On the Road - Jamaica Plain Open Studios - Jamaica Plain, MA

Right on the cusp of fall, I got to head north for one of my favorite family friendly arts events: Jamaica Plain Open Studios. It was my third year participating in this annual show and second time located at the Samuel Adams Brewery with a wonderful group of artists.

A beautiful weekend at JPOS!

Bustling at the Brewery.

I was nestled into a cozy corner of the courtyard under a brand spanking new tent. The beautiful in-between-seasons weather welcomed a good amount of foot traffic through the Brewery both Saturday and Sunday.

A beautiful almost fall day.

Twitch and Whiskers at the Brewery

What's really nice about returning to a show year after year is reuniting with the people you've made special connections with from the community in the past. Back in 2012, I met a very creative boy named Jack and his mom Erin. Jack showed an interest in jewelry design, so over the years I have been sending him care packages and he's been busy creating his own special pieces. It was so nice to get hugs and hellos from Jack and his family.

Erin, Chris, Jack, and Kieran

I also got a warm visit from my friend from work Judy and her husband Stan. It was their first time at JPOS and they really enjoyed exploring the different locations throughout the town.

Smiles from Judy and Stan

On Saturday, a dad and his enthusiastic daughter swung by my tent right after a soccer game. The young girl said that she wanted to be an artist one day and so she was checking out all the booths at the Brewery for inspiration. I think I spy a future JP artist!

A JPOS artist in the making!

The nicest treat of the weekend was being next to Amy Jensen Trueblood of Amy J. Designs. All day long we laughed, shared stories, and laughed some more. I got to meet her fabulous family and by the end of the weekend, I felt as though I had known her for years! In addition to being an all around funny person and great mom, Amy is a talented jewelry designer. Amy searches the world for public transit tokens and coins and turns them into gorgeous necklaces, rings, cuff links, and bracelets. Her small pieces pack a lot of nostalgia. She often gets to hear customers' tales of grandfathers who've worked for the railroad and family memories of riding transit lines. Amy appreciates the beautiful details of each coin. The cut out letter-shaped centers, the old fonts, and the tiny pictures hold a piece of history that's unfortunately disappearing. Thankfully, Amy is there to preserve these tiny relics in her fine silver and gold work. Amy specializes in custom work and is the perfect person to contact for wedding party and regionally-inspired gifts. Visit Amy J. Designs' website and Etsy shop to see a fine sampling of her jewelry.

Amy Jensen Trueblood of Amy J Designs

tokens of nostalgia

Get a perfect pendant from any part of the US.

Elegant earrings

Amy's daughter Gwen and Tegan were the sweetest helping hands around!

The customers at JPOS were very enthusiastic and fun to talk to. I met a school nurse who found several whimsical pieces to wear to work, including a Miss Curity necklace and several lenticular pieces. She said they would be the perfect thing to wear to cheer kids up when they visited her office.

A stylish school nurse wearing her Miss Curity necklace

Miss Curity pinback button necklace

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A sweet mother-daughter duo visited the booth and had fun checking out many of the necklaces upcycled out of vintage tin toys. Mom went home with a vintage Cracker Jack tin fish whistle. Her daughter's tenth birthday was just around the corner and she left with the perfect ring to celebrate.

Mom looks fabulous in a tin fish whistle necklace.

A special 10th birthday ring!

It's always a hoot to see customers checking out the Fun 'n' Games rings made out of vintage pinback buttons, poker chips, game pieces, and wooden nickels. Some of the novelty pinbacks from the 1940's are especially sassy and many went away on the hands of happy ladies.

Fun 'n Games rings

"Chicken Inspector" and "It's O.K" rings look great on these two friends.

These twins are adorable times two!

The biggest surprise came in the form of a cute five year old customer who purchased her ring two years ago at JPOS. I was thrilled to see that she was still wearing the ring and amazed at how much she had grown in two years!

Age 5 - Still looking as stylish as ever!

Age 3 - Looking cute when she first got her ring.

Toward the end of the show, I met Bridget and Takara; two friendly local artists who share a studio space just down the street from the Brewery. They took the time to look through my entire stock of blinking doll eye and brooch necklaces. I think they found the perfect pair!

All eyes on these creative gals!

blinking doll eye necklaces

Thanks to all of the wonderful customers, artists, and organizers for making another year of Jamaica Plain Open Studios a success! I'm looking forward to returning again next year. 

Twitch and Whiskers' fall/winter schedule:
October 11 - Art is You - Mixed Media Art Retreats - Stamford, CT
November 16 - Craftopia - Pawtucket, RI
End of November through December - Craftland Holiday Show - Providence, RI
December 13 & 14 - New England Open Markets - SoWa Holiday Market - Boston, MA

Follow Twitch and Whiskers on Instagram and Facebook for new pics, promos, and updates. Swing by our Etsy shop for the goods. 

On the Road - Jamaica Plain Open Studios - Jamaica Plain, MA

Two weekends ago, I headed up to the Boston-area for one incredible show. It was my second time participating in Jamaica Plains Open Studios and this year I set up tent at the Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts. Many Eliot School teachers/artisans were set up inside the historic school and over a dozen other artists circled the front lawn. Though grey clouds threatened stormy weather at times, the weekend ended up providing us with sunshine and clear skies. It was fun being set up next to fellow Danbury artist Grace Napoleon of Folk Couture and we both enjoyed the steady flow of enthusiastic visitors.

Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts

Twitch and Whiskers and Folk Couture at JPOS

In addition to amazing handmade goods, live music and a sea of bubbles drew people onto the lawn of the Eliot School throughout the day. I had a perfect view of Bubble Man Jim Dichter and loved watching both kids and adults flash soapy smiles.

Live music from the Old Time Rips on the lawn of the Eliot School

Bubble Man Jim Dichter

On the Eliot School lawn, I had the pleasure of meeting a gal who melts (quite literally) for nostalgia. Breezy days at the beach on Cape Cod, vintage treasures, and sweet childhood memories playfully blend together in the mixed media work of Bumble Belly Designs. Amy Keller's encaustic works layer a special heated beeswax and resin medium with vintage ephemera, whimsical drawings, skillfully cut paper silhouettes, and pigments. The wax gently veils some details in the background while bringing others to the forefront. The result is work that is both dreamy and slightly mysterious. My favorite piece of Amy's is called The Heart Outside Yourself. A mother's heart strings are delicately tethered to her children with a sea of snipping scissors below. It reminds us of how precious and fragile our connections to others can be. In addition to one of a kind artwork, Amy offers prints and waxed minis of her originals. Amy also makes pillows and tea towels with vintage images and clever word themes. To see her whole array of artwork and to find out where you can find Bumble Belly Designs during the holiday season, swing by Amy's website, blog, Facebook page, and Etsy shop. You will be absolutely enchanted!

Amy Keller of Bumble Belly Designs

a whole lotta childhood charm

The Heart Outside Yourself

Old MacDonald Pillows by Bumble Belly Designs

I brought to JPOS a new batch of Fun 'n' Games rings. I always enjoy watching people identify the familiar game pieces and read the funny sayings on the vintage pinback buttons.

Fun 'n' Games rings

Smiles with style!

Visitors really enjoyed my new game board display made by my clever, clever husband. It helped me to showcase some new pinback button and dexterity game necklaces. Some of my favorite quirky pieces went home with happy customers.

new game board display

Looking out of this world in an outer space themed dexterity game necklace

Bravery at the Dentist necklace - and according to this gal...she earned it!

It really was one busy weekend and I enjoyed sharing my vintage compact lockets, tin car necklaces, and brooch assemblages with the lovely ladies of JP.

She's the cat's meow!

Ready to stop traffic in a U-Turn necklace

Gorgeous and golden in a vintage brooch necklace.

Author Christine McDonnell is full of car-risma and creativity.

Over the past few years, I've been fortunate enough to get to know and become friends with some of my wonderful customers. Last year, I met Jack and his mom Erin at the Brewery during JPOS. It turns out that Jack is quite the jewelry designer and all around cool, creative kid! Jack, his brother Kieran, and Erin made my day with a special visit. Erin looked gorgeous in her new compact locket. 

I recently met Lisa through my Etsy shop. We worked together to design a variety of custom made thimblism necklaces. She came by looking adorable in her hot dog thimblism necklace and introduced me to her sweet kids Max and Anya. They not only taught me how to make Rainbow Loom bracelets, but also made me a special one to perfectly match my outfit. I'm one lucky duck and that's one fabulous family!

Jack, Erin, and Kieran brightened my day in JP.

Lisa and her colorful, creative kids Max and Anya!

rainbow wrists

Thank you to the organizers of Jamaica Plain Open Studios, the talented artists, and numerous visitors for making the weekend a fabulous one. I am counting down the days to JPOS next year!

Come November, I have a busy holiday show season and I hope to see you out and about! 

Brookline Marketplace - November 9 - Brookline, MA

Craftopia - November 10 - Pawtucket, RI

Wellesley Marketplace - November 23  - Wellesley, MA

Craftland Holiday Show - November 27 through December 31 - Providence, RI

SoWa Holiday Market - December 14 & 15 - Boston, MA

For updates, sales, and pics of new pieces, follow Twitch and Whiskers on Facebook and Etsy.

On the Road - Jamaica Plain Open Studios

What's the best way to welcome in the first glorious fall weekend? In my opinion, it's walking through streets filled with art, artisans, and open studios. Jamaica Plains Open Studios offered all of that and more and I was proud to be a part of it.

the perfect fall day a JPOS

This two day event took place in one of the most art-friendly communities I've ever visited. Free maps were available all over JP, pinpointing over 50 locations where you could meet and mingle with tons of artists and have the chance to purchase incredible handmade wares. I was located at the Brewery - the Samuel Adams Brewery to be exact. In the courtyard you could find ceramics, photography, prints, paintings, mixed media pieces, fiber arts, sculptures, and of course jewelry. People were drawn to this happenin' location not only for the arts, but also for the beer tours, studios located adjacent to the brewery, live music, and  local hot spot Ula Cafe.

The Samuel Adams Brewery

live music at the brewery

What's round, and elegant, and has wings? Why, it's Caroline Golden's gorgeous bird earrings. I was conveniently situated across from the C.E. Golden booth and was totally mesmerized by Caroline's earrings all weekend. Upon closer look at her jewelry, I found even more to love including delicately hand pierced silver pendants with birds on a wire and trees, and earrings that integrate vintage Bakelite elements. Caroline offers the perfect blend of a modern and vintage aesthetic. I was thrilled to find out that I would see her again at Twist in November. Discover the lovely world of C.E. Golden by visiting their website and Etsy shop. You too will be mesmerized!

Caroline of C.E. Golden

earrings - Bakelite YES!

hand punched silver pendants

vintage inspired lovelies

Nothing beats having a great neighbor at a show and I really lucked out at JPOS. Karen Mahoney of City by the Sea Ceramics was a delight to hang out with for the weekend. Karen's ceramics are influenced by Asian design and you can see it in her elegant shapes. Simple, yet well-crafted elements such as mug handles that curve around your fingers, and cozy rope textures on surfaces make her pieces artful yet accessible. You can easily picture her ceramics gracing the table of any home and becoming old favorites. I loved Karen's whimsical yarn bowls with swirling cut outs. They would make the perfect gift for the knitter or crocheter in your life. Check out City By the Sea's website and Etsy page for a wonderful array handcrafted pieces.

Karen of City by the Sea Ceramics

How cool is the yarn bowl?

mugs galore

tea pot and mug

I loved the vibe at JPOS and met so many interesting people at my booth. I got the feeling that the community highly anticipates and supports the event each year. I had a chance to display a large collection of new necklaces upcycled out of vintage pinback buttons and plastic buckles. I have been deconstructing old plastic, lucite, celluloid, and Bakelite necklaces for their beads and making chunky, colorful bead chains with the vibrant pieces. Customers left with a variety of pieces including lockets, Thimblism necklaces, Fun 'n' Games rings, REcap bracelets, and the new pinback button necklaces. I especially enjoyed seeing so many families strolling about and meeting many artists from the area.

Twitch and Whiskers at Jamaica Plains Open Studios

seein' stars

new vintage button pin and buckle necklaces

a customer lookin' pretty in a Thimblism necklace (and matching my sign!)

looking lovely in a vintage Shredded Wheat button pin necklace

an adorable family with a new Thimblism necklace

a 3 year old beauty sporting a Fun 'n' Games ring

My ONLY regret about JPOS was that I didn't get to walk around town and take in the sights myself. Looks like I will have to bring a helper next year so I can peruse all that is wonderful in Jamaica Plain. What a fabulous show!


Here is where you can find me in the months to come. 


October 6 - Greenway Open Market - Boston, MA
October 13 - Greenway Open Market - Boston, MA

November 2 & 3 - Twist - Northampton, MA
November 10 - The Park School - Brookline Marketplace -  Brookline, MA
November 11 - Craftopia - Providence, RI

December 8 & 9 - SoWa Holiday Market - Boston, MA

*more shows may be added soon

You can find Twitch and Whiskers baubles at the following stores:

Craftland (Nov. and Dec. holiday show) - Providence, RI
Vudu Micia - New Milford, CT
English Apothecary - Bethel, CT
Aquvii - Tokyo, Japan (if you're in the area!)

You can find a small sampling of what I have available in my Etsy shop. Feel free to email me if you would like something special. I do custom orders!