Are you ready for a Summer Block Party Indie Craft Show Presented by The Handmade Brigade of Orange County? It will be held in Downtown Santa Ana, on July 10, from 11 am to 5 pm.
The HandMade Brigade would like to give you a personal INVITATION to come out and join us at the BLOCK PARTY.
Upon arrival you will receive a special gift along with an escort to show you around the event and fill you in on everything we have to offer.
BLOGGERS : If you are interested in coming to our event please RSVP with Jessica @ jesskabrittanymegan@yahoo.com.
Hope to hear from you soon and see you at the BLOCK PARTY!
The Handmade Brigade of Orange County is: Nina, Brook, Melissa and Jackie. They are the renegade craft club made up of entrepreneurial indie crafters all living in orange county who meet up to share ideas and plan events.
Tacos ‘n’ Eggrolls Jewelry by Nina Brito:
Well, Basically, I love EVERYTHING handmade. I like to carry through my own personal style whcih may not please everyone, but how boring would the world be if everyone loved the same things? Diversity makes the world go round. If you’re style meshes with mine… hopefully, you can find a treasure in my pieces of ecclectic jewelry. I love to create with color, texture, energy, vintage pieces, new pieces and everything in between. http://www.tacosneggrolls.etsy.com
Not Quite Vintage by Brook Owens:
I have spent my life loving all things vintage. My crafts and every day life have been inspired by the 40’s & 50’s look, leading to my ” Not Quite Vintage” life. A little bit of modern with the nostalgia of a vintage look. Spice up the vixen in you and get dolled up!! http://www.brookowens.etsy.com
Melissa Loschy Designs by Melissa Loschy:
I try to surround myself with wonderful people and that’s how I get inspired to make my pieces. I’m also inspired by the social circumstances and implications of our world. I try to intertwine positive messages and quotes into many of my bags and apparel items. I have great faith in humanity and I hope to represent that in my socially charged art. http://www.melissaloschy.etsy.com
Voz Clothing and Art by Jackie Sepulveda:
Everything is hand painted in my sweatshop of one (well except for the graffiti bangles- those aren’t painted :p ). I scour my area for the best vintage clutches and forgotten goods and give them new life by painting them up. Themes tend to include socially conscious hip hop, punk and graffiti attitudes. http://www.vozclothingandart.etsy.com
To get a hold of us drop us an email at
for press/ sponsor/ vendor info contact: nina@handmadebrigadeofoc.com
for contributions/ craft group info contact: brook@handmadebrigadeofoc.com
for street team info contact: jackie@handmadebrigadeofoc.com
for blog info contact: melissa@handmadebrigadeofoc.com
for RSVP: handmadebrigadeofoc@gmail.com
Hey! Isn’t this copying Patchwork in Santa Ana that was on June 6th and now June 27th in Long Beach??? Just saying, way too the same thing to not give credit where credit is due.
Sarah,
Perhaps. But there is room for lots of such events and our downtown area will benefit from this…
I think our community should unite instead of creating subcategories…this group is getting paid to do something that is already being done…why not just support those who have been doing it without incentives?
Our community will only become stronger if we support those who live and breath Santa Ana…who actually provide services on a day to day basis…we have soooo many businesses and organizations that run around daily to keep our city going, we shouldnt have to pay someone to do an event for something that is already being done. Maybe think about paying our youth to sell their arts and crafts…
Sarah,
You make some good points. Our friends at Downtown Inc. are trying to do what they can. I really believe that they are moving in the right direction. Keep the faith and be sure to visit the Patchwork festival on Sunday. Our friend Gustavo Arellano will be there…
TOTAL RIPOFF
I have been going to Patchwork since the beginning, and it is a great event. Get an original idea!
Art, you wouldn’t want someone to copy you right?
Estelle,
We just posted this. I have no personal interest in the event. We try to post whatever is happening in town. And by the way I posted about Patchwork too.
If you look through our posts you will see we post about a lot of events. It doesn’t mean I intend to go to any of them. We are just passing on the news…
Are any of these girls even from or live in Santa Ana? That would be another point to make…kinda goes with the trend of the artist village…cheap rent to businesses and organizations that do not provide actual community benefits to local community members…just to the “city”…btw a sponsor, “Seed”, for this event, ripped off The Road Less Traveled Store image too…so I guess they all run in the same group.
Art – now theres a story worth reporting thats happening in town, business/orgs copying others…talk about the $1 rent in the artist village, or perhaps the $1 sq foot the commercial coffee place got as a business incentive deal…can you report the deal this group got to put on this event? Maybe even how those who get deals for space/events seem to have political alliances with the “city”.
Sarah,
I think we need to call this “Indie-Gate…”
I will follow up on the issues you referenced and let our readers know in a subsequent post.
Thanks!
Wow. this was a lot of controversy off an idea of bringing a community together.
We don’t mean to ruffle any feathers by putting on our events. We know Delilah and Nicole of Patchwork and we are in their events and they are in ours. We help each other out. We believe that we are working together towards a common goal.
Contrary to popular belief we are NOT getting paid at all for this event. We NEVER make a profit off these shows, but just do them in addition to our 9-5 jobs because we are an integral part of the indie arts community and we LOVE to create another outlet for our fellow crafters, designers and the like to get their products to the public.
This is our 10th event and we have been doing this for a long time. And believe it or not- craft shows have been around longer than Patchwork has been “Alive”. Its not an entirely unique idea as I have been doing indie shows for about 10 years now…
Just FYI- we do not live in Santa Ana, but very close by. I don’t think there is any show out there that consists of solely Santa Ana based artists and I think that exposing non- Santa Ana residents to the city to keep it thriving and growing is a good thing.
I welcome any questions you may have and am sorry if you take anything we do the wrong way. We believe in furthering the community and strengthening it.
Hope to see you all there.
*Nina*
Nina,
Well said! I hope your event does well! I will see if my wife and daughter want to check it out. BTW, my daughter just finished a degree in fashion design at FIDM and is looking for an internship…
Art-I love how you sit on the fence on both sides for your gain.
Nina, just because you don’t make a profit doesn’t mean there was no incentive. Secondly, patchwork is the Santa Ana indie arts n crafts event, if it wasn’t why would your staff call them for vendor lists. Lastly, why would you place your event so close to theirs or in their city if you are such a loyal friend?
Santa Ana needs a lot of help that’s for sure but it doesn’t more copycats or outside groups taking away from what we already have, why not event later in the year, why not donate to a local non profit, why not offer mentoring to our youth or even come to our events in support? Last thing needed in Santa Ana is more hipsters.
Whoah! What’s with the negativity?
I live in OC and am a handmade vendor in craft shows all over Southern California and I appreciate ANY chance to share my craft with the community, especially in Orange County. I participated in the Patchwork shows in June (and the last 5 shows) and I will be vending this Saturday at BLOCK PARTY and I’m ecstatic that there has been such a great opportunity this summer to vend!!
I can’t wait for Saturday….. the KOGI truck will be there!! And there are goody bags stuffed with little trinkets from all of the vendors for the first 50 people who enter.
Support the cause, BUY HANDMADE and go to craft shows no matter what city they’re in!!!!
Art- Shoot me an email, I have a TON of opportunities available for your daughter 🙂 Both with my day job and the Handmade Brigade. I have been a mentor of fashion students the past year and many of them are actually helping put on this most recent event. It is so rewarding to have young people respect what you do. I am actually going to a presentation of seniors from Long Beach State who did their final project on the HBOC.
Sarah- I am sorry you feel the way you do. There is nothing I can do to make you feel better. I hope we can meet sometime in the future 🙂
All I have is the best intentions.
Nina,
Thanks! We also got great news today as Becky was chosen to intern with a designer in L.A., on a part-time basis. So exciting! We will stop by and visit this Saturday at your festival. And I will have her email you too. Thanks for the help!
I second everything in the first Melissa’s comment!
I did Patchwork this year and would totally have done the Block Party too if I knew about it in time! Unique L.A. sent out a mass email promoting Patchwork. Even if it is a similar idea the same group of vendors is doing these different shows. I’m new to this, but it seems that Handmade Brigade, The Long Beach Craft Mafia, Patchwork and Unqiue L.A. are all groups/ events that support one another and come together as a crafty community.
We come together, we help one another or we get no where.