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

Miscelena Handmade Papercrafts

Born into a family full of crafty (in the best sense!) women, my mom taught me the
value of a hand-written greeting when I was barely able to form the letters. Our shared enthusiasm for papercrafts - handmade cards and other remembrances - is still going strong.


I spend most of my weekdays working at a computer (albeit luckily as a commercial interior designer - a job I love!), and while I enjoy the connection and communication available via the internet, I believe our world will be a bit less beautiful if we lose the ability to touch one another with our own handwriting, our own words in ink on paper.




Shop: miscelena.etsy.com
Flickr (my blog!): flickr.com/photos/miscelena

Post by Miscelena

Rainy Day Project I: Homemade Playdoh

Another rainy Sunday in Baltimore. I can't even tell you how desperate I am for spring. Although I am a crafter by trade, I sometimes have a really hard time coming up with rainy day craft projects to kill a couple of hours with the kidlets. Why can't I let my 10 year old break plates solder?

When I can't think of anything else, my go to project is homemade playdoh! Not only is the act of making the playdoh a project, but you are in fact making a craft supply. Two birds, one stone and a lot of fun! This is all you need:

1 c. flour

1 c. boiling water

2 tbsp. cream of tartar

1/2 c. salt

1 tbsp. oil

Food coloring (optional)
Mix and knead together. That's it! This playdoh is not sticky and does not dry out.

The images above are stills from a fantastic Sony Bravia commercial where they created a 60 second commercial using stop frame animation of playdoh bunnies running through New York City. You can read about it and see the commercial here. Happy Kneading!

toys toys toys!

I love the idea of giving artists the same (or very similar) blank canvas and asking them to make something out of it. I've seen it done very successfully many times, but have never seen it done in a way that just plain made me smile. I walked into Atomic Pop last night, and was happily greeted by their incarnation of the blank canvas project - although in this case it's plastic bunnies, bears, dogs, and more.

The show is called "Vinylmore," and it features over 50 different artists, many of whom call Baltimore home. It's the first DIY Art Toy Show happening here, it opened last night, and you need check it out. If you can't, you can see many of the pieces on Atomic Pop's blog or Flickr set. Work shown is "Horizon, Have A Nice Day, Southern Champion Set" by Sara Tomko, a graphic designer from Baltimore. Link to City Paper article.

New Work––Sneak Peek

I am not a production potter. As much as I might dream of having a studio pottery where I sit mesmerized by my spinning potters wheel, I’ve come to know my own studio persona well enough to know I don’t have the patience to work at the same form long enough to perfect my efficiency. I am easily distracted. As soon as I have a group of pots that I am happy with, I’m ready to move on and find a new challenge. And so I start sketching.


Next come the prototypes. I make the same form over and over until I find the proportions I like. In this case, I started with cups and am now adding bowls, vases, and other cylindrical forms to the line. In time, these forms will sport printed images, subtle washes of color, and soft undulating glazes—connecting them visually to the last group of pots made. Keep you eye out for the finished pieces coming soon.

Post By VWStudios

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!

BEST member at The Walter's Art Museum

Danamarie Hosler from greenstarstudio just completed this wonderful mural at The Walter's for their terrific family art center. Dana's work now hangs among some of the highest artistic achievements from nearly every corner of the world - and right here in Baltimore! For more information on her murals and other non-Etsy goodness, visit Danamarie at greenstarstudio.com.

Fine Art Meets Crafters

Today, let’s talk fine art. Many of the crafters here in Baltimore also make art for the gallery scene so I thought I would highlight a couple of fantastic museum shows that might be of particular interest to crafters.

The fine line between art and craft is intentionally being blurred by a pair of exhibits mounted at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. The current show, “Pricked: Extreme Embroidery,” explores how “handcraft traditions are rejuvenated in mainstream art and design.” I hear the show is out of this world and I can’t wait to find a weekend to get away to NYC to take a look.


Nava Lubelski, Side Dish, 2004
Hand-embroidered thread on ink stained cotton canvas
12 x 12 in.
Photo: Nava Lubelski

The first of these two exhibits, “Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting,” opened last year and included a wide array of non-traditional materials mixed with traditional techniques and traditional formats featuring non-traditional imagery. The show featured work by Baltimore artist, Piper Shepherd. It was by far the highlight of a weekend full of art.

Post by VWStudios

you are here, hon

Organized by the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, the Baltimore Festival of Maps will feature a plethora of engaging public programs and educational experiences through an array of important exhibitions, interactive workshops and seminars, and engaging special events. Festival programs will range from one-day workshops and demonstrations to ongoing processes for the duration of the festival; some will challenge our assumptions and deconstruct the purpose of mapping through community-based programs, while others will explore our unique cultural heritage, including Baltimore jazz, historic neighborhoods, and tradition of painted screens.

The Baltimore Festival of Maps features more than 20 area arts and cultural organizations presenting activities exploring the rich history and contemporary interpretations of maps and the mapping process. March 16 - June 8, 2008. The complete program schedule is here.

Oh, and it's got a fun blog, too!

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.