Quirky Finds from DC-area Crafters

I guess my mind has skipped over the holidays (though I am looking forward to a day of holiday cookie baking tomorrow!) and is already in a 2011 frame of mind :) Just created this treasury full of great, quirky finds from my fellow DC-area crafters: 2011 Must-Haves

Enjoy!

Great Finds from Fellow Upcyclers

Love to see what my fellow upcyclers can create! Check out this treasury of animal-themed creations:

An Upcycled Holiday Menagerie

Thanksgiving Day Sale

Use coupon code GOBBLEGOBBLE for 25 percent off everything in my Etsy store through Sunday, November 28.

Thanks to the brilliant minds at Etsy and the newly unveiled coupon codes feature, I'm thinking there will be no shortage of great sales this weekend - a perfect chance to get your holiday shopping done the handmade way (and without the crowds!).

Happy Turkey (or Tofurky) Day!

How I Started Crafting...

As a kid my Sunday afternoons were often spent sprawled out on the basement floor surrounded by my project of the moment - be it beaded anklets, clay sculptures or a pastel landscape. I've always loved creating something new (and colorful!) out of nothing. The root of my crafty-spirit has to be attributed to my mom, who is quite the crafty diva herself! The handmade Halloween costumes she made for my sister and I each year were always the envy of every other princess or jester on the block. And she was always willing to make a trip to Ben Franklin or Micheal's when the urge for a new project - no matter how many paint stains ended up on the basement floor.

Several years, and several art lessons later, my urge to create pretty, fun things in whatever shape or form is still going strong!

This is part of Etsy CREST's November Blog Carnival, "How I Started Crafting." 

Check out the Etsy CREST blog: http://etsycrest.blogspot.com/

Etsy CREST Member Blogs
Sandi Volpe Designs: http://sandivolpedesigns.com/?p=165
Birch Tree Jewelry: http://www.facebook.com/notes/birchtreejewelry/how-i-started-making-lampwork-beads/166907023333844
Sew Artsy: http://sewartsyblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/ever-wonder-where-i-started.html
{Life as we live it}: http://tctliebel.typepad.com/life_as_we_live_it/2010/11/etsycrest-blog-carnival.html
The Twisted Cow: http://thetwistedcow.blogspot.com/2010/11/answering-age-old-question-how-did-you.html
Turquoise Angels : http://turquoise-angels.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-i-started-crafting.html
Crazy Mokes: http://www.crazymokes.com/2010/11/blog-carnival/
The Dragon Nthly: http://dragnrags.blogspot.com/2010/11/etsy-crest-blog-carnival-how-i-got.html
The Planet Geek Chronicles : http://sapphirechild.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-i-got-started.html
What Belongs to a Fripperie: http://whatbelongstoafripperie.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-did-i-get-myself-into-this-mess.html
Of Cats and Crafts: http://ofcatsandcrafts.blogspot.com/2010/11/november-etsy-crest-blog-carnival-how-i.html

Trash to Treasure

On Saturday, November 13, you can find PCA at the Trash to Treasure green craft show at the Watkins Nature Center. A show full of eco-friendly, handmade crafts? What's not to love?

Event Details: Trash to Treasure

Fall Shows

Craft shows are a great opportunity to pick some truly unique items and meet the uber-creative people who make them! I'll be selling my wares (and probably buying some great items from my fellow crafters!) at these upcoming shows:

Fenton Street Market 
Saturday, September 18 - Silver Spring, MD
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
http://www.fentonstreetmarket.com/

Falling for Handmade, an Etsy CREST craft show
Saturday, October 16 - Gaithersburg, MD
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
http://etsycrest.blogspot.com/

News on additional Fall/Winter shows coming soon...

A Sweet Treat!

After an amazing weekend at the Delaware beaches, I sat down at my art table to work a new piece but I just couldn't get one thing out of my mind: beach food! Grottos, Thrashers, Candy Kitchen = yum! My newest bookmarks reflect this state of mind, so grab your favorite beach read and be sure to nosh on a sweet treat while you turn the pages.

Treasury Love

For those unfamiliar with Etsy, a Treasury is a member-selected group of items highlighting a common theme (spring, surfing, etc.). Whenever I receive a message from a fellow crafter letting me know that they have selected one of my pieces for inclusion in their unique grouping, I always greet the message with a huge smile. I'm still new enough at this that when someone commends my work I get a nice, uplifting spine-tingle. Or maybe it's just that the feeling never goes away - let's hope!

But I digress...tonight I was lucky enough to find one of those messages waiting in my inbox. My mushroom trio fabric collage fits perfectly with this quirky grouping of mushrooms and hedgehogs by Etsy user Thresholder. Take a look!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c6f2c7145968eef4a6cd7d7/mushrooms-and-hedgehogs

I didn't know I couldn't live without a hedgehog stamp until tonight.

And it begins...

Welcome! I'm excited to finally take the step and start a blog of my very own. Besides letting the cyberworld know about my newest work, upcoming shows and just generally what inspires my artistic side, my plan is to also use this blog to highlight local art happenings and the amazing work of other indie artists from the DC/Mid-Atlantic region.

Last week my personal life was in a bit of an upheaval (literally. think: new apartment, mildew [eww!], moving twice in one week), so this week I sought refuge from the situation by aiming to create some pieces oozing with cheerfulness.

The result? Colorful (and practical) bookmarks made from old map paper. The maps were salvaged months ago when my sister's first car was sold. Of course, reusing materials is great for the environment. But when the materials have a personal history that just makes it all the sweeter, like when I noticed a highlighted route my sister or one of our parent's must have marked for her journey to college in upstate New York. Can you spot it?