Five Little Owls

By Crystal Hanehan of Vintage by Crystal

Five little owls sitting in a row,
The first one says "Oh my we're slow!"
The second one says "There's a full moon in the sky!"
The third one says "Let's fly and fly and fly!"
The fourth one says "The sitting here is done."
The fifth one says "Let's have some fun!"
Ooooh ohhhh with the wind,
and out with the lights,

and the five little owls flew out of sight."

New Work

by Cristina Hurley of Cristina Hurley Jewelry Design

My recent move to my new studio/shop has inspired me in many different ways. I had not considered the possibility that my new space would help me so much, not only with my productivity, but also my creativity. Being in a different environment has produced some new work that I am very pleased with. Here are some examples.

"Susan's Star" Sterling silver and diamond.

Ptolemy Bracelet" Sterling silver, oxidized, set with CZs

"Nova Bracelet" Sterling silver, oxidized, set with CZs

"Obelisk Necklace" Sterling silver, Black Czech Crystals

I am still working a lot with the black and white theme, I enjoy the contrast and it really makes the metals and the stones pop! All the pieces were hand fabricated in my studio. although labor intensive, I really enjoyed making them and am very happy with the results.

You can see all these pieces and more in my new shop, located at:

3 Rockland Street

Canton, MA 02021

781-562-0421.

:)

Time Management and Logo!

By Diane of Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design

hand dyed, hand spun, and hand carded wool by Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design

I have discovered in the last couple of months how important it is to manage your time. Being a fiber artist, working a full time job to pay the bills, and other obligations can be difficult to manage. It doesn’t matter what career path you are on, being able to effectively and efficiently manage your time is key to success and to decrease stress.You need time in order to get what you want out of life.

I had to take a moment a couple of days ago to reflect on where the time had gone since May of this year? Don’t get me wrong, I was reflecting in the positive rather than the negative. I wanted to take the time to appreciate the accomplishments that I made and realize that it was effective time management that got me to complete several tasks at work and in my fiber arts.

From moving my team at work to our new space across town to teaching natural dye yarns at the Eliot School, I was able to spend more time dyeing yarn and knitting. From becoming a new member of Boston Handmade to supporting the re-branding of my colleagues work uniform, I was able to spend more time with my Little Sister Tiffany. Through all the internal chaos that goes into relocating to a new office to stocking up my inventory on my etsy store, I was able to spend time with family and friends a lot more in the last couple of months than I have in the last 5 years.

Time Management:

1. Can help you find the time for accomplishing the items that you want and need to do.
2. Actually saves you more time in the day. You cannot save time or keep it for safe keeping so you have to use it wisely.
3. Can help you reduce wasted time and energy, help you become more creative and productive, and enable you to do the right thing at the right time. This will of course lead to more balance and fulfillment in your life.

And in the process of all this amazing time management, I was so thrilled to finally have a new logo thanks to my best friend!

Chaos and Tranquility on Cape Cod

by Nancy of nancyrosetta

This past summer, my husband and I spent two weeks on Cape Cod. Even though it's close-by, we don't get down there much, and we've never really explored the few times we've been there. So this trip, we saw all we could. Here are a couple of highlights of our trip.

Parnassus Book Service in Yarmouth is a sight to see. It's a little unorganized...the books are mainly grouped together by subject, but even that is iffy. We wandered around for over an hour.

Scott was in heaven.

We found this wonderful oasis of pottery and art in Dennis at Scargo Lake, Scargo Pottery. The grounds are full of sculpture and carvings and all types of eye candy.

I love this driftwood furniture set!

There ya go...two places that you must visit on your next trip down to Cape Cod!

Boston Line by Line: City Wide Creative Writing

by Allison of Fraske Designs

Are you a reader? Are you into creative writing? If you answered yes to either, you will definitely want to make time to stop by the second annual Boston Book Festival on Saturday, October 16 in Copley Square.

One can't miss event is Boston Line by Line: City Wide Creative Writing sponsored by Union Park Press. Festivalgoers at this year’s Boston Book Festival are invited to stop by the Union Park Press booth to add a sentence in city-themed stories started by fellow Bostonians. Each story will be limited to one or two pages of text. When one story ends, the next one begins. Notable Bostonians who’ve been generous enough to “donate” a first line include Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River and Shutter Island, Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and Susan Sloane, managing editor of WCVB TV’s Chronicle. The end result will be a collection of short-shorts collaboratively written by book festival attendees—available free of charge on the Union Park Press website after the festival.

Union Park Press publisher Nicole Vecchiotti says, “We wanted to blur the line between readers and writers, and do something that would also tap into the city’s creativity.” Vecchiotti describes the project as a simple writing exercise. “But we’re hoping that taking what is usually a classroom exercise and extrapolating it to the entire festival will add some excitement—not to mention that some lucky attendee will be able to write the concluding sentence to a story prompted by Bert and John of Life is Good, Nick Flynn, or Chef Ken Oringer.”

Monday Mosaic - Opal Inspired

1. Snowy White Earrings by Lush Beads
2. Alice and the Bunny by Bumble Belly Designs
3. Sea Glass Tank Top by Sea Glass Things
4. Spun Cotton Vintage Style Siamese Twins by Vintage by Crystal
5. Zig Zag Stitched Notebook by White Sparrow Bindery
6. Dogwood Blossoms Necklace by Stray Notions

Top Five reasons you want artsy/crafty Boston Handmade friends

by Julie Beck of Julie Beck: Original Paintings

1. If it starts to rain at your outdoor party, he/she will most likely have an EZ up tent and sandbags in their trunk.

2. He/She will never run out of great holiday/birthday gift ideas

3. If you're ever on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and the questions is about any type of glue... you know who to call.

4. He/She can smile for 10 hours straight. It may not be very helpful but hey! You try smiling for that long for 1,2 sometimes 3 days in a row!

5. He/She is an expert packer. We know how to use every available square in of the space in a car.

These are just some of the few reasons why it's good to get up close and personal with your friendly Boston Handmade people!

Craftland Class: Zippers, Button Holes, and Finished Seams

By Beth of Elizabeth Brennick Designs

A how to class in zippers, button holes, and finished seams at Craftland!

Back By Popular Demand!!!

In this basic sewing class, you will gain specific skills to push your sewn creations into a more professional finish! Learn how to attach zippers easily. We’ll also go over how to machine-sew buttonholes and how to properly sew buttons. Don't have a serger to make those finished seams? Find out the secrets of self-bound seams using your sewing machine. No more fraying!

Course fee: $35 Materials fee: $5

Saturday, November 13, 11:30-1:30

Craftland is located at 235 Westminster Street Providence RI 02903