Success, Patty, and Time

Success! Craft Night Recap:
I could not have asked for a better event! Threaded City hosted it's first Craft Night making sure to start the new year with a bang! I posted earlier about what Craft Night is all about and my expectations for the evening. Out of 36 "going's" on the facebook event, we ended up with an average of 20 through the 3 hours. Most people were there the entire time, some came late/left early. I am so thankful for everyone who came out and made sure to craft their hearts out. We had a great mix of simple to complex, age, gender, and conversation. Here's a list of a few of the different things that were going on, spinning yarn, complex jewelry making from wool and copper thread, paper art, tape sculptures, fabric flowers, book binding, knitting, and macramé bracelets. I can't tank everyone enough for coming out, and being a part of what Threaded City is all about, community and supporting each other!

Patty Eykholt, Partner In All Things Crafty:
My dear cousin Patty is in the works of becoming my partner with Threaded City. I've been thinking for a while now, especially after getting back into one of my favorite blogs (A Beautiful Mess), that I really just don't want to do this alone. I don't want help for the bad times necessarily, but to celebrate the good. I work so much better when I have another to bounce ideas off of and to collaborate, that I've really had to consider this again. I mentioned this to Patty, not expecting any more than her and another friend to think about it, or to let me know of anyone they ran into. Of course Patty sat straight up in her chair and said "ME, ME!" I'm really looking forward to working with Patty more, she has her degree in Photography and is such a go-getter and all around motivated person, that I can't think of anyone better!  I'm really looking forward to all you getting to get to know her better.

Time and Management and... 
Another week has flown by and it feels like I just went to bed from last Wednesday. I have been cranking out a lot and been able to really attack my time differently than last year. I always like to see some tips and tricks on how to manage my time, recently I read this article. Although it doesn't say much I didn't know before, it does remind me of how people get things done. It also reminds me of how I often to have a realistic view of how long things take. I've been really bad about that lately, thinking something will take 1 hour and it takes 3! GAH!

Craft Night Numero Uno

Toon Pool

Craft Night has been initiated! All systems go! I've been talking about getting this going for an entire year now, and it's finally happening. Check out and sign up for the event on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/events/512858895415098/

What is Craft Night? 
A time for us crafters, art-dabblers, and all around DIY’s to get together and have a community while creating! 

What Should I Bring?
Bring your own supplies, a creative spirit, and a snack/drink to share.

When?Craft Night will be held on the last Monday of the month from 6-9 pm. 

mandipidy

Where?
This one on January 28, 2013 will be held at Founders
We're planning on continuing to have this event at Founders, but are up for discussing locations.

Itinerary:
- Greeting and Thanking of Sponsors (Founders, Threaded City, and Cupcakes and Company)
- Describe Brief Preplanned Crafts (Valentines Card and Wire Business Card Holder)
- START THE CRAFTING
- Melissa from Allen County Public Library Shares
- April Reinhard of Natril Gear Shares
- Clean (yes we have to pick up our projects)

Now that I've gone into the informative aspect of Craft Night, I hope you'll join! In the future I hope to have some recordings of it and what people are working on, and/or a webcam set up. I would really like to keep an event that is totally about what you want to bring, and just working in a group setting. However, I would like to have more focused groups on particular crafts, ie sewing, knitting, paper folding.

What are your thoughts? Timing? Place? Occurrence?

Oh and here's a list of what I will be bringing:

Sewing Machine and Thread

Glues

Scissors

Yarn

Pliers

Envelopes
...and...

NAME TAGS!

Good Article 

Wowza: When Things Line Up and Make Sense

The past couple of days have been a little on the odd side... to say the least. Things and thoughts have been lining up and reminding me so tremendously that I just have to get it out. A few shout outs are due to Red Velvet, Anita Homco, and Dan Miller.

The 5 points that seem to be so much in line:

     1. Give Your House/Space Flowers

• Give yourself/your space flowers! I am doing the January Cure from apartment therapy. At first when I saw that they suggested to give your home flowers, I thought what a waste of money! Little did I know that I would soon fall in love with this concept. Last Friday I bought my house a dozen roses, I separated them, spruced them up, and placed 5 in a medium sized vase, 3 in a small vase, the other 4 in single's vases, I placed these around the house, in areas that i spend the most time in. The more I saw them, the more I would smile when I'd see them. At the time I was in the middle of "The Secret Garden" by ___ and the visualization of the roses and what they represent in the book brought the magic into the house. I stared to move the flowers depending on where I needed to be (office-working, kitchen-cleaning). It worked! It improved my mood when I needed to work on soemthing that I didn't want to do. I love this way of making your space even better and more enjoyable when you bring in fresh flowers.

     2. "Why" Ted Talk

• Quick refresh from a previous post from the ted talk "why" watch the video. I found this was the easiest way for me to work on a mission statement. Why do you do what you do? The purpose of Threaded City is to encourage and help other artists and crafters reach the success that they want. This got me thinking about how much I absolutely want Threaded City to be all I hope for. Which leads me to my next thought process.

     3. What Would You Do if Money Wasn't a Concern

• "What would you do if money wasn't a concern?" Anita Homco. Getting together with Anita for brunch was great! Of course just catching up with one of Fort Wayne's greatest entrepreneurs but really thinking through some thoughts that I often don't let myself think about. So what would I do if money wasn't a concern? I jokingly told Anita that I could never really think through this, I would find something else I thought was cool and run off and stop doing what I'm working on now. Sometimes I think I'm more ADD than what my mind can handle. The more I thought about it, the more I thought that I really should think through what I would do. Of course travel, being rich, and some other random normal thoughts of what success looks like ran through my head... but... as I sat sewing (where I do some decent thinking) I began to get serious with myself and really really think. I kept seeing myself (I am extremely visual in my thought process) at my dream of what Threaded City will be. Including (but not limited to) an old brick downtown industrial building being filled with creativity, the first floor would have a retail type store front, small bike shop in the back, and a coffee shop/eatery to the side. The second floor would be filled with sewing machines of all kinds, work space, and collaborative space. Third floor would be my personal office and home, and the floors above would be rented. Of course there would be a roof top garden and patio. So this is the look, the feel and the sounds would be filled with a constant sense of energy and optimism. While incubating other artists and crafters a comradery of local collaboration and tenacity towards a common goal of making their venture succeed and adding to the development of skills and ideas.  Hearing the bells chime as someone new walks in the door and a little sigh as they see how cute and inspiring everything looks to the humming of sewing and things being made. A quick clank of some bike tools and a quick giggle makes the entire scene feel like there is something about to happen that just wants you to stay to see it. If you could spend the night you would in eagerness waiting for the next great thing to be celebrated. This is just a portion of what I want Threaded City to be. I am planning to work on my about me section and mission statement that will help elaborate the idea behind the scene as well. So I figured out with my dreaming that if money wasn't a concern I would be on the same path I am now, it just would be here sooner!
  

     4. Do as the Rich Do

• I'm not sure where this comes from, I think it's out of the book How Rich People Think by Ste Siebold (DON'T Quote me) but that generally the middle class is concerned with saving where the higher class is concerned with earning money. All of this is important to have balance... but I have decided to start viewing financial gain with this mindset. Micah and I have a pretty tight budget while I am starting and growing Threaded City, and he is in school full time, and still pay the bills and have a little fun too. Onward to a higher income, onward to bringing in more money and working more efficiently to do so. 

     5. Dream Bigger

• I can't remember where exactly I heard this quote, we'll just say it came from Steve Jobs (he actually did talk about it in Forbes). "Dream Bigger" to me means taking whatever you thought possible and pushing it farther. The bigger you dream, the higher you set your goals the more chance you have of reaching them. If you don't set high goals or big dreams, you won't reach them. I know we've all heard the idea that the bigger you dream the harder you fall. Yes, that is possible, but that is a fear based statement, and a self defeating one at that. If you want the dream, you have to believe it. I think, I'm finally starting to believe in my own dreams again and am gaining the courage to make those a reality. Earlier, I told you about what I want Threaded City to be, but to make it even bigger... I want to have my own clothing line succeeding and making women and men everywhere more excited about the way they look while being active individuals (see more about this in Commuty). I want to have multiple locations for Threaded City and be on the pulse of artists and crafters in major cities. 

These thoughts are still a little jumbled, but they are being thought, and that is the important part for me. 

Finally Posting on Etsy Again!

I'm ecstatic to be posting on Etsy once again. Please check out some of the fun I'm having on there and let me know what you think. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/120431691/floral-applique-black-wallet?ref=v1_other_2

The Right Piece to the Right Guy

A few months ago I thought it would be an interesting venture to make my applique that I do on bags into wall art to hang. Believe it or not, people are sometimes hard on their carry-a-longs and some applique doesn't stand up to well to the harsh environments bags find themselves in. SOOOOO I started with 5 pieces varying in size and complexity. This past Saturday I sold my first piece! 

A super huge thanks to Steve from Founders who saw the Fort Wayne skyline in this one of a kind piece "City with Roots" I am beyond ecstatic that this one went to him, it's so fitting considering all that Steve has done for Fort Wayne, IN let alone me. I am looking forward to doing more of these with different skylines from varying cities. Of course Steve told me I should be charging more.

If anyone is interested in suggesting some pricing l would love to hear them. I am excited to start posting these on Etsy but am still very confused as to what kind of price to post. 

"Twins"

By Andrea Rapp

To Purchase See Belyst

"Take Root"

By Andrea Rapp

To Purchase See Belyst

Farmers Market: A first!

Fort Wayne greeted our booth so wonderfully on Jan. 5, 2013. Patty and I decided to split a booth space at Fort Wayne Farmers Market this past Saturday. We both had a great time and even sold a few things even though the odds were against us with being first time vendors and so soon after Christmas. Of course we thank the Fort Wayne Farmers Market especially Gina and Leigh! We would also like to make a warm and huge thanks to our fans, new and familiar, your support is what makes our expressions so much more special. Thank you all for sharing with us this new venture into the real world, not just online.

Patty and I are cousins and have been great friends through most of our childhoods, although there were the occasional fights over dolls and who would get the bed during sleepovers. We compliment each other well both artistically and personally. We have found that having each other to keep accountable and motivate has helped us be better and more engaging in our different ventures. I love that we're able to work together even while our different artistic paths may lead us to very different places.




We are planning on getting involved with more fairs and markets here in the Fort Wayne area, we're even planning a couple in Chicago, IL. As exciting as those are, it's still a little intimidating plunging into the "real" side of sales. I've become accustomed to posting things online, or talking about them on Facebook.

Doing quick Google searches to find out what you need for a farmers market is pretty easy, however the two things that I did NOT find in my searches were a tape measurer and bowl of candy.



Tape Measure is great for being able to take custom orders. Candy is a great way to get a few stragglers up to the booth or calm a fussy child that doesn't want to be there... let alone calm a few of your nerves.

All in all though the market went off without a hitch and we had a great time meeting with so many new faces. 

New Years and Resolutions

I believe I have said this before, and since it has been over a year since my last post, I feel like this is very much due. I'M BACK!! 

It was a bizarre 2012, I officially started Threaded City. I tend to do about half contract/production work for others and half products to sell under my own name.

Here are a few things that I want to do this year, I hope to make the list a little longer by the end of January.

1. Commit and Adhere to a consistant blogging schedule. 

• Wednesdays = Threaded City (General and Product)
• Thursday = Girly Gauges 
• Sunday = Commuty

     2.  Organize 

• Office
• Studio
• The Books

      3.  Produce and Post at least one new item to Etsy each week! 

I still want and need to work on these items to make them stronger and give them deadlines. It's on the "to-do" list. I thank those who have supported me through last years dry spell, and I look forward to creating and working a lot harder to make Threaded City into what it should be.

THANK YOU!
Andrea