Tag Archives: craft

got swag?

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ok, now that my most recent writing deadline is behind me (quick tip: check out the shondes my dear one, sharon jones + the dap kings new one, and the mynabirds for some kickass new tunes – all new releases due to hit the streets in the next few months), back to the business of art + craft.

last night, the new orleans craft mafia had our monthly meeting and we spent a lot of time talking about our co-sponsorship and participation of the upcoming alternative media expo. as a co-sponsor, one of the things we do for the AME is put together the swag bags that are given out FREE to the first 100 paid attendees. for those of you who don’t understand what a swag bag is, it’s basically a bag of freebies: product samples (cds, earrings, zines, etc.), promotional goodies (like stickers, buttons, keychains, etc. with company logos on them), or even coupons – all from local (and even some national!) indie businesses and/or non-profits. we provide a fashionable tote bag of some sort with our logo on it (which is great to use year-round for groceries and other shopping!), and then fill it with all the fun stuff mentioned above that we accumulate from our wide-reaching call for swag.

and so, speaking of which, i’m here today to reiterate that call for swag. i’m going to just cut and paste what mallory of miss malaprop wrote for us, below, but please, if you are a local indie biz or even an artist, band/musician, etc. that would like some free targeted promotion, consider contributing to our swag bags for the lucky AME attendees. last year, i made 100 tiny pieces of cardboard stencil art, stamped with my website address, as my contribution… and i’ll be doing the same thing again this year, i think. (either that or making my own DIY stickers to include – haven’t decided yet.) so if i can HAND MAKE something promotional to include, surely you can come up with a button, sticker, pen, magnet or even just print out a coupon for your biz. it’s not that hard and it’s a great opportunity to reach folks that actually support and spend their money on indie and local businesses. do it. do it now.

alternative media expo

The New Orleans Craft Mafia is proud to once again sponsor the Alternative Media Expo, presented by Antigravity Magazine.  The Alternative Media Expo ‘10 is scheduled for Saturday, April 17th from noon-6pm at the warehouse in the Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA), and will feature tons of exhibitors with comics, ‘zines, fashion, crafts, music, film, design, community activism and much more!

Admission is $5, and the first 100 paid attendees through the doors will receive swag bags courtesy of the New Orleans Craft Mafia: a reusable shopping bag filled with freebies and product samples from various indie businesses. These bags present a great opportunity to get the word out about your business, band, or organization. Vendors exhibiting at the Expo are also highly encouraged to participate in the swag bags and leave a lasting impression on visitors.

Get the word out to this diverse group of customers who seek to support independent businesses by including your product samples in these swag bags. Product samples may include, but are not limited to: CD/DVD samplers, comics and magazines, small jewelry or accessory samples, t-shirts, blank notecards or stationery, sample size soaps or cosmetics, gift cards, or other small samples of your products. If you choose to send in samples, we ask that you send a minimum of 25 samples.

Some swag suggestions include, but are not limited to: coupons, stickers, buttons, magnets, pens, etc. We ask that you do send actual swag items and not just promotional materials such as business cards or flyers. You may attach business cards, etc., to any donated swag, of course. (If we receive ONLY business cards or fliers from you, they will NOT be included in the swag bags.) If you are interested in sending in swag material, we ask that you send in the full amount of 100 items.

The deadline for sending in swag & samples is Wednesday, April 7, 2010. Items may be sent to:

New Orleans Craft Mafia swag bags
c/o Kerry Fitts
P.O. Box 791922
New Orleans, Louisiana 70179-1922

Those interested in dropping off samples and swag locally in New Orleans may bring them by UP/ Unique Products at 2038 Magazine Street during regular business hours (Monday-Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday noon-5pm). Please make sure your items are marked as being for the New Orleans Craft Mafia / Alternative Media expo swag bags.

For more information on contributing to the swag bags, please email mallory [!AT] neworleanscraftmafia.com

lots going on.

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it was a busy weekend.

first things first: can i just say how relieved and happy i am that susan guidry won the city council district a race against jay batt? i am THRILLED! makes me proud to live in a district that has some common sense. (yes, i know only 13,000 of them voted, but thank god those that did chose guidry almost 2-1.) now if we can just get rid of david vitter….

yeah you right!

one of my newest stencil signs

saturday was of course the freret market and also one of the most gorgeous spring days ever. the market was very busy and i got to see lots of friends and acquaintances i haven’t seen for weeks or months. i felt like i had finally come out of winter hibernation. sales weren’t all that great – though i did sell a ton of $5 clearance t-shirts, so that was good – but i had a lovely time hanging out with my friend rachelle and just generally enjoyed being outdoors in such beautiful weather.

also, my friend kerry had organized free cholesterol/glucose/blood pressure screenings for all the vendors by touro, in memory of regular freret market vendor rudy rowell, who so tragically died on his way home from the december freret market in a car accident after suffering a heart attack. i’d never had my cholesterol checked, and i’m relieved to report that all my readings were within the acceptable levels. some were close, so i shouldn’t be too cavalier, but i was expecting worse. my blood glucose, also good. my blood pressure, however, was high, which is strange for me, as my entire life i’ve always had low blood pressure. but it could have just been because i waited to get mine checked until i was done setting up and i had been physically exerting myself. and also, i don’t like the sight of blood, which they had to take for the glucose and cholesterol readings. so i’ll keep tabs on it. but it was a really awesome service for the vendors, many of whom are artists who don’t have health insurance, like me, and don’t have regular access to health care. i’m really grateful.

after the market and a quick trip home to unload my stuff, i went to the big easy rollergirls season opening doubleheader. wow, was it crowded out there at uno! i’ve never seen the parking lot so overflowing. i hear they sold out (1200+), which is a helluva way to start the season! both bouts were really riveting, too. BERG’s b-team, the crescent wenches, beat huntsville handily, but the a-team/travel team lost to northwest arkansas. they were neck and neck at halftime and pretty much halfway through the 2nd period, but then they lost steam and the killbillies pulled ahead. it was still really fun to watch, though, and the pussyfooters, rolling elvii and 610 stompers kept everyone entertained in between the action. i love the roller derby!

last night’s oscar’s also deserve a brief mention, namely that kathryn bigelow and “the hurt locker” won for not only best picture, but more remarkably, for best director. it’s the first time a woman has won that category in the 82-year history of the awards, and only the fourth time a woman had been nominated for it. what a great way to celebrate international women’s day today, right? (i was not amused, however, that the oscar’s orchestra played helen reddy’s “i am woman” after she accepted the award – seemed a bit cheesy if not downright condescending.)

today i will work on my next music column, which is already late (again) – there was no way last week to get any writing done with fae sick as a dog and neither of us sleeping properly. and cross your fingers for me, will ya, that i get a focus group gig i’m trying for. it’d be nice to be able to pay my bills this month without so much stress.

more later when i take a break.

ah, springtime…

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yes, i know it’s 46 degrees & blustery out today. mother nature certainly is fucking with us this year. but i can tell it’s almost springtime because things are starting to get really busy, and my calendar is filling up with markets and other fun events for the next several months.

spring!

(i also saw this on my walk yesterday, proof that it is indeed almost spring – or at least the flowers think so!)

yesterday was a busy day. not only did i start my day by resuming my daily walking routine, but i also: got a nice little etsy order in from one of my favorite customers (thanks van!); i donated a scooter clock to the big easy weekender scooter rally, therefore becoming a sponsor of the event (hopefully this year i can actually partake of some of it, now that our scooter is up and running again); and i finally got a fabric order in so i can make some new scarves. (look for some of my scarf designs and clocks to be carried by miss malaprop in her new online store that will debut soon.)

oh, and i registered for the top of the hops beer festival in mandeville on march 20th, which looks to be a wonderful new festival themed around craft beer. have i mentioned how much i like beer? especially craft beer. lately, heiner brau has become my new favorite, brewed right across the lake in covington. they will be there. as will abita, my other favorite beer. and, well, 100+ other breweries, from microbrews to big names. and so far, my new orleans craft mafia mates greenKangaroo, sweet olive soap works, kristina renee jewelry and also friends defend new orleans are some of the other vendors. i think it’s gonna be a blast. i can’t wait.

but first on the agenda is this weekend’s freret market. it’s my first market back since the christmas holidays – if you don’t count the nocm’s mardi gras market which was indoors on magazine street – and is my favorite of all the monthly neighborhood art/flea markets around town. the weather report looks like it will be a gorgeous, sunny and not-so-cold day, thank goddess. i’m happy to be getting back into the swing of things. (and directly after the market, the big easy rollergirls host their season opener out at uno, a doubleheader taking on teams from huntsville, alabama and fayetteville, arkansas. and then sunday is the oscar’s! see what i mean about things stacking up?)

i know i’ve not been terribly consistent blogging for the past two months, but i suspect things will pick up at least for the next few months. so check back often, or use one of the buttons in the upper right of my homepage to subscribe to this blog either by email or a feed reader. stay tuned!

paint the town black & gold

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since the whole who dat controversy got resolved (whew! and, oh yeah, f dat, nfl!) earlier this week, saints mania in new orleans has been simmering on, say, a medium flame. not that it ever went away or anything – there’s still been nothing but saints coverage on the tv and radio channels, and most folks i know have carefully planned their wardrobe to sport different black and gold outfits every day of the week – but ya know, it’s been the beginning of the work week and folks are trying to get stuff done before giving in to all the madness this weekend. so it’s been a bit of the calm before the storm.

but today i think we hit that magical point of no return – the saints-in-the-superbowl frenzy has started its climb to absolute fever pitch, which, i imagine, will be reached somewhere between saturday night and sunday evening when the game starts. until, of course, after the game, when we win. then the lid gets completely blown off this sucker!

i generally gauge these things by my online orders, which stepped up again today after a little lull. the day after the saints won the nfc championship (and for a few days after), i sold more than usual of my black and gold items in my etsy shop. and today, it started up again. several orders this morning, and a few others pending. good thing i made four more who dat signs earlier in the week when the weather was good, and printed up some more skull de lis shirts today. and add to that the fact that i’ve been in three football-saints-superbowl related etsy treasuries in the past two days. (i hardly ever make it into any treasuries.)

so yeah. turning up the flame, indeed. which makes sense, since it’s thursday and almost the weekend. i hope the sales continue, cuz this little spurt couldn’t come at a better time for me, financially.

i’ve had a busy work week. my big project was turning four salvaged-out-of-the-trash vintage ice cream parlor chairs (above) into cute gold-with-black-fleur-de-lis chairs, perfect for someone’s superbowl party somewhere. (or wouldn’t these look great in some cute boutique or restaurant?) it was a lot of work, as they had been spray painted flat black by their previous owner (not a good choice for all metal chairs that are probably destined to be outdoor furniture), and painting the twisted metal chair backs and legs of these things was a fun challenge. but i think they turned out beautifully after a few coats of lacquer. they are currently listed on craigslist, so hopefully they will find a new owner soon. please feel free to pass the craigslist link around to your friends or anyone you think might be interested.

meanwhile, we are having a mayoral election on saturday, lest it be forgotten amidst all the football craziness. still being broke, i have sadly not been able to make any contributions to my candidate’s campaign, but if you are less financially strapped and care one iota about the future of this city – even if you don’t live here – please consider making a donation to him in this homestretch time. he could really use it. all i’ve managed to accomplish on his behalf is a lot of tweeting and posting on facebook, and this homemade yard sign:

figured i’d stick with the black and gold theme, instead of traditional campaign blue and white, cuz really, who’s gonna read anything but black and gold on a sign this week? i figured it was the best chance of having anyone notice it. wish i would have gotten around to making more of them, but i never could find a good supply of illegal business signs to appropriate. so yeah, don’t forget to VOTE on saturday if you are registered in orleans parish.

tonight is the last televised mayoral debate. tomorrow, the mardi gras parades begin. fae is in a parade on the west bank on saturday morning (with the big easy rollergirls). a good friend from college will be in town saturday afternoon through monday, and i’d like to get a chance to hang out with him. there’s a saints superbowl second line and pep rally going on in the french market on saturday afternoon. and then there’s all the pre-game hysteria on sunday. i fully imagine there will be people tailgating downtown, even though the game isn’t being played here. i kinda want to ride around and see the sights sunday morning/early afternoon. and then my tribe starts to assemble over at ponce de leon stadium around 3pm. it’s non-stop from here on out, people.

so just enjoy it all. savor these moments, cuz it surely is a magical time here. i still can’t believe it – the saints are in the superbowl!

stay tuned for more reports from the black and gold city.

who dat!!!

#defendwhodat, indeed

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who dat signswow, i bet the nfl didn’t realize what a can of woop-ass it was opening up, sending fleurty girl and storyville those cease & desist letters?

for my part, i’m here to tell ya, i’m going to keep making my little salvaged-wood-with-bottlecaps “who dat!” signs as long as people keep buying ’em. and if the nfl comes-a-knockin’, they can have their 10% of the 7 or 8 of these signs i’ve sold since i started making them at the beginning of the season. really. i can probably come up with the change.

but i think it’s all bullshit. they can and i’m sure have copyrighted and/or trademarked their saints’ specific stuff, like their particular fleur de lis, especially when used in conjunction with black and gold colors. and that’s legit. but unless someone is blatantly ripping off the very particular nfl-created saints merch – which i’m sure plenty of those stupid fucking t-shirt shops in the french quarter and in the french market are doing – then there shouldn’t be a problem.

“who dat” is not something the saints team says; it’s something the FANS say. and the nfl doesn’t own the fans. they know damn well it wouldn’t hold up in court, but they also know damn well that little guys (gals) like lauren thom (fleurty girl) can’t afford a big legal battle, so they feel comfortable going after her. but she’s smart, milking this for all the pr she can get, and rallying the who dat nation to her side. if the nfl chooses to go forward with this, they will have a pr nightmare on their hands, and be accused of dampening the spirits of the city who just got their groove back due to their team making it to the superbowl.

really, nfl, is this how you want it to play out? i really don’t think you do. but i guess we’ll see.

**in doing a simple trademark search via the us trademarks and patents office, i don’t see the nfl listed anywhere as having any claim to the term “who dat.” i see a few others listed, as pertains to specific products or usages of the term, but i don’t see the nfl listed.

update: this statement by the monistere brothers, the actual trademark holders of the term “who dat,” via their company who dat inc., was posted this evening. seems like this clears things up.

geaux saints!

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wow, it’s hard to even think today, what with all the excitement about the saints game on sunday. my twitter and facebook feeds are afire with who-dat fever and the mainstream media are flooding the interwebs with football-related headlines, trying to outdo each other.

so it seems like a good time for some shameless plugging of my own little bits of saints-inspired craftiness, in case you’ve forgotten:

my skull de lis shirt

yes, i still have a bunch of these tees left. all sizes from small up to 2xl in mens/unisex. they are on gildan 4.5oz ringspun cotton, which fit somewhere in between the boxiness of a standard hanes or fruit of the loom type tee and the form-fittingness of an american apparel tee. great for game day, i tell ya! (i was wearing mine last week when we won, and will be wearing it again on sunday!)

my who dat sign

or maybe you need a little who dat! decor for the house, a little good luck juju for the boys in black and gold? i still have a couple of these signs left, too.

black and gold fleur de lis clock

black and gold skull de lis clock

and of course, there’s always an abundance of black and gold new orleans-themed recycled lp clocks, too, if you’d like some year-round decor. it’s always black and gold time!

for all of the above, click on the pic to order, or get in touch to arrange for pick-up/delivery.

geaux saints! black and gold superbowl!!!