Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry, Merry!

Christmas lights

well, i'm done. i've packed up my last cookie, wrapped my last present, finished my last craft. i'm going to take some time just to be.

thank you all so much for your support this year, it has been a wonderful one. i feel very lucky to know you all and i'll be back in the swing of things in 2009. my shop is closed now, but i'll re-open early january with new work and some sale work too.

have a peaceful holiday, and a joyful new year. thank you!

for more info about the image, please click on it.

Monday, December 22, 2008

christmas stuff

some of our ornaments, including an owl from sweetestpea.

our tree is looking a little funny this year, partly because it's not quite vertical, and partly because the bean decided to group ornaments together in no particular method that makes sense to me, but seems to work for her. the tree is a work in progress this year, as we are rearranging ornaments on a daily basis.

i have to share my very proud mommy moment, too. the other night we sat down to write our letter to santa, and the bean asked for two things for herself, and five things for her pets, family, and friends. i have never been so proud. of course, now i am fulfilling santa orders for pets and others as well, but it's totally worth it. that's the spirit of christmas, y'know?

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Shop Local with the BEST!

check out the Shop Local Baltimore article in the Storque today! i'm proud to be featured among the other talented baltimore etsians... thanks etsy! (that's me!)

Saturday, December 6, 2008

merry mart, tomorrow!


i'll be at merry mart tomorrow, in the theatre. my work will be at squidfire as well. stop by and say hello!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

baltimore magazine


i've been really, really behind on my blog lately (too many shows) but i wanted to share the artivle from baltimore magazine that i am so excited about. the issue features other BEST members and local crafters as well, so check it out!

Monday, November 24, 2008

in the leaves

alright, it has gotten bitter cold around here. i'm not used to having snow/frost on leaves as we're raking them up. rick and i thought it would be fun to have the bean out there with us, and it was, although if we were looking to speed up the process we were definitely mistaken. because what's more fun then jumping in the big pile of leaves you just raked and throwing them up in the air?

absolutely nothing.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

check out this shop

my dear friend, and one of the most talented artists i know, just opened her etsy shop! it's called chidra stitch, and she's going to be featuring really beautiful hand-embroidered leather cuffs. i love the one she gave me, and i wear it all the time. so stop by and show her some love!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Sunday, November 16, 2008

thanks, craft mafia!

holiday heap was great! and thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello...

Friday, November 14, 2008

holiday heap, tomorrow

so tomorrow is holiday heap... i can't wait, because it's a really fun show, and a chance to say hello to my baltimore friends who have lost out to the ginormous pile of felt that has been demanding my attention lately. i have been cutting like crazy, and i'm seriously considering trading in my hands for scissors (think edward scissorhands.)

there's an awesome list of vendors, and i'm hoping to get a little shopping done too. so if you stop by my booth to say hello, be prepared to work - i may dash off to shop! but don't let that stop you, come by and say hello. see you there!

Holiday Heap 2008 is a juried indie craft fair featuring over 50 renegade crafters from the area and beyond. A free event, open to everyone, and perfect for purchasing out-of-the-ordinary gifts for the upcoming holiday season. Held in the heart of Baltimore in the beautiful neighborhood of Charles Village, the fair will take place November 15th from 10-5pm at the 2640 Space at St. John’s Church (located at 2640 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21218). It is the Charm City Craft Mafia’s FOURTH fair of this type, and the second annual Holiday show. Look for Handmade jewelry, clothing, toys, ceramics, paper goods, knitwear, bags, accessories, soft sculpture, books and more! Music provided by Sleepy Records, Snacks provided by Red Emma’s Bookstore, Super fun post-shopping interviews with new local craft group HELLO CRAFT, and a chance to win the mother of all raffle baskets full of — you guessed it — goodies from all of your favorite Craft Mafia members, to benefit a local arts charity.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

one more thing about handmade arcade

handmade arcade 026
just found this image of me and my booth at handmade arcade. none of my pictures turned out... thanks, tigerlillyshop!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

one down...

handmade arcade was awesome! just the nicest people, nicest organizers, great customers, adorable city. now on to holiday heap on saturday, this time no traveling!

Friday, November 7, 2008

off we go...





...to handmade arcade! just a sample of the work packed up and ready to go!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

we did it!

we voted. we waited in line about 45 minutes, and the whole time the bean kept asking what ride we were going to go on... or when we were going to see the "boat" (instead of "vote.")

i feel hopeful. and am glad to have had the ability to cast my ballot. and i can't wait to tell the bean her first voting story sometime down the road...

voting pin by minorthread

handmade arcade, this weekend!

Handmade Arcade Logo

handmade arcade is 4 days away. i'm busily packing / sewing / cutting / freaking / trying to remember to breathe. there will be so many great vendors there, i'll need to do some shopping, too! if you're in the pittsburg area, come by and stay hi!

ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Saturday, November 1, 2008

halloween


this kid just won't stand still...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

where i've been

because i am even more like an adolescent girl than you will ever know, i've spent the last 2 weeks devouring not one, but four large volumes of teen goth romance novel. everyone was reading it at the beach this summer, and something just called to me to pick up the book last week. (i mean, it is halloween season.) two weeks later, lacking sleep and avoiding the ever- growing need for inventory for handmade arcade (two weeks away!), i finished it. all of them. and because i am more of a geek than you will ever know, now i am obsessing about the movie. where were the teen vampire love movies when i was a teen?

off to sew. nonstop. for the next two weeks. gads.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

wow.

i never, ever expected to even get 100 hearts when i opened up my shop, and in just a year... 2500! i feel like i'm constantly shaking my head in amazement. thanks.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

pumpkin farm

i love this time of year. it seems like there is color everywhere, the days are cooler, and we get to go to the pumpkin farm. it's always a struggle for me not to end up with a car full of pumpkins.

the last few years we have gone to Baugher's Farm. i like it there because they really have enough to do to keep us busy for half a day, at least. we get to take a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, pick our pumpkin (from the vine), and cart it back. this year, the added bonus was a giant hay mountain for the kids to play on.

there is also a small petting zoo, with animals walking around, a great market (mmm, apple dumplings), playgrounds, moon bounce, make-your-own scarecrow, and lots of other little activities. the bean did not want to leave.

in the end, there was so many distractions we somehow only came home with one, very slanted pumpkin (and lots of food from the market.) so we'll have to head down to the farmer's market on sunday and get the rest.

Friday, October 10, 2008

rings!


new work! now off to enjoy the gorgeous day, happy friday!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Sunday, October 5, 2008

i'm back



i haven't had a lot of time to post, had a big order for the Baltimore Museum of Art (woohoo.) but i delivered it today, and here's just some of the work i sent... i'm cutting and sewing as fast as i can, i'll have a shop update on friday!

Friday, October 3, 2008

BEST giveaway

My friends over at the Baltimore Etsy Street team are having a new giveaway - $10 gift certificates from each of the following Street Team Members shops!

SweetPepita
BlockPartyPress
JenyGwen
JerseyGirlDesign
JillPopowichDesigns
JennyJen42
TigerLillyShop
BennyAndHeidi
BowerboxPress
ElisaShereJewelry
CEKCustomDesigns
JenMenkhaus
VWStudios
DorsetHillBeads
DandelionBlu
WynnStudio
Miscelena
That's a lot of cool stuff you can win, worth $200! That should definitely get you started on your holiday shopping! All you have to do is join the BEST mailing list (if you have not done some already) AND visit a participating artists shop and leave a comment on the original post here about your favorite item(s). Winner will be chosen at random on Thanksgiving Day - just in time for Cyber Monday! Good Luck!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

200 sales!

thanks to all of you who support me!

Friday, September 26, 2008

grr.

i just saw this t-shirt on on a perfectly smart looking woman, and i am seething. this person is not a feminist!!!!!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Monday, September 22, 2008

how did this happen?

i can't believe it's fall. it's my favorite time of year, but i just don't know where the summer went... we spent the weekend at the beach, and it was definitely not summer there. we spent the cooler day on the boardwalk, eating french fries and going to the kite loft. they were having a kite festival of some sort and the kites were amazing.

the bean spent most of saturday looking longingly at the beach, and so the next day, which was a bit warmer, was spent playing in the sand and splashing in very cold water. but she was happy. and her dad got some quick surfing in, but wow, the ocean was rough. summer's over.

Friday, September 19, 2008

write on

the bean is very bright. i say this, because, while i try to not to push her to learn anything too quickly, she just does. i have never sat down with her and attempted to get her to write her name - i mean, she's only just turned 3!

then yesterday, in a weird, sort of poltergeist moment, she goes up to the chalkboard and just starts writing. i said, "what are you writing?" and she said, "my name." just like that, matter of fact. and she was. it was a bit backwards, but it was her name.

she is going to be smarter than me any day now, if she's not already. sigh.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

birthday cake, belated

bean's birthday cake

one of the bean's favorite movies is peter pan. not because she loves tinkerbell, but because she loves captain hook. when we took her to disney world this past spring, we actually had to go see captain hook twice - because the first time she was not dressed as a pirate, and she had to "show captain hook that she was a pirate too."

anyway, i had big plans for this cake, but as usual, time and my skills with icing were limited. my mom did a lot of the icing for me, especially on the boat, since i can't operate an icing tip to save my life. the bean loved it, but was really happy to get her toys back once we had eaten it!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

hampdenfest fun

we had great weather (we totally lucked out!) and i had so much fun hanging out with the BEST ladies (and one very helpful BEST s.o.)

this is what i got to look at all day, from my booth :)

thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Hampdenfest, this Saturday!

i'll be at hampdenfest this saturday with members of BEST... we'll be selling our work and collecting any unused craft (or office) supplies or gift card to our booth, and receive a coupon for 10% off any one purchase from a BEST member at the show!

all supplies will be donated to Art with a Heart, a baltimore charity which provides interactive, hands-on art activities to disadvantaged families and children, and to people with developmental and physical challenges. they lost many of their supplies to a fire this summer, and we would love to help get them fully stocked again!
come by and see us!

to see the complete list of needed supplies, visit the best blog. see you there!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

kissaversary

a card rick made from a few years back... yes, he is that awesome. and we have lots of anniversaries, still.

Monday, September 8, 2008

enchanted





we had such a great time at the bean's birthday party yesterday... it was at clark's elioak farm, which, aside from being a working farm, has recovered many of the rides and buildings from the old enchanted forest. i grew up going to enchanted forest, and loved it in all of it's kitschy wonderful-ness, so i probably had even more fun than the kids!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

new work

i am a bit obsessed with chunky vintage necklaces right now...

Friday, September 5, 2008

flickr friday - rewarestyle

lionize_oye

Lionize II
From the Patent Pending Collection, collar 2006
artist: emiko oye
recycled plastic & acetate, sterling & fine silver, 18k gold,
synthetic ruby corundum and cubic zirconias set in 14k gold
14.5”L x 4”H x 2.25”D


cowgirlgem 1x4 bracelet
sportystripe Limited Edition bracelet

emiko-o lego bracelets made from lego, sterling silver rod, citrine set in 14k gold, rubber cord.

i can't really pick a few favorite images from emiko oye. and i am definitely on board with her mission.
Inspired by hardware, haute couture, and salvaged materials, emiko oye creates one-of-a-kind urban jewelry and sculptures from recycled materials and precious metals. Her works strive to subtly transform the identity of everyday mundane objects to inspire new dialogs about our relationship with the environment. emiko-o was launched to raise public awareness that jewelry IS Art.
“The mistake everyone makes is in thinking that jewelry is art and it ISN’T.” buyer, NYC showroom, 8/99
Our culture blindly compartmentalizes jewelry by its price tag: higher prices=Art; lower prices=Fashion Trend. Mind-expanding objects (i.e. art) are not immediately profitable, and are therefore not as accessible to the public. Rather, profit margin and mass appeal validates “quality” design as do brand names, Hollywood, and © or patent marks. Individualist thinking is discouraged—we are programmed to only buy into what is “hot this season”.
since my personal preference is for art over jewelry, and non-traditional materials over traditional (plain gold and diamonds - yuck!), you can see why i really love emiko's work. from her serious pieces that make statements about the world we live in, to the lego jewelry that makes me feel like a child again, i love what she's done, and i can't wait to see where she's going.

check out rewarestyle on etsy, or on flickr. i promise you'll smile, too.

want to be on flickr friday? go to my flickr page and mark me as a contact, and you may be chosen for an upcoming feature!