Save the date: A night out with UCU!

Come one, come all!

Mark your calendars for Sunday April 17^th as we celebrate a night out with UCU!

Do you have a burning question about how UCU works? What it's all about? What you need to do to become a vendor with us? Or maybe you just want to see the fabulous people behind it all? Well, you’re not alone! Come join us for a night out with the UCU team!

We're hosting a happy hour at the beautiful Columbia City Theater on April 17th from 5:00 to 8:00pm. The UCU team will be on hand to meet all you lovely crafters and UCU fans for this open session of questions, networking and more!

RSVP here and submit your questions ahead of time to our intern Michaela.

The Columbia City Theater is located at:
4916 Rainier Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98118

Also, we will be doing some great giveaways! Ooo La la! Be sure to bring business/contact cards to enter!

Hope to see you there!

Welcome Michaela, our new intern!

Hi Friends! I would love to introduce our new friend/intern, Michaela! She's awesome and we are so excited that she has joined our UCU team! We wanted to introduce her by doing a little interview...

UCU- How about you tell us a little bit about yourself. Day job? Why you decided to intern for us?
M- Hi everyone! I'm Michaela (pronounced makayla) and I'm very excited to be here as Urban Craft Uprisings' new intern! By day I manage an office in Seattle and by night-when I'm not doting on my pup Rosie- I'm crafting away on some project or another. I decided to intern for UCU after attending a few shows and helping to poster for the Winter 2010 show. I love crafting and I loved all the energy at the shows and really wanted to get more involved. Plus hey- it's just plain awesome!!

UCU- What is your favorite craft?
M- Favorite craft? That's a tough one! I love being creative and trying crafts of all kind but I would definitely say photography and creating miniature things with Sculpey clay have been with me since I was just a wee child crafter. But if we've met recently at a show-or you've seen me around- it's most likely been with my camera, snapping away. I may even have some pictures of you and/or your lovely work!

UCU- What are you most excited for in this new position?
M- I'm so excited to be a part of this fabulous and creative team! I can't wait to get more involved in the local crafting community and also excited to meet new artists and art lovers!

Cheers to a fabulous and artful year!

A WORKSHOP: WEARABLE ART AND THE BODY
WORKSHOP INFORMATION:
Instructor: Michael Cepress
Holding a BA in Art from the University of Wisconsin and an MFA in Fibers from the University of Washington, Cepress has worked professionally as a designer and educator for 10 years. An intense interest in the male wardrobe and tailoring traditions has led Cepress to focus on the design and production of menswear and theatrical costume, and he has written on clothing’s relationship to gender and popular culture. Cepress is a 3-time nominee for the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Art Award, and is seeing attention worldwide. Reaching beyond the bounds of fashion, Cepress’ work has traveled
internationally as part of art and fashion exhibitions in London, Athens, Luxembourg and Antwerp. He has worked as costume designer for productions with director Robert Wilson, and his costumes and fashion collections continue to see attention with publication in FiberArts, DANCE Magazine, Seattle Magazine, Seattle Metropolitan and multiple books on the subject of wearable art.

Saturday February 19, 2011 - 10:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday February 20, 2011 - 10:00am – 6:00pm

LOCATION: INSCAPE ARTS
815 Airport Way South, Seattle WA 98134
http://inscapearts.org/
Workshop is limited to 12 students assuring ample workspace and time with instructor.

MATERIALS
All materials and basic tools needed to complete the workshop will be provided
including various drawing papers, pencils, charcoal, conte crayon, erasers, masking
tape, collage materials, glue, etc for students to work with.
*Students are encouraged to bring their own portable art supplies to ensure you have
a comfortable range of tools to work with including scissors, X-acto knives,
sharpeners, specialty drawing tools, rulers, and other personal tools or supplies you
prefer.
LUNCH IS PROVIDED : Please indicate your preference below.
-VEGETARIAN -MEAT EATER -VEGAN
-Water, coffee and tea will also be available to students throughout the workshop.
-COURSE FEE: $180
-Make checks payable to Michael Cepress Design
-VISA/Mastercard - by phone. Call Michael Cepress Design at 206.334.7602
-15% Student Discount is available to full-time students only (TOTAL: $153)
Payment is non-refundable and confirms your enrollment in this course.
All payments and requests for enrollment must be received by Thurs. Feb 17, 2011.
A receipt for your payment will be mailed to you directly.
QUESTIONS? Contact Michael Cepress at info@michaelcepress.com or 206.334.7602

Giveaway Winners---ROUND 1!

Congrats to all of our pre-Thanksgiving giveaway winners! Winners were chosen via comment number through Random.org. Please find us at the UCU Booth at the Winter show to find out how to claim your awesome prize!

For all those who didn't win this time around, keep commenting! We have a ton of great giveaways coming up in the next week leading up to the show!

-R&L Goods notebook set: Elena (Comment #4)
-Texture Clothing mitts: Barrie (#21)
-Matthew Porter print: Jen (#1)
-Debbie Weiss Maude bag: k a t (#8)
-Cakespy mug: Angie (#15)
-Secret Stash Salts: Tara (#4)
-Foamy Wader Roxie necklace: Mo (#12)
-Bunny Lee print: Dawn Edge (#2)
-Danger Peach necklace: Sarah (#4)
-Rakka Deer cards: wastedpapiers (#1)

Ladies & Gentleman Studio Interview + Giveaway

Jean Lee and Dylan Davis are Ladies and Gentlemen Studio, specializing in “good things”. They are graciously providing one of their L&G Daily Affirmation mirrors! The mirrors are one-of-a-kind vintage repurposed mirrors each with a positive phrase laser etched. L&G believes that we all need some encouragement to get ourselves through the day. The mirror is made with wood frame painted in gold. Dimension: 7" x7".



UCU: Pick a song that gets you in creative mood or you think would make a great addition to a "UCU Winter 2010 Soundtrack".
Ladies & Gentlemen Studio: Journey- Don't stop Believing

UCU: What’s one thing you wish you had known at your first craft show?
(Or--If this is your first show, what are you most looking forward to?)
L&G: We're looking forward in seeing the response from the people attending the show, since it'll be our first time at UCU and also doing a craft show for our studio!

UCU: If you have pets, introduce them and tell us a bit about them!
L&G: We don't have a pet, but would like to get some ducks....they're the new chickens!
UCU: What item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
L&G: We're pretty excited about our vintage one-of-a-kind Daily Affirmation mirrors. Also we're excited that we'll be officially launching it at UCU!



UCU: What day of show traditions are you bringing to UCU 2010?
L&G: It's our first year, so we need to think of a tradition. But an idea to start a tradition is to make some hot cider or ginger milk tea for ourselves and whoever wants some!

UCU: If you could sum up your work in one word, what would that be?
L&G: Cleverly-nostalgic.

UCU: What gift are you most excited to give this year?
L&G: Our Chalk-It-To-Me piggy banks, since we got some friends with babies or young kids, and think they'll really enjoy the use of it.

UCU: What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this winter?
L&G: Homemade marshmallows or dark chocolate covered pretzels

UCU: Favorite handmade item you have? It could be made by you, gifted to you or something you picked up.
L&G: Our favorite handmade item as of now is our Chalk-It-To-Me Piggy banks. Essentially this product was our baby where we were part of the whole process from start to finish. It was like giving birth to it without the physical pain. We're pretty proud of the fact that we're able to materialize our ideas and actually make it work! It also has a special sentiment for us in a sense that it symbolizes the possibility of making our dream happen in pursuing our own creative studio/business!

This Charming Candy Interview

Today we meet Kate and Susan of This Charming Candy. They make unusual and delicious lollipops of all colors and flavors.

UCU: Pick a song that gets you in a creative mood or you think would make a great addition to a UCU Winter 2010 Soundtrack.
This Charming Candy: Constructive Summer by The Hold Steady. We know it's not summer, but we love that song!

UCU: What Item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
TCC: Our Greatest Hits collection! We've taken the most popular flavors from all the collections we've sold and brought them together in one place! It's an easy way for customers who haven't tried our lollipops to sample the best of the best.



UCU: If you could sum up your work in one word, what would it be?
TCC: Delectable. No wait, delicious. No, um, yummy. It's so hard!

UCU: What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this year?
TCC: Kate: I've been enjoying some mulled cider with the mulling spices from World Spice. It's perfect as I relax at the end of the day in front of the television with my husband.
Susan: Honeycrisp apples from Merritt Apples in Mt Vernon - the best honeycrisps I've ever found.

Rakka Deer Interview + Giveaway

Today we get a chance to meet Rakka Deer, a local artist hailing from Bremerton and showcases a range of subjects from Star Wars characters to Kermit the Frog. Kris is generously offering up a set of 5 cards with envelopes. The cards include a mixed media paintings of a Beastie Boys cassette tape, an Atari Joystick, a Maneki Neko and Optimus Prime as well as one card of Inigo Montoya drawn on "Hello, My Name Is..." stickers.



UCU: Pick a song that gets you in creative mood or you think would make a great addition to a "UCU Winter 2010 Soundtrack".
Rakka Deer: "I Sink, I Swim" by Seabear. It's not a super current song but it works for me every time.

UCU: What’s one thing you wish you had known at your first craft show?
(Or--If this is your first show, what are you most looking forward to?)
RD: UCU isn't technically my first craft show but I'm going to treat it as such since it's such a freakin' behemoth. So, in that regard, I'll say that I'm really looking forward to the energy that such a large crowd has. We could power Seattle with UCU crowds for, like, what? A year at least!



UCU: If you have pets, introduce them and tell us a bit about them!
RD: My BF and I have four cats. I'll introduce them: Ms. Peel, Ava, Fujiko Mine and Clouseau but I won't tell you much about them because I could very easily slip into crazy cat person territory and bore you. (If you really want to see photos of my cats though, come by my table and you can see the ones on my phone.)

UCU: What item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
RD: New cards and paintings from my latest 365 blog Stupid F--king Awesome!



UCU: What day of show traditions are you bringing to UCU 2010?
RD: Oatmeal for breakfast? True but dull.

UCU: If you could sum up your work in one word, what would that be?
RD: Smarvelous? Great. Now I have that song stuck in my head.



UCU: What gift are you most excited to give this year?
RD: Probably some Doctor Who stuff that I'm making for my nerd friends in the UK. NEEEEERDS!! (I love them though.)

UCU: What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this winter?
RD: British chocolate. It's what I get in exchange for the Whocrafts. I think it's a fair 'cause Brit choccies are where it's at.



UCU: Favorite handmade item you have? It could be made by you, gifted to you or something you picked up.
RD: I have this fantastic skull that my friend Noah made that I adore. Also, a very happy plush onigiri that I bought on Etsy. There's no way that you could eat rice that smiley!

Material + Movement Interview

Heather Kraft is the designer behind Material+Movement jewelry designs. Her Incarnate Anew line uses porcelain pieces with gold and silver findings. This will be Heather’s first show so let’s give her a warm welcome!

UCU: Pick a song that gets you in creative mood or you think would make a great addition to a "UCU Winter 2010 Soundtrack".
Material + Movement: "What Kind of Woman Is This" By Buddy Guy. I'm a sucker for blues.




UCU: What’s one thing you wish you had known at your first craft show?
(Or--If this is your first show, what are you most looking forward to?)
M+M: As my first show, I'm most looking forward to sharing my work with so many people!

UCU: If you have pets, introduce them and tell us a bit about them!
M+M: At the moment I am petless, but wanting! Most of my life I've had dogs, and I've been thinking about names for the next dog I am able to have. Some include: Georgia, Hossa, Herman, and Edwina.

UCU: What item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
M+M: Some necklaces from my Heirloom collection. They are beautiful compositions comprised of 14 pieces or more of vintage porcelain. They are more like wearable sculpture!



UCU: What day of show traditions are you bringing to UCU 2010?
M+M: This one probably isn't new, but a buffet of snacks! A good days work isn't complete without an array of nuts, fruits, and chocolate.

UCU: If you could sum up your work in one word, what would that be?
M+M: Providential.

UCU: What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this winter?
M+M: Brussel Sprouts. I'm not kidding, those things taste amazing.

UCU: Favorite handmade item you have? It could be made by you, gifted to you or something you picked up.
M+M: A skirt I made from my mother's high school tennis team shirt. Vintage cotton is oh so soft!

Elisa Shere Interview

Today we'd like to introduce Elisa Shere, maker of beautiful jewelry with recycled, non-mined sterling silver that was processed in an earth friendly refinery!


UCU: What’s one thing you wish you had known at your first craft show?
Elisa Shere: wish I would have known how much fun being part of the indie craft community is! My first show was Pile of Craft, put on by the Charm City Craft Mafia in Baltimore. I've met so many friends through that show and all the other shows I've participated in. I can't wait to meet all the great Seattle crafters and shoppers.

UCU: If you have pets, introduce them and tell us a bit about them!
ES: I have two wonderful canine companions, Ladybug and Louie. Ladybug is a basset/beagle mix and is super sweet, but oh so naughty. And Louie is a Jack Russel Mix. He's very polite and protective. They both came from the shelter and are just the cutest things - and they make great studio companions.

UCU: What item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
ES: I'm very excited about my new ceramic line. It combines my two passions, ceramics and metalsmithing. Each piece is made entirely from scratch, and include handshaped ceramic centerpieces with my own original drawings.



UCU: What day of show traditions are you bringing to UCU 2010?
ES: Well, my crafty friends and I have a tradition of hiding a toy spider in each others show stuff, so perhaps the spider will make its way to Seattle this year!

UCU: If you could sum up your work in one word, what would that be?
ES: Unexpected

UCU: What gift are you most excited to give this year?
ES: I haven't done any shopping yet, but plan to stop by Sam Trouts booth for a tee shirt for my husband and Steel Toe Studios for one of their key chains.

UCU: What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this winter?
ES: Pizza to eat and hot cocoa to drink :)

UCU: Favorite handmade item you have? It could be made by you, gifted to you or something you picked up.
ES: I love my Circa Ceramics mug. They are a crafty duo out of Chicago who make amazing retro graphic ceramics.

Bunny Lee Designs Interview + Giveaway

Bunny Lee of Bunny Lee Designs is an imaginative artist specializing in beautiful things. For the giveaway she has kindly contributed a 9"x12" limited edition print of her drawing "Gabriel" (pictured at bottom of this post).

UCU: Pick a song that gets you in creative mood or you think would make a great addition to a "UCU Winter 2010 Soundtrack".
Bunny Lee Designs: Good Intentions Paving Co. by Joanna Newsom

UCU: What’s one thing you wish you had known at your first craft show?
BLD: I wish I would've known how important and how difficult it is to catch a potential customer's eye.

UCU: What item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
BLD: My new line of Christmas and winter greeting cards and gift tags

UCU: If you could sum up your work in one word, what would that be?
BLD: Beautiful

UCU: What gift are you most excited to give this year?
BLD: I'm pretty excited to give all of them, because I've decided to only give my own products this year. I haven't yet decided on any particular gift though.


UCU: What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this winter?
BLD: Am I doing this way too early? I haven't even seen my breath fog yet. I've been eating mass amounts of PB&J this month. The best one I made was Adams no stir creamy with Bonne Maman Fig on Milton's Whole Grain Plus, lightly toasted in the oven.

UCU: Favorite handmade item you have? It could be made by you, gifted to you or something you picked up.
BLD: Dulce, my beautifully caramel colored weird alien head thing plushie. Made by Coco Howard and bought by her son for me.

Call to Local Artisans and Small Business Owners

Cascade People’s Center is planning an event on Sunday, December 19, 2010, 11am-5pm, to help promote you to the South Lake Union Community.
They are soliciting local artisans (basket weaving, pottery, jewelry, etc.) and small business owners in the area along with retailers at this point to see if there is enough interest before we begin marketing. It will be fair of sorts for artisans to sell their work with a few retailers to promote themselves and possibly sell refreshments and/or small items. They will have tables set up at the center for $20 each for the day.

If you have an interest in being part of this event please contact Terry at: madelineandfrancine@yahoo.com by Monday, November 22nd. Based on interest they will proceed with marketing the event.

Secret Stash Salts Interview & Giveaway

Today we'd like to introduce an especially tasty vendor for UCU Winter 2010. Secret Stash Salt's award winning flavors are becoming quite well known throughout the Seattle area. Joseph Conrad and Janna Wemmer blend hand-harvested premium salts with only natural ingredients to flavor. With intriguing blends such as Almond Orange Cardamom and a tasty Bloody Mary to a savory Chorizo, food and creativity blend wonderfully. Their salts make wonderful gifts and make sure to stock up on some for yourself as well!

Secret Stash is providing their delicious Coconut Garam Masala salt as a giveaway!!

UCU: What are you nibbling on this winter as the snow falls?
Secret Stash: In the morning, scrambled eggs tossed with chorizo salt and a cup of strong coffee. We've also been baking a lot of granola with almond cardamom salt and falling back on this gem for potlucks and parties: Coconut Macaroons with chocolate ganache, flecked with coconut garam masala salt.

Wonder Thunder Interview

Wonder Thunder aka Meagan Claire Hall and Sasha Barr is a fun collection of food inspired treats such as their supercute tea towels and vegetable shopping bags. Be sure to stop by their booth at our winter show as well as check out their blog!

Pick a song that gets you in creative mood or you think would make a great addition to a "UCU Winter 2010 Soundtrack".
Wonder Thunder: Great songs to craft to: Ricky Skaggs-Country Boy, Loretta Lynn-Fist City, Tom Petty-Rebels

What’s one thing you wish you had known at your first craft show?
Wonder Thunder: Bring something to eat.

If you have pets, introduce them and tell us a bit about them!
Wonder Thunder: Fatty: Ten year old grey tom cat of the streets. Found in the gutter as a kitten. Lounges on blankets as an old man. Cat food connoisseur. Biter of pomeranians. Avid singer, screamer, noise maker.
Cathy: 1.5 year old rescued fluffy rebel of the streets. Spends her time stalking Fatty and bird whispering. Paper bag obsession. Is the softest creature ever created on this mammal filled earth. Also an avid singer, she and Fatty duet the night with songs of heartache, revenge, and d-i-v-o-r-c-e.

What item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
Wonder Thunder: We're most excited to be offering our vegetable bags since we weren't able to last year. Grab a fist full and don't ever let go!

What day of show traditions are you bringing to UCU 2010?
Wonder Thunder: The trappings of tradition: This year, we will continue to bring you the most hilarious and heartbreaking creations of usable and anthropomorphic food themed treasures.

If you could sum up your work in one word, what would that be?
Wonder Thunder: witzelsucht

What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this winter?
Wonder Thunder: Paula Deen's donut hamburger, I've never done anything like this, yall!

Favorite handmade item you have? It could be made by you, gifted to you or something you picked up.
Wonder Thunder: Memaw Hall's jam cake, made by hand every year.

Flipside Hats Interview

Kori Giudici, founder of Flipside Hats creates handmade creations that are gorgeous and flattering on everyone. Stop by their booth at our Winter show to find a great cold weather accessory!

UCU: Pick a song that gets you in creative mood or you think would make a great addition to a "UCU Winter 2010 Soundtrack".
Flipside Hats: Song: Robyn, "Bum Like You" or "Konichiwa Bitches". It gets me moving!

UCU: What’s one thing you wish you had known at your first craft show?
Flipside Hats: To not be attached to the outcome; enjoy the show!

UCU: If you have pets, introduce them and tell us a bit about them!
Flipside Hats: Miss Ting, the most beautiful, pure white fluffy kitty with blue eyes. She's a bit remiss, but oh so lovely.

UCU: What item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
Flipside Hats: We have several new lines in recycled and organic fabrics to introduce in addition to our classic P-town caps. My new fave is the DRIVER CAP, a hip rendition of the old school stand-by. For the ladies, it's detailed with funky flowers for a sexy tom-boy appeal. So fun! And among my other new styles, I love the FIXIE CAP, an urban twist on the cycling cap in fabrics that you can wear around town easily.

UCU: What day of show traditions are you bringing to UCU 2010?
Flipside Hats: Always treat myself to a great breakfast and get there with enough time to settle in.

UCU: If you could sum up your work in one word, what would that be?
Flipside Hats: Shifting

UCU: What gift are you most excited to give this year?
Flipside Hats: I bought about a dozen pairs of the coolest socks you can imagine from the SOCK MONSTER in Ballard, and I can't wait to give them out!

UCU: What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this winter?
Flipside Hats: Well, I sure hope the snow falls! And when it does, I'll be nibbling on homemade ginger cookies and peanut butter peace bombs. YUM!

UCU: Favorite handmade item you have? It could be made by you, gifted to you or something you picked up.
Flipside Hats: I have a 10 month old son, and although he's not technically "hand-made", he is home-made! and he's my favorite by far!

R&L Goods Interview

A true collaboration in every sense of the word is R&L Goods. Housed in a shared duplex, founders Jean and Chika create accessories and wearables for the “right and left side of your brain.” They often collaborate with other artists to create their truly unique creations.
UCU: What’s one thing you wish you had known at your first craft show?

R&L Goods: Ha ha - I wish I had known how important my projected attitude is to customers and to myself. I used to just sit at my table and wait for the sales to come. Even if the sales came - I think the act of being so sedentary made me come off as a real sour-puss. Now I realize the importance of keeping energy up - when it's slow, get in the booth and re-merchandise. Whatever you do - don't just sit there and watch the clock. As a shopper, I find that that to be booth repellent - no matter how much cool stuff is in there. Teaming up with Jean opened my eyes to the reward for projecting friendly conversational energy.


UCU: What item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
R&L Goods: Our new Piano Nobile prints on our notebooks and wallets! We love their work, we love working with them, and it's just so cool to get to make our goods from original hand screened textiles! We think their prints are gorgeous, and we're so proud of how handsome they look on a finished book or wallet.

UCU: What day of show traditions are you bringing to UCU Winter 2010?

R&L Goods: A good breakfast with lots of protein, a strong cup of coffee, and a beer at 3 o'clock :)

UCU: If you could sum up your work in one word, what would that be?

R&L Goods: Thoughtful.....so we hope.

UCU: What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this winter?

R&L Goods: Some leftover Halloween candy, and fistfuls of rice crackers. That might go beyond nibbling.


UCU: Favorite handmade item you have?

R&L Goods: We both have rings of very special significance made by Andy Cooperman - a fantastic Jewelry artist who lives and works just a few blocks from us in Ballard. Jean's engagement ring was a top secret surprise and was designed by Andy and her fiance at Andy's studio. My husband and I worked with Andy on our wedding rings - which involved a couple of studio visits, sketching, and lots of talking. We managed to reach a design that reflected our story and Andy's artistic influence - and though I don't expect to receive any envious stares from strangers - I think it's perfect. And it seems that Jean's ring is just as perfect for her.

R&L Goods is graciously offering a pocket sized refillable notebook (design of the winner's choosing) as a giveaway! Leave a comment on this post to be entered to win!

Meylah: An Ecommerce Solution Built for Creative Entrepreneurs

Today we want to introduce you to Meylah, an ecommerce solution specifically built for creative entrepreneurs. Meylah is devoted to the creative community to provide the best solutions for individuals to learn, share and support each other’s business growth online and they have created an easy to use and integrated solution specifically built for creatives to launch and manage their online business through blog-powered storefronts.

While there are already millions of creative entrepreneurs online, there are still millions of others that are staying out of the online space because setting up, running, and managing current ecommerce solutions are difficult and intimidating. Meylah’s blog-powered storefronts are easy to use and offer a unique solution for creative professionals to connect, grow and support their customers allowing novice users the ability to launch their business online quickly and build it for long-term success.

Meylah believes in the relationship between community and sales and many people are growing their own substantial communities (and customer bases) online using social media tools like WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, but have limited means to sell to these same communities that they are building. Even the easiest-to-use plugins for these platforms are difficult to setup and manage, and none of them offer an experience that integrates community building and selling as its core purpose. With Meylah, you are building a community and selling to them in one integrated experience.

Meylah’s extensive market research has shown that across any online venue or platform, people with good design and media skills sold their products way more frequently than the competition while people with very poor skills sink to the bottom quickly. Meylah feels that it shouldn’t be a strike against a great artist or crafter if they don’t have experience writing HTML or using Photoshop. Meylah’s templates are designed to enforce good design behavior, minimizing the competitive disadvantages and they make it easy to present everyone’s work in a beautiful, optimized format that puts the focus on their work, not on how well they can use software.

For more information about Meylah, please visit their blog, take their tour and check out some of sample storefronts of current members. And, Meylah is celebrating their 1-year anniversary this month so they are giving away 1-Year Premium Memberships for FREE (a $240 value) so use this promotion code (MEY1YF ) when you sign up to build your storefront and hurry, it won’t last long!

Meet Anna from Mochimochi Land!

Another author coming this winter is Anna from Mochimochi Land!!! I did a little interview with her for you to enjoy!

UCU- Tell us a bit about your book?

MML- I'm so excited about my first book! Knitting Mochimochi contains 20 all-new patterns for knitted toys that can be appreciated by both adults and kids - the designs are all kinds of creatures, from Squirrels on Wheels to Feet Eaters (slippers with big buck teeth) to a Grouchy Couch. The book includes photo tutorials on all the special techniques that I use, and it also has an illustrated glossary of basic knitting techniques. And there's also a section on how to design your own knitted toy.

UCU- How did you get into knitting adorable monsters and other creatures?

MML- I was knitting as a hobby for a few years before attempting to design my own knitted toys. In late 2006, the company that I worked for was opening a new gallery, and I thought it would be fun to knit some creatures for my coworkers in the shape of our new gallery logo.

Once I knitted a shape and put a pair of eyes on it, I was instantly hooked, and I just kept coming up with all different kinds of creatures to knit. I keep wondering when I'll get tired of it, but I haven't yet!

(I'm happy to say that gallery hanahou is still going strong, and one of my logo dudes is on the office wall.)

UCU- How often do you get to create new work vs. the time you spend on orders, emails, photos, etc.?

MML- Designing is definitely my favorite thing, so I try to make as much time for it as I can. Since last summer, one way I've been ensuring this is through my "Tiny" series - every week, I design a new miniature knitted toy and post a photo of it on my blog. It's been a really fun and rewarding challenge, and I've made patterns for some the Tinys too, which are available on my website.

Link to Tiny series: http://mochimochiland.com/category/tiny-things/

UCU- What are you looking forward to most when you come out to Seattle?

MML- I'm psyched about my first trip to Seattle. I'm looking forward to visiting Schmancy, along with some knitting stores that I know in the area, and I'm hoping to try some local food favorites. I also can't wait to meet all the west coast crafters at Urban Craft Uprising!

Conference of Creative Entrepreneurs- Round Table Event

We are excited to announce a special special round table reception hosted by The Conference for Creative Entrepreneurs.

The event will feature small group discussions about running a small business, networking opportunities with members of the the art, craft and design community, craft and product demonstrations, special discounts on services and products from our sponsors, and sweet snacks too!

Free To Attend
Friday, August 13th from 4:15 - 6:00 PM
Century Ballroom , 915 East Pine Street, Seattle, WA 98122-3849

RSVP now at: http://roundtablecce.e.../

As a SPECIAL THANK YOU to the first 50 people who register by August 11th, you get one FREE conference session of your choice on Saturday or Sunday! Session registration will take place on Friday when you check in for the round table event. RSVP today to ensure your space at this amazing event!

To see conference choice options on Saturday and Sunday check out our schedule: http://www.creativecon...

Additional classes will be available for $25 per session - cash only - register day of at venue location.

Glam Garb Interview

Presenting "a nostalgic feeling of romanticism" from Glam Garb. The chic clothing line began after Sweden-born owner Gunlis studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. Gunlis started the sustainable/green design line in 2003 for women in all sizes and ages. So tell us...

UCU: What do you like best about crafting/creating your product?
GG: I love the designing process that leads me into finding more solutions in the creative problem solving, because I do all the sewing myself I have developed my line in a way I never imagined.

UCU: Is there something you hoped to shop for, a treasure you'd like to find at this year's Summer UCU?
GG: Me Me's beautiful essential oils, Estrella's fabulous soap, Crystalyn Kae's creative bags and my cooking must have Secret Stash Sea Salts.

UCU: If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
GG: I would love to make every woman not only look lovely but feel beautiful inside out with the magic Glam Garb spell.

UCU: Its summer vacation time. Beach or the mountains?
GG: Because of my busy Summer Event Schedule my vacation was in May. My rustic forest house above the arctic circle in northern Sweden was our destination and we enjoyed taking sauna's the authentic rustic Finnish style.

Thanks Gunlis! Did you miss the show? Catch them online here: http://www.glamgarb.com/

Attic Journals Interview

Michelle & Miguel of Attic Journals have come from Portland with their upcycled journals. Their business was born from Michelle's desire to give an original gift while in the midst of garage sale hunting. Long forgotten books are re-purposed into journals to contain new stories, song lyrics, or secret desires. You could even contain the clues to your untimely murder a la Laura Palmer.

UCU: What is your favorite part about Urban Craft Uprising or other large-scale craft shows
AJ: We love hearing the stories of how people have encountered our product and what it means to folks to have the opportunity to buy handmade. We also love the community of vendors. Some of the people we share those show floors with are some of the greatest friends in our lives.

UCU: What do you like best about crafting/creating your product?
AJ: We love the work we do with schools and libraries to relieve them of the burden of discarded books. Helping alleviate their guilt of just throwing them away AND getting money into their coffers for new books for kids to read are both pretty rewarding aspects of our work.

UCU: Is there something you are hoping to shop for, a treasure you'd like to find at this year's Summer UCU?
AJ: All of our friends and family seem to be pro-creating, so it seems fitting that we will be looking for baby items this season. It's almost like we've got more baby showers than craft shows to attend this season.

UCU: If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Michelle... breathing under water in order to figure out exactly how long it takes a starfish to travel a mile.
Miguel... flight so that we could visit our loved ones at the drop of a hat.

UCU: Its summer vacation time. Beach or the mountains?
AJ: Mountains... of Mexico.

Thanks guys! They're making 2010 the "Year of Using the Entire Book" and in doing so have got oodles of bags of confetti. Check them out online here: http://atticjournals.com/