Screw your Facebook event invite. The rock poster is alive and kicking here in D.C., and poster maker and Crafty Bastards veteran, Anthony Dihle wants you to know about it.

Civilian Art Projects is presents its second exhibition of music-based posters following last summer’s Screams & Screens exhibition of artists from across the country. PAPER JAM: The Art and Grime of the East Coast Rock Poster includes the works of 27 artists from the East Coast. The exhibition will open to the public on Friday, June 12, 2009 and will be on view through June 27, 2009. Public exhibition hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 12 to 6 p.m. There will be an opening reception for the artists on Friday, June 12, 2009 from 7pm to 9pm.

James Heimer

Paper Jam features a cross-section of artists, designers, and printmakers who make music posters. The exhibition is limited to East Coast postermakers, ranging from New Jersey to Virginia, and is intended to shine the spotlight on what is going on here, in our own backyard, in a world increasingly de-emphasizing local focus. Organized by artist Anthony Dihle, the exhibition stages the most fun, interesting, and experimental work from the area.

Ana Benaroya

According to Dihle, “both well-established and newly emerging artists are featured. Their methods of production range from high-end offset lithography to silkscreen to Xerox, and their styles are equally varied, from the rock poster standbys of skulls-n-babes to experimentation where text and form are pushed to convey music using symbols and abstraction. Bands represented extend from internationally known acts to garage bands making their debut show. Most of the work is home-brewed, by the artist, and merges the illustration of sound and lyrics with the requisite need for a poster to simultaneously advertise a show and commemorate it.”

Triggered largely by a renewed interest in live music and analog sound, the recent revival of poster art is being made possible by the availability of imaging software, adaptability of silkscreen to at-home methods, and a burgeoning community of postermakers who share ideas, resources, viewing spaces, and markets for their prints.

Artists in Paper Jam include, Ana Benaroya, Jordan Bernier, Rick Bowman, Chris Cernoch, Kate Crosgrove, Anthony Dihle (Dirty Pictures), Jefferey Everett (El Jefe Design), JP Flexner, John Foster (Bad People Good Things), Jeff Fry, Tim Gibbon (Dynamite Printworks), James Heimer, Adam Juresko, Edward Kelley, Daniel Kent, Chris Kline, Nick Kulp (Undercover Zero), Large Mammal, Robb Leef, Drew Liverman, Magick Outlaw, Nick Pimentel (Planaria Design), Gregory Pizzoli, Post Typography, Brian Potash (Devilish Ink), Public Domain, and Warm.

Tim Gibbon

There is a really great gallery of the work presented at this show over at the Civilian Art Projects web site.

I am always amazed by something that Heidi Kenney is making, but when I checked in at her blog yesterday, I found something that kinda blew me away. Take a look.

It is Luke in the dead Tauntaun from Star Wars. She writes that this piece is for a show later this summer called Stitch Wars .

Is it just me, or doesn’t this piece need blood? I guess that is kinda what I like about it. I think it is interesting that she leaves the blood out.

Check out Heidi’s blog for more photos of this amazing piece.

Debbie and Kim at Handmade Mart are having a Vendor/Volunteer Party at the Pyramid Atlantic Store (924 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring) on May 21 (this Thursday) from 7 pm to 9 pm where you’ll get to mingle with cool, crafty folks, have a drink, sign up for shifts, tour the event site, get more info, and (THE FUN PART) screenprint your very own Handmade Mart tee shirt! The design will be printed with red ink, so bring a light-colored shirt for the best results.

If you interested in volunteering, you can totally show up to this event. If not, be sure to check out the Handmade Mart on May 31st from 10am to 5pm in Downtown Silver Spring. Many many Crafty Bastards veterans will be on hand.

Applications for Crafty Bastards 2009 are now being accepted. The deadline to apply for booth space is July 5, 2009.  Get more info and submit your Crafty Bastards application here.

There is a $10 non-refundable application fee. The jury will review and score all completed entries on various criteria from design and craftsmanship to saleability and alternative subject matter.  Applicants will be notified of their status by July 20th.  If accepted, the booth fee is $120 and will be due July 31st.  The vendor list will be announced in August.  Crafty Bastards will take place Saturday, October 3rd from 10am-5pm.

In the past we have received between 300 and 400 applications for the 100+ spots available at the show.  Vendors from previous years are not given special consideration or guaranteed a space at this years’ show. All applicants are strongly encouraged to submit clear images and descriptive work statements.  Tina posted some craft show application tips here and here.

Questions?  Send them to craftybastards@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Crafty Bastards 2009 planning is underway and vendor applications will be availble soon!  Please forgive the outdated info on the site.  We are working to get everything updated.  A couple notes about Crafty Bastards 2009.

There will not be a Crafty Bastards show in Silver Spring, MD in June. However, the folks at Pyramid Atlantic have paired up with Party Hat Rodeo (aka Kimberly Dorn) and 60Bugs (aka Debbie Lee) to produce the first ever Handmade Mart in Silver Spring.  Vendor applications are being accepted through April 30th.  Read more here.

The fall showing of Crafty Bastards is scheduled for Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 from 10am-5pm in Washington, DC.  For 2009, the City Paper has joined forces with Hello Craft and promises another awesome showing of handmade goods you won’t find anywhere else in the area.

Applications for Crafty Bastards 2009 will be online soon!  We will announce when applications are ready on the blog and to the Crafty Bastards email list.  Stay tuned so you don’t miss out!

Now’s the time to show your favorite local crafter how much you dig them by nominating them for Best Local Crafter in the Best of DC Readers’ Poll. Or if the Best Local Crafter is YOU, then by all means, nominate yourself. When you are done, you can use the widgets provided on the page to promote yourself on Facebook, Twitter, all over the internets. It is super fun.

Plus, there are dozens of other categories to cast your vote in. So get to it!

I know you know the mall is for losers. So don’t do it. Don’t even take one step into that big ugly store and buy something that no one wants. Instead, make the pledge that so many of us are making to shop local and handmade. But how? Can it be easy to gather all of your holiday goodies this way? You better believe it is. Between shopping handmade marketplaces online like Etsy and via our own Crafty Bastards Vendor Gallery and the scores of local craft shows in the next few weeks, we’ve got you covered.

For the completely curated experience, look no further than the Crafty Bastards Vendor Gallery. Each crafter’s listing links you directly to their Web site or online shop so that you can pick up all of the goodies that you missed at this year’s fair. It will be easy for you to purchace from many locals either directly from their Web sites or at one of the many holiday shows going on in the area. Goshdarnknit’s shop is completely stocked with all manner of fantastic handprinted notebooks.

And Crafty Bastard, Daisy Lacy’s creations can be found at her store, Smash! in Adams Morgan or at the Craft Mutiny Holiday Booty Market (see a list of shows below).

The place to be on Black Friday and Cyber Monday is Etsy.com where there are over 200,000 sellers. If you wanna narrow that down a little to people who live in your area, use the Shop Local function to search for sellers. Here, I’ve done the ‘Washington, D.C.’ search for you!

Two local Etsy Street teams are doing interesting things with their groups for the holiday shopping season. Several members of the Baltimore Etsy Street Team will be donating money from the sale of the their items to the Maryland Food Bank. This is a great way to not only shop local and handmade, but also give back to the community. You can see the list of participating shops on their blog, Baltimorecraft.com.

The Capital Region Etsy Street Team (CREST) is hosting a promotion for Cyber Monday. Several of the members have contributed to a gift box and blog viewers can simply post a comment to the blog and be entered in a random drawing to recieve one of the gifts. A complete list of discounts and gift box items can be found on the CREST blog. The items in the gift box aren’t just promos, either. They include a a cold forged sterling silver chain by DC artist Mary Ellen Doran (retail value $40) and a fabric wallet or credit card holder from Bette’s Bags. You can also find items made by CREST members on Etsy by searching the tags/titles for “etsycrestteam”.

If you want to shop in person on Friday, alive in the real world, DEKKA (1338 U Street NW, 2nd Floor) will be open from 9AM to 9PM on Black Friday. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get pieces from local artists at great discounts! There will be margaritas and appetizers from 11 am to 9pm. In fact the entire Mid City alliance of U Street shops will be celebrating with sales and special events. Go mama go! (1809 14th Street) is offering 20% off for shoppers in their pajamas and PULP (1803 14th Street) will give 10% off all holiday single and boxed cards. Check out the entire Mid City Black Friday list of participating stores.

Buying from the crafters in person in December will also be easy with tons of holiday markets and shows to check out.

12/6, Craft Mutiny Holiday Booty Market, Washington, D.C.
Start your holiday shopping off right, by buying handmade from the 20 coolest indie crafters in Washington, D.C. There will be snacks and music and free goodie bags to the first 100 shoppers! This cozy little show is at Hilda’s in the National City Christian Church on Thomas Circle from 12-6pm. The vendor list is an impressive gathering of D.C. notables and includes De*Nada Design, Kristina Bilonick and El Jefe Design.

12/7, Creative Alliance Merry Mart, Baltimore, MD
No manic mall madness necessary! Do your holiday shopping at The Patterson from 11am-5pm! 35 + handpicked artists sell some the best of Baltimore-made items. Gorgeous turned vessels, elegant jewelry, whimsical stuffed critters, origami lights, felt applique, hand knits, housemade soaps, wacky fly swatters, photos in jars, totally cool totes, and mucho more. More info.

12/7, SquidFire’s 2008 Winter Art Mart, Baltimore, MD
Join Squidfire and many other vendors at the Lyric Opera House (110 West Mount Royal Avenue – Baltimore, MD 21201) on Sunday December 7, 12-6:30pm. Check out the vendor list on their Web site.

12/13, Craft Mutiny Holiday Trunk Show, Washington, D.C.
Get your last minute indie holiday shopping done with Washington, D.C.’s favorite indie craft collective Craft Mutiny, at Design Within Reach Georgetown (3307 Cady’s Alley N.W.) on Saturday, December 13th from 10am-5pm. Buy handmade goods and meet local crafters at this one-day event, hosted at Design Within Reach Georgetown. One-of-a-kind goods for sale include clothing, stationary, prints, jewelry, handspun yarn, plush items and more. The list of vendors includes John Wye, Jaime Zollars, and 60 Bugs.

12/14, DC Rollergirls HOLIDAY BASH & CRAFT SALE
Join the DC Rollergirls on Sunday December 14th from 6pm – 10pm at the Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H Street NE, Washington, DC 20002) for their Holiday Bash and Craft sale.

12/21 Black Cat Rock-n-Shop, Washington, D.C.
Hunting for that perfect holiday gift? Looking to augment your hardcore collection with some essential records? Searching for the perfect T-shirt? Stop right there, my friend! Rock-n-Shop is where it’s all at. This twice-yearly junk sale offers more than the standard fare…for one thing, it’s not all junk.

Tina Seamonster also blogs and podcasts over at Hello Craft.com. That leaves little time for shopping.

The holiday season might have crept up on YOU, but local craft show organizers have been hard at work setting up so many shows in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas. Every weekend between now and the end of the year you will be able to go and buy local and handmade. Crafty Bastards veterans can be found at all of these events so mark your calenders!

11/15, Holiday Heap, Baltimore MD
Holiday Heap is an indie craft fair featuring a jury-selected group of more than 50 of the country’s most renegade crafters, selling their own handmade jewelry, screenprinted apparel, stuffed toys, cermaics, knitwear, paper goods and so much more! Come this Saturday (November 15th) to St. John’s Church at 2640 St. Paul Street from 10am - 5pm for Holiday Heap. For more info, check out their Web site.

11/28-29, Bazaart American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore MD
A Holiday Marketplace of original creations by 50 regional artists and craftspeople. Painting, sculpture, papercrafts, metalwork, jewelry, textiles, mixed media, and other work that simply defies categorization. FREE ENTRY. American Visionary Art Museum, Jim Rouse Visionary Center 3rd Floor. More info.

12/6, Craft Mutiny Holiday Booty Market, Washington, D.C.
Start your holiday shopping off right, by buying handmade from the 20 coolest indie crafters in Washington, D.C. There will be snacks and music and free goodie bags to the first 100 shoppers! This cozy little show is at Hilda’s in the National City Christian Church on Thomas Circle from 12-6pm. This event is sponsored by Dekka and Chipotle. List of vendors coming soon at their Web site.

12/7, Creative Alliance Merry Mart, Baltimore, MD
No manic mall madness necessary! Do your holiday shopping at The Patterson from 11am-5pm! 35 + handpicked artists sell some the best of Baltimore-made items. Gorgeous turned vessels, elegant jewelry, whimsical stuffed critters, origami lights, felt applique, hand knits, housemade soaps, wacky fly swatters, photos in jars, totally cool totes, and mucho more. More info.

12/7, SquidFire’s 2008 Winter Art Mart, Baltimore, MD
Join Squidfire and many other vendors at the Lyric Opera House (110 West Mount Royal Avenue – Baltimore, MD 21201) on Sunday December 7, 12-6:30pm. Check out the vendor list on their Web site.

12/13, Craft Mutiny Holiday Trunk Show, Washington, D.C.
Get your last minute indie holiday shopping done with Washington, D.C.’s favorite indie craft collective Craft Mutiny, at Design Within Reach Georgetown (3307 Cady’s Alley N.W.) on Saturday, December 13th from 10am-5pm. Buy handmade goods and meet local crafters at this one-day event, hosted at the slickest home store in D.C. One-of-a-kind goods for sale include clothing, stationary, prints, jewelry, handspun yarn, plush items and more. List of vendors coming soon at their Web site.

12/14, BEST Trunk Show Double Dutch Boutique, Baltimore MD
More info coming soon!

12/21 Black Cat Rock-n-Shop, Washington, D.C.
Hunting for that perfect holiday gift? Looking to augment your hardcore collection with some essential records? Searching for the perfect T-shirt? Stop right there, my friend! Rock-n-Shop is where it’s all at. This twice-yearly junk sale offers more than the standard fare…for one thing, it’s not all junk. To reserve a space please contact Maegan.

> Top of the post image is of Scandinavian Reindeer - Set of 6 Gocco Printed Holiday Cards by papermenagerie.

Tina Seamonster’s new podcast, Hello Craft, is collecting your stories of making and buying handmade. That was a plug.

Rocks and Salt give their hats real people names, and it’s only fitting as their hats exude personalities of their own. At the Crafty Bastards Festival (tomorrow!), Rocks and Salt will be showcasing their stylin aviator design. Ladies and gentlemen, acquaint yourself with … Amelia!

1. Is there a specific product that you will be selling at the fair that you would like to talk about?

Amelia. That’s our aviator style hat. We’re making it in some really fun wools with furry or sweater lined earflaps.

2. Does this product have an origin story? Did the idea come to you in a dream or through a portal or other strange way?

We like to ride our bikes all winter long and it gets COLD and WINDY. So we designed Amelia to keep our delicate ears happy and warm.

3. What famous personality (alive or dead, real or imagined) would most likely be found wearing/holding/admiring this product? Why?

Amelia Earhart!

4. Convince me that this piece should be one of only 3 things I could take with me to a deserted island!

If that deserted island is in Greenland, you definitely want this hat. Then you can be warm and alone in style.

It seems that the most elusive thing to new crafters or “dabblers” is how to create a product line. How do you go from the early phases of making stuff to give to your friends as gifts to making stuff that you want to sell (and that people want to buy!)?

Here, I put this question to Annie of Imogene, a jeweler who uses mostly sterling silver and traditional metal fabrication techniques to create simple and lovely pieces.

Annie says:

I went to university for jewelry and metalsmithing, but when I graduated, I discovered that I didn’t know how to market these skills or where exactly to go with it. Shortly after school ended, I was offered a job as an assistant to a jeweler. I turned this down because the pay was dismal and offered no health benefits on top of that. Instead I worked as a legal secretary. By the time I left my cubicle, I was earning almost three times what I would have earned as an assistant to this jeweler AND I received health benefits. While working at the law firm, I opened up a little online boutique representing indie designers. I guess this was my own way of keeping craft in my life. I began to sell my own jewelry creations in the store alongside the other work that I carried just to “see what would happen.” I also participated in craft shows as the boutique. I then realized that my work was as marketable as the work of the artists I carried in the shop! The income from my day job and craft shows allowed me to expand my jewelry line and eventually quit my day job. I’ve been selling my work now for about four years and have been self-employed for a little over one year. Now I carry only my jewelry line in the boutique.

My advice to everyone is to believe in yourself, your vision, and your product. You have to push forward with no fear. I’ve been rejected to many shows (even Crafty Bastards!), I’ve encountered criticism, skepticism, you name it, but you just have to pick yourself up and move forward. Constantly work to improve and innovate.

Annie’s comments about fear are really valuable. When asked this same question myself recently, I answered that the real failure is the fear. Many new crafters are afraid of failure and the truth is that as long as you are making something that you are not failing, you are learning and getting closer to your goals.

You can check out Annie’s lovely jewelry at Booth #119 this Sunday, September 28th from 10am-5pm at the Marie Reed Learning Center in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC.