Love the Handmade Market?

I do.

This is the craft show organized by the Handmaidens, a Raleigh collective of artists who started out with a crafting-and-drinking night at the old Vertigo diner downtown. Some are moms, all are busy women who needed to get together with friends and practice their crafts. That was a few years ago. Now these women are one of the best-known craft collectives in the Southeast and they produce very well-run shows that draw artists from all over. I love to go to the shows and spend money, but I also marvel at the attention to detail they put into organizing the events, picking the venues and selecting the artists. I should let you know that many of these women are friends of mine and several of them have worked with me at some time or another. Since I know what sticklers for detail they are I was so sad to hear that in the blink of a few electrons they recently lost most of their email list. These were names that had been collected over years; folks who loved coming to their shows and loved knowing about their events. Ouch.

They are doing some list reconstruction now, with a sign-up on their website and a drawing of names to reward the folks who sign up again. Or for the first time. Since they lost the list they won't know if you were or weren't on it. I imagine the seven gifts that are being given away are pretty swank.

Yes, of course I went and entered my name!