On Your Mark ... Get Set ... Go!

Not Your Mama's Craft Market is HOURS away!  Are you ready?  Here are some pieces of information to make sure you are ready for tomorrow!  Please be sure to share this info with your friends!

 

Please be sure not to park in the grass around the Houston House!

Youth from Marysville First United Methodist Church will be selling lunch as a fundraiser for their summer mission trips!  And all raffle proceeds go to Stowe Mission in Columbus.

See you tomorrow!!!!

Shop Local!

When I discovered Etsy 6 years ago, I was done for.  It was over.  I spent days searching through different "homemade" creations, marveling at all of them, and I decided never to buy a mass-produced product again.  Ha.  That didn't happen.  But what did happen was this - I realized there was a world beyond the type of shopping I did at the mall or at Target.  In fact, there was a world that better described my style and helped me to feel like I could express myself without wearing or carrying the same thing as every person around me.

Etsy helped me to see that unique style expressed through creativity was a great thing.  But I thought to myself, "Surely, there aren't people like that in my town.  I've never seen that type of creative work in Marysville, or Central Ohio before."  Boy, was I wrong!  While I love Etsy and other websites like it, I get an even bigger thrill out of buying something from a person in our own community.  Creativity doesn't just in exist in LA or artsy towns in North Carolina - it is blossoming all around us!

Not Your Mama's Craft Market is the perfect way to support local vendors who are passionate about sharing their creativity.  There are going to be 25+ vendors at the craft market on Saturday.  Behind each of those products is a real person who has taken her creative impulses, formed them into something beautiful, and decided to share her creations with the world.  She's not just an internet shop, but a real person with a face - who is from Ohio!  Not only are you supporting homemade gifts, but you're shopping local as well - supporting the people in our community who are working hard to share their creativity with the world.  Who wouldn't want a piece of that?!

Over the past weeks, I have been delighted to sit in front of the computer, open up my email, and see beautiful pictures of personalized products birthed out of creativity.  I've loved learning about what inspires each of our eight featured vendors.  I'm even more excited to know there are 17+ other faces who will be sharing their products with us at the craft market.  Some of your favorite familiar products will also be available at the craft market.  The only items that are not homemade will be favorites sold from 31 Gifts, Pampered Chef, and Origami Owl - all three of these are typically home party shops, but you will have the opportunity to browse their selections and support wonderful vendors who have committed to the market because they believe in these products.

Shopping locally isn't just good for the heart, but it's good for the economy too. The Plain City Advocate talked about this very issue in an interview with the UC Chamber of Commerce:

 “For every $100 we spend at locally-owned businesses, $68 stays right here in Union County, helping businesses grow, purchase services, pay their employees and add jobs so local residents have more money to spend and recirculate through our economy. It’s that easy — just shop local.”

What else do you need to hear?  Join us Saturday from 9-3 and meet great people, see the faces of creativity around us, and support Union County!  See you at the Houston House (264 W. 5th St.) with valet parking, activities for kids, Santa Claus, and lots more fun!

For more information, go to Not Your Mama's Craft Market on Facebook!

Meet the Vendor: Alisha Owens

Tell us about you, where your from and what you do.
I am a full-time wife to a hard working farmer and mama to my beautiful twin daughters. Born and raised in Marysville, we now live on my husbands family farm in Raymond, with 4 generations of Owens' on the same farm (pretty cool stuff!)

What got you started in your crafting business?
I learned to sew when I was 4. My mother, who passed away when I was 6, managed to pass on enough of her infinite wisdom that I was inspired to teach myself the ins and outs. She is always in my heart encouraging me to challenge myself and express my creativity in new ways! With two little girls of my own, it was only natural for me to start sewing fun things for them. Making things for others too is a fun way for me to express my creativity and bring in a little extra income for our family.

Who was your biggest influence?
My mother, definitely. Now...my girls are my inspiration and keep me going!

What is your creative process?
I'm constantly scouting out current styles (in stores, on etsy and pinterest) and thinking how I could reinvent or "fix em up"  I like to make adorable things that make a mama's (or grandma's or daddies) heart melt when they seem the on their little ones! I also like to make fun fresh things for mama's - anyone who is a mom knows that our appearance normally takes a back seat to our kids. A fun, stylish, practical accessory is good for the soul (especially if it's affordable!)

What can we expect to see from you?
I'll have my Winter/Holiday line for the little ones , as as well as winter hats and ear warmers for the whole family!

Why do you want to be here?
As a busy mom, my life is devoted to my family. Doing a show is a chance for me to do something for me. I meet amazing people, get to spend a day with talented crafters and hopefully make someone's heart smile knowing that they've found the perfect thing for someone special in their life!

Meet the Vendor: Katy Sanford

Tell us about you, where your from and what you do.

My name is Katy Sanford and I'm an interior designer and artist from West Liberty Ohio. My husband and I moved to Marysville 7 years ago after we graduated from Bowling Green State University. We have a 5 year old son, and a 3 year old daughter that are little artists in the making.

 My parents were extremely supportive while I was growing up and allowed me to experiment and paint just about everything in the house! A lot of my early creations are still on the walls!
What got you started in your crafting business? 
I have worked as a desiner and painter for the last 10 years and it has slowly developed as a way for me to stay connected with my self while raising my kids. Most of my business started out by creating something for myself, someone seeing it and then getting hired to make more! 

Who was your biggest influence?

My biggest influence is definitley my mom. She has a very creative soul and on some level understands my need to paint. Every artist is inspired by other artists. It doesn't matter to me what medium you use, if there is passion behind it, I am inspired. 
 
What is your creative process?

I sketch a lot. I fill them up pretty fast and keep them on the shelf as reference books when finished.I will be inspired by color combinations I see or a certain image in a magazine possibly and then feel a need to draw for a few days. I am a pretty impulsvie person so if I see something I want to sketch, I drop everything to do it. My kids are huge fans of this! (ha!) 

What can we expect from you for this show?

I have recently gotten into flea markets and auctions and fallen in love with old windows. I painted one for my living room, fell in love with it and decided to create more. I do a lot of furniture re-purposing. One of my favorite styles of art is taking something old and breathing new life into it, making others see it differently. I wanted to add a contemporary twist to vintage items.
Why do you want to be here?
I really want to show others that I am always reinventing myself. Just when something starts to work, I change it up and create a new challenge. I really want to see what my peers are doing as well and draw inspiration from them.

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Don't forget that Not Your Mama's Craft Market is only FIVE days away!  Are you sharing this event with your family and friends?  Find easy ways to share at www.facebook.com/notyourmamascraftmarket

Meet the Vendor: Sweet Day Bakery!

Tell us about you, where you’re from and what you do.
Hello! I am Jen… wife to my high school sweet heart and mommy to our 3 sweet kids… ages 8, 5 and almost 1. I am primarily wife and mom, but I am also owner of Sweet Day Bakery and Little Bean Embroidery… so I keep pretty busy! I grew up in Northwest Ohio, and we have lived in Hilliard now for almost 10 years. We love central Ohio!

What got you started in your business?
I started making decorated sugar cookies about 4 years ago… then started getting requests to make them… then opened up an in-home bakery almost 2 years ago… and just recently started traveling with the bakery!

How do you stay connected with fans?
I don’t have a business blog (and my personal blog has fallen to the wayside…) but I do keep my Sweet Day Bakery facebook page pretty active! I share my cookie designs, new cupcake flavors, events we will be traveling to (and pop-up locations), some fun sweet facts every now and then, and other random info (like we just got Sweet Day t-shirts)!

What can we expect to see from you?
Well, the first thing you will notice is my cute little vintage camper that I sell out of (She's my 4th baby.) But the sweets are the best part... I will be bringing homemade hand decorated sugar cookies and cupcakes!! And I will have our new Sweet Day Bakery t-shirts with me as well.

Why do you want to be here?
I want to share my sweet goodies with all of you, and see your smiling faces!! I love to support local and it’s so exciting being a part of the homemade small business movement that is all the rage right now! I am honored to be part of this amazing group of talented crafters!

Meet the Vendor: Carrie Schaefer

Tell us about yourself. 

I am a Mommy of 3 beautiful little girls and wife to a really good man. We raise our little family in Plain City, a small rural community in central Ohio. 

How did you get into crafting? 

I come from a family of truly gifted artisans and craftswomen. The women on my Mother's side of the family have been prolific crafters my whole life and most likely their whole lives. Needless to say, I've been making things with my hands since I was a young girl. 

When I was about 10, my dream was to own my own craft store. Specifically, a macrame' shop. (Macrame' was very hip and cool in the mid 70's.)  Picture an old book store with lots of built-in, floor-to-ceiling hard wood bookshelves.  I would carry every type of macrame' yarn and bead in every color imaginable. I remember it like it was yesterday.

After I got married, I started my own custom slipcover business.  There was a very high demand for slipcovers and very few people making them.  Let me just say that I was BUSY!  Too busy as we were starting our young family.  I put that business aside when I was pregnant with my second child.  A few years ago, when my youngest was about 4, I started sewing again.  Mostyly little things here and there as gifts.  My friends and family seemed to really like the bags that I was making and prodded me toward trying to sell them at local craft fairs and shops.  I heeded their advice and Petal Handmade Handbags was born.  And now, here I am.... with my own little craft store of sorts. Not a macrame' shop but I put my whole heart into it just the same.

What can we expect from you at the craft market?

I personally design and make every bag that I sell.  I use only excellent quality materials when constructing my handbags.  Most of the fabrics I use are designer fabrics from artists such as Amy Butler, from Granville, Ohio, Joel Dewberry, Anna Maria Horner and Pat Bravo.  I will be offering many new designs at Not Your Mama's Craft Market and lots of smaller stocking stuffer items.  Of course, I will have lots of my most popular designs as well.

 What inspires you?

I find inspiration in many places.  I often find inspiration while shopping.  I love retail window displays.  Sometimes the creativity blows me away.  I am also inspired by color and pattern.  A simple geometric pattern has been known to inspire a new bag design.  More than anything else though, I am inspired by the people in my life.  I love to sit back and watch how people interact with one another.  A conversation with a good friend about trying to grocery shop with their toddler in tow can be inspirational to me.

Why do you want to be a part of this market?

Being surrounded by creative people is exactly why I am so excited for Not Your Mama's Craft Market.  I can't wait to spend a whole day with people who have a passion for creating unique items and others who appreciate the talent, workmanship and time that these artisans put into each piece they create.  I know I will leave this market feeling creatively fulfilled and inspired - perfect timing for the impending holiday season!  Hope to see you all there as well!

Stowe Mission: This Year's Charity Raffle

photo credit: stowemission.org

 This year’s raffle will be helping out those who most need it most during the holiday season; the poor and homeless in central Ohio. All of the proceeds from the raffle at the Not Your Mama’s Craft Market will go to Stowe Mission. 

Stowe Mission has been serving the south side of Columbus for 30 years. The goal at Stowe is to be more than a temporary band-aid to the generational problems of poverty and homelessness in the community that they serve. They want to fill the hole in people’s lives, not just with a warm meal or coat, but with the love of community and Christ, and equip those same people by asking not only “how can we help you?”, but more importantly, “how can we love you?” and, “how can we get you to the point where you no longer need our help, and you’re now helping us serve others?”

Stowe serves a free lunch five days a week (with over 100,000 meals last year alone) and the numbers are increasing every month. Stowe has a free dental and eye clinic where people wait in line for over 5 hours to receive care. They have a chapel with Sunday school and Bible studies; and a deal is in the works to become an emergency shelter for the homeless due to the overflowing shelters in central Ohio. Sadly, the fastest growing homeless population in the US is children. The economy may be turning around for the middle and upper class, but the poor have always been the first hit in a recession and the last to recover.  These are real people, with spouses and children, with real needs, who want to get out of the rut they have found themselves in. We can honestly make a grass roots change in people’s lives by giving to an organization that has the priority of changing lives.
Please help those who truly need it.

The raffle prizes will consist of three baskets that are filled to the brim with products donated from every single vendor in the market. That’s over six quality handmade goods per basket! At a dollar a ticket, that’s what you call a deal!

To preview the Market please like our Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/NotYourMamasCraftMarket

(Psstt - Like us on Facebook, and share the craft market poster from November 5 in order to be entered for 20 FREE raffle tickets!)

Don't forget to come see us in person for your chance to win on Nov. 24th 2012 from 9-3 at the historic Houston House 264 W. Fifth St. - Marysville, Ohio 43040

And to learn more about Stowe and volunteer information see their webpage:  http://www.stowemission.org/

Meet the Vendor: Amy Davis

Tell us about yourself.

Amy Michelle--that's my name.  I guess all of my titles could probably fall into these categories: Stay-at-home mama and wife.  Worship leader at our church. Owner and Creator of Creating Dandelions. But most importantly, Daughter of the King. 

What got you started in your crafting business?

In the last couple of years, my desire to create has really skyrocketed. It was only after much persuading from loved ones and a final leap of faith that I started Creating Dandelions--a place to sell all of my creations. 

Tell us about your blog.

My blog- Sugarpumkin--is my little corner of the Internet world where I share random tidbits and lots of photos of my life. This encompasses all things from my love for Jesus, my love for my husband, daughter, and son (coming in January!), ways we try to be kind to the earth, recipes of some of our favorite foods, and a feature I call "Friday Highs", with the aim of recognizing the small moments in our day that are beautiful. Quite frankly, my blog is about whatever I chose to write about. But it can pretty much be summarized as life. *grin*

What can we expect to see from you at the market?

I have high hopes for bringing everything listed here, but my priorities as a wife and mom always come first. :) Here are the items I'm planning to bring:

The Denae Doll (pictured above)

Stuffed Owls 

Embellished clothing for Babies and Kids

Extra Large Swaddle blankets 

Why do you want to be here?

I am thrilled at the thought of a show like this being held in Marysville Ohio. I want to be a part of this because I want to show my support to the world of local and handmade goods.

And of course, I'm hoping to provide our town with some unique and fun gifts for the holidays!

Thanks Amy!  November 24 is getting close - are you all spreading the word about Not Your Mama's Craft Market?