Shop Local! HERE. a Pop-up Shop

Shop Local this weekend in Annapolis at :

Featuring the following BEST members along with many other local artists:

Block Party Press & Prints

Charm City Company

Designs by Leslie

Wood Art for Living 

May 3rd-12th
40 Randall St.
(corner of Prince George St.)
Downtown, Baby!
Annapolis, MD 21401

Hours:  
May 3: 10-8 *
* Opening Party 6-8 pm
May 4: 10-6 *
* SPECIAL EVENT Saturday May 4th! 
A portion of our sales from 12-3pm will benefit
local non-profit Warrior Events, 12-3pm
May 5: 10-6 *
* Sunday Fiesta Funday ~ all day for Cinco de Mayo
May 6: 10-5
May 7: 10-5
May 8: 10-5
Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday:
 Open for PRIVATE SHOPS these nights ... no fee, 
no obligation, just a good time for 
GNO, Book Club, Mom's group...
Call us to book Monday or Tuesday!
 May 9: 10-6
May 10: 10-8 *
* Sip. Shop. Sample with makemine 
Bodycare products!
Owners Kim & Terri will be HERE. 
sampling their freshly-blended, 
all natural, line of beauty oils, 
salt scrubs and body balms  
made locally in small batches, 6-8pm
May 11: 10-6
May 12: 10-3 *
* Be sure to pop-in with your MOM for a Mother's Day "cheers"!

Follow HERE. A pop-up shop on Facebook for future shops! 

 

What I'm Working On - Block Party Press

I've making lots of new goodies this summer.  Here are some of my newest jewelry pieces.  Nature has definitely been an inspiration and things are turning more rustic as we head towards Fall:

There are much different things cropping up in my print shop. Animals, cuteness and love are prime themes and the colors are bright and fun.
 

I'm currently running "Back to School" Sales in both shops! 20% off in the jewelry shop (use code: B2S2012 at checkout) and Buy One Get One Free in the Print Shop. See the shop announcements in each shop for the details of each sale.

What I'm Working On

Sometimes I have trouble focusing when it comes to making art. The ideas tend to come pretty fast and furious and can be all over the map. If you've ever looked through my Etsy shop you'll probably understand what I mean. In an effort to focus my creative energies, I've spent the last couple of weeks adding new items to 3 of my ongoing series.

I've added some pretty sparkling metallics to my "Out on A Limb" Series


I've added a Hammer to my "Tools of the Trade" series (suggested & inspired by Juliet, the gifted plate-breaker)

Finally I made some sweet winter hats to add to my "Lovin Knit" series.

Etsy Party

Looking for a super fun way to kick off the weekend this week? Why not join BEST & the Charm City Craft Mafia for a Craft Party & Meetup, in honor of Etsy's birthday?

This friday, June 18th, starting at 6pm, we'll be at Roosevelt Park in Hampden. We won a free Craft Party kit from Etsy for being one of the top parties, so we'll have lots of crafty goodies to test out! We'll be working on a collaborative banner project, and we'll have a few other crafty things up our sleeve. Maybe even some giveaways!

In addition, we'll be hosting an informal craft supply swap at the meetup, so please bring any crafty supplies you'd like to trade or give away. Any unclaimed supplies will be donated to Art with a Heart and The Black Cherry Puppet Theater.

You can RSVP here, just click on the red button that says "I'm interested." Baltimore is DEFINITELY the craftiest spot on the globe, so let's let 'em see that, huh? Kids & families welcome.

So, bring some work in progress, a blanket, a picnic dinner, and get ready for some fun! Just look for the Etsy-orange balloons. Hope to see you then!

Featured!

Yummy & Company and Block Party Press were recently featured on Scoutie Girl! Scoutie Girl is an awesome blog written Tara Gentile, who has "a penchant for the passionately handmade". Stop by the Scoutie Girl blog to see what's new in the world of handmade or follow her updates on Twitter!

Handmade Mart!

Join BEST members Dandelion Blu, Tigerlilly Shop, Block Party Press, and Sugar Paperie this Sunday, May 31st, in Downtown Silver Spring for the first ever Handmade Mart! Come for Indie Crafts and Indie Rock, 10am-5pm on Ellsworth Drive between Fenton and Georgia Ave. We hope to see you there!


Dandelion Blu
Block Party Press


Tigerlilly Shop


Sugar Paperie

Congratulations, Block Party Press!

Check out Tamara as the Featured Seller on Etsy! Congratulations!

1000 Jewelry Inspirations

Check out this new jewelry design book that just hit the shelves! 1000 Jewelry Inspirations by Sandra Salamony. And it is just that- inspiring.


With 1000 beautifully shot images of pieces ranging from traditional beading to mixed media design, there is something sure to please everyone. 2 BEST members, Block Party Press and Dandelion Blu, have work featured in the lovely pages alongside many recognizable pieces by Etsy sellers. While not a "how-to" book, it does have a small section with some basic tips and a supply directory. Pick it up for the amazing array of design and material, plus the nice styling and photos. You can get your copy on amazon here.



Enjoy!

Post written by dandelionblu

Block Party Press

Hey there! I'm Tamara from Block Party Press and I make everything from jewelry and accessories to magnets, ACEO's and wall art. My favorite medium is polymer clay which some folks seem to think is just kids stuff, but there are a ton of things you can do with it and it is slowly becoming a more accepted art medium.


Most people are surprised to find out that my pieces are polymer clay. In the summer of 2006 I had a bit of an epiphany and found a way to harness all of my favorite creative interests (clay, painting and carving) into one area. I use hand carved stamps (blocks, hence the Block Party title) to create relief texture and imagery with polymer clay. I bring out the texture with acrylic paints and then I distress them to further bring out the details. I haven't gotten tired of the technique yet and I have been trying my best to stretch it as far as I can.

As with many artists, I was born this way. I have been drawing and making things for as long as I can remember and I have to create often or I just don't feel right. Sometimes my brain overflows with more ideas than my hands and my wallet can keep up with. I love texture, patterns, contrast, and of course color. For fun, I love creating art with recycled items(trash).



I am self-taught through much trial and error and a SAHM of 2 very active boys, 5&8 years old, although with the way my business is going, I guess I am a WAHM now. I also recently fell in love with macro photography, so when I am not creating with clay, or trying to keep up with my boys, you can usually find me behind a camera.

You can find me all over the internet:
blockpartypress.blogspot.com
flickr.com/blockpartypress/
trunkt.org/theblockpartypress
trunkt.org/blockpartypressaccessories

Post written by BlockPartyPress