Design by Night

Come visit me this weekend at the Maryland Faerie Festival! I will be dressed in my Faerie finest and selling whimsical handmade crowns, hats and hair pieces! The festival is Saturday and Sunday May 15th and 16th from 10 AM to 6 PM in the Patuxent 4H Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. The Maryland Faerie Festival provides an atmosphere and entertainment inspired by Faerie folklore and literature. Join fairies of all shapes and sizes along with vendors and artists in the celebration of Unicorns, this year's theme. Featuring new surprises for children of all ages, with Faerie Mushroom Checkers and Rip Van Winkle Bowling. Enjoy the new and expanded Labyrinth. Look for more intrigue and excitement from the Faerie Treasure Hunt or meet Faerie Royalty. The Maryland Faerie Festival features many vendors, artists, and performances surrounding the theme of unicorns. For more information visit www.marylandfaeriefestival.org .

For years my husband and I have debated who I love more, my dogs or him. I have presented argument after argument on how much I love my husband, trying to stack in favor of my husband over the dogs. But I fear that the answer to the long debated argument has come to an end recently. In my living room hangs—not a portrait of my beloved husband—but a portrait of my first true love, my dog Spanky. So okay, I finally admit YES I love my dogs more than my husband. Luckily, my husband doesn't read my blog but if he does he can take a little comfort in the fact that he got me the perfect gift. The commissioned painting of Spanky was painted by an artist named Seann Vicente. You can find her work at www.studiosrv.com . I had seen her work on Etsy and fell in love with her colorful pet portraits. For my birthday, my husband commissioned a painting. Basically all he had to do was contact her and send a picture of the animal...a little while later we recieved the artwork in the mail. Speaking...

In the winter months between the cold and the dark I often find myself looking for comfort food. Well to me nothing is more comfortable than a good piece of pie. So here is a little shout out to my favorite dessert in an Etsy way. Cakes, Cherry Pie and Cheesecake, OH MY! Who can resist baking up or should I say sewing up these sweet treats using a pattern from Little Crickets It's Naturally Delicious and won't go straight to your ass! These Sweet Little Pumpkin Pie's made out of wool from Fair Trade Family will satisfy anyone's cravings Perhaps I wouldn't have to go to Weight Watchers if I would have just satisfied my urge for Blueberry Pie with this deliciously scented Blueberry Pie soy candle from Old Pond Mill Show your pie pride by wearing these delectable Lemon Meringue Pie Earrings from Light Blue Square ( All these treats are sure to satisfy and no extra time on the treadmill required!

Out with the old, in with the new! To help start a new year off right here are some crafty calendars and day planners. My new years resolution is to have a "handmade" new year and some of these items will be a great beginning. Make a Resolution and Break it immediately unless it is to buy crafts in the new year, in which case you should purchase this Keep Calm and Carry on Printable 2010 Spoof Calendar from Little Brown Pen . It's nice to know that there are some crafters out there who do realize that everything is about me. And no calendar can best show this than the Birthday Countdown Wooden Block Calendar from Queen Vanna Creations. This sweet calendar gets rid of all those extraneous months and numbers and gets down to the important things....how many days till my birthday! Who says a calendar needs to be paper? This delightful and comfortable 2010 Calendar Pillow by Le Papier Studio is an innovative and stylish!

Thank you to all the patrons of 2009's Holiday Heap. I believe it was a great success for everyone involved. It was wonderful to talk to everyone and it was a joy to see the great work from the other vendors. If you still have holiday shopping to do remember to visit the BaltimoreCraft.com website for a listing of great local vendors!

Avoid manic mall madness and come visit me and many other talented craftsmen at Merry Mart today! 35+ fab local vendors with the best in regional crafts, arts, and gifts! Creative Alliance 3134 Eastern Avenue Baltimore Maryland 21224 Sun Dec 6, 11am-5pm. Free! Cash bar. Lunch on sale sep.

Come see me today at the Charm City Craft Mafia's 3rd Annual Holiday Heap. Shop handmade and have fun with over 40 amazing, local, crafty vendors showing off their astounding apparel, jewelry, accessories, ceramics, paper goods and so much more! Drinks and snacks will be available from Red Emma’s. Where: Saint John’s Church, 2640 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 When: Saturday, December 5th, 10am-5pm