Announcing the Last Chance Holiday Craft Show Vendors!

We have a great lineup of vendors for this year's Charm City Craftivists Last Chance Holiday Craft Show! Need some custom printed holiday cards? How about a lumberjack pillow or a hand painted pet tag?  How about a "five minute photo" of yourself or your kids which you can later order online to send out with your holiday cards? We've got all that covered and much more!  Here are our participating vendors for 2012:

Art of Crafts
April Alayne
Kellie Creations
Tilted Tops
El Tejano Studios (pottery)
Baltimore Soaps and More
Rosso Stamp Co.
N.Fallon Design Studio
Wear Your Voice
Silver's Reign
Doxallo Studio
Misty Morning Prints
Jussie's Jewelry and Crafts
Kate's Cauldron
Wood Art for Living
Desired Crochet
Charms City Company
J.Beads
Turtle Jewelry Designs
Greenwood Creations
Squishaus
Austin Wayne Designs
K Wear Designs
Renewed Intent
Stitchery Designz (tote bags)
Designs by Dale
NotJustPartz
Melika Carr Photography
Pet Tag Creations
Creative Crochet (DAnna Designs)
Nature Place

Thoughts on Buying Local This Holiday Season

Glancing through the Wall Street Journal yesterday morning, I was reminded on why this year I decided to focus on buying from local or small businesses.

A fire in a Bangladeshi clothing factory has killed at least 117 employees.  You can read the article here.

I mourn for those fellow seamstresses that lost their life, friends and employment.  I mourn more for the way that they were treated in their workplace. 

I love to travel.  I enjoy learning about different cultures and experiencing those cultures first hand.  I have been fortunate enough to travel to several countries in Asia and Europe.  Through my travels I have learned that life in Asia is cheaper compared to life in the United States.  But for those living in those countries, life is hard and there is little money to go around.  The November 25^th, 2012 Wall Street Journal reported that in Bangladesh “the government recently raised the minimum wage 80% to $38 a month.”  I cannot even imagine living with that as my income in addition to having a poor working environment. 

Being a small business owner I understand the importance of reducing my cost of goods so that I can make a decent profit.  But in reducing my cost of goods, is it reducing some ones ability to live a decent life?  I hope not.

Apples and Tea Reversible Apron by Austin Wayne Designs

 This year I focused on buying local food through shopping at various neighborhood farmers' markets.  It has not been the most convenient form of purchasing food, but every week I know that what I spent there goes directly to the farms.  It stays near.  I have not been able to purchase all of my food at the farmers markets, I am not sure if that will ever be possible.  At least 75% of my food budget goes local.

For this holiday season, I have decided to focus on purchasing gifts for friends and family from local artisans or small businesses.

Shopping local and small takes more energy, time, money, discipline and planning than shopping at large corporation stores.  I know that my decision to shop local and small will probably not make a difference in creating safer and better work environments for people in foreign countries.  What I do know is that shopping local and small makes a difference in those people near to me.  I am making a difference in my neighbor’s life.  Giving them the opportunity to do what they love and live the life they want.

If more people shop local and small, then demand for cheaper labor would decrease.  Thus allowing poor work environments for those people would diminish. 

Posted by Austin Wayne Designs austinwaynedesigns.etsy.com

Call for Craftivists!

ArtRage Gallery in Syracuse, NY, a non-profit activist art organization, is currently seeking art for an exhibition on craftivism set for November/December 2013. If you would like your work to be considered for this group exhibition please contact kimberley@artragegallery.org. We are looking for fiber work of all shapes and sizes and on a wide range of social/environmental issues.

In your email include either a website link where we can view your work or attach up to five images. 
Deadline: January 13, 2013 

About ArtRage: www.artragegallery.org. 
The ArtRage mission is to exhibit progressive art that inspires resistance and promotes social awareness; supports social justice, challenges preconceptions and encourages cultural change. Our goal is to provide ArtRage visitors with an experience that encourages the breakdown of boundaries so that people can see themselves in the work and then in one another. And that, we believe, is the seed of a movement for cultural and social change.


Submitted by
Kimberley McCoy
Community Engagement Organizer
ArtRage Gallery
505 Hawley Avenue, Syracuse, New York 
315-218-5711
kimberley@artragegallery.org 
www.artragegallery.org 
ArtRageous art for peace & social justice

Applications for the Last Chance Holiday Craft Show are live!

Applications for the second annual Last Chance Holiday Craft Show to be held Dec. 8, 2012 at Faith Community Church, 5315 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214 are now live! The show hours are from 11 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  We are looking for quality, handmade work in a variety of media. All crafts must be handmade by the seller - no re-sellers allowed. This year's show will have live music, an excellent food vendor, free craft activities for the kids, and free parking.

Applications can be found here and are due no later than midnight October 26, 2012. Vendors will be notified of acceptance by November 2nd. There is no fee to apply so what are you waiting for?

Deborah Mizeur, Melissa Etheridge, Maryland Delegate Heather Mizeur 

On November 6th Marylanders will have an opportunity to cast their vote in support of marriage equality in our state.  Donate now to Maryland's Marriage Equality campaign to help fund their TV ads and win a chance to meet Melissa Etheridge backstage at her November 2nd concert in Bethesda! Click here for the link to make an online donation or  to view instructions for mailing a check.

Holiday Craft Shows Seeking Vendors

Applications for the Charm City Craftivists Last Chance Holiday Craft Show will go live this week.  Meanwhile, make sure to check out Charm City Craft Mafia's Holiday Heap show which is accepting applications until Friday October 5th.  The show will be held on Saturday, December 1st from 10-5 p.m. at 2640 St. Paul Street (St. John's Church), Baltimore, MD 21218.  For an application click here.

The First Sunday Holiday Arts Festival to be held on November 4th in Annapolis is also seeking vendors.  Visit www.firstsundayarts.com or www.mdhallarts.org.

Freedom For Birth Premiere Showing 9/20

Baltimore's Freedom For Birth premiere showing is this Thursday, 9/20 at 6:00 p.m.  at the Patterson Park branch of the Enoch Pratt Library, Baltimore, MD  Jeremy Galvin, president of Maryland Families for Safe Birth, will lead a discussion on the effort to implement licensure for Certified Professional Midwives in Maryland.  The film is a fundraiser for MFSB but funds cannot be accepted at the event so please donate online at the MFSB website. For directions to the libary click here. Other showings are taking place the same day in Hagerstown and Libertytown.  Please see the MFSB website for more info. Also check out the online auction happening from now through noon on 9/23 by clicking this link.