Meet the Press!

It's been a crazy week, with lots of projects going on simultaneously, but I wanted to share my feature in the May 5th, 2013 edition of the Boston Globe with you!  I was interviewed about running a handmade jewelry business online, and some of the ins and outs involved therein.  And I may have mentioned that I go to the post office in my pajamas to ship out Hieropice orders.  But hey, everyone does that, right?!  You can read the article on Boston.com, and it's posted above!
Cheers!
Dara

Spring is Sprung, Assembled, and New Additions

Hi all!
  The sun is finally out, on a regular basis, here in New England.  The sun and I have a troubled relationship (I'm allergic) but I'm still glad to see it!  Things are blooming, and my allergies are punishing me, but I'll take it!  It's Summer show season, and I can get back to taking photos for Hieropice outside, in gorgeous natural light.  Doing that in January was brutal.  We're just coming out of a tricky, scary period here in Boston, and I'm happy to feel good about going outside again.  After the Boston Marathon bombings and the manhunt for the bombers that followed, we were on lock-down here in my neighborhood as they turned up about 10 minutes away, in Watertown.  We were prohibited from leaving our homes, and it turns out the local man who they car-jacked in their escape attempt was car-jacked two blocks from my house.  I have several friends who live in the neighborhood that was a constant fixture on the news for days, as the police exchanged gunfire with the bombers and searched for the surviving bomber in resident's homes.  Everyone I care for is safe, thankfully, and I'm relieved the worst is over.
On a positive note, on May 18th, I'm taking on my first craft show as Producer, and I'm quite nervous, and excited about it!  I've been reaching out to all the artists' whose beautiful work I've seen at shows, purchased on Etsy, found in consignment shops like Boutique Fabulous and Magpie, or elsewhere online, and asking them to apply for the May 18th show, particularly those with Etsy shops. Somerville Beat interviewed me about the show, and did a great piece on it here , wherein they featured my Orange Flower Terrarium Necklace and we chatted about the vision behind the Assembled show on the 18th.  And, I'm even more excited about some new, one-of-a-kind pieces that I'm about to launch.  I'm finishing them up now, and can't wait to show them off, I'm really proud of how they've turned out and they're really different/unique, which is my constant goal.
  I've never seen anything like them in my 31 years of life, so I hope you'll all respond as positively to them as I hope you will!  Anyway, get outside and enjoy the proliferation of Spring, if you can!  I know I will.
I've had this vision of making an all-Etsy craft show happen for a while now, and it's finally going to happen!  The

Cheers!
Dara

Assembled: A Handmade Arts Market

  I've encountered an exciting new opportunity!

  Well, let me back-track a bit.  I've been out-of-the-loop for a little bit while I cared for a loved-one who was ill, but now I'm back, and embarking on something very exciting!

   I've wanted to do an all-Etsy-seller craft show forever now, but logistically, it seemed challenging. BUT, Aigner/Prensky Marketing has launched, with the backing of Federal Realty, a series of Summer craft shows to celebrate the redevelopment of the Assembly Square Mall area in Somerville.  You can read more about what they're hoping to do with the area here: http://www.assemblyrow.com/vision/, but they've got big plans for the it, including creating new housing, restaurants and shops, and it promises to be pretty cool.

  But that's not the big story.  I will be producing the premier show of the Assembled: The Handmade Arts Market at Assembly Row, for Aigner/Prensky Marketing on Saturday, May 18th.  AND it's going to be an all-Etsy show!  A show full of Etsy artisans sharing their unique, handmade wares, to kick off the Summer.  I am so excited.  Sometimes, vending online means you repeatedly interact with people who you never get to meet in person.  You may even talk to them every day, or perhaps they've purchased a number of your pieces, but you have no idea what they look like or who they are and could pass them on the street and never know it.  This show will be such a great opportunity for Etsy sellers to connect to eachother, to supporters of the Etsy marketplace, to chat and exchange ideas. 

 

Where the Assembled market will be held

The show will also feature a workshop on how to start an Etsy shop, tips and tricks for running a successful shop, etc.  So if you have an Etsy shop and feel you have something prurient to share, or you'd like to start and Etsy shop but aren't sure where to begin, or you're already running a shop but could use some help getting it where you want it, come to the workshop!

  Applications for the May 18th, Etsy-themed Assembled show are now being accepted.  Please apply!  Or, if you know of an artist in New England whose work you love, please forward the link along to them: http://www.assemblyrow.com/wp-content/aruploads/2013/03/Application_for_artists-fillable-form.pdf.  I want this show to be spectacular, and with your help, it will be!

Cheers! 
Dara

New Minis, at Abeille

Just a quick post to say that I've stocked a bunch of new mini Maasai beaded earrings at Abeille, in Brookline.  Most of these aren't available on Etsy yet, so they're exclusive to Abeille, (for now) save the mauve/purple pair, which is available here.   The mini size (2 cms across) is great for more delicated-eared gals.  Here they are, set out in a sparkly, beaded rainbow, at Abeille!

Uforge Gallery Holiday and Craft Fair

The Uforge Gallery Holiday Craft Fair is tomorrow!  We'll be there!

Old South Church Christmas Craft Fair

  Alright, I'm no longer in denial about it pretty much being Winter now.  Fine, fine.  It's cold.  It snowed today.  Again.
  But... That also means that the holidays are upon us!  I LOVE Christmas so much, for purely non-religious reasons.  The lovely music that never changes, the leafy garlands and pine-smelling wreaths everywhere, red berries, snow, beautifully-wrapped gifts with big ribbon-bows, hot chocolate, cider and eggnog with cinnamon, twinkling lights and giant, animatronic santas that would be tacky any other time of year, ice-skating, and that love-your-brother vibe.  I think that vibe is my favorite.  That warmth.  I love the palette of this time of year, the white, red, green.  It's abundant and alive in the midst of a time of year that can be a bit bleak here in New England, before everything renews in the Spring.  Last year, I went to midnight mass at this unique Catholic church in Waltham, and the service was mutli-cultural, with singing from Congolese congregants, pine-bow decor from its Italian congregants, and all of this hushed singing in the darkened church and candle-lighting throughout the service that was just wonderful.  Looking forward to exploring a new church of different denomination this year, and experiencing some new traditions.

  It's also a crazy, crazy time for a small independent jeweler/artist/crafter like me.  I am grateful for all of the opportunities, and wonderful customers.  But I am in complete work-mode.  I'll be doing a few craft shows in December, beginning with the Old South Church Christmas Craft Fair on Saturday, December 1st.  The venue for this show is stunning, a very old, exquisite church in the heart of Boston, with all the charm a church of its age brings.  From what I've seen, they deck it out quite extravagantly for Christmas as well, so I'm just excited to get to be there!  If you're in the Boston area, come by 645 Boylston Street (Copley Square) between 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM and say hi!

Happy holidays!

Dara 

JP Rocks and Rolls

I'm a little late in posting this, but tomorrow, Hieropice will be a vendor at JP Rocks and Rolls in Jamaica Plain, MA.  JP is a unique place, very quirky, with a lot of creative people in it, so I really enjoy hanging there.  The show tomorrow also has an old record sale portion, so if you actually own a functioning record-player, it might be worth checking out.  It's 12-3 PM, at 45 Danforth Street, JP. 
Anyhoo, hope everyone is enjoying a lovely Saturday, the sun's actually out here!

Thanks for a great show!

Thanks everyone, for coming to Arts on the Arcade!

Last Day!

Today (Wednesday, the 29th) is the final day of Arts on the Arcade, in Government Center.  Stop by for some one-of-a-kind crafts, locally-grown produce, and excellent live music!  We'll be there, under our tent, 11 AM to 3 PM!

Arts on the Arcade!

Hieropice is back in Boston!  And I'm excited for the art/craft/farmer's market/concert series sponsored by the City of Boston, Arts on the Arcade, beginning tomorrow!  Hieropice will be one of the juried art vendors, and I've got some pretty cool new items to debut. 
Arts on the Arcade will be every Wednesday, through August 29th (so Aug. 15th, 22nd, and 29th) from 11 AM to 3 PM, in City Hall Plaza/Government Center.  We'll be under the tent, and hope to see you there!
For more info on the event, check out the City's site here: http://www.cityofboston.gov/arts/visual/artmart.asp
Or, check out the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/417390741650449/