Whaddaya Get When You Combine STE With Vintage Hot Rods?

Whaddaya Get When You Combine STE With Vintage Hot Rods & Motorcycles? You get two fabulous upcoming car and motorcycle rallies! Woohoo! Steel Town Etsy crafters will be teaming up with these two fabulous shows, vending our handmade wares along with hot rods, pin up girls, live music, prize givaways, old school good times, and the coolest of the cool around Pittsburgh! Two events you definitely won't want to miss!

Oh, and artisans, both shows are still accepting vendors!


1st Annual Steel City Rockers vs. Mods Vintage Motorcycle & Scooter Rally



Pittsburgh's first vintage motorcycle and scooter rally! Get out the gear, polish up the Nortons, Triumphs, and BMWs or Vespas, Lambrettas,and Allstates (depending on your allegiance) and commemorate this unique period in Motorcycle history with the First Annual Steel City Rockers vs. Mods! Join us for a one-of-a-kind rally featuring bands, DJs, a pin-up-girl contest, raffles, tattoos, entertainment, vendors, and of course, lots of bikes! Special guest judges will be on-site to distribute awards to both motorcycles and scooters. Come on out and help us make this event one to remember! A portion of our proceeds will benefit Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh's Hard Head Patrol.

Visit http://steelcityrockersvsmods.com for more info!


Steeltown Shakedown, hosted by The Drifters Car Club



On Saturday, September 11, The Drifters will be hosting the 5th annual Steeltown Shakedown at the Twin Hi Way Drive-In on Route 60 in Robinson Township. This all day car show is open to all pre-65 rat rods, hot rods, and custom cruisers. Shop the vendors and enjoy the various raffles, flamethrower contest, pin up contest, and live music. If that isn’t enough for, then prepare yourself for a one night only showing of a true vintage movie when the sun goes down. Bring your old ride and help us celebrate the 76th anniversary of the very first drive-in movie theater the only way we know how: ol’ skool.

Visit www.steeltownshakedown.com for more details.

Name Contest & Decorating: The NEW Pittsburgh 'Local Handmade' Vending Machine!

Announcing the yet-to-be-named Pittsburgh traveling craft vending machine!! It may look like any ordinary cigarette vending machine right now, but soon it will be embellished, jazzed up and filled with local handmade creations! AND WE NEED YOUR HELP TO NAME AND DECORATE IT!



Inspired by the Art-o-Mat machines that offer mini OOAK art, our machine will offer a sampling of what is being handmade in Pittsburgh. Instead of each piece being different, we are embracing our industrial heritage and offering items that are crafted clones of each other like our own Andy Warhol's repeated printings.

The goal of the machine project is to spread the word about the local craft scene by placing the machine in different locations throughout the city - bars, art centers, welcome centers, museums.etc. There will be an under-glass posting area on the machine to advertise local craft events and craft groups. The idea is to share not only access to the crafts themselves but where else they can be found in a store, online and at local markets. Each item will have the biz card of the crafter that made the item, along with the facebook page (to be unveiled once the machine is named!) for the machine so they can post happy customer pics and find out where the machine is going to be next. They even get a folded biz card for the machine with a mini button attached instead of a pack of matches!! The machine will even have its own Facebook page, where all of the current handmade goods in the machine will be displayed via photo.


YOU'RE ALL INVITED!

WHAT: Decorate the Machine Open House
WHEN: Sunday, August 22nd, 2010, 4-6pm
WHERE: Wildcard in Lawrenceville, 4209 Butler Street (map)

Rebecca Morris has VERY graciously offered to let us decorate the machine in her wonderful store Wildcard in Lawrenceville. On Sunday August 22nd there will be a "Decorate the Machine" Open House from 4-6pm. Bring some E6000 (use a Michael's 40% off coupon) and some scrabble tiles, dominoes, glass globs, random fun stuff, steampunk or Pittsburgh-related items, etc., and we will artfully mosaic the machine into something eye-catching and snazzy.

*Note- Please make sure there are no sharp edges or anything that would catch anyone or their clothes.

The machine will stay at Wildcard after the Open House for a trial run to work out any kinks. It is so wonderful to have someone who supports and loves local crafts like Rebecca to do this.

So put together your colorful doodads and join in the decorating fun!

~~* The person who brings the most nifty item to decorate with will win a fabulous prize submitted by a talented local artisan(s). *~~ :)

Light refreshments will be served.


NAME-THE-MACHINE CONTEST!

We are looking for your fabulous ideas for naming the vending machine! Submit names by commenting on the contest's Facebook Page through midnight EST on Saturday, August 21st. The winner will be announced at the machine-decorating open house at Wildcard on August 22nd (details above) and will get a tote bag full of awesome local handcrafted goodies!! If you would like to donate a handmade something to the winner prize bag, please bring it with you on the 22nd to the open house. We would love to see all entrants at our Open House, but those who cannot be present may pick up their prize bag at Wildcard after the event.


BE IN THE MACHINE

Interested in having your own crafty creations for sale in the machine? Please let us know!

Submission Guidelines:

*All types of art and crafts will be considered, and Pittsburgh-themed creations are especially welcome. In order to ensure that a diversity of items are available in the machine at any given time, not all artisans will be accepted to be vendors.

*Items must be smaller than a pack of cigarettes and priced at either $5.00 or $10.00 (the machine will have one row of $5.00 items and one row of $10.00 items). Boxes that fit the machine will be at the Open House (details above) for test-runs of your item size.

*Those who are accepted must submit 20 finished pieces to start.

*The fee to vend in the machine will be small, mostly to cover cost of boxes, printing and any rent charged. 100% OF VENDING MACHINE SALES GO BACK TO THE ARTIST!

*Email a clear picture of your items to Lynne of Charmed By Nature at slkrop@comcast.net for consideration.


Please offer any suggestions for the project including places you think might be interested in hosting the machine. Once the Facebook page is up, please suggest it to your friends!!

Thanks!!

Tonight! Steel Town Handmade Trunk Show -- Handcrafted wares from local artists at Unblurred

Join the Steel Town Etsy crew tonight at Schmutz Lodge (5405 Broad Street; Broad is parallel to Penn) and sample what the the Pittsburgh craft community has to offer! From beautiful to bizarre, cute to kitsch; at times recycled or re-purposed...the artists of Steel Town have something for everyone. As part of the Unblurred Art Gallery Crawl's schedule of events, we're in good company.

Meet two more of our presenting artists: Diane Wright Designs and Silent Lotus Creations.

Diane Wright uses beadweaving and metalsmithing techniques to create high quality handcrafted jewelry inspired by the world around her. You'll find a few of her striking pieces below, but definitely come see them in-person to gain a better appreciation of the color and texture of these lovelies. The woven pieces, in particular, are incredible to touch.





Kylie of Silent Lotus specializes in jewelry and art inspired by the designs of nature and the beauty of simplicity. Beautiful, indeed! Her newest items infuse favorite metals and gemstones with vintage materials and ephemera. Many use 100% reclaimed parts to reduce waste and add history and charm.

Countdown to STE's Handmade Trunk Show!

Steel Town Etsy's Steel Town Handmade Trunk Show happens in just a few days!! Join STE artisans at Penn Avenue's Unblurred Art Gallery Crawl on August 6th, 2010. From 5:30-10pm, we'll be vending our unique, sometimes offbeat, handcrafted wares at Schmutz Lodge, 5405 Broad Street (Broad is parallel to Penn, and the Lodge is two blocks behind The Sprout Fund) as part of Unblurred's fabulous schedule of events.

Here are just a couple of the STE crafters who will be there:

Barker's Herbs & Heirlooms

Tamara creates steampunk, altered art, vintage image, & upcycled items. According to her Etsy shop announcement, she is:
Trying to save the world, one craft at a time, by creating unique repurposed and upcycled handmade goods... A bit like a time-travelling Dr. Frankenfurter, I create steampunk, mixed media, and collage pieces with a unique twist that are reflective of my sometimes warped and twisted view of the world.







19 Moons

Niffer of 19 Moons decribes her handcrafted jewelry as "Jewelry Design that's out of its Time... Eco-Friendly Steampunk, Gothic, Neo-Victorian & Retro Future styles." According to her Etsy shop announcement, "every piece is a handcrafted, wearable work of art. Our wares are also eco-friendly, incorporating vintage and recycled materials for authentic, one of a kind designs."