2011 Craftstravaganza!!!

This past weekend was the 6th Annual Craftstravaganza, a local Urban Craft Fair held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds' Fine Arts Building. There were over 70 artists, including 34 artisans new to the show (yours truly, of course, was one of them) and thousands of returning attendees. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., attendees browsed tables bursting with handmade crafts and met creators. The Minnesota Center for Book Arts and the Textile Center were also conducting workshops throughout the day. The first 100 shoppers received free swag bags with samples of vendors’ work and other goodies. This was my/hbDesigns very first craft fair, aside from the MCAD Art Sale, and I had no clue as to how I would do. Well as it turns out, people really do like my work and even bought some!

My first customer of the morning told me that she skipped breakfast to wait in line so she could see ME and buy 1 specific Shrinky Dink pendant. (Which I only had 1 of!) So that kinda made my day from the get go, despite the cold.

My little sister, Theresa was a great help! I could not have done this without her. You defiantly need two people at a table to run an event like that. We took a few snap shots of my table/set up/display, what ever you want to call it. Considering I made enough to cover the vendor fee, motel, gas and food, I would consider this event to be a great success! I hope Andy & Jen let me come back next year! This was a lot of fun!

hbDesigns also had a nice, little shout out from Betsy, the woman behind the Minneapolis Career Girl Blog! Also be sure to check out my Etsy and be a fan on Facebook for a discount!

MCAD Art Sale Enteries

The following pieces are entered into the MCAD Art Sale! This is the first time I've actually participated, so I'm going to be optimistic about it. I hope you can go and check it out!

Minneapolis College of Art and Design 2501 Stevens Ave South Minneapolis, MN Friday, November 19 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Now in its 13th year, the MCAD Art Sale is a Minnesota tradition annually held the weekend before Thanksgiving. Eye-catching, one-of-a-kind art created by MCAD students and recent graduates at unbeatable prices. Thousands of pieces. Every piece less than $1000. Average price less than $100. Since its inception the sale has generated more than $1,000,000 for emerging artists. All Art Sale proceeds go to support individual artists or the MCAD Art Sale Scholarship Fund. Tickets $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Buy tickets here: http://bit.ly/9Pxizv Valet parking $5.

I'm #Lame, but these people ROCK!

Image above: Copyright Anna Bongiovanni

I was poking around my new friend Anna's blog - Soft And Fleshy. And she is an amazing artist! Seriously, I feel lame for not drawing as much as I should be! I have a ton of great friends who are great designers and artists. I am inspired to start some new work! Every year the Owatonna Art Center hosts the Festival of the Arts and I figure if I can't get in this year then I can save up and put some work in the MCAD Art Sale this coming fall/winter. Some other awesome people can be found below:

Alison Stump
Casey Cubulski
Evan Palmer
Jared A May
Joel Vollmer
Ricci Gertz
Steve Robbins