First Thursdays In Jamaica Plain

The First Thursdays art stroll in Jamaica Plain is TONIGHT from 6-8pm. There will be 30+ art openings in local businesses, and live music at JP Licks and at the Loring Greenough House.
Beginning at 5pm you can visit the Artisan Fair located on the lawn of Curtis Hall at 20 South Street to see and purchase work by these members of Boston Handmade:
Betsy Baker / Stonehouse Studio
Amy Ballard / Amy Olson Jewelry
Elizabeth Brennick / Elizabeth Brennick Designs
Jessica Burko / Reclaimed To You
Crystal Hanehan / Vintage By Crystal
Kerry Hawkins / Kerry Hawkins Photography
Lisa O'Neill / Glamourpuss Creations
Lucie Wicker / Lucie Wicker Photography

See you there!!!!

Workspace Wednesday...

with Crystal of Vintage by Crystal

It's funny how by displaying your finished pieces of artwork around you in your studio, you become your own source of inspiration. Even accidental displays are fabulous to look at and just make you want to continue creating. That's my experience anyway.

I have a shelf in my studio where I store my most recently completed creations. I usually don't arrange them in any particular order, I just stick them wherever there's room and it "magically" forms a little display that always changes as I sell items and continue to make new pieces. When I'm on a creative roll, I tend to let things pile up before I place them online for sale. When that happens, my shelf overflows and I start placing the finished pieces on any available surface, thus creating even more displays around the studio. Then I sell off the pieces and start all over again. I love it!

Felt Fortune Cookies

from Allison of Fraske Designs

A while ago, I found this easy tutorial on how to make felt fortune cookies. I'd been waiting to find time to sit down and make a few. Recently, I had a friend who could use some good fortune, so I decided she would get my first felt fortune cookie experiment!

Making the fortune cookies was really simple. The tutorial suggests machine sewing, but I opted to sew by hand, and I think the result is just as good. I also altered the pattern slightly, but you will notice once you begin that there are probably several ways to achieve this final product. I used tan felt with a slightly contrasting yellow thread. The fun part is writing the fortune and giving it away!

Next time around, I might experiment with different color felts, fabrics, and sizes.

Mosaic Monday - Celebrate!

A little celebration goes a long way. Holler, clap, whistle, bang a gong and celebrate with these members of Boston Handmade:
Vintage by Crystal
Sea Glass Things
Lucie Wicker Photography
The Hole Thing
Twigs and Heather
Elizabeth Brennick Designs
muchacha K
Mimi K
Stonehouse Studio
Reclaimed To You
and to see photos from all members of Boston Handmade check out our Flickr photo pool, and thanks to Mimi K for putting together this mosaic. Buy handmade this spring!

Beacon Hill Art Walk

The Beacon Hill Art Walk is an annual event that takes place on the first Sunday every June, throughout the nooks and crannies of Beacon Hill. Residents open up their private gardens, alleyways, and courtyards and allow artists to display and sell their artwork. It is a chance for visitors to tour the private spaces of Beacon Hill (free of charge) while viewing original artwork. Thousands attend each year. It is a popular event in the neighborhood, with a festive atmosphere and musicians playing in various gardens throughout the day. Around 100 artists usually participate, with a variety of styles, media, and subject matter.

Jessica Burko will be showing her work at the Beacon Hill Art Walk this year for the first time. You can find her in Phillip's Court (#4 on the map) exhibiting her new Paper Quilts.

Shell Art

by Crystal of Vintage by Crystal

She sells seashells by the seashore…

Memorial Day has come and gone, and we’re all getting ready for summer. Even though there aren’t many major holidays coming up, that doesn’t mean we can’t be festive and seasonal when it comes to decorating our homes. We all try to bring a little bit of the outdoors in when those warm breezes come knocking. Natural displays of seashells and sand combined with intricate shell encrusted functional art create a beachy, but beautiful setting for the summer.

I’ve been making shell art for the last several years and while I take a hiatus from it during the cold months, things have been warming up around here and I’ll be pulling my boxes and bowls full of shells out of storage and onto my coffee table. I’ve spent the snowy season browsing thrift stores and flea markets to collect vintage wooden frames, mirrors, boxes and other interesting things that are in dire need of a creative treatment. Add some glue, creative forethought and nimble fingers and voila! Beautiful pieces are functional shell art, ready to inspire the beachcomber in everyone.

Shell art is actually a centuries old art form that varies depending on the culture and time period it comes from. My favorite style is Victorian shell art, when sailors would bring home to their girlfriends and wives intricate seashell Valentine’s bought from the island women they came across in their travels. None of the shells in the frames, boxes and other items they made were randomly placed. Instead, each design was intentional and precise and it certainly showed!

Much of the modern shell art you see today is reminiscent of that elaborate Victorian style, from cheap dollar store boxes to delicate handmade chandeliers. The natural shades of color seashells typically have lend to a soothing palette that makes for a calm and relaxing environment, perfect for long summer days. And best of all, most shell art is functional! Swap out harsh metal photo frames for a comforting shell encrusted one. Store summer keepsakes in a shell box or have a candlelit al fresco dinner complete with shell covered candlesticks. And of course you mustn’t forget to scatter some loose shells here and there to complete the summertime feeling!

In my house the shells are lined up, the adhesive is coming out, and I can’t wait to get started decorating and creating with these wonderful natural treasures!

To order your own original shell art piece, visit my website.

Make Your Own Headpins

by Nancy of Nancyrosetta

Headpins are a necessary supply for jewelry designers of all skill levels. With the rising cost of silver, they have become quite expensive. So why not make your own? It is easy, doesn't require too much equipment and they are a fraction of the cost of buying them. All you need is wire cutters, a small torch such as a butane creme brulee torch, a heat resistant surface, a glass jar or crockpot with a mild acid (warmed vinegar mixed with salt works well), and a pair of tweezers. Always wear eye protection and work in a nicely ventilated area.

Try them, you may never buy headpins again.

I am using 24 gauge sterling silver wire, but this method will work with any smaller gauge wire you want to use.

First, get yourself some wire and cut a bunch of lengths.

Hold the small piece of wire in a pair of tweezers just outside the blue cone and slightly above the flame until it balls up. You can adjust the size of the ball by how long you let the silver melt. Be careful though, the ball can easily fall off creating a splash which is dangerous. So hold the wire very close to the heat resistant surface.

The wire is so thin, that it is unnecessary to quench, they cool off very quickly, I just lay them out until I have a whole bunch.
Now scoop them all up and toss them in the mild acid bath. I use a crock pot so I don't have to keep warming the solution when I am working for a long time. A plastic container submerged in the pot with holes drilled in makes for easier removal.
Keep them in until they are all cleaned. Usually just a few minutes.

Rinse them off and voila! Headpins!
You can now sand them and polish them, or just leave them like this.
I tend to like the more organic look so I just tumble them for a little bit for strength. They look like tiny little silver pearls at the end of the wire.

Workspace Wednesday...

...with Mimi of MCK254

I work in my attic. I have a desk with my sewing machine on it and another table on my right. Yes, it is a mess. That means a lot is getting done. When it is neat and clean it means I am not working, or have no ideas, or between projects, or in a funk.

You can see more of Mimi's work in her Etsy Shop, in her Flickr Photo Pool, and on her Blog.