Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Come and visit me at the 4th Street Art & Music Festival in Jersey City

HERE is some very useful info about the event.
I will be crafting aggressively with the Jersey City Craft Mafia.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Art Attack retrospective

So, Art Attack was super fun! My fellow Jersey City Craft Mafiosa, Emily August took some lovely pictures of the event. As you can see, we had some really fantastic vendors.

I purchased some goodies from:
Honestly though, I found something I loved from pretty much every table there.

For instance, this Shobha Ohal necklace made from old prayer cards should really be on my neck. (I hope my husband reads this so he can surprise me with it):

And the customized shoes from Red Delicious Things are out of control:

Everyone I talked with was so nice. I had some fantastic conversations with Amy from Modern Atlier, Miriam from The Hand of Fatima, the folks at M.A.D. Studios and several members of the DC Craft Mafia.

You know what? Why don't I just give you a full list of our amazing vendors in case you missed out:





































Laura Schaffnit




Spy Girl



















In other news, I just ordered a dress form and can barely contain myself.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Monday, April 20, 2009

Art Attack Arsenal

I have been a busy bee in preparation for the Jersey City Craft Mafia's maiden voyage, Art Attack which will take place this Sunday!! We are beyond thrilled to have a BUST sponsorship for the event as well as a collection of some of the hippest vendors in the Garden State and beyond, including members of the DC Craft Mafia.

I'll leave you with pictures of my latest collection which will be featured at Art Attack and of course on my Etsy shop.







Want more information? Feel free to visit www.jerseycitycraftmafia.com or email me for specifics!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Morristown Armory Craft Market

A while back, my friend Kate told me about the Morristown Armory Craft Market, which she swears this is her favorite craft event of all time. When she invited me to come along this past weekend, I couldn't resist.

We were lucky enough to have free guest passes from vendors Kate had purchased from in previous years so we glided by the admission area like VIPs. I was impressed as we walked through the doors. It was clear that we were in the presence of career artisans. Below are three artists who I felt were especially memorable.

One of the first booths we stopped at was Margaret Wozniak's. I was immediately touched by the gentle, whimsical element of her work. My favorites were her Pegasus pieces whose kind gazes and soft features immediately transported me back to a feeling of comfort and elation reminiscent of childhood.

Another artist of note was Greg Stones. We were first drawn to the rich color and detail of his watercolors which were done on an incredibly intricate scale. However, we were particularly delighted at the deliciously twisted sense of humor portrayed in his paintings. We actually burst out laughing several times. Penguins, sheep, zombies, aliens - need I say more?

Finally, Hilary Greif's designs showcased vintage found items crafted into unique jewelry pieces. We fell in love with a pendant featuring a pristinely intact garter button from the early 1900s. I also enjoyed her re-purposed Lenox pieces so much that I bought one for myself!



When I came home, I accented the pendant with a freshwater pearl and a glass flower bead to create this necklace - which I've been wearing constantly since the show!



In other news, I invite you to stay tuned for updates on what I've been whipping up for the Jersey City Craft Mafia's maiden voyage - Art Attack in Jersey City!
I am truly excited about being a part this event. More to come!

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Promotional bookmarks!


My promo bookmarks arrived today from Overnightprints.com. Hooray!!!

Posted by ShoZu

Monday, March 30, 2009

Doodle Stitching...

My newfound obsession with embroidery sent me on a hunt for a beginner's guide with patterns and samples that actually appealed to my aesthetic. Amidst a sea of tired old flowers on embroidery hoops, Aimee Ray's Doodle Stitching, proved to offer a delightful angle on this timeless craft.

I was first drawn to the whimsical design on the cover and found each pattern included to be cuter than the next. Additionally, her instructions are easy to follow, with helpful diagrams every step of the way.

Tonight I spent the evening making the "Wooden Pincushion" which is something I actually really needed. Since I'm still building my embroidery floss arsenal, I had to take a little creative license on the colors, using pink instead of light brown. This unfortunately (or fortunately), led to my pincushion looking like some sort of weird dessert cake rather than a tree stump.

I do still consider this endeavor to be a success. I now have a functional pincushion which will come in handy as I continue my love affair with embroidery.

For more info on Aimee Ray and Doodle Stitching please visit http://www.dreamfollow.com!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Green Machine

Spring is probably my favorite time of year. When the sun breaks through the haze of winter, the colors are brighter and the air is sweeter. I can't help but feel the pull toward hope and renewal and possibility.

Anyway... in the spirit of this feeling, I'm committing to incorporating as many earth-friendly materials into my work as possible. Since the beginning of the year, I have been in addition to working through my stash, I've been unraveling pre-loved sweaters and scarves to crochet new projects. In the event that the re-purposed yarn won't work in a particular project, I am committing using natural fibers - organic when possible (like these new organic cotton necklaces!) or recycled acrylic yarns.

I'm really looking forward to this challenge and am interested in hearing about ways in which you've made your art or your life in general a little "greener."

Thursday, March 12, 2009

My first embroidered necktie

Today, I was inspired by this tutorial at CraftStylish. I went to GoodWill and purchased a few neckties to test out my new skill.

This tie is my first attempt. I did a freehand owl design that I'd drawn up for another project. I'm pleased to report that the whole thing was done over two episodes of House - including embroidery, re-sewing up the back, applying the tag and the tack.

Hooray! Can't wait to try it out again tomorrow.

Friday, March 6, 2009


I'm continuing on my fingerless glove kick.
Not only are they a great way for me to work through leftover odds and ends in my yarn stash, they are also the perfect accessory for this time of year while the chill is still hanging around.

I've posted the following two pairs for sale on Etsy. They area looser fit and offer more arm coverage than the purple glove pictured above.


This pair is an acrylic/ wool blend and accented with re-purposed fleecey fabric hearts and buttons.


This pair is crocheted using 100% acrylic yarn and accented with re-purposed upholstery fabric hearts and buttons.

Also, the Jersey City Craft Mafia has announced our first official event, Art Attack on April 26th!!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Attention NJ Crafters!

The Not Yo Mama's Craft Fair at LITM in Jersey City is accepting applications through Friday.

The panel will be accepting vendors of all genres including jewelry, knits, paper and zines. So if your items fall under the categories of "great tchotkes, whosimiwhatsits, thingies, smellerifics, etc. that fall outside the realm of your usual stodgy, old craft fair stuff" drop them a line at litmcraft@gmail.com before Friday!


In other news, I've been super busy making music this month with my former band, the mellowtraumatics. We played our first show in mmmmmmph years at a sold-out Maxwells this past weekend and it was stupidly fun. Other ghosts included Small Am, Ben Travato and The Milwaukees (original line-up).

photo courtesy of Sarah K. Andrew.

This week I will be a crafting machine with some new arm-warmers and felted goodies.
Yay!

Monday, February 2, 2009

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. Again.

I might be the worst blogger on the planet.
I'm constantly thinking of things to write about... the problem is effectively getting them out of my head. Anyhoo.

It has been a pretty amazing few months. I went and got hitched and we bought a house... the most adorable house, which I've discovered is going to be the greatest craft project of all time.

The day after we moved in, I packed up my wares and set off with my friend, night-light designer Anna Yong Muniz. It was the very first "live" show for both of us and we had THE BEST time. We couldn't have asked for a more positive experience. Elen, of 919Gallery as well as the PADNA volunteers were incredibly accomodating and organized. I am looking forward to working with them again.

Here's a shot of our table, courtesy of the spiPhone.

The next thing I would like to shout from the mountain-tops is the launch of the Jersey City Craft Mafia. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be a part of this endeavor and have extremely high hopes for what we are going to accomplish as a group. We have really hit the ground running in terms of organizing some delicious events for you to partake in. If you'd like more information about how to become a member or about the group itself, please visit the following sites:
www.jerseycitycraftmafia.com
www.craftmafia.com

I'm also getting back on track with my Etsy shop. I've been whipping some really sweet needle-felted pouches and cuffs as well as a unique line of crocheted arm-warmers. SO keep an eye out on the shop as I'll up updating it pretty often over the next several weeks!

Here's a little taste to hold you over:

PS - I'm gonna have to re-do these photos. I didn't realize they were so oddly-colored. The monitor on my home computer is really acting shameful.

In other news, there is some pretty exciting music stuff going on too... but I'll save that for my next post.