Urban Craft Uprising- our new website!

Check out Urban Craft Uprising's new website !

Urban Craft Uprising

You only have a little less than two weeks to apply for Urban Craft Uprising

Now accepting applications!

Urban Craft Uprising is now accepting applications for our summer show!  Seattle is a great place to sell your work!  The people here are super supportive and buy things! 

This Thursday in Seattle

Now that it is public knowledge, I have become the President of Urban Craft Uprising.  It's such an honor to be apart of this amazing event and to be trusted enough to do a good job as the President.  Anyways, we are having an event this Thursday to support Etsy's efforts to get 18,000 Valentine's Day cards.  If you are in the area, please join us!  Information can be found here

Urban Craft Uprising Recap

Man, I am wiped out.  I almost slept until 1pm on Monday because I was so exhausted.  BUT this year's show was AMAZING!!!!  Many of our vendors said that not only did they do better than any other year but that it was their BEST SHOW to date!!!  Seattle shoppers are amazing!  Super supportive and excited about the show.  Our vendors are all awesome and it's just a wonderful thing to be apart of. 

Urban Craft Uprising

Okay, it's starting.  Today!  AHHHH.  I am most likely running around like a crazy person, sleep deprived but really excited.  Some things I am extra excited for are:

Seeing Anna of Mochimochi Land fame.  Anna is doing her FIRST craft show with UCU which I am so happy about.  I have been trying to convince that lady for year's now to do one so I am so honored it's with us!  She also did the amazing art work we have for this show.

Isn't it adorable?

I am also really excited about seeing Twinkie Chan again.  I met her sorta once but it was at Plush You! in SF and was awkward because I forgot her real name.  hahaha

I was going to start running down the list of all the vendors I want to shop with but this list would quickly get out of control.  It's gonna be awesome!

Hi

First off, I have heard you are not supposed to blog about being a bad blogger but I feel like I had to apologize.  Life is nuts around this time of year to say the least.  This weekend is Urban Craft Uprising!  Seattle's largest indie craft show which I am the Director of PR and Marketing so it's time to work by butt off.  YAY!  I love the show and feel so honored to be part of it but it definitely takes up most of my time.  So I am sorry.  I am gonna get back on track starting now.

Have you heard about this?

Urban Craft Uprising.

Applications are due for Urban Craft Uprising this MONDAY!  I'm not just saying this because I work at UCU but this show is amazing!  The people of Seattle really love to support handmade and come out in droves for the show.  If you are debating any shows out of state, choose this one!  We had over 9,000 people attend last winter's show and it continues to grow each show!

Urban Craft Uprising

 It's time to apply for Urban Craft Uprising's winter show!  I can't believe all the things going on in my life this week/month but I am so so excited to see who apply's for this show!  UCU is awesome if I do say so myself so apply today!

More on Urban Craft Uprising

Some other folks I am excited to have at UCU are:

Half Pint Ice Cream

Jill Bliss

Monkey Sock Monkey

I really could go on and on and on.  It is a huge pleasure to be on this team along with Moxie and Lindsey!  The best ladies to work with ever.

If you live in Seattle

Don't forget, Urban Craft Uprising is this weekend!  I will be by the UCU booth so please say hello.  Hope to see you there!

Sorry about being a bad blogger.

 I am one of the organizers for Urban Craft Uprising and it's near so I am one busy bee!

Urban Craft Uprising

I am really excited for our SECOND Urban Craft Uprising show!  I think this one is going to be awesome.  It will also be good to have something to work towards.  If you make stuff, want to visit Seattle, I highly suggest this show as summer time is the best time to visit!

To apply visit here

Meet Our Judges

Our second judge is yours truly :) Here are my stats

please state your name and occupation: Kristen Rask owner of Schmancy and curator of Plush You! I also am the Director of PR and Marketing for Urban Craft Uprising and co-creator of Grassroots Business Association

Your favorite sport? ping pong!

Your least favorite sport? Curling?

Why do you love plush? I love plush because I love seeing how everything is translated by the designer. It's something anyone can do from children to adults, men and women. I love how each person's personalities shine through AND they are cuddly.

Crafty Wonderland

The following week after Urban Craft Uprising I will be going down to Portland for Crafty Wonderland. Here is a little list of some of the people I am excited to see.


I am a bag lover and really lovin' these bags by Appetite


Betsy Walton was in a group show at Schmancy this past year and I really fell in love with her work. I am really looking forward to meeting her!


I always love the work by My Imaginary Boyfriend


I want this necklace by Betsy and Iya


Emily Katz was also in a show I curated so it will be nice to meet her!


I can't wait to check this stuff out in person by Crafty Folk

There are so many more so I will make another list tomorrow!

Urban Craft Uprising

So the holidays really are not that far away. As I have mentioned I am going to make a full hearted effort to enjoy the holidays this year. I have been stacking away gifts to give for my family and friends for awhile now so that I don't stress out about getting stuff together. I am going to take a little break however because craft shows are coming up and I love to trade and purchase from fellow vendors. I will first be at Urban Craft Uprising which I am so excited for. If you are in the area and going to be attending please do say hello! Anyways, I am still making notes of what I might like to purchase or trade from people and here is a small list to start:

From Urban Craft Uprising


I think it would be fun to get my little doggie nephew a gift from Apartment C. She uses great fabric!


Last winter I did a trade with Berkley Illustrations. I am a huge fan and think it would be fun to get a print for my dad every year for some reason. Or maybe someone new? Either way, they are a must!


I also did a trade with the fantastic duo, Chikabird. I love their notebooks and was happy to give it to someone but have kinda been pining after one ever since. I think it's time. Maybe another trade?


Annie, owner of Dotted Line has mentioned trading and I think I want to finally take her up on the offer!


I was a huge fan of Lush products until I discovered Estrella


One of my goals for next year is going to be send more mail. It's nice to get mail and it so rarely happens anymore. I would be really happy to send love notes with postcards by ilfant


I think my mom and/or aunt would really enjoy needle felting so I got to pick up some kits from Moxie


And I must get one of these shadow puppets for someone...not sure who but I'll figure that out later!

Urban Craft Uprising

This morning I woke up feeling like a little kid the day before Christmas. I am really excited for Urban Craft Uprising!. It is going to be a great time so I hope those of you in the area can make it. I am really looking forward to doing a craft workshop with Susan Beal. We will be making accessories and hair clips using buttons! Susan's book, Button It Up will be for sale both days and she will be there signing it on Saturday. This will also be my first time promoting my book, Button And Stitch, that comes out this December. There are tons of other exciting things happening this weekend so I hope to see you all there!

Urban Craft Uprising- Berkley Illustrations

This weekend is Urban Craft Uprisings first summer show! I am really excited for it and hope those of you that live here can make it. Last winter I fell in love with Berkley Illustrations. He is showing here in August which is really exciting. Get acquainted with his work this weekend! You will be coming back for more, lot's more.

Jenny Hart Class @ Stitches this Saturday!

It's just one more event this weekend you don't want to miss!

August 1st, 7:00pm - 9:30pm (Saturday)

Embroidery Workshop with Jenny Hart
Jenny Hart will offer her unique tips and techniques for working in hand embroidery! This class is perfect for complete beginners to anyone looking for new angles with stitches. Jenny shares her methods for working in embroidery, transfer techniques, multiple creative stitches and more. Get a sneak peek at her new book, and see some of her own works in embroidery up close and personal. Fabric, floss, embroidery hoop, Sublime Stitching pattern pack and needles are included.

One 2-½ - hour session. Fee: $50

Sign up at Stitches (in person or call 206-709-0707 with your credit card information).

Fiber Arctic- Jenny Hart

To introduce Jenny Hart is kinda weird. If you are reading this blog I assume you appreciate craft, art and plush. Jenny might not make plush but she is definitely a household name if you are into the other two. A master of embroidery, the woman who made embroidery "cool" again, Jenny is a woman after my own heart. I can't wait for this year's UCU summer show where I will finally be able to meet her. Until then I am overjoyed that she will be another artist for Fiber Arctic. I now present you with, Jenny Hart.



S- Oh Jenny, you are one of our favorites...every one's for that matter. Not only do you make beautiful works of art but you were one of the catalysts for making crafts cool again and not just viewed as "granny crafts". For this, I love you. Were you always a crafty lady? Did you expect to be doing this for your living?

JH- I think you made me blush. I was always drawing, making art, taking photographs and sometimes my own jewelry (I made a pair of earrings out of rubber Cupie dolls in high school). I love to make things by hand, figure out how things worked and have something unique like altered clothing, or hand-painted combat boots. To be honest, I don't consider myself really 'crafty'. My good friend Jennifer Perkins (Naughty Secretary Club / Austin Craft Mafia) is a truly crafty person. She can make something fantastic out of a flyswatter if she has to. Me? I just love embroidery.





S- I purchased some of your patterns many years ago when it was you just shipping them out of your home and you were a one woman operation. How have you adjusted to this huge transition of having employees, books, fans, etc.?

JH- Well, they still ship from my home! But, it's true that it's no longer just me doing everything. I think growing pains sums it up well. It's always hard to give up doing things you've done yourself for so long, but once it's out of your hands and in the capable hands of others (filling orders, answering customer emails) it's such a relief, you don't want to go back to the old way. I do miss the days when I did everything myself, especially filling orders because I would see all the incoming customer emails with the many super sweet messages they send. Jordan is really good about forwarding some of those on to me. The biggest change has to do with having employees (two full time, two part time) because for years 5-6 of the company (we turn 8 this year) I was completely overwhelmed by all the demands, and was really struggling to do the creative work, which is the most important thing for me to be doing. I think having fans is something I'm still getting used to. A woman came up to me at a gallery opening (for someone else) and asked if she could have my autograph, and I was totally stunned. I'm becoming more and more aware of how aware other people are of me and my work, which always surprises me. While others view you as a success, you yourself still feel like you have to put your work out there, tell people about it and get the word out! So, I'm always pleasantly surprised whenever someone approaches me or lets me know they are familiar with my work. It's really touching. I never assume that they do, because there still are looots of people who don't know about Sublime Stitching - more people I can turn on to embroidery! Mwahaha.



S- Not to assume you feel this way but I, myself, occasionally have a hard time with my work. I have been making stuff since I was a kid and when it becomes part of my monthly income it takes away some of it's charm. Because this is your full time job and I am sure a good portion of your livelihood, how do you balance it all?

JH- It's always a challenge. The hardest thing for me to do is make time to do my personal artwork. I love doing the work needed for Sublime Stitching, and those demands are pretty high. I try different types of schedules "Okay, Thursdays and Fridays are for artwork only" but something more urgent always comes up and pulls me away. One of the things my manager does is help me prioritize, which is the hardest part. Every day I ask them what they might need from me, and we all discuss the most urgent demands. That helps enormously. I think figuring out what needs to be done first before you jump into anything and everything you want to try and tackle in a day is really important.



S- Any upcoming events, shows, etc. you are excited about that you might like to share?

JH- I'll be at Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philadelphia the weekend of May 30-31 and for the first time ever, we are sending Jessica and Jordan to be at ICE Atlanta (because I can't be two places at once quite yet). Maker Faire San Mateo is also that weekend, which I hate to miss.

My business column, Crafting a Business (previously on Venuszine.com and those columns are still up!) will be firing up again on the Craftzine.com website! Should be up this week.

I have a new book coming out in the fall called Embroidered Effects: Projects and Patterns to Inspire Your Stitching that I'm super excited about! You can see a preview here

My work is going to be exhibited in Paris and also do a museum tour throughout France (two separate exhibitions) beginning in October! One is a group show at http://www.galerieljbeaubourg.net/start.html opening October 9th.

That's uh...part of what we have going on. The highlights!