Jennifer Perkins and her fabulously kitschy line of jewelry, Naughty Secretary Club, have long been synonymous with all things Austin and all things craft. Along with her fellow Austin Craft Mafia members, Jennifer helped pioneer the diy resurgence and put Austin on the map as the craft mecca that it is today. Jennifer talked to the Austinist about this weekend's event and filled us in on what we'll see from NSC (And the other Craft Mafia ladies), why she's so excited for Renegade in Austin, and what she'll be picking up for herself in between demos at the Stitch Lab and selling wares at her booth. more ›

Enterprising and adorable, Barber has created a fancy-pants empire out of her kitchen, which you can visit this weekend during the East Austin Studio Tour. Located at 1402-A Kirkwood Rd, Barber's studio is also her home (#141 on the E.A.S.T. map), and is sure to be a real charmer. more ›

Tina Sparkles, member of Austin Craft Mafia, DIYer extraordinaire, indie designer and imminent author will be setting up a sewing station at Maker Faire 2008 with First Samples, an Austin sewing and design studio. We caught up with Sparkles to find out about her Maker Faire plans. more ›

One of the big components of next month's Maker Faire Austin festival is the Swap-O-Rama-Rama, an enormous clothing swap and DIY workshop series. Through the recycling and repurposing of used clothing, Swap-O-Rama-Rama seeks to explore the benefits of community reuse and creativity. During the festival, you'll be able to bring your own bag of unwanted clothing to be added to the collective pile; in turn, you're invited to take away as much as you'd like.... more ›

Now four years in the running, Austin's annual DIY fashion extravaganza known as Stitch is just months away. Combining a juried fashion show and a craft bazaar with live bands and DJs, Stitch is a tour de force of sights and sounds that's earned its producers -- who happen to be founders of Austin Craft Mafia and hosts of Stylelicious and Craft Lab on the DIY Network -- national recognition, and given Austin some... more ›

The DIY Network, already home to Austin Craft Mafia's new show, Stylelicious, just finished producing another program called Craft Lab, starring mafiosa and Naughty Secretary Club prioprietess Jennfer Perkins. Tony Federico, TV producer by day and self-admitted crafter, says the show's "more Ready Made and Bust magazine than Grandma's Bazaar - we're geared for a younger audience." It looks like they're already done with the first season, with guests including nationally-syndicated craft columnist Kathy Cano Murillo of Crafty Chica, collage artist Claudine Hellmuth, Traci Bautista and Jenny Harada. Tony says they're set to shoot a slew of episodes for their second season in the next couple of months, which will air sometime next year, but they're still looking for a bunch of "cool guests" to bring on the show. And by "cool," they mean "vivacious, interesting and engaging people to share their love of crafting on national television." Think you've got what it takes? Send 'em an email. Hell, they'll fly you out to LA if you're a good fit. More deets after the jump! more ›

Art is tireless, and you should be too. Everyone's invited to the ultimate opening experience at the Blanton Museum of Art beginning this Saturday at 9pm and running to 9pm on Sunday. If you have to work Sunday morning, skip it. Call in sick. What's more, this event is all-inclusive! The Blanton's new building on MLK and Congress is an enormous space housing expansive galleries and a magnificent atrium. Exhibitions include the classics, American... more ›

The local design mavens known collectively as the Austin Craft Mafia -- members of which include Sparkle Craft, Naughty Secretary Club and Amet and Sasha -- have certainly made a name for themselves since forming back in 2003. With their various creations having been featured in a slew of magazines (Jane, Budget Living, Real Simple), various and sundry other Craft Mafias sprouting up all around the country, and the tremendous success of annual shows like Stitch, you'd think these fashionistas would be content in their extraordinary accomplishments, or at least exhausted. But, no. Last year, eight out of the ten mafiosa flew out to Los Angeles to film a new series for the DIY Network, called "Stylelicious." The 39 episodes each feature three of them showcasing a different type of wearable art, from purses to jewelry to clothing, along with special "field pieces" by local Austin designers (Mark Joiner, Will Heron, Amy Barber, Chia Guillory, Parts & Labour and more). DIY's synopsis puts it best:

Stylelicious makes life delicious! This half-hour series is a tasty concoction of fashion, accessories and fun as a round-robin group of fashionistas show viewers three unique takes on the same project. Viewers get three crafty points of view on each show as our designing divas tackle purses, shoes and all kinds of fashion treats. Viewers will be craving more and more of Stylelicious!

Tomorrow (Saturday), Bolm Studio's Michael Schliefke and Blue Genie Art's Head Sculptor Ian Shults are hosting "the biggest Unicorn event Austin has ever seen!" And judging from the bold capitalization of those fabled paragons of virginity, we're expecting this is going to Blow Us Away. They're expanding the show beyond Bolm Studios' normal gallery space to include the original gallery bay, so that all of the art being exhibited has plenty of space to... more ›

This is your last week to apply to be in the Stitch Austin fashion show and guerrilla craft bazaar thrown by the sexy ladies of the Austin Craft Mafia. Applications are no longer accepted after Oct. 1. On Sunday, November 13th the mafiosa will transform Emo's into a fashion frenzy, showcasing the work of hundreds of designers and crafters. DJ Mel and DJ Jen (Ear Candy) are slated to be on hand, ensuring that... more ›

Stitch Austin, a fashion show and guerrilla craft bazaar affiliated with the Austin Craft Mafia just announced the date for this year's event. The mafiosa will be taking over Emo's on Sunday, November 13th. DJ Mel and DJ Jen (Ear Candy) are slated to be on hand, ensuring that folks have something to move to whether on the runway or on the floor. Applications are now open for anyone wanting to get their designs... more ›

Someone sound the mother-effin' alarm, cause here at Austinist HQ, the Dance Party Alert Phone is ringing off the hook. It seems that tomorrow night, June 10th, Big Red Sun (1102. E. Cesar Chavez) is hosting ROCKIT 4. This dance-tacular party starts at 8pm and runs until midnight. Cover is $7 and free Pale Ale will be provided. DJs Bigface, Manny & Tigre Liu are lined up to spin the jams, and Brownout will... more ›

We know we're not a job board, but the Austinist holds a special place in its heart for the Austin Craft Mafia, Austin's world-famous DIY fashion collective. That's why we've decided to pass on this ultra-exciting, super-hip, extra-special information on to you. more ›

The ever-so-crafty gals of the Austin Craft Mafia are now gettin all arty on ya. They will be hawking their wares tonight at the Austin Museum of Art from 8pm-11pm. more ›