Happy New Year!

Drawn Together: A Fundraiser for Newtown, Connecticut

It is hard to know exactly how to help after such a senseless tragedy such as the Newtown School Shooting. However, pediatric psychologist and DIY blogger Amber Daigre of Damask Love has started a creative project and fundraiser for the Newtown community and you can help. Learn more on the Damask Love blog.

Free Craft Sampler & Gift Guide

Quirk Books recently released a free downloadable Homemade Quirk sampler, dishing out a ton of cute crafts and recipes in a PDF document. The sampler features a round up of the best crafts and baked goods that Quirk Books has to offer. Tiny books from Microcrafts, cat portraits from Crafting with Cat Hair, mini homemade Pop Tarts from Tiny Food Party, bottled potions from Witch Craft, and a lot more!

Here you will find instructions for creating multiple gifts for the bookworm, lovebirds, kids, animal lover, foodie & geek! There's also easy directions telling you how to upload the PDF to a Kindle, Nook, or Kobo.

Quirk Books also released a fun Holiday Gift Guide! This is the perfect place to find gifts for the crafter, chef, hostess, and artist on your shopping list!

Fall Event Wrap-Up

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored, participated in, volunteered at, attended, promoted AND supported Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience!!!

• Funkiest Booth Contest: Thank you to everyone who voted for the Funkiest Booth at the event! The two vendors with the most votes were The Silver Craftsman and Candi Bebe Designs! Both vendors will receive a $25 Visa gift card from Funky Finds.

• Charities: Through the charitable raffle, we were able to raise $1,500.00 which is split evenly between The Humane Society of North Texas and Toys For Tots.

Event sponsor Quackerbox Creations, Ltd. screen printed event tees that were sold at the event & t-shirt sales generated $750.00 for HSNT.

Attendees generously donated over $500.00 in cash donations to Toys For Tots, as well as three large boxes full of toys.

This was the first Funky Finds event where Don’t Forget to Feed Me was in attendance. Attendees donated 230 pounds of pet food and $851.00 in donations which equates to one full month of pet food that will be distributed to their clients.

Perhaps the most exciting news is that fifteen dogs were adopted on-site at the event!

• Photos from the event can be found on Funky Finds' Facebook page.

SURVEY: If you attended last weekend's event, please take a moment to complete the Shopper Survey.

Our next event will be the 5th Annual Funky Finds Spring Fling on March 9 & 10, 2013. We are currently accepting vendor applications online & sponsorship commitments. The vendor application deadline is January 8, 2013.

Funky Finds Event THIS WEEKEND!

Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience 

is THIS WEEKEND!

Saturday, November 10, 10am-5pm

Sunday, November 11, 11am-4pm

Important Points to Remember:

• Location: Amon Carter Exhibit Hall at Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3400 Burnett-Tandy Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76107 • DIRECTIONS

• Parking: The City of Fort Worth has changed the parking prices at the venue. The lot on Harley Avenue, directly South of the barns, will be $5 per day for Funky Finds attendees. Please be sure to mention that you are there for Funky Finds! Other parking lots will be $8 per day. • MAP

• Admission: FREE!!!

• Family AND Pet-Friendly - Bring the whole gang!

• T-Shirts: For the first time, we will be selling t-shirts for $10 at the event & all proceeds will be donated to the Humane Society of North Texas!

• Raffle: Tickets are $1.00 each. All proceeds benefit Toys For Tots and the Humane Society of North Texas. Bring a new unwrapped toy & receive one FREE ticket.

• Swag Bags: The first 75 attendees each day to purchase five or more raffle tickets will receive a swag bag. This is a large Funky Finds shopping tote filled with magazines, books, product samples, coupons and more!

• On-site pet adoptions throughout the weekend! Also, Don't Forget To Feed Me will be accepting pet food donations at the event. They will be set up near the raffle & the Humane Society of North Texas.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors!

Madtosh Crafts • Quackerbox Creations, Ltd. • Creative Collective Fort Worth • BUST Magazine • Yelp.com • The Artful Bead • Cabbage Rose Quilting & Fabrics • Plaid Crafts • DMC • Right On Graphics!

***SPRING EVENT*** We are now accepting vendor applications for the 5th Annual Funky Finds Spring Fling to be held March 9 & 10, 2013. Vendor application deadline is January 8, 2013.

Event Sponsor: DMC

Founded in 1746, DMC has been providing crafters with quality products for two and a half centuries. Their products range from needlework threads to stitch-related board games.

DMC also has a wonderful Mentor Program that allows passionate crafters to help keep the art of stitching alive and thriving for generations to come! The DMC Mentor Program is designed to share your love and passion for stitching with a friend, family member, scout troop, class or anyone you think would enjoy stitching as much as you do.

To become a mentor, simply sign up & DMC will provide you with all the tools you'll need - a DMC Cross Stitch Mentor Kit with four mini cross stitch starter kits to be used for your first lesson, a Mentor Design Brochure, a Mentor Pin and Mentor business cards to identify you as an official DMC Mentor.

Their website also features a wide variety of free projects and Emma's blog is regularly updated to include free patterns, craft ideas & much more! Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

Event Sponsor: Cabbage Rose Quilting & Fabrics

Cabbage Rose Quilting & Fabrics has generously sponsored every indie art & craft event Funky Finds has hosted in Fort Worth, Texas. Considering we will be hosting our seventh event in Fort Worth on November 10 & 11, that shows how owner Karen O'Neill is extremely supportive & generous towards the handmade community. 

Founded in 1997, Cabbage Rose is a beautiful brick & mortar store located at 3000 Montgomery Street. The store is filled to the brim with gorgeous fabrics ranging from Moda to Benartex. They also offer patterns, kits and books for endless projects to keep your creativity flowing. The large space features a terrific in-shop classroom where they host a variety of workshops, classes and space for sewers to spread out and share their treasures.

Following the Cabbage Rose blog, Cabbage Corner, is a great way to stay informed of new products, store happenings, giveaways & more. And, if you do not live in the Fort Worth area, never fear! Cabbage Rose offers tons of fabrics & other products online! Check out the Cabbage Rose Quilting & Fabrics Facebook page for more info, as well.

Buy Handmade

Our upcoming event, Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience, is a great place to shop for unique, hand-crafted items ranging from accessories to plant arrangements!

Saturday, November 10, 10am-5pm

Sunday, November 11, 11am-4pm

Will Rogers Memorial Center • Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall • 3400 Burnett-Tandy Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76107

Free Admission • Family AND Pet-Friendly • Charitable Raffle benefiting Toys For Tots & The Humane Society of North Texas • Swag Bags • And More!

You can also buy handmade items online at
The Shops @ Funky Finds!

Event Sponsor: The Artful Bead

The Artful Bead stores are the most popular retail bead stores in North Texas. Their stores are your one-stop shopping destination for a wide variety of Czech glass beads, seed beads by Toho and Miyuki, Chinese glass novelty beads, pearls, semi-precious stones, and much more. Most importantly, The Artful Bead's staff is experienced & able to answer all of your beading questions. There are two Artful Bead locations - 5304 Trail Lake Drive in Fort Worth, Texas; 2501 N. Josey Lane, Suite 116, in Carrollton, Texas.

The Artful Bead also offers a wide array of workshops & classes ranging from jewelry making techniques to silver soldering 101. If you aren't already a subscriber of their newsletter, I suggest you sign up regardless of where you live because they always provide helpful information for those who make jewelry. For example, they recently shared The 411 on Clasps, an amazingly creative & helpful guide to the what/where/when of clasps, from For The Makers.

Another great way to stay connected is to follow The Artful Bead's Facebook pages - one for each location, Fort Worth and Carrolton. If you plan on attending Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience, be sure to visit The Artful Bead's booths (#201 & #202) where they will be offering tons of beads & other jewelry making supplies, as well as doing various demos. You never know what the creative gals are going to surprise us with, but we can guarantee it's never disappointing!!!

Help Save BUST Magazine!

BUST Magazine is facing some serious financial challenges & needs our help in getting 2,000 new subscribers, stat. As an independently published magazine, you can imagine the difficulties BUST faces in the current economic situation. Learn more about this publication in one of my recent features and get your own (or a gift) subscription here.

GIVEAWAY: A Bag for All Reasons

Lisa Lam, author of the bestselling book titled The Bag Making Bible, has recently published A Bag for All Reasons. This outstanding collection of 12 inspiring bags includes Lisa’s personable teaching style and detailed technique images along with patterns and instructions for 12 new bags and totes for every occasion. Full sized pull-out patterns allow you to get to work immediately on the bag of your choice.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book for review & I can tell you first-hand that it is beautifully made. I love that it's spiral bound allowing the book to lay flat when open to various pages. The book opens with an introduction to basic equipment, the ins & outs of a sewing machine, a how-to on using patterns, and an overview of fabric types. These sections allow beginners to enjoy the book just as much as advanced crafters. I had the opportunity to ask Lisa a few questions & her responses are below.

The book features:

• 12 new projects with full pull-out patterns

• Full-color step-by-step images for each technique and each project

• Lay-flat spiral binding

• Tips and techniques including choosing fabric, attaching
zippers and snaps, and more

• Extras including pattern legend, suppliers list, online resources

FREE PROJECT: Click here to download the FREE Compact Groceries Tote project and templates from A Bag for All Reasons.

DISCOUNT OFFERS:

Save 33% on all Lisa Lam products in the Martha Pullen
online shop with coupon code “BAGS2012”.

Save 30% at Store.Martha Pullen. Expires 11/30/2012.

Free Shipping No Minimum Order at Store.Martha Pullen.
Use coupon code MPSHIP during checkout.

A Bag for All Reasons; Make Fabulous Fabric Bags for Every Occasion

1. Please give us a short background description of yourself. I was born (errr…nearly 40 years ago) in Poole on the beautiful South Coast of England. I’m educated in all sorts of things because when I was younger I couldn’t make my mind up as to what I wanted to do for a career. So I’m a trained chef, I have a Psych degree, I can hand-make women’s shoes, I have successfully run two other businesses…and there are yet more different jobs to add to my mixed up work history, but to date U-Handbag, book writing and pattern designing are my very favourite jobs and I’ll continue to work at them until I can work no more! What do I do apart from crafting? Well at the moment I have no time for crafting because I am very busy looking after my new baby girl. She’s totally awesome; she has such a yummy smile and easy-going nature. I know she’s going to be a fab crafting buddy.

2. What inspired you to write A Bag for All Reasons? Well after my first book, The Bag Making Bible (which was a very technique driven book), I wanted to write a book that more showcased my designs. In my work I always love to try to do something different. So in my research for my second book I checked out other bag making books and decided that a lot of them were (how do I say this?) not modern enough for my taste. I also saw that none of the bag making books grouped their bags by usefulness, rather they focused on seasons, or eras for example. To me, function is just as important as form and this influences all of the design work that I do. If I can’t design something that is practical as well as pretty, then it probably won’t leave the drawing board. That is why when it comes to bags I’m obsessed with pockets, roominess, structure, volume, adjustable wing-dings and the like. I think if you are going to go the trouble of making your own bag, it’s good if it is practical, that way you’ll enjoy A LOT of use from it. Also your bag should be designed to withstand the rigours of busy college/family/mom/work/etc. life! Hence A Bag for All Reasons is full of bags designed for use in real-life situations by all members of the family.

3. What is your absolute favorite project from the book? Ohh, I’d have to say ‘The Fashionista Baby Bag (with matching changing mat, page 92)’. It might be my fave because I’m now a mom myself, or it could be that the bag was designed around what design features my Facebook fans said I should include in the bag. I also love the Too Cool for School Satchel (page 70). The design is totally influenced by the tough (and quite rigid) traditional leather school satchels, but I had fun figuring out how to realise the design in soft fabric. I think the results look pretty cool and whimsical.

4. Any other craft books or projects for us to look forward to in the near future? Ohh yes there are…I can’t write a full-blown craft book at the moment because it’s a labour of love that is very labour intensive. I’m enjoying being a new mum right now, but there are some very exciting future plans on the horizon for when my daughter is a little older. All I can say is that I will at some point resume designing, writing and maybe filming more DVDs, there are a few more surprises planned as well, but I have to keep shushhh about them for now. Whilst I enjoy this precious time with my girl I’m blessed that folks still want more of my designs and my publisher still wants to work with me.

5. What does handmade mean to you? It’s no exaggeration to say that handmade is my life. I love to start from scratch in lots of things I do; from cooking to crafting; from DIY to making up funny songs for my baby. Handmade is not only the action of making something yourself, it’s the attitude behind it. When you take time out to make something yourself, you are making many positive statements to you and those around you. You are saying things like: I enjoy the challenge, I love someone enough to give them something that I made myself, I have pride in my skills (and/or I am enjoying learning how to improve those skills), I don’t always want to accept what is available in the shops, I want to make history by passing my handmade skill or handmade item down my family generations. I could on and on! Handmade is so positive and at the same time nutritious! It influences much of my life and the decisions I make. It’s fair to say that without handmade I wouldn’t be the person I am today & my life would be very dull without it!

*** GIVEAWAY - Closed- Congrats Gill! ***

PRIZE: One lucky winner will receive a copy of Lisa Lam's book A Bag for All Reasons!

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post noting an occasion you most need a bag for.

ADDITIONAL ENTERY: Like Lisa Lam's U-Bag on Facebook, then leave a comment on this post noting you have done so.

ENDS: 9pm CST, Wednesday, October 24th.

Event Sponsor: BUST Magazine

Established in 1993, BUST Magazine provides an uncensored view on the female experience while telling the truth about women's lives & presenting a female perspective on pop culture. Pictured here is the latest issue featuring Parks and Recreation actress Aubrey Plaza on the cover. Each issue includes coverage of indie musicians, fashion, and interesting recipes and DIYs. This issue covers DIY Halloween masks, herbal cold remedies, and awesome autumn tacos. The swag bags we will be giving away at our upcoming event, Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience, will include a copy of this issue!

BUST also hosts craft fairs throughout the year, such as the upcoming Holiday Craftacular & Food Fair. The event will be held December 1st and 2nd in Soho, New York and will feature:

• 2 days to sell during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

• A beautiful event space at 82 Mercer Street,
located in the heart of SoHo (foot traffic galore!).

• More than 200 crafters and food artisans --
any and all handmade crafts and specialty foods are welcome.

• More food vendors inside, as well as food trucks outside.

Thousands of dedicated holiday shoppers attend this annual event for the best indie vendors, groovy DJs, raffle prizes, demos, and free goodie bags for early bird attendees. Don't miss your chance to participate! The application deadline is October 26, 2012. For more information on promoting your product or service at the BUST Magazine Craftacular and Food Fair Holiday 2012, contact Emily Andrews at emily.andrews@bust.com or Bridgette Miller at bridgette@bust.com.

For a limited time, the BUST Boobtique is having its biggest sale ever!

Click here to see all the goods that are marked down 40%!!!

GIVEAWAY: Unrepeatables

Self-professed nail polish fiend Erin Sheehy-Norton is the creative force behind Unrepeatables. She describes her jewelry designs as unpredictable and witty, two things we strongly value at Funky Finds! Erin creates one of a kind nail polish jewelry, collage pendants, and wearable beaded art. Both her website and her Etsy shop showcase her unique AND sparkly accessories.

The nail polish jewelry is hand-painted using nail polish under glass. I purchased a red & silver ring from Erin at the Funky Finds Spring Fling in March and always receive compliments on it! The look is very similar to this pink & silver ring  (pictured below) that is SUPER funky.

Erin, an Austin, Texas, resident will be participating in many art & craft shows this fall. This month, she will be selling at Market at Snack Bar in Austin, a five-day outdoor market. You can also find her work at The Art Garage in Austin on October 27th. In November, Unrepeatables will be participating in The Girlie Show in Oklahoma City and Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience in Fort Worth! If you are unable to shop at one of these events, don't worry. You can shop online!

*** GIVEAWAY - Closed - Congrats Dawn! ***

PRIZE: A pair of skull and crossbones nail polish heart rings ($30 value). These hearts are 35mm across, both are Zoya glitters (one in Nova, the other in Astra) and are paired with a China Glaze crackle called Cracked Concrete.

TO ENTER: Like Unrepeatables on Facebook, then leave a comment on this post noting you have done so.

EXTRA ENTRY: Visit Unrepeatables website or Etsy shop & leave a comment noting your favorite item.

ENDS: 9pm CST, Wednesday, October 17.

GIVEAWAY: 3 Copies of Craft-A-Day

Think crafting is only for experienced folks with special skills, fancy tools, and plenty of free time? Come on. We all know that isn't true. Craft-a-Day, Quirk Books' latest crafting book, offers 365 (you heard me) simple and unique projects that casual crafters and everyday people will find easy and fun to make, all year long.

This colorful hardback collection of crafty goodness is full of easy-to-follow instructions that are accompanied by handy patterns and over 400 photographs. Author Sarah Goldschadt organized the projects into playful weekly themes, ranging from holidays and seasons to animals and shapes. Weekly themes include Ladybug Week (make ladybug pins!), Owl Week (learn how to make adorable stuffed owlies!), Cloud Week (make a cloud stencil notebook!), and more. Best of all, there's a Gnome Week early on that includes instructions for creating a gnome card, cupcake topper, and more.

I think the most important thing to know about Craft-A-Day is that the instructions are simple & the supplies are minimal, making it perfect for beginners & kids. BUT...the projects can easily be kicked up a notch by advanced crafters adding their own spin. Craft-A-Day makes a great gift for yourself and others because it will entertain you all year long & it will definitely kick-start your creativity!

I had the opportunity to ask Sarah a few questions & her responses are below. Visit her website for craft projects & other tidbits, as well as her Facebook page. And, be sure to visit Quirk Books' site to download 6 EXCLUSIVE BONUS PROJECTS by Sarah! (above photo from Sarah's blog)

1. Please give us a short background description of yourself. I was born in Denmark, grew up in Minnesota, attended college and started my graphic design career in Iowa. Seven years ago I found my way to New York and currently live in a 5th floor walk-up studio in Hells Kitchen. I've worked in magazine publishing for 10 years and I'm currently a freelancer. I float around to different offices and work for various (print and digital) magazines during the day, but I try and take as much time off to travel between gigs. (photo by Tanveer Badal, from Sarah's website)

What inspired you to write Craft-A-Day? Margaret McGuire, an editor at Quirk Books approached me with the title (I was a contributing crafter for Microcrafts and Witch Craft) and we brainstormed various ways a craft a day could be done. I thought breaking down the projects based on weekly themes was more manageable and once you had the supplies it would be easy to make more projects.

What is your absolute favorite craft from the book? It's hard for me to choose! Some days I really love Whale week. Other days it's Gnome week. But I think my standard favorite is Owl Week.

Any other craft books or projects for us to look forward to in the near future? I'm slowly updating my blog with new projects and editing photos from my Bangladesh/Laos/Thailand trip in February. Since I work in an office during the day, my biggest obstacle is finding the time to make all the projects that constantly swim in my head. Someday I also hope to design my own craft app or digital magazine for the iPad.

What does handmade mean to you? To me handmade is the art of creating a project from start to finish with your hands.

*** GIVEAWAY - Closed - Congrats Megan, Trishden & Wendy! ***

PRIZES: Three lucky winners will receive a copy of Craft-a-Day! Continental US only, please.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post noting whether you would happily keep the book for yourself or if you have someone in mind who would love to receive it as a gift.

ADDITIONAL ENTRY: Share this giveaway at least one way - on Facebook, your blog or website, Twitter, etc. - and leave a comment on this post noting you have done so. Thank  you!

ENDS: 9pm CST, Wednesday, October 10th.

Event Sponsor: Creative Collective Fort Worth

Creative Collective Fort Worth, located at 3526 W. Vickery Blvd. in Fort Worth, Texas, is a collective of local artisans, craftsmen & vintage "pickers" selling their wares in a micro boutique setting. With the motto Re-purposed, Up-cycled, and Unique Handmade Items, Creative Collective FW provides a one-stop opportunity to buy directly from a variety of local makers, creators and collectors.

This shop is filled with tons of uniquely hand-crafted items, as well as many vintage pieces you won't find anywhere else. The various artisans offer items ranging from paintings to quilts and everything in between. One of the most interesting collections features carved wooden angels (pictured - click for larger view) created by a teenage girl! I love discovering young funky finds!

We are excited to have Creative Collective on-board as a fall event sponsor as it's a perfect tie-in for what we do. Which is of course promote handmade! Attendees will have the opportunity to visit with the store owner, Angela Estrada, at the event. Be sure to follow the Creative Collective blog and Facebook page for updates & more information. And see more photos of our recent visit to the shop via Facebook.

If you are interested in possibly selling your work through Creative Collective, here is some basic information.

1. All items are either up-cycled (an old lamp redone with hand painted shade), re-purposed (a suitcase made into a dog bed) or handmade.

2. Artists are selected on a jury basis. Six to eight pictures are requested of your work and a panel of artists will decide whether or not your creations will work at the shop (this varies from season to season as our offerings change).

3. Rents range from $90 (small table space) to $200 (large wall space) a month on a six month lease and are possible as space is available.

Please email angela@creativecollectivefortworth.com to submit your inquiry.

Event Sponsor: Madtosh Crafts

Madelinetosh has been producing high-quality hand-dyed yarns since 2006. Today their colorway selections exceed 104 different shades & hues! The yarns are created in Fort Worth, Texas, and have for years been shipped to stores worldwide. However, there were not any local businesses carrying their products. This is what inspired the opening of Madtosh Crafts, a beautiful yarn & craft supply store located at 4119 Camp Bowie Blvd. in Fort Worth, TX.

The shop, which opened earlier this year, is very zen-like. Its minimal decor makes all the beautiful yarns & fabric the focal point. In addition to offering Madelinetosh yarns, they also offer a wide variety of yarns & supplies from various indie companies.

Many locals have already had the opportunity to enjoy in-store events, such as a knit-along during the Olympics. Also, every Thursday night is knit night at Madtosh Crafts. Upcoming events include the appearance of the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, who will be presenting her lecture "This is Your Brain on Knitting" on September 25th. Stephen West of Westknits will be in-store on September 29th. Although his workshop is sold out, there may still be a few tickets left for the after party featuring cocktails after the workshop. Stephen will also be signing copies of his book and showing off his awe-inspiring trunk show.

Want to learn about upcoming events? Be sure to subscribe to Madtosh Crafts' email newsletter. Their Facebook page is also a great place to receive real-time updates. You can meet the great staff behind Madtosh Crafts at Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience on November 10 & 11, too! See more photos from our recent visit on Funky Finds' Facebook page.

Event Sponsor: Plaid Enterprises

One of our generous Funky Finds fall event sponsors is Plaid Enterprises. They are the makers of many brands, including Mod Podge, FolkArt, and Martha Stewart Crafts.

Amongst the newest Martha Stewart products are the glass paints & stencils. You can create versatile and beautiful painted glass with the new Martha Stewart Glass Paint, available in a lovely palette of 120 colors and seven unique finishes, hand-selected by Martha. Use with Adhesive Stencils, Silkscreens and Paintable Clings to create amazing glass gifts and home accents.

DISCOUNT: Visit the Plaid website for a 30% discount on all Martha Stewart Products through October 3rd!

The Plaid website has lots of project ideas, such as these great snow flake mugs. Be sure to follow Plaid on Facebook and Pinterest for more ideas. And don't miss their terrific blogs (Paint Me Plaid, Mod Podge Rocks, and Plaid Kids Crafts) showing all kinds of craft projects, as well as giveaways.

Plaid generously donated THE ENTIRE LINE of Martha Stewart Crafts glass paints & stencils as a raffle prize (pictured at left) to be given away at our upcoming event, Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience! Raffle tickets are just $1.00 and all raffle proceeds benefit Toys For Tots and the Humane Society of North Texas. We hope to see you there!!!

Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience

On November 10 & 11, Funky Finds will host our eighth handmade event in Fort Worth, Texas. With over 140 vendors, Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience will be our largest indie art & craft show to date.

WHEN: 10am-5pm, Saturday, November 10 and
11am-4pm, Sunday, November 11

WHERE: Amon G. Carter Exhibits Bldg. at Will Rogers Memorial Center,
3400 Burnett-Tandy Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76104 (Directions)

ADMISSION: Free!

The family and pet-friendly event features a wide variety of talented artists, crafters & designers selling their unique hand-crafted items ranging from accessories to pet goods and everything in between. Five Texas-based authors will also be signing and selling their latest books.

Funky Finds is known not only for promoting handmade worldwide, but also for supporting a wide variety of charities. Each event features a charitable raffle & all proceeds benefit Toys For Tots and the Humane Society of North Texas. Raffle tickets are $1.00 each and the first 75 attendees each day to purchase five or more tickets will receive a Funky Finds shopping tote filled with magazines, product samples, coupons & more. Those who bring a new unwrapped toy for Toys For Tots will receive one free raffle ticket. The Humane Society will be facilitating on-site pet adoptions and the organization Don't Forget To Feed Me will be accepting pet food donations throughout the event.

For the first time, we will also be selling event t-shirts printed by Quackerbox Creations, Ltd. T-shirts will be $10 each and ALL PROCEEDS benefit the Humane Society of North Texas!

The event is generously sponsored by Fort Worth-based businesses Madtosh Crafts, a yarn & craft supply store (4119 Camp Bowie Blvd.); Creative Collective, a shop featuring a wide variety of re-purposed, up-cycled & handmade items created by local artisans (3526 W. Vickery Blvd.); The Artful Bead, the most popular retail bead store in North Texas (5304 Trail Lake Dr.); and Cabbage Rose Fabrics & Quilting (3000 Montgomery St.). Additional sponsors are Quackerbox Creations, Ltd. based in Dallas, BUST Magazine, Yelp.com, Plaid Enterprises, and Right On! Graphics.

Funky Finds provides area residents with the opportunity to support a large number of local artisans & charitable organizations, as well as the chance to purchase unique items that are lovingly hand-crafted.

*BOOKLET ADVERTISING: There's still time to purchase a full-color ad or business listing in the event booklet. Details here.

byMarta

Marta Berk of byMarta creates unique and original wearable art. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Marta is a painter & illustrator who creates low brow whimsical characters in oil and graphite. Currently, Marta sells her art as Giclée prints that she prints using archival inks on professional archival paper, as well as wearable art jewelry and hair accessories.

I adore the bright, cheerful designs Marta creates. The hand-crafted Peace Bird locket (pictured) that includes a small key charm is lovely. This image is also available in the form of an adjustable bracelet, as well as bottlecap hair clips.

The mushroom art (pictured) is a perfect example of Marta's whimsical nature which I love! This great illustration is available as a print, as well as magnets, hair bow, and necklace.

To learn more about Marta's work, visit her blog and her Facebook page.

SPECIAL OFFER: Receive a 15% discount on all merchandise with coupon code FF15OFF. Offer expires September 27, 2012.

Vendor Call: Medieval Wine Faire

Funky Finds is proud to sponsor a Medieval Wine Faire to be held Saturday, September 29th, at The KnightLight Theater in historic Jefferson, Texas.

This Medieval theme event will feature wine tastings provided by various regional wineries, live music, door prizes, costume contest, wine seminars, professional photo booth, concessions, vendors, and more!

If you would like to be a vendor at this event, click here to download the application form. All event & submission details are on the form.

The event will also feature a full-color event booklet. For information regarding advertising, please click here to download the form.