Results tagged “craft”

It's the type of thing indie film dreams are made of: four girls, all crafters, long to open their own craft studio. Girls pool their money for an Airstream trailer. Girls move in with crafts. Girls take "craft trailer" on the road, teaching children and adults alike the joys of coil baskets, stampmaking and bookbinding. (Shhh - did you hear that sound? That's the sound of Drew Barrymore purchasing film rights!) The WonderCraft is the real-life lovechild of Austin crafty ladies Beth Hempton, Albrecht, Jen Bryan and Kim Sae-Eua, whose mobile craft trailer "Stella" makes her debut this year at East Austin Studio Tour. Stella will be parked at 628 Allen St. as guests of Courtney Gray/Creative Side Jewelry Academy (stop 45 on the E.A.S.T. map).

Bonnie Rue is the type of gal you wanted to be BFF's with at summer camp. The one who snuck copies of Sassy into chapel, the one with a forearm covered in lanyards and friendship bracelets, the one making zines out of photos and Xeroxed leaves. In short, Bonnie is the type of gal who would one day grow up and create Model Citizen, a line of T-shirts, dresses, hoodies, yoga wear, jewelry and accessories emblazoned with funky, punky iconography. Think screaming tigers, pink guns, gooey cupcakes, vintage sewing machines - basically, where the lethal and the domestic intersect. Bonnie's opening her home and studio, located at 1304 East Cesar Chavez Suite A (#17 on the EAST map), for the East Austin Studio Tour. Visitors will be able to scope out her wares and even do some early holiday shopping.

Fall is here and we know you're still struggling to decide between renting that sexy witch costume or using last year's sexy black cat costume. Consider a more creative option, and head over to Mixx on Saturday night for Electric Promotions and Twogroove's Mixx Make: Pre-Halloween Craftacular. The productive party will feature opportunities to make masks with help from the WonderCraft, using among other things, decorations from Sublime Stitching. Costumes of some sort are encouraged, and photographer Trevor Ray Thompson will be there with a photo-booth to document everyone's haunting garb. If you show up hungry, consider entering the gummy bat and worm eating contest - the winner will take home VIP passes to Flip Scene's Halloween Bash at the Mohawk.

In 2006, photographer and craft fair founder Faythe Levine traveled to fifteen cities to interview the crafty movers and shakers around the country. At the end of her trip, she had enough material for a movie and book. Levine's documentary, Handmade Nation, is premiering in Austin at the Alamo Drafthouse this Sunday. A weekend-long celebration of all things hand-crafted begins on Saturday with a book signing at Domy Books. Levine will be accompanied by a number of artists who are featured in Handmade Nation including the fabulous Whitney Lee, who has perfected the art of latch-hook porn (slightly NSFW).

Fledgling event producers The Lone Star Ladies are organizing Shop Austin!, an independent craft, design, and art showcase that will take place on Saturday at Saengerrunde Hall. Participating vendors include jewelry artist Christine Terrell of Adaptive ReUse, belt buckle creator Lucy Blue, and mixed media and fine art painter Sarah Fox. The event will hopefully fill some of the void left by the temporary disbanding of the fabulous Stitch craft and fashion show (please come back soon!). This weekend's Shop Austin! will feature over thirty vendors, complimentary facials, a cupcake cafe from Hey Cupcake!, food from Greenling, and chair massages.

The second annual Maker Faire is taking place at the Travis County Fairgrounds this October. The event, which features all things hand made, crafted, and engineered, relies on local do-it-yourself-ers to show up and show off their projects. The professional tinkerers behind Craft and Make magazines are currently accepting project submissions for the event. Maker Faire is a showcase for projects in many arenas including science, art, craft, engineering, food, music, and green technology with a focus on interactive exhibits that emphasize the process of making things. The deadline to enter is Thursday, September 4th, so start polishing up your Tesla Coil, dusting your fleet of crocheted creatures, and taking pictures of your art car. Proposals can be filled out online, and selected Makers will be notified by September 18th.