Thursday, February 24, 2011

CRAFT TUTORIAL: Wine Cork Board with Special Guest Milo!

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

I can hardly believe it, but I haven't posted a CRAFT TUTORIAL featuring Milo since October's Pumpkin Painting blog post

We've had playdates since then, but, sadly, no craft tutorials have resulted.  If I can at least do seasonal craft tutorials featuring Milo, I will be satisfied!

Earlier this month, I took Milo sledding at Kelly Lake Park.  

First, we had to get gas, which Milo insisted on helping pump.  I never realized how much kids could love running errands if you just let them participate a little!

Then, it was time for sledding!  Milo specifically wanted an orange sled, which we bought at Gill-Roy's to support a Michigan-based company. 

For those of you tracking my Not Buying It Project, rest assured...I dug into my change jar to buy the sled, so I'm still only buying food and essentials with my paychecks.  Although, in all honesty, I would consider enriching a child's life an essential.

Milo was a brave little boy!  He went down the hill twice by himself and then asked me to go with him.  Of course, we ended up in the dried grass at the end of the hill, but it's still an adorable picture.

After that, he only wanted to go with me.  Ruh-roh!  I felt extremely old and tired trying to haul myself back up the hill repeatedly, but it was totally worth it.  :)   
 
Before I took Milo home to his mom and my good friend, Michelle, we went to my house for a snack.  There, he spotted my jar of wine corks and thought they were cookies! 

"Can I have a plate of cookies, please?" he asked.

"Milo," I said, "those aren't cookies.  Those are corks.  You can't eat them."

"Can I have a plate of corks, please?" he asked.

Of course, I cracked up and gave him a plate of corks.  He grabbed two corks and started playing with them and dancing around my kitchen!

So, what craft tutorial will you lovely blog readers be getting as a result of my February playdate with Milo?

A WINE CORK BOARD!  I've been saving these corks forever and thought this was a very clever idea when I found it online.  And, the stacked button thumb tacks were one of my brainstorms a couple years ago.  Put them together and you have an awesome upcycled craft project!

DISCLAIMER:  I made my cork board after I took Milo home.  This project could be good for teenagers with adult supervision, but it's not appropriate for small children.  Also, make sure that it's only adults who are drinking to produce the corks, ok?  And, that those adults are drinking responsibly, please?  Thanks.  :)

Wine Cork Board with Stacked Button Thumb Tacks

Materials/Tools:

1) Lots of Clean Wine Corks
2) Serrated Knife
3) Picture Frame (with glass removed)
4) Corrugated Cardboard
5) Paper Cutter or Scissors
6) Hot Glue Gun and Glue
7) Vintage Buttons
8) Thumb Tacks


Step 1: Collect lots of corks from your favorite wine.  I enjoy the Lindeman's Framboise Lambic from d'Vine Wines at the Flint Farmer's Market.  Lambic is actually a beer, but it comes with a cork, so it's all good. 

Step 2: Cut a piece of corrugated cardboard to fit in your frame and secure it in place.  You may have to glue it to the backing board of the frame.


Step 3: Cut the corks in half length wise and lay them on your picture frame in a pattern that pleases you.  Remove one cork piece at a time and glue it back in place before moving on to the next piece so you maintain your pattern.

Step 4: Stack two or more buttons in a color scheme that pleases you.  Glue them together and then glue the stack to a thumb tack.  Repeat for as many tacks as you want.

Step 5: Proudly display your new Wine Cork Board!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Second Saturday Giveaway: February Winner!

We want to thank everyone who commented on our February Second Saturday Giveaway featuring Kate Kehoe of Chicaloo Photography and More!

The awesome commenters for February were Hayley Morris, kelley, Gypsy Moon Art Studio, Sherry-Lynn, DesiAnima, lisa, Marcy, basketsbyrose, Kitoula, DamselFish, TiLT, Robert Burack, dovey, Neita Sudberry, stephgoodell and Patti.  We're sure Kate will appreciate all of your wonderful suggestions for new record album cover notebooks!

Just for commenting, all of you will receive a FREE Flint Handmade button in your choice of red, blue or yellow! Ask at the Flint Handmade table at any craftLAB or Craft Market and we'll make sure you get your button.

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for! The randomly selected winner of the Chicaloo Grab Bag is...


...Neita Sudberry!!! Congratulations!

Neita, send us an email at flinthandmade@hotmail.com and we will make arrangements for you to receive your Chicaloo Grab Bag!  You have 30 days to claim your prize.  :)

We want to encourage everyone to participate in the next Second Saturday Giveaway to be posted on March 12, 2011!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Now Accepting Vendor Applications for Spring Craft Market!

Flint Handmade's
4th Annual Spring Craft Market
will be on Saturday, May 7, 2011 
in Downtown Flint!


Applications are available on our website
Just click on APPLY NOW!

Applications are due by 10pm on Thursday, March 10, 2011.

Selected vendors will be notified on or before
Thursday, March 31, 2011.

if you have any questions.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

FREE Yudu Screenprinting Demo for National Craft Month in March!


Join us at craftLAB on Sunday, March 6th for a 
FREE Yudu Screenprinting Demonstration
from noon-3pm at The Lunch Studio!


Bring shirts, messenger bags, hoodies, aprons, tea towels...
anything you want screenprinted
 with the Flint Handmade knuckles logo! 

Check out the photos from our October 2010 Yudu Demo
to get ideas of what to bring.

ONE item screenprinted for FREE per person. 
Additional items are just $3 per screenprint.

We will also have FREE cupcakes and punch for all
to celebrate March as National Craft Month!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Second Saturday Giveaway: Win Photo Coasters & More by Kate of Chicaloo!

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

For our February Second Saturday Giveaway, we are featuring Chicaloo Photography and More by Kate Kehoe!


This is Kate in her apartment living room with THE MOST AWESOME library card catalog ever!

We didn't even make it to her actual workspace and already I had to start taking pictures of the many crafty projects and supplies she has stashed all over her apartment!


Kate bought the (extremely solid and heavy) card catalog from a local library that was transitioning to an electronic catalog.  It is filled with old catalog cards that she uses as covers for small spiral bound notebooks.  I love clever upcycling ideas!


In front of the card catalog is Kate's knitting stand.  She got it for $3 at a garage sale and it is ridiculously adorable.

I paused after all of the card catalog awesomeness to ask Kate how she came up with her company name:

"This was a harder decision than one would think. I discarded a lot of names before deciding on Chicaloo. It is a term of endearment that I call some of my friends.  I thought it was appropriate since they are the ones who supported me at the beginning of my crafty career."

It's always our friends who support us at the beginning, right?  We crafters make gifts for our friends and family who encourage us to sell them and off we go!


In the corner of Kate's living room are about 6 crates of records that she uses to make her record album notebooks and bowls.  On top of those records is Kate's muppet, Rhoda. 

Kate saw a super cute video on YouTube of a man who proposed to his girlfriend with muppets and became smitten with the idea of owning her own muppet.  After a particularly hectic craft show season, Kate decided to get Rhoda as a treat for herself.  :)


Now, rest assured, those 6 crates of records in the corner are only the tip of the iceberg...Kate's entire hallway is lined with crates of records!


Kare beams with pride at her massive record collection.  We crafters love our collections, don't we?


Kate took me into the kitchen next and showed off her ingenious idea for storing her finished product magnets that she posts on her Etsy...just put 'em on the fridge!  They don't get scratched up and she can easily grab one off if it sells.


Speaking of collections, Kate is a former Catholic and still has an impressive shelf of Virgin Mary statues and candles that serve as artistic and colorful inspiration.


And, now, we finally reach Kate's actual craftroom!  I asked Kate about her workspace:

"I picked this apartment because of the space I now use as my craft room. That and the numerous closets that now hold supplies and finished product. Of course there is never enough storage space. I love to surround myself with the work of artists I admire it helps to keep me inspired." 


Kate definitely loves to surround herself with the work of other artists.  Immediately to the right in her craftroom is a wall collage of framed art prints.


The inspirational art must be working, because Kate had a substantial list of record album notebooks to make...


...and two big stacks of notepads featuring her original photography covers to bind!


Kate also has a very clever way of making sure she has the same number of pages in her notepads.  Instead of counting them all out by hand, she just weighs them on a ditigal kitchen scale!  Brilliant! 

 

Clever gal that she is, Kate uses decorative file folders for the back covers of her photo notepads.

With all of her various creative projects, I asked Kate how she got into crafting:

"I have always been someone who has to keep my hands busy. I can't watch a movie without making something at the same time. The start of my craft business was a result of a Fire Mountain Gems catalog and a case of Mono. I needed something to keep me busy that wasn't going to wear me out and jewelry fit the bill. I made jewelry for several years until Carpal Tunnel put an end to that. A boyfriend gave me a camera and that started me on a photo based business." 

Kate's photos make excellent notepad covers and magnets...


...especially now that she owns a rectangle magnet/button maker! 

"Besides my camera I would have to say that my favorite tool is my new rectangle magnet/button maker. It is also the most expensive piece of equipment I have ever owned. I waited several years before committing to buying it."


In addition to her new rectangle magnet/button maker, Kate also has lots of very well organized craft tools like scissors and pliers in cute pots and glasses on her windowsill.


In the corner opposite the window wall is Kate's ENORMOUS stash of records bowls.  If you want a particular album as a bowl, Kate probably has it!


Next to the record bowls are art books and a magnetic board.  Can you see the FH Knuckles sticker in the upper right hand corner of the board?  ;)

As we wrapped up, I asked Kate what projects she would like to work on in the future:

"I have a couple projects in the works including Photo Night Lights and album bookends or coat hooks. I would love to do some more collaborations with other artists."

Well, we haven't collaborated yet, but Kate and I made a great trade at the end of her photoshoot.  In exchange for a custom record notebook, I gave her a pistachio shell flower brooch...
  

...which I promptly made her put on so I could take this gorgeous pic!

We at Flint Handmade are so excited to have some of Kate's awesome Chicaloo Photography and More creations for our February Second Saturday Giveaway!


Kate donated a little grab bag of some of her most popular items:

I Have Not Yet Lived Graffiti Notepad
Gnome Liberation Front Pocket Mirror
Oh Waitress! Coasters (featuring Flint's Colonial Restaurant!)
County Fair Fun Slide Magnet

For YOUR chance to win Chicaloo's Grab Bag (valued at $26), just complete steps A and B:

A) Follow Flint Handmade via the blog, Twitter, Google Reader or whatever newfangled "following application" tickles your fancy. Or, if you don't do the whole following thing, email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com and we will add you to our email list.

B) Leave us a comment in response to this blog post by 5pm on Saturday, February 19, 2010 answering the following 2 questions:

1) How do you follow us?

2) Which album covers would you like to see Kate make into notebooks?

Please be sure to answer BOTH questions to qualify for the drawing.

The winner will be selected at random and posted on the blog within one week after the deadline. The winner will have 30 days to claim the prize.

We hope to hear from YOU and we hope you enjoyed our February Second Saturday Giveaway!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Handmade Detroit Valentine Craft Meetup Recap

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

Much love to Handmade Detroit for hosting a Valentine Craft Meetup in Birmingham on Tuesday!  Sarah and I drove down from Flint to hang with our friends in Metro Detroit.

We met in a well-appointed, modern community space at Urbane on Adams Apartments.  Lots of lighting, work tables, comfy chairs and outlets...perfect for a crafting social circle!

About 15 crafters showed up to work on a variety of projects: making valentines, embroidery, knitting, papercrafting, sewing and crocheting. 

MAKING VALENTINES 

 Martha Stewart Crafts donated a bunch of Valentine supplies to Handmade Detroit.  Score!

Michelle used some of Martha's awesome punches to make Valentine hearts.

Shelli (left) crafted a cute pink Valentine with a flock of red and white bird cutouts while her son, Oliver, made an adorable blue Valentine with lots of heart punches.

EMBROIDERY

Sarah of yarnscratch embroidered a cat pattern that she got at the Flint Handmade Craft Supply Swap in August 2010!

Nicole went a little bonkers trying to get a knot out of her embroidery floss! :)

Jackie worked on a force-fastic Yoda embroidery transfer.  ;) 

KNITTING

Katherine was knitting a wraparound shawl with a button in the back...which she used to hide her cutie face from the camera!

Crystal was using the prettiest purple yarn for her knitting project.

PAPERCRAFTING

Lori of Basement Art Creations punched out circles of her own photographs for glass goodies.

Bethany of Reware Vintage and Handmade Detroit was making cards from vintage sheet music.

 
Jill stamped her spiffy self-designed FRAGILE stamps on her mailing envelopes for Barrel of Monkeys.

Austin of AusGerCo cut up a Dirty Dancing calendar for a yet-to-be determined craft project...very intriguing!

Shawn of Shawn K. Knight (Graphic Design) made a list.  Now, a list may not sound like much, but we creatives need to make sure we get our gazillions of project ideas out of our heads and onto paper, so listmaking is super productive!

SEWING  

Lish of My Vintage Kitschen and Handmade Detroit brought her sewing machine...
...and sewed a sweet apron start to finish!

CROCHETING 

Veronica of ASTA Crochet rocked some sassy boots and some classy yarn!

As I was talking to Veronica, I realized that I was, in fact, wearing one of her crocheted cowls...of course, we had to take picture together for the blog!

Sarah and I had a great time with our crafty comrades in Metro Detroit!  Can't want to see all of you ladies and gentlemen again!