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Craft Con in the Time of COVID-19

“It’s better to have loved conned and lost quarantined…”

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All photos courtesy of Chris Rutan Photography

As I think back to our glorious time at Midwest Craft Con 2020, I feel really lucky to be part of such an incredibly community. It was such a timely reminder before such an isolating time full of uncertainty.

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We learned. We shared. We brainstormed. We crawled, crafted, karaoked. We grew as professionals, creatives, human beings. We bonded as sisters.

Thanks to our craft supply sponsor, Darice, for inspiring our instructors and offering casual crafts between sessions. We’re so happy to work so closely with an Ohio-based supply company who prides itself on supporting independant artists!

We were inspired by our speakers and instructors. Sara Trail, whose message of justice for all (and quilting for all!) resonated profoundly, despite being the youngest speaker we’ve ever had. Jennifer Perkins got us comfortable being out of our confort zone with her mixed media painting class. Elaine Grogan Luttrull got us over our fear of taxes with tips and tools. Plus many, many more.

As we move forward, before we even think about future programming (although we did announce that we will be hosting some kind of one-day event in the summer of 2021!), we want to make sure that our community is ok and want to help everyone stay connected.

We’ve hosted some virtual karaoke parties and happy hours in our private Facebook group, but we’d like to set up a more structured schedule of programming as we move forward.

Starting in April, we’re planning the following:

First Thursday: Craft Crawl: go Live in our Facebook during the day and share your craft projects, a book you’re reading. Share what you are working on or how you are passing the day.

Second Thursday: State of Craft Panel Discussion via ZOOM. We will record it and share if you can’t attend. Different topics each month with some panelists. We will record this if you can’t view during the specific time.

Third Thursday: Karaoke DAY – Dance, sing, lip sync for your life.

Fourth Thursday: Office/Happy Hour – Share a skill or offer advice.

Save the dates and we’ll get more details out soon! The best way to stay in touch is to sign up for our Newsletter.

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Until next time, stay healthy and stay crafty. There are good things to come!

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News

Get Ready to #craftyourownadventure!

Midwest Craft Con is coming up fast! If you haven’t already gotten your ticket, you can get a weekend pass or day pass right here until noon on Feb. 28, and then day passes will also be available on site.

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The con officially kicks off at 6pm on Thursday, February 27th at the closing reception of Undeniable Threads at Blockfort Galleries.

Selected from a call-for-entries, these works cross traditional craft with topics political and social justice, showing just how loudly modern craft can speak as an art form.

Artists featured in the exhibition include Bonnie PetersonAlyson TooneJessica WohlAl Hoff, Rachel BakerZak Foster, Jen Edwards, and Letitia Kenemer.

There will be an exclusive reception for Craft Con attendees in addition to the public reception.

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Sessions will be taking place at the Embassy Suites Friday through Sunday during the day

We have so many good things for you and your creative business. You can see the full conference schedule right here! There’s good stuff going on every single day. We’ve also got more details on our craft workshops and evening craftivities, which will include peer meetups, karaoke, and a craft crawl.

What’s a craft crawl, you say?

Inspired by Craftcation’s art walk, Wanderings, we’ve organized a Craft Crawl for Saturday night. Experience DIY projects, pop-up shops, games, fun times and crafty drinks in the rooms of select partners and sponsors throughout the hotel on Friday evening from 9 to 11 p.m.

Start things off with our pals at Handmade Arcade, where they’ll be playing crafty bingo complete with prizes, drinks, and snacks in their suite. From there, grab a flyer with the room numbers of our other hosts, who will lead you through casual make and takes, high stakes craft-offs, hot tub fortune telling, and ending with karaoke!

You’ll be able to meet and shop with many crafty businesses in our trade show, and many of our speakers are offering one-on-one meetings with Conners in sessions you can sign up for on site. None of this would be possible without the support of our fantastic sponsors from across Ohio and across the country!

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Phew! With so much going on, it pays to be prepared. We created this list of essentials to help you pack!

The basics: Our program doubles as a place to take notes, but you might want to pack an extra notebook and pen. We also recommend that you bring a water bottle and snacks to get you through the day. Remember to wear comfortable shoes!

Crafty things: During our evening craftivity time and in the introverts’ room we have plenty of space for you to work on your in-progress projects. We also won’t judge at all if you want to knit while you listen to talks!

What to wear: Many crafters wear really spectacular outfits — often handmade! Wear whatever is comfortable for you, and feel free to be as crafty as you wanna be. Bring sequins for karaoke night if you want to sparkle! As for outerwear, the temperature in Columbus is likely to hover around freezing, so bundle up! If you’re a freezebaby, no worries — you never have to leave the hotel if you don’t want to.

Extra cash: The hotel has a free breakfast for guests, and we’re covering lunch Saturday and Sunday, and then dinner is on your own. If you wanna go DIY, you can always bring Tupperware! There will also be opportunities to shop at our Trade Show all weekend. Save a few bucks for raffle tickets for some amazing gift baskets from our sponsors and community partners. And remember to tip housekeeping a few dollars each day!

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A smart device: You might not want to drag along your laptop, but we encourage you to bring a smartphone or tablet to access the internet and take pictures. Connecting with other conners directly by trading numbers or following each other on Instagram is easier than busting out business cards. And, of course, don’t forget your charger and backup power source!

Personal items: This is YOUR weekend. Bring your must-have toiletries, maybe a yoga mat, a book for downtime, your bathing suit for the pool, or anything else you’ll need to make this your home away from home.

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What NOT to bring: Leave your stress at home! This weekend is about improving your business, reinvigorating your creative spirit and having some fun with fellow crafty folks! Make sure to take a look over our Code of Conduct, which is made to ensure everybody has a good time.

Get your ticket for Midwest Craft Con if you haven’t already, and we’ll see you at the con!

News

Sponsor Love: Darice

Get to know the makers, businesses and faces who are helping us create Midwest Craft Con! Today we meet Darice, our official crafty supply sponsor for this year’s Craft Con!

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Darice is a premier wholesaler in the arts and crafts industry with over 65 years of trusted business. With over 45,000 items across several product categories, we’re your one-stop source for supplies for your crafting hobby or business. Our top supply categories for makers include craft basics, art, jewelry, floral, wood, paper crafting, tools and so much more! Buying your supplies wholesale direct means more profit for you. Let us be your partner in craft with easy ordering, fast turnaround times and free shipping with our Freight Included program. 

Let Darice be both your DIY source AND your resource.  Our website and blog feature trend reports, small business tools and articles, project ideas and so much more to help you run your creative business. 

Darice is excited to participate in the Midwest Craft Con for the first time and sponsor the craft programming at the event. We’re looking forward to connecting with local makers and creatives – we are an Ohio company!

Keep a look out for our supplies in all of your workshop classes. Stop by our tradeshow table to learn more about buying your supplies wholesale and information on how to sign up for an account. Enter our giveaway for a special supply gift basket or $100 Visa Gift Cards and enjoy a free make and take while you’re there. We’re also excited to offer daily craft projects during lunch!

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All the feels 😊

Anyone who knows me knows I have a lot of feelings. I said that from the Midwest Craft Con stage, and I stand by that statement as I slowly come down from the high of euphoria brought on by being surrounded by so many lovely, hustling, resourceful, creative sisters (and five brothers!) for one of the best weekends of my life.

You might have caught me openly weeping during our inspiring keynote speakers. Gemma Correll helped me stop stressing about how my son would rather draw and make up stories than interact with actual people. Creativity creates confidence! Vickie Howell reminded me that I can and totally am DIYing my dreams. Finally, I couldn’t agree more with Kathy Cano-Murillo’s advice to feed off the energy of up-and-comers instead of being intimated. And the timely reminder to have more glitter in my life is always welcome.

In addition to all the great business classes, the DIY craft workshops were so much fun! I learned to macrame, shibori dye, bind a book and draw a pug! It was also a great way to “network” with other attendees without the awkwardness of forced social interaction with strangers.

The Craft Crawl was a huge success, despite the googly eye explosion left in my hotel room post-Galentine’s Day party. 🤣 The roving party from hotel room to hotel room had super fun activities along the way combined with great company.

I was also lucky enough to hit up one of the bus tours to visit Wholly Craft (which is one of my favorite places in the world), Surprise Modern Party, Blockfort (where I saw a spoiler-free Black Panther exhibit and screened a cozy [koozie]) and ended with dinner at the Grass Skirt Tiki Room.

Somehow I was also able to squeeze in some quality time in the hot tub with some BFFs that I don’t see often enough. (See, Megan? At least someone benefits from your insomnia!)

And, oh yes, karaoke.

I agree with Grace that this has been our best Con yet. Can’t wait to see y’all in 2020!

News

Explore the Craft Crawl

Inspired by Craftcation’s art walk, Wanderings, we’ve organized a Craft Crawl for the first night of Midwest Craft Con! Experience DIY projects, pop-up shops, games, fun times and crafty drinks in the rooms of select partners and sponsors throughout the hotel on Friday evening from 9 to 11 p.m.

Start things off with Handmade Arcade, where they’ll be playing crafty bingo complete with prizes, drinks and snacks in their suite. From there, grab a flyer with the room numbers of our other hosts. It’s like a crafty treasure hunt!

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Love Across the USA Team Akron will be hosting a FriYay finger crochet pARTy! You can contribute to a local slice of an amazing national project with fiber artist Olek, creating a crocheted public installation of a woman who shaped the history of Akron. #LoveAcrossAkron

Purple Hippo Stitches is hosting a craft nostalgia room — think shrinky dinks, spirographs, friendship bracelets and even just some Elmer’s glue if you just want to let it dry on your fingers to peel it off!

Jodi Lynn Doodles will be hosting a drink + draw social hour. Team Crafty Mart will be hosting a Galentine’s Day party, complete with mimosas and brunch crafts! And even though this team of glorious female warriors believes in uteruses before duderuses, men are welcome to get their brunch on, too.

Chicaloo Kate will be bringing supplies for people to make bottle openers, pocket mirrors and buttons! And there will be more surprises along the way. Can’t wait to get crafty with y’all! Get your ticket for Friday or for the whole weekend.

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Mixing Business with Pleasure: Our Craftcation Experience

The funny thing about organizing a creative conference is that you don’t get to experience it like your attendees do. For that reason, Megan and I decided to splurge on tickets to Craftcation in Ventura, Calif., this year.

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Believe it or not, I’m not always the most outgoing person. The idea of spending a weekend with 400 people I don’t know isn’t really my idea of a vacation. I’m more of a hide-in-a-big-city or get-a-cabin-in-the-woods kind of girl. That said, I was relieved to recognize the first person I saw at the conference! Working the registration table was Isaac Watson, who I had connected with electronically via Maker’s Nation a few years back, and he noticed my Midwest Craft Con T-shirt and gave us the warmest welcome and made us feel like instant insiders.

The business classes were amazing. I was so excited to learn from Kiffanie Stahle and Mei Pak, who I had missed at the last Midwest Craft Con because I was too busy running the conference. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see Allison Rosen speak, but I did get to see her take Megan down during Iron Craft America!

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“And the secret ingredient is… PIPECLEANERS!”

As a craft show organizer, I learned some great tips about writing newsletters, best practices for adapting and using contracts, how to pitch to sponsors, automate processes and more. Since the conference was geared towards makers, I think the biggest takeaway for me was to understand all my vendors’ pain points. This is so important for my work at Crafty Mart and Midwest Craft Con, where it’s part of our mission to serve the greater maker community.

In addition to the entrepreneurial programming, Craftcation offers DIY craft classes, too. Some folks in attendance were hobbyists who don’t have any desire to run a handmade business and just came out to make things all day. I almost forgot how fun it is to just make things for the pleasure of it! I made tassels, hand-painted beaded necklaces, and a hand-stamped and -stitched leather business card holder that may or may not be able to hold a business card.

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“It’s a prototype,” said my new friend Liz of Assembly PDX.

I was so glad I made the extra effort and paid a little more to stay on site. Happy hour at the Marriott was full of Craftcationers excited about what they learned and made throughout the day, and I met a few new BFFs in the hot tub in the evenings despite the culture gap between here and Alberta. (#craftistheuniverallanguage!)

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Ventura Beach is just steps away from the Marriott.

Other epic takeaways: I walked on the beach each day, made it to multiple yoga classes and ate at In-N-Out Burger (across the street!) twice. This creative life is all about balance, right?

Megan wrote about her experience at Craftcation on the Craftin’ Outlaws blog, so make sure to check that out! (Notice the URL — the devil is in the details!) Apparently she loves to go on vacation with 400 strangers, as long as they’re crafty, of course, so her point of view is a little different than mine, which made her the perfect roommate. (Crafty friends FTW!)

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The Get Lucky Lounge was spot on with their design and decor, but everything is better with googly eyes — amiright?!

Meanwhile, Grace is busy getting settled in to her new life in Berlin. Look forward to her blogging about some of her creative adventures abroad soon!

We’re working on plans for Midwest Craft Con 2018, so make sure you’re on our newsletter list to be among the first to hear about next year’s lineup and get access to early bird tickets!

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Countdown to the Con: What to Pack

Midwest Craft Con is right around the corner! If you’re anything like us, you’re probably used to making lists on lists on lists to keep your business, creative projects and private life somewhat organized. Here’s a starter list of things you should plan to bring to the con!

Conference essentials: Our program doubles as a place to take notes, but you might want to pack an extra notebook and pen. We also recommend that you bring a water bottle and snacks to get you through the day. Remember to wear comfortable shoes!

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Items to swap: You’ll want to bring business cards or other marketing materials to trade with other conners to keep in touch. In our Facebook group, some conners are organizing a Secret Santa-style crafty swap and separate craft supply swap. If you have a ticket but aren’t in the group yet, email us!

What to wear: Many crafters last year wore really spectacular outfits — often handmade! Wear whatever is comfortable for you, and feel free to be as crafty as you wanna be. Bring sequins for karaoke night if you want to sparkle! As for outerwear, the temperatures in Columbus vary from 10 – 50 degrees, be prepared for anything and check the forecast before you leave home. If you plan on going off campus, perhaps to grab lunch lunch or for our DIY & Ride Crafty Tour of Columbus on Friday, bundle up! If you’re a freeze baby, no worries — you never have to leave the hotel if you don’t want to.

Extra cash: While food can be included in many conferences you may want to enjoy some fresh air and a fantastic local restaurant. If you wanna go DIY, you can always brown-bag it! There will also be opportunities to shop at our Trade Show all weekend, and save a few bucks for raffle tickets for some amazing gift baskets from our sponsors and community partners.

A smart device: You might not want to drag along your laptop, but we encourage you to bring a smartphone or tablet to access the internet and take pictures. Connecting with other conners directly by trading numbers or following each other on Instagram is easier than busting out business cards. And, of course, don’t forget your charger and backup power source!

Personal items: Remember, this is YOUR weekend. Bring your must-have toiletries, maybe a yoga mat, a book for downtime, your bathing suit for the pool, or anything else you’ll need to make this your home away from home. The front desk can also help if you forgot something, and their gift shop has additional items for purchase.

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What NOT to bring: Leave your stress at home! This weekend should be about improving your business, reinvigorating your creative spirit and having some fun with fellow crafty folks! Make sure to take a look over our Code of Conduct, which encourages inclusion and good times.

Get your ticket for Midwest Craft Con here if you haven’t already!

News

Crafting a Better Community: The Akron Craft + Social Club

The Akron Craft + Social Club came together because three local creatives wanted to drive some positive change in their neighborhood, while having some fun at the same time.

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Their mission is simple: to give a fun and fulfilling creative experience to themselves, to create beautiful gifts to give to one another and to give a donation to a local or national charity.

In the short time since they formed in 2016, Karen Starr, Mary Oliver Bethel and Jennifer Davis have launched monthly DIY workshops that have raised money towards local and national charities while giving Akronites the opportunity to make something unique and handmade. Their inclusive spirit has taken all the stuffiness out of philanthropy and encouraged the community to get down and dirty to inspire do-gooding! You can follow their beautifully documented adventures on Instagram.

Karen will be representing the Akron Craft+ Social Club at Midwest Craft Con by participating in a panel Sunday about philanthropic crafting. Also participating are Tricia Brancolini-Foley of Handmade Arcade, and Esther Hall, who is also teaching a session on grants for artists.

The panel will take place on Sunday. You can buy a day pass or get your ticket for a full weekend of fun here!

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Meet the Speakers: Dana Walsh & Katie Swett of Weebly

Dana Walsh is the event and community coordinator at Weebly. While based in NYC, Dana travels across the country to work with some of Weebly’s 40 million users. Last year, both Dana led Weebly’s Like a Boss Bus Tour across the southeast to help over 1,000 Americans get signed up and online with Weebly!

Katie Swett is a senior product manager at Weebly.  She currently lives in NYC with her husband and their mini goldendoodle, Henry. At Weebly, she manages two products, Weebly Themes and Weebly Promote, essentially crafting how your websites and email communications are designed.

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At Midwest Craft Con 2017, Dana and Katie will present a session called Website Best Practices. They’re also giving a demonstration of what the Weebly platform can do for your small business on Friday night, followed by a hands-on workshop where conners can cook up a new website — and get a discount on their plans. Oh, and they’re providing happy hour drinks on Friday! Thanks, Weebly!

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How would you describe yourself in 10 words or less?

Dana: I am an active and quirky individual who loves outdoor craftivities!

Katie: Aesthetically inclined, realistically optimistic, secretly competitive and a lifelong student.

What is your earliest crafty memory?

Dana: I recall basket weaving with my grandmother when I was about 7!

Katie: Making braided bracelets with my sister at summer swim meets.

What is your favorite thing about the Midwest?

Dana: Midwest Craft Con 🙂 and the beautiful snow!

Katie: Buckeyes (the dessert and the team) and the people!

What would you be if you weren’t an artist/creative?

Dana: I have always dreamed of being a professional athlete who gets to travel and compete across the world.

Katie: A patent lawyer, protecting people’s creations

What three things would you recommend to makers?

Dana:

  • Trust your unique and creative instincts.
  • Don’t be afraid to try something very very different and new.
  • Get off social media, and start living in the present and creative moment.

Katie:

  • Turn off your cell phones and computer — just take in your surroundings. Pinterest is GREAT, but sometimes you want to create trends and that inspiration often comes offline.
  • Be you — listen to yourself.
  • Travel — be inspired by real life and real people.

What are your personal resolutions for 2017?

Dana: I am trying to cook all my meals and get more creative in the kitchen.

Katie: I am training to run my first half marathon!

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Midwest Craft Con is now a 501(c)3!

It’s been almost a year and a half since Grace, Megan and I started exchanging emails to plan the inaugural Midwest Craft Con. Back then, none of us knew if any of the crazy ideas we had would come to fruition but we knew one thing: We all care about our respective crafty communities and want to help them learn, connect them to each other and party with them!

So we schemed and we hustled and after a lot of Google Hangouts, a few road trips and the most notifications you’ve ever seen in a single group text, we pulled it off. Along the way, we asked our ticket-holders what they wanted to learn at the Con via a secret Facebook group to influence our programming. We even crowdsourced a Spotify playlist to play between breakout times, which turned out AMAZING, and I still listen to it when I’m trying to get stuff done around my house. We sent out surveys and are using that feedback to make Midwest Craft Con even better next year.

Basically, Midwest Craft Con is all about serving our crafty community. We want our ticket-holders to own it and make their experience as meaningful to them as possible. Which is why we are excited to announce that as of July 20, 2016, Midwest Craft Con is no longer the sole property of Megan, Grace and Brit (and of course Olivera before us!) — it now belongs to the creative community!

Up until this point, Midwest Craft Con operated under a fiscal sponsorship agreement with Crafty Mart, a non-profit organization that I direct that hosts handmade markets in Akron. Now, Midwest Craft Con now has its own 501(c)3 federal tax-exempt status, which will help us organizers find additional revenue streams and do more to serve creatives while keeping costs down.

Here is our formal mission statement:

The Midwest Craft Con’s purpose is to provide creative, engaging, and educational opportunities for artists and entrepreneurs to help their businesses thrive. The Midwest Craft Con has the specific purpose of conducting a conference which (a) showcases regional commitment to the arts; (b) fosters discussion and education about the arts; (c) educates creative entrepreneurs on best practices to foster civic engagement; and (d) provides entrepreneurs the opportunity to collaborate with others to advance the state of the arts regionally.

(The lawyers require us to sound overly formal, but y’all know we really just want to kick it with our crafty best buds!)

And we’ve also landed our first grant! The Ohio Arts Council has awarded Midwest Craft Con an ArtSTART grant. We’re excited to start this relationship with the Ohio Arts Council since that’s where we organizers are based, but that doesn’t mean that the Con won’t eventually travel to other places in the Midwest. (Remember that whole listening to feedback thing?)

Obtaining 501(c)3 status also means that any sponsorship dollars invested in Midwest Craft Con are considered tax-deductible. If you’re interested in sponsoring the 2017 Con, please contact us!