11.20.2009 :: long beach craft mafia trunk show OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE!
(click for print quality flier)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Steph Calvert
Long Beach Craft Mafia & Hearts and Laserbeams
Phone: 714-655-5272
Email: heartsandlaserbeams@gmail.com
Store Contact: Jennifer Hill
Songbird – Location of Trunk Show
Phone: 562-439-4444 (store) 562-212-2256 (cell)
Email: thehillhut@verizon.net
Store Contact: Shea Gauer
Open – Location of Free Craft Workshops
Phone: 562-499-OPEN
Email: open@thestoryofopen.com
4TH STREET HOSTS FIRST LONG BEACH CRAFT MAFIA TRUNK SHOW
10 indie crafters come together to fill all your holiday shopping needs.
Long Beach, CA, USA – November 15, 2009 – Long Beach Craft Mafia will set up temporary shop at gift shops Songbird and Open for their first group trunk show on Saturday, December 12, 2009. The all-day affair will take place from 10:30am – 7pm, and will feature a raffle, free workshops, bake sale, and a truly unique assortment of handmade items by some of the best indie crafters Long Beach has to offer.
This location is the perfect fit for the group - “Songbird is a gift store that has something for everyone -- it is ‘cheep’ and cheerful, with bright colors and fun, quirky gifts for all,” Jennifer Hill (owner of Songbird) says, “I love the entire craft movement, and get inspired by being around other crafty and creative people.”
The holiday gift boutique will be set up at Songbird, at the corner of Junipero and 4th. You can pick up presents for everyone on your list, including hand-stitched felt dinosaurs and cacti by Lexi Lee of Little Bit, fashion items by Marc Anthony Coronado of Ain Soph Aur, upcycled and laminated map wallets by Kelso of Kelso Doesnt Dance, funky one of a kind jewelry by Jen of RadCo and Nicole Montoya, crayon sculptures and food-themed hats by Tamara Zielinski of CrayonFawn (as recently seen on Entertainment Tonight!) and much, much more. The emphasis is on handmade items you can’t find at the mall, presented by the artisans that created these original pieces.
“Retro Row is THE Long Beach destination for independent and innovative design,” shares Liz Abbot of Leatherette Heart (www.leatheretteheart.etsy.com),” a lot of us have merch in stores there. It’s totally fitting that the Long Beach Craft Mafia bust out their first trunk show in this area. I know when I get my shop on, it’s on 4th Street.”
When you’ve finished shopping the boutique at Songbird, picked up a delicious snack from new member Janice Sprenger at the bake sale there and entered to win the raffle prize (a free gift basket full of goodies from Long Beach Craft Mafia members), take a short walk down 4th Street to Open for some hands-on workshops. The free classes will be held from 12-4pm, and will include quickie fun crafts for all ages. New member Klai Brown’s paper fan workshop and founding member Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams’ papercrafted greeting cards are sure to be a hit with all experience levels, including eager kids and unsure adults looking to get their crafting feet wet.
“I’ve been a Long Beach Craft Mafia member since early 2007,” Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams (www.heartsandlaserbeams.com) says, “and I feel like our group has really grown by leaps and bounds in the past few months. We’re reaching out to the community through our monthly get-togethers, and folks have responded really positively. With our trunk show and crafty workshop extravaganza on December 12th, we’re all just really excited to help bring the indie craft scene into the spotlight and to encourage folks to buy handmade this (and every) holiday season.”
The first Craft Mafia (www.craftmafia.com) was founded in 2003 by nine crafty buisness women in Austin, Texas. The group originally came together through a shared love for craft, DIY ethics and mutual respect. As the Craft Mafia developed it became a forum for networking, promotion and shared ideas. Since it's development in Austin, other Mafias have popped up accross the globe. The Long Beach Craft Mafia is a southern California chapter of the world-wide Craft Mafia group. The local chapter exists as a marketing and networking tool for local independant arts and crafts businesses. Membership provides opportunities for growing members' individual businesses through participating in craft shows, hosting events for the community, and sharing information about arts and craft techniques as well as successfully running a do-it yourself style business.
The Long Beach Craft Mafia holiday trunk show takes place on Saturday, December 12, 2009. The bake sale, raffle and holiday shopping will take place from 10:30am to 7pm at Songbird, at 2240 East 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90814, and the free craft workshops will take place from noon to 4pm at Open, at 2226 East 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90814.
###
For more information on the Long Beach Craft Mafia and its members: www.longbeachcraftmafia.com
Contact: longbeachcraftmafia@gmail.com
Phone: 714-655-5272
Labels: long beach craft mafia, members, party, press, shows, updates
10.21.2009 :: halloween party prizes announced! get your costumes ready!
ok folks, we've got a handle on the costume contest prizes so you best get your costumes ready to rock!
first prize: a long beach craft mafia tote bag containing a halloween art print from hearts and laserbeams, plus all kinds of other goodies from our members!
second prize: a long beach craft mafia tote bag containing halloween ears from little bit, plus all kinds of other goodies from our members!
third prize: a long beach craft mafia tote bag containing a wallet from kelso doesn't dance, plus all kinds of other goodies from our members!
so that's what you could win, you best bring it! hope to see you october 28 at que sera in long beach! the party starts at 9, no cover, live bands, and OOO! did i forget to mention? the first 20 people receive free limited edition long beach craft mafia merit badges featuring artwork by little bit for joining the fun!
costume contest will happen probably around 10ish after the first band goes on, so if punctuality isn't your strong suit there's still hope!
first prize: a long beach craft mafia tote bag containing a halloween art print from hearts and laserbeams, plus all kinds of other goodies from our members!
second prize: a long beach craft mafia tote bag containing halloween ears from little bit, plus all kinds of other goodies from our members!
third prize: a long beach craft mafia tote bag containing a wallet from kelso doesn't dance, plus all kinds of other goodies from our members!
so that's what you could win, you best bring it! hope to see you october 28 at que sera in long beach! the party starts at 9, no cover, live bands, and OOO! did i forget to mention? the first 20 people receive free limited edition long beach craft mafia merit badges featuring artwork by little bit for joining the fun!
costume contest will happen probably around 10ish after the first band goes on, so if punctuality isn't your strong suit there's still hope!
Labels: party
10.14.2009 :: long beach craft mafia halloween party! make your plans!
long beach craft mafia is workin on building the soCal crafty community through a series of monthly hang-out style events where you get to meet your fellow crafters in a non-work environment. next up is our halloween party at long beach bar Que Sera! come in costume and you'll have a chance to win some fab prizes, as well as hear some live music and have a beer or two!
hope to see ya there!
Labels: party
9.22.2009 :: long beach craft mafia dye party on oc weekly!
don't miss our post on oc weekly this week! long beach craft mafia got together to test out some dye products from tulip and have an awesome contest to enter!
check out the article and enter the giveaway here.