June Craft a Long Winner goes...

TO THE BIRDS this month! LOL :) Congratulations Wendy to her and her flamingos for winning with this fabulous bag!!

Please check out Wendy and all her awesomeness over at Splendiferous Fiber!!
Congrats!!

Voting Error...Darn Technology..

Soooo apparently Google polls had too much for dinner and took the night off...since our polls won't work, we'll have to do this the old fashioned way! Please vote for this contest by commenting on the ORIGINAL BLOG POST FOUND HERE with your choice! 

I apologize for this problem and promise this computer will not self destruct...

Thanks!
~~Amy

New Orleans Craft Mafia Celebrates Our 5th Birthday on Thursday, June 24!

Cinco de Craft Mafioso – New Orleans Craft Mafia’s 5th Birthday Party Fiesta!
Thursday, June 24, 6pm – 10pm
The Factory, 8314 Oak Street, New Orleans

The New Orleans Craft Mafia is celebrating its first 5 years of bringing crafty alternatives to the Crescent City with a birthday bash on Thursday, June 24. The event, dubbed “Cinco de Craft Mafioso”, will take place from 6pm – 10pm at The Factory, a new crafty workspace at 8314 Oak Street, which will begin teaching screen-printing classes on July 7.

Cinco de Craft Mafioso is a celebration of all things crafty. The event is free and open to all ages, and will feature free craft workshops, including t-shirt recycling and screen-printing. Bring your old t-shirts in and revamp them – we’ll show you how to breathe new life into your old tees!

The event will also feature a crafty marketplace with handmade goods by members of the New Orleans Craft Mafia, as well as music and snacks. Be sure to stop by for free beer (while it lasts!) and get there early because the first 20 guests will receive a free New Orleans Craft Mafia tote bag filled with handmade goodies!

Please RSVP on Facebook and share the link with your friends!

Member Artisan Feature: Ditsy Gypsy

Have you ever found yourself rushing through the airport and you were stopped in your tracks but a really cool, one-of-a kind suitcase? Not yet? That may soon change.

Meet Susan, creator/owner of Ditsy Gypsy. Susan has been transforming vintage suitcases into works of art by paining and decoupage for the past year or so.

Although new to suitcase venture, she is not an art newbie. She says, “There's a joke amongst my family that I was born with a paintbrush in one hand and a pencil in the other. I guess it's just in my blood...my father's an artist, too.”

Susan finds inspiration everywhere. “I've been inspired by a commercial on television, a bird flying overhead, a light bulb, an icon...the potential for art is everywhere,” she explains. Among her favorite creations is a lotus bag that she secretly wished she could keep for herself.

When asked why she loves the work she does, she replied, “It's the chocolate for my soul. It helps me relax, and it makes me feel good.”

The mother of seven, Susan’s biggest challenge is finding the time to create.

Her words of wisdom for other artists:

"Art = Individuality. Don't ever be afraid to assert your individuality!”

Susan’s connection to Louisiana began early. She grew up here and is raising her family here. “There are things that I'd like to see different, but there's a beauty here you can't find anywhere else,” Susan reminds us.

To learn more about Susan and her work, visit her online shops:

On Etsy: http://www.ditsygypsy.etsy.com/
On Artfire: http://www.artfire.com/users/DitsyGypsy
On Craftisart: http://www.craftisart.com/ditsygypsy

You can also find Susan on the following sites:
http://www.facebook.com/theditsygypsy (personal)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bossier-City-LA/Ditsy-Gypsy/191380784469 (fan page)
http://twitter.com/DitsyGypsy
http://www.myspace.com/artsymama5
http://ditsygypsy.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ditsygypsy
http://s878.photobucket.com/home/DitsyGypsy

NOTE:  a portion of the proceeds from Susan's robot bag (pictured above) will benefit the Gulf Oil Spill Cleanup.    To learn more, visit the Handmade Louisiana page on Etsy:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/handmadelouisiana

Time to Vote in the June Craft a Long!!

PLEASE VOTE by listing your fave in the comments section! You may vote more than once!

This month's theme was "Summer Fun!" Let's see what the Handmade Louisiana members have cooked up this month!

~~~~

1.

Watermelon Ponytails by Mama's Little Monkeys

Enjoy a slice of summer with this set of 2 fabric button ponytail holders in a cute watermelon print! www.mamaslittlemonkeys.com

2.

Tropic Earrings by Etco

Beautiful AAA Deep Butterscotch Yellow Chalcedony Briolettes wire wrapped in Antique Brass. Hang from Antique Brass earwires. http://www.etco.etsy.com

3.

Summer Bees by Chloe Boutique

Cute little antiqued bronze bee charms dangle below faceted citrine rondelle beads accented with Bali silver daisy spacers and Swarovski crystals in topaz. http://www.etsy.com/shop/wildlifer78

4.

Oyster Shell Clock, Beach Treasures from Art on the Half Shell

Hand-crafted wall clock featuring an oyster shell and assorted seashells set like the hours around an ocean hued dinner plate. The center is sanded with real beach sand, accented with tiny shells and sea glass like treasures left by waves and the retreating tide. www.ArtOnTheHalfShell.net

5.

Vacation Memories from Spanish Moss

 6.

Composting Canister by Hurricane Pottery

A good summer activity for parents and kids. While you teach the children how to help get dinner ready, don't forget to teach them how to compost. Save your plant scraps in a canister for composting ; then you'll have some nice rich nutrients to feed your garden plants.

7.

Patriotic Beach Bag by Stitches in Cotton

Show your American spirit sporting this bag at the beach or pool this summer.

8.

Red Baby Shoes, Mary Jane Look a Like by GarSticksandStrings

Those newborn summer dresses are just the cutest and these would make a great accecsory to make any baby girl all the more cuter! Find here: www.garsticksandstring.etsy.com

 9.

On the Beach Chain and Charm Necklace by FunckyWhimsy

A chain and charm necklace

10.

Summer Chenille from Magnolia's Boutique

Cute summer 2 piece sunsuit made from a vintage chenille bedspread.

11. 

Summer Rose Garden Soap by Herbfriend

A very moisturizing soap reminiscent of a summer rose garden. Rose petals, organically grown, were harvested, dried & infused in organic olive oil

 12.

Funky Flamingo Mini Purse by SplendiferousFiber

Pink flamingo goes glam! Beaded and sequined pink flamingo adorns a pink satin bag with bead and ribbon trim. Perfect for those times when you only need a small bag. 4.75 x 7.25 inches with 30 inch handbraided strap. Fully lined. 

 So let's vote gang!! The poll will be on the left sidebar!! :)

~~~Amy

Handmade Louisiana North Chapter Meeting

Woo hoo! We held our first Chapter meeting this past Sunday at 3 pm in the community room of my apartment complex. I live in a small housing unit for the disabled and we all appreciate the manager, Jarcelet Harris, letting us use the facilities. Mary (in the middle) of Vivys Closet, makes whimiscal children's clothes and painted rocking chairs, she brought a sample of a girl's blue print outfit that was adorable. Amanda Daniel, of Chloe Boutique, handcrafts gorgeous artisan jewelry, and brought a wonderful sampling of her work. Christy Wilson, (to the left) of Embellished Bayou, handpaints frames and tins, offers handcrafted soaps by her mother, and makes custom designs. She brought a cute ruffled t shirt and an adorable handpainted door hanger. And there was me, Jackie Sample (in green dress), of 2 Virgos Designs, an avid soaper and bath and beauty products. I specialize in hand milled soap, Medieval Fantasies soaps, and dog themed soaps. While there were only the 4 of us this time, we found a lot to talk about.

One thing discussed was the possaiblity of sharing a booth at an upcoming (October 23 & 24) Bossier City Shop Till You Drop Arts, Crafts, & Gift Show. I am applying for grant to fully pay for the booth, a stupendous value since it runs around $200. I think it will be a great way to get Handmade Louisiana's name out there and be a wonderful Team event. I will be applying this month, anyone who is interested should contact me at tygerhart@suddenlink.net ASAP and let me know as a list of vendors associated with the booth must be submitted to the show's hostess. All we will have to do is bring our stuff and sell!

We also talked about rotating locations for HML North meetings to give others a chance to host a meeting and to make it convenient for all. Any suggestions or if someone wants to host a meeting please email me or post on the board. We would like to plan on holding meetings every quarter.

Oil Spill Updates

To say this is an oil spill is like saying chocolate is good....it's a total understatement. This is not an oil SPILL...it is an oil GUSHER shooting out countless gallons of oil towards our coastline!

Now, I am a political person but let's leave that out of the equation for just a second...let's not talk boycotts, right/left, drill or no drill, etc for just a bit. There is a time and place for that, but for right now I want to emphasize the magnitude of this problem.

Full disclosure---- I'm a fan of oil. I enjoy driving my car, heating/cooling my home and having all the conveniences of life that oil permits me. However, I am not a fan of oil rushing towards my beloved coast line, coating the feathers of pelicans, killing fish and essentially smothering the local economy around me.

That, my friends, sucks.

Handmade Louisiana wants to help with the oil spill cleanup and catastrophe down here. We have decided to join together as a team and donate the profits of our items to an organization that will help clean up this mess--literally! We are still discussing what organization we want to donate the money to but we're getting our shop all set up in the mean time! Go ahead and bookmark us, www.handmadelouisiana.etsy.com because we're going to have some awesome stuff in this shop! ALL profits will benefit the cleanup surrounding the oil spill.

Member and friend, Mallory of MissMalaprop has been updating the best she can in her blog and I encourage you to read it, including the comments.

We can argue politics later, but right now, let's put our thinking caps on and figure out how we can help this situation. Perhaps you CAN put on your rubber boots and get down and dirty and help clean animals..or maybe you can just donate a few dollars to the clean up efforts. Or maybe you can simply purchase some local seafood from a local fisherman who's livelihood depends on the gusher being contained.

Our coast is an important part of our lives down here and as Hurricane season fast approaches, we need to get ready to buckle down and take care of what is rightly ours.

Let us know if you have any other links, sites, resources to help with the oil spill.

~~Amy