Showing posts with label #craftparty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #craftparty. Show all posts

Sunday, June 19, 2016

National Week of Making - June 17-23, 2016

What a nice thing, to have the Etsy Craft Party weekend fall within the National Week of Making. The DFW Artisans Etsy team along with local artisans teamed up with Sparks Studio in Downtown Arlington to create a craft party for the DFW area. We hosted guests from as far away as Plano. Two crafts, yarn flowers and origami butterflies, along with snacks and drinks were enjoyed by the guests and craft instructors alike. Lots of making was undertaken by all.

Sparks Studio offers classes in jewelry making, painting and more so that you can continue learning new making techniques. The studio was a wonderful backdrop for the craft party. Thanks go to the local artisans and makers who donated their time and materials to make the craft party a success; Cynthia (seen below with one of the yarn flowers in her hair that she made) and LeAnne from ClayBabies, Cathy from Eclectic Design Choices (moi), Van from VanArtLife and Ellen with the fabulous polymer clay creations.

So what exactly does National Week of Making celebrate? According to the Presidential Proclamation, "Since our earliest days, makers, artists, and inventors have driven our economy and transformed how we live by taking risks, collaborating, and drawing on their talents and imaginations to make our Nation more dynamic and interconnected. During National Week of Making, we recommit to sparking the creative confidence of all Americans and to giving them the skills, mentors, and resources they need to harness their passion and tackle some of our planet's greatest challenges."

We all have some amount of creative talent. Some of us use it for relaxation, some bring it to bear in our jobs and others have yet to discover our true creative talents. What is yours and what will you do with it? Etsy encourages everyone to get in touch with their creative talents and maker selves through their annual craft party. Etsy is also working to "support the maker movement and expand resources available for creative entrepreneurs and young makers." Young or old, as a hobby or your vocation, take some time during this National Week of Making to expand your creative side.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

My Photographic Art Contribution to DFW Artisans' Etsy Craft Party

What do you get when you cross a bluebonnet with an almond flower cluster? A bluemond? An albonnet? Join me, members of the DFW Artisans team and other local artisans at the DFW Artisans' Etsy Craft Party on June 6 and decide or make one for yourself. (Click on the prior link for more info.)

Etsy promotes a worldwide crafting event in June. This year organizers can choose June 5 or 6 to be part of this celebration of craft. This year's theme from Etsy is Kaleidoscope: Paper Taking Shape. These events can be a lot of fun but I was not inspired to organize one until I saw Etsy's paper weaving blog post last week. A light bulb went off and I could see creating a craft party that would be fun, let people participate in a make and take craft that they would enjoy keeping or possibly even giving as a gift and give 817ArtsAlliance and the Etsy team I am organizing, DFW Artisans, an opportunity to promote art related events in the area.

Several artisans will be creating images for participants to pick from and weave into a new creation. I will be providing my "Solitary" bluebonnet and my "Turquoise Centers" almond blossoms images. I may provide a couple more along with what the others are bringing for party goers to choose from. What would you name the flower cross shown below?