by MissMalaprop on January 28, 2010
I was featured over at Scoutie Girl this week, in a post titled success is being able to live the life you want. I’m loving how Tara at Scoutie Girl has been doing sort of a magazine style, weekly theme since the new year. Obviously, this week’s theme is ideas of success, and what that means to those of us in this handmade community. I found myself really inspired by another post on the topic this week, success in the burgh, by Carrie Nardini, the founder & organizer of the i made it! markets. I was so inspired in fact, that after getting Carrie’s contact info from Tara, I got in touch and gave Carrie a call to find out more about how she started that event in Pittsburgh. (Because you know, with all that “free time” I have, I’d love to do something similar here in NOLA.) It was a great conversation (and thanks, Carrie, for taking the time to have it!). While I’m not sure if it’s something I’ll be able to replicate any time soon here in New Orleans, it definitely gave me food for thought.
I’ve been trying to dive deeper into the online craft world lately, exploring new blogs and listening to more crafty podcasts while I’m doing computer work at my day job. I’ve really been loving the CraftyPod podcast by Sister Diane, and I must say, CraftyPod #106: Engagement Marketing for Your Crafty Business is a must listen for anyone trying to get a handle on how to use social media like blogging, Twitter and Facebook to further your own business. The podcasts are available free on iTunes, so check ‘em out!
Even though I have no idea when I’ll find the time to do any personal craft projects soon, I’d love to make one of these t-shirt dresses like Wicked Whimsy did when I get a chance. (And it’s so simple, there’s really no reason to put it off very long.) She posted a tutorial on how to make one from two oversized t-shirts.
If you need ideas for great Valentine’s day crafts, check out Crafting a Green World’s Five Recycled Valentine’s Day Craft Projects. (Thanks to Glue and Glitter for the link!)
I re-vamped the New Orleans Craft Mafia website a few weeks ago, switching from the same website design we’d had for almost five years for a new design, built with Wordpress and the Thesis theme, so that more of our members can help keep things updated. I’m thinking about writing a post explaining how you can use Wordpress to build a simple website for your crafty biz… is that something people would be interested in seeing?
Also, this story about a Super Bowl bet between the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the New Orleans Museum of Art has been all the buzz at work. Depending on whose team wins the Super Bowl, one institution will loan the other a significant work of art from their collection… the debate between the two about which artwork it would be was pretty funny. (You know, in a totally geeky pretentious museum art world kind of way.)
I am also loving my new purse from Morelle and my new sexy slinky dress from Ureshii. Both just arrived in the mail the last few days. I’d been using the same purse for the last three years and it was looking worse for wear, so I wanted a great handbag that would last a long time. (I pick one purse and stick to it for awhile.) The barrel bag by Morelle is perfect for this. Plus everything is 15% off right now, until February 1st! The Horizontality Dress in Plum by Ureshii fills a serious gap in my wardrobe… now I’ve got that perfect sexy, slinky, but not slutty dress for any occasion. Emily, I will take pictures soon and post them, I promise! (And thank you for the extra shrug jacket, it looks great with the dress!)
On a sadder note, it seems there’s been a lot of pain going around in the blogosphere and crafty community lately. Of course there are plenty of people trying to help with the Haiti relief efforts: check out my recent post about the Haiti Relief Fundraiser at Indie Fixx or find out more about how to participate in WHATdesigners Help for Haiti guide. But it seems like unfortunately there has been a lot of personal tragedy going around as well.
Talented jewelry designer Wendy Brandes recently posted about a blogger friend who lost her husband to suicide and what she’s doing to try to help her in this time of need. Jennae of Green Your Decor just found out that her 4-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with leukemia. And they don’t have health insurance, like so many families, especially those who are self-employed. Tanya of Aardvark Silver on Etsy is also in the midst of a medical emergency… she needs emergency heart surgery, which her insurance doesn’t cover, and friends on Etsy have been helping to raise money for her surgery. All of these situations may seem small in comparision to the devastation and suffering in Haiti, but to any of these women, a small $5 or $10 donation or help spreading the word could mean a lot.
by MissMalaprop on January 14, 2010
Jen at Indie Fixx just wrote to let me know about the Haiti Relief Fundriaser she just launched, to help raise money to assist in relief efforts for the earthquake survivors in Haiti.
Listening to stories on NPR this morning about how bad things are there right now broke my heart and brought back memories of Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures here in New Orleans. I donated to Doctors Without Borders this morning, but I’m so happy to hear that the indie craft & design community is already reaching out to contribute in our own special way.
Jen has coordinated a silent auction of items that have been donated by indie crafters, artists and designers. Each day she’ll be posting a new batch of items on Indie Fixx that you can bid on via the comments. 100% of the proceeds from this auction will go to the Red Cross International Response Fund. You can bid on great handmade items like this Shake Sugaree Shoulder bag in Denim and Ivory from Pansy Maiden.
Tweet it, blog it, Facebook it and if you can, bid on any of these items or donate directly to one of the many relief organizations. Charity Navigator has also provided a great resource on how you can help in the Haiti earthquake relief efforts.
by MissMalaprop on January 7, 2010
Tomorrow night I’ll be helping out my friend Kerry from Bayou Salvage by modeling for her in the Righteous Fur Fashion Show.
Righteous Fur is a project started by my friend Cree McCree to promote nutria fur as a “guilt-free” alternative to other fur products. You see, the nutria are a big problem here in south Louisiana… they were imported from Argentina and introduced to the area in the 1930s. As often happens with non-native animal species, they made it into the wild and have been wreaking havoc on our (quickly vanishing) wetlands ever since. They rip up and eat the marsh grasses and displace native animals, and so the Wildlife and Fisheries department offers hunters a bounty to keep the problem under control.
It’s a tricky issue… in the past local chefs have tried to introduce nutria meat to diners, and now with Righteous Fur, local artists and fashion designers are trying to offer their own solutions. I honestly haven’t decided quite how I feel about this whole thing… I’m of course happy to help Kerry out by modeling for her and I want to support all of my friends who are working with this project. And obviously I am up for anything that will help restore and protect our vanishing wetlands. But the nutria are nasty little buggers. See more about them on Wikipedia. And while I generally am not a big fan of fur (vintage is alright I suppose, new fur is a no-no), I can see that this project could at the very least be a great way to raise awareness of the nutria problem.
You can find out more about the Righteous Fur project at their website, in this article on NOLA.com, or shop for nutria fashions in the Righteous Fur Etsy shop.
In New Orleans and want to come see the show? Check it out tomorrow night, Friday, January 8th at the Marigny Theatre and AllWays Lounge (2240 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans). Doors are at 8 pm, and the show is at 8:30 pm. Tickets are $10 at the door or $15 for reserved tables and VIP seating. For more info call 504-269-3982.
by MissMalaprop on December 18, 2009
Miss Mischief and I are planning to do some holiday cookie baking tomorrow, and I’ve gotta say, I wish I had thought about it in time to get some octopus cookie cutters from Oceana via their Adopt-A-Creature program.
The free shipping deadline for Christmas orders has already ended, and it’s a little last minute for tomorrow’s cookie bake, but I’ve been meaning to donate to Oceana, as they’re one of my favorite charities. I’ve always been a big lover of the ocean and all its creatures. I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was little. (Until I realized how hard biology actually is.)
Oceana is the world’s largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation. They do great work and if you know someone who is an ocean lover like me, consider donating to Oceana in their honor this holiday season in lieu of gifts.
by MissMalaprop on December 16, 2009
I saw this Facts About Bottled Water mentioned at Gala’s blog, and it was great timing because I was actually thinking about this ever since the New Orleans mayoral debates last night, which I watched live at Xavier University.
They were talking about the budget shortfalls and all I could think was that if we’d just enact some taxes on plastic bags and bottled water, similar to what has been done in San Francisco and Australia, that we could earn some extra revenue while encouraging people to stop using these awful things at the same time.
by MissMalaprop on December 4, 2009
I saw this today, by Project Runway finalist Carol Hannah Whitfield, and I must say that I wish wish wish that I could have this for Christmas.
So gorgeous! And both the skirt and top would be so great to mix and match with other pieces! Carol Hannah was my favorite on this recent season of Project Runway and I wish she would have won. (And not only because we share a last name!)
This tumbler with artwork by Emily Martin of The Black Apple is also now on my holiday wish list. Seriously, I LOVE it.
I’m also loving the bags by USELESS, which are hand crafted in Colorado from recycled billboards. The company’s motto is to “use less & give more” and they partner with non-profit groups and donate 10% of profits to water and sanitation projects around the world. USELESS has offered up a special discount code on their products: use the code givemore at checkout for 20% off.
