Whether you’re an attendee or participating, what you wear plays a huge role in how the day turns out. Nobody likes to be distracted from all the handmade heaven with an uncomfortable outfit, so I’ve come up with some tips to avoid that situation.

1) Dress in layers

Source

Chicago has never been great at giving us consistent weather, but it seems particularly bipolar as of late. This week alone the weather has abruptly changed from being close to 90 degrees and raining to low 60’s and sunny. Layers are the perfect way to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature has to throw at you.

Besides the obvious sweater over a tank top or other similar styles, my favorite way to layer is to wear leggings under a dress or skirt. That way if it gets too hot I can just take off the leggings and wear the dress or skirt by itself.

Such a cute dress and PERFECT for layering! Get this look here.

Sure, I probably look like a crazy lady taking them off in public, but at least I’m not sweating profusely or shivering in a corner. I guess I could just change in the restroom to avoid getting strange looks, but to each their own.

2) Wear comfortable shoes

There’s so much to see and so many people to talk to that you’re going to be on your feet all day. And with all that excitement, you’ll WANT it that way! Don’t let uncomfortable shoes stop you from having a blast.

Seriously, have you ever seen a cuter pair of shoes?? Get them here.

3) Wear sunscreen

Don’t commit a fashion faux pas by looking like a lobster! Trust me; I’ve tried that look out. It wasn’t for me… or anyone else, for that matter.

4) Bring hats and sunglasses

While we’re talking about protection from intense rays, throw a hat and a pair of sunglasses in your bag while you’re at it!

Get a pair of these adorable shades here.

5) Bring hair ties

Between, wind and heat, you’ll thank me later for this tip.

Another important tip goes to the sellers at these events. It’s important to dress in a way that matches your brand. For example, if you make jewelry you should wear said jewelry. If you make apparel, you should wear some of it. Even if you don’t make clothing or jewelry, you still want people to identify you with what you make. A professor once told me that the most important thing to brand is yourself. I wholeheartedly believe that applies in this case as well.

But at the end of the day, the most important tip for everyone is this:

Wear what makes you feel good. Both in terms of comfort and style.

Hope these tips were helpful! Feel free to Tweet or Facebook us pictures of your favorite summer festival outfit.

My name is Jessica Finlay, but you can call me Jess… or anything that sounds like my name. In fact, I respond when people say “yes” because it sounds like “Jess”.

I’m a soon-to-be senior at DePaul University. I’m working towards a Communications Studies major and a Business Administration minor, which basically means I love to talk with anything that moves and I organize my life into lists. Both traits are painfully obvious to anyone I meet.

In my spare time I listen to music, draw, paint and attempt anything artsy or crafty like that. I’m also obsessed with cooking; I’m always on the hunt for new recipes. I attempt to get anyone and everyone to try my cooking. I can’t help it, I’m Italian. We feed people; that’s just what we do. You’ll constantly find me running around yelling “mangia” (the Italian word for “eat”) at the poor souls who let me call them my friends.

My other greatest passion, besides force feeding people, is blogging. I pour my heart and soul out on the internet in attempts to converse with other people who share my passion for food, fitness and cute pictures of cats. Oh, and I guess I blog about my art and share my recipes too.

I’m not the best at crafting personally, but that doesn’t damper my excitement or enjoyment of anything DIY.

I’m that skinny teenage boy that the football coach pats on the back and says “good try” game after game. I’m just here to support the team and that’s exactly why I’m thrilled to be a part of Urban Folk Circuit.

We’ll be back for our third visit to the Grafton in Lincoln Square! Enjoy crafts and drafts at our tiniest craft market of the year boasting a modest 15 artisans. We may be few, but we’ve got a might array of handmade wares for you to explore.  From tasty treats and deliciously scented candles, to fun kids’ gear, jewelry, and more- these talented artisans have got you covered.

QUICK DETAILS::
The Grafton Pub
4530 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL
April 20, noon-5 p.m.
FREE!

On Saturday, April 20th, we will make our third visit to The Grafton Pub in Lincoln Square. Enjoy crafts and drafts at our tiniest craft market of the year boasting a modest 16 artisans. Tuck in tight to this cozy little pub and enjoy unplugged acoustics from Old Town School folk musicians. 4530 N. Lincoln Avenue 60625. We have a few spaces available. Please contact us if you are interested in vending.

Free Admission | All Ages | noon to 5pm

Click to RSVP.

I have been crafting for six years nows (six unholy years!) and I still feel like my products have so much room to grow to fully become solid, to develop their own ideal niche in the crafting community. I happened upon this Ira Glass quote today and although I’ve read it before, I felt that it was the perfect thing I needed to hear when I was trying to sell my tote bags off a card table on my front lawn, off a table cloth on the ground at an elementary school craft show. Maybe it’s the perfect thing that you need to hear right now.

The truth is that maybe your products aren’t that good. Maybe they’re not the best that they can be. And that’s ok for now.

Because you?

You are impeccable. You have a bright, creative spirit inside of you that flourishes as you tap into. Let that spirit move you. Let that creativity guide you. Don’t worry about prices and wholesale orders and craft show displays. Just make. Just make for the sake of making. Allow yourself to shine through your craft. See where the process takes you.

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

-Ira Glass

Our March market is right around the corner!  This Sunday, March 24th, from 10a-2p we wrap up our final installment at The Congress Theater where we’ve been joining forces with Swap-O-Rama-Rama Chicago and the Logan Square Farmers Market.

We’ve had so much fun there over the last couple of months and hope you won’t miss this last chance to catch us all together!

AND! Fotio—”a photobooth without the booth”—will also be back this Sunday, too!  Fotio is smaller and prettier than a traditional photobooth.  You can take your own pictures, view them on the screen, and receive a ticket to access them later online.  Some of our artisans got in on the fun last month by taking pictures with their wares.  Check ‘em out below:

A print from Arthur’s Plaid Pants.

Compact mirrors from Think Again.

Card from Brain Surgeons and Rocket Scientists.

Yarn from The Wool Dispensary.

You can see even more of these photos in Fotio’s Facebook album from the event.

See you Sunday!

Hello all, 

March is here, the river is almost green (isn’t it always, though?), and snow is on the ground and thawing. Mid-March typically brings midterms and spring break for most college kids, but for us DePaul students (and others on the quarter system) classes are wrapping up for Winter Quarter. This means the time of my academic association with Urban Folk Circuit is coming to a close, but in no way indicates an end to my love for crafts and all things handmade.

Over the past ten weeks, I have enjoyed helping plan markets, writing for the blog, and getting to know all you talented artisans. As a craft enthusiast, I could not have asked for a better place to be called ‘intern’. Whereas in a large agency I might not have been able to see the direct results of my work, with Urban Folk Circuit I was able to see just how it worked within the ‘big picture’. Also, I was never demanded to make coffee.

I’ve learned both how to write a proper press release and post on WordPress like a pro. Also, it was such a unique thing to explain to people when they asked about my internship. It certainly made for a bit longer of an ‘elevator speech’ if someone didn’t know about Urban Folk Circuit, but I loved chatting about our year-long craft market to anyone that would listen.

I am honored to have been part of an organization that has such a positive impact within communities on all levels. I hope to take what I have learned in this experience and apply it to both my professional and personal life.

I am off to study abroad in Paris for Spring quarter! Assuming Woody Allen does not sweep me into the 1920s come midnight, I will keep up with the handmade world across the pond and report back! Until then, keep on crafting and thank you again for a lovely ten weeks.

Hands down, my favorite “class” at DePaul thus far.

Until we meet again,

[Intern] Molly 

I remember buying my first print at a Chicago fair, hanging it, and loving being able to talk about it to anyone who would ask. Having a story behind something makes it meaningful.  When buying something for a friend and wanting it to have that extra touch of homemade, the most obvious purchases will embody the trends I’ve explored with Common Threads.  To me, they are the most prominent, affecting, and charming.  It is through these trends that give handmade its own sense of brand and identity.

The fascination with trendy motifs have grown well beyond just being DIY, but the recognition of their handmade origins has given way for a larger exposure of the craft world. “Put a Bird On It!” has launched the indie outliers creating these crafts into a wider spotlight. Owning something old does not make you outdated—it makes you cool. For artists, former ‘hobbies’ can now be hip, local businesses.

Just as the green and local food movement has made people aware of where their food comes from, they also care about how the items they buy are made. Shoppers are finding beauty in vintage, recycled, and reused items—and Instagramming all of the above.  William Morris, a major contributor in the revival of traditional textile arts of the 1800s, said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” I believe this revival is returning. As a consumerist culture we are shifting from a mindless shopping list to “the thrill of the hunt”—going the extra mile (or El stop) to find exactly what you want, perhaps made by an artist you know. Finding value and sentimentality with handmade purchases is just as important as the product itself.

One of Urban Folk Circuit’s primary goals is to “reconnect mindful buyers to modern handmakers”. These common threads in crafting do just that. While the mustache motif is always subject to change (here comes the beard), the momentum many of these trends carry have certainly held a significant impact.

Involving myself in these crafty happenings throughout the city, I’ve been able to see the successes and lovely work of local artists. Maybe it’s my old soul—or how much I love my grandma’s knitted hats—but I love that these products and other DIY things are all ‘in style’. Stylish or not, however, Urban Folk Circuit’s efforts to promote “local livelihoods” has played a perfect part in these trends of the handmade world. I think we must continue to promote the beauty that can be found in the past and take advantage of popularized themes. The world is your oyster, crafties, so keep on stitching, printing, knitting, mustaching, and creating!

But why the mustache?  It’s literally facial hair―kind of weird when you think about it, right? With over 14,000 mustached crafts available on Etsy, people could easily replace the “Put a bird on it!” phrase with “Grow a mustache on it!”. Just as the nostalgia and bird motifs in handmade reach for the past natural ideals, the mustache hails back to times long gone. The handlebar mustache, for example, might nod toward 19^th century style and the values that came with this time period (ugh, Victorian repression). And, like the bird trend, these simple icons can add quirk and character to any item. . . or manicure. . . or cupcake. . . you get the picture. 

Whether they are small and sinister looking or big and bushy, the mustaches celebrate a bit of ridiculousness. The important thing to note about the ‘stash is its irony. Traditionally the sort of masculine facial hair men sported and shaved with a single razor blade, allowing the mustache to appear in other contexts comes across as comical. A bedazzled pink mustache is funny because it is a complete juxtaposition.  Many tourists who go to London might get a silly picture taken with a Buckingham Palace foot guard because they are not allowed to smile. The guards are being serious, but we’re getting a kick out of it. The mustache is serious. The mustache means business. But attaching one to the face of a narwhal makes it that much more hilarious. In our idyllic craft world―a place where everyone loves each other and knitted woodland creatures can be found around every corner, we are able laugh at ourselves. I think the mustache is representative that the craft community refuses to take anything, including itself, too seriously. 
However, the mustache has made its mark even beyond the craft world. You see them on shirts at department stores and they’re a staple prop for any photobooth. Just the other day, I saw temporary tattoos with all different styles of mustaches on them. Cute and quirky items are hugely popular for adults, kids―everyone. When used a certain way, the mustache can emulate this same charming aesthetic that so much of the Etsy world thrives upon. At this point, the mustache has definitely been mainstreamed, but their sheer number has allowed all kinds of people in on the fun. Whether mustaches match your aesthetic or not, there is no denying their impact in handmade.

[Tuesday and Kaicy have fun with mustaches at the Magnolia Photo Booth]

The mustache’s close relative, the beard, has also been gaining a large number of fans. It is humorous and exciting to see how many people will continue to expand upon and utilize this trend of facial hair. The mustache has moved well beyond simply being a mustache. It is a collective idea, a motif—a common thread. We aren’t just making a mockery out of this traditional facial haircut, we’re celebrating in its awesomeness, reveling in its power.

Viva la ‘stash!