Steel Town Etsy at Handmade Arcade

Our team is proud to announce that we're one of the sponsors of Handmade Arcade and will have a team table at the event.  Stop by, sign up for our newsletter, or any number of Etsy newsletters, and receive a FREE raffle ticket for your chance to win one of two (2) $50.00 Etsy gift certificates or twenty five (25) $25.00 Etsy gift certificates.  They can be redeemed online at any Etsy shop that accepts gift certificates.  While you're at our table you can also pick up some free swag from Etsy and purchase raffle tickets to win our basket filled with handmade goodies made by the members of our team.  Proceeds from the gift basket will benefit the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse (PCCR) and the basket will include a gift certificate for PCCR as well.   You can also meet some members of our team, talk to them about Etsy, and purchase handmade items directly from them. 

Handmade Arcade, now in its ninth year, brings young, innovative crafters and progressive do-it-yourself designers to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on December 8, 2012 to sell, their handmade, locally produced, and offbeat wares at a bustling marketplace.

This event provides craft artists working outside mainstream and fine arts sectors with a grassroots, high-visibility venue to sell wares, build community, network, and share their artistic practice.

With last year's event, Handmade Arcade found a new eco-friendly home at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center which allows them to continue their commitment to the environment through the convention center's green practices (www.greenfirst.us). This new home also provides space for more vendors than ever before (150+), the addition of new areas to feature demonstration artists, DJs, and musicians. The central downtown location is accessible via car, bus, T, bike, and foot and there is extensive on- and off-site parking.

Situated on-site, near the vendors, their welcoming Hands-on Handmade area features a variety of drop-in, short, and day-long interactive programs — including craft demonstrations, mini-tutorials, make-and-take activities, craft competitions, and art installations — all designed to bridge the gap between consumers and creators.

Don't miss your chance to support local artists and purchase unique handmade holiday gifts for those on your list at this year's event. Remember, you're not only supporting local artists, but your local economy as well. According to The 3/50 Project, a national small business advocacy group, for every $100.00 that is spent at a small, local business, $68.00 will return to the community. (Info from "5 Benefits to Shopping on Small Business Saturday" FORBESWOMAN, November 11, 2011)

Several of our team members at the boutique will be vending at this event, including:

AjwCreations

Audra Azoury Jewelry

Barker’s Herbs & Heirlooms

bel monili by l.marlane

charmed by nature

CreativeCustomology
Designs by Samantha

Erika Elyn

Everyday Balloons

Go Carr Go

Green Bubble Gorgeous

Jes Ha Ka

juNxtaposition

lazypeas

Miss Mousie Love

Nina Ramone Knitwear

Recycled Reads

strawberryluna

Trilodeon

Vehement Romantic

Whimsical Wonders
Check out our Facebook page for your chance to win a pair of Early Birdie Passes. These passes are $15.00 each and are available for purchase online or at Wild Card in Lawrenceville. Each pass provides shoppers with the exclusive opportunity to shop one hour before the event opens to the public. Early Birdie shoppers will have first pick to purchase all the unique and one-of-a-kind items that crafters will be selling and be given a bag full of goodies and coupons. (Children 12 and under are admitted free with an adult.)

Team Members who will be at the team table throughout the day include:
Textile Gifts by Lynn Forman
Gillie Beans BoutiqueBookCraft
Wakula Works
John the CraftistNot Your Granny's Afghan
Neighborhood Blonde
BobbidiBoo
Rebecca Bailey Photo
Beth Hedin
Erra Creations

We hope to see you there!  

I Made It! Market for the Holidays Comes to Bakery Square November 30, 2012 & December 1, 2012

I Made It! Market, the city’s nomadic indie craft marketplace, will pop into Bakery Square for their sixth annual I Made It! for the Holidays event. This year’s event features more than 90 local artisans selling all handmade wares. Shoppers can meet and talk with the artists who are our neighbors throughout the Pittsburgh region on Friday, November 30 from 5 pm - 10 pm and Saturday, December 1 from 11 am - 6 pm.

Friday’s festivities include the lighting of Bakery Square’s building in red to acknowledge World AIDS Awareness Day by the Delta Foundation. On Saturday, a pop up beer garden will be hosted by Tapped and Santa will be on site to pose for pictures.

Last year I Made It! Market welcomed 7,000 shoppers over the two-day event. This year’s artists will include a diverse mixture of goods including ceramics, housewares, jewelry, clothing, bath and body products, giftware, prints, letterpress, sweet treats, plush, children’s items and much more.

This pop up marketplace offers shoppers the opportunity to shop for all of their holiday needs in one space, choosing handmade and local offerings. The makers will be on hand to share their passion for creating unique products and will often work with customers to produce custom orders just in time for the holidays.

Each purchase made at I Made It! Market benefits our local micro economy by supporting an artist from our region who is able to continue to make a living through their art, some even sourcing their materials locally. Additionally, many I Made It! artists utilize repurposed or recycled materials in the creation of new ones including plush, clothing, jewelry, accessories, and more.

Several of the Steel Town Etsy team members will be exhibiting their wares at this market including:

After Dinner Designs
AJW Creations
Barker's Herbs & Heirlooms
Bel Monili 
Bonne Amy
Charmed by Nature
Cowboy Goods
Creative Customology
Designs by Samantha
Diane Wright Designs
Erra Creations
Everyday Balloons
Go Carr Go
Green Bubble Gorgeous
Judith Browne Calligraphy
Junxtaposition
Lazypeas
Nina Ramone
Recycled Reads
Red Robot Design & Illustration
Silentlotus Creations
Strawberry Luna
The Pretty 1
The Pretty Little 1
Trilodeon
Vehement Romantic
Wild Notions
Wren & Rita
Whimsical Wonders

The I Made It! Market creates events with a two-fold mission in mind: to provide the opportunity for regional craftspeople to establish small businesses and to partner with non-profit, arts, and community groups to raise awareness and financial assistance for their causes.

Partner with IMI!: For more information including sponsorship and partnerships, or to vend at a future I Made It! Market event, contact info@imadeitmarket.com.

Access a listing of all participating artists: http://imadeitmarket.com/i-made-it-for-the-holidays-2012-2/

Find their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/imadeitmarket

Their Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/117011748449077

And find them on Twitter @imadeitmarket

Fall has arrived!

 

What is your favorite part of the season?

South Side Exposed I Made It Market Recap

Several of our members can often be seen vending at local indie craft fairs and artist markets. On July 13-15, 2012 several of them vended at the South Side Works Exposed artist market that was sponsored by I Made It! Market and featured over 60 unique artists.

Countless shoppers came over the course of the weekend and we thank each and every one of you!  We'd like to extend a special thanks to Carrie Nardini who organizes the markets!
Following are pictures of our members who were at the market, their booths, and several of their items. If you see something you like, chances are good it's for sale on Etsy. If not, our members often take custom requests. Please feel free to send them a convo and ask.

First up, several shots of the booth of our Team Captain, Tamara Barker, of Barker's Herbs & Heirlooms (many items pictured are available for sale at Boutique 208) which she shared with Samantha Bower of Designs by Samantha.

Red Robot Creative features pop art style illustrations of various pop culture icons, including one of Pittsburgh favorite Mr. Rogers.

Angela Rocco Photography features unique photography as well as jewelry featuring her photography.

The Pretty 1 is a boutique for chic, eye candy accessories. They design bohemian style crocheted necklaces, bracelets, and anklets as well as elegant earrings, organza flower jewelry, and wool felt flower hair clips.  The Pretty Little 1 is their little girls boutique for vintage inspired clothing and hair accessories.



Trilodeon designs tools and toys for your exploration, such as engaging creations of evolutionary arts, sacred geometry, learning toys, healing, aromatherapy, apparel, home decor, and much more.

Recycled Reads, makes fabulous book sculptures and other items out of discarded and unwanted books.  Her items can also be found at Boutique 208.

Pocket Size Production makes breathtakingly beautiful pottery.

Wild Notions features unique and original creations for your home and your life, including barrettes made from repurposed keyboard keys.

Garbella features designs for women, men, & children that she designs and hand screen-prints in her Pittsburgh, PA studio.  A selection of her items are available at Boutique 208.

Grace in Abundance features an assortment of sweet handmade items for the little ones in your life.

Vehement Romantic features the beauty of nature, highlighted in her jewelry, protected and captured forever in resin.  She is shown here sharing a booth with Erra Creations who features items created from reclaimed materials, mainly bike chains.

Also sharing a booth were Party Paper Scissors and Gillie Beans Boutique.  Party Paper Scissors features adorable and unique items for your party including banners and cupcake toppers.  Gillie Beans Boutique features items for little ones, including "Made in Pittsburgh" onesies and super hero masks made out of felt, including an angry birds mask.

Amber Coppings Designs features hand-dyed Xmittens, scarves and other clothing and accessories.  Each item is hand-dyed individually within a series of colorways chosen from her travel inspirations (Bloomfield sunset) to childhood experiences (Wax).

Whimsical Wonders turn discarded or unwanted silver-plated items into beautiful creations for you to enjoy!  They feature the finest home decor, wind chimes and jewelry made by hand, with love, from recycled and repurposed silver-plated silverware and other kitchen items.

Charmed by Nature's Lynn is also the keeper of Pittsburgh's own Craft-O-Tron and his bride Upcycla-Tron.  She makes a wide selection of jewelry and other items from vintage materials she finds at flea markets, thrift stores, and locations like Construction Junction and Creative Reuse.

Everyday Balloons offers handprinted original illustrations on t shirts and handmade totes.  Their designs are absolutely adorable and so are they!

Marcia, of Cinnamon Squirrel, is a seriously talented artist and offers original art and items featuring prints of her art.

Go Carr Go features absolutely stunning papercut art and items such as greeting cards featuring print of her original art.

 Judith Browne Calligraphy offers a wide selection of paper items.

 Lucy, of Belmonili, creates one of a kind wearable pieces of art using upcycled vintage jewelry & materials.  Her items are also available for sale at Boutique 208.

Liz, of After Dinner Designs, creates wearable artisan jewelry and accessories handcrafted from recycled broken dinnerware. Each plate, saucer or cup is recycled from used dinnerware, so there may be scratches and utensil marks on the surface.It adds character to the overall feel of each piece. They cut and grind each plate by hand , so each piece is a one of a kind piece of wearable art. While there may be pieces that are similar in appearance and shape, each piece is unique to the wearer.

Last, but certainly not least, no I Made it Market would be complete without these two lovely smiles!

Thanks for enjoying this glimpse into the market.  We hope to see you at another I Made It Market soon!