BLOCK PARTY Indie Craft show, Invitation to apply

Greetings everyone!

We hope this email finds everyone happy, creative, and in the Indie Craft Show spirit!
The Handmade Brigade has been hard at work planning what is going to be our biggest event yet.....

BLOCK PARTY Indie Craft Show
Saturday July 10th
11:00 am to 5:00 pm
At the Fiesta Marketplace in Downtown Santa Ana, on Spurgeon at 3rd street.

The Details:
We are partnering with the many local businesses as well as the city to make this event huge!
Expect things like awesome indie craft vendors (duh), a Kogi Truck, food booths, live music, possibly even live dancing, live art and performances!
There will be table and 10x10 canopy booths available and information on pricing for these listed in the application.

The Location:
The place is a beautiful outdoor plaza on Spurgeon street, between 3rd and 4th street, in the heart of the cultural center of Downtown Santa Ana. Here's a little information about the place from the developers:
"Fiesta Marketplace is about to begin on a multimillion dollar redevelopment project with the goal of freshening up and modernizing the property. The project will include refacing all of the building facades and redoing the outdoor promenade to make it more welcoming and pedestrian friendly. The goal will also be to broaden the appeal of the existing retailers as well as bring in some new ones that focus more on food and entertainment. Plans are currently underway to bring the Yost Theater back to life as a independent music venue with attached restaurant, lounge, and nightclub. The goal of these improvements is to not only keep the existing customer base but to broaden the appeal to a younger, hipper, and urban demographic."
To see pictures of the area, visit our flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/handmadebrigadeofoc/


What you need to do to apply:
Fill out our online application
http://fs11.formsite.com/HandmadeBrigade/form095314836/index.html?1273266835639
DEADLINE to APPLY: Monday June 1st
Acceptance letters will go out Monday June 7


This event promises to be fun, exciting, and a crowd pleaser so we hope everyone will apply!
Have a great weekend :)

Sincerely,
The Handmade Brigade

Easy Speaking, the 2nd

Coming to the local Detroit Bar near you on April 11th,

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20 AWESOME vendors, music, booze, fun
and our infamous GOODY BAGS!
Get there early, be 1 of the first 25 through the doors to get one!
Filled with samples and little gifts from all of our vendors.
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The Handmade Brigade is officially out of Hibernation!
2009 proved to be an eventful year and after the Holidays, the HBOC ladies just needed a couple of months to recuperate, but now we're proud to announce that we're BACK and ready to take 2010 by storm. Mark your calendars, blackberries, iPhones, google phones......

Sunday April 11th
SPEAKEASY II
Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa
5 pm - 10 pm
20 Vendors, Music, Photo Booth, Booze

Also: SAVE THE DATE, June 12th, 2010 will be our huge outdoor event in Historic Downtown Santa Ana. We will give more details once the date is closer.
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Interested in Vending?

Here is all the pertinent information along with a link to our new Online Application.
If you have any questions, please email HandmadeBrigadeofOC@gmail.com
Please read all of the following before filling out the application. The deadline to apply is March 18.
Late applications will not be considered.

Location:
Detroit Bar, 843 W. 19th street, Costa Mesa CA 92627
Event time:
5:00pm-10:00pm
Set-up time:
3pm-5pm
Booth Fee:
*$65 for a 6' table spot (must be paid within 1 week after being accepted into the show. You will receive a pay pal money request to your specified email).
Vendor Requirements:

• All vendors must bring their own tables. The lights will be on inside, however it can be dim in some areas, so please bring your own lighting, extension cords, power strips, etc. if necessary.
• In addition, we will give out goody bags to the first 25 shoppers who enter so we require all of our vendors to contribute to the bags. We don't need actual products from your shop, just something promotional. (Please read our post on goody bags to get ideas).
• Lastly, if accepted, we will be mailing you postcards for the event and we ask that you help us increase attendance by passing them out to everyone you know. (post them at coffee shops, bulletin boards..)

Application: Please fill out this online application to be considered for vending. There are only 20 spots for this show. We know there are simply way more amazing vendors than we have spots for, so for Speakeasy II, we are really looking for innovation in your products. We want to see what's NEW for 2010! The judging process will be largely based upon how uncommon and distinct the items in your collection are.

*There are 3 specified spots that are slightly larger than the 6' table that will be reserved for clothing and vintage vendors. The booth fee is the same, $65

Thanks so much everyone! Hope to see you all at Speakeasy II as vendors, shoppers, or craft enthusiasts.
Sincerely,
Brook, Jackie, Melissa and Nina of the HBOC

Now Here's A Little Somethin' 'Bout Nosy People...

True confession time, people... I am (Jackie) a nosy person. I like to read blogs. I use twitter. And I can peruse Flickr for hours on end. Simply put, I like to know what people are doing. This may or may not be the reason that I pursued a degree in psychology, sad! haha I'm not really sure why I'm a nosy sucker, but I've come to terms with it. I am what I am. Which is why I think Formspring was meant for me and therefore meant for Handmade Brigade! For those of you that don't know what Formspring is, I got you. Its a website where you can send and receive anonymous and not so anonymous questions and follow people and their answers.

Long story short, the Handmade Brigade now has a Formspring Account- yay. Which means you can ask us questions and get answers. Sounds fun, right?? So don't be shy ask us anything- random or not. And if you still feel weird about it, you can do it anonymously :)

http://www.formspring.me/handmadebrigade

P.S. Hopefully you guys know the title of this blog is from the song, Supersonic by JJ Fad. If not, then I know I'm an old hip hop head!

P.P.S. In reference to my previous blog- I am still upset that Coachella no longer has day passes available! I wanted to go Friday!

Ahhh, Coachella!

There is nothing I love more than music and road trips! Ok, so crafts would be up there too. But if I need to get the creative energy flowing, nothing sparks my brain like a good concert. And Coachella is the best concert/3 day experience in Southern California. By now, I'm sure that all of you have seen the amazing line-up- its going to be crazy!! If I could afford all three days, I would jump on it for sure. Yes, they do have a layaway plan now, which is what I used last year and it was definitely worth it. I just can't spare the extra dough this year- sad. So now I'm here debating on which day to go. I really want to go on Friday to see: Them Crooked Vultures (they rock your face off live), Vampire Weekend, Grizzly Bear, Passion Pit, She & Him (who doesn't want to see Zooey Deschanel?), Grace Jones, The Avett Brothers, Ra Ra Riot, Dj Lance Rock and so many more! On the other hand Sunday boasts The Gorillaz (how are they going to show a cartoon band? I'm sure huge screens will be involved.), De La Soul, Phoenix, Sly and the Family Stone (how random is that?), and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Actually, Saturday looks awesome too, haha. What to do?

Are any of you going? Did you see that they are going to have a farmer's market on site this year- actually a really good idea. Now if only they would have a handmade section- then I could seriously live there for all three days!!

A Thrifting We Will Go...

Happy New Year one and all! Yea, I know it's already mid-January (how the hell did that happen?). But I'm telling you, the holidays plus a crazy cold that wanted to stay forever had me down for a minute. I'm slowly but surely getting back up to speed, which for the HBOC girls, is busy, busy! Since the holidays left my inventory of vintage bags depleted (always a good thing), I had an excuse to go thrifting and flea market hunting- my favorite! I thought I'd share some of my favorite spots to search and some bargain hunting tips.


An example of a great day of thrifting for me.

My Top 5 Thrift Stores in Orange County:

- Family Thrift in Orange
No joke, this place never disappoints. I have seriously never left this place empty handed and its cheap, which is unheard of in southern California.

- Savers in La Mirada
Ok, so technically this place is in LA county, but barely. It's usually worth the drive. Plus its super organized into sections and easy to navigate.

- Rewear in Anaheim
It's all about 30% off Saturdays! They have an upstairs section that is all vintage and just below furniture galore!

- Rags to Riches in Costa Mesa
I love this place! Its a large space and it's always crammed with good things. Random good things.

- Luthern High Thrift Shop in Orange
Its all about proximity for me! This one is super close to my house. You can find some great things for great prices here. Make sure to bring cash though as they don't take card.

My top flea markets:

- Pasadena Rosebowl
Yea, it costs $8 to get in and yes, its a drive from Orange County. But I promise it's worth it. Full of great finds and you could seriously be there all day and not see everything. Just a warning though, you will find a large range of prices, some super high and some awesome steals. Its a flea market, thats the way it goes. 2nd Sunday of the Mo.

- Long Beach Flea Market
Cheaper than Pasadena at $5 entry fee with more junk to sift through. Meaning, you may have to dig a bit at this flea market, but its usually worth it. I've come away with super great finds and cheap prices. 3rd Sunday of the Mo.

- Irvine Flea Market
Way smaller than the Rosebowl and Long Beach flea markets, but it's local and there are still some great things to be found there! Plus its free! 1st Sunday of the Mo.

Bargain Hunting Tips from me to you!

- When thrifting, for some reason Wednesdays and Saturdays seem to be my best days. If you are going on a Saturday, the earlier the better. It's no joke that southern California vintage is a hot commodity, so you have to be the early bird to get the best wares!

- That being said, I have found that although I get first crack on the best stuff early in the day at flea markets, I get the best deals later in the afternoon. Its kind of a crap shoot. I usually like to come at 11am or so, that way most vendors are willing to talk prices down because they'd rather that than not make a sale and at that time they still have good stuff left.

- Don't be afraid to bargain when at the flea market. Most sellers mark up their prices just for that reason. I usually ask the price and then counter with what I think is fair. Bear in the mind though, I know what things should go for. It's all about practice. And if something is super cheap and you want it, don't negotiate further, just buy it. Don't be a sucker! haha


Not to worry, I'll have more places to share with you guys next month!

Christmas is a time of giving....

SO for Christmas we ( The Handmade Brigade Of OC ) were contaced by Mercy House to see if we wanted to be part of their Stockings for homeless children living in motels all over orange county... Of course it pulled on my heart strings so we decided to make a craft party out of it!! It was a bunch of fun and good to know it was going towards a good cause. We bought the stockings and then had a crazy amount of crafty stuff to decorate them. People went a little crazy....



Some were literally 2 hours stockings... I made some myself and they were super easy... I turned all mine into reindeer hahahahha...



I guess the kids probably wont really care about the outside of the stockings but more whats inside but it was a good way to get people to come and celebrate Christmas by giving to those who are less fortunate then ourselves. Also got a chance to hang out with fabulous people who always support all our events. One being Frances and her Husband... Shes great! She always helps us with anything we need!!!

We also had a bunch of great sponsors who helped donate food and money to our event.. If it wasn't for everyones great support it wouldnt have been as sucessful as it was! I hope to make this an annual event for the HBOC.

How was everyones Christmas???

Here is a blast from the past... the freaking best Holloween costume since 1960... Honestly... this is genius!



This is my uncle hahahahhaah!