Stella gets a Makeover!

We're happy to announce a big bold new idea for Stella! We will be revamping her every 4 months or so & rotating displays, stock and most importantly the customer experience. I got to be the first guinea pig in this art installation/store theme makeover and I wanted to share with you all my ideas as well as put a call out for help.

Here is my inspiration board for how I'm going to create a new look and feel to Stella:
Emphasizing the fairytale aspect, I'd love to include fairytale books and illustrations to help cover some of the walls & benches. I'll be including trees & antlers in the displays along with books. I'm imagining a sophisticated fairytale feel merging with steampunk influences & even a holiday corner that will start out with Halloween and merge to Thanksgiving & Christmas/winter.

I want to make a call for new vendors that would have unique items that fit somewhat with the theme and invite our current vendors to contribute new items inspired by this changeover.

Stuff I'll need help finding:
-Books & paper from books
-Fairytale books & illustrations
-suitable tree branches
-antlers
-apothecary jars

Stay tuned for news regarding the reveal to happen in a few weeks!

Airstream Art

We're moving Stella to a different spot at Starving Art/E.A.T. this morning, so I've got trailers on the brain, I guess. Out of curiosity, I did a search for "Airstream" on Etsy & these are some of the cool things I found.

I love all of the paintings of Airstreams. One of these trailers is even named Stella, just like ours! The license plate art is really clever - the metal surface is perfect for a depiction of an aluminum trailer. I knew there would be a lot of art featuring the iconic silver trailers, but I didn't know there would also be such a variety of things like housewares, stationery, even doggie tags!

If you're looking for locally handmade Airstream art, don't forget that we carry some at Stella's! We have exclusive Stella soaps from Nepenthe's Bathtime, mirrored acrylic Stella necklaces by Diamonds & Guns, and baby bibs with trailer appliques by BabyBolt!

We were on the News!

Thanks to the awesome Austin Woman article about us, we got this great interview with Keri Bellacosa on Good Day Austin!

Crafting at Whole Foods?!

Join us this weekend to celebrate Whole Foods' 30th Birthday! We've been invited out to get crafty with folks from 12-3pm on Saturday, Sept. 18th.

When you stop by our booth you'll be able to make a cute foodie magnet using some rubber stamps we'll be carving up on-site.

The rubber stamp demo will show all ages how fun and easy it is to make your own stamps. Teens over 15 and adults will be able to try it out too! All ages can get creative making magnet collages using stamps, cool papers & your own drawings.



Check out this very informative rubber stamp video where I first learned the simple techniques of stamp carving.

Stamp Carving from Geninne D. Zlatkis on Vimeo.

Hope to see you there!

Craftrepreneurs: Yarn Harvest

Have you heard of Yarn Harvest? It's Austin's own recycled yarn company, making beautiful yarn from second-hand sweaters! What a creative & eco-friendly manufacturing model. Here's what Yarn Harvest has to say about its nontraditional method:

"By finding a new use for a second-hand, locally-abundant resource, we are able to keep our costs low and our manufacturing local. By not having to make new wool, we are able to reduce the carbon footprint and negative impacts on the environment that making new wool causes. And by getting involved in the wonderful world of knitting, crocheting, and crafting in general, we know that what we make is both quality and a good value."


We love what Yarn Harvest is up to, and we're partnering with them to bring you Eastside Knit Night this November during the East Austin Studio Tour! On Tuesday, 11/16 from 5:30-9pm, you'll be able to hang out with creative knitters & crocheters, learn something new & share your skills at this fantabulous knitty party we're hosting at Starving Art Studios. There will be knit-tastic giveaways, the debut of Yarn Harvest's latest & greatest products & more! Mark your calendars & stay tuned for more details about this fun event.

Knitters & crocheters: Would you like to teach others your technique? We're looking for a few talented folks who want to share their mad skillz at this event. You'd be able to sell your handmade yarn-y creations as well. If interested, please drop us a line at getcrafty[at]thewondercraft[dot]com!

Greg, the friendly guy behind Yarn Harvest, shows off his goods.

Picture Perfect: Win free tickets!

Next week on Friday, September 10th join us for a Picture Perfect Evening at the Harry Ransom Center at UT. We've been invited out to do a fun make & take using images from the exhibition. We'll be making magnets and buttons combining the interesting variety of images on display. You could even include a picture of yourself from the photo booth!

This event is free for members or $20 for non-members (price includes valet parking) but we're giving away 2 free tickets! Just post a comment here with your favorite photographer and we'll draw a winner from the comments.
Beth H and I got together and made some fun examples of what you can put together with just a few of the images we had on hand. (Of course we included an image of Stella, just for fun!)
Beth H made this great collage using 4 different images, I love the grass paired with the pyramids.
Now you can make your very own Stella Magnet! Our favorite of course.