Choosing A Color Palette

by Betsy, of Stonehouse Studio

I love color and I enjoy deciding on a project palette. But I also love shortcuts! Here's a nifty website that picks out colors from a photograph and lays them out for you like paint chips!

As a polymer artist who mixes all my own colors, it's a real time saver. Here I have a photo of a vegetable stand in Stresa, Italy with the corresponding color palette. Appropriately enough, I was in Stresa attending a color workshop! Check out Big Huge Labs and play! And don't miss all their other neat design tools while you're there!

Workspace Wednesday...

...with Louise of The Hole Thing


Welcome to THE HOLE THING studio. Everything that I make for my line is made here from recycled felted wool sweaters. The sweaters are easily felted in the laundry room right next door. What I like most about my studio is the good lighting and that the worktables are different heights. This is especially good for me because I am tall. I also like the good storage space and that there is a place for everything including my KH-970 knitting machine, which I can create practically anything on.

Currently I am working on organizing my space after a very busy holiday season. I am also making a hat for myself that you can see in the top photo and photographing my work so that I can replenish my Etsy site. After this I plan to design a new hole sweater for adults, and one for dogs too, and design several other ideas that I haven’t had time to try the past few months.

Web Tips For Crafters

by Allison of Fraske Design


If you would rather spend time working on your craft than spend time worrying about maintaining your personal website, perhaps OtherPeoplesPixels.com is a great match for you.

I meet artists all the time who don’t have a website because maintaining one seems like either a daunting technological task or too pricey for the look they want (and deserve!). OtherPeoplesPixels.com is a company that offers a host of simple yet eye catching website skins and allows you to develop and customize it to maximize your online presence. Best of all, the plans they offer are affordable.

I have recommended this website to several people and have heard only great things about the functionality of the site and the customer service they offer. I am even considering switching over to it because my current website is just basic html right now. They have come a long way in a short amount of time and their customization options are nearly limitless. OtherPeoplesPixels.com will let you do a free trial and see how hassle free this portfolio website hosting company really can be! Above is a screen shot of a trial front page from combining a variety of their templates, colors, and patterns… I did this in a flash, and you can, too!

Monday Mosaic - Birds Everywhere

A little bit of spring in your January day from Boston Handmade.

This mosaic was put together by Mimi K and features work by:

Muchacha K
Fraske Designs
Elizabeth Brennick Designs
Paper Menagerie
Mimi K

Tune in next Monday for another Boston Handmade Mosaic!

Getting Crafty

with SHIP by RLS

handmade frames like this one are available for purchase
through the Etsy shop of SHIP by RLS

Last November I woke up and felt crafty. As a kid we had an art box, this huge monstrosity that crayola threw up in which my mother would pull out on rainy afternoons or snow days. She would sit us down with a cup of hot cocoa (extra marshmallows) and open the box and we’d be on our own coloring, gluing, and cutting away the day spewing refrigerator art and mini pieces of paper all over the floor.

I took a 17 year break from crafting. Ok, intermittently I made sports team posters involving glitter pens, but other than that, crafting and I broke up. No real reason, we just grew apart, we went our separate ways. And then last November … crafting walked back into my life. It started innocently enough I was making handmade books here and there, and then December came around and one morning over coffee I decided…everyone will get a handmade gift from me. My drafting table, reserved for paying bills was transformed into … craftland. Books were made, calendars created, stencils cut, and … and a frame was made. How was I to know that one little frame created because I couldn’t find the right one at Michael’s Crafts would lead me into the world of official artisan.

Its interesting how slowly you grow up and one day you realize you’re an adult and people are constantly asking you what it is you do for fun, do in your free time and … you don’t know. What DO I do? And here I was, I found something, I was having fun! I was cutting and gluing and creating and I had these really cool tangible pieces of my time and I was proud of them and excited and I was sharing them with people and they actually wanted them!

I found Etsy by accident, such an accident that I can’t even remember how I came upon it. But it has opened up so much for me that I cant even believe that a recycled frame and a website have lead to so much, and not just a shop and all that comes with it but friends and an artist community/family that has pushed me further than I ever would have taken myself.


Thanks Etsy and BostonHandmade!

Handcrafted Fabric Delights, an interview...

...with Nicole fromDesigns by Lulubelle
written by Dawn of creatively anew


Meeting Nicole and seeing her product was a delight. Her designs are fresh and beautifully handcrafted. From baby items to handbags, the fabrics are lush and put together in colorful combinations.

DW: How did you get started crafting?

DBL: I've been crafting for as long as I can remember. I spent the summers down the Cape as a young child and can remember using my "sewing machine" to sew my father ties for work. I think I was around five years old. The needle and thread were even enclosed in plastic for extra safety :) From that point, I've pretty much dabbled in all things "crafty" -- from numerous art classes, photography, to beadwork and sewing. In junior high and high school, I had a passion for fashion design and creating my own clothes. My walls were covered with sketches of prom dresses and such. My focus switched to a career in nursing in high school, so art took the back seat for a while. My senior year in college, I reconnected with my love of art through an art history class and drawing 101. I've really discovered my love of sewing and the combining of colors over the past year or so. Having my children (ages 2, 4, and 6) has really sparked my love and desire for creativity all over again. It's funny what a box of crayola can do for you! I never knew I could get that excited or inspired walking into a newly discovered fabric store or opening a package of new fabric in the mail.

DW: With three little ones how do you find time to create?

DBL: With three little ones, fitting in time to create can be tough but it's definitely an essential part of my day. Fortunately, my children have caught the artistic "bug" and are more than happy to sit down with art supplies and get creative too.. I try to sneak in some time at the sewing machine while my youngest is napping but she prefers to "help" sort my pins and sit on my lap while I sew. I'm a bit of a night owl and usually find myself heading off to my workspace around 10pm and usually work for a few hours or so. I've taken over a section of "man-town" in the basement so my husband will occasionally hang out with me to keep me company.

DW: Where does your inspiration come from to create?

DBL: I get a lot of inspiration from color and the combinations I am able to create with them. I have a love of patchwork and love incorporating modern fabrics into more traditional patterns. I enjoy scouring the various design websites and magazines for ideas in pattern and texture.

DW: Do you create your own patterns, or follow patterns?

DBL: For the majority of my pieces, I create my own patterns. I do need to learn to write my dimensions out before piecing things together. There have been several times that I surprise myself on the first trial run and then have to "recreate the wheel" in order to draft a formal pattern. I think that the fun part is sketching out an idea and then trying to recreate it in fabric. I'm embarassed to admit it, but I keep my sketchbook and markers in my nightstand for when those random ideas just come to me. Even my little ones help me "draft" ideas when we're coloring at the kitchen table.


DW: When did you start your business? Why?

DBL: I just started my business in the spring of 2007. I've always wanted to do it but something just made me decide the time was right. I love being a nurse but have always yearned for a more creative outlet in my life. I'm hoping that I will be able to develop it even more in the year to come. It has been a huge learning experience for me, but I have loved it every step of the way.

DW: Do you have any advice for starting your own business, or tips that have helped you start yours?

DBL: I don't feel seasoned enough yet to offer tips since I'm still in such the beginning stages. I do believe it's important to trust your judgement and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. I've wanted to do this for a long time but something just held me back -- don't be afraid to try something new. There will be times of failure and success and there will be some very long nights...

To see Designs by Lulubelle check out her Etsy shop!

Workspace Wednesday...

...with Dawn of Creatively Anew


After the December holiday fairs it was great getting into the studio and just making something. Here is a shot of my table where I am working on collage with paper and fabric. Next will be a clean up of the space for a fresh start in 2008.

Tune in next week for another Workspace Wednesday!

Happy New Year!

2008 calendar by JHill Design

Reflections by, Nicole of Designs by Lulubelle

As we say goodbye to 2007 and ring in 2008, New Year's resolutions often come to mind.

Rather than focus on the more typical resolutions, I decided to focus my resolutions on the creative side of my life.

I'd like to make quilts for the important people in my life, learn Italian or French, learn to knit and focus on expanding my business.

This year, I asked other Boston Handmade members what their resolutions were for the upcoming year.

Dawn of Creatively Anew focuses on her top three for the New Year. Her first goal is to CLEAN out the studio. Dawn also states "I will also be exploring a new way of working by introducing a color theme for the month and I will also be doing research on writing a book which is a long term goal that I feel I can dive into".

Angela of Paper Menagerie states "My New Year's resolutions for Paper Menagerie include using more recycled and repurposed materials, as well as expanding beyond cards and prints. You can look for stickers, bookplates, and some fabric work in 2008! I'm also resolving to take a few classes to broaden my skills".

Jessica of Reclaimed to You states, "My goal is to do more sewing. I was really inspired by Beth's sewing workshop and in 2008 I really want to make time to: do some quilting for all the children I have in my life, sew some tote bags to use instead of plastic shopping bags (and to give them as gifts to friends as encouragement to use less plastic bags), and make household items and small articles of clothing for my family and friends."

Kris of Relaxation Works has " two new lines coming out in 08, one is called RW LAB. This is where new products ideas are born and new formulas are tested on our greatest critiques, our customers. There is no pretty packaging, just great products that have mega potential. Ingredients are mashed, ground whipped and stirred to bring cutting edge new ideas about bathing natural. The second one is called RW Aromatherapy. This includes 14 custom blend options and a great ECO Friendly package that comes with an Eco friendly reusable grocery bag, huge lip balms and aromatherapy products."

Allison of Fraske Designs states "I usually don't make resolutions, but last year for 2007 I decided to resolve to create more. My motivation was the website illustrationfriday.com which posts a different topic each week for artists to use as inspiration, and you have a week to post it back on the website. While I haven't been able to keep up every single week (and I knew that going into it), that website has prompted me to create some of my favorite pieces such as my Air Show, Gravity, and Jellyfish digital collages which are available as cards and prints in my Etsy shop. I decided that I would keep the same resolution for 2008 and expand my mediums. I have always enjoyed making mosaics (mainly coasters as gifts) and I have been teaching myself how to crochet (slowly but surely). Being part of Boston Handmade has piqued my interest in other mediums as well. Each member brings something different, unique, and beautiful to the table, and that is very inspiring!"

Warm wishes for a happy and healthy New Year! Here's to making 2008 a creative one!