The event is one day only from 11 am to 5 pm, indoors at our NEW LOCATION! Cobblestone Hall (City Market / Moore Square) in downtown Raleigh, NC.

If you are an independent designer, artist, or crafter interested in participating in this show, please read our guidelines and then submit an application. The application deadline is midnight (est) on Saturday September 25 , 2010. Late applications will not be accepted, so submit yours today!

In the mean time, we’d like to introduce you to our brand new location! It’s across from Moore Square, the park just south of Marbles Kids Museum, the location of the past few Markets.  So it’s a familiar area, the center piece of City Market, and a beauty of a historic building. For those of you who have lived in Raleigh for a while, you may remember this space as Greenshields. It was originally built as an indoor farmer’s market in 1914, which is one of the reasons we are excited to move The Handmade Market here — it really suits our vision of promoting independent, small businesses and handmade goods. The building is now known as Cobblestone Hall;  it’s gorgeous and was recently completely renovated. There is lots of natural light and room for a few more artist spaces! We’ll be able to accept a few more applicants and still have some extra room to widen the aisles for all of our shoppers.

We look forward to receiving your applications, and hope you’ll be as pleased as we are with the new location! Stay tuned for some photos of the interior of Cobblestone Hall.

Love,
The Handmaidens

Epona and Oak has invited The Handmaidens to set up outside the store this weekend to take part in the Artsplosure activities. We will there both Saturday and Sunday from 11am until 5pm right on Blake street in City Market- come visit!

If you have a story to share about your experience at The Handmade Market — a special find or a new favorite — we’d love to hear from you. If you took photos at the show, we’d love it if you’d add them to The Handmade Market group on Flickr.

For updates on The Handmade Market in November, sign up for our newsletter and follow us facebook & twitter.

Love + craftiness,
The Handmaidens

It’s here! Join us in downtown Raleigh for The Handmade Market at Marbles Kids Museum. Doors open at 11am, and we’ll have 50 artists, crafters, and designers showing off their wonderful handcrafted wares until 5pm. Be one of the first 500 guests and you’ll receive a free tote bag courtesy of our friends at Ornamentea and Yelp.

Admission to The Handmade Market is free! In lieu of an entry fee, please consider making a donation to the Triangle Land Conservancy. Your donation will get you a raffle ticket good for a chance to win a gift basket full of good things from our generous Charity Sponsors.

So grab a friend & some coffee and come on down!

Just wanted to give you a heads-up about a few street closures in downtown Raleigh resulting from the Festival of Hope. First and most importantly is East Hargett Street between Person and Bloodworth Streets. This is one block east of The Handmade Market at Marbles, so please plan your route to avoid that stretch of Hargett. South Bloodworth Street is also closed from Morson to Morgan Streets. These are the two blocks just north and south of Hargett Street.

Given these closures, it’s probably best to approach Marbles from Person Street (one-way northbound) or Blount Street (one-way southbound). For last minute info on street closures, check in with the Downtown Raleigh Alliance.

See you soon!

Kiona Van-Rhee Wilson of Lucky Accessories is happy to be creating accessories that buck trends and encourage women to define�and celebrate�their own beautiful notions.

What will you be selling at the Market, and what inspires you to make them?
I will be selling the goods people have come to expect from me, such as my peapods, vintage wallpaper and ‘made of money’ jewelry, along with some fresh new lines; Nesting necklaces (nests made with coins and fresh water pearl ‘eggs’), and Reversible Stamp pendants (pendants much like my vintage wallpaper pieces, but using gorgeous postage stamps from around the world). I am mostly inspired by things we all use for a different purpose (such as the old wallpaper, the coins, the stamps) and using them in my jewelry to create something with a specific reference or history. I love it when my customers buy my jewelry because it reminds them of their family, a trip, or something else meaningful in their lives.

Which artist(s) at the May 2010 Market are you most excited to see?
I am very excited to see Bees Knees at this market, and Flutter is probably a booth I will have to hover by a few times. I also love the kids tees Jolie Thomas makes.

What’s your new favorite place (in the Triangle) to hang out on a Saturday night?
I am pretty fond of just hanging out on my front porch, with my husband and a glass of wine, or a few friends and few potluck dishes. But if I was to head out on the town I prefer to go somewhere that is downtown, and has outside seating such as Raleigh Times, Moonlight, Busy Bee or Mo Joe’s- to name a few.

If you had time, what new craft skill would you learn?
I am starting to dabble a little bit on my own in metal work with my jewelry, but I have been thinking for a long time about taking a good metal-smithing class. Also learning to make stained glass is on my wish list.

If you could only take one book on a year-long trip, what would you choose?
At the moment probably something like Fast Food Nation. I am getting better and better about making smarter eating choices consistently, but I have a serious weakness for junk food. Keeping a book like that close reminds me why I want to make those smart choices instead of the lazy ones.

What art/craft tool can you not live without?
Just a basic set of jewelry pliers really.

Planes, trains, or automobiles?
Planes. I used to travel a ton when I was young, and I have been fantasizing a LOT lately about jumping on a plane with my family and heading somewhere far away. I do enjoy road trips, but a plane can take us a lot further faster.

ONE MORE DAY until Kiona and her beautiful jewelry help rock the 9th Handmade Market! �See you there!

Admission to The Handmade Market is free! In lieu of an entry fee, we ask you to consider making a donation to the Triangle Land Conservancy. Your donation will get you a raffle ticket good for a chance to win a gift basket full of good things from our generous Charity Sponsors.

We’ll also have homemade goodies from Crumb and Yellow Dog Bread Company for snacking while you shop. Please keep in mind that some designers don’t accept credit cards, so it’s a good idea to bring some cash. If you’re looking for ATMs nearby, go here. Set your alarms, line up a carpool, and come on down to Marbles Kids Museum for The Handmade Market tomorrow from 11am to 5pm!

Casey Dwyer of The Candy Thief is the woman behind the machine and one who wields a mean scissor. She has spent the last four years developing her line of women�s hair accessories. When she isn�t passionately pursuing her collection, Dwyer spends her time running, hiking, snowshoeing, reading, and of course, socializing! She works from her upstate New York studio.

What will you be selling at the Market, and what inspires you to make them?
I’ll be selling a variety of things at the market. I’ve got some bags, hats, and a spot of clothing made from new and recycled goods. Mostly, though, I’ll have my table ‘rockin with my trademark Candy Thief felt headbands. A few different styles will be available at the show: the Sparkle band, the Alexa band, and the Greta band. I’ll also be bringing along a brand new style that is in the works RIGHT NOW!!! Over the years I have made thousands of headbands and one would think I might tire of it. Luckily, my LOVE of color keeps me going. I get incredibly excited to lay out/piece together a batch of bands. I’m constantly snagging inspiration from other hand arts such as quilting and crewel work. Most recently I have been incorporating images found in many traditional American quilts, hand carving stamps and printing pieces for use in the bands. What else inspires me? Vintage wallpaper. Love it!

Which artist(s) at the May 2010 Market are you most excited to see?
I’m really excited to see the work of Jordan Grace Owens. I love when an artist’s work transports me to the tiny little world that they’ve created. Jordan’s characters seem like interesting folks…

What’s your new favorite place (in the Triangle) to hang out on a Saturday night?
Since I’m from out of town, I can’t really say where I’d love to hang out in the Triangle. I can tell you this: most of my Saturday nights involve good people, great beer, and if I’m really lucky, some sweet tunes. Currently taking suggestions.

If you had time, what new craft skill would you learn?
If I had the time for a new craft, I would love to get my hands into a big hunk of clay and make myself a lovely set of dinnerware. someday.

If you could only take one book on a year-long trip, what would you choose?
Year-long trip and a book? Blank sketch book. There is endless inspiration to be had while traveling. I’d like to make sure I capture some of it. Though, if I had to choose a writer whose artistry and command of language gets me every time, I’d take along anything by John Updike.

What art/craft tool can you not live without?
I’m sure life would get harder if I no longer had a seam ripper.

Planes, trains, or automobiles?
I’m not much for air travel and I do like my little old car, but I really enjoy walking and running. Wish I could get everywhere on foot.

Come on down this Saturday and show The Candy Thief some Raleigh love!