Indie Fixx Shout-Out!

Thanks to Jen over at Indie Fixx for including BEST in her blog post about Etsy Teams today!

image courtesy of Indie Fixx.

City Paper's Best of Baltimore

Congratulations to Annie of Imogene - Best Jeweler


and Ali of Pistol Designs - Best Etsy'er


Way to go, ladies!!!

Craft Off!

Don't forget, the deadline is September 6th! Check out the Indie Fixx blog for complete details.

Craft Off!

In honor of Indie Fixx’s 2nd Anniversary the Indie Fixx blog is having yet another contest!

This contest requires you to craft in order to win! In order to win the Indie Fixx Craft-Off, you must create a crafty item of some sort and that craft must incorporate the number two in some way.

For complete rules and details, see here.

Happy Anniversary, Indie Fixx!

Find Your Leaf

The Urban Forest Project is a nationwide project bringing together graphic designers and environmentalists alike to promote sustainable, greener living with large city-wide outdoor banner exhibitions. Our local event will be held in Carroll Park on June 8th, from 12 -4pm, part of Baltimore: The Urban Forest Project. Sample free food from Chipotle, view the Craft Mafia's indie craft sale booth, view the Urban Forest Banner Installation, hear music, make friends and help design one of 8 community leaves. Meet new people, listen to live music, be green and be outdoors!

Make your own leaf, but a warning - it's addictive!

Calling all crafters!

Charm City crafters, that is! Join the Baltimore / Maryland Crafters flickr group, hosted by The Broken Plate, and we may feature you and your work in an upcoming BEST blog. We like glass, jewelry, clay, wood, fabric, metal, fiber, beads, felt, polymer, enamel, print, and any of the combinations above. We even like 2-headed dear (the one above is by Jane Wynn.) So if you're crafty (and you know you are), and you live in or around Baltimore, look us up.

We know you're out there, so show us your stuff!

Just Between Us

I am lucky enough to have worked with the prolific local artist, Jackie Milad, who will have a solo exhibit of drawings at the fabulous Paperwork Gallery on Thursday, May 15th. I love Jackie's work so much - especially the process which is made evident by re-thought lines and subtle adjustments. If you haven't seen her drawings, you must go check it out. I'll see you there!

Just Between Us
Exhibition: May 15 - June 15, 2008
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 15 from 7-9 p.m.
The exhibit will include catalogues for sale and a catalogue essay by Jack Livingston.

More info at Paperwork Gallery.

Earth Alley in Hampden

I met Eva and her husband at Pile of Craft last year. They were busily preparing for the opening of Earth Alley, their new store in Hamden dedicated to supporting international crafters and local artisans that incorporate sustainable practices or just have a love for the earth. Since then, Eva has opened her store and it has grown into quite a little environmentally-friendly destination. She is a wonderful outlet for local artists and even hosts First Friday events where you can meet some of the artists she showcases. If you are in the area, please stop buy and say hello to Eva and see some wonderful environmentally-conscious & fair-trade items including jewelry from our own Allison Fomich of TigerLillyShop and me, TheBrokenPlate! To keep up with Earth Alley, you can check in with their blog, Eva is just getting started!

craft around town

Hello! My name is Annie. You may know me as imogene, imogeneAndannie, or a member of the Charm City Craft Mafia. Thank you so much, BEST, for inviting me to guest blog today on the topic of craft and Baltimore. I thought this would be a great opportunity to share some of my favorite Baltimore craft resources and inspirations. Let’s dive right in!

For my jewelry-making tools and materials I frequent:

Made in Metal: This shop is run by Jo Ann Aiken. Alongside raw materials and tools, you will find beautiful bench and studio space available for rent, workshops, and most likely an exhibition in the gallery space.

Terra Firma: Stop in and say hi! to Bill! He has everything you could possibly imagine in the way of metalworking tools and materials. Additionally, he has just expanded his shop to include a dazzling bead and findings section.

International Gem and Jewelry Show: This comes into town several times a year. If you like beads, you absolutely cannot miss this. ‘Nuff said!

Books. I can never have too many books, be them old, new, pricey or free!

Normal’s: THE place for used books and records. I could be in the art and zine section all day. I have found some beautiful out-of-print hardbacks here!

The Book Thing: THE place for free books! I have a small collection of old hardbacks. I love to pick up anything that has a mid-century modern cover, anything French, and anything with botanical drawings. Really. . . I will grab anything that will work beautifully as a photo prop.

Atomic Pop: I just love the book AND toy selection here. All at once, you can pick up knitting patterns, a comic book, a gorgeous Taschen book, a BUST magazine, a plush toy from My Paper Crane and a Hello Kitty keychain. Does it get any better?

Places I love to go:

Visionary Museum: Okay. This is a given. I know. But I had to mention it. I always walk away feeling reinvigorated and ready to MAKE. A plus: I also always walk away with wonderful trinkets from the gift shop.

Tulip Garden: One of my most beloved Baltimore outdoor spaces. Make sure you go when the tulips are in bloom. I don’t think this is even called the “Tulip Garden”, but I can’t help but refer to it as that. It’s just breathtaking.

See you around town!

xoxo!!

guest blog by annie

Charm City Roller Girls

Not only is Baltimore home to such unique icons as Frank Zappa, John Waters and Divine, or great athletic teams as the Orioles and Ravens (ok, these may be questionable), we also play host to a sports team that has both of these traits... the Charm City Roller Girls. These ladies are as strong and tough as they are beautiful and unique... and they mean serious business. How could they not mean business with names like Joy Collision, Rosie the Rioter and Coach Ballbricker. They aren’t 15th in the nation for nothing and climbing higher to number one.

Much like our own newly formed B.E.S.T., the CCRG started out as a small group of girls meeting two nights a week and soon found themselves in an organized league of over 80 women. We all remember the down and dirty roller girl teams that gained popularity in the 70’s, these women are actually just like the rest of us. They are artist, mothers, teachers, activist and so much more. They work hard, play hard and hit pretty hard too.


So come on ladies, pull on those fishnets, hot pants and roller skates, come up with your roller girl name and head on down to the Fifth Regiment Armory this Saturday night (March 15th) at 6:00pm to support the amazing women of the Charm City Roller Girls.

For more information on the teams, rules of the game, pictures and upcoming bouts, check out the Charm City Roller Girls site at www.charmcityrollergirls.com.

Written by: Jill Popowich (aka- Wicked Witch of Westminster)

Pic by GlobalGlenn from the CCRG flickr site

March, and er, well April for the Animals

Some of our animal-loving members will be marching for the animals this April 2oth in beautiful Druid Hill Park. To help meet the team's fundraising goals, some members will be donating proceeds from their etsy shops to the cause. It's always a fun day, so join our pack or help us out by donating.

And check back soon, as we'll be posting updates as well as special gifts from some of our members when you donate!

sit down with the mafia, part one

Hello there crafty Baltimoreans, it's Christalena Hughmanick from the Charm City Craft Mafia. Our Baltimore-based group formed as a chapter of the Austin Craft Mafia a little over a year ago and functions as a true collective. We are a group of local crafters committed to strengthening our community by way of craft shows, workshops and other related events. At these events I showcase knitwear from my business, It Knits.

I've always enjoyed taking breaks from my tedious fine art projects by knitting a pair of gloves or ear warmers and eventually sought out a market to sell my creations and began It Knits. As I explored this market through craft shows, I found more artists and art supporters here in Baltimore than I ever imagined existed! This town is hungry for hand made goods and the shopping experience that comes with them. I've heard so many Holiday Heap show patrons say how pleased they are to have a mall-free shopping season. And who can blame them?

With all the craft activity happening here, I feel strongly that we are on our way to making Baltimore a craft destination. I love to see more groups form and more shows scheduled. It creates a buzz around our community and reminds the public that they have a multitude of amazing artists right here in their own town to buy from and support! I've experienced the successes of working collaboratively within the Craft Mafia and can only imagine what could be done if the local craft groups worked together. It's a great time to be crafting in Baltimore, so pick up that project you've been neglecting and get to work!

Applications for the Charm City Craft Mafia's 2^nd Annual 'Pile of Craft' show on June 21 are now available at http://craftmafia.wufoo.com/forms/step-1-pile-of-craft-application. Also, don't miss the first ever 'DIY at Artscape,' at this year's Artscape festival July 18,19 & 20. Applications for these discounted booths can be found at http://www.artscape.org.

pile of craft!!!

Charm City Craft Mafia has announced the date for their fabulous spring show. It'll be June the 21st, same time, same place - or, for those of you who haven't been... it's at St. John’s Church, located at 2640 St. Paul St, Baltimore, MD 21218, from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM.

It's a really cool venue, and lots of great craft, so make sure you come out and support the mafia!

let me let you in on a little secret...

My dear friend Justin Credible will be performing as part of the fantastic Stoop Storytelling series at Centerstage this Monday, February 11th. This installment features seven storytellers who get seven minutes each to talk about the untruths woven into the DNA of every family. There will be cocktails at 7 and live music by Caleb Stine and the Brakemen. The show starts at 8pm. Other featured storytellers:

Keith Gayler policy wonk, pirate aficionado

Barbara DeCesare reluctant paralegal

Lisa Libowitz writer, storyteller, and woman of a thousand identities

Barbara Dale illustrator, taste expander and creative baker

Justin Credible Baltimore's Best Drag King 2007

Sarah Jennings crafty chick

Steve Luxenberg writer, Washington Post editor

I just found out the production is SOLD OUT! However, a limited number of standing-room tickets will be available day-of at the Box Office for in-person purchase ONLY. For more information, or for other upcoming shows, visit The Stoop Storytelling Series.