Small announcement first - the May 4th monthly crafter's roundup has been canceled. We apologize, but we hope you will make it next month for...

Sunday June 1

6pm
Norfolk Craft Mafia presents The Great Spring Supply Swap!

@ Grow Interactive: 350 W. 22nd Street Suite 106 Norfolk, Virginia 23517 - in the new Palace Station shopping center. Grow is toward the back left corner, across from NYFO.

Free and open to the public! Bring a snack to share potluck-style and any unwanted or un-needed craft supplies! Someone else will put them to good use! Come hang out with other creative people in the area and get a chance to recycle your stuff! Everyone is welcome!

original photo by Sofia Katariina

Bigtime thanks to everyone who came out last night and made our spring craft workshop a success!

A special THANK YOU goes out to our excellent instructors, Tasha, Sloane and Mary for sharing their skills and taking the time to run the workshop.

Everyone got a little bit creative and jumped right in learning new skills.

Embroidery, crazy creatures and knitting all around!

Got an idea for our next workshop? Have a skill you're willing to share with the rest of the mafia? Leave us a comment or go post in the forums!

Thanks to everyone who signed up. More info about the final groupings is here. Sorry to anyone who didn't get in. We are excited about trying this new type of workshop. See everyone Sunday!

Spring is right around the corner but we're a little impatient over here at Norfolk Craft Mafia headquarters, so we're throwing a little spring craft workshop to help usher it in a little early this year.

Hurry Up Spring! craft workshop
Sunday, April 6, 6pm @ Grow Interactive
350 W. 22nd St. Suite 106, Norfolk, Virginia
open exclusively to Norfolk Craft Mafia members*, all supplies provided

This workshop will be a little different than our previous skill-sharing workshops, as we'll be focusing on three specific craft projects instead of learning a skill in general. Because of this and the need for supplies, space is extremely limited! There are 15 spots available for this workshop, 5 for each craft project. Please comment on this post or send an email to info@norfolkcraftmafia.com to RSVP and reserve your spot! Please put your first, second and third choice for which project you'd like to do in the email as well. I will try my best to match up everyone according to their first choice, but please be a little flexible as this is the first time we've tried something like this.

Three fabulous mafia members will each be teaching a spring craft. The offerings are as follows:

Tasha Chapel: Knitted Spring Eggs! These would be so adorable as a colorful assortment in a basket or dish, or just make one and hide it as a surprise for someone!

Mary Worrell: Embroidered tea towels! Adorn your kitchen with kitschy and cute embroidered towels.

Sloane Solanto: Bird gourds! Sloane will share her signature bird gourds with us and pass on the skill!

Please RSVP as soon as you can, space is limited and it's first come first served. See you in a few weeks!

*if you would like to attend this workshop and are not yet a Norfolk Craft Mafia member, you may RSVP with that info and I'll help you get signed up. You will need to bring your $20 yearly membership fee on the day of the workshop.

Prince Books, an awesome indie bookstore in downtown Norfolk and one of our sponsors for Handmade Parade 2007, will be hosting a craft demonstration and book signing with Mark Montano of TLC's While You Were Out and author of the Big Ass Book of Crafts.

In THE BIG-ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS, Mark Montano gives the younger and cooler generation of crafters over 150 crafts to fill their home, give to friends, or send to Mom. A top designer for TLC's While You Were Out, host of TLC's 10 Years Younger, and cohost of the Style Network's My Celebrity Home and We's She's Moving In, Montano approaches design with a scrappy, D.I.Y. sensibility. He believes handmade is always better than mass-produced, and encourages readers to use their own style and creativity when crafting.

In THE BIG-ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS, Montano offers step-by-step instructions for projects in home and office accessories, gifts, jewelry, furniture, even bath and body products. From Warhol-inspired lithographs to tissue paper-covered chandeliers, THE BIG-ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS has projects for every style, skill level and budget.

The event will be on Sunday, March 9 at 3 pm. Go check it out! Prince Books - 109 E. Main Street - Norfolk, Virginia 23510. Call 757-622-9223 or visit www.prince-books.com for more info.

Also don't forget, our Monthly Crafter's Roundup is this Sunday, March 2 at 6pm at the offices of Grow Interactive in Ghent. Bring a craft to work on and a snack to share, and hang with some crafty people! Check the events page for full info!

Our sister mafiosas over at the Richmond Craft Mafia are now accepting applications for the 2008 Spring Bada-bing: The BOSS of all craft shows! Go join la famiglia for their 3rd installment of the largest indie craft show in VA. The show will be at Plant Zero in Richmond's southside and, as always, will showcase artists and designers from across the country selling high quality, original handmade goods.

I went to this show last year, and fellow mafia member Amanda of A.Bel Studio was a vendor, and it was a great time!

There is a non-refundable, non-transferable $5.00 application fee due when you submit your application. Application deadline is midnight March 19th. Click here to apply online!

The application deadline is rapidly approaching! This was one of the first events that the Norfolk Craft Mafia participated in last year, and it was a huge success! I'd love to see some mafia members in this show, so send in your submissions!

Sunday night the Norfolk Craft Mafia hosted yet another skill-sharing workshop: CROCHET! We had a great turnout and got a big start on crochet skills!

A huge thanks goes to Tasha, Mary and Amanda for sharing their knowledge of this fiber art. You guys were awesome teachers!

Like this... then like this...

Crochet concentration. Don't miss our next skill-sharing workshop which will be held on April 6th in place of our regular monthly crafter's roundup. Announcement on that coming soon!

A big congratulations goes out to Norfolk Craft Mafia member Sloane Solanto (who, if you didn't know, does a great job managing our Myspace page) for winning first place in the "Shirt Off Your Back" challenge at Red Thread Studio this past weekend! She refashioned clothing to create this awesome Cowl Girl piece.

There were also some wonderful entries from mafia members Annie Moon and Jeannine Peregrine. Jeannine's outfit will be featured in this issue of Altered Couture! Congrats, Jeannine!

There are a few events coming up that everyone should attend! The first is also at Red Thread Studio (which, by the way is owned by mafia member Angelia Armstrong).

February 23, 2008, 10-12:30 p.m.
Collage & Mixed Media Workshop with Instructor Jeannine Peregrine
At the Red Thread Studio - 153 W. Washington Street, Suffolk, VA, 23434
angeliaarmstrong@verizon.net or 757.923.9832 for more information.

The other big event is an art opening featuring work by mafia members Elizabeth Henry, Sloane Solanto and Jeff Guinn. Everyone come check out the reception!

February 29th-April 6, 2008, Opening reception Feb. 29th at 6-8 pm
Take A Flying Leap: Emerging Artists Group Exhibit
@ Smithfield Cultural Arts Center - 346 Main Street, Smithfield, Va.
call 757-357-7707 for more information.

Congrats to all the mafia members getting their work out there! Hope to see you at these events!

How to sew a lining for a crocheted bag. I have a feeling this will come in handy after our Learn to Crochet workshop in a few weeks!

Check out this super easy ironing board cover tutorial! I am totally making one with these vintage curtains I found at a yard sale.

Recipe: Black bean hummus with olives. YUM!

Eat, Drink & Be Crafty, an awesome little social event is coming up February 10, brought to you by the Richmond Craft Mafia. Sounds like a lot of fun! If you're interested in going, post here, maybe we can organize a carpool!