I don’t normally cross-post between this site and Pointy Sticks, but I had to share my crafty goodness from SXSW. This is normally a geek festival, and I went in part for reasons related to the podcast and in part related to Fresh Photography. It ended up being so very, very much more. Not only were there geek things going on, but there were CRAFTY things to be had too! Crafty things which will be discussed in detail in the next podcast. Just a brief list, as much for me to remember:
– My biggest fangirl moment of SXSW was probably meeting Hugh of GapingVoid.com. If you have received a business card from me in the past year with a cartoon on the back, it is a design that Hugh shared on his site. For free. Gives them away. The Creative Commons is a BEAUTIFUL thing, people. Beautiful. So when I realized that it was his name on his nametag (that is a bit redundant, but I can’t think of a better way to explain it), I went all fangirl on him with giddy squealing. I had the very last of my cards with his design on the back in my wallet, and gave it to him. Meanwhile, he gave me a Stormhoek t-shirt and artwork that he signed for me. We don’t have Stormhoek here in Texas, but we plan to order some soon and try it out.
– Got computer files you need to move around when you are on the go? Want a super cute designer flash drive? Check out the Mimobots! Goodness, these are just the CUTEST piece of hardware EVER. Seriously. They made me giddy every time I saw them, and the owners of the company? Fabulous. Great people to share your fried pickles with late on a Tuesday night at Katz’s on 6th Street in Austin. The One Love sticker will be on my laptop by tonight, and I really want to get one to tote my files around. (You can pre-order the Star Wars series of Mimobots, which I have seen in person. Good things!)
– On Saturday, I got to meet (well, re-meet, since we met briefly in 2005) Cinnamon of Poise. Her bags, in one word? AMAZING. Beautiful, well constructed, fabulous. I must get one of her knitting bags. (I have my eye on the blue and brown one. Surprising, huh?) They are all so lovely, check them out! She sells much more than knitting bags, and bags for both men and women. So don’t let the fact that I mentioned knitting throw you off.
– I met up with a member of the team at Scrapblog and finally learned what it is all about. Let me tell you, it is COOL. I take a lot of photos, and I’ve always wanted to scrapbook with them. I just have never gotten around to it. Scrapblog might finally give me a way to scrapbook my photographs, with the ease of Flickr included. You can take your photos, make a layout, and then print them as a book. How cool is that? There are other cool things you can do – check out their site.
– Speaking of making books, after seeing Lulu and Blurb book samples in person, I now know for a fact that the publishing industry is about to be turned on its head. You can make your very own HIGH QUALITY books and much more. You can do it, without waiting for a publisher. This just makes my head swirl with the possibilities.
– More good stuff? Make and Craft magazine. I met them at their booth in the trade show, and learned about the upcoming Makers Faire that will be next fall in Austin, Texas. October 20 & 21, 2007 at the Travis County Fairgrounds. For those of you on the West Coast, there is one in the Bay Area on May 19 & 20, 2007.
Maker Faire is a newfangled fair that brings together science, art, craft and engineering in a fun, energized, and exciting public forum. The aim is to inspire people of all ages to roll up their sleeves and become makers. This family-friendly event showcases the amazing work of all kinds of makers–anyone who is embracing DIY and wants to share their accomplishments with an appreciative audience.
There will be a new podcast online in the next few days. My voice needs a chance to recover from 6 days of nearly non-stop talking. I learned so much and I have so much that I can not WAIT to share with you! (I was so focused on the panels and taking notes, I got absolutely no knitting done. Can you believe it? Sad, but true. More knitting this weekend.)
4 replies on “Crafty Geeks!”
Ha! Glad to have helped feed your fangirl habit 😉
But of course, the pleasure was all mine… I met so many insanely great and kind people this week, you have no idea.
Did you say Stormhoek?!? That’s South African, like me!!! Gosh, but we’re everywhere, aren’t we? Except for me, who’s back here in South Africa, and wishing I was back in the States EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
What have you done to me? I immediately created an account with Scraplog. Of course, I botched my first attempt. It’s not enough that I spend all the time blogging, now I’ll start with pictures. I’m glad you had a good time and came back with new ideas. And, thanks for sharing them so that the un-geeks can find out about them (what do you call those of us who are technologically challenged?
Hi Christine!
Thanks for the mention! I enjoyed meeting you at SXSW and am glad we got a chance to chat after your fangirl moment 😉 Hugh stopped by in Miami on his way back and we had a good chat over dinner with some of the local bloggers.
We’re a few days away from launch and hope you’ll come by to check us out again. If you’d like an invite, please let me know or sign up on the site.
-Alex