If you are looking for some crafty fun on this chilly, rainy Sunday check out the Intergalatic Bead Show at the Richmond Raceway Complex. The bead show has always been pretty good...I've never walked out with nothing! Oh - and don't forget copies of your VA resellers license if you have one. Vendors give tax discounts and other discounts to professionals. The show is open until 5pm. See you there today!
Necklace by Lark Studio with sterling findings from bead show
For the past few years the craft world has been buzzing with a variety of ways to show off the wonderful graphic design work of security envelopes. Security envelopes? You know, the things your bills come in and sometimes junk mail when it wants to look official. If you ever take a look at them you will see that clearly the paper industry has hired graphic designers to create them. The prints are phenomenal!
For a few months earlier this year I was collecting envelopes and waiting for an idea to strike that wasn't a duplication of what was already out there. Back in April the talented Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club did a great post on her blog about re-using old eyeglasses and creating pendants. Taking inspiration from that I decided to mesh the two and came up with these:
I have to say I'm loving the look of eye glass glass even when left plain and I think the distinct shapes of the glass play well with the graphic design of the papers. I also love when a project exposes me to great new products. Tulip® Soft Fabric Paint is rocking my world right now. Who knew it would work so well covering paper! (okay - I know paper is technically a fiber and its fiber paint, but cut me some slack) I had the pink, yellow and blue paint as samples from a demonstration from my work at JoAnn Fabrics a while back and never used them until now. I will definitely be looking for other projects to try the paint.
I have a huge stack of these security envelopes so look for more jewelry and other uses of them soon!
Like most professional crafters, my display set-up for Lark Studio is ever changing. For a while I have struggled with a way to display jewelry. Most commercial jewelry displays are pretty generic and I didn't want to copy the creative displays I have seen. Back in March I stumbled across two spice cabinets in very good condition. The cabinets were from the early 1970's and were only $7 for the both. They each had 2 inch shelves which I thought would be perfect to hold folded earring/jewelry cards and a wood door which screamed for screw hooks for necklaces. During the spring I also stumbled upon a great deal on some Anna Maria Horner fabric at Quilting Adventures. Two of her Drawing Room prints were right in line with the brand colors for Lark Studio and I decided to give that look a go for my 2009 display.
With that decided the original dark brown wood tones of the cabinets didn't really fit in and just like in other aspects of my life I decided to lighten them up.
...I stumbled on this rubbermaid bin...it kinda made me laugh...it took me way back...back down crafty memory lane...
Geared specifically for independent artists and crafters, the Summit of Awesome is 3 full days of seminars and hands-on workshops, which will provide business and technical education for those in the handmade arts community. The Summit also includes the D.C. premiere showing of the indie craft documentary, Handmade Nation - a film that captures the superstars of indie craft, and documents how the handmade community began and took its current shape. Special keynote speakers include Maria Thomas, CEO of Etsy.com, andJenny Hart, Founder of Sublime Stitching! Visit Hello Craft for a full list of topics and speakers.Register now for a 3-day pass for $180. Discounts are available for groups and craft collectives. The crafty folks at Hello Craft are putting on the event. Email hellocraftinfo@gmail.com for group rates and more info. The Summit of Awesome will take place in the independent shops, restaurants and bars in the MidCity area of D.C., along 14th and U Streets NW, including Miss Pixie's Solly's, DC9, Bar Pilar and Gate 54 at Cafe St. Ex. The Friday night film screening of Handmade Nation will be hosted at the DCJCC's Theater J. If you decide to go, PLEASE respond to this post and let me know!
Are you an artist, crafter or maker with just too much stuff? Do you go crazy during this time of the year wanting to clear out and organize? Well, I feel ya. And I have a solution for you.
The 2nd annual Crafter's Anonymous Craft Swap will be held this Sunday at Artworks from 2 - 5 pm. You can bring your unused, unwanted supplies and swap them for other supplies that you may need or want. There will also be crafting/making stations set-up so you can sit, chill and create throughout the day. The event is a fundraiser for Art 180, so there is a small fee to enter. Check out the website for the swap for more information.
See you there!
Whew...I've been busy since I left my full-time job. So much so that I have to wonder how I juggled both my crafty endevours and work in previous years. When I decided to get up from my week long nap after my "retirment" began, I was all about planning our first Fall Open House. The DH and I haven't had a number of people over to our house at one time since about 2000. That is way too long! We had done some remodeling in 2008, and were celebrating both our birthdays and our new found freedom from working for "da man". What better way to commemorate all of that than with a party, right? The DH even showcased is expansive collection of classic hip-hop posters throughout the house. The event was a great way to kick off the holiday season - good times, good food and good friends!
Since then, other than the requisite break for Thanksgiving cooking, its been all about holiday craft shows. Sorry for the last minute-ness of this, but if you are looking for cool gifts in downtown Richmond, stop by the Fawn Shop. We are only open through Saturday December 13th so hurry on down!
Can't make it to the store? No worries, I got you covered. Come see me at the Richmond Craft Mafia's fourth annual Handmade Holiday show. We went bigger and better this year - featuring over 30 local artists and crafters from the area, the show will be 2 days and at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond.
I'm finally remodeling my kitchen and dining room. My kitchen is teeny-tiny and we don't need a formal dining room so we are tearing out the wall that divides those rooms and making a larger eat-in kitchen. This has been about 2 years in the making. I finally bit the bullet a few months ago and decided to do it. The remodel was supposed to start this past Monday but I hit a snafu with the timing of the kitchen cabinet delivery. That coupled with our vacation next week followed by my contractor Matt's vacation the next week put demo on hold until August 18th. Here's half of the cleared out dining room:
