Our own Amanda K. of A. Bel Studio was one of the talented crafters who showcased at the 2nd Annual Spring Bada Bing! in Richmond, put on by our friends in the Richmond Craft Mafia.

Several people blogged the event, so check these links out for photos and more!
Crystal J. Silk | mim4art | My Aim Is True | Off The Record | Indiefixx | Etsy Labs | Lark Studio | Pottery By Tasha

The Crafty Link Dump will be a weekly-ish post filled with links to tutorials, free patterns, awesome new sites or weird crafty news. If you have a link you'd like to contribute to the link dump, please send it to web@norfolkcraftmafia.com!

• Free quilt pattern from Heather Bailey, created for her Free Spirit fabric line.
• How to fold your fabric just like they do at the fabric store!
• Print envelopes on patterned paper from this free template.
• Make your own macro photo studio (for photographing your crafts) for $10! Great tutorial!
• Animated image of how a bobbin works. Mesmerizing!

Wow, you're here! Welcome to the brand spankin' new Norfolk Craft Mafia site! We're really stoked that you came to check us out.

Please make liberal use of your left-click button and investigate the entire site! We are just getting started so if you have any suggestions or questions about the site, please email us and let us know!

Thanks to everyone who came out last night to the (now monthly!) Crafter's Roundup. It was great to see some familiar faces and meet some new people.

We had some great discussion last night and there are a few newsworthy items that all mafiosas need to know about:

1. There will be a yearly fee of $20 required for membership in the Norfolk Craft Mafia. This will cover web hosting costs as well as the yearly dues ($250) that we are required to send to the founding chapter of the Craft Mafia.

   Officially joining will give you many benefits including a link on our website (we are already generating a good bit of traffic!), collective advertising, collective entrance into craft shows, booth fee discounts for Norfolk Craft Mafia-hosted events, endless networking opportunities as well as the opportunity to attend any of our skill-sharing workshops for FREE (non-members may still attend for a $15 fee, but for $5 more you might as well join and get the full benefits).

   We need to collect membership dues by the first Sunday in June (also the date of our next crafter's roundup). Please go to our how to join page and use the "Pay Yearly Dues" button to pay through paypal or bring $20 to our next crafter's roundup. If you have any questions about membership or what it entails, email us at join@norfolkcraftmafia.com.

2. We have decided that the Crafter's Roundup will now be a monthly event! It will be held the first Sunday of each month at 6pm at Drawn to Art in the Ghent section of Norfolk. It will always be an informal time to hang out, work on crafts (if you want) and share food potluck style. Please join us next month!
3. The Norfolk Craft Mafia will be hosting their first annual holiday-ish craft show and sale this fall and we need your input! There is a thread over on the forum where we are discussing this so please, go give us your input!
4. We are working on a tentative schedule for the skill-sharing workshops that people have expressed interest in. The next workshop we're planning will be Photography and gettin' yourself online. We will cover digital photography (and how you can set up a simple photo studio for $10), uploading photos to the web and free photo hosting, setting up a blog and setting up an Etsy shop. This workshop will probably be held early June and will be free to members!

   Other workshops being planned are in knitting, jewelry, ceramics and more so watch for those this summer!

A special thanks goes out to Laura at Drawn to Art for hosting the event last night as well as to all of you for sharing your delicious food and great company. Please join us next month for another great event!

1. Thread Matters: choosing a slightly different thread color can really make a difference! Tips here.
2. Fusing plastic bags tutorial. Great for making waterproof linings for makeup bags or beach totes, or make a whole bag out of it! So cool!
3. How to embroider on felt. Great tutorial!
4. Adorably hosted video tutorial on how to make and spraypaint a stencil. You will love this!
5. Advice on choosing your first sewing machine along with some great book recommendations.
6. A nifty DIY art supply shelf for holding crafty supplies or utensils!

I'm pleased to announce that Amanda of A. Bel Studio, Jennida of Appleseed Art and I will be officially reppin' the Norfolk Craft Mafia at the first annual Pile of Craft show & sale! It's a juried show and we were one of the booths who were accepted. Go us!

Pile of Craft is being put on by the Charm City Craft Mafia and will be held on June 23 in Baltimore. Why not make a road trip of it and spend some money with a ton of creative and talented crafters!

1. Applications are now online for Stitch, Austin's largest Indie Fashion Show and Craft Bazaar. The event is November 10th at The Austin Music Hall, but get your application in before the August 15th deadline.
2. Sunny day dress and top tutorial! Super cute!
3. How to make a homosote bulletin board. Recycled materials are the best.
4. How to make gorgeous paper pom poms the Martha Stewart way. I really like the ones Heidi of My Paper Crane put up in her house!
5. Recycling junk mail at Whipup. Great idea!