May 16th, 2010

Come visit us at the Silverlake Jubilee this weekend! We are participating in some great zine workshops. Plus, there are lots of local bands, artists and food to enjoy. $5 admission for it all!

March 5th, 2010

For those of you who need a little inspiration, or a deadline, to finish your projects, let me introduce you to what has taken over my life the last few weeks. Swap-bot. This on-line swap robot thingie allows you to create project specific trades with people all over the world. Want to collect vintage postcards? Create a vintage postcard swap and have people send them to each other. Or just join one already created by someone else equally enamored with them. There are hundreds of swaps being organized that trade everything from miniature handcrafted fairy houses to boxes of junk from your junk drawer. Stickers, matchboxes, journals, ATCs, rubber stamps and zines! Seriously, if you want to make and trade, this is where to go. I have made and filled a match box, sent a bag full of goodies from my craft room, and am working on a journal filled with 40 random things. And the fun thing is for everything I send out, I get something back, made by someone equally passionate and crafty.

So check it out and let us know if you start trading!

February 14th, 2010

A great workshop for teens! Learn about the history of self-published magazines (aka zines), then work on a collaborative zine that each person will get to take home at the end of the evening. This workshop is taught by Rhea, zine maker and creator of the zine distribution website www.onlyfortheopenminded.com.
Location: Fairview Library 2101 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405

February 14th, 2009

I’ve been dreaming about Etsy world takeovers. Each crafter sharing their creations and supporting each other’s stores….zines pouring out of the walls…balls of yarn piled high to the ceiling. If you haven’t heard of Etsy, it is an amazing online opportunity for anyone to buy and sell all things handmade.

Looking around our studio, there endless ways to improve an Etsy store here!!

With just one day pass at our studio you could:
1. Use our lightbox and flood lights to take professional photos of your products.
2. Use our die cut machine and assortment of stamps to make adorable price tags and packaging.
3. Look through our crafting library of books for new pattern ideas and projects.
4. Maintain your store on your laptop with our free wi-fi.
5. Get to know other crafters working in the studio – its a great place to share ideas!!
and much much much more!!

Polly began her Etsy store, Polly Danger, a couple of years ago. She found the experience exciting at first, but discovered that after a while, her handmade revolution had outgrown the 6′X7′ crafting room in her San Fernando home.

“After spending so much time as a solitary crafter, I needed to find an environment where I could be surrounded by other people creating and learning from each other.” Ixchel began working at the Urban Craft Center in September, and has since found that the space and opportunity to meet other crafters has not only helped her store, but reignited her desire to create.

“The U.C.C has helped me!” She says, while picking out coordinating fabrics for her latest collection of men’s aprons. “These cutting mats and table space make my crafty time more seamless. I’m much more productive here.”

Karen, another U.C.C resident, has found the studio’s photography equipment a great way to take professional pictures of her products. Karen’s signature bag at the moment is the Quickie Clutch. She sells the patterns on Etsy and at The U.C.C! She recently helped a first time sewer complete her pattern in our studio.

And what about me, you ask? My store, Shared Madness, has Custom Converse shoes, embroidery patterns and my favorite, zines! The studio here has helped me in so many ways, especially as I discover new ideas in our library and make friendships with other crafters.
Community is the key!

If you have an Etsy or Artfire store…if you sell handmade goodies to your friends or zines out of the trunk of your car…if you make things but haven’t started to share or sell them…our space and equipment is here to help you and your handmade revolution!

Our studio rates are:
1 hour $6
2 hours $11
Day pass $15
Memberships begin at $45 a month and give you unlimited access to the studio, a locker for your supplies, friend passes and more.

You can find our Etsy sites here:
Polly: pollydanger.etsy.com
Karen: hyperart.etsy.com
Rhea: sharedmadness.etsy.com