We are seeking and asking our community to help make our creative dreams come true to end our 19 years of making with a goal of raising $20,000, which will ensure that the makers joining us on Sunday, December 1 will pay only $10.00 to set up and sell. We are taking donations big and small. You can give back as a patron or a sponsor.

As of today, 8/19/2024, we have raised $762.00!!! Help us make our first goal of $2,500 to take the vending fees down by $5.00 for our accepted crafting artists.

Thank you to the following friends!

$250 Craftin’ Patrons

Bel Monili

$50 – $100 Craftin’ Patrons

Claire Jennings, Tricia Brancolini, Julia Backoff, Beryl Thompson, Adam Waddell

$1 – $50 Craftin’ Patrons

Lisa Colvin, Halley Quinn, Rachel Murdock

Read about all the perks for giving back and every dollar helps us reach our goal!

Workshop attendees will create their own terrarium by creating and designing a cemetery inspired by Streetlight’s miniature Halloween Village. All materials and supplies included. Create a haunted cemetery, an adorable pumpkin patch or allow your imagination to takeover. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Expect to use and work closely with hot glue.

Space is limited, with a special session for kids + 1 adult and a class just for adults.

• 1 – 2: 30: Adult + 1 child, limited to 14 registrants – creating 1 cemetarrium together
• 3 – 4:30: Adults only, limited to 15 registrants, each creating their own cemetarrium

Learn more about the Halloween Miniature Village, which is free to visit at Streetlight Guild this October and includes sensory hours. https://streetlightguild902558154.wordpress.com/2024/06/28/10-26-10-31-2024-halloween-miniature-village/

We are returning to our roots as we step back into The Bluestone Columbus!

Our OG fans may recall this as BOMA but we will call it our final resting place on Sunday, December 1, 2024.

We have room for 60 makers on two floors with bar stops, a make and take lounge and stage activities to keep our collectors engaged throughout the day.

Come evening hours, we will host a craft after party like no other, with karaoke, Craft Corner Deathmatch special guests throughout the night, with hor’s devours and a cash bar.

The craft show will be free to shop from 10am – 4pm. The after party will run from 4:30-8pm.

The Bluestone is located at 583 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215. Adjoining parking lots are free to park on Sundays, as is meter parking.

The entire building is handicap accessible, with ramps, an elevator and handicap accessible bathrooms.

Images sourced from Indie Fixx

If you’re looking to explore your artistic side, make new friends, or connect with local creatives, check out our comprehensive list of DIY experiences throughout the city of Columbus that caught our eye this April!

• Friday, April 12: Pulping & Sculpting Card Making
• Sunday, ApRIL 14: Soap Making
• Sunday, April 14: Potters Wheel Workshop
• Thursday, April 18: Build your own Art Journal
• Tuesday, April 23: Introduction to Hand Lettering
• Saturday, April 20: Intro to Spindle Turning
• Sunday, April 21: Beginning Yarn Spinning on Spinning Wheel

Are you teaching a class or workshop in or around Columbus? Take advantage of the DIY Calendar and get the word out! This platform is promoted by Midwest Craft Con every month, and it’s an excellent opportunity to share your event. You can add new events every month. Add you experience to the calendar by submitting your event here.

If you’re looking to explore your artistic side, make new friends, or connect with local creatives, check out our comprehensive list of DIY experiences throughout the city of Columbus that caught our eye this February!

• Sunday, March 3: Happy Little House-Pulping & Sculpting Series
• Sunday, March 3: Modge Podge Hodge Podge Springtime Self Love
• Friday, March 8: International Women’s Day Event: Sewing Sanitary Pads For Period Pantry
• Saturday, March 9: Intro To Pyrography
• Saturday, March 9: Color Mixing Workshop (oil painting) with Janine Crum
• Sunday, March 17: Cloud Buddies Workshop with artist Dana Lynn Harper

Are you teaching a class or workshop in or around Columbus? Take advantage of the DIY Calendar and get the word out! This platform is promoted by Midwest Craft Con every month, and it’s an excellent opportunity to share your event. You can add new events every month. Add you experience to the calendar by submitting your event here.

Craftin’ Outlaws was one of the first “alternative” craft shows in Columbus, Ohio. Before the days of online shopping, Venmo sales and pop-up markets on any given weekend, a back room bar played venue to a marketplace hosted in 2005 with a line out the door, vendors set up on pool tables and our outsider craft movement was established. The venues changed as did the exhibitors over the years but the value, the heart of every event was centered around the love of craft and the crafting artists behind the tables. A show by artists for artists which celebrated irreverence, quality, humor and individuality.

As the years went on Midwest Craft Con was formed with the vision of 3 regional craft show organizers from across Ohio, each who held the belief that education and community could further the creative landscape. Hosting keynotes, breakouts and workshops by the likes of Lisa Congdon, Jen Hewett, Kathy Cano-Murillo, Gemma Correll and Toni Lipsey, Craft Con brought together crafting artists from all over the nation who continue to have strong bonds outside of their chosen creative efforts.

In total 5 conferences, over 33 marketplaces, countless pop-ups, workshops and gatherings were hosted under the name of craft.

On behalf of the board and myself we are grateful for extending our services to the handmade community.

We will continue to provide creative content through our DIY calendar and host our digital catalog until the end of 2024.

Our glitter will finally fade out with one last marketplace on Sunday, December 1st at the Columbus Museum of Art. Stay tuned for a few online experiences, a final celebration of DIY and one last drink to toast close to two decades of handmade.

Thanks for being Outlaws and “CON”ners with us! -Megan Green

If you’re looking to explore your artistic side, make new friends, or connect with local creatives, check out our comprehensive list of DIY experiences throughout the city of Columbus that caught our eye this February!

• Sunday, February 4: Bracelet Bar Fundraiser for Thriving Breast Cancer
• Wednesday, February 7: Greeting Card & Creative Envelope Addressing Workshop with the center fof HumanKindness
• Friday, February 9: Pottery Power Hour
• Saturday, February 10: Leatherworking – Handmade shearling bootie slippers
• Monday, February 12: Lupine & Pine Wood Workshop at Makers Social
• Wednesday, February 14: Celebrate Love: With Our Flower or Heart Beach Resin Landscape Design
• Saturday, February 17: Boro Stitching
• Sunday, February 18: Warm Up with Our Heart or Flower Resin Frame Workshop
• Sunday, February 18: Bind Your Own Art Journal with Gerilyn Larsen
• Thursday, February 22: Sewing 101 w/Mallory: Envelope Pillow

Are you teaching a class or workshop in or around Columbus? Take advantage of the DIY Calendar and get the word out! This platform is promoted by Midwest Craft Con every month, and it’s an excellent opportunity to share your event. You can add new events every month. Add you experience to the calendar by submitting your event here.

Discover your Creative Side with DIY Experiences in Columbus!

If you’re looking to explore your artistic side, make new friends, or connect with local creatives, check out our comprehensive list of DIY experiences throughout the city of Columbus that caught our eye this January!

• January 2: Miniature Pottery Class
• January 8: Sewing 101 w/Mallory: Envelope Pillow
• January 11: 2024 RESET yr creativity with ATS
• January 13: Leatherworking – Handmade shearling bootie slippers
• January 13: Collage Party and Artist Reception
• January 14: REWIND 101 Screen Printing Workshop
• January 14: Kids Sewing w/Kathy: Pajama Pants
• January 14: Beginning Spinning on a Drop Spindle
• January 18: Mending Workshop
• January 20: Intuitive Stitching with Intention w/Mary Lee *Ages 16+
• January 21: Patchwork Pillow Class
• January 25: Cleanse and Refresh: Essential Oil Workshop
• January 27: Easy dyeing at home with tinctures

Are you teaching a class or workshop in or around Columbus? Take advantage of the DIY Calendar and get the word out! This platform is promoted by Midwest Craft Con every month, and it’s an excellent opportunity to share your event. You can add new events every month. Add you experience to the calendar by submitting your event here.

Interview by Mallory Theiss

How has your business changed since MWCC?

When I attended the inaugural Midwest Craft Con, Craft Industry Alliance was just about a year old. We were off to a strong start as a trade association serving the crafts industry, but were still just getting our name out there. Since then, the organization has grown a lot! We now have over 2,000 members which is so amazing. I come from a sewing background so for me one of the joys of growing our membership has been learning about the business side of lots of other craft sectors like yarn and fiber, beading, and scrapbooking.

Have you had any special new releases since MWCC that you would like to share?

Yes! Our main news is that we are now the strategic partner with h+h americas, the premier trade show for the crafts industry. For many years we were a trade association without a trade show, which was awesome in that it gave us time to truly develop the online, accessible resources that we provide to our members. Partnering with Koelnmesse in Germany to bring h+h to the US has added a whole new component to what we’re able to do, bringing retailers and manufacturers together and allowing our members to gather and meet in person each year.

What processes have changed in your business since MWCC?

One significant change was in our leadership. I co-founded Craft Industry Alliance with Kristin Link and for the first 3.5 years we led the organization together. Kristin needed to leave the organization in May of 2019 and I ended up buying out her 50% share. That was a big step, and a scary one! Since then, I’m so grateful to have assembled a fantastic team who have contributed their individual talents and skills in innumerable ways to make the organization as strong as it can be. After Kristin left, I signed up for leadership coaching. Working with incredible coach, Lauren Lambrecht, I was able to become a more confident leader which has really helped!

Learn more about Craft Industry Alliance and how they support the maker community. 

Interview by Mallory Theiss

Crystal is the proud owner and talented soap artisan behind Rose and Perry. Her journey began in Toledo, Ohio when she decided to attend a soap making class purely for fun. Little did she know, this experience would ignite a passion within her. Crystal quickly realized that soap making was reminiscent of another beloved hobby of hers – cooking! She was captivated by the opportunity it provided to experiment with a plethora of scents, textures, and colors. Inspired by her newfound love for soap making, Crystal started creating an assortment of unique and exquisite soaps to gift her loved ones. It wasn’t long before her passion blossomed into a full-fledged business, all thanks to the unwavering support of her wonderful partner, who took the initiative to sell her soaps at his workplace. Crystal’s journey is a testament to the power of pursuing one’s passions and turning them into a successful venture.

WERE YOU ABLE TO CONNECT WITH OTHER BUSINESS FOLKS DURING THE WEEKEND?

I loved being able to connect with so many makers over the weekend. Especially mother makers that know the challenges with running a business and being a mommy. It really placed my mind at ease to know I wasn’t alone in that Avenue nor the challenges with navigating entrepreneurship post COVID.

WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE MOMENTS OR KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM TONI’S KEYNOTE?

I absolutely loved Toni’s keynote talk. She is so talented and her experience and personality truly draws you into her word. My most favorite takeaway from her talk was how to build a community around your niche. I thought that was brilliant because we try so hard to follow a trend instead of being the trend and creating a niche that works for us so we can build a community.

Left Crystal Perry, right Toni Lipsey

WHAT WAS ONE TAKEAWAY FROM THE WEEKEND THAT YOU WILL USE IN YOUR BUSINESS?

The biggest takeaway from the weekend was how to create a workshop to add something extra to your business. Customers really love experiences and Rose & Perry offers so many products that we can teach for a future workshop for customers. I really loved that idea and I actually never thought about it. Especially a travel workshop since we currently do not have a brick and mortar shop.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SESSION AT MWCC?

My favorite session at MWCC was “How to make love to your customers!” I really loved this session because I really struggle connecting with my customers on a personal level. I’ve always been so business forward that I forgot that I am a human being too and have a life outside of Rose & Perry that people are interested in as well.

WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE CONFERENCE TO OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS?

I would definitely recommend the conference to other business owners. I feel it is essential to be in the same room with like minded individuals that can make you hit the switch to tap into your creativity. Sometimes breaking the day to day is necessary to blossom in your business.

We are grateful for the support of: Ohio Arts Council, Maydel and BLOOM by Bel Monili for directly supporting our scholarship fund.