An evening with the Crafty Cotillion

The  Columbus Crafty Cotillion turned 5 recently, so we had a bit of an event. Cafe Bella hosted a great dinner and the rest of the  evening was a blast.

  

just like prom:

Three Cheers!

When this year's nominations for the Columbus Alive's Best of Columbus poll were released last week you may have noticed a few familiar names on the ballot. The Cotillion was well represented with nominations for Sweet Stella Designs, Stinkybomb Soap, and Poshta Design in the Best Brand without a Storefront category, Wholly Craft in the Best Gift Shop and Best Place for Accessories categories, and Rivet in the Best Art Gallery category. We're proud of our ladies for their hard work and recognition!

The Best of Columbus voting continues until March 1st at Noon, so you have plenty of time to cast your votes. And remember, you can also use the write-in option to show your support for the folks you believe deserve a little recognition. Happy voting!

Craftin' Outlaws Holiday Pop-Up Market

Join us this weekend as we team up with Craftin' Outlaws to kick off the holiday shopping season! Sunday, November 27th from Noon-4:00 you can shop from some of your favorite local handmade heroes at the Craftin' Outlaws Holiday Pop-Up Market at Ace of Cups Bar (2619 N High Street - in the north campus area). Crafters peddling their wares include:

Stinkybomb Soap
Wholly Craft
Poshta Design
AmyD
Sweet Stella Designs
Mary Moon Designs
What the Rock?!
Miss Megan Mac
Mary Martineau
Torn Angel
Creux Poche
Out of the Pink Sky
Igloo Letterpress
Flamestitch

We hope to see you there!

Spotlight on Coyan Decor!

The Cotillion is proud to showcase the newest venture for one of the hot members!
Check out Megan Coyan and her new line Coyan Decor on Columbus Underground!.

Local designer and Parsons School of Design graduate Megan Coyan is launching a line of high-end woven fabric for home interiors that’s made in the good ol’ USA.

Coyan Décor’s debut collection, called Ironwork, is lightweight cotton upholstery fabric featuring bold colors that pop against a rich ebony warp yarn.

“The patterns were influenced by ironwork in fencing, gates, churches, etc.,” said Coyan. “I’ve been photographing ironwork on my travels since I was a teenager. I have always loved the strong lines and curves created by such a dark, hard metal, and I’ve translated that strength into a far warmer, softer medium...”
Read the rest here about Megan's amazing effort to create these great fabrics.

Definitely something to keep your eye out for! You can also check out more of Megan's beautiful scarves & other wares on her Etsy Site!

Goodale Park Music Series!

This summer the Crafty Cotillion will be setting up to sell handmade goods at the Goodale Park Music Series! The Goodale Park Music Series starts at 12:30pm on Sundays July 10th through August 21st. Concerts are free and always a fun afternoon in the sun!

We'll be alongside our friends at ThoughtCo and great local food carts including Leslie's Creperie, Earth's Crust Pizza, Rad Dog, and Jeni's Ice Cream. Bring the whole family down--kids activities at the concerts are sponsored by openheartART and Columbus Artmobile.

The Goodale Park music series was founded by Alexandra Kelley Fox in 2009 and is funded by the Short North Foundation, Short North Civic Association, Friends of Goodale Park, Harrison West Society, Italian Village Society, and Comfest.

The concerts are held at the gazebo in Goodale Park. Here's the 2011 line-up:
July 10: Happy Chichester
July 17th: Daddy Romance
July 31st: The Andy Shaw Band
August 7th: The Spikedrivers
August 14th: Kique Infante
August 21st: The Randys

Hope to see you there!

The Crafty Showcase Showdown

Craftin' Outlaws presents: The Crafty Showcase Showdown from 7-10pm on Saturday, June 4th at Wild Goose Creative–this event is open to the public as well as Caucus participants.

The full vendor list is now available.

The highlight of the evening will be the return of Craft Corner Deathmatch, caucus style.

Teams of two will be challenged to think and craft on the fly, with a random selection of craft supplies. Each team will then be judged on their craft by a team of esteemed local judges: Johnny Diloretto – craft lover and TV personality on Fox28 Good Day Columbus. Jennie Scheinbach vegan queen behindPattycake Bakery. Jackie Mantey – bad ass reporter for the Columbus Alive. Last but not least winner of 2010 Deathmatch, Renee Parrill – mastermind behind Flamestitch.

Competitors play to win and only the toughest crafters will survive. Be prepared for glue gun burns, trash talking and battle scars. Winners walk away with bragging rights and title weight belts designed by none other than Flamestitch herself.

Our hostest for the mostest will be none other than the energetic, charismatic AmyD.

We can't wait to see you there!

Midwest Craft Caucus

Have you heard about the Midwest Craft Caucus yet?!

The Midwest Craft Caucus is a grassroots conference designed to foster the growth and sustainability of the handmade business community. One hundred handmade business owners will gather in Columbus, Ohio on June 4 & 5, 2011 to learn strategies for forming a sold business foundation, identifying target markets, and reaching those markets both online and in person.

The Craft Caucus will be presented at the Economic Community Development Institute (ECDI) and will feature over 25 panels, presentations and workshops on topics such as: Building a Brand, Utilizing Social Media, The Craft Fair Experience, Careers in Craft, Getting Published, Financial Planning, Working with Retailers, and much more.

Curious about the presenters? Check 'em out on the "News" page HERE!