Cathy Pitters is a crafter from Portland, OR who creates Bossa Nova Baby, a line of handcrafted clothes and accessories, and who co-organizes Crafty Wonderland, PDX’s art and craft extravaganza. Many of you may have heard her speak about how to organize a craft market at the Summit of Awesome last year or met her at the Show of Awesome, which she organized with Hello Craft as part of the Summit festivities. I first got to know Cathy in 2007 when we happened to be booth neighbors at the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago.  I was already a fan of hers though because she was a member of PDX Supercrafty and I kept up with their website and enjoyed their book, Supercrafty.  Since meeting, I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with Cathy in Brooklyn, Portland, Chicago and DC, where we’ve continued the tradition by being booth neighbors at Crafty Bastards the last few years.

Cathy made time for a quick chat earlier this week in the midst of final preparations for Crafty Wonderland, which will be next Saturday, May 7th.  If  you are in or near Portland you should definitely check it out!  I hope you find this little bit about Cathy inspiring. Turns out, dreams do come true!

How did you get started with crafting? And how did Bossa Nova Baby come about?
I feel like there never was a time when I wasn’t crafting! As a kid, my Mom was always making things with my sister and I. We would hand make our holiday gifts every year – candles, painted rocks, shell ash trays (!!!). So I feel like what I do for a living now is a natural progression. I really started crafting for profit shortly after my son was born in 1997. I was looking for a way to stay home with him while making some extra cash. I started making funky clothing for kids and selling them at local fairs and shops then later online. As my son got older it was a refreshing change to move away from kid’s items and start designing adult clothing and accessories. Then getting a Gocco Printer changed my life! I still sell my work online and at local shops but also travel to large craft fairs around the country. I feel so lucky to be doing what I love in a community of such amazing people!

What do you make these days?
I primarily work with my Japanese Gocco printer to create clothing and accessories which combine screen printing and embellished top-stitching. I print onto sweaters + sweatshirts and also hand make skirts that incorporate the printed designs. I also use the screen printed images on accessories like iron on patches and scissor cozies. This year I will be adding zippered pouches to the mix – I’m super excited about these!

Tell us about Crafty Wonderland.
My friend and business partner Torie Nguyen and I started Crafty Wonderland  in April of 2006 as a monthly art + crafty sale that featured 40 local vendors selling their goods in a basement rock venue called Doug Fir Lounge. We both had been selling our work around town at different events but felt like Portland was lacking a regular indoor venue. We ran the monthly show for almost three years and over that time saw a huge increase in the demand from both shoppers and vendors. In December of 2008 we made the decision to transition to a twice yearly show that would be on a much larger scale.  We now hold the sale at the Oregon Convention Center in May and December and feature over 200 vendors in 60,000 sq. feet of space! The larger venue gives us plenty of room to offer fun extras like free DIY make and take areas, donated booths for non-profits and a crafty author book signing area.

How did you decide to do a pop-up shop? And how did it go?
Last fall we were approached by the City of Portland to participate in their pop-up shop program. The city works with building owners and local designers to fill vacant storefronts downtown during the holidays. We had always dreamed of opening our own shop so we were thrilled to have the opportunity! The city subsidized part of the cost of the shop so it was a great way to test the market without a whole lot of risk. We decided to limit the shop to Portland area artists only – partly for convenience and partly because we loved the idea of a store that was entirely local. We brought together about 100 artists & crafters – most of whom were also vendors at our craft fairs. The shop opened in early November and was scheduled to run through the end of the year but the public response was so amazing that we decided to stay open and negotiated to lease the space on our own. As of now we are set to stay open through August of this year at which time we will do more negotiating and hopefully renew our lease to stay into the future. It really has been a dream come true for us!

I walked the floor with a specific aesthetic in mind. I know what good handmade and design look like and I ruthlessly sought it out. As a seller It is one area you won’t be able to control. Buyers know their market, the look and feel that they want, and you want them to. Just as you too should know your market and cater to them.

But aesthetic will only get you so far. Here’s what you can control: I was drawn in by seller’s stories. It is what set them apart from the hundreds of vendors at the Fair. I loved hearing about process and passion and the excitement seller’s had for their work.

Story is an important and powerful selling tool, especially in the handmade community. It is what sets this community apart from the mass produced goods found in big box stores. Your craft has history. It holds magic and that adds value. It isn’t just some piece of jewelry or a t-shirt. It’s why you create the jewelry. It is about who inspires you and how it manifests itself in your t-shirt designs. You just have to tell people about it.

I loved hearing how Carrie of Lolli-Shop, gocco prints onto her jewelry to create her pieces and that Jenelle of First World Trash sometimes stuggles to find billboard cast offs for her upcycled bags. I spent at least 10 minutes geeking out over transit with the girls of Design Hype, who make subway map bracelets. Because of these interactions, I was able to remember their products and why I liked them, beyond the fact that they were aesthetically pleasing.

Do I recall other items from the ginormous show? Yes, but those are interactions that were less pleasant. They were sellers who answered my questions in only curt, one word answers or told me that their printing process was proprietary and couldn’t disclose the details. I was hugely put off by these sellers. The handmade community is just that, a community and when you shut yourself off from it I believe you only hurt yourself. I only want to buy items from people who can explain their process to me because the more I know about what you do, the more excited I am for it. And if you’re excited about it, then I’ll be even more excited about it. These stories help boost the community and I only want to purchase items from people who know and understand that.

So next time someone comes to your booth at a craft fair or wholesale market, be ready and know how to answer: What’s your story?

[Image by dennisyuen, used under a Creative Commons License]

In case you didn’t already know, it’s down-right hostile out there in the world of holiday shopping. Just this afternoon, for instance, I was elbowed in the back so hard by an angry shopper that I probably could have brought battery/assault charges against her. So, how does one try and minimize exposure to the passive aggression and spazzing that goes hand in hand with shopping this time of year? Why not make one of the many December holiday craft shows your one-stop shop for your entire gift list. You’ll meet amazingly talented people and get some one of a kind presents in the process. Below is a gift guide featuring some of the beautifully made and unique wares I perused at Second Storie — an annual holiday craft fair in upstate New York that I wrote about here — to give you a peek at the types of goodies that could be awaiting your purchase at your local craft market.

For Your Lady Friends:

From top left, left to right: Handwoven Loop Scarf by Secret Pocket. These scarves are very, very soft and sumptuous in person — I would like to commission some sort of full body suit made of them.  Feather Cardigan in Grey by RedPrairiePress. Simple, flattering, and comfortable. Check, check, and check. Classic Sedum Rosette Posts by Mani Designs. With it’s rustic yet polished look, this nature-inspired jewelry literally looks as if it’s glowing. 1920s Vintage Reproduction Garter Set by Previously. These cheeky and girly garters are constructed with the same techniques used for garters in the 1920s. Light on Water Necklace by Foundling. Much of the jewelry by Foundling cleverly features recycled bits of paper or fabric. I bought a ring for a best friend that showcases words cut from an old book.

For the Kiddos:

From top left, left to right: Classic Night-Owl Night Light by Happy Owl Glassworks. I showed this owl night light to my thirty year old friend and she said she wanted one for herself. I think that says it all. Imaginary Monsters Comics, volume 1 by Imaginary Monsters. The plot summary of this comic book reads like every Sci-Fi obsessed kid’s dream: lizard wizards, necromancers (?), and a skull who lives in a dungeon. Birdie Onesie by Peekaboo Collective. This screen printed onesie is cute, but it’s the look on this child’s face that sells it for me. Animal Softies by Bookhou. Check this shop out —  there are awesome tea towels, cute baby bibs, and amazingly crafted chairs in store. These colorful animal dolls look like they could be both a wee one’s best friend and their pillow.

Deck the House:

Cake Plate and Cake Flags by Herriot Grace. I immediately need to own everything in this shop. These very beautiful hand carved wooden kitchen items will make anything you cook look 10 times more delicious and impressive. Dotted Garland by Shanna Murray. What a clever girl, this Shanna Murray. A wall decal that serves as a picture frame of sorts?! Yes (to cake) by The Maple Ridge. I think we can all agree on this one.  M is for Magazine. In Black. by Paper Doll Wood Shop. If you’re like me, this is not only a well-designed magazine holder, it’s a direly needed organizational and de-cluttering item.

Happy Holiday Shopping!!!

Have you unearthed any rare treasures at holiday craft fairs? Do you choose to shop at them instead of at other venues? Please write to us below!

I don’t know about you, but I tend to glaze over when reading about technology. So here’s a simplified breakdown of these two brilliant tools and what they can do for the craft and farmers market vendors, the Etsy, Ebay or Craigslist obsessed, and even babysitters.

What is the technology? An update on the PayPal App that allows users to deposit cash into their accounts by photographing checks with their camera phones. The software works on iPhones, Blackberrys and Androids.

How does it work? To get started, you need to download the application or update your older version here or through the iTunes store on your Smartphone.

Once signed in, select  “Money Tools” and then “Add Money from Checks”.

After reading and accepting a description of the feature, the camera on your phone will open. Text at the top of your screen instructs you to photograph the “front of check.”

Capture the image, and viola! It is sent to PayPal for routine bank clearance processing. The money should be in your account within six days.

And what happens to the paper check? It can be thrown away fifteen days after the process is cleared.

How much will this cost me? The app is completely free and no additional fees are charged for the service.

So…what’s the catch? The only hitch is that there is a $1,000 daily limit and $3,000 per month limit on the totals you can deposit via virtual check. But even if those restrictions allow you to cash only a fraction of your profit through this new app each month, the feature still provides a brainless and stress free way to manage money.

If your payment poison is plastic over paper, Smartphones have you covered there as well.

What is it? The Square, a ½ inch square plug with a slot for credit card swiping, allows card transactions to be deposited into your account via your Smartphone, iPad, or laptop. Attach the Square to your device’s earphone jack and start selling (or spending).

Photo courtesy of Square Up

How does it work? First and foremost, everything is free! To get started, users can download the Square software by visiting the website: www.squareup.com.

To receive the Square swiper, submit your address online and it will be sent to you via snail mail. Your bank routing and account numbers are required to hook the software up to your account.

After the card is swiped and charged for a transaction, buyers can sign off by touching or scribbling on the screen. Receipts are then emailed to both the seller and buyer, ensuring that transactions remain explicit and simple. The receipts include a basic statement listing the date, time, item, price, and merchant, as well as a map of transaction’s location.

The square was in full effect last Saturday at Crafty Bastards! Below are examples of receipts from Hello Craft’s Sara Dick who purchased goods from Bossa Nova Baby by charging her card via the Square.

What else can it do? The software also acts as a sort of digital accountant, tracking cash, tax, tips and payment methods. You can also take photographs of your products or purchases, and write notes and descriptions. If you’re using the Square on a laptop or iPad, you can create a “digital shelf” of all of your items.

How much will this cost me? The service charge is 2.75 percent of the total transaction, plus 15 cents. This is significantly cheaper than actual merchant accounts (in stores) in which a business pays 3-4 percent of the total and an additional 30 cents to charge a customer’s credit card.

Cards can also be charged over the phone, without the actual physical card being swiped. All that’s needed is the card number, expiration date, and security code-much like when ordering something offline. Fees are bumped up for this service-rates are charged at 3.5 percent of the total with the 15 cents tacked on.

So...what’s the catch? There is no maximum amount on the transactions, but only the first $1,000 of a week’s charges will show up in your account immediately. The rest needs to be approved by auditors, which could take up to 30 days.  Thankfully, that charge limit increases after repeated successful transactions.

It seems as if the technological stars are aligning for small business commerce. Now any individual can become a mobile business with the ability to set up shop or provide service anywhere.  Transactions are recorded and organized with the swipe of a finger. All business operations are contained in one small portable device, free of paperwork and trips to the bank. It’s exciting and fascinating to see how new ideas make things plausible! Please feel free to share any experiences with the Paypal check capture feature, or the Square device in our comments.

Happy buying and selling!

This Saturday come take a crafty break, during Crafty Bastards, and sit down with us at the Hello Craft booth (#76!) and Make Something Awesome.

This fun make and take area is where you can try your hand a making some of the instructed craft projects, or go crazy and use the supplies and come up with something of your own. We’ll have our awesome button maker, as well as embroidery projects with Sublime Stitching supplies, make a mini-bunting from Etsy and a scrappy-bracelet from SCRAP-DC, plus much more.

Hello Craft will also have memberships for sale as well as craft kits where you can make your own: terrarium, sidewalk chalk, hair pins, hair ties and Hello Craft plushies available with donation! And as a special treat we’ll have super awesome, limited edition, Hello Craft button packs designed by Crafty Bastards vendors El Jefe Design, goshdarnknit and Kelly Towles, also available by donation.

Be sure to stop by and also enter our raffle where you have the chance to win a copy of Mess by Keri Smith, a Sublime Stitching tote bag with embroidery goodies, a
Hello Craft membership, a copy of Craft-In, a box-set of 12 project booklets or a Silhouette cutting machine!

To plan your day, pick up a copy of the Washington City Paper for map and event guide or check out the Cut the Craft blog for vendor profiles and updates.

So much handmade and DIY goodness! We can’t wait for Saturday. See you there!

Saturday August 21, 10:12am I arrive at Penn station in Baltimore, MD. Kim is picking me up for a full day of planning how Hello Craft will be presented during Crafty Bastards. She scoops me from the station and we drive to her house to take some inventory of craft supplies.

Kim houses the majority of Hello Craft’s supplies we use for our Make Something Awesome Area, so we need to take stock of what we have, what we’re low on and what supply do we have in spades. This will help us figure out what projects we want in the MSA during Crafty Bastards, keeping in mind the table was swamped from start to finish last year.

Saturday August 21, 1:00pm With a full inventory of supplies in hand and a way forward with what we need to get and what instructions need to be made we take a break and head to lunch.

After a delicious break we head to the Baltimore institution Book Thing, a free book store. Here we scour the hot, stuffy space for craft books for inspiration and ideas and children’s books for interesting illustrations that can be used in button making. We leave happy with a good chunk of ideas.

From there we’re off to a thrift store (where I find more for myself then Hello Craft) then Ikea for storage bins and supplies. We hit up Joanne’s and AC Moore to find random supplies.

Saturday August 21, 7:30pm We find a simple sidewalk chalk recipe in one of the books from Book Thing and are determined to try it out. Back at Kim’s house we mix plaster of paris and various other materials to make the chalk. Our experiment turns out rather well, with some minor tweaks and we’ll be posting a tutorial soon!

Tuesday August 23, 8:30am I’m super later in writing and getting out the Hello Craft newsletters for the month of August. Between you and me, it’s the one thing I really don’t like doing, so I put it off and it get’s pushed down on my to do list. But they are important and so, while not pretty, it goes out to our members and email subscribers. I’m in charge of sourcing volunteers to help me out during Crafty Bastards, as I’ll be the only Hello Craft staffer working the booth and I make sure to put the call for volunteers in the newsletters.

I send out a quick tweet about the need for volunteers and I start to hear back from people. Yay! But I quickly realize that the call for volunteers for Hello Craft the organization and Crafty Bastards the fair are getting people confused. So, I start playing traffic cop over email, since I wasn’t clear enough in my plea for help, answering questions as to what volunteering for Hello Craft versus Crafty Bastards entails.

Wednesday August 24, 5:00pm I start getting emails about a glitch in the membership portion of our site and it slowly dawns on me that yeah, there is a big bug that is preventing paying members from accessing their content. I email our awesome developer Jeff from Super Runaway/cosa verde for help.

He diagnosis’s the problem, but it takes a bit of back and forth over the next week to get it straightened out but this issue is finally fixed and all is right with the world.

Saturday August 28, 11:00am Over the past month there’s been a lot of back and forth about what the Crafty Bastards program is going to look like and who (Hello Craft or Washington City Paper) was going to be in charge of it- meaning laying it out, are there spots for sponsors, is there editorial content, a map, etc. It finally lands in City Papers hands, which is a huge relief to me.

Kim approaches me about a freelance writing job for the program. There is space for more editorial content, which is good and the guy in charge at City Paper is looking for someone to do a 1000 word piece on a well known and well loved crafter that is a staple at Crafty Bastards. I’m hesitant to do it, as the turn around is tight and the pay isn’t stellar, but I’m slowly warming to the idea of getting another print clip under my belt.

Friday September 3, 8:30am I get word that the piece I’ve been offered to write for the Crafty Bastards program has been cut. The layout has no more room for extra editorial content and since we’ve only just started to discuss the terms of the piece, it is an easy cut. That is the way things work in the print world. I hadn’t started work on the piece, since there was no contract signed and as I’ve learned from experience, you never start work until a contract is signed. Also another piece of advise for freelancers – always include a kill fee in your contract. This fee ensures you get paid even if the piece isn’t printed or is stopped at whatever point in the process.

This news brings more relief than disappointment, allowing me to focus on the other tasks on my Hello Craft/Crafty Bastards to-do list.

As a newbie director of Hello Craft I’m taking my first look of all the behind-the-scenes organizing that goes into Crafty Bastards. I often find myself in awe of Kelly, Sara and Kim on a daily basis. So many details to nail down and just not enough hours in the day. For the most part I manage the the Crafty related blog content (like this Diary of a Festival Organizer series) and how Hello Craft brands itself in all aspects of the fair. I also chime in on how to figure out ways to better the vendor experience at Crafty Bastards. My contributions to this series will focus on all this and more in the eyes of the newest addition to Hello Craft.

Sunday, July 11, 8:55pm
I email Sara to see if she still wants help with the data entry of all the scores from the Crafty jury. This year there were more than 450 applications. Considering there are seven judges on this year’s jury that is a whole lot of data entry. Fortunately after a string of less than glamorous internships and jobs I am a whiz at entering tons of numbers quickly with no error. Plus as Sara points out it is “at least meaningful data entry” so I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time on something I don’t care about. Also I have a terrible toothache so a few hours of mindless work will keep my mind off the pain.

Monday, July 12, 9:15am
Sara comes over to my desk (yes we work together) and hands off an ominous stack of papers. Some have notes scribbled furiously in the margins. Little snippets like “good for boothshare?” or stars next to them. One juror in particular had wonderful illustrations throughout with perfect handwriting. I want to keep this set of scores and frame it but had to focus on the task at hand. I have to enter all these scores into a spreadsheet built by Sara as quickly and accurately as possible. I tell Sara I’ll be done by Wednesday because I know there are hundreds of independent business owners and crafters out there waiting to hear if they have made the cut for Crafty Bastards or not.

Tuesday, July 13, 10:57pm
I am dunzo with the data entry! I don’t want to make it seem getting the scores tabulated was easy because it definitely is not a piece of cake. I am going to share a few secrets of successful data entry. First of all, shut all social networking off as well as your phone. (Kelly tried to trick me with a bunch of cute handmade items she kept tweeting about but I knew better.) Also, only attempt a few pages at a time then take a break. After entering hundreds of scores into tiny boxes it will be best for your sanity to take a few minutes.  (This is when I would sign back into Twitter to see what Kelly was coveting and I would want as well.) Finally make sure to have a good soundtrack to keep you company and your spirits up. (My playlist consisted of Billy Bragg, Mates of State, Pedro the Lion, St. Vincent and The Wrens. Also yes I am interested in trading data entry mix tapes for all the kind souls out there that handle data entry for other festivals).

Thursday, July 29, 4:00pm
Kim and I get together to hash out what materials we need to create to promote the festival. It’s a good idea to write down exactly what assets are needed, who will create them and what timeframe we are looking for. (Note: one of the best tips I’ve learned from working with Hello Craft is recognizing the drop-dead deadline and then making a false one a few days prior to that final date. The fake deadline is the one we give out to designers, writers, sponsors, etc. It gives a few days of padding just in case there are any last minute fixes that need to be done and lessens the chances of Kim, Sara, Kelly or myself from any added stress.

The rough list we put together is as follows.

Print & Online Ad Campaigns:
- View The Crafty Bastards Gallery
- Volunteer At Crafty Bastards
- Vote For The Craftiest Bastard Contest
- General “Come To Crafty Bastards” Save the Date Ads
- Crafty Bastards This Saturday Sds

Graphics For Onsite Materials:
- Crafty T-Shirt Logo
- Crafty Tote Bags
- Crafty Postcards
- Craftiest Bastard Ballot

Signage at Event:
- Posters With All Sponsors Included
- Posters For Individual Sponsors
- Posters To Direct Folks To Different Parts Of The Fair

- Post-Craft Bastards Materials
- Thank You to Our Sponsors Crafty Bastards Ad Campaign
- 3 Web widgets Made for Craftiest Bastard Winners
- Wrap Up/Media Kit to send out to sponsors after the event

I am pretty sure we are missing a few assets. But it calms my nerves to know we have a pretty good list of things to tackle at the moment.

Saturday, August 7, 12:00pm
Kim and I get together on Saturday afternoon to catch up on Hello Craft matters over brunch and thrifting. We talked about a few things that are high on my Hello Craft “to figure out list.” One of the branding tasks I am contemplating is how to handle the press releases for Crafty Bastards. In the past Kim has sent press releases only from the Crafty Bastards email account to members of the press. We decide it could confuse members of the media if they receive press releases from both Crafty Bastards and Hello Craft.  Nonetheless I want to see press coverage in DC local media outlets previewing and reviewing the event. It’s on my list to remind Kim we need to get back together to work on a timeline for press related matters. We also need to get an approved press release and list of media contacts.

We also stop by the craft section of one of my favorite thrift stores in the suburbs of Maryland. I snatch up tons of knitting needles and Kim and I decide it might be a good idea to put together little knit kits to sell at the Make Something Awesome Area at this year’s Crafty Bastards. We also take mental notes of all the fabric and supplies they have available just in case we need to restock for any special projects.

As a staff member and co-founder of Hello Craft, I am automatically involved in the running and organizing of Crafty Bastards. My main focus is helping to maintain Hello Craft’s work through the fair and specifically how we present our organization at the fair and how to implement our signature Make Something Awesome area. My diary entries will focus on these tasks as well as the miscellaneous tasks that come up during the planning and implementing of such a large craft fair.

Wednesday, July 7, 11:00am
I meet Kim at the Washington Convention Center to check out our shared incubator office space provided by DCCAH. We were offered a spot along with several other festivals produced in the city to use a languishing retail space along the outside of the convention center as an office through Crafty Bastards. As we both work from home having an office space both intrigues us and annoys us. We don’t know what to expect of the space so we’re anxious to check it out.

One of the doors screeches loudly every time it’s opened. That will be annoying. The space is modest with three work areas with two desks each and a small conference table in the middle of the room. There is lots of natural light which is great. We rifle through drawers and laugh when we find old 3.5″ floppy disks. Clearly the furniture are cast offs from some dank basement. There is a printer, but we search in vain for the cables, and we can’t find paper.

We quickly realize that this space can provide a nice work environment, but many questions about how sharing the space will work going forward and who else out of the other festivals are actually going to use it.

Saturday, July 10, 9:05am
It’s raining and I’m running late for the Crafty Bastards jury. Today is the day where we hunker down for two days and review each and every application to the show. It is fun but tedious work. There are six of us stationed around the table and one on Skype (welcome to the future). Kim sits at the head of the table with her computer hooked up to the projector. Each application is shown on the wall as either myself or Sara read the applicant’s name, business, location and vendor statement.

The morning starts off well, everyone’s spirits are up and the first batch of applications have great photos. I try and coax some gut reactions to how to make applications better on Sara’s Flip cam for some blog content. I get a couple of good comments that will hopefully work well when compiled.

Sunday, July 11, 8:30pm
Phew. We’re finally done. Two long days, fueled by coffee, beer and lots of stretch breaks, we’re managed to go through over 450 applications. Scores have been given and sent off to be tabulated, which is a huge data entry headache.

There are a lot of opinons on how the weekend went and some disappointing trends that started to emerge. It was easy to feel downtrodden by the really bad applications (blurry photos, poorly written vendor statements) and when they all collected together, the day started to drag.

Remember! Bright, clear photos! Clear and concise writing!

We’re all ready to go home and not have to think about scoring applications, at least for another year. I try and get some more opinions on how to make a good application and I think these clips will make for an even better video, if I ever find the time to get it all together.

Wednesday, July 14, 2pm
I meet Kim at our “office”. We hang up a Crafty Bastards banner and some fun wall hangings. A printer power cord has turned up, but still no usb connector. The wifi works and we get excited about scheduling Hello Craft meetings at the conference table. I try and bang out this blog post and get distracted by other work. It is hard to time manage between various projects and competing deadlines. You’ll see when this actually goes live.

Crafty Bastards Jury Process Explained from Hello Craft on Vimeo.

Kim Dorn, Festival Director of Crafty Bastards and Executive Director of Hello Craft, explains the jury process during day one of the Crafty Bastards jury in 2010.

With over 450 applicants and only about 100 spaces, this system helps the jury review each applicant and ensures that they’re all looked at with the same specifications and criteria in mind. For more information about this year’s jury and how the process works read about the who’s who of the jury for Crafty Bastards 2010. And for an even more in depth look into the organizing of a large craft fair such as Crafty Bastards, don’t forget to check out our new weekly series: Diary of a Festival Organizer which details the trials and tribulations of a festival organizer in the lead up to this year’s Crafty Bastards.

The Crafty Jury process has been in place since the first year of the fair 7 years ago, with a new mix of jurors each year. Over the course of two full days, the each member of the Jury rates each individual applicant through a unique system that keeps the vendor selection process fair for all. We’re excited to share our Jury process with you, and please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.

How long does the Jury process take?

The Crafty Jury meets for two days, approx. 10 hours per day. How are the applications judged? Each application is reviewed one by one, with special attention paid to the 3 photos and vendor statement. From there, each juror rates the applicant on 9 craftigories; the first 8 craftigories receive a score of 1-10. The last craftigory is an Overall score, which is worth 20 points. So the best possible score for an applicant would be 100 craftaculous points! The lowest is 10. All of the applicants’ ratings are then compiled and each applicant is given a total score based on the average score from all 7 jurors. At the end of the jury process, those applicants with a score of 75 or higher are automatically accepted into the fair. We then take a look at the categories of craft that we might be missing, and try to fill in the gaps from there. For example, if there are 5 spaces left in the fair, and we have not accepted any ceramic artists, we will take a look at the highest rated potter applicant and may decide to accept them into the fair. This process allows for an excellent shopping experience for our attendees, and a profitable day for our vendors.

What are the Craftigories?

1.) Craftsmanship/Skill How well-made are the crafts? We keep in mind some things are meant to look rough or undone. 2.) Inventive use of materials? Does the crafter use pre-manufactured materials or do they make their stuff from scratch? 3.) Labor/Time Investment Does it look like there was time invested in the concept/design/product? 4.) Physical Design – How much thought was put into the aesthetics/function of the work? 5.) Alternative Subject Matter/Vision? 6.) Rarity/Singularity – How unique are the products? 7.) Excitability – Would we buy this or recommend it to someone? 8.) Appeal – Does this vendor appeal to a large group of shoppers, or would their products only appeal to a very niche group? 9.) Overall (worth 20 points)

Why do you use this rating system?

This rating system provides an equal opportunity for all crafters to have a chance to vend at the fair. Where some applicants might get a high score in the uniqueness of their work, others may get a higher score in how well their products are made.

Is there a wait list?

Yes. We usually pick a small number of applicants with scores closest to 75 to be on our Pending List. Those on the Pending List will be notified of any booth space that may open up for various reasons.

Who is on the Jury?

This year’s Crafty Jury is comprised of an award-winning, local talent which includes local shop owner Joshua Tiktin from local DC Dekka, Rachel Bone from the Charm City Craft Mafia, Liz Ecktein — one of the original, founding directors of Crafty Bastards, and Pete Morelecitz — past Washington City Paper Art Director and crafter extraordinairre, as well as 3 Directors from Hello Craft — the non-profit which is powers Crafty Bastards alongside Washington City Paper.

Meet 2010 Crafty Jury:

Rachel Bone
I am a painter & screen printer living in Baltimore, MD. I’ve run my screen printed apparel company Red Prairie Press as my full time job since March of 2006, before which I had job titles like “office manager” and “sales associate.” I like working for myself much more, and hope someday you get to try it out, if you don’t already.

I also paint and draw and show my work all over the country in both galleries & boutiques. I write a daily blog: redprairiepress.blogspot.com about my adventures. You can see the tshirts & paintings I make out of my home studio at www.redprairiepress.com.

As a founding member of the Charm City Craft Mafia & organizer of the Pile Of Craft and Holiday Heap craft fairs in Baltimore, I’m thrilled to be an active member of the craft community and after vending for the last four years, I’m honored to serve as part of the Crafty Bastards Jury.

Sara Dick
I enjoy fresh produce, bumpy yarn, Etsy browsing, craft brews, Frank Zappa and smart people. I make stuff and love to buy handmade. As a crafter, I’ve sold my work at Renegade Brooklyn, Handmade Arcade in Pittsburgh, Holiday Heap and Pile of Craft in Baltimore, Crafty Bastards and a handful of smaller shows in the DC area.

I’ve helped organize and curate Crafty Bastard since 2004, putting the number of CB vendor submissions I’ve reviewed somewhere in the thousands. The past two years I’ve worked with DC’s Craft Mutiny to produce the Holiday Booty Market and most recently, curated Hello Craft’s Show of Awesome.

As a handmade shopper, I am proud to have supported artisans (and filled my apartment) with purchases at craft shows like Renegade Chicago, Crafty Wonderland’s Super Colassal Holiday Show in Portland, Bust’s Spring Craftacular and all the shows of which I’ve been a participant. Can’t wait to see what I’ll be buying this year!

Kimberly Dorn
Kimberly is a crafter and craft fair organizer with a healthy obsession with Hello Kitty, Kokka Fabric, 3mm felt and Lingonberry Juice. After serving on the Crafty Jury for the last 6 years, she’s found a deep appreciation for crafters that successfully combine cute with functionality. While on the Jury, Kimberly is looking for crafters that take an innovative approach to whatever they do. Her favorite category to review is Housewares, because she likes to see how design ideas fuse with functional pieces.

Her background in crafting started with a BFA in Sculpture from SUNY Albany, which eventually turned into printmaking, which led to photography, and now also includes knitting, paper arts, making hair accessories, silk screening, and leaving trails of yarn, felt, fabric and other craft bits all over her house.

As one of the Festival Directors behind the Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair and the Handmade Mart, as well as being the Executive Director of Hello Craft, I’m excited to once again serve on the Crafty Jury.

Pete Morelewicz
Pete is the former art director of City Paper and currently designs several magazines you’ve never heard of. You may have seen him at Crafty Bastards’ in the past, whether squishing Crafty Bastards pennies, selling his paintings of Bob Ross, schlepping tables in the pre-dawn darkness, or just generally harassing the vendors. This is the fifth year Pete has had the honor of sitting on the Crafty Bastards jury, offering another opportunity to write of himself in the third person.

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Kelly Rand
Kelly covers visual arts in and around Washington, DC for DCist and is editor of Crafting a Green World. Kelly has also been published by Bust Magazine and you can find her byline at Indie Fixx and Etsy’s Storque and has taught in Etsy’s virtual lab on the topic of green crafting.

Kelly helps organize Crafty Bastards: Arts and Crafts Fair, one of the largest indie craft fairs on the East coast and has served on the Craft Bastard’s jury since 2007. Kelly is also co-founder of Hello Craft and her responsibilities as a Director of the organization include programming for the Summit of Awesome and coordinator of the membership program. Kelly resides in Washington, D.C. and believes that handmade will save the world.

Joshua Tiktin
I am just a dude. A Husband, a father, and a guy trying to create the best possible life I can. Throughout my life you would find me either in the DC or Miami area, except when I spent 6 great years in Atlanta or when I went on vacation. In those cities I would be working on music and art, in one form or another. I am the owner of DEKKA, which is a Fashion + Art + Music Collective space in DC and we just opened our 2nd location near Miami, FL.

My most successful art projects are the Obama (recycled) Vinyl Record pieces which were created during the inauguration. 100’s of one of a kind units were sold and placed by their owners in about 10 countries, 4 continents, and in the White House as well. They were also featured in Nylon Magazine, Thrillist, and Artomatic. An earlier project was an ancient Bible code made in graffiti and sold in originals and prints. 500 units were purchased by the Kabbalah Centre and sold internationally. Madonna, Monica Lewinski, and Argentine actress Reyna Reech are a few of the celebrity owners of this work.