Holiday Markets!

The question we've heard more than anything since the Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market is "when is the next Horseshoe Market?" and "are you doing a holiday market?" We love these questions since it means you all want more!! We will be giving you more Horseshoe Markets starting in the Spring (no holiday market this year), but we wanted to make sure to spread the word about all of the fantastic holiday craft markets happening in the area. Yay for handmade art, crafts and for local markets!

1. Art by Craft presented by the Denver Handmade Alliance
Saturday, October 30th, 10 am-6 pm
MCA Denver, 1485 Delgany, Denver, CO
Featuring the work of 30 plus local crafters. FREE admission as part of the MCA Denver’s Family Free Day. The first 50 people in the door get a swag bag full of goodies from local crafters and crafted based activities for all ages in the Idea Box at MCA Denver. It's going to be fun!

2. Gifts For Yule 13th Annual Holiday Fair
Saturday, November 13th from noon-6 pm and Sunday, November 14th from 11-4 pm
Historic Phipps Tennis Pavillion
3400 Belcaro Drive, Denver, CO
Free admission. Art, antiques, linens, handknits, jewelery, beads, soap, bath, kids, vintage, folk art, glass.

3. Atlas Gallery Winter Art & Craft Show
November 20th, 10 am-6 pm
708 16th Street Greeley, CO
More than 25 local artists and crafters, live music all day, baked goods & hot drinks, chair massage & homeopathic goods. Free admission! This is put on by one awesome artist and Horseshoe vendor, Bluedoor.
4. Fancy Tiger's Holiday Handmade
December 3rd from 5-9 pm
December 4th from 10 am-4 pm
Sherman Events Center, 1770 Sherman St., Denver, CO
Denver's alternative holiday craft fair featuring 65 of Colorado's most amazing handcrafters! Holiday Handmade is not to be missed!!

5. Firefly Handmade Holiday Market
December 10th, 11th, and 12th
1904 Pearl Street Boulder, CO
This is Boulder's brand new, super cool holiday craft market! The brains and creativity behind this one-- BirdDog Press and Dandy Social Club (super vendors who were at the Horseshoe!) Check the website for up to date info!

We can hardly wait. There's nothing better than doing your holiday shopping locally from Colorado makers at some awesome local markets!
Also, if we have forgotten any, please post them in the comment section!

Inspiration Monday: Autumn Gold

Yes, we think we did see the leaves turning colors this weekend--at least a few of them! The first leaves have finally started turning yellow. Below is a mix of harvest gold images--all of them from Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market vendors! We are excited to have over 100 vendors selling their wares on October 2nd! Look for more vendor pics in the coming days. Also, don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We have a few awesome giveaways coming up, and you have be a follower to get into the drawing! Happy Monday.
1. Featured Vendor Arcatus Jewelry 2. Featured Vendor Bird Dog Press 3. Boscus Designs 4. Featured Vendor Presents for Pirates 4. The Gold Bug 5. Winter Garden Studios 6. ColorSafeStudios 6. The Red Bench 7. Katy Kinder Fine Art

Inspiration Monday

Yesterday, as we were gathering images for Inspiration Monday, we were struck hard with the Sunday blues. We decided to turn our blues into inspiration. Enjoy these lovely blue-hued images. Most of these folks are Denver artists, and like usual, some of them will be vendors at the Horseshoe. Yahooo!
Tell us what's inspiring you this Monday.....

1. Jewish Cowboy 2. Atomic Livin' Home 3. featured Horseshoe vendor, Siouxsiequeue's 4. featured vendor The Craftorium of T Miss Pink 5. Focus Line Art Paintings by Tracy Melton 6. Horseshoe vendor Janssen Designs 7. Vital Vintage 8. featured vendor Thin Air Creations 9. Denver artist RL Walker 3

Q & A Thursday with Fancy Tiger Crafts

There are businesses in Denver that inspire us and provide us with great tools to do creative and crafty things. We think the very best business for these kinds of tools is the fantastic Fancy Tiger Crafts! We're very fortunate that Fancy Tiger is one of the Horseshoe's great sponsors!!
Grab your coffee and enjoy this lovely interview with owner, Jaime Jennings.

HS (Horseshoe Market): Can you start by telling us how and when Fancy Tiger Crafts got its start?

FT (Fancy Tiger): My partner, Matthew Brown and I opened Fancy Tiger in 2006 as two ideas under one roof. One half of the store sold men’s and women’s clothing from independent designers and the other half sold craft supplies for sewing, knitting, crochet, embroidery and felting. In January of 2008, we expanded into a second store so each original idea is now housed in its own location. Also in 2008, I was joined by Amber Corcoran who co-owns Fancy Tiger Crafts with me now.

HS: Where did the name, "Fancy Tiger" come from?

FT: Fancy Tiger was originally the name that Matthew recorded music under and when we opened, we just felt like it was a great name because it could be anything. If we decide to open a coffeehouse one day we can just call it “Fancy Tiger Coffee”

HS: You recently celebrated your 4^th anniversary in business. What’s been one the greatest moments/accomplishments for Fancy Tiger Crafts?

FT: Well, the best thing is meeting so many amazing and inspiring crafty people everyday. We are really proud of our yearly craft fair that we put on, Holiday Handmade. We were also excited to be written up in the New York Times, Sunset magazine and Readymade magazine.

HS: Can you tell us about some of the classes and workshops you offer?

FT: We’ve been offering a free, Open Craft Night every Tuesday night from 6 – 9pm since the first week we opened. This is a super fun social gathering where everyone just brings their own portable lap craft and we hang out and craft together. We also offer classes in sewing, knitting, crochet, embroidery, felting, spinning, and dyeing. This year we introduced our Lost Crafts Series where we have a class every season that features a craft we consider to be “endangered” such as Naalbinding and Tatting. Our most popular class is our Sewing 101 and we estimate that we have taught over 1,400 people to sew since opening in 2006! We have over 30 classes on the schedule right now which is more than ever so classes are definitely an important part of what we do. We also offer Summer Craft Camp and After School Stitch Club for kids.

HS: What’s in store for Fancy Tiger in the coming months? In the coming year?

FT: Right now we are very excited to be planning our yearly craft fair, Holiday Handmade, which will happen December 3^rd and 4^th this year. Holiday Handmade features the work of over 60 local emerging and established handcrafters. Amber and I are also going on a knitting tour of Iceland later this month with one of our favorite knitwear designers, Ysolda Teague. We will be making Icelandic Lopi sweaters while we journey across the country and we can hardly wait to experience Iceland’s amazing knitting traditions. We are also excited that we will soon be carrying Liberty of London fabrics. We’ve wanted to carry these since we opened and have finally secured them so they will be available right here in Denver CO!

HS: What are some of your must-have handmaking/crafting resources?

FT: We mostly get inspired by blogs and seeing what people who shop at our store are making. Ravelry.com is a must if you knit or crochet. We also love the blogs Film in the Fridge, Anna Maria Horner, Brooklyn Tweed and of course, Ysolda Original Patterns.

HS: Favorite spots to craft in Denver?

FT: Our favorite coffeeshops, parks and of course, Open Craft Night!! Amber and I are there hosting every Tuesday night!

HS: Favorite place to eat?

FT: Potager, Fruition, Root Down and our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm parties. We both belong to a CSA from Pastures of Plenty farm and their farm parties are the best meals of all time!

HS: Best coffee?

FT: How did you know we love coffee?! Matthew and my first business was a coffeehouse so it is a passion of mine! Here is my opinion of the best lattes in Denver: Metropolis, Aviano, Crema, City o City, and Novo.

Thanks so much, Jaime! For a list of Fancy Tiger classes, go here. Also, don't miss their Amy Butler Trunk Show on October 1st and the Holiday Handmade show on December 3rd and 4th. Also, check out the Fancy Tiger Blog and Facebook page for more fun, crafty happenings!

Biz Tuesdays: Horseshoe How-to for Vendors

So, you’ve started thinking about being a vendor at Horseshoe but still haven’t filled out your application? Now's the time--applications are due in less than a month on September 5th! Here's a super fast checklist to get you on your way:

Step 1: Fill out our online application. It's quick and painless, we promise!

Step 2: Get accepted! Yay! We will notify you of your acceptance through email within a week or so.

Step 3: After receiving your acceptance email, you will officially reserve your space by paying for your booth with PayPal (PayPal link will be included in the email). You can also pay by check. We require you to pay within 5 business days of receipt of acceptance since booths are filled on a first come, first served basis.

Step 4: Get crafting, creating and collecting to get ready for the market on October 2^nd, 2010! We’re so excited to see all your hard work and get this market started!

*We’ll be blogging about checklists to get you ready the market in the next few weeks, so be on the lookout for those.*

Here are some FAQ’s from our site and some of the basics of what you need to know about Horseshoe:

When and where is the Market and what are your hours of operation?


The Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market is on Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 8 am-3 pm at 46th and Tennyson behind the Olinger Moore Howard Chapel (4345 W. 46th Avenue, Denver, 80212)

Who can participate?

We are currently accepting applications for the following types of vendors:
 artists, hand crafters, jewelers, designers, and vintage/antique collectors. We are looking for unique, funky goods made (or collected) with great quality.

How big are the spaces and how much do they cost?


Each space is 10 X 10 feet, and $65 per space. Two spaces cost $100 and we have discounts for full time students and Denver Handmade Alliance members.

Is the Market juried?


Yes. We are looking for vendors with unique goods, and folks who take pride in their work, have a sense of professionalism, and are excited about their art, design, craft and/or collecting! If you haven’t done a market, don't fret. We encourage people who have never done a market to apply! Submissions will be reviewed and we will notify you of your acceptance within one week of receiving your application. Our hope is to not have many duplications at the market.

Can I share my space?

Yes. However both parties must still submit applications and be approved first. When one party makes a payment, please indicate with whom you are sharing a booth.

Do I need any special permits to sell at the Market?

Yes, all exhibitors must be in compliance with state and federal tax laws. Look for an upcoming blog post on this!

What happens if it rains?

The Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market will go on rain or shine!

Is there a place to purchase coffee and food nearby?


Yes, there are many coffee shops and restaurants between 38^th and Tennyson. We will also have food and coffee at the Market. Check out more about our great Denver neighborhood where the Market will be held: The Berkeley District.

Feel free to email us at horseshoemarket@gmail.com or leave a comment here if you have any questions!

We like this.

It makes us happy. In a world where we're always "connected" (like right now), this video reminds us of how important it is to have some solitude.

Favorite line among many: "if you have an art that needs practiced stop neglecting it."
Happy hump day. Follow our blog & and Fan us on Facebook to be eligible for an awesome GIVEAWAY at the end of the week!!!!!
xo