Flutterbudget Interview & Giveaway

There are few better ways to start the day than with a jewelry giveaway! Seattle UCU vendor Flutterbudget has taken the time to say hi and answers our questions as well as put up for grabs the Arianna Necklace (shown to the left). Want to win? Read on.

UCU: What is your favorite part about Urban Craft Uprising or other large-scale craft shows?
FB: I love the creative energy at any craft show but especially the large-scale shows. I feel like I'm with my tribe and our combined creativity can take over the world! Plus I love to shop handmade so I'm in retail heaven.



UCU: What do you like best about crafting/creating your product?
FB: I love making one-of-a-kind pieces with existing materials; each one is a puzzle of color, texture, composition and construction.

UCU: Is there something you are hoping to shop for, a treasure you'd like to find at this year's Summer UCU?
FB: Although I make jewelry, I love to shop for necklaces. I bought an amazing necklace at Crafty Wonderland - a tiny pvc cloud with silver-chain rain: I adore it. I'm all about skirts for summer so I'm hoping to find some of those too.

UCU: If you could have any super power, what would it be/why?
FB: Laser-beam eyes so I could solder pieces together with a pointed stare.

UCU: Its summer vacation time. Beach or the mountains?
FB: That's a tough one - I'm going with Mountains; they're more inspiring to me.

Thanks Shannon! Might I just say, Laser Beam eyes; a totally functional super power? Nice thinking. Now back to our giveaway. Want to win? Leave a comment below! We will select one winner at random and announce this week's winners on Friday.

Want to get your shopping list ready for the show in 2 weeks? Check out Futterbudget's Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/flutterbudget

More Giveaway Winners!

Happy Friday ya'll! We are now only 2 weeks away from our second annual summer UCU and competition has gotten stiffer for these great giveaways. So without delay I present to you the names (or codenames) of the prize winners.

glam.spoon Capelet - Danielle
LaRu Necklace - Lisa B.
Emze Designs Dish - erianams
Texture Clothing Gloves - Fairy Godmother
Devout Dolls Elephant - Tsuki aka LittleGrayFox
Tender Loving Empire Tee - Gina
Down to the Wire Designs Earrings - Maya
Manticore Record - gullyer
Boodlebags Wristlet - Michaela
Wooly Bison Bag - Campfire Kam

Hearty congratulations to all of our winners! Looks like luck shined down on you today, since the sun certainly did not. Be sure to stop by the UCU booth July 10-11 to claim your prize. Didn't win this round? Don't be down-hearted. We've got lots of great giveaways we will be posting up until the show! Keep your eyes peeled and keep posting for a chance to win.
Get a jump on Round 3 of giveaways with Danger Peach's owl necklace posted below!

P.S. Sorry to all the Spambots who commented. You were disqualified due to your overall lameness.

Danger Peach Interview & Giveaway

"I have always been drawn to anything creative. From painting to theater to making earrings for myself in 3rd grade out of tissues I colored with highlighters; I have been making things and being involved in the arts in many forms since I was a child." 2nd time UCU Vendor Rachel of Danger Peach has focused that creative energy into embroidery. And adorable embroidery at that! She will be premiering all new work at UCU, so do not miss it. Danger Peach has also given us a cute, cute, cute hand embroidered plastic owl necklace with vintage fabric on the back to give away to one lucky reader. So Rachel, got a couple questions for ya.

UCU: What is your favorite part about Urban Craft Uprising or other large-scale craft shows?
DP: Urban Craft Uprising has the stable core that you want from a well put together craft show and you will find that consistently at every UCU show. In addition, from show to show, they bring you new art and new experiences in a fun and unique way.

UCU: What do you like best about crafting/creating your product?

DP: I love working with vintage themes and materials and reworking them into something new infused with my personal point of view, sense of humor and style. My work is where I get to express anything I want in any way that I want. At the moment I am making things from many materials into jewelry, accessories and wall art. All with one thing in common, embroidery! There are no limits or boundaries, it can be whatever I want it to be and that is very exciting and freeing.

Fantastic! Thanks Rachel. Want to win the owl necklace? Leave a comment below. We will select one winner at random and announce on our blog next Friday.

Wooly Bison Interview+Giveaway

Seattle local, Wooly Bison has been honing her designing and sewing skills since 2003 and she’s been to Urban Craft Uprising twice before this summer show. The quality of her bags is impeccable and they are super cute to boot! I am absolutely swooning over these! At her booth she’ll be sharing the step-by-step process of how she puts her bags together in the form of a book she’s working on. Very Cool! Plus she has an awesome recycled wool wallet that she is offering to one lucky reader who might need a Wooly Bison bag to put it in!

Here’s a little more from Wooly Bison…

What sets your company apart from others who offer similar products? Practically everything I sell is completely one-of-a-kind. Since the fabric is recycled from clothing and jackets, you can only get so much material out of it. If you see something you like, better grab it!


What do you like best about crafting/creating your product? I love that everything is different, so it's fun to choose what sort of lining and colors for snaps/buttons will look good for each thing. 



What kind of snacks will you have in your booth to survive the long but exciting hours of Urban Craft Uprising? I have a magic thermos that keeps things cold ALL DAY, so lots of iced tea, Cliff bars, chocolate (sorry to sound like a stereotype), dried mangos, and I always bring a good sandwich. All of the basic food groups, of course!

Mmmm sandwiches, sounds good to me!

Leave a comment below for the fantastic wallet giveaway. Winners will be announced tomorrow!

-Amanda

Boodlebags Interview & Giveaway

Local bag maker Boodlebags is returning for her second UCU show. Formerly a gallery artist/painter, Angela, owner of Boodlebags, gave up painting due to the toxicity when she had children. She had always enjoyed sewing and found that she was really good at it. Let's get to know her a little better, shall we?

UCU: What is your favorite part about Urban Craft Uprising or other large-scale craft shows?
BB: I love the people - their energy, and that they're there to buy, not just gawk. I also love the higher caliber of artisan - you meet some amazingly cool people who are really good at what they do!

UCU: What is one thing you consider to be a helpful tip for having a successful craft fair visit?
BB: A checklist. Having a pre-packing checklist ensures that you don't miss anything. It gives you a chance to think about things you might not consider if you're doing everything on the fly.

UCU: What do you like best about crafting/creating your product?
BB: Designing and prototyping! I do enjoy production to a point, but then I get itchy to create something new.

UCU: Is there something you are hoping to shop for, a treasure you'd like to find at this year's Summer UCU?
BB: Gosh - there's always something cool! I rarely go in with a plan or thing in mind, I'm just open to whatever wonderfulness I find. The hard part is limiting my spending...

Thanks Angela! We've got one of her cute Cha-Cha Wristlets to giveaway to one lucky reader. For a chance to win leave a comment below. We will select one winner at random and announce on Friday. The winner can pick up their new bag at the UCU booth at the show in 2 weeks.

Manticore Interview +Giveaway

It looks like the sun has decided to make an appearance today! And even more exciting we are going to meet a first time Urban Craft Uprising vendor!

Meet Dave of Manticore. He’s a rockin’ painter and stencil artist from Bremerton, WA. His story is pretty inspiring and is work is wonderfully detailed, I’ll let him tell you all about it.

“I began stenciling on records when I was in college. I was too broke to pay new canvases and began culling out my least favorite LPs for the cause. Stenciling was just a hobby for I couple of years. Two years ago I broke my neck in a diving accident. I ended losing most of the muscles in my hands and forearms. Stenciling helped me regain those muscles and also became my sole income.”

What is your favorite part about Urban Craft Uprising or other large-scale craft shows?

I always like bartering with the other crafters at the end of a show. I've got a low of cool art on my walls I would not normally have.

What is one thing you consider to be a helpful tip for having a successful craft fair visit?

Always have a positive attitude. It is very easy to get down when sales are slow, but one customer can easily turn a whole weekend around.


What sets your company apart from others who offer similar products?

While I paint on windows and second hand canvases, the painted vinyl record is my flagship product. I make many of my stencils out of record sleeves, so there is very little that goes to waist. A lot of my subject matter are pop icons, but I really set my art apart from my competition with very colorful and intricate backgrounds. My paintings are also pretty cheap. I sell my records between $5 and $25.

Thanks Dave! Can't wait to peruse your pop art in person!

And to top everything he’s giving away one of his records, readers choice! So, leave a comment below, then get yer booty to UCU July 10-11 to pick out your awesome new art piece. Winner will be picked Friday!

Down to the Wire Designs Interview & Giveaway

Sometimes something so simple as a hole in a class schedule can open a world of creative possibility. That was the case for return UCU vendor Chuck of Down to the Wire Designs. Chuck took Intro to Jewelry Design from UW to fill a gap in his schedule and found he really enjoyed working with the materials and had the much needed patience to see a project through.
So Chuck, tell us...

UCU: What is your favorite part about Urban Craft Uprising or other large-scale craft shows?
DttWD: I really like meeting and interacting with the customers. That used to be my least favorite part because I was always so self-conscious and nervous about it, but over the years it has gotten easier. It's nice to get direct reactions to my work and it is always interesting to see what people are drawn to.

UCU: What sets your company apart from others who offer similar products?
DttWD: I think I have a very refined sense of design. There are a lot of jewelers out there but my work always stands out as unique and well-made. I have been able to create an entire cohesive line of jewelry that is unique and constantly evolving without being derivative of the work of others. If you come to my booth at UCU you will see a lot of work that is unlike anything else you have seen.

UCU: What do you like best about crafting/creating your product?
DttWD: I really like the process of working with metal-- cutting it, shaping it, connecting all the parts together. Metal is a very forgiving medium to work with-- you can fix almost any mistake. Most people look at jewelry and have no idea how someone could make it-- in that way it feels like alchemy.

Jewelry is also unique in its accessibility. I often tell people that you can learn the basic jewelry skills in a day even though they may take years to master. Most people can take a one-day workshop and can be making pieces worthy of selling within a week or two. There are not many art mediums that you can say that about.

Well, thanks for answering our questions. Chuck has also given us these lovely Cupped Sterling Silver Padlock Earrings as a Giveaway! Want to win? Leave a comment below. We will select one winner at random and announce on Friday. The lucky reader can collect their new treasure from the UCU booth at the show in two weeks.