My friend, Ross (okay, he is a Twitter friend, sorry), asked me to help him find some cool pillows for his new office’s sofa. I know Ross is a big geek, so I immediately figured this would be a fun challenge.

Let’s geek Ross’ sofa!

There’s nothing better than an Abe Lincoln head. This one is hand-silkscreened and hand-sewn by Big Stone Head. $20.

Let’s sit on breakfast! This set of egg, bacon and toast is made from Eco-Felt (100% recycled Plastic bottles!). $80 for the set, these are made by Diffraction Fiber in Chicago. They also make these the Ctrl – Alt – Del three pillow set for $58. Light gray pillows look as if they’ve jumped right off your keyboard.

Not sure how I feel about this Bearded Lady hand silk screened cotton canvas throw pillow, but it is different. By Utilitarian Franchise for $60. They have a whole collection of odd ones, actually.

And of course, the zombie pillow by Cipolla, $50.

One more!

While not really made as a pillow, I really want some of these Severed Yeti Heads by aquakoala ($85) for my sofa!

Thanks for the challenge, Ross! Send us photos of what you get!

I told you the indie craft holiday show applications were all coming. This week saw the applications for both Bazaar Bizarres Boston and San Francisco go up.

The 2009 Boston Bazaar Bizarre will take place on December 6th at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Cyclorama. The fair will be open to the public from Noon until 7pm, with an Early Bird Shopping Hour from 11am until Noon.

For the 2009 Bazaar Bizarre, they are only accepting applications for the main room at the Cyclorama. We have space for just 80 vendors, so the competition will be tough. The other sections of the Cyclorama will be used for a variety of other fun activities. The fee for the 2009 Boston Bazaar Bizarre is $200. 80 vendors will be chosen from all applications received. Every application will be reviewed by Bazaar Bizarre organizers, then subjected to an anonymous jury. Applicants are judged on quality and originality. At least 75% of their vendors will be local vendors, representing all of New England. At least 20% of their vendors will be new to the Bazaar Bizarre. Applications will be live until 5pm on Wednesday, September 9, 2009. Apply online today! Or get more information on their web site.

Bazaar Bizarre San Francisco is now accepting applications for the 2009 Holiday Show.

Where and When Is This Event?
This is a two-day event being held the following weekend: Saturday December 12th 2009 12:00 PM – 6:00PM and Sunday December 13th 2009 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM at the San Francisco County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

More information:

• Applications are open from August 10th – Sept 21st 2009

• Notifications will be sent out Sept 30th 2009
• We require applicants to pay their vendor fee at time of application. If your application should be declined we will refund you your vendor fee ($240).
• Bazaar Bizarre wants to support handmade crafters, small business owners and emerging artists in the indie craft community.
• Applicants may apply for a shared booth space. BUT You may NOT share/sell/trade your space after acceptance. These spaces are non-transferable.
• Upon acceptance there are no refunds

For More Information and to Apply Proceed To This Page: http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/sanfrancisco/application/index.html

Sometime last year, a friend of mine sent me a link to the Craftastrophe blog because I was on it! They said that my zombies closely resembled Gary Busey. At first I was upset, but then decided that if someone could make fun of me and make me laugh at the same time, I was down with that. Since then, I check Craftastrophe everyday to see stuff like this:

I won’t even try to explain, I’ll let the folks at Craftastrophe do that. Seriously, if you love seeing failed, funny or just weird projects, Craftastrophe is a good bet.

The holiday applications seem to be going up every single day, so stay tuned here because I have them all! Personally, I haven’t even started on my Craftland application yet!

Art vs. Craft Round 9 will take place on Saturday, November 28, 2009 in Milwaukee, WI. Applications are due August 24, 2009. The application is online, here. Check out photos of their past events, here.

Art vs. Craft has a reputation for showcasing new and innovative work from the Midwest and beyond. They are looking for quality handmade goods that push the boundaries of what you would find at a traditional art or craft fair. They are open to all mediums of work.

I got the best email today. Get this. It is already time to start thinking about the holidays. This doesn’t make me sad. This makes me happy, excited. And one of the best things about the holidays for me is Craftland.

Applications are now being accepted for the 8th Annual Craftland, a contemporary craft show located in a retail space in downtown Providence, Rhode Island featuring an eclectic assortment of fine crafts and cutting-edge, quirky handmade items. The sale will take place for the entire month of December.

The application period is August 1-31, 2009. Applicants will be notified by September 15th. Apply online now!

Questions about the application process or Craftland? Click here.

Beer! Crafts! Blue glowing gnomes for sale! – What could be better?

Come to Jackie’s Yard Sale this Saturday night, at Jackie’s Backroom (part of Jackie’s Restaurant), in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Co-owner Jackie Greenbaum has invited some crafters including Crafty Bastards Director, Kimberly Dorn, City Paper staffer Christine Ernest, jeweler extraordinaire Mary Ellen Doran, and a host of others to sell their wares at this one-night sale and party which will benefit the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center.

Jackie will also be selling cool bar stuff such as plates, furniture, stemware, and other odds & ends from both the Quarry House Tavern and Jackie’s Restaurant. The party/sale runs from 5 to 11 p.m.

Jackie’s Yard and Craft Sale
When: This Saturday, 7/25, 5pm-11pm
Where: Jackie’s Backroom (8081 Georgia Avenue, enter on Sligo Ave.)
More info: Check out Tim Carman’s Young & Hungry Blog post

Each week, the Hello Craft Podcast collects stories of making and buying handmade.

In this week’s episode, Beth Baldwin finds herself stitching the words ‘thug life’.

Click here to download the episode (right-click and choose “save as” on PC, or control-click and choose “save as” on Mac)

You can check out Beth’s shop online at http://www.tigerflight.etsy.com. Check out a gallery of the Mortal Plush show.

Take a field trip with Hello Craft! Kelly and Kasey, sisters and co-owners of Biggs and Featherbelle, will be welcoming you to their studio on August 22nd. Come and learn how they create health conscious body care products such as bar soaps, bath soaks, lip balms, and scrubs using handmade methods.

The three hour tour will include several product making demonstrations from start to finish, focusing on cold process soap techniques, and an overview on the daily workings of a small craft-based business.

There will also be a hands-on craft project in which everyone will create their very own body scrub!

Before and after the tour, you can take the time to explore the independent shops that make up the Hampden Avenue. There are two sessions to pick from. The first at 10 a.m., the second at 2 p.m. A 6 p.m. happy hour will round out the day.

There is no bus provided for this trip, but Hello Craft will be helping to organize car pools.

Biggs and Featherbelle Tour
Date: Saturday, August 22
Times: Pick from two sessions.
First session: 10 a.m. or Second session: 2 p.m.
Where: Factory in Hamden, Baltimore
Cost: $30/person.
Hurry! There is a 15-person limit per session.

Register Now!

Check out Something’s Hiding in Here’s amazing loft which is their work and living space in Philadelphia. This is just one of the fun artist profiles on Etsy.com’s YouTube channel. The There’s No Place like Here series is a great way to see where your favorite crafters work and live.

The original Storque post is here.

The DC Arts Center Wall Mountables show is a really great way to show (and sell!) your art. This year’s show has been announced.

July 17 – August 30
Installation: July 15 from 3-8pm, July 16 from 3-8pm, July 17 from 3-6pm
Opening Reception: July 17, 7-9pm
Deinstallation: September 2 – 6, 2-7pm

Check out their web site for complete rules and regulations for this show.