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 - SoWa Open Market - Boston, MA

How did my last SoWa Open Market of the summer sneak up so quickly? I had four wonderful shows in Boston's south end leading up to this final one and I couldn't wait to see what my season closer had in store. Though Mother Nature served us a "sun, rain, sun, rain, sun" club sandwich it didn't stop loyal customers, tourists, and market enthusiasts from coming out and shopping handmade.

SoWa sun

SoWa rain

Twitch and Whiskers was all set and ready to go with lots of new pieces and special rings to ward off wet weather. It didn't keep the sprinkles away but it did manage to keep spirits up as the rain came down.

Twitch and Whiskers at SoWa Open Market

Well, maybe just a little mo'.

One of a kind assemblages and a tin clicker pup

There's a lot of love, thought, and design wrapped into every one of Melissa Rocklen's creations. She's the clever hands behind RocklenDesigns Mobiles and Jewelry. I was set up diagonally to her at SoWa and got to gaze upon her gorgeous mobiles all day. Her elegant, sculptural pieces are adorned with vibrant beads, jeweled grape-like wisteria clusters, and sweet, petite birds that curiously perch upon swirled branches. As you watch them slowly turn and catch the light, you feel as though you're walking through a whimsical garden. Her skilled wire work can also be seen in her pretty earrings and necklaces. Her hammered necklace components are quite eye-catching and unique.  Melissa carefully selects beads from different parts of the world and eras, so there are special stories and cultural connections tucked into her work. Visit RocklenDesigns webpage, and on Etsy, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to see a nice sampling of Melissa's work and to find out where to catch her in person next.

Melissa Rocklen of RocklenDesigns Mobiles and Jewelry

Fine feathered friends

Earrings with beautiful beads

Vibrant rainbow arc mobile

Protractor necklaces were the big seller this weekend and ladies left the booth wearing their necklaces embellished with panthers, greyhounds, butterflies, birds, and flowers. 

On the prowl!

Looking beautiful in a butterfly.

Brass protractor necklaces

Shopping at SoWa is often a family affair. You could feel the love  when these mother-daughter and mother-foster pup duos visited.

A garden of beauties!

These two love clownin' around!

Whistling for a furry friend

The best part about working with vintage items is you never know when someone will make a personal connection to a piece. A fellow jewelry designer visited my booth and zeroed in on a lenticular necklace that said "Fancy Me in My Rona-Lee" and had a cute image of a girl primping herself in a mirror. It just so happened that her name was Rona, so she left with the piece around her neck. What a perfect match!

Rona wearing Rona!

Twitch and Whiskers lenticular and dexterity game necklaces

This market was the perfect end to my SoWa summer season. Thanks to all the supportive customers who came out and showed some Twitch and Whiskers love this spring and summer! I will be back in the area before you know it.

My fall/winter schedule is starting to shape up. Here are my event dates (so far):

September 20 & 21 - Jamaica Plain Open Studios - Jamaica Plain, MA

October 11 - Art is You - Mixed Media Art Retreats - Stamford, CT

December 13 & 14 - New England Open Markets - SoWa Holiday Market - Boston, MA

Also, swing by the fabulous new shop PURE.original in Rutland, VT to see a wide variety of Twitch and Whiskers jewelry.

Visit Twitch and Whiskers on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy to see new pieces, get updates, and find out about sales. I recently added over 100 new pieces to my shop.

Hope you're enjoying the summer!

Cheers,
Mei-Ling

On the Road - SoWa Open Market - Boston, MA

If you had told me on Saturday that SoWa Open Market on Sunday would include two surprise visits, tears (of the happy sort), and a prosthetic leg, I would have looked at you sideways. But I guess you can never predict what SoWa will have in store for you. With such a festive atmosphere, anything can happen!

SoWa Open Market - Boston, MA

Twitch and Whiskers at SoWa Open Market

The day started off with a small change to my set up. I created a special stand-alone display for my Fun 'n' Games rings which are comprised of items like vintage pinback buttons, game pieces, Cracker Jack prizes, and wooden nickels. The display was placed toward the front of my tent and caught a lot of eyes. All day, folks gathered around to read the sassy phrases and old advertisements showcased on the rings. One passerby saw the old Red Cross swimming pins and told me that he had spent much of his youth earning these pins as he moved up in the ranks as a swimmer. He proudly recalled that he made it all the way to the final pin and then became an instructor himself. I love it when pieces conjure up fond memories and stories.

New Fun 'n' Games ring display

Ring readers

When it comes to handmade body products, you can see the love and care that goes into an item by the amount of attention paid to the ingredients and presentation. It's these beautiful details that make Urban Kitchen Handmade's home and body products a favorite of many folks in the Boston area. Helene Matteson specially crafts small batch soaps using an old fashioned cold pressed method. The glycerine rich soaps uses the finest natural ingredients that keep your skin nourished and smooth, without stripping it of its natural oils. Urban Kitchen Handmade offers a wide variety of scents like refreshing Tea Tree and Rosemary and fruity Black Raspberry Cream. The soaps are amazing enough on their own, but Helene goes the extra mile by wrapping them in the prettiest printed papers. Their charming presentation makes them the perfect gift for a housewarming or really any occasion. Though soap is Helene's biggest passion, her product line also includes high quality lip balms, solid perfumes, soy candles, massage oils, bath salts, body scrubs and more. She really has something for everyone! You can visit Helene at her studio in Allston on Thursdays to see her in action and to smell all of the wonderful scents in person. For more information, go to Urban Kitchen Handmade's website, Etsy shop, Facebook page, and Twitter page.

Helene Matteson of Urban Kitchen Handmade and her husband James

A wide variety of soothing sachets and cold press soaps

Beautifully packaged lip balms and solid perfumes

Scented soy candles in lovely decorative tins

As a designer and teacher, I feel like I live two separate (and wonderful) lives that rarely cross over one another. It's always a huge surprise when people from my school in Connecticut show up at shows out of state. My first set of visitors included a fabulous kindergarten paraprofessional from my school named Judy, and her family. They filled my morning with smiles and cheer. A little later in the day, I was visited by Cara, a former student teacher and friend. She had recently relocated to the Boston area with her husband. It was great catching up with her and hearing about her new life in Massachusetts.

 

Judy and her fabulous family!

Cara's surprise visit brightened up my day.

My Fun 'n' Games rings were a big hit at SoWa. One lovely bride-to-be visited with her maid of honor and found the perfect ring to wear to her bridal shower that said, "Here Comes the Bride." A fun-loving couple from Florida visited with the most unique find. They had just purchased a vintage prosthetic leg from the SoWa Vintage Market next door. We had a great chat about collecting curious goods and they even let me hold the leg. One of the ladies left with a "Safety First" ring which I thought was a good match for their prosthetic!

Here comes the bride to be!

No they aren't pulling your leg. They're pulling their own!

Necklaces also went home around the necks of happy customers. One gal enthusiastically zeroed right in on a necklace that suited her perfectly. It featured a 1940's novelty pin that said "I Am Little But Oh My!" and was circled in vintage rhinestones. She happily wore it through the market.

"I'm Little But Oh My!" found the perfect gal!

My favorite moment of the show happened when a vivacious couple and their daughter swung by and were browsing around. All of a sudden, the wife gasped and said, "I'm going to cry!" This of course got my attention and so I asked what was going on. The couple picked up a necklace made out of a Vari Vue, lenticular card. It featured an image of a young couple sitting on a bench. When you tilted the card back and forth, the couple kissed. They explained that they had used the exact same lenticular card on their wedding invitations 25 years ago! Tears, laughter, and cheers filled up the tent. The husband treated his wife to the necklace and she absolutely glowed when she put it on. It was so sweet to see them make such a loving connection to the piece. This is why I love using small, vintage treasures. Despite their small size, they sure can hold a lot of meaning and nostalgia.

Happily ever after for 25 years!

Needless to say, I will never forget this particular SoWa Open Market. I only have one more craft show this summer season. I will see you back at SoWa Open Market on July 27th. 

Stay tuned for the Twitch and Whiskers fall/winter show schedule.

Want to see new pieces, get coupon codes, or find out where we will be next? Follow Twitch and Whiskers here:

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Cheers!
Mei-Ling