A Lovely Something That Nobody Needs

Crafts in America, the frontier we choose to explore here at Benician Glass.  This time it brings us to comedy. "A lovely something that nobody needs" is what comedienne Amy Sedaris calls her creations.
Today we want you to know this news:  the cat is out of the bag:  Amy Sedaris is our new BFF. She's taken the craft DIY trend and done a terrifically comic send up in her new book: Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People. 

While in San Jose last month with Buyer's Market of American Crafts show promoter Wendy Rosen, we thought it'd be apt to have Ms Sedaris attend the winter Buyers Market and well, justify.  Or at the very least get us Fine Craft people to laugh at ourselves.

Now that wish has become a reality. Wendy Rosen pulled a few strings, apparently. Or Sedaris and her team think that we crafters will find her jokey, hokey book on crafting at home with basically found objects hilarious.
It is campy, sure, but really funny and smart; just like her. If you doubt her smarts, just watch her with Martha Stewart on Youtube, it's hilarious.

Also appearing at the winter Buyer's Market is nationally recognized public relations entrepreneur and consultant Peter Shankman.   His expertise is more in the information gathering arena. His "Help a Reporter Out" project is actually a media "matchmaking" service.  Journalists seeking an expert to quote post their "needs", and businesses reply. Let's hope these facts are not too open sourced!  He has also written books on innovative ways to get promotion.

The Buyers Market of American Crafts is in Philadelphia February Feb. 18-21, 2011.  There will be a special Jewelry Preview February 17, 2011.  Other daily seminars on retailing are scheduled at the Buyers Market, including a presentation on visual merchandising by Patricia Norins, publisher of Gift Shop magazine and Green Retailer.

American Craft Magazine is Crappy

"In Praise of Poop"is the title of an article in American Craft Magazine this month about crafted work by Virginia Gardiner.
This artist makes toilets from horse dung apparently.
Her works are pressed together in a mold using horse dung--poop. She is well connected. Royally connected to some really cool shit. She can claim that she works with the highest quality feces: her excreta of choice is horse manure from the Queen’s Household Cavalry in Knightsbridge.
It is rather amazing stuff to read, if not to perch upon. It shows the extremes you have to go to in publishing to sell magazines these days. Maybe Nourot can make a red satin throne with a gold leaf seat, now wouldn't that be cozy? And maybe just the thing for the Sultan of Brunei. Say, isn't he on facebook?
The article comes with instructions for drying and baking your own poop items and using resin to cast them, how green, errr...brown.
Virginia Gardiner says: “It’s actually really difficult to mix with resin. When you combine anything with h2o molecules in it, even if it looks dry, it just makes a huge foam."
Fun with cow pies on Martha is probably next.
Virginia's site: "Yes my dear it really is horse shit":www.gardinerch4.com