Blue Planet Green Living helped us out tremendously by writing an article about our event. Check it out here!

BPGL posts green living ideas, humanitarian stories, interviews, product reviews, tips, book reviews, social action, eco-friendly beauty products, eco-travel ideas, and more! They inspire positive action through stories about people and businesses working to protect the world we share.

BPGL is thinking about starting a SORR in Iowa City, so if any of you Iowa City crafters are wanting one, you should offer to help them out!

We are looking forward to working together more on SORR 2011!

Cat gave us these awesome postcards for swag. Each envelope is filled with 6 different sketches!

Cat will be there on Saturday helpin’ us out. If you see her, yell at her a big “THANKS” for these awesome cards!

Other shop items available:

Everything is handmade and of original design. No patterns used, but with lots of color! She can also make  custom orders. Right now she is offering free shipping on any two items, so head over and shop her Etsy!

You can follow her personal blog here!

Tana Goertz is an internationally-recognized speaker, author, entrepreneur, and personal development coach.

She is best known as a finalist in the hit reality TV shows ‘The Apprentice 3′ and ‘Fear Factor’ , as well as the spokesperson for The BeDazzler. She offers BeDazzling workshops to encourage others to tap into their creativity and power. Today she is busy seizing opportunities and sharing her insights with audiences everywhere on how to succeed in business and in life! She is a high-demand business speaker who educates, motivates, and inspires people to take action through her highly energetic presentations.

Tana has summed up what she does in eight short words – “I help people attract success into their lives”.
Donald Trump has stated that Tana has ‘”that rare combination of laid-back charm and razor sharp execution. She doesn’t put up with nonsense” ( In Touch Magazine). Tana combines a ‘can-do’ attitude, spirit, and energy with vision and execution to propel individuals beyond their current limitations.

Her motivational topics include her trademark presentation, “The Art of Being Unforgettable” as well as her most inspirational presentation “From the Basement to the Boardroom”, and several others.

To learn more about Tana or to book her for your next event, visit her website at http://www.heytana.com, or feel free to network with her at the following sites:
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/tanagoertz
Twitter – http://twitter.com/heytana
LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/in/tanagoert

Shortly after the Natural Living Expo on March 27, ecoparty is a celebration of quality food and drink while enjoying an eco-fashion show. It is a time for the Natural Living community to kick back and have some fun.

Here is a sneak peek of one of the designs, modeled by Kelsey:

This is a reconstructed tee made into a tank top, and a high waisted skirt that was originally a spring jacket.

We’re really looking forward to seeing all of the eco-friendly designers, experiencing vegan, raw, and vegetarian food, and meeting all the great people there.

Admission is 10 in advance, 15 at the door.

Buy your tickets online here.

We really hope to see you there!

**Note: Our knitting night was scheduled for this Saturday. It will be scheduled for a later date, TBA. We’re sorry for any inconvenience!**

Where will the money go? Who does it benefit?

Proceeds generated from our event on April 24th will be divided for the following:

We will be donating all proceeds to Blessman Ministries, Inc. Located in Des Moines, Blessman Ministries is a non-profit organization that works to provide a sustainable way of life for South African orphans of the AIDS crisis. Their projects include feeding programs, eyeglass distribution to children in rural schools, and housing construction.

A portion will also go to support Faythe Levine for her documentary Handmade Nation. You can see her film with us on April 24th for $5!

The expenses leading up to our event include space rental, supplies, advertising, and more. Planners of SORR pay these costs out of their own pocket and will be reimbursed. We are also hoping to set aside some funds for SORR 2011.

What about all the stuff?

All leftover clothing in good condition will be donated to Hope Ministries, which will then be used to meet a variety of needs in our community. Hope provides free clothing to their shelter and recovery residents through vouchers. They also sell donated clothing in their Hope Bargain Center. The proceeds support their food, shelter and recovery programs for the homeless in Des Moines.

How can you help us help others?

1. Show up to the event! $10 and a bag of clothes is not too much for an entire day of learning, crafting, socializing, and fun!

2. Donate to our cause via Paypal. Your donation is tax deductible and VERY much appreciated! Any little bit helps us out immensely.

3. Bring a sewing machine to our event for us to borrow, or donate one for a tax deduction. We do not have a sponsor for sewing machines this year, so the more we have the better! Please email us in advance if you have a machine for us to use.

4. Volunteer. We always need people before, during, and after the event to help us with various tasks. Volunteers receive free admission to the event, swag bags full of goodies from local artists and businesses, and time to participate in the fun! Email us if you would like to sign up as a volunteer.

Preparing the fabric

An Elvis shirt remade into a cute ruffly one!

Shirt made out of a bunch of different shirts

Kelsey even jumped on a machine for a bit!

Soon-to-be goucho pants

Detail of the cute skirt Stephanie made

All done! It looks really comfy.

If you weren’t able to come to this workshop, don’t worry! We’ll be doing this and much more at our big Swap on the 24th.

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting screenings of  Faythe Levine’s Handmade Nation documentary at this year’s Swap-O-Rama-Rama!

Handmade Nation documents a movement of artists, craftsters, and designers that recognize a marriage between historical techniques, punk and DIY (do it yourself) ethos while being influenced by traditional handiwork, modern aesthetics, politics, feminism, and art. Fueled by the common thread of creating, Handmade Nation explores a burgeoning art community that is based on creativity, determination, and networking.

In 2006 first time director Faythe Levine traveled to 15 cities, interviewing 80 individuals. Levine captured the virtually tight-knit community that exists through websites, blogs, and independent boutiques, galleries, and craft fairs. Interviews were also conducted in artist studios and homes of the featured makers.

We will be screening the film shortly after our Swap-O-Rama-Rama event on April 24th. Admission to the movie is $5. Screening times are TBA.

A book with the same name compliments the movie. You can buy the book here!

We would like to assemble approximately 75 swag bags: a small hand crafted reusable shopping bag, made from re-purposed clothing, filled with goodies from various indie crafters and local businesses; to be distributed to at least 30 of the first people to enter the doors and also to the volunteers of SORR for their hard work.

These bags present a great opportunity to get the word out about you, your business, band, or organization and help to expand your client base. Examples of swag include: buttons, key-chains, brooches, patches, soap samples, magnets, postcards or small prints, zines, stickers, etc. Think about what you would like to receive in a swag bag–it is okay to promote your work but no business cards or fliers unless they are accompanied by a product. We ask that each contributer send at least ten swag items, but more is always appreciated!

Each person or business donating goods will be featured on our blog with images of your swag, a small review or description, a link to your website or blog, and your contact information.

Please have your creations postmarked no later than April 7th, for our April 12th deadline. The sooner we get your swag, the sooner we’ll be able to do our blog post! Items may be sent to:

Swap-O-Rama-Rama
c/o make\break
300 SW 5th Street
Des Moines, IA 50309

Those who are interested in dropping off their swag locally in Des Moines, may do so by contacting dsmswap@gmail.com to arrange a time and place.

Here are some things we are currently looking to collect prior to the swap:

T-shirts to make our swag bags out of

Zippers

Buttons

Thread

Fabric

Rotary blades

For a more in-depth list of items we need, please visit our Donations page.

Day-of loans that we need:

-Sewing machines: We do not have Singer as a sponsor this year. We are pursuing other sponsors, but we are not sure what we’ll have yet. As a backup we are asking for loaner machines for the day of the event.

Please email us at dsmswap@gmail.com if you can provide us with any of these items.

Thank you!