get started?
Before going to Emily Carr, I took some ceramics classes at a community centre in Ottawa. While studying at Emily Carr, I found a fantastic community of people; it was easy to be completely immersed in ceramics. Participating in the annual student show + sale was great experience for making and selling my work.



What are your favourite materials to work with?
I love the translucency of porcelain, of course. But I'd also have to say plaster is a favourite – I can't believe I'm writing that, but it's actually true now. It's the material I need to make my molds so that I'm able to make what I make. It helps that i've gotten waaaaay better at mold-making so it's not the disastrous chore it used to be!

I kind of have a thing for platinum lustre, too – it adds a bit of glamorous detail to the situation.



What is the hardest and most favourite part of crafting?
Hardest: the long hours and how physically hard on my body my work can be. Favourite part: meticulous fine details really satisfy the obsessive/compulsive part of my personality...



List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them
design sponge: great bizladies articles, and always fun to see what creative and talented people make and how they integrate design in their environments

musing about mud: great for links to all kinds of calls for submissions, etc., for people working in clay

I like having a bit of a laugh at the end of the day... regretsy is a new fave.

since i just got home from a 14 hour day in the studio and have emails to send, i don't really leave much time for surfing around... gotta go to bed (1:24am)...

(photo images courtesy of Clare Madill / heyday design)

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

Check out our past features...

Smeeta - feature #27
ACageyBee - feature #26
Maked - feature #25
Firefly Notes - feature #24
Florence Ann - feature #23
Him Creations - feature #22
Jenny Hart - feature #21
district thirty - feature #20
tinywarbler designs - feature #19
telly designs - feature #18
Cabin + Cub - feature #17
Rachel Hobson - feature #16
Green Couch Designs - feature #15
Tanis Alexis - feature #14
Sweetie Pie Press - feature #13
Fibre Manipulator - feature #12
Sam Made - feature #11
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

5.2.10

local handmade events during the Olympics


Visit Granville Online and read my article on what craft markets are happening in Vancouver during the Olympics!

4.2.10

Craftacular : Tainted Love Edition



Craftacular is ready again for their next show!
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Little Mountain Gallery - 195 East 26th Avenue
11:00am to 6:00pm

Come check out over a bakers dozen of local artists including the Culinary Temptresses with their gluten free and vegan treats! A love themed photobooth will also be set up, so don your Sunday best!

2.2.10

mini gift guide :: valentine's day


photo credit: dashing etc.

It's Valentine's Day coming up on February 14th! Here what caught my eye over on Etsy ...


photo credit: alexandra ferguson

... because you know ... sometimes you need a pillow to express how you feel.


photo credit: b. children's wear

A whimsical shirt that comes with a felt envelope and letter inside. Perfect for the little one in your life.


photo credit: earmark invitations

Remember on the Simpsons when Ralph Wiggum gives Lisa a Valentine's? He said it best!


photo credit: Art Mind

Perhaps a key to your heart for your one true love?

things to do :: The HEART-ON



The heart on is a celebration of what we do for what we love - art :: music :: dance :: design

A get together to revel in Vancouver's amazing mixture of creativity, originality and talent. Admiring the romance between arts and culture to celebrate what makes us heart.

What makes you heart?

Starts: Saturday, February 6th, 2010 @ 9:00pm
Ends: Sunday, February 7th, 2010 @ 3:00am
Box Studios - 1622 Franklin Street, Vancouver

Visit ' the heart on ' for more information!

1.2.10

Smeeta - feature #27



Name: Rita Leung from Smeeta
Website links: Smeeta on Etsy, Noticle blog

What do you make?
I make lots of different things... but as for what I make to sell that would be mostly felt brooches, toys, and bags/purses. I was encouraged to be creative with what I had when I was a kid (read: no money for fancy toys! Oh wait... that's now too! haha) so I've always that "well, if I can't buy it, can I make it?" mentality.



What or who inspires you?
What doesn't inspire me should be the question here I think! Whether I see something that is so fabulous that I want to try making it myself, or whether it's something so horribly designed that I know that I can make a better version, I find that I'm constantly inspired by the things around me. I think particularly in the spring and fall I'm influenced by the natural environment and I love all things Japanese so that definitely plays a part in my style and design.

Also, when I go shopping for supplies, rarely do I have an extensive list of things I need to purchase. A lot of the time the things I make come from being attracted to a particular material. When I go to the fabric store, if I see something I like and really want to use, I think, what can I make with this?



How did you get started?
I guess I've had a bit of an entrepreneurial streak ever since I was a kid. When I was 12 one of my best friends and I started "R & B Odd Jobs". We went around the neighbourhood stuffing mailboxes with our photocopied fliers offering services such as babysitting, garden work, dog walking etc. We ended up with only ONE gig all summer which was cutting grass for my friend's dad's friend. Hah!

As for the craft selling, when I was fourteen I learned how to make my own little weaving loom out of cardboard and wove a bunch of purses. My mom sold all 6 of them for me at $15 bucks a pop. I was hooked! First off, I really enjoyed the process of creating, and then secondly, I realised how satisfying it was for other people to like my work enough to pay for it. Mind you, they probably only bought them because they were my mom's friends... but hey, it was that little bit of encouragement that planted the seed for my crafty future!

What are your favourite materials to work with?
Currently that would be oil cloth. I do have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it though. I love the way it feels and looks but I hate the way it sews! I also really enjoy working with felt. It comes in such pretty colours, is soft, and is non-fussy to work with.



What is the hardest and most favourite part of crafting?
Hardest: Not being able to figure out what you're doing wrong while making the same mistake over and over again. For example, I was not a happy camper when I first tried sewing in zippers.

Favourite: Holding the finished product in your hand and just feeling proud because you created something (you think) is awesome.



List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them

flickr: In addition to the crafty stuff, I also love taking photographs. This is a great wealth of inspiration not to mention a great site to find really cute pictures of cats. meow. p.s. my flickr is here: http://flickr.com/photos/smeeta

keyofgrey: did I also mention that I'm into music? Key of Grey is run by my boyfriend and is a daily blog with music gear reviews, questions and answers about producing music, and general music banter.

facebook: I was hesitant to join at first, but am so glad that I did! It's really helped me connect with so many people and made organizing my 10 year high school reunion soooo much easier.

etsy: I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. It's a place I get to sell my wares, and sometimes, more importantly, a place I get to *buy* goodies! It's so easy to get lost in browsing all the incredible things that people make.

icanhascheezburger: no explanation required. hehe.



Do you have any advice for those in the biz?
Two words: TIME MANAGEMENT. Learn it. Do it. Or else get sucked into spending 6 hours too many surfing the net and only 1 hour being productive. Lesson learned. :P

And a few more words: spend some time to really think about pricing. In general, things always cost more than we think they do to make and sell them. It's not only the cost of the materials and the time you put in creating - there's so much more involved. For example, are you going to charge for the time it takes to design your product, purchase supplies, photograph, list, promote, package, and ship your items? Also, there are the cost of packaging materials, your tools, electricity, internet bills, camera, and so on. Eeps! I'm still not sure if my prices are what I want them to be or what they should be, but for now, they will suffice!



Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?
Yes, these are different. What I am at any given point depends on what I'm doing... I consider myself both an artist and a crafter. However, for the business side of things, I would say that I spend most of my time as a crafter.

Craft for me is something that is generally done with your eyes and your hands. You can craft without designing your own product and you can also make several of the same item. To be a skilled crafter is to be able to produce something of high physical (and preferably aesthetic) quality. Art, on the other hand is emotional and very subjective. It might be difficult to quantify the quality of a piece of art whereas you could simply say a craft is either well made or it isn't. I would say a lot of the people in this business are both artists and crafters. It's a very good combination. :)

(photo images courtesy of Rita Leung / Smeeta)

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

Check out our past features...

ACageyBee - feature #26
Maked - feature #25
Firefly Notes - feature #24
Florence Ann - feature #23
Him Creations - feature #22
Jenny Hart - feature #21
district thirty - feature #20
tinywarbler designs - feature #19
telly designs - feature #18
Cabin + Cub - feature #17
Rachel Hobson - feature #16
Green Couch Designs - feature #15
Tanis Alexis - feature #14
Sweetie Pie Press - feature #13
Fibre Manipulator - feature #12
Sam Made - feature #11
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
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