Four New Books on my Shelf

By Leah of cricicis design

The Bauhaus Group: Six Masters of Modernism by Nicholas Fox Weber

An amazing biography of a group, in which Weber's
stories intertwine & inspire!

Just Kids by Patti Smith

A humble & endearing story of how two artists in New York in the late 60s became famous. Even if you're not already a fan, this story of artistic partnership is very inspiring.

Chinati: The Vision of Donald Judd by Marianne Stockebrand

Wonderful photography of the Chinati Foundation's sprawling collection in Marfa, Texas.

The Exquisite Book: 100 Artists Play a Collaborative Game
by Julia Rothman, Jenny Volvovski, Matt Lamothe, and Dave Eggers

An amazing collaboration of 100 artists. It's the best picture book ever! These amazing illustrations are hard to put down.

Indoor Activities Around Boston

By Jennifer T. of MaJenta Designs

With all the snow we've been having here in Boston, and our cars and streets buried in snow...it's time to think up fun things to do indoors around here!

One could check out the several museums in the Boston area: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (pictured above), Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Science, just to name a few!

You could invite a few friends over, and have a Game Night and play your favorite board games, or even some Wii!

You could watch the Celtics bring the heat when they play at TD Garden!

You could also indulge your sweet tooth by visiting any of the local bakeries, cupcake shops, and desserteries!

Monday Mosaic - Amethyst

1. Red and Blue Splatter Notebook with Stitched Spine by White Sparrow Bindery
2. Chocolate Raspberry Scarf by Reclaimed to You
3. Resolve 8 x8 Print by Art Asana
4. Sterling Falling Water Earrings with Amethyst by Cristina Hurley

Three Story Victorian House Made of Legos

by Allison of Fraske Designs

Prepare to be blown away... by a Three Story Victorian House model created entirely by legos.

Details:
5' x 3' x 2'
50k - 60k pieces
Black, white, dark and bluish gray, clear trans and black trans colors used.
No foreign materials (wood, glue, paint or otherwise) were used – this is pure Lego.
Photo retouching used only for adding contrast and color correction and background.
Approx 450 hours to build

Read more about the process at artist Mike Doyle's website.

A Meaningful Commission

By Nancy of nancyrosetta

During my last SoWa of last summer, I had a group of friends come by who I don't see on a regular basis. It's always great to have people come by your booth that you know, and even better when they see something they like!

My friend Anita really liked my single cherry blossom pendant and asked me if I could make a ring like it. I said "Absolutely!" Of course I don't have a picture of a finished one, but these are a few in production.

She had a request to make it personal to her. She wanted her daughter's name on the band in the back of the ring. Here is what I made for her.

These last pictures are after I had Cristina Hurley help me to oxidize the ring to make the insides black. I have Liver of Sulfer to oxidize, but as you can see from the work I normally do, I never use it. I need to start using it because the results can be dramatic.

I took all these photos as I was polishing the ring...that's why my fingers are so black. Contrary to popular belief, polishing is a dirty job! :)

A Visit To Franklin Mill Store

By Beth of Elizabeth Brennick Designs

I took a recent trip to my favorite local fabric store Franklin Mill located at 305 Union Street Franklin, MA 02038. The store carries a wide range of fabrics including quilting, home decor/ drapery, oil cloth, fashion etc.. by top designers. They also have yarn, books, patterns, ribbons, notions, and much more. A lot of these items are unique that you wont necessary find locally.

It's a new year, I feel refreshed and just having our annual Boston Handmade meeting it energized me to start designing for this years show season. I enjoy purchasing fabric online but having the ability to go to an amazing fabric store to see and touch these wonderful fabrics is fulfilling. Also on a trip here last year I purchased fabric from Art Gallery, a line I've never heard of but fell in love with.

I bought some yarn in colors that I'd been having a tough time finding . These include a light yellow, lavender, and pale pink. I'm still looking for a peach, coral, and a light orange (sherbet). So please comment with your suggestions.


The fabrics I got today include designers like my idol Amy Butler, Kaffee Fassett, Jay MacCarroll (season 1 winner of Project Runway), and Sandi Henderson. They will get washed, cut, and sewn into items like a little girls peasant dress and bonnet; a boys cap and pants; a womens skirt and bag.

Do you see it?

Got Snow?

By Diane of Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design

I’ve never consider myself to be a photographer but I love to photograph! I have been inspired lately by the snow we've had here in Boston and decided to show that even in Boston you can have a majestic winter. On my way to work, I decided to take photos of my neighborhood covered in snow. Enjoy!

Why go to work when this beautiful branch is waiting for you right outside your window.

Got the T?

Let's play connect the dots!

Wanna go biking?

My New Hat

by Lynne of cozycottagecreations

I recently added a new hat to my collection. In addition to the hats I wear as Mother, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Friend, and Artisan, I've recently put on a new hat - that of Graduate Student - and I'm happy to say - the fit is just right. I've been accepted into the Masters in Teaching for Middle School General Science program at Salem State University, and now that I've completed my first semester with courses in biology and chemistry, I'm on the road to becoming a science teacher!

(one of my Felted Pencil Cups - a necessary desk accessory)

I must say - I have Boston Handmade to thank for setting me up to go down this path. It's a funny thing about life sometimes. You think you're making a small decision to do something (like joining BH) and it turns out that that little choice leads you to a life changing direction that was really a part of you all along. In the early years of my membership in Boston Handmade, I decided to follow the advice of Jessica and teach my craft. So I started an after school knitting class at my daughter's school. This led to subbing at the school which eventually led to the decision to pursue a teaching degree. Don't get me wrong - this decision was not an obvious or light one in the least. It took me about a year of figuring it out and weighing the options to decide to go for it.

One of my initial concerns was the uncertainty of how this would affect my cozycottage business. I was very content with how things were progressing and I've always pursued my craft with the intention of building it into a full time venue. Now I find myself scaling back to part/part time. For awhile I was downhearted by the idea that I'd never have time for both the craft business and going back to school, so I'd have to choose. I've now come to accept that cozycottage has just taken on a new form. What this means for me is really learning to flex that discipline muscle of time management, patience and trust. If I can budget my time to do what is most important in the moment without getting panic-y that I'm not doing the other things on my list, I'll discover over the course of time that all that needs and wants to get done - will. My production schedule will just happen on a different timeline over the course of a year. All will be well.

I write this blog post to encourage anyone with a little nagging voice inside telling them to go in a particular direction to investigate that voice. It could be about expanding yourself in a way that seems counter to where you thought you were going, or about risking changes to your life that don't insure stability. You don't have to jump off a cliff and make a big change all at once, but don't even try to ignore that voice. It will just get louder and louder. Trust that even if you have no idea how you're going to manage that big change down the road, once you get started with little steps and continue to put one foot in front of the other, the details will work themselves out. I'm still getting adjusted to this new way of life and along the road I hope to share little tips I discover for balancing it all without loosing my head – or any of my hats!

this is not me - but it's how I'd like to be going off to school - with a styling bag from Pansy Maiden!