Baltimore Bride Feature

My work was featured in Baltimore Bride this month! Super excited to be photographed among some of the most talented crafters in Baltimore.

I Heart Art: Baltimore -This Friday!

Don't forget about the meet-n-greet party on MICA campus this Friday, November 19, from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. ET. Food, drink, music and a craft activity will be included in the festivities taking place in Brown Center’s Leidy Atrium, 1301. W. Mount Royal Ave.

Come meet Vanessa and Morgan from Etsy and members of the Baltimore Etsy Street Team. There will be a raffle full of goodies from BEST artists, MICA, and Etsy, so get there early! And don't forget to bring your business cards!

Please RSVP by calling 410-225-2219 or e-mailing spcs@mica.edu. We can’t wait to see you at the party! For directions, please visit: www.mica.edu

Vote for me in the Etsy & Kaboodle Floral Jewelry Contest!

Please vote for my ring!

Etsy's marketing team has been working with Kaboodle to do some cross promotion. They did a blog post in the Storque a few weeks ago: Tips for success for everything Kaboodle related here.

My Red Cherry Blossom ring has been singled out, along with 47 other Etsy finds, to be in a contest for the best Floral Jewelry. To win, my ring must receive the most hearts by Kaboodle’s community of savvy shoppers. If I win, I get some great free promotion on the Kaboodle site!

*I will be prominently featured in a Winning Designer’s Circle within Kaboodle’s new Indie Channel
*I will receive winner badge that announces that my ring product won the Kaboodle contest
* My ring and I will be promoted throughout the Kaboodle site.

With your vote, YOU are entered into a random drawing for a chance to win a $100 PayPal gift certificate offered by Kaboodle!

I would be thrilled to get the promo from this contest. Voting ends on August 23rd, so don't delay! I encourage all my fans and friends of BEST to vote for me. Any promo I get, I carry my BEST team along with me!

Thanks for your vote in advance!
Allison

17th Annual Hamilton Festival and Classic Car Show this weekend!

Come visit BEST and Charm City Craft Mafia members at the 17th Annual Hamilton Festival and Classic Car Show. The festival features two stages with all-day music, dance and martial arts performances, cars, craft and food vendors. There will be beer gardens for the adults and kids games with prizes for the little ones!


Hamilton Street Festival and Classic Car Show 2010
Saturday July 31st
11:00 a.m. to 8: p.m.
Harford Road at Hamilton Ave

Etsy Craft Party, Baltimore

Looking for a super fun way to kick off the weekend this week? Why not join BEST & the Charm City Craft Mafia for a Craft Party & Meetup, in honor of Etsy's birthday?

This friday, June 18th, starting at 6pm, we'll be at Roosevelt Park in Hampden. We won a free Craft Party kit from Etsy for being one of the top parties, so we'll have lots of crafty goodies to test out! We'll be working on a collaborative banner project, and we'll have a few other crafty things up our sleeve. Maybe even some giveaways!

In addition, we'll be hosting an informal craft supply swap at the meetup, so please bring any crafty supplies you'd like to trade or give away. Any unclaimed supplies will be donated to Art with a Heart and The Black Cherry Puppet Theater.

You can RSVP here, just click on the red button that says "I'm interested." Baltimore is DEFINITELY the craftiest spot on the globe, so let's let 'em see that, huh? Kids & families welcome.

So, bring some work in progress, a blanket, a picnic dinner, and get ready for some fun! Just look for the Etsy-orange balloons. Hope to see you then!

Handmade Mart is This Sunday!

See the vendor list here!
See you this Sunday in Silver Spring, MD.

Spring Sneak Peak, Bridal Party Favors?

I scored some really cool vintage flowers from Japan and Korea on my trip to NYC this past December. I am fooling around with some designs for next season. Using my silk buttons and little bouquets of these flowers, I'm looking at brooches, hair clips, headbands, barrettes.

I'm considering custom wedding work, too. I could see making buttons with wedding fabric scraps, special keepsakes for the bridal party, or sweet sixteen court, or some other fancy occasion. Custom work is my specialty, I love making things special for people with meaningful materials.

I love these flowers!

Open Studio Now 'till Christmas!

Lost of stock left for those last minute gifts and stocking stuffers!

*Button rings, plastic rings, button earrings
*Silver and Copper Earrings, Necklaces and an overabundance of Cuff Bracelets
*Electroformed Acorns, twigs, maple seeds and really cool pods

Remember to shop local and get first dibs on my best stuff. I don't list everything in my etsy shop, so you can take your pick in person. And I give deep discounts at the end of the season, deals, deals, deals! lol.

Open studio hours Dec. 16-21 from 11 am - 7 pm.
Just let me know when you might be swinging by 410-522-7375!

Squidfire Winter Art Mart

Join 60+ talented artists and crafters on December 12, when the Du Burns Arena in Canton will be transformed into an alternative shopping center. DIY/indie crafters from all over the east coast will join all of us from Baltimore to offer you the most unique, handmade gift ideas.

BEST will have some things for sale from the button jewelry line. I, however will be in NYC that weekend selling at the One of a kind show! Squidfire is sure to be a great show, the space this year is huge and will accommodate a big crowd. Get your last minute gifts and finish up holiday shopping at super hip show!


Du Burns Arena, Boston Street, Canton, Baltimore, MD
Saturday Dec. 12, 11-6!

Buy Handmade and Help The MD Food Bank

It has been a difficult year for many Marylanders because of the tough economy. Many are without jobs and without food. In an effort to help those in need this holiday season, several BEST members will be donating a percentage of money from the the sales of their handmade items from December 1-14. Buyers will have a unique opportunity to support handmade and help feed hungry Marylanders.

The Maryland Food Bank provides nearly 14 million pounds of food annually to 1,000 Network Partners - including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, low-income day care centers, after-school programs, senior centers, rehabilitation centers, and other feeding programs. They supply food for over 50,000 Marylanders each week who otherwise would go hungry or not eat enough, including families with children, the elderly, the homeless, the homebound, low-income workers, the recently unemployed, and people with AIDS and other health problems. For every $1 contributed to the Maryland Food Bank, they are able to provide 3 meals to Maryland’s needy families and individuals.

From December 1st through 14th, the following participating BEST members will be donating a percentage of their sales:

blockpartypress- 10% of Etsy sales
sweetpepita- 10% of all Etsy sales
jenmenkhaus- 10% of all Etsy sales
glowgirl - 10% of all Etsy sales
yummyandcompany- 10% of all Etsy sales
atelieradornments - 10% of all Etsy sales
lanabella - 10% of all Etsy sales
lolamiren - 10% of all Etsy sales
thebrokenplate - 10% of all Etsy sales
tigerlillyshop - 10% of all Etsy ring sales
greenstarstudio - 10% of all Etsy sales
vwstudios - 10% of all Etsy sales

Take some time to visit these Etsy shops, support handmade and know that when you make a purchase between Dec. 1 - 14, you will be helping to provide food and services to someone in need this holiday season. Here are some other ways to support the MD Food Bank:

* Make a direct monetary donation

* Purchase and donate food through the Food Bank's “Virtual Food Drive”

* Deliver the food directly to the Maryland Food Bank at 2200 Halethorpe Farms Road. Please call 410-737-8282 to arrange your delivery.

Visit BEST at the Greenbelt Festival of Lights!

The BEST girls will be showing at the Greenbelt Festival of Lights this Saturday and Sunday.

Somehow a ton of local shows fell on the same 3 days this year. Not sure how this happened, but many of us are trying to show at all of them and are stretched pretty thin this weekend.

Although I won't physically be there manning the table, some of my work will be at this show. My generous lady friends agreed to host a couple of trays of button accessories for me! So look for button rings, plastic rings, button earrings and hair ties at the BEST tent. My trays are filled with deals at $6.00! All one of a kind, all handmade, and great for a quick gift!

Ok, see you around this weekend!

Harford Day School: Festival of the Arts

The 8th Annual Arts Festival, a juried exhibit and sale, will be held November 6 and 7, 2009 on the campus of Harford Day School. More than sixty artists (including BEST's own greenstarstudio, Shelly Daly, and Tigerillyshop!) will be at the show to present original, handcrafted work in a variety of media.

The festivities will begin with a Preview Party for adults on Friday, November 6. Guests that attend the Preview Party will be the first to preview and purchase artwork while enjoying the food from many of our best local restaurants. Some of the participating restaurants last year were: DuClaw Brewing Co., Bonefish Grill, Manor Tavern, Bill Bateman's Raw Bar and Grill, Damon's Grill, Scotto's, Sizzling Bombay, and Josef's. Consistent with this year's Caribbean theme, Lenny Rogers from Trinidad will entertain the party-goers on the steel drum. Maui Wowi will serve island drinks from a Tiki Bar, and a lucky raffle winner will go home with a Caribbean vacation. Preview Party tickets are $65 each. If you would like to receive an invitation to this exciting event or would like information on sponsorship opportunities, please visit the website.

Q&A with Tigerlillyshop Today!

Join me in the Etsy Virtual Labs at 4:00 today for a follow up chat session about her Quit Your Day Job feature.

I am firing up my web cam for this! Not sure what to expect, but I am sure it will be fun.

Hope to see you there!

My Own Quit Your Day Job Feature!

I am so excited to share my story with you all on Etsy's Blog.

See my Quit Your Day Job Feature here!

I'll be in the Etsy Virtual Labs Thursday 4:00 pm for a web cam Q&A follow up session. Please come by and say hello!

Squidfire Philly Art Mart

Fall is a great time for a road trip. This weekend, grab a friend, hop in the car and jet up to Philadelphia for Squidfire's first Philly Art Mart. It will be held on Saturday October 17, from 11-6pm in the fancy schmancy neighborhood of Society Hill.

Over 40 of the best local and regional crafters and artists will display their handmade wares at the Old Pine Community Center in the heart of Philadelphia. Come visit BEST's Sugar Paperie, Jennyjen42, Yummy & Company ,Sweet Pepita, The Littlest Bean and The Broken Plate. This event goes on rain or shine. We hope to see you there!

WE WON!!! Congrats Girls!

Yay! We won the Mobbie Award for Outstanding Art & DIY blog in Baltimore! Won't you come and help us celebrate tonight at Metro Gallery? Say around 7 or 8? Thanks so much again to all of our wonderful readers and the Baltimore Sun!

See you at Artscape!

My sister Maria is up from New Orleans selling with me at Artscape DIY this year! Come by and say hi! The BEST girls are close by and we are having a blast. It looks like we are going to have a beautiful day. The weather is perfect to stroll this free event. Grab a funnel cake, a coconut drink and see the sites;)

BEST Meets Faythe Levine in Baltimore!

Left to right: Me (tigerlillyshop.etsy) , Faythe Levine, Elisa (ElisaShereJeweley.etsy, Juliet (TheBrokenplate.etsy) and (Jen (Jenmenkhaus.etsy)

Went to a screening last night of Handmade Nation! Inspiring, cool, heartfelt and validating. Thank you Faythe for stopping in B-more!

The Pile of Craft is upon us!

The Charm City Craft Mafia's 3rd annual Pile of Craft Show is happening this Saturday 10-5!

As always, you can expect really cool vendors from all over Baltimore. Many members of BEST will be there, too! Prints, clothing, accessories, soap, jewelry...you can always find the unexpected perfect gift of keepsake for yourself!

I always look forward to this on. It was my first ever craft show, I took the plunge into the craft scene with CCCM's first show in 2007 and never looked back! I can't believe it has been 3 yrs of showing.

See you there this weekend!

AVAM Bridal Happy Hour

Please join BEST members at the 8th annual American Visionary Art Museum's Bridal Happy Hour!

Thursday April 2nd, 5:30-7:30. Enjoy food and cocktails and view work by some of Baltimore's best wedding vendors. And best of all, it's free!

Why go handmade for your wedding?? There are many reasons!
-Have custom jewelry, paper goods and spa gifts created that are as a special as your wedding.
-Support local and woman owned businesses.
-Many BEST artists use sustainable and green materials in their work.
-Give your wedding a handmade touch that is unique.
-Show your bridal party and family your appreciation with gifts that are created just for them!

Participating BEST artists:
Block Party Press
Dandelion Blu Jewelry
Elisa Shere Jewelry
Jill Popowich Designs
The Broken Plate
TigerLilly Shop
Spa Therapy Works
Yummy & Co.

Hope to see you there!