Political Crafting Ideas

[sparky]

I'm looking for some of your ideas.  My local 'Bake back the Whitehouse' sale was incredibly successful.  It raised a good chunk of change despite a shortage of baked goods (they were out of food in less than three hours).  The local organizing group decided to keep trying to have them every other Saturday to continue raising money.  The next one is May 1 at the corner of 33rd and Bryant in Mpls.

I've volunteered to produce things for the next sale, which will be for both baked goods and crafts (have I mentioned I love my neighbors...).  I need so craft ideas about things to make.  

I have loads of melt and pour soap.  Any ideas about cool things I could put in it or ways I could package it that would add a political slant to things?  I don't want to get very issue oriented - I'm just looking to involve the idea of grass roots politics in some crafts.  I also have loads of temporary tattoo paper and other supplier, so let me know if you have other ideas.

Thanks!

[yardenxanthe]

You could put those little green army man toys inside bars of clear soap.  I think that would be sort of political but also cute.

[leah]

I'm looking for some of your ideas.  My local 'Bake back the Whitehouse' sale was incredibly successful.  It raised a good chunk of change despite a shortage of baked goods (they were out of food in less than three hours).  The local organizing group decided to keep trying to have them every other Saturday to continue raising money.  The next one is May 1 at the corner of 33rd and Bryant in Mpls.

I've volunteered to produce things for the next sale, which will be for both baked goods and crafts (have I mentioned I love my neighbors...).  I need so craft ideas about things to make.  

I have loads of melt and pour soap.  Any ideas about cool things I could put in it or ways I could package it that would add a political slant to things?  I don't want to get very issue oriented - I'm just looking to involve the idea of grass roots politics in some crafts.  I also have loads of temporary tattoo paper and other supplier, so let me know if you have other ideas.

Thanks!

Hey Sparky,

I've been thinking that perhaps the first step in making a change happen is to get people registered to vote, help them know where to vote, etc.

So some sort of a reminder about this that's very visible might be good.  I have a couple of ideas:

1. At Staples and places like that you can buy these magnets that are business-card-sized and you could decorate them and put a reminder message on them of some sort.  Then people can stick them on their fridge.  If you're doing an interactive crafting type thing, you can let people fill out messages and decorate them right there.

2. Maybe "decorate your own bumper sticker" could be a good activity too?

3. It sounds like you want ideas involving melt & pour soap... Hmmm... I've seen some people print a message on a piece of paper and then laminate it and insert it into soap so you can read it through the clear soap.  I'd suggest rounding off the corners of the laminated paper so people don't get scratched.

[twilight]

How about a free notecard with info on how to register to vote with each purchase?

You can make cookies and put messages on them with icing. I like Leah's magnet idea-how about one that says "It's YOUR country-VOTE"

[sparky]

Awesome ideas!  We had another very sucessful weekend.  We registered loads of people to vote (very easy to do in MN) and sold tons of goodies.  Our fundraising has raised well over $1500 dollars.

This past weekend was dominated by baked goods, but we did have knitted cell phone and IPOD cozies, cool origami boxes and a few things that I can't think of right now.  

Our next sale will be May 22 (corner of 33rd and Bryant in Mpls).  We're starting production on lot of crafted goods including:

   - magnets (we'll be adding some kind of remember to vote magnet)
   - pins
   - melt and pour soap (I love the idea of laminated paper in soap- we're washing our way to popular democracy baby...)
 
I'll post some photos of the finished goods.

[luckyklover]

not to impose my own poltical views, but just a thought about the soap.... it would be a great metaphor for "cleaning (white)house" in 2004

keep up those great ideas and momentum for voters! good luck!

[melidomi]

oooh!  ooh!  what about combining the magnet idea with the soap idea?   use those flat "business card" style magnets with an election day reminder on it and put it in the soap.  That way if the soap gets used up before election day, it becomes a magnet , and if not, the reminder is in the soap staring at them every morning as they lather up (must use clear soap!)

[JuneLuna]

oooh!  ooh!  what about combining the magnet idea with the soap idea?   use those flat "business card" style magnets with an election day reminder on it and put it in the soap.  That way if the soap gets used up before election day, it becomes a magnet , and if not, the reminder is in the soap staring at them every morning as they lather up (must use clear soap!)

!!! I think that's the cutest idea ever!