Baltimore Beer Week

Baltimore will once again be in the spotlight for the 3rd annual Baltimore Beer Week.

Many events will be taking place such as an Oktoberfest at the Timonium fairgrounds on October 8th, and an historical walking pub tour October 9th, through Brewers Hill and Canton. There are a lot of fun events planned, so be sure to check out their website so you see all the great events that are planned and you won't miss out!

Written by Stacey Phinney

Upcoming Events - Lands & Peoples

Along with several other BESTians, I was set up this past September 10 at Hampdenfest to sell our hand made goods. It was a great festival, sunny after so many days of rain, and the mood was light. Good food and drink, interesting vendors, and music at several stages was featured. I was lucky enough to catch part of the performance by Baltimore based band, Lands & Peoples, a duo that can create a wonderful wall of music. Besides myself, many people in the audience seemed entranced by them, maybe because there is something dreamy about the way they combine loud reverby guitar and a sort of mellow sounding psychedelia. I looked up future shows, and they have a few coming up in Baltimore:

October 8 Metro Gallery

October 13 Mobtown Studios

If you are looking for something to do, and want to support a pretty awesome local band, heading out to one of these shows won't disappoint.

Local Happenings - MD Film Festival

Lights, camera, action!

Photo courtesy of md-filmfest.com

Maryland Film Festival is taking place this year May 5-8th in
Baltimore. The festival features top-notch film and video work from
all over the world. There will be a feature that is selected and
hosted by our very own John Waters. How fun is that!

For more information visit their website.

Written by Stacey of StudioG.

(Indie)Pendent Business: Big Style for Little People!

Locally owned and operated website UrbanBabyRunway.com is expanding and bringing it's sense of style from the vast interwebs to the streets of Baltimore. Opening in Hampden Sept. 17th, Urban Baby is the brick and mortar children's store owned by Baltimore mama Cara Shrock. The website has been operating since 2006 shortly after Cara's son turned 1. She decided to open the webstore first as a way of starting a business and continue to stay at home with her child.
"I wasn't willing to sacrifice some of the parenting choices I would have had to in order to run a store." Since her son started school full time this fall she has had more time to dedicate to running and expanding the business.
"I figured it was now or never. Plus, I have really been itching to get out of the house. Working from home for the last 4 years and mothering in the spare time around that, I was starting to feel a bit isolated. My mind needed more stimulation and new challenges. And so far this has been quite a challenge!"

The lines and designers Urban Baby carries are all carefully chosen by Cara, many are local or were started by other stay at home mom's. The collections are definitely on the edgier side of fashion for kids and appeal to urban hip parents.
"I've tried to focus on small lines that aren't oversaturing the online market. I've gotten to know most of the companies I work with pretty well. Almost all of them are moms just like me so I like knowing my money (and my customers' money) is going to support another family."
Knuckleheads, one of Cara's favorite brands for boys, features fedora's for infants, skateboard inspired onesies, and button down shirts with a Rockabilly flavor.
"They are a bit bigger than most of the brands I carry but the quality is good, always stylish season after season and it's a reputable brand customers know. Having a strong, well known brand balances out the smaller lines. A brand like Knuckleheads draws in the customers which gives me an opportunity to introduce lines they may not have heard of otherwise."

Urban Baby is located 3608 Falls Road, Baltimore MD 21211.

Shop Local: Didn't Your Mama Tell You to Wear a Hat?

The Sprout has decided he is a many of man hats, and while this is great coverage for his noggin, his style choices aren't always shall we say- stylin'? Enter Born To Love Clothing! Stylish infant and toddler fedoras and skate visor beanies! What I love best is that the line was started by a stay at home Mom, with help from a creative Dad, and all inspired by their son! Resulting in a hip entrepreneurial family business! My favorites are the black fedora and tan argyle visor. You can check out the entire line at Urban Baby Runway which coincidentally is a locally owned online boutique started by another stay at home Mom!

Local Art for Less Than the Price of a Flat Screen Fancy Pants TV

I'm sick of watching home makeover and budget design shows that slap together some 'art' to match the decor when they could be contacting a local artist for work. And if you're of the opinion that art is elitist and unattainable, I'd like to ask you (beg you) to reconsider that thought. It's amazing to me how much people will lay out for a television without blinking, but balk at the price of something a human being in their own community made.


From illegible ink

The Animal Alphabet print base price is $200 (black and white, unframed) plus state sales tax. All prints are limited edition, hand-printed and/or colored based on your aesthetics. Alphabet animals are also available as single, matted letters should you want to spell out your child’s name.

There are pieces I could only dream of affording, it's true. But there is a lot of fantastic work for sale that is within our reach and our budget. Consider prints instead of one of a kinds. Or student shows. Out of Order at MAP always has amazing pieces for auction. The annual National Drawing and Print Competition at Gormley Gallery is great opportunity to find a huge range of styles and price points from artists both local and national. My point is, there is some seriously good, affordable work out there from a pool of incredible local talent.


My Olive Dress Flag Painting from The Book Room

When I turned 40, I decided to complete a series of paintings titled 40 flags. I sewed 40 canvases, grounded them with matt medium, and used oil paint to create my symbolic flags. I call them flags in need of formal representation for very informal and hidden mysteries that I encountered growing up. I started out with basic patterns to represent a each "country" of growth, then added imagery and painted layers to build onto the meaning. Each represents a part of growing up as a woman in the U.S. from the early 60’s to the present.
The flags hang on the wall, by two grommet openings at the top, or you can frame them.

16” W X 12.5” H
Oil on sewn and stretched canvas $75

So next time HGTV comes to town, tell them to take a look around. Maybe they'll find a piece they'd like to design the room around for a change.

My New Favorite Shirt

... was handmade in Baltimore!

I finally got myself something for a change at Pile of Craft. The only trouble I had was deciding which one of these beautiful pieces from Red Prairie Press to get. Because you know I want them all!


Blue Lace Ladies Cap Sleeve Tee


Folk Garden Tunic in Plum

I chose the first one with the Queen Anne's Lace print. I love how delicate and feminine it is. But see, my birthday is around the corner and I'm feeling pretty confident that if I drop enough hints, my husband will be giving Rachel a call soon for more of her beautiful tees!

Indie-Pendant Business - Bear's Paw Fabrics

I found Bear's Paw Fabrics in a search for the biggest purchase I've made since buying my car. I walked into the shop excited, albeit a little nauseous, but Pat quickly calmed my rickety nerves.

I am not an impulse buyer and I can talk myself out of damn near anything (unless it has sugar on it). And I will admit to you, that I typically research a big purchase for weeks... first online, and then in person, before even considering laying out the money for it. My search for the perfect serger was no exception.

What led me into Bear's Paw Fabrics was their Bernina stock. The shop is a Bernina of America dealer and they carry it all.. sewing machines, embroidery machines, sergers, coverstitch machines. And while they must be a quilter's dream, what with their huge selection of printed fabrics and beautiful batiks, I bet the incredible wealth of knowledge that each of the shopkeepers hold is just as important to their customers.

I spent 1 1/2 hours at the shop on my first visit. I called my mom. "Mama, they're really nice here, it's a local shop, they'll give me classes and make sure I'll know how to use it and I think it's a really good price." And she agreed, it sounded good. "Berninas are good machines, too," she said.

So I bought two. Yeah, I did!

Tune in to Umbrella Radio

As an artist and arts-associated membership organization, the Mill Valley Cultural Arts Umbrella cultivates a diverse art environment through community activism and collaboration. It supports, promotes and showcases the arts, music, culture and humanities in North Baltimore's neighborhoods. Umbrella Radio is community radio for these neighborhoods and beyond. It provides community news, community based programing and local original music.

Be sure to check out the calendar for the schedule of live and local programming like bi-monthly performances by the Baltimore Songwriters Association, and weekly podcast Arts and Letters with Urbanite magazine editor Marianne Amoss.

Keeping Baltimore Green with Baltidome!

There is a new website in town to keep you up to date on all things green in Baltimore! Baltidome is a growing resource to help local folks reuse, recycle and restore in an effort to keep Baltimore beautiful. On this site you can locate local thrift shops, recycled art, furniture restoration experts and even a list of all local farmers markets and events! Be sure to check back often for new ways you can keep B-more green!