Friday Links – Crafty New Orleans, Stones in Schools and More

RHINO Contemporary Crafts Company in The Shops at Canal Place

I’m currently working on compiling the ultimate list of all the ongoing craft events, crafty supply stores, craft groups, etc. around New Orleans and the greater metro area. I recently posted about the idea on the New Orleans Craft Mafia blog. I was working on a crafty city guide for New Orleans for getcrafty.com right before Katrina, but obviously I never had much of a chance to share it with anyone! It’s hard to find a current comprehensive resource on crafting for this city, so I’d like to put one together… I’m thinking I might put it together in the form of a free e-book. Please let me know if you have ideas for public crafting meet-ups, art markets, craft supply stores or other stuff I should include!

I recently answered a query about unique ideas for marketing your crafts that was posted to the Help A Reporter Out listserv and my answer will be featured in the June issue of The Crafts Report magazine! If you haven’t already, you should check out their website, there are some great articles there, like this one: How to Get Customers 4x More Likely to Buy.

The new online lifestyle & design magazine that I recently wrote a column for is out now! It’s called Southern Flourish, and the column is on artists based in the South who work with recycled materials. Check it out!

I recently listed to one of the Rick Steves travel podcasts where he spoke with Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission To Promote Peace… One School At A Time and Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. I really want to pick up these books to read now… The whole thing is really inspiring: basically he and the organizations he works with have been working with communities in Afghanistan for years now to promote peace by building schools, and particularly, by helping educate women. One reason behind this is that in that culture, mothers have a lot of influence… and if they are educated, they are less likely to allow their sons to join the Taliban. You can check out his website, Stones into Schools, to learn more and find out how you can help.