On the Road - Craftopia - Pawtucket, RI

Last weekend, I headed east to participate in my first holiday show of the 2014 season: Craftopia in Pawtucket,RI. The halls of the Hope Artiste Village were decked with fantastic makers, designers, and artists from all over the northeast. There was such a festive mood in the air! One moment I was busily setting up the booth and before I knew it, the doors of the show swung open. Once they did, the space was hustling and bustling with holiday shoppers, enthusiastic families, and lovers of handmade.

Twitch and Whiskers at Craftopia November 2014

Craftopia - Hope Artist Village - Pawtucket, RI

I always adore getting visitors at a show. I was lucky to be graced by several friendly faces. My friend and old college roomie Rebecca was visiting from Connecticut and she brought her sweet fiance Michael to the show. It was my first time meeting Michael and I have to say that they make a fabulous pair! My friend and talented artist Wendy Brusick came bearing a unique gift. She gave me a large vintage plastic gorilla bank from the now defunct Building 19 store. She brought it because she knew my other gorilla bank at home needed a friend. I get the best treats! Ashley Vick of Filomena Demarco Jewelry (you have to check out her stunning work) visited with her mom in search of the perfect gift for a vintage-loving family member. They left with a great choice, but I promised to keep it a secret. Shh...

Rebecca and Michael - the glowing couple!

Artist Wendy Brusick and my new plastic pal

Ashley Vick of Filomena Demarco Jewelry and her lovely mom

I was lucky to be right across from the multi-talented Massachusetts artist Liza Abelson of Dasken Designs at the show. All day, I got to gaze at her lovely stained glass creations. Liza has a diverse artistic background in painting, jewelry design, and glass work. My first introduction to Liza's work was when I saw a customer wearing her stunning "Selena" necklace at a show in Boston. The gorgeous swirling lines and vibrant glass center stopped me in my tracks. Liza's nature-inspired pieces are both elegant in their form and spirited in their design. Her cheeky, shapely mermaids with curly hair put a smile on many customers faces at Craftopia. Many of Liza's pieces are ornamental in nature, which makes them the perfect holiday gift. They can go on the Christmas tree, by the mantle to catch the light of the flames, or on the window all year round to welcome in the sun. Make sure to visit Dasken Designs' website, blog, Square Shop, and Facebook page to see Liza's glass work, unique jewelry designs, and paintings. There are still many opportunities to see her during the holiday season, so don't delay! Liza's hands can craft you the perfect gift.

Liza Abelson of Dasken Designs

The unforgettable "Selena" necklace

The dazzling Dasken Designs mermaid

Whimsy meets nature

Capture the light of the holiday season with stained glass.

Rings of all sorts went home with happy Craftopia customers. Visitors loved picking through my Fun 'n' Games rings made from vintage pinback buttons. The sassy slogans with lines such as "You Nasty Man You", "Don't Monkey with Me", and "I'm the Guy that Puts the Stickers on Gooseberries" filled my booth with laughter throughout the day.

Fun 'n' Games and Hob Knob rings by Twitch and Whiskers

This birthday girl gives it her all!

Bling it on!

Ringing in vintage, kitschy style!

The fun continued as ladies tried on holiday-themed, pinback button, protractor, and blinking doll eye necklaces. A wide variety of pieces left the show both as gifts for others and around the necks of happy customers.

A creative mom and son duo enjoyed looking through all the pinback button necklaces.

Red Hot Mama and Let's Make Whoopie went home with some sassy ladies!

Holiday hugs and smiles

Saint Nick lookin' slick.

Blinking doll eye necklaces were popular purchases. Perhaps you will find one staring at you from inside your stocking.

Thank you to all of the wonderful customers and friends who came out and filled my booth with fun and laughter all day. Warm hugs go out to the stellar Rhody Craft organizers who created a door-busting, successful show. A great time was had by all! You can see more photos from Craftopia on Rhody Craft's Facebook page. Support the local, handmade scene and run over to Rhody Craft's wonderful store at its new location at 780 Hope Street in Providence.
 
Here is where you can find Twitch and Whiskers this holiday season:
 

November 28th through December 31st - The 13th Annual Craftland Show - Providence, RI

December 13th and 14th - The 11th Annual SoWa Holiday Market - Boston, MA

Visit PURE.original in Rutland, Vermont to all sorts of upcycled and vintage goodies for the holidays, including Twitch and Whiskers designs. Give the lovable Heather a high five for me if you go!

Psst...

I will be doing a BIG EXCITING GIVEAWAY soon!

Keep a lookout on Facebook and Instagram for more info. Visit our Etsy shop for fab gifts.

On the Road - Creative Adventures in Providence and Worcester

One of my favorite parts of selling jewelry on the road is the opportunity to meet new people and explore new places. Prior to the Greenway Open Market several weeks ago, I had a chance to visit with some pretty amazing folks and do some digging for treasures. My trip started in Providence with lunch with a new friend. I met Wendy Brusick through my Etsy shop. Her daughter ordered a blinking doll eye necklace for her as a gift. And when her daughter's birthday came around Wendy and I collaborated on a custom necklace for her. Through our exchanges, we got to know each other and discovered that we are inspired by and drawn to many of the same things. 

Wendy Brusick with a mixed media piece "Serious Moonlight"

A double sided necklace for Wendy's daughter made out of a vintage magnifying glass and a new Dr. Who pin.

The other side of the magnifying glass reveals an antique image of two women from 1865 (provided by Wendy).

Wendy is a storyteller at heart who expresses herself in paintings, drawings, assemblages, and in words. Her surrealistic works are breathtakingly beautiful and strong with emotion. I remember the day she sent me a link to her website. I was instantly taken aback by the vivid tentacle-like purple petals  and stoic body of the mysterious Lady in Waiting. The deeper I dove into Wendy's work, the more intrigued I was by Flowertopian Imagery. It's incredible how she captures the personalities of her floral women through subtleties in body language, and by playing with light and color in her settings. Wendy often uses vintage photographs as a starting point for her surrealistic work, which makes her pieces feel very familiar, yet other-worldly.

Lady in Waiting

Ars Moriendi - mixed media

During our lunch I got to hear about Wendy's studies at Valparaiso University and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. While getting her four-year certificate in painting, she received the prestigious Schiedt Memorial Traveling Scholarship. This enabled her to visit art museums in ten European countries. Wendy currently resides in Cranston, Rhode Island where she not only paints, but also writes non-fiction. I highly recommend visiting her website and Facebook page to view her stunning work and learn more about her background. Before we parted ways, Wendy shared with me some old photos that she'll be referencing for future work and proposed that we collaborate together on a special project. I couldn't have been more thrilled with the idea. Stay tuned...something fabulous is in the works!

vintage inspirations - paintings to be

After my get together with Wendy, I headed out to some of my favorite treasure troves in Providence. I spent several hours  sorting, sifting, and picking through vintage beads, findings, and embellishments. It's really hard to contain my excitement when I'm in these magical spaces. I loaded up my car with boxes and bags filled with supplies galore and headed to another friend's home.

Can you dig it?

drawers and drawers and drawers

That night I visited and stayed with Anh and Phillip Sawyer in Providence. I met this creative couple through the Greenway Open Market last year. Anh is the Executive Director of the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central MA (SEACMA) and author of Song of Saigon.   Philip is the creative force behind Philip Sawyer Designs and a continuing education professor at RISD. I had the opportunity to visit their design studio/home last year and enjoyed learning and blogging about them. Recently, Anh invited me to teach an upcycled jewelry making class at SEACMA and I couldn't wait to visit their headquarters in Worcester. I brought with me crates filled with game pieces, toys, and doodads. The participants made a variety of colorful bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. It was a real pleasure creating with the members of SEACMA and hearing about their recent Asian Festival. The afternoon ended with a delicious bowl of Vietnamese pho with Anh. With a full belly, I headed back to Providence for the evening.

stuff for making stuff

Twitch and Whiskers upcycled jewelry workshop at SEACMA

Manyu sporting her new bracelet.

The night ended with a visit and stay with my favorite Providence artist and friend Carrie Wagner of SepiaLepus. The last time I saw her I was looking for a new pair of glasses. I adored her dark purple frames and ordered the same pair. It was fun reuniting with my 'spectacle sister.' I'm so proud of Carrie because she recently quit her day job to go full time with her art.  She has been keeping busy with shows at the Providence Flea, SoWa and Waterfire. Carrie has also been setting up a new studio space in her home and will soon be wowing the world with new SepiaLepus masterpieces. The evening ended with my first gut-busting experience with all-you-can-eat Korean Barbeque. Carrie, her husband Jim, and I ate all that we could (and then some) and finished off the night with some gore for dessert ala Evil Dead on TV.

Wonder Twin Powers...ACTIVATE! Form of a Corgie!

Korean barbeque eating frenzy

With two full days of feasting, friends, and creativity under my belt, I was definitely ready for my Saturday at the Greenway Open Market. To be continued...