It was a very good time. I had planned on taking pictures during the event and did manage to take some during set-up the night before and very early on Saturday morning. But after the ball started rolling, that plan ended. I had an Indie Biz Chicks table set up in the lobby, a separate area. I did manage to take some quick trips onto the sales floor throughout the day, but didn’t end up doing any filming.  Thankfully, the DVX team had set up a live blog and participants were able to post pictures, video, and on-the-moment reports.

If you have never been to a large indie craft fair, definitely go back and look at the blog. It is hard to imagine what one of these events looks like until you see one! Thousands of people came out for the event – the sales floor was literally packed all day, from 10am – 7pm.

It was great to see so many people buying local, and supporting indie businesses. i3Detroit, Provo Craft, and Mariah from Yelp Michigan had make and takes set up, allowing people to get their craft on while they shopped and socialized with friends (and there was a cupcake car).

Trust me, when it comes to putting on a craft fair, Handmade Detroit knows how to bring it. The vendors who came in from out of state were amazed at the turn-out. But as Michiganders know, our state embodies the DIY spirit. We have been a pioneering, innovative bunch for a long time. As you can see from pictures and posts from the DUCF live blog, Michigan is still home to many awesome, creative entrepreneurs. Yay, us!

As they say on their website, ” The DIY Street Fair is a free 2-day, 3-night event in Ferndale, Michigan where local artists, crafters, businesses, groups and organizations, musicians, restaurants, brewers and others who live and work with a do-it-yourself ethic converge for one big celebration. The event showcases the immense creative energy, independent spirit and innovative talent that can be found throughout the area.”

You can check out the music on the main stage (featuring one of my personal favorites, Lucero, as well as some of Michigan’s best, including The Hard Lessons.) The music is free, but don’t forget the self-produced and/or self-released CDs and merch from the acts will also be for sale (so buy some!).

You can get some early holiday shopping done – or buy things for yourself in The Marketplace, which features 80+ local artists, crafters, & entrepreneurs. There is a Beer Garden featuring Michigan crafted beers, as well as Restaurant Row, where local chefs will be cooking all day long. If you have children, you’ll enjoy the family-friendly Kid Zone, featuring musicians and street performers, as well as hands-on projects kids can enjoy.

For more information, vendor list, musical line-up and show times, etc visit them on the web at: http://diystreetfair.com.

Carey Gustafson, who was featured in yesterday’s CraftBoom! crafter profile, helped organize the event. She will be holding down the Handmade Detroit booths with Lish Dorset. Next to them will be the Reware Vintage booth, featuring Beth Nixon, one of the CraftBoom! crafty profiles from a couple weeks ago. I’ll be helping out at the Reware Vintage booth all day Saturday – so if you are in the area, come out and meet all of us!

Forbes Ranks Pure Michigan One of All-Time Best Tourism Campaigns

LANSING – The award-winning Pure Michigan tourism campaign has received another accolade, this one from Forbes, naming it among the 10 all-time best travel campaigns. On the heels of an incredibly successful national cable television campaign that launched March 30, this recognition is further proof Michigan is making its mark when it comes to travel and tourism.

“The showcasing of Michigan’s vast beauty, from our world-class beaches to top-ranked golf courses, creates local business activity and jobs for our workers,” Governor Jennifer M. Granholm said.

“This campaign is helping travelers choose Michigan while diversifying and growing our economy.”

Forbes ranked the Pure Michigan campaign sixth best, saying, “this campaign sells with its simple and universal message: that sometimes we all need to get away from life’s stresses and relax a bit.”

Clearly, the three judges agreed. Ranking the campaigns were Peter Greenberg, travel journalist; Rudy Maxa, contributing editor with National Geographic Traveler magazine; and Tom Parsons, publisher of BestFares.com

“Having the Pure Michigan campaign recognized as one of the best campaigns ever is quite gratifying,” said George Zimmermann, vice president of Travel Michigan, a business unit of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “This award-winning campaign has produced a dramatic increase in the number of travelers seeking Michigan tourism information.”
The Pure Michigan tourism campaign went national for the first time this year and ran through June on 15 cable channels: Golf Channel, Travel Channel, A&E, Bravo, Style, Fine Living, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, E!, DIY Network, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and Fox News.

“There are millions of Americans who know little or nothing about the vibrancy, heritage, culture, arts and entertainment in our great cities, our sandy beaches and stunning overlooks along America’s longest fresh-water coastline, or the majesty and recreation in our 19 million acres of magnificent forests,” Zimmermann said. “The Pure Michigan campaign is designed to introduce to the nation the attributes that make Michigan such a popular and unique destination.”

For each dollar Michigan spent on out-of-state advertising from 2004 through 2008, new visits to Michigan stimulated by that advertising created more than $40 of spending at Michigan businesses and generated $2.86 in new state tax collections.

Created by the Birmingham, Michigan, office of McCann Erickson, the Pure Michigan campaign is accomplishing exactly what it was designed to do, showcasing Michigan’s greatest assets, activities and attractions.

McCann’s Chief Strategy Officer Mark Lantz explains their approach: “The campaign is intended to entice out-of-state travelers from neighboring states about one place that still feels magic, mythic, authentic, untamed, unspoiled, uncompromised, timeless and true. It’s pure Michigan. We wanted to communicate to consumers what makes Michigan special and identify experiences you get here that you can’t get anywhere else.”

To view the Pure Michigan campaign go to michigan.org and click on “View our Ads” at the top of the page.

Travel Michigan, a division of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is the state of Michigan’s official agency for the promotion of tourism. Travel Michigan markets the state’s tourism industry and provides valuable visitor information services. For Michigan travel and golf news, go to michigan.org.

Newcap Radio has gone a bit coo-coo for cocoa puffs and has started a big campaign all about my hometown, Flint, Michigan.

The lovely people of Newcap Radio have created a website, http://www.ThisAintFlint.ca and a little video that compares Ottawa, Canada and Flint, Michigan.

The video makes some references to a little film by the name of Roger & Me that came out 20 years ago… You might have heard of it, or the guy who made it… Michael Moore?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I live here. I KNOW we have suffered a huge economic crisis, that we have the highest unemployment rate in the nation and we are statistically one of the most dangerous cities in the nation. I get it.

But who in the hell are these Newcap Radio people to shove our noses in it and kick us when we’re down?

It appears they want to promote how awesome Ottawa, Canada is.

Now, it just so happens that I know a thing or two about marketing. So let me break some things down for you, Newcap. Let me tell you how to make your campaign better:

- Brighten It Up. That ugly looking doll on your website really helps brand your city as awesome! NOT. If you want to showcase your city, show it. Not some stupid broken doll.

- Quit Being Two-Faced. In your video, you talk about “negative people” and how they bring you down. Your campaign is pretty negative. All you do is talk smack about my town.

- Get Your Facts Straight. It seems that most of your “info” was gathered from a movie made 20 years ago. Let’s talk about the fact that Flint’s crime rate DROPPED last year. Or that we just may become home to the “green industry” with the possibilities of a bio-fuel plant as well as being picked to build The Chevy Volt (yeah, no GM jokes, please.)

- Develop A Clear Message. What exactly is your message? Who are you targeting the message to? Do you want Canadians from other towns / provinces to move to Ottawa? Do you want the people of Flint, Michigan to move to Ottawa? What exactly are you saying?

I have nothing against Canada. I’ve spent a lot of time in Canada, driving back and forth between Michigan and Alaska (when I lived in Alaska). I’ve been to almost every province, and I’ve been to the capital city of each province I’ve been to. I’ve probably seen more of Canada than most Canadians.  So listen, Ottawa, I have nothing against your city.

But when it comes to Newcap, I’m a bit pissed.

They offer this statement on their website “to the good people of Flint, Michigan – we bear no malice and offer condolences in these hard times.”

Yeah? Well, SCREW YOU, NEWCAP!!!

If you’re reading this, will you please do me a favor and write these Newcap Radio people a brief email and tell them that their marketing campaign sucks? Their email is thisaintflint@magma.ca

If you do that, thanks for being a pal : )

Spring Fling… A Craft Thing will be held on April 4th at The Loving Touch in Ferndale. This craft show runs from 12p – 7p, features 20 vendors and will have DJs spinning some tunes.  Learn more by clicking here.

Flint City Handmade is holding Craft Lab this Sunday, April 4 from 12pm – 3pm at The Lunch Studio in downtown Flint. I am normally at Craft Lab (it happens the first Sunday of each month) but I’m not going to be at this one.  Don’t let that stop you from going. You should totally go. And tell them I said “hi.” Learn more by clicking here.

My friends at Handmade Detroit are putting on Craft Revival April 18 at The Magic Stick in Detroit. This craft show will feature 30+ vendors. The show runs from 10a – 5pm and is all ages. These are the chicks who are responsible for The Detroit Urban Craft Fair & the awesome Craftervids : ) Come show your support for my favorite crafty ladies!!
To learn more about the event, get directions, all that jazz, click here.

Anyway, I’m trying to make up for some lost time today and I headed on over to Handmade Detroit’s blog. They post all kinds of stuff – from Crafter Vids to business tips.

One of their latest craft ideas was to give your home a shout-out on your hand (see original post here).  Well, it just so happens that I did that a few years’ back — permanently. (because I rock!)

Yay, Michigan!!!!