Fresh Blend!

Join us on November 14th at Fresh Roast Coffee House for Fresh Blend, an afternoon of local coffee, crafts, and music!

Indie Emporium starts tonight!

The time has arrived for you to get your fix of amazing, locally made goods!

Indie Emporium gives you the opportunity to purchase high quality, handmade goods and interact with the talented folks behind the designs. Come by the VFW Post No. 577, 1109 E. 6th St., tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. or tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to shop! Admission is just $8 at the door or $5 with a canned food donation for the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. Don’t miss Saturday night’s fashion show at 8 p.m. or either of the two showings of Handmade Nation Sunday at the Circle Cinema (showtimes at 1:00 and 3:30).

This weekend is full of opportunities to shop, mingle, enjoy local music, make a project of your own, and support local artists and crafters. Don’t miss it!

Tulsa Craft Mafia in October Issue of TulsaPeople

The Art of Craft

by Stacy Pettit

These aren’t your grandmother’s crafters.

For many people, the art of crafting died when their macaroni necklace was no longer considered a masterpiece, or when that Popsicle picture frame was just not that cool anymore.

Tara Mason-Harris hopes to change that.

As one of the founding members of the Tulsa Craft Mafia, a group of independent crafters, Mason-Harris wants crafting to be a youthful and fun activity for all ages — not just preschoolers.

“We’re putting a new face on crafting,” Mason-Harris says. “We bring that edge to the local community.”

Comprising six members, each with her own business and products, the Tulsa Craft Mafia boasts an eclectic portfolio of crafting creations — anything from vintage-style aprons to earrings made from guitar picks to onesies graced with pictures of smiling gnomes.

The last of these is one of Mason-Harris’ creations from her My Little Gnomies line, which includes clothing, magnets and printed cards sporting phrases such as “Gnome is Where the Heart is” and “Rollin’ With My Gnomies.”

“I just sat down and doodled a gnome one day,” she says. “I discovered how fun it was to change his hat, shirt and pant color.”

Mason-Harris’ knack for gnomes soon became a success. After testing out a few of her gnome creations at a craft show, she discovered that others wanted to roll with her gnomies in their shops and boutiques.

Mason-Harris says the other Tulsa Craft Mafia members are just as diverse in their ideas.

“We’re all really true to the ethic of indie crafting and the handmade movement,” Mason-Harris says. “This handmade movement is about turning against the commercial, cheaply made products and actually taking time to make a product.

“You try to put a piece of yourself into these handmade pieces and, in doing that, you tend to put forth more of an effort and create something beautiful.”

Others are noticing a difference in these products, too.

“We hear a lot of times that people are inspired by our work to start knitting or quilting or bringing back some of those skills that were lost with their mothers and grandmothers,” Mason-Harris says.

But it is a technology that mothers and grandmothers did not have years ago that is helping the handmade movement grow, Mason-Harris says. Web sites such as Etsy.com, through which people can buy and sell handmade items, have given crafters a place to showcase their work.

“With these Web sites, creative people have begun to come out of the woodwork,” Mason-Harris says.

The Internet is not the only place the Tulsa Craft Mafia’s pieces can be found.

The group’s products — from red and yellow knitted bracelets to homemade clay cupcake magnets — are displayed and sold at art and craft shows held statewide and in boutiques nationwide. Throughout each month, members meet at locally owned businesses to share ideas and try their hands at new crafting experiments.

These crafters have also weaved some generosity for others into the purpose of their group.

At several craft shows, the Tulsa Craft Mafia has donated a portion of its proceeds to nonprofit organizations such as the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and the Alzheimer’s Association. For the organization Breast Impressions Inc., which raises money for breast cancer research by selling casts of women’s breasts, some members molded, painted and decorated casts to be auctioned off.  

Members are alwa ys trying to come up with new ways to use their artistic talents. Brigid Vance has created anything f rom rosaries to cell phone charms. Although the public has responded well to jewelry from her Grey Eye Designs line, she says sometimes people are not always ready to accept a group member’s newest item.

“We like to try new things and bring them to shows to see how well they do,” Vance says. “But just because I love it and my mom loves it doesn’t mean everyone else will.”

Vance says this ability to constantly try new ideas is part of the fun of crafting.

“It’s OK to take chances,” she says. “If there’s something you really want to do and it fulfills you to make it, then just do it.”

Indie Emporium

This month, the Tulsa Craft Mafia will present the third annual Indie Emporium. The show, which will be held at the VFW Post 577, 1109 E. Sixth St., Oct. 9-10, gives local designers and artists an opportunity to sell their work.

About 40 vendors, 12 gallery artists and five fashion designers are expected to participate in the event. Craft demos and how-to’s, a fashion show and even a local band can be expected at this year’s emporium. A silent auction will also be held, with proceeds benefiting the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit www.indieemporium.com.
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This article originally appeared in the October 2009 issue of TulsaPeople Magazine.

Breast Impressions

Once again, the Tulsa Craft Mafia and Indie Emporium have teamed up with Breast Impressions to help support women in our community with breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On October 3, visitors to Woodland Hills Mall can receive pink ribbons between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Tulsa Craft Mafia members as well as area Girl Scouts. Indie Emporium is also a sponsor of this year’s gala.

The thing that has made Breast Impressions known is the annual auctioning of beautifully decorated bust casts. The casts are made from real models, including media personalities, local business owners, entertainers and other community members who want to lend a hand (or a pair of boobs, as the case may be). Then a local artist takes the cast and creates a work of art using a variety of media. In the past, several of the TCM ladies have served as models. I’m very excited to have been cast for the first time this year. I’m even more excited about what Christine, the brains and beauty behind Indie Emporium and Weather and Noise, has created from the plaster. Behold!

Now tell me that isn’t one talented lady. To view all the other casts, click here and scroll to the bottom. The page also has information on buying tickets and all the other events going on throughout October. Make sure to head out to Woodland Hills to view the casts on display. The gala will take place at 7 p.m. on October 25. You won’t want to miss it for your chance to view all the casts and put in a bid on your favorite one. All proceeds go to benefit Tulsa Project Woman. Tickets are $25. I hope to see you there!

Getting Ready.

Well, it’s that time of year when those of us who like to sell our crafty goods have everything going in overdrive – the sewing machines are fired up, the screen printing ink is flying, beads are being strung, polymer clay is baking…in other words, we are getting busy!

For most of us, our crafting is a side business or a hobby, so we fit it in around our day jobs and other obligations. And as we get ready for the holiday season, making enough product to take to a craft show can be a challenge. We just try to fit it in wherever we can – on our lunch break, after the homework is done, or while we’re supposed to be spending “quality time” with the husband. I often knit while watching movies – so I probably haven’t seen a whole movie through from start to finish at home in quite a while.

In a few weeks we have our first big show of the season – Indie Emporium! I attended last year for the first time, and it was so much fun! We’ll all be there, and we hope you and yours will stop by to see all the great vendors that will be there. This is a great event to have here in Tulsa – to have a place to support local artists, and offer people a chance to buy local – and to also stock up on some holiday gifts that were made by hand!

So as you are walking through all the booths at Indie Emporium on October 9 and 10, remember all the hours we’ve spent – on the couch, in our studios, at the day job – putting into all the wonderful things you see!

See you soon!

Tulsa Craft Mafia at the South Tulsa Music Festival!

Come see the lovely ladies of the Tulsa Craft Mafia at the South Tulsa Music Festival this weekend!  We’ll be selling all sorts of goodies and enjoying the music.  Free admission!

Call for Vendors, Artists, & Designers!

Hello Crafty Folk!

It’s that time again! Indie Emporium is currently accepting applications for Vendors, Artists, and Fashion Designers for the 2009 show. Applications can be found at indieemporium.com/participate. Applications will be accepted until August 31st. Accepted artists/vendors/designers will be notified by September 15th.

Indie Emporium is Tulsa’s first and only indie craft show and will be held at historic VFW Post 577. The third annual event is scheduled for October 9th & 10th with a full length fashion show on Saturday night.

We hope to see you all in October!

www.indieemporium.com

Follow us on Twitter @indieemporium
Add us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/indieemporium

Did you know you need one?

You didn’t? Well now you do!

You actually need one of these stylish hand-knit cufflets from Paper Lotus Design Group. Be sure to pick one out that’s just right for your individual style… And now until June 15th, mention the Tulsa Craft Mafia in the Buyer’s Comments section at checkout and receive a free gift!

Visit our shop for more styles!

Swap O Rama Rama Tulsa

Please join us tomorrow at the Collective for Swap O Rama Rama Tulsa. We had some great press this week. Brigid was interviewed on Good Day Tulsa, and OklaTravelNews. Tulsa World published this article yesterday on Page2 of the newspaper!

We’ll have 6 sewing stations, some screen printing/stenciling, and other fun projects. The swapping and sewing will take place from 1-6 and at 8 pm we will have a fashion show and live music by Low Lita and Tops of Trees.

posted by Christine of weather&noise

Meet Brigid – Grey Eye Designs

Interview Time!! I dropped these questions on the sassy face behind Grey Eye Designs:

Tara Mason: I know that you craft on your couch–do you do it to tunes or tv (details plz)?

Brigid Vance: I’m mostly a TV watcher when I craft. When I have my way, I love to
watch Scrubs on DVD while I make things.  Generally, though, I tune
into whatever is on my non-cable channels at the time. When I do
listen to music while I create, Rilo Kiley and Tom Petty are my
favorites.
Tara: What art/craft project are you most proud of (and why)?

Brigid: I made a necklace using beads and a clasp from various pieces my
grandmother no longer wore. I almost sold it early on but wised up. I
think of it as an heirloom now. It’s sort of a busy piece, but it
means a lot to me.

Tara: When/why did you start crafting?

Brigid: I did the normal crafting stuff as a kid, but acting had really
been my creative outlet until a couple of years ago. Some friends
taught me to knit and crochet in college, but I never did much with
them. After graduation, I just decided I wanted to learn to make
stuff. I took a basic jewelry class at Tulsa Community College, and
from there, I’ve picked up more stuff through classes and the joys of
trial and error.

Tara: Your everyday inspiration?

Brigid: I’m inspired by all the creative non-professionals I know. My
mother is so artistic, but she’s an attorney. Before I was born, she
used to weave on a floor loom. My aunt made beautiful quilts. In
college, all my friends were incredibly intelligent women who were at
Scripps to study chemistry or literature or psychology, but they also
knitted or painted or played the piano in their free time. I think
being around them made me feel like a bum, so I got inspired to do
something with my leisure time.

Tara: You prick your finger on wire, what four [or more] letter word emanates from your mouth?

Brigid: In that situation, I’m most like to say “Holy crap!” I’m plenty
capable of harsher words, but beading is kind of like my sacred space.

Tara: Do you ever craft for your puppy?

Brigid: I have never crafted for Sully, and I think that’s the way she
likes it. I contemplate making her a puppy scarf or hat sometimes, but
my boyfriend always sets me straight.

Tara: You define yourself with what color?

Brigid: Definitely purple — one part laid back, one part upbeat.

Tara: Three favorite websites/blogs?

Brigid: I’ve recently become addicted to Twitter, but I guess admitting it
is the first step to recovery. Aside from that, I love
http://keikolynn.blogspot.com, which is run by the crafter behind
www.postlapsaria.com. That girl makes me wish I could sew! I own so
much of her stuff. My friend Emily also runs
http://indietulsa.wordpress.com, an awesome resource for all things
locally run in the Tulsa area.

Tara: Favorite movie of all time?

Brigid: My favorite movie is Say Anything. It has everything: romance, a
brainy heroine, great quotes, Peter Gabriel music, and John Cusack.

Tara: Favorite food/beverage to bring to a craft night?

Brigid: As the resident vegetarian, I try to bring some kind of healthy

side dish with protein, like bean dip. I also love to bake, though, soI’m always torn. I make some killer vegan chocolate chip cookies.

Tara: Game show host you can most relate to?

Brigid: I’d have to say Pat Sajak. Wheel of Fortune is essentially a silly
place, and the man is far too clever to be there. If I were surrounded
by game-show contestants all day, I hope I could be as pleasant as
him. He never loses that smirk, though. Jeopardy! is more my show, but
Pat’s my homeboy.