Happy Easter...

...and Happy Spring from your friends at Boston Handmade

photo by Kerry of K. Hawkins Photography

Mission Organization

by Nicole of designs by lulu belle

I've had bins of scraps under my desk for as long as I can remember. I always feel guilty throwing even the smallest bit away but never seem to go back to the bin either. A few weeks ago, I took on the daunting task of organizing my scraps by color, discarding the little bits that could not be used, and ultimately found new inspiration in these small pieces of fabric. In addition to pillows, I've worked up a stack of patchwork zip cases and am currently working on a stacked coin quilt. Here's to finding inspiration in the things around you...

My Experience on the Martha Stewart Show

By Crystal of Vintage by Crystal
Last week I had the honor of being on the Martha Stewart show! I had a great time in New York but am happy to be back in Boston in my cozy apartment! The show went great and I'm still just so thrilled that we were able to make it happen! You can watch the segment on Martha's website here.
The producers of the show and Martha's whole staff were so unbelievably nice and wonderful. They did a great job helping me outline the steps of the project and giving me tips when I was on air. The show aired live, but I tried not to think about that too much!!

Martha gave me a bit of a hard time about the tinsel and the dollar store...but it was all in good fun!

The pretty nests we made...

I stayed in Greenwich Village with my friend Dan (on the left) who was also in the audience and got to hold a bunny! He's a real character and it was great to have him along for the ride!
One of the best parts was seeing the craft studio and the set of the Martha Stewart show in person. They were amazing!!! The craft studio was stocked with every craft material imaginable all neatly organized and finished projects from the show and magazines were scattered about for inspiration. Loved it! And the set was so bright and warm. So cheery and inspiring! And they decorated it with a whole bunch of my little Easter characters!

And of course I must mention the reason for being there at all...the nest project! The directions and template for the armature are on Martha's website. It's a little bit of a challenging project, but it's so much fun once you get the hang of it!! I was so flattered that Martha wanted to share it on her show and she even is taking one to keep in her house!

So much fun and such wonderful memories made. :)

A Tisket a Tasket a Bunny in Your Easter Basket

By Colleen Baker of Tactile Baby

I've been working away in my woodshop for the past several weeks working on some new puzzles for spring!

At the moment I'm in a woodworking phase (as opposed to a sewing phase), which may have something to do with the fact that it is actually warming up to a degree that I can actually head into my woodworking shop without the need for a wool sweater and winter jacket.

Along with a butterfly , puppy and tropical fish , the newest puzzle in my collection is this pastel Easter bunny(available in pink , blue or yellow ) - great for ages +2.

All puzzles are made from poplar - a fast-growing native hardwood; the perfect choice for childrens puzzles. The backs are kept natural and conditioned with a food-grade oil (to keep the wood hydrated). Fronts are painted with non-toxic paint, and sealed with non-toxic sealer for durability.

I'm currently working on a "transportation" themed line that I hope to launch in the fall, motorcycles, trains, spaceships and helicopters. My son just turned 2 and "diggers" are just about his most favorite things in the world.

Custom Book Repair - Before and After

by Bexx of BooksByBexx

Most crafty people know me through my etsy shop, which focuses on a variety of new bindings includings miniature books, journals, and photo albums. Making these things is great fun, but it's only part of what I do! I also do custom work, and repairs.

Why have a book repaired? Some books are irreplaceable due to thier rarity or sentinmental value. Most books deteriorate though age and heavy use, and need some sort of repair if its owner wishes to keep using it.

Here is an example of a repair job I did recently:

A client brought in an old cookbook which had belonged to his grandmother. He had many fond memories of seeing this cookbook in his grandmother kitchen, and wanted to restore it's appearance and usability. When I received the book, the pages were falling out, and the spine and a piece of the back cover were missing entirely, as were the first few pages of the book.

I took the whole thing apart, mended the paper as needed, re-sewed the book, and re-created the pieces of the cover that had gone missing. I even painted cloth to match the original. After many hours of work, the book can now be used or displayed for years to come!

Time on My Hands

by Brooke Pickering, of Bancroft Studios

So one of the up sides of this sluggish economy is that I find myself with extra time on my hands. While this benefit does not help the stack of bills on my dresser, it does give me the opportunity to explore new things. My most recent guilty pleasure was to take a clay class from our own Kirsten Bassion at her North Shore Clay Studio. Although I have been producing decorative hand cast dinnerware for about a year now I had never thrown anything on the wheel and thought there was no better time to give it a go. The class was fantastic and I highly recommend it to anyone in the area. Not only did I make my first tiny bowls (2 are featured in the pictures) but as a student you are extended unlimited access to the space so you can go in and practice any time!

Then several weeks ago I was given the unfortunate news that my Atlanta showroom was closing it's doors and I was left with no wholesale representation in the Mid-Atlantic States. Eeeeek….. now what? Well I have scrambled to get in to as many spring/summer retail venues as I could and started brainstorming as to what other products I could offer for sale...........how about jewelry? Everyone buys jewelry right?

So voila! My line of porcelain jewelry is in the works

Here is the beginning stages- making plaster molds from cute buttons

and my little bowl full of my porcelain beads

20 and here are my rough drafts!

Mosaic Monday- Bunny Love

by Mimi Kirchner
It is bunny time in Boston. Check out all the Easter Bunny goodness in the shops of Boston Handmade!

Majenta Designs
Vintage by Crystal
Kerry Hawkins Photography
Lucie Wicker Photography
BooksByBexx
Tactile Baby
Christine Marie Art
Bumble Belly Designs
The Hole Thing

Ugly Is In the Eye of the Beholder

By Liz Stewart of Lush Beads

Making a truly ugly necklace is actually quite difficult. Everyone has a varying tastes in colors and styles, so what you think is ugly may be quite lovely to someone else. As a designer, it is hard to put aside your good design sense and break the rules.

Personally, I dislike yellow. It looks awful on me, and I struggle when I work with it. Supposedly yellow and purple go well together, but I can't bring myself to try it.


Sometimes "ugly" means you mixed materials together that don't quite work. For example, maybe you should avoid putting your Swarovski pearls with your dyed lime green faceted ovals and your orange-tone painted wooden beads....


And sometimes, "ugly" means you are mixing too many different shapes together...


As artists and designers, we usually try to avoid doing "ugly." Sometimes it's good to step outside the box and challenge yourself. Do you feel up to the challenge? My shop, Lush Beads, is holding its first Ugly Necklace Contest. Judging will be done in conjunction with our 5th anniversary sale and celebration on the weekend of May 2-3, 2009.