Ravishing Red!

Red- Boston Handmade
Originally uploaded by Mimi K

A fiery Monday mosaic created my Mimi K.

Check out all the great work by these Boston Handmade members on their Etsy shops:

Muchacha K
Stonehouse Studio
thirteenthstory
Mimi K
Reclaimed To You
Creatively Anew
Elizabeth Brennick
JHill Designs

JP Open Studios THIS Weekend

Four members of Boston Handmade will be showing their work this weekend at the Jamaica Plain Open Studios, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 6pm both days.

Karalee Serra will be showing at the Central Congregational Church, Jessica Burko and Betsy Baker will be showing at the Brewer Street Carriage House, and Jennifer Hill will be showing her work at Fire Opal.

Over 200 artists and artisans will be showing and selling their work this weekend at the JP Open Studios - there will surely be something for everyone so check it out!!

Where do you find good supplies??

There are “easy” places to find supplies for creative work...and then there are favorite places. Anyone who’s been creating for more than about a minute gets tired of cruising the same old spots for totally hot supplies, and starts looking elsewhere. Suddenly the least expected places become inspiration and the mind imagines masterpieces from stuff that never should have been an art supply. Or sometimes, you find a classic independent neighborhood shop that kicks some serious butt on the national cookie-cutter competition. It’s all fuel for the alchemy of art.

Boston Handmade members Mimi Kirchner, Allison Fraske, Beth Brennick, Lisa O’Neill, Jessica Burko and Katy Brown share their fave supply spots with you dear reader. Ready your glue guns for action:

Beth Brennick:
“I love shopping for fabric at Lorraine Fabrics located 593 Mineral Spring North Providence, RI. It has been family owned for fifty years. But the gem is the bargain loft located on the second floor. Picture a field of daises but put bolts of fabric in place of the daisies. You can spend the whole day there and it's all $1.99 a yard.”

Allison Fraske:
“First a little back tracking... I was a graphic design major at Emmanuel College which was a small school with a tiny but magical art department! The art department was a single floor in their four-floor administration building. In addition to graphic design courses, we also took many studio courses. Throughout those four years, one of my favorite places to draw inspiration from was a big storage closet on the art floor! The closet was filled with the most random props and gadgets from years past, and many of those props - from bones to dress forms to antique typewriters - became subjects for some great mixed media projects. My best friend even used the art floor as a central point in her photography thesis which ended up being one of the most talked about projects in our graduating class! Emmanuel is a rapidly expanding school and I know they are re-doing their administration building, but a big part of me hopes that the storage closet doesn't get demolished or even cleaned out because I am sure new students year after year will find artistic inspiration there as well!”

Mimi Kirchner:
“My favorite places - Salvation Army. 483 Broadway, Somerville MA..great prices, clean, light and mostly friendly staff. And parking. (For) art supplies- Playtime, 283 Broadway, Arlington MA 02474...this is an independent art/craft store that rivals any of the national chains like Michaels or AC Moore. Crammed with goodies. (Also) Artbeat- 212A Mass Ave, Arlington this art store has completely different stuff, more waldorf inspired and lots of Stampington publication supplies. Balich's 5 & 10 cent store- 1314 Mass Ave, Arlington...this is the store that time forgot. I swear they still have inventory from the early 80's. They have a decent amount of craft stuff including buttons, sewing notions, knitting, crochet and tatting (!) supplies. A real trip.”

Lisa O’Neill:
“Don't know how 'secret' this is, but I use ebay for almost all of my supplies. Also, a little more off the beaten track, is the thrift store/yard sale/flea market hunting. Many, many years of searching has given me an 'eye', so I can scan a whole store and hone right in on something I might like and be able to use. Oh, and here's a good one: now that friends now I'm making jewelry, they keep their eyes open everywhere they go and give me stuff!”

Jessica Burko:
"I found Scrapbook Clearance when I was looking for paper to use for our wedding invitations and programs, and wow it is awesome! If it is paper you are looking for, they have it. They also have an amazing selection of cardstock and a delightful random assortment of embellishments. And it is all so cheap that it is sometimes a challenge to meet their $10 minimum!"

Katy Brown:
“Two words: Dollar Store. I love the idea of creating beauty from America’s discards. I once made a prom dress from a plastic table cloth, a plastic shower curtain, and a ball of green plastic twine. (And I’m happy to report that it won second place in Craftster.org’s very first Craft Challenge. Whoopwhoop!) Walk into a dollar store with a $10 bill and you can walk out with a literal pile of glittery reusable goodness...”

written by, Katy Brown, aka Muchacha K

Boston Handmade at the SEOM

This past Sunday was the Stitch n Bitch at the South End Open Market in Boston. We had the event planner Katy of Muchacha K, Lynne of Cozy Cottage Creations, Angela of Ambient Designs Jewels, Mimi of MCK254 , and me Beth of Elizabeth Brennick. The two Betsy's were a stone throw away and one of the new members Charissa of Pogibabies Handmade stopped by to say hello. It was a great day of crocheting,knitting,sewing, and most important bitching! We promoted Etsy and Boston Handmade with a table filled with free goodies including businees cards, post cards, buttons, etc.. We also set up tables with our items to sell. This was an excellent idea and I want to thank Katy for putting on this event and giving us the opportunity to sell, stitch, and bitch at the SEOM.

Here's a couple of pictures from Sunday's show:

Angela and her dog Chesney.
A sellers child grabbed a free goodie package given by Dawn Wilson of Creativley ANew and made a patchwork petal flower card.
Written by Beth of Elizabeth Brennick Designs

Nature, by Boston Handmade

Nature- Boston Handmade
Originally uploaded by Mimi K

A glimpse of green, a brush of leaves, a breath of air.

This mosaic comes to you from our own Mimi K. and features work by:

Stonehouse Studio
creatively anew
Mimi K.
thirteenth story
Relaxation Works
Elizabeth Brennick Designs
Amy Olson Jewelry
Cozy Cottage Creations
Sweetest Pea

Getting Published

There is nothing more exhilarating than going to a book store, moseying to the art/craft section, finding a book, opening it to see your artwork printed for the whole world to see!
How did it get there?

There are many opportunities to get your art/craft published. To start many magazines offer submission guidelines printed in their magazine. Find a magazine that you would like to get published in and see if they have guidelines printed. If not you can research that company online to find if they take outside articles, or develop ideas from outside sources.

Most companies are open to outside submissions. Stampington Company (http://www.stampington.com/) is a front-runner with many new publications being developed all the time. They have specific guidelines to submit work. Most publishers have a standard set of rules to follow. By making a checklist of these rules you can decide whether you want to submit your artwork to them. Some companies have contracts that they want you to sign. In this case reading the contract over carefully is vital to your rights as the creator of the artwork. In most cases when you create something you own the copyright of the item. YOU get to decide what happens. If the contract is not in your best interest, you have the right to negotiate that contract to make sure your rights as the artist aren’t being violated. If you are not savvy in this area you could consult a lawyer. Additionally, there is an organization called Volunteer Lawyers for The Arts, http://www.vlama.org/ and they may also be able to help you out.

If you are interested in book publishing find some books that appeal to you. Check out the style and content to see if your work would be a good match. Then you should research the publisher of that book. Most of these companies have informative websites. If you are not finding the information you need there you can contact the company with your questions. You could also contact some of the artists in these books and ask them about their experience publishing with these companies. By just asking, most people are receptive to having a conversation with you, but don’t take it personally if they are not.

Lastly don’t give up. It might take some time to find the right fit. With a little research and a lot of determination you too can get published!

written by, Dawn Wilson of Creatively Anew

Going Green

I can't be happier that America is waking up to the reality of all the harm we are doing to our planet. What do you think it is that has made us more aware? Is it the effects of global warming that we've all experienced to some degree or Al Gore's documentary "The Inconvenient Truth"? Maybe, but I think that more than anything it is suddenly very hip to be Green. Eco-friendly products are everywhere. We're building and decorating our homes with them, we're wearing them and as time goes on more of us are even driving them.

We began this decade with an awareness to "recycle, reuse and restore" and are now adapting to a new concept which is "Refuse". Do we really need one more plastic toy from Toys R Us or another pair of sneakers? People forget that it takes energy and creates pollution to manufacture all the things we think we need. The reality is that a lot of what we buy only gives us temporary happiness.

Having recently visited Costa Rica, I am impressed that this developing country has such an ecologically conscious attitude. Their commitment to save the rain forest is commendable. From hotel's suggestions not to change sheets and towels daily, to the use of bio-degradable soap, energy efficient light bulbs and environmental libraries- it was refreshing to experience up close how simple it is to make a difference. It is very clear there that it's not just our planet- that we share it with many, many species. Hopefully we can start doing a better job in all areas environmentally. Congratulations to Timberland, the clothing and shoe company based in Stratham, New Hampshire. They are the first US company to put a carbon index on their product labels. We will be seeing more monitoring of carbon imprinting by other companies soon I imagine.

written by, Louise Cady-Fernandes of The Hole Thing

Autumn Mosaic

Fall- Boston Handmade
Originally uploaded by Mimi K

Celebrating the season
this mosaic features work by Mimi K., Stonehouse Studio, Elizabeth Brennick Designs, Reclaimed To You, Creatively Anew, and thirteenthstory.

Thanks to Mimi Kfor creating
the Monday mosaic!