Design by Night

In anticipation of my favorite season, I have strayed from my usual feathery work and started to create burnt fabric flowers in rich autumn colors. Somehow it seems fitting that the flowers are made by burning fabric since one of my favorite fall smells is that of burning leaves. Here is a sampling of my work that can be found on my Etsy page.

While shopping in thrift stores fabric, not clothing style, is what usually catches my eye. Months ago I purchased a see through light blue shirt for 98 cents, brought it home, washed it and have restlessly moved it from room to room wondering why I purchased a translucent shirt that would fit in Molly Ringwald’s Pretty in Pink wardrobe. Not that I don’t like Pretty in Pink but at 37, I don’t think I can pull off the look. So after much thought and some inspiration from Anthropology I came up with an idea for a repurposed flower headband. What you will need: 1/8 yard of Flouncy Fabric (such as chiffon) Sharp Scissors Straight Pins Sewing Needle Thread Medium to large sized button Headband Square of felt Glue Gun Download the Flouncy Flower pattern by clicking here . Print pattern out at 100%. Cut 12 flower petals using the flower petal pattern from the fabric. HINT: Since the fabric is thin you can cut out several at a time by layering the fabric. Thread the needle using at least a fo...

Although it was a very sticky hot day, the Hamilton Festival was a good "show starter" for me. I sold some items, got some good and helpful feedback on my work and was surrounded by incredibly talented people. I took a few photos with an instant camera to share with everyone... Mike from Spaghetti Kiss enjoying the hula hoops at the Charm City Craft Mafia tent Elisa Shere looking cool and cute with her lovely jewelry A grouping of ghastly (but adorable) monsters from Cotton Monster My tent mate Jill Popowich and her handcrafted silver jewelry and more importantly the hidden Wawa subs for lunch under the table Jennifer and her deliciously delightful jewelry featured in her store Yummy & Company Mike working it at his Spaghetti Kiss Tent

Today I was featured on the B.E.S.T.'s (Baltimore Etsy Street Team) blog. I recently joined the group and have found the B.E.S.T. community to be very a diverse group of people who are very supportive and helpful to fellow crafters. B.E.S.T. is a group of Baltimore Etsians that are dedicated to promoting, sharing, teaching and doing craft in the Baltimore area. So come check out "Twenty Things: Design by Night." For more information on B.E.S.T. visit their web site at www.baltimorecraft.com .

This Saturday, I will be sharing a tent with Jill Popowich Designs at the Hamilton Street Festival. This will officially be my first show since I have opened my Etsy store. The Hamilton Street Festival takes place on the 5400 and 5500 blocks of Harford Road this Saturday, July 25th, 11am-8pm. Some highlights (other than my tent) are: Live Music Featuring: Lafayette Gilchrest, Rodney Henry, Puddle, The Beltways, The Bridge (acoustic) and many more. Street Performers and Performance Art featuring: Aminibigcircus, Fire Breathers, Stilters, and Clowns Skateboarding Expo sponsored by VU Skate Shop I hope to see you there!

You never know what will catch your eye when you are out and about, therefore I always try to carry a small digital camera in my purse. I have no real blog or story to go with this picture, I figured I would go by the old adage "A picture is worth a thousand words."

So I haven’t blogged for awhile because among other things I was on vacation in New Orleans. I have been to New Orleans several times and yes I have come back with beads (no comment on bead retrieval). Anyway, like most tourist areas there are tons of over priced t-shirt shops where you can get all sorts of gotta-have-it stuff that you only ever buy on vacation. But unlike other cities, New Orleans also has the open air French Market where you can not only pick up these items, you can haggle with the owners to get a deal. Better than the idea of quibbling over the voodoo doll that will be devoted to your bosses “future well being” is the prospect that you can also find great food and handmade crafts both sporting a spicy Nawlin’s flavor. As I was strolling through the market I snapped off a few pictures featuring piles of tourist trap products. Although most of these items are not appealing to me from a consumer standpoint, I thought they made interesting snapshots for some future craf...