Looking forward

It's a sunny Sunday, and I am beat!  Vended all day yesterday at Assembled, and the evening prior, celebrated Afro-Brazilian music and dance with Uhuru Afrika, an amazing DJ/drummer collective that performed at Naga in Cambridge.  Lots of Carnival-style dancers in full regalia shaking everything, conga and dengue drums, strobe lights and Afro-Brazilian beats.  You know how I know I'm getting old?  Every muscle in my body was sore the next morning.  But that's a great sign that you've had a lot of fun, right?  Being sore the next morning!
I'm going to produce another Assembled market on September 7th.  I am really excited about it because many of the vendors whose products I absolutely love, like Kristilyn Stevenson of Zombie Romance, who couldn't join us for the May

Art by Kristilyn Stevenson of Zombie Romance

18th opening show of Assembled, will be there for September 7th!  YAY!  So, in a really selfish way the September 7th Assembled will somewhat be a live version of my Etsy favorites list or my Xmas shopping list, but, you're just going to have to trust my taste, folks!  These vendors really are exceptional, they're stars in their own right, and we really are lucky that they're going to be there!  Here's a preview of some of their fantastic wares!
  Maybe you have no idea what Assembled is or why you should care, so let me back up a little and explain; Assembled: A Handmade Arts Market at Assembly Row is a weekly outdoor arts market that takes place at the Assembly Row development at Assembly Square in Somerville.  Assembly Row is kind of the re-birth of an old, delapidated strip mall, which has been razed, and will be turned into a brand new, swanky destination, with a movie theater, a collection of restaurants (Legals' C-Bar, Papagayo, JP Licks, etc.) and outlet stores.  They're even building a T-stop (public transportation in the Greater Boston area) at Assembly Row, to increase access for the public.  It's major, because frankly, Assembly Square was a bit of a waste before.  There was, and will still be, an art supply store there that I shop at all of the time, but the area just wasn't well-kept, there was nothing of interest to do or see there, and it wasn't inviting. 

Fabric Bag by Moozydoo

I'd drive there to grab supplies, then high-tail it out of there as quick as I could.  Now there really will be a reason to visit Assembly Square and stay to hang out.  They've already put up a brand new Starbucks with a ton of outdoor seating, and Assembly Row actually has an oft-ignored waterfront which they're cleaning up beautifully.  At the first Assembled show on May 18th, a lot of people who live in the area came by to check things out and inquire, and the overwhelming commentary was that they were grateful for something cool to do in the area, and that the development was getting some much-needed attention.  The Assembled market is such a great way to draw folks to the area, AND support local artists, and allow us to connect with customers.  So I'm happy to be producing another Assembled show.  As the show approaches, I'll post more about the artists who'll be there and the things they make.  Assembled takes place at Assembly Row at Assembly Square, 145 Middlesex Avenue, Somerville, Mass, Saturdays, 11 AM to 4 PM.

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

Arts and Crafts Fair!

There's still time to apply to Assembled: A Handmade Arts Market in Assembly Square! April 30th is the deadline: http://bit.ly/12o2w4y

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

Red is the Color of LOVE

Valentine's Day is fast-approaching, and frankly, many of you are likely feeling ambivalent about it.  Yes, it's a holiday devoted to all things love and pink and fluffy, but, perhaps it feels a bit commercial, and one might become overwhelmed by all the "being marketed-to."  Then there's the pressure of planning the perfect date, at the perfect restaurant, and choosing the perfect gift...  The pressure alone can really kill all of the inherent romance.  And if you're single, well...
  I was newly single last Valentine's Day, and decided to have a few drinks with some other single friends rather than hang out at home.  Perhaps we'd even meet some other single folks out and about on V-Day.  At our first destination, we were met with hanging paper hearts and couples draped over eachother, and we didn't last long.  Same deal at the next locale, at which point, we gave up.  A rather disappointing Valentine's Day all in all.  But I think we were missing the point to begin with.  V-Day could be a day to celebrate all of the loving relationships in your life, and honor your true friends, devoted parents or children who've made you proud, brothers or sisters who offer you support when you need it, and of course the furry pals who are always happy to see you (or indifferent, if they're cats).  Gift some baked goods, send a card, make a gesture of appreciation for all the folks that mean something to you.  This year, I plan to do Valentine's Day right!  And, I've started by making an ode to Valentine's Day, in treasury list form.  All red; crimson, scarlet, cherry, and wine as-interpreted by Etsy sellers.

  AND Sunday is Local is for Lovers, a fair in Somerville, MA at Arts at the Armory.  It promises to be quite the extravaganza, with local craft beers, local food, live music and a load of vendors.  I think it'll be a ton of fun, and can't wait!  It's Sunday, Feb 10th, from 11 to 5 PM at 191 Highland Avenue.  Hope you can make it, and get a good start to your Valentine's Day!

Happy V-Day!

Dara
 

Onward and Upward!

I hope all of you have had wonderful holidays!  It's been a busy, busy time.  But also awesome!  Lots of great holiday craft shows where I was either a vendor or a holiday shopper (or both), festive parties (including one where I won for Ugliest Holiday Sweater!), and general holiday fun-ness.

  The cats tore all of the ornaments off of the bottom of our Christmas tree, and undid a fair amount of carefully-crafted gift-wrapping.  I went with a black/white theme for the gift-wrapping this year, and was happy with the end result.
  I did a lot of craft-show shopping, finding some unique gifts for family, like a hand-crafted wooden pen from Turned Wood (Gary Kaplan) for my dad, who collects pens, via the Old South Church Christmas Craft Fair, and the most extraordinary (and expensive!) gold blown-glass earrings from Melissa Schmidt via CraftBoston Holiday.  I must say, the earrings were so pretty, I had a hard time giving them away!  I definitely shopped small/local this year, purchasing a bunch of gifts from Etsy sellers as well, like these sparrow earrings for my sister from ThisIlk on Etsy and this hysterical Ipad case for my other sister from ReAuthored on Etsy.  My sister has some sticky-fingered co-workers, so this incognito Ipad case is just the thing for her!  And I'd coveted a few of An Li Liu's items for years and finally got the chance to get a couple of her t-shirts, one for my bro with an awesome fox on it, and one that became a gift from me to me.  Haha.  Merry Christmas to me!

  In addition to making/shipping December orders, I'm working on getting new items up on Etsy, and new photos of some of our existing pieces.  I made a bunch of new pieces over the holidays; some new styles of terrarium necklaces and others, but haven't gotten around to listing them online yet, so that's something to look forward to!  I'm hoping to do a Valentine's Day craft show or two, but I've gotta build up that inventory first!  Amidst the Hieropice madness during the holidays, I had a lot going on in my personal life, including finding out I was a bone marrow match for an infant with leukemia.  She's unfortunately not well enough to receive a transplant right now, but fingers crossed that she gets there!  It's so bizarre, a family-member was awaiting a transplant as well, and was notified they'd found a match at the exact same time!  The transplant's been post-poned unfortunately, due to the condition of the donor, but I'm hopeful another donor will come along!  I had a bit of minor surgery myself, but I'm on the mend, and still working hard for my fantastic customers.  Here's to an amazing upcoming year!

Cheers!

Dara

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 

2012 Holiday Shopping Expo

This Saturday is the 2012 Holiday Shopping Expo, a show extravaganza on the South Shore.  We'll be vending there, at 100 Coddington Street, in Quincy, from 10 AM to 4 PM.  There will be a TON of vendors there, and I've never done this particular show before, so I really have no idea what to expect.  I do know that the proceeds go to the Montclair PTO, which is pretty cool.  It has a holiday theme, which feels a little premature in early November, but considering we've already had several inches of snow here in Boston, perhaps not!  It'll be a good time, complete with Santa and cookie decorating.  You can check out the event page on Facebook, here.  I hope to see you all there!

Lovely Surprise

Aloha!
JP Rocks and Rolls was fun, and I got to meet a number of my fellow Etsy-ans in real life/in-person, as the digital and corporeal worlds collided.  Yay for communing with fellow artists!
I had a moment today (a good one), as I discovered Hieropice had been featured in Madalynne's lovely blog, here.  Madalynne loves terrariums/terraria as much as I do, it seems, and wrote a piece celebrating the best of them!  Check it out!

Have a good one, all.

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!

Gifford Shelter Fall Festival

Tomorrow, Sunday, September 23rd is the Ellen Gifford Cat Shelter of Brighton's Fall Festival.  The shelter is "no-kill," meaning they don't euthanize cats to accommodate additional cat surrenders or due to a cat's age.  At the Gifford, cats are cared for until they find a home.  One of the Gifford's long-term residents, Bo, was with us for 15 years!  I've been a volunteer at the Gifford since 2004, and watched its many changes over the years.  Many cats have come and gone, some, bittersweet, as I tend to fall in love with them but am so glad when they finally find a home.  The Gifford recently rebuilt it's main facility and added two outdoor enclosures for the cats to roam in, one just for feral (non-socialized) cats.  They also house a number of hard-to-adopt cats (FIV-positive, diabetic, behavioral issues, elderly, etc.) and take excellent care of them. 

   Tomorrow's event is a fund-raiser, and an opportunity for visitors to meet the cats, as well as eat some goodies, participate in family-friendly activities and peruse crafts for sale.  Hieropice will be vending there, and I'm excited to have the opportunity to support such a wonderful cause!  The event is 1 PM to 5 PM at 30 Undine Road in Brighton, right near Boston College.  Check out the event info on Facebook, and Gifford's promo on Youtube.  Hope to see you all there!

Want to Dance?

Happy Sunday evening all (or not, depending on when you're reading this).  We are in that lovely crux betwixt Summer and Fall, where the weather is (albeit a bit unpredictable) cool and crisp but full of sunshine here in New England, and I hope you are all enjoying it!  I definitely am, I took a jaunt through the SOWA/SOWA Vintage markets in South Boston this afternoon; lots of really fascinating items, and, in the vintage market, anything you could possibly imagine.  Mostly everything you never knew you needed, until you saw it, and thought, "I DO want a glass chemistry distiller tube!"  It was a lot of fun, playing with all of the do-dads.  I hunted for a really special terrarium vessel but didn't find one this time, but I hope to visit both markets again soon!

Next Saturday (September 15th) is the World Damba Festival at Tufts University, at which I will be vending.  I have a number of new terrariums and jewelry designs to debut at the Festival, and I am really excited to do this festival in particular for a number of reasons.  Tufts is my Alma Mater, I attended it simultaneously as the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  I haven't been back on campus in years, and how cool to be there representing my business, after completing my education there years before!  Feeling very proud as a female entrepreneur of color.

   
      But the real fun is the festival.  Damba is a Northern Ghanaian celebration with roots in Islamic tradition, with an abundance of dance and song and food.  My partner is Ghanaian, and has missed elements of home (the ones we all do when we're away, food, family, social gatherings), and I am really looking forward to his opportunity to reconnect.  It'll be wonderful to learn a bit more about Ghanaian culture, and I know the energy of this festival will be amazing.  The festival runs Friday through Sunday, and Hieropice will be vending 10 AM to 6:30 PM on Saturday, September 15th (next weekend!).  Hope to see you all there!

Cheers,
Dara

P.S. - Check out the festival's Facebook page: World Damba Festival

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, Tomorrow!

Arts on the Arcade is tomorrow, 11 AM to 3 PM, at City Hall Plaza, Boston.  Hope to see you all there!

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/