Event Sponsor: Cabbage Rose Quilting & Fabrics

Cabbage Rose Quilting & Fabrics has generously sponsored every indie art & craft event Funky Finds has hosted in Fort Worth, Texas. Considering we will be hosting our seventh event in Fort Worth on November 10 & 11, that shows how owner Karen O'Neill is extremely supportive & generous towards the handmade community. 

Founded in 1997, Cabbage Rose is a beautiful brick & mortar store located at 3000 Montgomery Street. The store is filled to the brim with gorgeous fabrics ranging from Moda to Benartex. They also offer patterns, kits and books for endless projects to keep your creativity flowing. The large space features a terrific in-shop classroom where they host a variety of workshops, classes and space for sewers to spread out and share their treasures.

Following the Cabbage Rose blog, Cabbage Corner, is a great way to stay informed of new products, store happenings, giveaways & more. And, if you do not live in the Fort Worth area, never fear! Cabbage Rose offers tons of fabrics & other products online! Check out the Cabbage Rose Quilting & Fabrics Facebook page for more info, as well.

Buy Handmade

Buy Handmade

Our upcoming event, Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience, is a great place to shop for unique, hand-crafted items ranging from accessories to plant arrangements!

Saturday, November 10, 10am-5pm
Sunday, November 11, 11am-4pm

Will Rogers Memorial Center Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall 3400 Burnett-Tandy Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76107

Free Admission Family AND Pet-Friendly Charitable Raffle benefiting Toys For Tots & The Humane Society of North Texas Swag Bags • And More!

You can also buy handmade items online at
The Shops @ Funky Finds!

Event Sponsor: The Artful Bead

The-Artful-Bead

The Artful Bead stores are the most popular retail bead stores in North Texas. Their stores are your one-stop shopping destination for a wide variety of Czech glass beads, seed beads by Toho and Miyuki, Chinese glass novelty beads, pearls, semi-precious stones, and much more. Most importantly, The Artful Bead's staff is experienced & able to answer all of your beading questions. There are two Artful Bead locations - 5304 Trail Lake Drive in Fort Worth, Texas; 2501 N. Josey Lane, Suite 116, in Carrollton, Texas.

The Artful Bead also offers a wide array of workshops & classes ranging from jewelry making techniques to silver soldering 101. If you aren't already a subscriber of their newsletter, I suggest you sign up regardless of where you live because they always provide helpful information for those who make jewelry. For example, they recently shared The 411 on Clasps, an amazingly creative & helpful guide to the what/where/when of clasps, from For The Makers.

Another great way to stay connected is to follow The Artful Bead's Facebook pages - one for each location, Fort Worth and Carrolton. If you plan on attending Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience, be sure to visit The Artful Bead's booths (#201 & #202) where they will be offering tons of beads & other jewelry making supplies, as well as doing various demos. You never know what the creative gals are going to surprise us with, but we can guarantee it's never disappointing!!!

Help Save BUST Magazine!


BUST Magazine is facing some serious financial challenges & needs our help in getting 2,000 new subscribers, stat. As an independently published magazine, you can imagine the difficulties BUST faces in the current economic situation. Learn more about this publication in one of my recent features and get your own (or a gift) subscription here.

GIVEAWAY: A Bag for All Reasons

Lisa Lam, author of the bestselling book titled The Bag Making Bible, has recently published A Bag for All Reasons. This outstanding collection of 12 inspiring bags includes Lisa’s personable teaching style and detailed technique images along with patterns and instructions for 12 new bags and totes for every occasion. Full sized pull-out patterns allow you to get to work immediately on the bag of your choice.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book for review & I can tell you first-hand that it is beautifully made. I love that it's spiral bound allowing the book to lay flat when open to various pages. The book opens with an introduction to basic equipment, the ins & outs of a sewing machine, a how-to on using patterns, and an overview of fabric types. These sections allow beginners to enjoy the book just as much as advanced crafters. I had the opportunity to ask Lisa a few questions & her responses are below.

The book features:
12 new projects with full pull-out patterns
Full-color step-by-step images for each technique and each project
Lay-flat spiral binding
Tips and techniques including choosing fabric, attaching
zippers and snaps, and more
Extras including pattern legend, suppliers list, online resources

FREE PROJECT: Click here to download the FREE Compact Groceries Tote project and templates from A Bag for All Reasons.

DISCOUNT OFFERS:
Save 33% on all Lisa Lam products in the Martha Pullen
online shop with coupon code “BAGS2012”.

Save 30% at Store.Martha Pullen. Expires 11/30/2012.

Free Shipping No Minimum Order at Store.Martha Pullen.
Use coupon code MPSHIP during checkout.

A Bag for All Reasons; Make Fabulous Fabric Bags for Every Occasion

1. Please give us a short background description of yourself. I was born (errr…nearly 40 years ago) in Poole on the beautiful South Coast of England. I’m educated in all sorts of things because when I was younger I couldn’t make my mind up as to what I wanted to do for a career. So I’m a trained chef, I have a Psych degree, I can hand-make women’s shoes, I have successfully run two other businesses…and there are yet more different jobs to add to my mixed up work history, but to date U-Handbag, book writing and pattern designing are my very favourite jobs and I’ll continue to work at them until I can work no more! What do I do apart from crafting? Well at the moment I have no time for crafting because I am very busy looking after my new baby girl. She’s totally awesome; she has such a yummy smile and easy-going nature. I know she’s going to be a fab crafting buddy.

2. What inspired you to write A Bag for All Reasons? Well after my first book, The Bag Making Bible (which was a very technique driven book), I wanted to write a book that more showcased my designs. In my work I always love to try to do something different. So in my research for my second book I checked out other bag making books and decided that a lot of them were (how do I say this?) not modern enough for my taste. I also saw that none of the bag making books grouped their bags by usefulness, rather they focused on seasons, or eras for example. To me, function is just as important as form and this influences all of the design work that I do. If I can’t design something that is practical as well as pretty, then it probably won’t leave the drawing board. That is why when it comes to bags I’m obsessed with pockets, roominess, structure, volume, adjustable wing-dings and the like. I think if you are going to go the trouble of making your own bag, it’s good if it is practical, that way you’ll enjoy A LOT of use from it. Also your bag should be designed to withstand the rigours of busy college/family/mom/work/etc. life! Hence A Bag for All Reasons is full of bags designed for use in real-life situations by all members of the family.

3. What is your absolute favorite project from the book? Ohh, I’d have to say ‘The Fashionista Baby Bag (with matching changing mat, page 92)’. It might be my fave because I’m now a mom myself, or it could be that the bag was designed around what design features my Facebook fans said I should include in the bag. I also love the Too Cool for School Satchel (page 70). The design is totally influenced by the tough (and quite rigid) traditional leather school satchels, but I had fun figuring out how to realise the design in soft fabric. I think the results look pretty cool and whimsical.

4. Any other craft books or projects for us to look forward to in the near future? Ohh yes there are…I can’t write a full-blown craft book at the moment because it’s a labour of love that is very labour intensive. I’m enjoying being a new mum right now, but there are some very exciting future plans on the horizon for when my daughter is a little older. All I can say is that I will at some point resume designing, writing and maybe filming more DVDs, there are a few more surprises planned as well, but I have to keep shushhh about them for now. Whilst I enjoy this precious time with my girl I’m blessed that folks still want more of my designs and my publisher still wants to work with me.

5. What does handmade mean to you? It’s no exaggeration to say that handmade is my life. I love to start from scratch in lots of things I do; from cooking to crafting; from DIY to making up funny songs for my baby. Handmade is not only the action of making something yourself, it’s the attitude behind it. When you take time out to make something yourself, you are making many positive statements to you and those around you. You are saying things like: I enjoy the challenge, I love someone enough to give them something that I made myself, I have pride in my skills (and/or I am enjoying learning how to improve those skills), I don’t always want to accept what is available in the shops, I want to make history by passing my handmade skill or handmade item down my family generations. I could on and on! Handmade is so positive and at the same time nutritious! It influences much of my life and the decisions I make. It’s fair to say that without handmade I wouldn’t be the person I am today & my life would be very dull without it!

*** GIVEAWAY - Closed- Congrats Gill! ***

PRIZE: One lucky winner will receive a copy of Lisa Lam's book A Bag for All Reasons!

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post noting an occasion you most need a bag for.

ADDITIONAL ENTERY: Like Lisa Lam's U-Bag on Facebook, then leave a comment on this post noting you have done so.

ENDS: 9pm CST, Wednesday, October 24th.

Event Sponsor: BUST Magazine

Established in 1993, BUST Magazine provides an uncensored view on the female experience while telling the truth about women's lives & presenting a female perspective on pop culture. Pictured here is the latest issue featuring Parks and Recreation actress Aubrey Plaza on the cover. Each issue includes coverage of indie musicians, fashion, and interesting recipes and DIYs. This issue covers DIY Halloween masks, herbal cold remedies, and awesome autumn tacos. The swag bags we will be giving away at our upcoming event, Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience, will include a copy of this issue!

BUST

BUST also hosts craft fairs throughout the year, such as the upcoming Holiday Craftacular & Food Fair. The event will be held December 1st and 2nd in Soho, New York and will feature:
• 2 days to sell during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.
• A beautiful event space at 82 Mercer Street,
located in the heart of SoHo (foot traffic galore!).
• More than 200 crafters and food artisans --
any and all handmade crafts and specialty foods are welcome.
• More food vendors inside, as well as food trucks outside.

Thousands of dedicated holiday shoppers attend this annual event for the best indie vendors, groovy DJs, raffle prizes, demos, and free goodie bags for early bird attendees. Don't miss your chance to participate! The application deadline is October 26, 2012. For more information on promoting your product or service at the BUST Magazine Craftacular and Food Fair Holiday 2012, contact Emily Andrews at emily.andrews@bust.com or Bridgette Miller at bridgette@bust.com.


For a limited time, the BUST Boobtique is having its biggest sale ever!
Click here to see all the goods that are marked down 40%!!!

GIVEAWAY: Unrepeatables

Self-professed nail polish fiend Erin Sheehy-Norton is the creative force behind Unrepeatables. She describes her jewelry designs as unpredictable and witty, two things we strongly value at Funky Finds! Erin creates one of a kind nail polish jewelry, collage pendants, and wearable beaded art. Both her website and her Etsy shop showcase her unique AND sparkly accessories.

The nail polish jewelry is hand-painted using nail polish under glass. I purchased a red & silver ring from Erin at the Funky Finds Spring Fling in March and always receive compliments on it! The look is very similar to this pink & silver ring  (pictured below) that is SUPER funky.

Erin, an Austin, Texas, resident will be participating in many art & craft shows this fall. This month, she will be selling at Market at Snack Bar in Austin, a five-day outdoor market. You can also find her work at The Art Garage in Austin on October 27th. In November, Unrepeatables will be participating in The Girlie Show in Oklahoma City and Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience in Fort Worth! If you are unable to shop at one of these events, don't worry. You can shop online!

*** GIVEAWAY - Closed - Congrats Dawn! ***

PRIZE: A pair of skull and crossbones nail polish heart rings ($30 value). These hearts are 35mm across, both are Zoya glitters (one in Nova, the other in Astra) and are paired with a China Glaze crackle called Cracked Concrete.

TO ENTER: Like Unrepeatables on Facebook, then leave a comment on this post noting you have done so.

EXTRA ENTRY: Visit Unrepeatables website or Etsy shop & leave a comment noting your favorite item.

ENDS: 9pm CST, Wednesday, October 17.