Etsy Team Columbus Gift Basket Giveaway!

Check out the Etsy Team Columbus blog for easy directions on how to get a chance to win!

http://etsyteamcolumbus.blogspot.com/2009/12/win-gift-basket-from-etc.html

Papermaking photos

From top to bottom: The setup, pre-soaking green paper, green & brown pulp ready to go, poured Christmas tree tags.

North Market Holiday Open House & Craft Extravaganza

It’s that time of year for holiday entertaining, cookie baking, pie making, turkey basting, present shopping, gift-giving and celebrating all of the reasons for the season. The North Market Holiday Open House & Craft Extravaganza is the perfect place for both inspiration and acquisition of all of your holiday trimmings. We’ve decided to give you twice as much of a good thing this year and we have expanded the event to last both Saturday, December 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, December 6 from 12-5 p.m.

Our merchants will be armed with an array of samples to tempt your taste buds and help you formulate your holiday feasts. As always they are endowed with the wisdom of years of experience to give you excellent advice. The second floor will be devoted to forty-five local artisans and crafters for a weekend of shopping for distinctive handmade gifts. Jewelry, glass, textiles, bath and body products and knitted items are just a few of the categories represented by the local artists in our craft fair.

Scheduled Holiday Open House Activities include:

Saturday, December 5
• 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., North Market merchants and Craft Extravaganza vendors on second floor open for business
• 8 a.m. - 12 p.m., Christmas tree sales on the farmers' market plaza
• 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., holiday music by Willie Phoenix
• 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., holiday music by Suite Strings
• 1 – 3 p.m., Joyunspeakable, the living statue as the Nutcracker Toy Soldier
• 1 – 3 p.m., holiday music by Miss Molly
• 3 – 5 p.m., holiday music by the Eileen Howard Jazz Trio

Sunday, December 6
• 12-5 p.m., North Market merchants and Craft Extravaganza vendors on second floor open for business
• 12 -3 p.m., holiday music by Willie Phoenix
• 3-5 p.m., holiday music by Island Breeze

Etsy Voter - Holiday Cards

I made the Etsy voter! Every week, Etsy chooses a category (like holiday cards) and people nominate their favorite things from that category. My recycled handmade paper Christmas tree gift tags got nominated and chosen!! Please go vote if you can (you might need an Etsy account (it's free)) - and pass the word along. Voting is open for 6 more days.

http://www.etsy.com/voter_list.php?ref=voter&room_id=78

Eco bags workshop at the OSU Urban Arts Space

Bring your unwanted disposable plastic shopping bags and transform them into beautiful and sturdy handbags at the OSU Urban Arts Space from 5-6 p.m. Thursday (11/12). Accommodating both beginner and advanced participants, artisan Marcia Trakas will work with guests to crochet the bags into masterpieces, keeping them out of the landfill. Bring a crochet hook J- 10, scissors, and plastic bags. Free and open to all. RSVP to mailto:uas@osu.edu. Read more: http://uas.osu.edu/program/eco-bags-workshop

New work, new retail location

I love my newest creations - super-wide & soft headbands! Made at the request of the best local yoga studio in Columbus - Yoga on High - I've used organic cotton headbands made by Prana and added botanical decorations made from recycled sweaters!

Also coming soon to Yoga on High - eye pillows from recycled/repurposed silk!

(Full disclosure - my wonderful mom is a YoHi co-owner. That may have given me something of an 'in'. : )

Wanderlust abroad . . .

It's been a busy month! Craft shows and business meetings and custom orders - whew!

But I'm thrilled to announce that some of my work is now available in . . . . Belgium! Back in the begining of September, a lovely woman named Elaine visited my booth at Artisan Sundays. She spotted the Wanderlust pins, and promptly found a pin showing her husband's hometown in France. She told me that she lives in Belgium and works at a gift shop, and would love to buy some Wanderlust to take back with her! Long story short, her husband brought over some maps, I spent a few days button-making, and now there are Wanderlust magnets in Belgium.

If you're ever there, check out:
The Gift Boutique
Avenue des Erables, 1-1640 Rhode-St.-Genese, Belgium

A treasure trove of vintage maps!

I just got an amazing new collection of gorgeous, National Geographic vintage maps! Is there someplace specific you're looking for? Peruse the list and let me know, either here or through maram.etsy.com!

India & Burma - 1946
Phillipines - 1945
World map - 1932
Canada, Alaska & Greenland - 1947
Mexico, Central America & the West Indies - 1934
Classical Lands of the Mediterranean - 1940
Theater of War in the Pacific - 1942
USA - 1946
North America - 1942
South America - 1921
World map - 1955
South Central United States - 1947
China - 1945
Asia - 1942
Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands - 1944
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - 1944
Canada - 1936
USA - 1940
Europe - 1920
Pacific Ocean - 1936
Atlantic Ocean - 1939
Soviet Union - 1976
Southeastern United States - 1958
New England, USA - 1955
Great Lakes Region, USA & Canada - 1953
California - 1954
Caspian Sea Region - 1999
Australia - 2000

A few results from my shopping spree . .

Mmmm . . . shopping

Ok, so I completely broke my self-imposed ban on new fabrics - but I really need some fresh inspiration, and by inspiration, I mean some quality shopping time at my favorite thrift stores.

See something you like? let me know if you want to call 'first dibs' on any bag I make using a certain fabric or belt!

New felted flower rings!

Yet another fabulous thing to make out of no-longer-loved wool sweaters! I'm really excited about my new rings. The 'daisy' rings are made from the seams, and that center bead is from an old, broken necklace! They're all sewn onto adjustable rings (not recycled, but I'm keeping my eyes open).

Wholly Craft!

Maram is now available at Wholly Craft! The awesome, everything handmade craft store located on N. High Street in Clintonville. It's a great place to find unique and unusual presents for people you love - or for yourself!

Food, Inc.

I went and saw Food, Inc. tonight. Even though I try to be an educated consumer - and I try to buy local foods - it was still an eye-opening experience. I want every politician to see this movie, and start to make some big changes in the way we deal with the industry of food in this country.

School lunches have got to change - I was horrified by what I saw this past school year during cafeteria duty. Health care reform - talk about controlling costs! - could start by changing school cafeterias. One small step I just took was to sign the lunchbox petition. You can too.

Columbus Waste Not Center

This place is such a great resource for artists and teachers - and a great place for the community to donate usable but unwanted supplies.

Generation Green

I'm thrilled to be able to say that my work will now be available at Generation Green, an eco-lifestyle store. The store - and website - are fairly new, but they have lots of great products - bath & body, baby, pets, cleaning, home, jewelry, gifts & lots more!

Monday - Fri 10am to 7pm
Saturday 10 am to 5pm
6375 Sawmill Rd
(at the intersection of Sawmill & 161, in the Trader Joe's Plaza)
Dublin, OH 43017
614-761-2222

http://generationgreenstore.com/

Etsy Trashion Summer Sale and Giveaway!

I'm offering 10% off all purses, bags, and zippy pouches this week!

Summer Sale & Giveaway

The Etsy Trashion Team is having a Summer Sale and Giveaway

to promote Environmental Awareness!

For just one week... July 20 – 27
.
Click to find participating Trashion Team Etsy shops
To save on fine and funky upcycled goods.

To enter the giveaway, visit one of our participating shops
then click to comment on an item in the original summer sale post
http://etsytrashion.blogspot.com/
You may make up to five entries.

Or…Make purchases in participating shops to receive
additional chances for every $10 you spend!

The prize winner will be randomly selected on July 28th.

Nicaragua

I just got back from a fabulous vacation in Nicaragua - and before you ask, it's a very safe place to visit. It's a democracy, and 99% of the people that I interacted with were so friendly and helpful.
I stayed in San Juan del Sur, a small town about 2 hrs south of Managua on the Pacific Coast. It's filled with surf shops and Spanish-language schools, and is a truely beautiful place.

I may even end up having some work for sale down there! An American living down there loved my "Oh Sheet!" bag so much that she wants to sell them in her spa.

Anyway, I had a fabulous time. We did a zip-line canopy tour, a full-day sailing trip, fishing, snorkling, surfing, a trip to a two-volcano island in Lake Nicaragua - and then spent lots of time chilling by the pool, reading books, napping, eating guacamole & salsa, enjoying the local rum, and wandering around town.

Now, I suppose, it's time to get back to work.

Artisan Sundays

Tomorrow is my July Artisan Sundays show at the North Market. I love this show for a few reasons - the first being that I've spent an a lot of time there over the years, hanging out on Saturday mornings, enjoying breakfast (or dessert), and spending a little QT with my parents. I also love having a consistent place to show my work, and getting to chat with the other fun vendors, particularly Amy N., of Sweet Stella Designs, who is my consistent neighbor.

Basically, I love the North Market. It's one of those amazing and unique things about Columbus that few non-Columbus-ite would ever suspect that this town is cool enough to have/support.

My new Studio

Mmmmmm . . . belts!


































Here it is in all its glory - my happy little studio space.

Studio Update!

Things are coming together! I'm starting to feel vaguely organized - I've got all my ties and belts hung up, some preliminary lighting - and I even made stuff today. More Wanderlust buttons!

The only problem was that before everything was in one space, I had NO idea how much fabric I had. It's kind of crazy, actually. I am definitely on a strict, no-new-fabric diet until I make a bunch more stuff.

So, I don't do very well at this blogging thing, but I'm going to give it another shot.

I'm moving into a studio space! I'm really excited to have space to spread out - and to leave half-finished projects out. Also, not having a small poodle come stand on top of anything I'm working on will probably be a step up.

Pictures coming soon!