Friday Finds: True Love = Milk Glass

I love milk glass. I can't remember when or why my obsession began, but it's become one of my favorite things to hunt for over the years. So far all of my personal pieces have been lucky thrift shop finds but Etsy has opened up a whole new world for me. Here are some of my favorites:


Lacey Edged Milk Glass Plate from vintageinteriors


Vintage Westmorland Milk Glass Cake Plate from Haven Vintage


Milk Glass Owl Ring Holder from thesundaytimesmarket


Vintage Snowflake Milk Glass Bud Vase Trio from vintageavacado

Written by: Lola Miren

21st National Drawing and Print Competitive Exhibition

Gormley Gallery presents the 21st National Drawing & Print Competitive Exhibition. Be sure to drop in and check out the opening reception this Saturday, April 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. The exhibit represents the work of 20 artists from Baltimore, the Mid-Atlantic, and across the United States. The show runs through April 30.


Michelle Murillo, Destinations I. Silkscreen on glass, 2008

Juror: Soledad Salamé

Participating Artists:
Gloria Askin
Luis Flores
Christy Bergland
Mari LaCure
Henry Bermudez
Erika MacMahon
Linda Bills
Michelle Marcuse
Becky Birinyi
Mitch Mitchell
Deborah Cornell
Michelle Murillo
Ian MacLean Davis
Pete Herzfeld
Linda DePalma
Ron Janowich
Oletha DeVane
Renee DeCarlo Johnson
William Dooley
Aspasia Tsoutsoura

Heads for Haiti Show at Spur Design!

I am thrilled to be participating in the "Heads for Haiti" show opening April 10th in Baltimore. The opening is hosted and conceived by Spur Design in Hampden. 100 artists, 100 images of heads, $100 each, to raise $10,000 for doctors without borders. There will also be a poster produced including all of the art for sale for $50. The 100 artists involved are an amazingly accomplished lot, and the prices of these little pieces is truly a steal, not to mention for a great cause. My contribution, titled "Alice Cries", a study for an Alice in Wonderland piece, was painted in acrylic and is 7" x 9", pictured here.



To see a list of participating artists and more info about the event go to the Heads for Haiti site.

And if you are not already familiar with Spur Design, Joyce Hessleberth and Dave Plunkert run an amazing design business and they are accomplished illustrators as well.

Post written by Jaime Zollars

My 3 Things

Anyone who lived in the D.C. area during the '80s and '90s remembers the great old radio station WHFS and Weasel the DJ. Weasel had a daily feature called "My Three Songs"; in this game, he would present three songs that had a common thread, theme, or leitmotif, and the object was for the listeners to guess what it was.

Here are three fabulous items by Etsy artists. What do these three things have in common? Leave your answer in the comments below!

A beautiful earrings and necklace set from hamptonjewels


Coastal Breezes

A charming vintage ceiling tile from CottageInTheSun



Turquoise Wall Plaque

A luxurious pillow cover from TheHomeCentric


Aqua Ornate

Post written by LindasPaperie

What is a Trunk Show?

Trunk available at Caribou Creek 

According to Wikipedia, a trunk show is " a special sale in which vendors present merchandise directly to store personnel or select customers at a retail location or another unique venue. In many cases it allows store personnel to preview and/or purchase merchandise before it is made available to the public. It is particularly desirable to have the actual designer present at the event. Most small businesses do this to get more buys. Trunk Shows are particularly popular in the bridal industry. January through May is Trunk Show season. Brides can view a larger selection of a bridal designer's collection than is normally carried in a bridal salon. Trunk shows got their name from the way dresses used to be transported to these events--in trunks."

As a designer, this is one of my favorite ways of showing my collections.  I get to spend a lot of time with customers and usually end up coming home with new ideas and inspiration for new work.  How does it work? Here is an example...

Typically, a customer will pick out a time and date and invite a bunch of friends.  In the past, my hosts have held "trunk show happy hours" where the host offers wine and hors d'oeuvres.  Although I don't show up with an actual trunk, I do show up a half hour early to set up a few trays of jewelry.  It's that easy.  The host gets to pick out a free piece of jewelry and gets a discount on all of her purchases.  All of the guests have a great time... eating, drinking, and trying on jewelry!  There's no hard sell, there's no minimum purchase, just drinks, friends, jewelry, and good times! 

Favorite Etsy Shop – Mia Mallows Gourmet Marshmallows

As the chilly winter weather starts saying its goodbye, you might just find yourself looking back at this past winter and missing those cold nights by the fireplace. Nothing quite takes you back like a good cup of hot chocolate with oodles of marshmallows. I know marshmallows came in a few different sizes but until I foound Mia Mallow’s Gourmet Marshmallows, I had no idea they could come in so many varieties (and colors)! These squishy squares are XL, so you’ll probably only need one per cup. With so many flavors to choose from, just think of the crazy hot chocolate combinations you could make!

Written by FuzzyMug

Easter Sunday

Random Baltimore Photo

photo by imatarabu; click here for more information about this image.

Coloring Album

Miss Pepita got the gift of Crayola this weekend. And she's been savoring the colors, their names, their flavors, just like I used to do. Make no mistake. This kid knows her Magenta from her Orchid.

But, oh hey, this is 2010, not 1982. And Crayola is just as high-tech as the rest of the world. So you can visit their site and click on the play zone and transform your family photos into cool coloring pages. You need to buy the specially marked packages of crayons to obtain a code marked inside the box in order to print out the custom pages. Mmmmm. New Crayons.


And I'm happy to report that Cornflower Blue is still a color. And that it is still the exact shade of blue of that of the Cornflower. Classic.

Baltimore Life: Privateer Day in Fells Point

Our family had made it a tradition to venture over to Fells Point for Privateer Day every spring! We even bought our daugter a tri corner hat on a vacation last last summer thinking she could wear it for this event. It's a day for people watching, great costumes, ice cream, maybe some shopping, but it's always fun!

April 10th, Saturday’s Privateer Day runs from 11am to 6pm and features tall ships, live music, unique vendors, children’s activities, a beer garden and much more. Other highlights include a Living History Camp at Bond Street Wharf Park where the privateers and pirate reinactors fire live cannons and preform mock sword battles! You'll see live parrots and a sea battle with the Pride of Baltimore II.

The evening kicks off at 6:00pm with a Pirate Invasion at over 15 local pubs, featuring Pirates Choice and other drink specials. Tickets are $3/5 and come complete with a button and invasion map filled with specials. Come plunder the point ‘till midnight with several hundred of your closest pirate friends.