And now for some Giveaway Winners!

We have arrived. Friday. Summer. Urban Craft Uprising. Only one more sleep until indie shopping heaven is upon us. The UCU team is buzzing around like the little bees that we are getting everything ready. Vendors are doing there last minute preparations to make everything perfect for all you eager shoppers. And lastly, we've arrived at the end of Round 4 Giveaways. And the winners are...

Fused Glass House pendant - Jenna
Lady Konnyaku scrunchie - Traci Bixby
Crystalyn Kae purse - Gina
Figs & Ginger earrings - Buffy
Monkey Sock Monkey book - olliemae
Blue Diamond Stamp Co. stamp - noraolsen
Polymath Design Lab jewelry set - babyssleeping
Idle Hands Designs necklace - samsakara
Handmade Marketplace book - Elena

Congratulations to you all! You can collect your new treasures from the UCU booth on Saturday or Sunday from 11-5. Thanks to all the vendors for their fantastic gifts and to each and every one of you, the readers of our blog. Didn't win? Don't forget we've got free SWAG BAGS for the first 100 people in line both Saturday and Sunday. We just stuffed these bags to the gills with awesomeness that you don't want to miss. Plus 10 swoon-worthy RAFFLES happening this weekend too! See you there.

Bread and Badger Interview

Tired of characterless glassware crowding your cupboards? Sandblasting glass duo Bread and Badger will be hauling their original art drinkware all the way from Portland for this weekend's show. Amanda has taken a few minutes to answer our questions.

UCU: What is your favorite part about Urban Craft Uprising or other large-scale craft shows?
B&B: The quality and variety of the handmade goods at UCU keep me coming back. Plus, I love a good excuse to do some traveling, socialize with crafty folk, and I always come home with new pieces of art!

UCU: What do you like best about crafting/creating your product?
B&B: I love being my own boss, but the best part of actually making my products is the feeling I get when a customer tells me how they've been affected by something I made.

UCU: Is there something you are hoping to shop for, a treasure you'd like to find at this year's Summer UCU?
B&B: Nothing specific, but I know it when I see it. ;)

UCU: If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
B&B: I might like to be in two places at once, so I could work all day, but relax somewhere at the same time. It's hard to pry myself away from working because I enjoy my job so much, but I never have enough time for all the things I want to do.

UCU: Its summer vacation time. Beach or the mountains?
B&B: Mountains! I prefer hiking and the quiet of the woods. Part of me wants to be a survivalist and live off the land.

Muchos gracias Amanda! Be sure to stop by the Bread and Badger booth this weekend, Can't make the show? Check them out online: http://breadandbadger.com/

Amongst the many vendors who will dazzle you with their wares this weekend, we also have a bundle of talented and published authors who will be at UCU to inspire you with their writing. Meet Kari, author of The Handmade Marketplace, who will be signing her book from 12-4 both Saturday and Sunday! I had the privilege of talking to her a bit and including her in our Giveaway extravaganza!

What inspired you to write this book? Is it based on personal experience?

I was working as a buyer in a small home goods boutique and I was adding a lot more eco-friendly and handmade goods to our stock. Etsy was new on the scene and I was using it as a resource for finding product. I would send requests to artists and crafters I found via Etsy and I soon found that they had lots and lots of questions about selling their work to me as a shop keeper. People wanted to know why I wanted to see an example of their work before I ordered it, they wanted to know how to price for wholesale, they wanted to know why I would need different photos... soon I found myself writing long and lengthy emails, explain these things and more, and after awhile the idea of the book came to me. It wasn't until much later, after I was laid off and the owner closed my store and I found myself unemployed that I thought about writing a book.

I wanted to write a book that addressed all of the kinds of questions sellers had been asking me when I worked in that shop. I wanted to help and inspire people at the same time. I have a pretty strong background in marketing and public relations and I've read lots of books on those topics. While I always learned something, reading them always felt a bit like a chore. I really wanted someone like my sister to understand and relate to what I had to say, as well as my grandmother or the creative teenager next door. I wanted boys and girls to find value in the book and I tried really hard to write to all of those people.

I really believe that anyone can do anything if only they have the right tools. I'm not saying that The Handmade Marketplace has all of the answers, but I hope that is it approachable and understandable to people no matter where they are in their selling journeys. I wanted a book that helped people learn and make them feel good at the same time. My greatest wish for The Handmade Marketplace is that it not only provides useful business advice, but also courage, inspiration and community.

Do you have plans for another book?

Yes I do! I have a little something in the works, but it's still to new to mention publicly. I have received lots and lots of emails from people since The Handmade Marketplace came out, and I use the feedback from these emails to inspire my future projects. I would encourage anyone to write to me at hitherekari at gmail.com and send questions or topics they'd like to see addressed. If I can help, I will.

How did you get involved with UCU?

Last year or maybe even the year before, Kristen Rask put out a call of Twitter, asking if any craft book writers wanted to come to UCU to sign books. I had just signed my deal at the time, and my book wasn't even written, but I contacted her anyhow. One thing led to another and this is the first UCU since the book came out - and now I'll be there signing copies! I'm really excited to be there. Also, I love Twitter and all of the connections I've made there.

Your blog details your travels as you promote your book. What are you looking forward to on your trip to Seattle?

So much! I'm really mostly excited to attend UCU of course, and if time allows I'd like to go to Groundspeak (the geocaching headquarters) and I'd love to take my camera to Pikes Place Market and maybe find a yummy cupcake or two. I'd love to go to CakeSpy Shop and meet Jesse Oleson - we've met before, years ago, but I doubt she'd remember. Also I'd love to eat dinner at Delancey! However, I'm only there for two days really, and I'll be working for most of that time, so I'll be happy with a good cup of coffee and a nice walk around the city and having a blast signing books at UCU.

Leave your nice words in comment form below for your chance to win Kari's book, The Handmade Marketplace. We will get you a copy after the show!

Idle Hands Designs Interview & Giveaway

If you're the type who doesn't go for pastels and find yourself drawn to the dark side then we've got the silver-smith for you! Idle Hands Designs caters to those who indulge in the lighter side of the dark side. Lyndsey began making jewelry with a slightly shadowy twist back in 2006. She's bringing all the goods to accessorize your gothic romance.

UCU: What is your favorite part about Urban Craft Uprising or other large-scale craft shows?
IHD: The community for sure. It's a really fun event and the UCU team is fantastic. Even as a vendor your treated like a guest.
UCU: *blushing*

UCU: What do you like best about crafting/creating your product?
IHD: Creating a piece that someone connects with and makes them happy. The sutured heart necklace is such a statement piece. Hearing the stories of heartbreak and recovery makes each necklace very special. And the mustaches keep my days fun and exciting!

UCU: Is there something you are hoping to shop for, a treasure you'd like to find at this year's Summer UCU?
IHD: everything!!!

UCU: If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
IHD: Magic wand would be helpful in general ::)

UCU: Its summer vacation time. Beach or the mountains?
IHD: Mountains

Thanks Lyndsay! And thanks for giving us the "Whoo" owl necklace as a giveaway. One lucky reader will be selected at random from the comments below. We will announce the winner on Friday.

Polymath Design Lab Interview + Giveaway

I am mesmerized when science and art come together because their product is almost guaranteed beauty.

Enter Polymath Design Lab, one science-minded woman’s efforts in the craft world. Shannon has put her knowledge in numbers to beautiful use. Her Spirosketch set is a fun item I want to take with me everywhere, the possibilities are endless. Be sure to stop by the PDL booth and try out her awesome functional and fancy designs.

Tell us how you got started

“I have a degree in biology, and I am really inspired by the intersections of different fields - such as art and science or craft and technology. And of course, as with a lot of the UCU vendors, I've been making things for as long as I can remember. But it was when I found a way that I could have access to a laser cutter that the ideas really got flowing and Polymath Design Lab was born.

Now I create jewelry, accessories, and home decor items that are fun and modern with a geeky twist - some of my designs were generated by computer code that I wrote, others might be inspired by anatomical drawings or scanning electron micrographs, and others play with geek-culture symbols like pirates and ninjas. I also work with wearable electronics, though so far that's pretty much all in the form of custom commissions.”

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

I get so much energy from interacting with customers at UCU and other big craft shows. It's so much fun to talk with people who are excited about my work - I always come away from the show tired but walking on air. And I adore the moments when someone walks up to my table and gets one of my geeky in-jokes!

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

Talk to the vendors, we don't bite! Before I had my own business, I was always a bit reticent to talk to craft fair vendors unless I was pretty sure I would buy something from them at that show - something about not wanting to get their hopes up. Now that I'm on the other side of the table, though, I realize that I don't have any expectations that just because someone talks to me or even tries a piece on that they will buy it... plus, the little interactions all through the day help keep my energy up and make the day more fun for all involved.

Polymath Design Labis offering “A Spirosketch set! Spirosketch is a bracelet and necklace set that also works as a drawing tool - a way to carry a little fun with you all the time. There are gears on the inside of the bracelet and the outside of the pendant, and all you need is a paper and pen or pencil to make beautiful spirograph-style drawings anywhere you might be.

Leave a comment below! Winners will be picked before the show this weekend!

Blue Diamond Stamp Co. Interview & Giveaway

Today we present to you a crafter for all you crafters. Liz of Blue Diamond Stamp Co. will be bringing her line of original clear polymer art stamps to the second annual summer UCU. Be sure to stop by her booth and get the perfect stamp to spice up your next paper project.

UCU: What is your favorite part about Urban Craft Uprising or other large-scale
craft shows?
BDS: I love selling to customers in person! I had always dreamed of opening a brick and mortar shop someday... and craft fairs are as close as I can get. I appreciate having the chance to explain my product, hearing comments about customer's favorite designs, and learning about how they will later be using the stamp.

UCU: What do you like best about crafting/creating your product?
BDS: I like that it often feels like a science experiment. The process requires precisely timed light exposures during certain phases to harden the polymer goo- but depending upon specific conditions it still may or may not turn out as expected. Though often frustrating, through a couple of trials I can usually always figure out the timings needed for a perfectly etched stamp.

UCU: Is there something you are hoping to shop for, a treasure you'd like to find at this year's Summer UCU?
BDS: I think most of my jewelry collection has come from craft fairs. I made earring purchases at the last two UCUs, and I think unique earrings are what I will be looking for again this time.

UCU: If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
BDS: I wish I had the power to change the weather. Who wouldn't appreciate more sunny days in Seattle!

UCU: Its summer vacation time. Beach or the mountains?
BDS: Beach!

Thanks Liz! And thanks for giving us this great rocket ship stamp to give to one of our crafty readers. Want to win? Leave a comment below! We'll select one winner at random and announce on Friday.

Monkey Sock Monkey Interview + Giveaway

Happy Tuesday, Folks! We’re down to the final stretch of vendor interviews and just days away from the much anticipated summer UCU show! I couldn’t be more excited to meet all the wonderful vendors in person. Without further ado here is a little ditty about Monkey Sock Monkey! Two lovely ladies based in Bellingham and Acme, Wa who are happy to “teach people how to make sock animals of any stripe” !

Describe how you got started doing what you do? - I had always been inspired by Cary's pottery, and when I moved to California after college, I sent her one sock monkey a month for a year as a thank-you for the joy I got from eating my Grape Nuts from her awesome bowls every day. She sent me back drawings of the monkeys having times... it went from there.

Is this your first time at UCU? - This is my second time at UCU. Last Christmas was a blast, except that I broke my hand when I was being careless and hurried loading stuff in on Saturday morning. No seriously, I broke it! All weekend I wore it in a sling made of christmas ribbon... The awesome ladies at the booth next to me were completely lovely and helped me set everything up, though, and the show was totally fantastic. This year I will load in, calmly, on Friday. :)

What is one thing you consider to be a helpful tip for having a successful craft fair visit? - This year I plan to make my precious iPhone do some heavy lifting by processing credit cards. If I was super savvy I'd invest in the Square card reader because it looks AMAZING, but I'm just going to have Paypal available for those inevitable "oh you don't take cards?" folks.

Is there something you are hoping to shop for, a treasure you'd like to find at this year's Summer UCU? - I was mesmerized by the miniaturefood jewelry that I saw in December at The Sprinkle Factory's booth. I just noticed they have a "Waffles with Butter and Syrup" ring on their blog - I must own it. Waffles FTW!

What are you offering up to our readers as a Giveaway? - Our book! Sock Monkey & Friends!

Zowy! Sock Monkeys and animals make great homemade gifts, and are just sweet to have around. Leave a comment and make this helpful book yours! Winners will be chosen Wednesday!