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
 

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!

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