Thursday, July 10, 2014

Somerville Marketplace Preview: HOME GOODS

The 7th Annual Boston Handmade Marketplace is just a few days away! Are you in the market to spruce up your home? Make your bathroom more distinctive? Serve a meal in a beautiful and unique way? We've got you covered with exhibitors showing and selling items for the home.

1. Boston Handmade Member Early Bird Designs creates porcelain functional pottery in a variety of shapes and sizes.
2. Artifact Soapworks Limited is an invited guest to the 2014 Marketplace and will be exhibiting her handcrafted soaps made with 100% vegetable oil.
3.  Longtime Marketplace exhibitor, invited guest Tanner Glass creates FUNctional Objects for Everyday Life including andblown and handsculpted glass magnets, paperweights and bud vases.
4. Joining us for a 2nd year is invited guest Hathaway Ceramics with her individually handcrafted functional ceramics.
5. Return invited guest Toiluxe will be exhibiting the best thing to hit your bathroom since
two-ply toilet paper along with switch-plates and other home accessories.
6. Exhibiting at the Marketplace for the very first time, invited guest migration goods with her sweet handsewn accessories and adorably illustrated home & paper goods.

You know you want it. Now come and get it. Sunday, July 13th from 11am-4pm in Union Square, Somerville, MA at the intersection of Washington Street and Somerville Avenue.

Next up: ART

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Somerville Marketplace Preview: JEWELRY

Bling bling! Is that your phone ringing? Sure is. We're calling with a reminder to head to the 7th Annual Boston Handmade Marketplace in Union Square Somerville on Sunday between 11am and 4pm. Freshen up your wardrobe with some new bling from our Marketplace jewelry artists.

1. Boston Handmade Member of the Year, Prunella's Workshop will be exhibiting their metal jewelry and clothing accessories.
2. Early Bird Designs will be exhibiting ceramic pendants and whimsical jewelry designs.
3. New to the 2014 Marketplace is invited guest The Picklepot Studio creator of unique steampunk jewelry.
4. Also making her Marketplace debut is Heather Wang Jewelry with contemporary fine jewelry, inspired by nature.

Be there to see all the beauty with your own eyes and tune on tomorrow for a preview of Marketplace ART.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Somerville Marketplace Preview: TEXTILES

The 7th Annual Boston Handmade Marketplace is fast approaching THIS Sunday, July 13th from 11am-4pm in Union Square, Somerville, MA. Join us for a celebration of all things art and craft including original handmade decorative and functional works by a myriad of local New England independent artists, with craft demonstrations and DIY activities for people of all ages, live music, and more creative fun than you can shake a knitting needle at.

Here is your first preview in a week-long series leading up to this weekend's Marketplace to give you a sneak peek on all the handmade greatness that's coming your way. Today the spotlight is on: TEXTILES.



The 2014 Marketplace is delighted to showcase five exhibitors working exclusively in textiles.
1. First time Marketplace exhibitor and Boston Handmade Member Loomination creates handwoven wearables and home goods.
2. Also exhibiting at the Marketplace for the first time, Boston Handmade Member Stephanie Cave Design Studio creator of handmade accessories and necessities for babies, toddlers, and adults.
3. Exhibiting for her 2nd Marketplace season, Boston Handmade Member Abigail Leigh Handbags specializing in handmade handbags and accessories.
4. Boston Handmade Member Enchanted Hue maker of Shibori and hand painted silk scarves and home accessories also joins us for a 2nd year running.
5. Debuting as an invited guest at this year's Marketplace is Robinwoods Design with unique handmade fashion accessories.

Keep your eyes open because several of our other exhibiting artists and craftspeople incorporate textiles into their work as well and you never know who might be doing some needlework during the day!

Tomorrow: Jewelry Preview!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Monday Mosaic: Lazy Summer Days

curated by Susanne of enchantedhue

Boston Skyline Print by LucieWicker
PURE Bliss Original Painting by McDonaldMixedMedia
Alphabet Letters by thepatterenedpeacock
Vanity Tray by jilljburns

The dog days are upon us again. It is vacation time for many. The children are home from school. Schedules are loosened. Alarm clocks turned off. Travel plans made.

Time to enjoy the pure bliss of lazy summer days and just sit and dream!

Friday, July 4, 2014

Why Handmade: Ice Cream

by Lynn Mohney of Prunella’s Workshop

Morse Code Bracelet by Lush Beads Industrial

Happy Independence Day! How will you be celebrating the Fourth of July? I think of today as a day of hot sun, swimming, barbeques, watermelon and fireworks. Families and friends join to have a rocking good time with music and fun. It’s a day of relaxing and partying. And of course, one must not forget the ice cream.

Chocolate Gelato print by The Patterned Peacock

My favorite flavor growing up was strawberry. Now I tend to lean towards black raspberry with dark chocolate chip, or anything with mocha. The kids prefer chocolate. I have always preferred my ice cream to come from small farms where the ice cream is made fresh by hand every day; however, only recently have I considered the significance of this. I remember days as a child running out to the ice cream truck, my tooth fairy in hand. Who didn’t enjoy an ice cream sandwich as part of their school lunch. (I’m not sure schools still allow that!) Never considered at the time, how chock full of preservatives those manufactured prepared food really were. Just some (but not all) ingredients on a popular ice cream truck favorite: Tapioca maltodextrin, propylene glycol monostearate, guar gum, monoglycerides, carboxymethylcellulose, carrageenan, and natural and artificial flavors. Yummy. The ingredients in homemade ice cream? Whipping cream, half and half cream, sugar, and flavor of your choice. There are variances, of course. For example, some flavors are custard based and have egg, but you get the picture. You can pronounce the ingredients. Does this mean we never get ice cream from the neighborhood truck? Of course not.

What does ice cream have to do with handmade arts and crafts? Perhaps very little. However, it does illustrate a perk to purchasing from a person who actually made the item you are purchasing. By hand making ice cream daily, the crafter avoids unnecessary preservatives and fillers our bodies don’t need. We receive a fresher product, which never sat on a semi to be delivered from the manufacturer to different distribution centers, only to eventually get to your ice cream man, school, grocery store, etc. When we buy handmade crafts directly from the creator, we have access to more information about the product. We know who made it. The artisan can specifically explain what materials were used, and where and how they were obtained. Try asking your local department store who made their products, and how it was done!

Please See, one of a kind mixed media encaustic collage, on canvas, by Jessica Burko

Many artists have moved to using recycled and/or repurposed materials when available for their work. Where handmade ice cream is better for our bodies (OK, maybe our bodies don’t need ice cream ever, but it is a nice treat) handmade crafts can be better for the environment. While we may still like to run out to the ice cream man, and there are times when the department store is just the way to go, we should try to go handmade when ever we can!

4th of July, original mixed media collage by McDonald Mixed Media

What are your plans for the holiday? Are you going to see a firework display? (There’s something I wouldn’t want to do by myself!) Maybe light up the grill for a barbeque? I’ll bet you are thinking about a nice big ice cream cone by now. What flavor?

Thursday, July 3, 2014

We partied, Etsy style.

Boston Handmade members Jill J. Burns, Bev Feldman, Abby Bohn, Kerrie Beck

Oh Etsy, you never cease to inspire. Boston Handmade got ourselves organized and hosted our very own Etsy Craft Party on the internationally recognized day that you created for the world to celebrate the joy of craft. And we had a blast!


Our party location was held in Natick, MA at the studio building of Cody's Creations, and we were so grateful to the non-profit tutoring program, Kids Connect, for letting us use their multipurpose space for the evening.


The Etsy Craft Party theme for 2014 was Recapture: Bring new meaning to your photographs. Etsy provided ideas and templates for us to re-use old photographs and embellish them with embroidery. So we gathered supplies, printed up some basic embroidery instructions along with a few photos of Etsy embroidered photos for inspiration, and we got down to the business of having fun with craft!


For many of us sewing was an entirely new concept, but we shared skills and tips and in no time we were all adding a new tactile element to our snapshots. Joining us for the evening were Boston Handmade members along with fans of our group and folks who simply heard of our event and wanted to try something different for the evening. We scanned actual photographs (primarily of the vintage variety) and printed them onto cardstock, this way we wouldn't damage the originals, and the cardstock was actually the perfect weight for stitching.


This was a truly fun night and we will definitely do it again next year, so stay tuned!

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Coming soon: The 7th Annual Boston Handmade Somerville Marketplace

http://www.bostonhandmade.org/p/2014-marketplace.html

Mark your calendars for our annual celebration of all things handmade! Sunday, July 13th from 11am to 4pm (rain date Sunday, July 20), The Somerville Arts Council and Boston Handmade present an ArtsUnion Event: The 7th Annual Boston Handmade Marketplace, located in Union Square, at the intersection of Washington, Prospect & Somerville Avenue.

This annual, free, public event features a select collection of local artists, artisans and craftspeople that create their work by hand in small studio environments. Featured media includes jewlery, ceramics, fine art, textiles, paper goods, accessories, glass, and more! You can also experience and learn about the creative process of our exhibitors who will be doing live demonstrations and leading interactive DIY activities. While you shop or create you will also enjoy performances from Somerville area musicians playing throughout the afternoon. The independent artists, arts organizations, and craft studios participating in the 2014 Boston Handmade Marketplace represent a wide variety of media and neighborhoods from across the Commonwealth and New England.






The Boston Handmade Marketplace is an outdoor event celebrating everything art and craft with a vibrant spectrum of invited artists along with members of Boston Handmade. The Marketplace promotes independent businesses and individuals creating one-of-a-kind and limited edition handmade works along with organizations and craft studios that teach and encourage creativity and craftsmanship.

Shopping locally and buying handmade goods means you are supporting local small businesses and strengthening your hometown economy while building a stronger and more vibrant community. Be a local Handmade Hero, and say hello to Boston Handmade on July 13th!

Friday, June 27, 2014

Why Handmade: The Boston Handmade Getaway

by Lynn Mohney of Prunella’s Workshop

Sometimes we need to get away from the humdrum of everyday life. We spend so much of our time dreaming our work, creating it, and marketing it, and we have other obligations as well to families, significant others, and friends, we never stop and take time for ourselves. While technically we came to Salisbury for the Vintage Bazaar last weekend to sell our wares, it was also a time to rest, relax, and enjoy time away.


Tent mates (photos by Jessica Burko)

Day One:
Friday night. We arrived at the site. It is a lovely farm with green houses abounding filled with flowers and plant life. Setting up our tents was an adventure for some. Personally, it was the first time I had set mine up without my partner. I discovered quickly there was a broken bar, but nothing a little duct tape couldn’t handle. In truth, duct tape seemed to be my best friend during quite a bit of my set up. There was a situation where one of our spots may have been double booked, but in the end it was resolved swiftly. A darling gentleman from another booth came over to inform us, with a twinkle in his eye, we were having too much fun. In fact, he was correct.


We came back to a lovely beach home where we broke bread. Everyone shared the food they brought. We clinked glasses of wine, and some of us relished in having a kid free weekend for the first time in a while. Everyone was relaxed, though tired. We retired to our cool comfortable beds, breathing in the smells of the fresh salty air of the ocean. We pleasantly learned who snored, who suffered insomnia, and who couldn’t stay up past their bedtimes.

Where's Waldo

Day Two:

The day of a show can be very stressful. Fortunately, our tents exhibited little to no change from when we had left the night before, and remaining set-up moved along without a hitch. We experienced pleasant sunny weather, and customers who were in good spirits. Live music set the mood from folk sounds to contemporary country to classic rock. Boston Handmade balloons popped periodically, despite being a special balloon capable of withstanding most weather conditions. When they popped, they made unusual shapes, not typical to a popped balloon, providing the crew with unexpected entertainment. At the end of the day. Pettengill Farms was kind to put on a small informal cocktail party for all of the vendors, which ended our first day at the Vintage Bazaar on a positive note.

Relaxing at the Beach (photo by Jessica Burko)

Following the event, we convened back at the beach house, and headed towards the actual beach to dip our toes in the ocean. Some were converted into beach lovers, while others were long time fans. We laughed, as the sand tried to suck us deeper into the high tide coldwater. I was going to go in all the way in my clothes, until I discovered quite the drop off! Full from the cocktail party, some sought out the ice cream man, while others walked for handmade fresh ice cream at Willie’s. BHers appreciated alone time to read a book, or chit chat with their fellow members, or head to bed for another long day.


Day Three:

I woke to the smell of the ocean breeze yet again. It was a nice change from the usual attack of a toddler. I rose and packed my bags for my car. It felt bittersweet to prepare to go home after a relaxing weekend away. I missed my family, but I didn’t miss the chaos. We reflected on our ability to live together, six women, two bathrooms, for two days with little to no issue. 

Crafting at the Craft Show

The bazaar was quieter on Sunday, but I noticed the crowd was more intent on making purchases, Perhaps the knowledge we would all be gone at the end of the day increased their willingness to make final decisions. We were greeted with more live music, some of it quite amusing, while others were very emotionally moving. Break down of our site had none of the adventures of set-up, and we were on our way to our respective homes.


I arrived home, feeling battered, tired, and my head was pounding. I walked in the door and I was greeted by a barrage of hugs and kisses from my two little ones. Other good news awaited, too. All was well in my world.
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