Sunday in the City

Linden Ave. street scenes (corner McMechen), with people including children- Baltimore, Maryland
From the Bernet Album at The Maryland Historical Society

Fridge Magnet Magnificent

I admit... some mornings are hard. Really, really hard. You know what, though? Today is different. Today I had such a beautiful walk in Druid Hill Park with my Pepita and my Jake, I made a strawberry pie with the delicious berries my garden has gifted us during my daughter's nap time, and I discovered www.instructables.com.

It turns out that just recently I was trying to figure out what on earth to do with all those magnets that are glued to the fronts of the phone books. I know, I know. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how to turn a magnet into a magnet, but these freebie magnets I'm talking about, the ones with lawyer and electrician ads covering them, these magnets are huge. It just seems like there are possibilities for them that my mommy brain couldn't grasp (having hard mornings and all).

And then I saw this...



Cut out the center and make a picture frame out of it! Of course!

And somewhere angels sang.

See the post for yourself and maybe you'll have an ah ha moment, too. I hope you do!

Artomatic Marketplace

By now we've all heard about the outrageously huge art event happening in the NoMa neighborhood of DC. Last Saturday the Artomatic Electric Stage (that is, a large, still unfinished space on the first floor) was the site of an equally diverse art sale. Twenty-six vendors, some of whom sell regularly at DC's Eastern Market (hint, hint!) set up small displays and chatted up visitors to DC's Second Annual Artomatic Marketplace, hoping to find buyers for their works.

Original paintings, vintage photographs, paper goods, stained glass and ceramics; nearly every type of art and craft was represented. Miscelena Handmade Papercrafts had a banner day, selling nearly 1/3 of my inventory (!) and arranging some potential retail and custom order possibilities.

Other local Etsy participants this year included Monique from Three Muses Art and Lourdes from Glass on the Square Having first learned about Etsy during last year's Artomatic Marketplace from Rania Hassan, Sean Hennessey and Sarah of Fort Cloudy (a former Baltimore Etsyian now based in Seattle!), this year's redux was not only a lucrative selling event and a fun opportunity to network, but a chance to pass along the 'good news' about Etsy to other
artisans as well.


image from Hillary Woznica

The lively, creative, and patient organizer of this year's Marketplace, Tammy Vitale, is a sculptor whose works can be seen at www.sacred-tammyvitale.com.... I'm hoping she'll be an Etsy seller soon, and I also hope to see Hilary Woznica's fabric cards, Ginny Kinsey's illustrations, and Eileen Colton's original rock-and-roll
photographs on Etsy soon, too!

Post written by Miscelena

Grants for Crafters

We all could use a little dough in our pocket so we can keep on crafting, right? Well, let's not forget that there are people out there willing to give us some. Now, I hate sharing this for fear of hurting my chances (which were slim to none anyway) but the Maryland State Arts Council is offering a grant to crafts artists this year! The application deadline is July 31. While you are there, why not add yourself to the Artist Registry too!

I recently picked up a copy of The Directory of Grants for Crafts which includes a ton of grant info specific to crafts! Can't hurt to have this in your library!

Swap-Bot

Remember how thrilling it was to get real, honest-to-goodness mail? Not bills, of course, but the days of pen pals and packages? Granted, mail today still arrives, in the form of Ebay purchases and cool Etsy stuff (!), but surprises are few and far between.

The awesome folks over at Swap-Bot.com decided to bring back those days of penpaling on a new level, and use the speed and ease of the Internet as means of realizing their vision. The husband and wife team of Rachel and Travis Johnson to create a venue for swaps of handmade goods, foods, and media.


The swaps are divided into approximately 25 categories, including handmade, jewelry, paper goods, and thrift store. The members can create swaps based around the guidelines, such as a handmade earring swap, movie quotes bookmark swap, or a mixed CD containing songs on a particular theme.

The swap partners are assigned using a random generator, then it’s time to look at your partner’s profile detailing the likes, dislikes, allergies, etc, and create a special gift for them! It’s a wonderful way to relax and let your creativity flow, and how fun is it to receive a special package in the mail created especially for you by a fellow crafty swap-botter?

Post written by GwenWalls

It's Monday, Hon.

So, it's Monday, and I'm already thinking about the weekend. And this weekend, I'm thinking about HonFest. The two-day event features a host of food and merchandise vendors, live music, a lip-sync contest, and of course, the Miss Hon and Little Miss Hon contests.

It's always a blast, so I'll see you there, Hon! Only four days to go...

Photograph by Miscelena

Friday Finds- strawberries

In honor of strawberry season,

Berry bowl by dbabcock.


Strawberry earrings by milburnjewelry


Gocco print notecards by SylviaAnderson


Bobbies from vintage buttons by remade


Strawberry pouch by PopulationOne

You might even want to consider heading out to pick some fresh strawberries this weekend! Try Larriland Farms or Baugher's... or if that's too much work, you can always head over to the farmer's markets in town.

Have a (berry) great weekend!

Get your art on...while getting your hair done!

Need an art fix?
Need a cut and color...are your eyebrows trying to unite as one?
No problem! Stop by the Edge on Central Salon and kill two or three birds with one stone!

While getting your tresses clipped and your out-ards addressed, satisfy your innards with the art of BEST artist Jennifer Wilfong! Her large scale oils are on display throughout the salon.


For hours, location and services offered check out the Edge on Central's website

Post written by JennyGwen

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!

You're the Best!

Hey, all you crafty Baltimore Etsians, don't look so sad... we have so many people who want to be part of the team that we are having trouble sorting through them! Please bear with us - we're reorganizing and planning and figuring out just how to make this group the BEST it can be! (hehe) We're seeing lots of great work come through, and trust us, you WILL hear back from us. In the meantime, head over to our the Baltimore Crafter's flickr pool and join in the fun by sharing your work with the rest of this charming city. We'll start featuring work from non-BEST artists in the near future on the blog.

See you soon!

photo by miscelena