No Rain, Nor Snow, Nor Sleet will stop the Soap Making

By DeShawn of DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap

For those of you who don't know me, I am new to Boston Handmade. My name is DeShawn Marie and I've been making handmade soaps, candles and more for over 12 years now.

I spent all day yesterday making, cutting and boxing soap. When I got up this morning and saw it was like this out my window.
I thought oh well I guess it's another good day to work. I'm starting to get a little used to this snowy weather even though this is my first winter in Boston. I recently moved here from NYC and have been pleasantly surprised at how welcoming and warm everyone here in Boston has been. MMm and that's not what I heard before I moved here :) So with that said I have to say what other town can you move to with a business and have it up and running strong within a few months. I don't think too many towns can boast of this. Then to top things off to be able to get involved with such an amazing group as Boston Handmade!! I gotta say this place ain't so bad. So I wanted to share a little bit of what I've been doing in this cold, snowy weather. The last few days our place looks more like a manufacturing plant than a cozy apartment in Brighton.

I make all of my soaps from scratch in small batches and put them in small loaf molds until they are ready to be released and cured. When they are ready to cut I put the small loaves on my soap cutter which looks like this.

I then line the soap up with the lines on the soap cutter for the size that I would like the soap to be. Here is what that looks like.

After that I cut the soap straight down with a blade as shown in the picture below.
Then they are ready to be boxed and prepared for being adopted into some one's home :) Below is a picture of my assembly line of packaging.
I then close them, label them and voila the perfect GIFT! As everyone says "they look like expensive European chocolates."

So not a bad thing to be doing in this snowy, cold weather. Well atleast I enjoy it and I hope you all have enjoyed this brief peek into my soapy world.

Be Mine: A Valentine Event

by, Jessica of Reclaimed To You

TONIGHT! One Night Only! Be there or Be Square!

The 2nd Annual Boston Handmade Valentine Show

TONIGHT: Friday, February 6 ~ 5pm to 9pm
450 Harrison Avenue ~ Gallery #31 ~ 31 Thayer Street
click HERE for directions

The 2nd Annual Be Mine Valentine Show will feature hand crafted Valentines and gifts for friends, family, and lovers. Sponsored in part by GTI Properties and the individual members of Boston Handmade, this one-night-only event coincides with the First Friday open studios and gallery receptions in the SoWa arts district of Boston’s South End.

Eighteen members of Boston Handmade will be exhibiting their one-of-a-kind and limited edition works at Be Mine, which is the 2009 Boston Handmade debut after their successful 2008 Downtown Crossing holiday gallery. This special Valentine event includes live acoustic music by Peter Paulousky and new exhibitor designs created especially for the winter season and Valentine’s Day.

And keep a look out as Boston Handmade goes green by making clothing, accessories, paper goods, ceramics, housewares, art and jewelry by hand not by machine, locally rather than overseas, and often by upcycling, recycling, and using vintage materials.

Works on view and available for sale at Be Mine include a range of media by the following:
Bancroft Studios
Blue Alvarez Designs
Books By Bexx
Bumble Belly Designs
Christine Marie Art
DeShawn Marie
Elizabeth Brennick Designs
Fraske Designs
K. Hawkins Photography
Lucie Wicker Photography
Lush Beads
Nancyrosetta
Reclaimed To You
Sea Glass Things
Stonehouse Studio
thirteenthstory
Vintage By Crystal
Yarn Obsession

Visit Be Mine to find the perfect gift for all your Valentines!

A Little Gem

by Brooke Pickering, of Bancroft Studios


Mixed Media Fiber Art
January 7th - March 1st 2009

Before the holidays my cousin Hailey, who is the Museum & Children's Gallery Coordinator for the Danforth Museum mentioned that she thought my ceramics might be a good match for their gift shop and got me in touch with Martha, the Visitor Services Coordinator and everything gift shop. I was thrilled to have my work associated with the art museum but had never visited, so when a call for more work came in I was able to take that opportunity to visit the museum, my cousin and meet Martha.

The Danforth
 focuses on American Art from the 18th century to present day, with a special nod to the School of Boston Expressionism. One exhibit that might be of interest to all you fiber artists is the Mixed Media Fiber Art exhibit curated by Jeanne Williamson with pieces from area artist Linda Levin of Wayland and Merill Comeau of Concord.

After your eyes drink up all the color and texture of the fiber show, continue down the hall to view Sedrick Huckaby: A Love Supreme. Four huge canvases depicting his grandmother’s handmade quilts will envelop you. Each painting symboliz ing a season and each painted so beautifully that you might have to fight the urge to wrap yourself up in them. Visit the Danforth Museum website for a full description of their permanent collection, diverse exhibits, classes and workshops. The intimate setting makes it a wonderful place to inject a little art into your busy lives.

Rosy and Cozy for Valentine's Day

by Crystal, of Vintage by Crystal

Oh yes...the Christmas decorations are finally put away and the cozy, rosy feeling of Valentine's Day is setting in! Valentine's Day for me has never really stood out as an important holiday. Half of the time it would pass right by before I even thought about it. I know for the longest time when I was in high school and college I wanted so bad to have a boyfriend on Valentine's Day to celebrate it with. One day I finally I did and we went out to dinner - the restaurants were so crowded and we had to wait in the freezing cold to get in - he gave me a card and flowers - a boring store bought card with a generic message and carnations...my very least favorite flower - and what was I to give him? Well I never thought about that part before. lol Of course I was grateful and didn't complain, the effort was charming on his behalf and my attempt at a gift for him was met with a "oh......thaannks".When Ben (my now nearest and dearest) came along he told me right away that he didn't like Valentine's Day. "A holiday created by the greeting card companies during a slow sales period - I don't need to tell you I love you on a specified day of the year." Well...he couldn't be convinced, although he's always charmed me with a little something nice (the Napoleon Dynamite dvd one year! How perfect!).

So...after many years of a general lack of interest around Valentine's Day, I decided to embrace it for myself. Purely because in the middle of February, when the snow drifts are up to my waste and the cold wind is blowing, a nice burst of pink and red, and hearts and flowers are just what I need to perk up my little environment and put a smile on my face! I don't even decorate with red anywhere in the house, even at Christmas time, so it's an extra special treat. Plus it reminds me of when I was a kid and my mom used to cover the dining room hutch with her collection of vintage cards and valentine's.

To celebrate my new found love for Valentine's Day, I've made a cluster of friendly characters to help cheer up the holiday...and they do a good job!
Ms. spun cotton strawberry girl is a big hit! I love the contrast of the red and black that she shares with little Pepe Le Pew. And this sweet bunny in the middle represents a new needle felting technique I'm doing. The little details on the face and chest are almost drawn on with wool...so much fun!
I can't resist making kitties and I've made a bunch decked out in pink, red and cream. And the silly bird girls are some of my favorites!
I'm really into the jugglers lately too. I did a few for Christmas and just had to carry the theme over to Valentine's Day. They're so festive!
I also really love using tiny keepsake boxes as bases for these characters. It makes them pretty AND functional! The little pink squirrel is holding a heart acorn. :)

"The Clothes on Their Backs" Fashion Show

by Marla Kunselman of Sea Glass Things

I am proud to have been invited to a local charitable event in which I will be a vendor this Thursday night (February 5th) at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, MA.

Jennifer Pieroni, from the The Salem Mission, along with Christine Robidoux, of Modern Millie, are presenting a fashion show - "The Clothes on Their Backs" to include items from J. Mode, Modern Millie and many more local stores in efforts to raise money for the Salem Mission. The Salem Mission helps the homeless in our local community in every aspect you can imagine - from transitioning to homes, clothing, providing meals, work and much more. As a vendor I will be donating 20% of my sales from this event to The Mission. I am always happy to support as many wonderful causes as I "can" in a calendar year. This will be one of the only four I will support for 2009.

You can read a fantastic article by the Taunton Daily Gazette about this upcoming event.

Event Details and ticket purchases can be found at The Salem Mission website.

When: Thursday ~ February 5th ~ 7PM

Where: The Hawthorne Hotel ~ 18 Washington Square West ~ Salem, MA 01970

Hope you can swing by for a night of fun, fashion and shopping while supporting a good cause!

Habits

by Jaye Frisina of Thirteenth Story

I've often wondered how important it is to create daily. At every new years (or whenever I am compelled to have a new beginning), the first thing I say is: "I want to draw every day."

Unlike my friend Bret, I have not been unable to accomplish this. And, this year I've found it helps to really contemplate how important drawing every day is to me. For starters, practicing, developing new techniques, and new ways of interpreting the world are critical to keep my work fresh. My work tends to be simple, stark, iconic looking, but that doesn't mean it has to be without dimension and story. You should see some of the under-drawings! Practicing, especially drawing from life, will enhance and help my work along to the next place.

I was checking out some of my favorite artists whom I have dedicated a "Spotlight" section of my zine. Though very different they all have one thing in common:






...sketching and drawing as often as possible. And if it helped bring these artists to the level they worked at, it sure can't hurt me to try!

Monday Mosaic

I see spots, I see dots, I see lots - oh my! A very polka dotted Mosaic for you this Monday with images contributed by Boston Handmade members:
Books By Bexx
The Hole Thing
Weller Wishes
Glamourpuss Creations
Linda B. Dunn
MaJenta Designs
Stonehouse Studio
muchacha K
Christine Marie Art
Elizabeth Brennick Designs
Mimi Kirchner

Disintegration

By Chris O'Brien of Christine Marie Art

Much of what I do as an artist is experimental, in terms of using new digital techniques and combining them with traditional art materials. However, I've just embarked on an experiment which goes way back to basics.

Inspired by Seth Apter of The Altered Page, I've begun somewhat of a mystery of a project called "Disintegration." The idea is to be inspired by the natural evolution of time, in collaboration with nature. I chose to use signatures from an old "1939 Supplement to French's Catalog of Plays" which I have been holding onto for quite a while. I have a feeling that our New England winter will be a wonderful collaborator! I have absolutely no idea how this will play out, but I look forward to the big reveal in spring, when I will figure out how to use the results. Stay tuned!