Update for 2010

We hope everyone is ready for Christmas with it being only a day away (how did it get here so fast?!) I know I'm not and my last minute shopping is to be done tomorrow morning. I am hoping to miss the traffic but I think tomorrow will be crazy everywhere!

I thought it was time to give everyone an update as to what is happening between now and next year with Love Handmade. Alana and I have decided to have our first market in February instead of January because we want to have the extra time to work out a few kinks and re-look at our advertising strategies! We have got some exciting ideas which we are already working hard on and we are working on getting extra tables so that we can utilse the covered area out the back of the venue. Designing of our February flyer is already underway and we hope to have that finished early January.

We have also just started a mailing list which you can find on the right hand side of the blog. We will be creating a newsletter every two months, which will include news about local crafters, updates on Love Handmade, and anything else we think may interest crafters and the craft lovers of Auckland. So make sure you sign up - our first one will be sent out late Jan 2010.

We have a busy Christmas break ahead of us but it will all be worth it in the end - both for us and for you! So until 2010 - I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday! =)

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Rhiannon
xxx

Christmas Market 09

It was such a beautiful day - sun shining through and lots of chatting and catch-ups to be had. It was a lot quieter than we had expected, despite the large amount of money we had spent on advertising, but it didn't seem to dampen the festivities =)

Check out some of our talented crafters who were at the December market.

Alana and I have been brainstorming on how to market the market (as such) for 2010 and after a pleasant “business meeting” accompanied by a coffee in the sun today, we have some great ideas that we are going to start working on today. So make sure you keep checking back for exciting updates!

Have a Merry Christmas and a great New Year everyone and see you in 2010! =D

Rhiannon

xxxx

A snug Christmas...

Christmas can be a hard time for people on a tight budget and our lovely friend Jessica from Bam Bam Creative has done a wonderful post on her "Penny In My Purse" blog about how to survive on minimal money. Make sure you have a read - it has definitely given me a few ideas on how to save some money this year!

Penny In My Purse: A snug Christmas...

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Rhiannon
xxx

December Flyer

After a lot of playing around we have managed to finish our wonderful Christmas flyer. Take a wee look =)

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Rhiannon
xxx

Made & Sold - book review

I like books.

A lot.

And I particularly like pretty books.

So when our lovely friends at Gordon Harris asked if we’d like to take a gander at a book they got in recently… well, let’s just say I didn’t need my arm twisted…

Made & Sold is a very pretty, glossy book showcasing a wide variety of projects

(one of the only things I like more than books is projects!).

This book shares a philosophy with Love Handmade – that quirky objects and shiny things are much more fun if it’s clear that someone really enjoyed making them…

It’s an eclectic celebration of glorious and eccentric art. Inside are over FIVE HUNDRED exciting graphic projects – covering buttons, t-shirts, plushies, jewellery, vinyl toys, canvases, flipbooks, crockery, and even paper craft taxidermy.

(…and OMG! Bags!)

With 1000 pictures crammed into 240 pages, it’s perfect for inspiring new ways to market your ‘brand’ and a great way to shake yourself out of a creative slump.

(I WANT that Cernunnos pendant…)

Made & Sold is available at Gordon Harris.

Alana
xox

Christmas Love Handmade - 19th Dec

Due to a last minute change of date, as we didn't want to clash with another well loved market, we have extended our applications until next Monday (23rd Nov). Make sure you don't miss out on the next Love Handmade - it's set to be a festive one! The market will now be held on:

Saturday 19th December

10am to 1pm

The Rose Centre, Belmont (Takapuna)

With a light and bright venue, a park next door for kids, a great coffee shop within walking distance and Devonport right down the road - you don't want to miss out on what is going to be a great day!
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Rhiannon
xxx

Photo's of the first market...

Take a peek at the first Love Handmade Craft market - the first of many to come

Piper and her little stall - Piperoni!

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Rhiannon & Alana
xxx

The First Market

The first market has already been and gone but we are very happy with how it went! Definitely a learning curve for us but we have some great ideas for the December market on the 12th. It's only going to get bigger and bigger =D
We want to, once again, give a big thanks to all our vendors and everyone who came! It was a great day (and the weather was quite nice to us!)  **photo's to come soon!**

We are already in busy mode getting the December market organised! Applications close tomorrow afternoon so be in quick. Don't miss out on the last Love Handmade market for the year!

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Rhiannon
xxx

The first market is tomorrow!

The first ever Love Handmade Craft market is tomorrow and Alana and I have just got back from setting up the tables- it looks great! The Rose Centre is in such a nice location and surrounded by lots of grass. Fingers crossed for some nice weather tomorrow.

It feels like only a few weeks ago that we were talking about the idea of starting a market and now it’s here. We are ridiculously excited to see our hard work and late nights of working come to life! We have got a total of 22 amazing crafters who will be selling their creations.

Something else that is making us giddy with excitement is that we will have a photographer arriving to take photos for a magazine that is distributed all around the North Shore. We will have a double page feature in the December edition.

So make sure you come along and check us out. There are plenty of café’s in the area to grab a nice coffee and plenty of parking too.

We hope to see you all there!
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Rhiannon
xxx

Love Handmade Progress

I thought that it is about time to let everyone know what is going on with Love Handmade. Alana and I have been working around the clock to get as much done as possible to ensure a great outcome for the first market. Here is some of our advertising:

• Our listing on Eventfinder.co.nz has had just under 14,000 views (wow!!)
• We have had an advertisement in the local Coffee News (Takapuna/Devonport) and a few in the Auckland CBD Coffee News for over a month.
• We have a listing in the November edition of Shore Mix Magazine which is a free publication distributed to over 200+ cafes, retail outlets, ferry buildings and bars in the Takapnua, Devonport, Birkenhead and Milford area. Love Handmade will also have a double page spread in the December issue, and there will be a photographer there on the day to take photos for this feature. (Exciting!!)
• Podgypanda (a.k.a Richard Kuoch) had flyers on his table at the Auckland Armageddon which had around 40,000 people through over the three days - so thanks Richard =)

It is set to be an amazing day, with some amazing crafters! So be sure to come along and take part in the launch. There will be something there for everyone.

>> December Applications open this Saturday so be in quick for the Christmas Market <<

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Rhiannon
xxx

Gordon Harris Raffle Pack

We would like to give a huge thanks to our wonderful friends at Gordon Harris who have sponsored an incredible pack of goodies to raffle off at our first craft market. Tickets will be $2.00 each and could win you $200 worth of Cristina Re’s designer paper craft materials.
The pack includes:
- 40 of her designer papers. Ranging from plain to elegant to beautiful, you will be able to find a use for all of these papers no matter what your favourite kind of crafting is.
- A copy of her newest book “Paper Styles” which has step by step instructions for the most beautiful wedding stationery. You can apply these techniques to any part of your life though. It’s a 176 pages, fabric bound hardcover book that has stunning pictures and great tips and techniques as well as templates to use.
- A copy of the “Printstation CD 3” which is an interactive software package that includes templates that you can edit and change the way you want for tags, cards, booklets, invitations and more.

Have a look at her website for more products =)
http://www.cristinare.com/

  
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Rhiannon
xxx

New Flyer

We have now finally finished the flyer for our market and I can say that we are both very EXTREEMLY happy with it. So without any further babble, here it is:

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Rhiannon & Alana
xxx

Darrinee Horton - A taster of things to come...

Darrinee ("D" to her friends) has had a fascination with all things crafty since she was young. It all started when she was making pom poms with her mum when she was about 8. But it wasn't until she got into Girl Guides and spent a week with her grandmother learning how to knit and sew that she begun to get more and more into her crafting.

She draws her inspiration in the infamous Tim Burton movies such as Beetlejuice (she even named her kitten after that movie!)

Take a look at some of her creations...

To quote Darrinee herself:

"I want to make every day halloween!"

Come and see Darrinee and many others at the first "Love Handmade" Craft Market on Saturday 14th November at the Rose Centre, 9am to 12pm

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Rhiannon & Alana
xxx

"Love Handmade" - First Ever Craft Market

An idea came to me one day and I spoke with my ever so amazing crafty friend, Alana, about it and we mulled it over for a short while. One and a half weeks later, we have:

• A venue
• A start date
• A blog
• An email address
• An application form and everything is moving forward really swiftly.

So we would like to welcome you all to "Love Handmade's" Craft Market blog.
This is where we will update of any news and happenings with "Love Handmade".

If you are looking to apply for a table at our first ever market see on the right hand side of the page at the top for a link to our application form.
If you would like to support our market, feel free to email us for some promotional material which we can either email to you or send via snail mail. Help us get the word out!

"Love Handmade's" First ever Craft Market
Saturday 14th November 2009

9am to 12pm

The Rose Centre in Bayswater

Check back soon for more information and if you have any questions or queries please email us at lovehandmadecraft@gmail.com

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Rhiannon & Alana
xxx