Above are some pictures from the first weekend of the Peek-a-boo Pop-up Shop, presented by NOCM members Miss Malaprop and Bayou Salvage.

We had a lot of fun transforming the space at Color Me NOLA into a pop-up boutique! WDSU Channel 6 news even came by on Saturday and featured us as the ENTIRE LOCAL STORY for Small Business Saturday! So THAT was pretty awesome!! We had a lot of fabulous press leading up to this weekend – we’re immensely grateful for all of the support we’ve received from folks like Susan Langenhennig at the Times-Pic & NOLA.com and Amy over at New Orleans Tidbits and all of the others.

If you’re local and sad you missed us during Thanksgiving weekend, don’t worry, because we’ll be doing it one more time, on Saturday & Sunday December 17-18!

Event details:

Peek-a-Boo Pop-Up
Saturday & Sunday, December 17-18, 9am – 6pm
Color Me NOLA, 4815 Magazine Street, Unit 2, New Orleans, LA
participating members: Bayou Salvage, Miss Malaprop

THE NEW ORLEANS CRAFT MAFIA PRESENTS:

THE 6TH ANNUAL LAST STOP SHOP AT THE BIG TOP!
HOLIDAY MARKET & PARTY
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
6pm-10pm
Big Top Art Gallery – 1638 Clio St. (between St. Charles and Carondelet)

For all you last-minute shoppers – and we know there are lots of you – the New Orleans Craft Mafia’s got you covered. We are once again offering our LAST STOP SHOP on Thursday, December 15th, 2011 from 6-10pm at 3 Ring Circus Arts Education Center’s The Big Top!

This now 6th annual holiday market and party will feature unique and funky handmade creations from all 13 of the current members of the New Orleans Craft Mafia, as well as snacks, a cash bar, live music and our annual Handmade Holiday Ornament + Tree Raffle, with proceeds benefiting KIDsmART, plus the first 25 people through the door will get a FREE gift bag filled with handmade treats! We hear Santa himself may even be in attendance!

3 Ring Circus & New Orleans Craft Mafia present…
Know Your Rights – An Intellectual Property Rights Primer for Artists & Creatives

Thursday, September 15, 2011, 7-10pm
3 Ring Circus Arts Education Center’s The Big Top
1638 Clio Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
free & open to the public

This free educational event will feature guest speaker Benjamin C. Varadi from the Law Office of Varadi, Hair & Checki, LLC, New Orleans, LA. Topics will cover some of the unique needs of artists, crafters and other creatives, including a brief introduction to copyright basics, how to know your rights and their limits, how to keep from getting ripped off as an artist, and what to do if you think your work has been stolen.

The event is free and open to the public, and will feature networking opportunities for artists before and after.

I’ve cooked up a fun event with my friend Kristy of Color Me NOLA. I’ve got a whole bunch of art & craft supplies which I have no use for anymore, but which I’m sure SOMEONE could put to good use. I know that Kristy has this great space at Color Me NOLA – she teaches art classes for kids & adults there, so I thought it would be the perfect location to hold an art & craft supply swap!

The event takes place on Thursday, August 18th from 6-8pm. I’m making sangria and Kristy is bringing snacks – you supply your unwanted art or craft supplies to swap with others! Come and get some new supplies in exchange for the ones you don’t want anymore. Please spread the word, NOLA locals! The more people who come to swap, the more goodies there are to choose from! Check out & share the Facebook invite here.

Hopefully if this one goes well, we’ll do another again in the future!

~ Miss Malaprop

One of our members, Rebekah of 504 Stitches, has teamed up with the local group Women Empowered and Loving Life (W.E.L.L) to contribute her time, sewing skills and resources to The Pink Slipper Project, which provides handmade slippers to women and children living in shelters.

NOCM member Miss Malaprop recently held a birthday party fundraiser to benefit The Pink Slipper Project, among other worthy charitable projects, but Rebekah and W.E.L.L. still have a long way to go before October in reaching their goals of 600 total pairs of handmade slippers donated! You can help by making slippers, or if you don’t sew or knit, you can also donate postage stamps, fabric and other supplies or money to the project.

Learn more about how to get involved by visiting W.E.L.L.’s event page or 504 Stitches.