What does it mean to be a “Crafty Bastard?” Well, 150+ Indie artists can tell you…it’s about SNARK baby!! And this weekend, one of the most alternative craft artisan shows in the country is rearing its indie head. The Crafty Nation team is going to be live on the ground at the “Crafty Bastards Art & Craft Fair” in Washington D.C., where we’ll bring you a multi-faceted look at the one of the most alternative craft artisan shows in the country!!

Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair is a juried exhibition and sale of handmade alternative arts and crafts from independent artists presented by the Washington City Paper. Why do they call it alternative you ask? Well, just for starters, this isn’t your Granny’s craft show, and…this isn’t your Granny’s craft. As the promoters of Crafty Bastards proudly shout on their website, “You won’t find knitted teapot cozies, floral wreaths, carved wood ducks or batik jackets here.”

What will you find? Be prepared to experience some of the finest and fugliest (did I say that out loud?) of the movement otherwise known as INDIE Craft. Items like “…dead Elvis statues, gumball machine ninja necklaces,… punk rock baby clothes,… tampon dolls, burnt toast plush toys,…” and others of like ilk are what mainly comprise this varietal display of colorful and creative albeit continuation-school dropout accouterments.

Items such as Dana De Kuyper’s Dammed Dollies…

Stella

Hortense

Or Victoria Wilkins Girlie Pants…

nuff said…

‘How bout them apples?’

Or something out of the mind of Ben Claassen, super creative INDIE genius - get some serious laughs from his daily comics at www.bendependent.com

Now in its 4th year of the show, the Washington City Paper promotes underground art and strives to connect the voice and vision of the indie craft community with their readers. In their Classifieds section, in print and online, they have a special Crafty Bastards advertising section through which craftspeople can sell their wares, and throughout the year they hold craft workshops finding talented crafters to share their knowledge and expertise with the public.

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Guys, you would so NOT believe this show, it’s HUGE! We are so excited to be here, and just to see all the people. The place was packed! Big booths, little booths, color everywhere! And talk about crafters paradise!!! It’s a good thing they don’t sell anything at this show, or we wouldn’t be able to make our mortgage!

We had a blast today and saw old friends and made some news ones! We danced and whooped with the Beadalon gang at the 12^th annual Camp Hoochee Coochee Social hosted by Toner Plastics & Beadalon. (Jim has some video that, quite frankly, I will have to pay him handsomely to keep under wraps.)

Apart from all the excitement and energy, what I really loved most about today was that I saw so many new small businesses started from creative dreams! We met a few of these today, and I will tell you more about them as the weekend progresses! But for now, just a few shots of the day and a video from the floor of CHA!

Jim & Toni in the press room meeting Veronica Hugger from the National Scrapbooking Association.

Jim earns $2.00 during a session for a shameless self promotion about about Crafty Nation!

Talking to “Crafty Nation” (well really, the camera, but it’s like I can see you all!)

Wish you were here!!

xxoo
Toni Lyn

Here’s my video diary of Day 1 at the CHA summer show!

Online Videos by Veoh.com

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We launch this week and what can I say? I’m seriously excited! This is going to be a fabulously fun adventure. I realize there is going tons that we will learn about social media, and since we are growing the site organically (no big names or money behind Crafty Nation), we will have to take many baby steps. We may make some mistakes, but we are mostly going to get the awesome things right (like keeping our priority the community). Our poor developer, she must feel like a pincushion with all of the little things we are poking at her to do here at the last hour, in addition to her actually having to get the site to function smoothly in time for the beta launch.

Since we are getting ready to go live, there are sooooo many details that need attending to. One important area needing my particular attention, the art of online conversation, has been tricky for me, and yesterday I finally discovered why. It seems that I may have a slightly split personality. No, I don’t hear voices and I’m not talking about “Fight Club” or Sybil stuff…rather, when I’m sitting all alone at my computer working on the seemingly endless tasks I always have to accomplish, I’m simply different compared to how I am when I interact with people. I think my friends would deny this to their death, but truly & honestly, I am not a 100% pure extrovert. I know I know… you’ve seen the show and see this nutty crazy person. Indeed I am that, and don’t get me wrong, I love being that way. The truth is, while I am very extroverted and enjoy people tremendously, when I’m alone, I am different. I think we all are to some degree, but most acutely I realized that my mind is conversationally quiet, which allows me to relax and focus on what I need to do.

So because of this, Online Communities represent a small conundrum for me… and here’s the rub in a nutshell – I am totally energized when I am physically with people, but when I am alone and quiet, I need to work on conjuring this conversational energy apart from the physical presence of other souls.

And do you know I never knew this about myself before? Well, now I do. And awareness is half the battle! So feel free to ‘nudge’ me (twitterizm) from time to time. After all, this is about community right? So let’s hold each other up!

I will blog the day we go live, and ask that you tell all your friends, all your family, all your coworkers and even strangers on the street check out the site! Drag them by the hair if you have to! And tell them to remember that this is “Our Crafty Nation”

xxoo
TL

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Ok friends and fellow Diva’s, here’s the dish on our day with the most enjoyable, most entertaining, and most empowering self-appointed bead queen of the universe, MARGOT POTTER! (We blogged about this a few weeks ago, but for some reason WordPress decided to hide this post from the public!! We have had a long chat with our software, and hopefully the bugs are fixed!!)

The CN team spend a day in beautiful Amish Country to visit this darling gal in her darling studio in a 150 yr old, what-used-to-be Amish Schoolhouse and Town hall.

We sat down and had a proper chat about how it all began, what inspires her, why’s she’s wacky and what she says every crafty diva must know about our own inner creative sparkle! Sparkletastic to be exact!!

We just loved her approachabiliy, her talent to speak in full and articulate sentences at more than warp speed, her full blown hospitality and most of all… HER.

I even got to take home fresh country eggs, WHAT A TREAT!

Margot is a talented writer, and is fulfilling her mission by creating a series of how-to beautiful colorful books that encourage and educate hip craftiness in all of us!

Her mission is truly to inspire and empower others to CREATE, to bring our their own creative mind’s eye, and to emphatically insist that we can do anything we set out to do! Margot’s done it all: Theatre, music, t.v., books, publishing editor, jewelry design, public speaker/teacher, blogger, family, and least we not forget, Bead Queen of the Universe (self-appointed)!

Margot’s daughter, Avalon, is simply adorable, and also taking after her mom quite radically!

When we were there, she was designing her own photo shoot…

And, she is quite stylish… If you have seen the “Hair Show” on M’s website, you’ll get a clear picture on the magnanimous influence in this young beauty’s life!

There is much to much to tell and I need to save all the downright delicious details for the segment, but suffice it to say that Margot’s story is the inspirational gem we all must hear to keep our heads high, our imagination bubbling and our wire nippers ready! After all, we all have the delightful duty to “Empower, Inspire & CREATE!”

We’ll share so much more with you on this episode, which will air when we launch here in the next month or so, and we look forward to having your thoughts on Margot’s World!!

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