handmade militia
newsletter no.2
Hey there crafty cats! So much exciting things to share with you! Shows, markets, fashion, wine, and more [see below], however first a hats off to those who joined to make our first pot-luck crafty swap a huge success. There was great food to be shared, very vegetarian friendly to boot, great wine, and a huge, yes huge, pile of supplies that were swapped. Can't wait till the next time, edges of our seats till then!
1st First Friday
[small scale] Craft Fair
March 6th from 5pm-8pm
Matter Bookstore | Beancycle
Old Town, Fort Collins
The idea is to give crafters an opportunity to sell their wares monthly in the same place and at the same time. The [small scale] Craft Fair, will be held in the front part of The Matter Bookstore | Bean Cycle coffee shop. As you know, the first friday gallery walks are already very popular with locals and tourists alike. We'll be in a prime spot with lots of foot traffic. We have limited space so crafters interested in participating please contact Whitney (whitney@luckymebeads.com) by February 27th. Participation is certainly open, and we look forward to seeing new and old faces. Please include a few sample photos of what you would like to bring in your RSVP email. Participation is also free, yes that's right free, hugs to the Bean Cycle and Matter for that hookup. We are asking for donations for particaption to help support future Handmade Militia projects.
We Need Your Ovens! (and your feet)
March 6th 4:30pm
What's the best way to lure people into buying crafty things, well anything? Free cookies my friends. This is a tried and true technique and we'd love to use our homemade magic to make it happen. We would like to hand out home baked cookies on friday, March 6th while we are selling crafts at the Beancycle | Matter. Just a little incentive to get people's attention, make a few friends, and get people in the door.
We need a couple of people willing to hand out cookies along the street and a few more people willing to bake!
Maybe you have a baker friend who wants to help out or maybe your mom's the best baker in town, either way we want your cookies! We will need a lot of cookies so every batch counts. If you would like to help bake or distribute please contact Whitney (whitney@luckymebeads.com). And please, please feel free to pass this along to anyone who might be interested!
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Sweet Jesus, I Published A Book!
We are so fantastically excited to be putting together a Handmade Militia Zine. This zine will be produced, published, and widely distributed with the help of none other then the local captain of zines, Matter Bookstore.
For our first issue we would like to include hand-drawn patterns and crafty how-to's.
If you have something you would like to submit please send to Susan (susan@susanhazelrich.com).
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Can You Smell the Collaboration Yet?
Clearly you can see, we have been organizing all sorts of handmade goodness. The input of ideas from everyone so far has been collaborativly orgasimic to say the least. And with that, we can say we are super excited to be teaming up with Matter Bookstore for the month of March. They host a local organization or nonprofit each month and March is Handmade [with a side of Militia].
1st First Friday [small scale] Craft Fair
As mentioned above, March 6th (first friday) will be The [small scale] Craft Fair. If all goes well, we hope to continue these first friday events past the month of March.
Demo-tastic Day
Saturday March 14th
Volunteers Needed!
We'll be having a demonstration day. Crafters are invited to come hang out in The Bean Cycle | Matter Book Store and show other people how to make things. We still need volunteers for this event. If you have something you could show people how to do, drop us a line. We would love to have the focus be on sustainable crafting ie. reusing and recycling but we are open to any ideas. So far we have knitting, collage, bookbinding, and screen printing. The hours are still flexible and will depend on how many people we get to participate. Please RSVP with Whitney (whitney@luckymebeads.com) by March 1st.
2nd Pot-Luck Crafty Swap
Friday March 20th
We will be hosting our monthly pot-luck/swap at the Beancycle | Matter Bookstore. This month, the potluck part will be available for purchase from the lovely people at The Bean Cycle and the swap part will depend on you. Bring your unwanted raw materials and trade them for something more inspiring. Last week's potluck/swap was a blast. And hosting this months out in the community will give us a chance to find lost crafters and give them a crafty place to call home!
A Celebration in The Name of Handmade
Saturday March 28th
Wear your handmade duds and bring your handmade goods. Let's all get together and try out that barter system we learned so much about in school! For example, "Hi Mary, I'll trade you this blue hand-knit scarf for 3 of your handmade cards!"
We will be giving away donated handmade items from our talented local crafters in drawings throughout the day. This event is for everyone. Bring your families, bring your friends, this is an event sure to not be missed. Stop by and see for yourself why buying local and handmade makes you feel wonderful! If you would like to donate something for the drawing (great advertising and good karma are your rewards) contact Susan [susan@susanhazelrich.com] by March 14th.
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One more note:
Do you want to host the February potluck/swap?
We're thinking Friday the 27th... Any takers? It was a lot of fun!!
email Whitney if you are interested (whitney@luckymebeads.com)
Woosh. That was a long one. Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom.
Be sure to join the Handmade Militia group on facebook (if you do that sort of thing) for updates etc.
Let us know if you have any questions!
xo
whitney
hearts
Susan
