Though the weather report’s impending doom kept the big crowds we typically get away on Saturday, Sunday sure made up for it! Thanks to everyone who came out to support our show & our incredible group of vendors.  It’s not easy to get up and out of bed early, load up your car with all the work that you labored over for months when the weather is looking so grim.  But our vendors are professionals & they came with a good attitude and smiles on their faces.  An extra special thank you to all of you, who make the Art Star Craft Bazaar what it is – a celebration of the immense talent within the crafting community that we are so proud to be a part of.  We are YOUR cheerleaders and we are forever grateful to you.

These bracelets by Buffalo Craft Company were stand outs at this year’s show

Thank you to our group of community partners.  Your craft demos and make + takes were a huge hit.  We are so lucky to be a part of an incredible creative community here in Philadelphia.

The Clay Studio shared hands on claymation with event attendees!

Thank you to our incredible team.  Our small weekend staff: Lisa, Rich, Leah, Kelly, Pat, Jasmine, Kazana and Dee – you made our jobs so much easier & kept everything running smoothly.  Our group of volunteers: Dom, Neely, John, Molly, Lauren, Mary, Emily, Miranda, Aly, Sarah, Sharon, Victoria, Ben, Duran, Janet, and Bailey.  Your help is so appreciated by us but especially the vendors if you helped with load in and out!  You made a stressful time much less stressful and I can’t tell you how many of the vendors remark on how great you all are.  Heather & Jenny – we missed you this year but we know you’ll be back next year! Thank you to my husband Cisco for putting up with me during a very stressful time of year and for his help with load/in out and being our official vendor concierge!

At the Art Star Craft Bazaar you can shop with a beer in hand! Now, what’s better than that?

Thank you to Joey Sweeney and Claire of Philebrity for putting together an amazing line-up of bands AND putting together the after party for our vendors and bands. A HUGE thanks to all the bands that played – you are such a wonderful and important component to our show. Also thank you to Wild Hunt Vintage for selling the band merch.

Thanks to the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation for hosting our event. Extra special love to Shelvia, Sharon and Punch.

But most of all I want to thank my wifey, my hetero life partner, the yin to my yang – Erin. Art Star wouldn’t be possible without you.  You keep me sane and I feel like we can do anything we dream up together. Here’s to another 10 years of living our dreams!

Check out the complete set of photos by Abigail Reimold here 

Now, I’m a clay nerd so I am personally drawn more to the ceramic pieces that I found in their flickr set, but really there is something for everyone – jewelry, furniture, mixed media sculpture, photography and some pretty sweet bird houses, amongst many other things.  There will be over 140 artists set up Friday through Sunday in the lovely Rittenhouse Park, so you are bound to find a great mother’s day gift or a new addition to say, cough, your already (just a tad) excessive handmade mug collection.  Or just go to browse and enjoy the amazing weather (cuz it ain’t gonna rain!!)  Details Here.

I leave you with some of my personal favorites from their roster of artists…

Sharon Bartmann Ceramics

Klara Borbas

Elizabeth Gates, hand bookbinder

Lana Heckendorn

Art Star: Did you go to art school?  If so, where did you study?
Maryanne Petrus- Gilbert:

AS: What types of items will you be selling at the bazaar?
MPG: I will be selling my upcycled skirts and dresses. Every piece I make is completely unique since my materials depend on what I can find to upcycle.

AS: What materials do you work with?
MPG: I work primarily with preloved T Shirts. I love scouring local thrift stores for t shirts that have a great design or color. I also use corduroy pants, mens cotton dress shirts and wool/cashmere sweaters.

AS: How are your items made? Describe your process.
MPG: I handpick every shirt that comes back to the studio. I pit stop at our laundromat and load up the giant machines for washing, then the clothing comes home and is hung to dry. Everything then gets sorted and cut. I have several minnows now that help with cutting and assembly so I can focus on the design and applique work. Every flower, skull, whale, bike or thing that hit my imagination that morning is done by me using a process called free motion applique. I draw with the sewing machine thread and then the “drawing” is cut out.

AS: Are you able to make your work full-time?  If not, what do you do for your day job?
MPG: I have been doing this for 5 years now, Two years ago it became my full time job and I couldn’t be happier. I still love creating the metalwork for Polymer clay artists:Ford- Forlano, but most of my energy is in Sardine.

AS: What are you reading/listening to right now?
MPG: I have been loving the new David Bowie, but I listen to a variety of people like My Morning Jacket, The Shins, Dr Dog, Dawes, Alabama Shakes….where do I stop? I am a music junkie, the computer is always on Spotify or iTunes radio in the studio and I love hearing new artists.

AS: Where would you like to see yourself and your art/craft business in the next 10 years?
MPG: In 10 years, I would love to see Sardine be nationwide. Every year I add a different aspect to the business. This February I took the line to the Buyers Market of American Craft and had orders placed by 12 new stores. I plan to continue doing wholesale shows and adding to the list of stores that carry Sardine. I am trying to grow Sardine slowly so that I never lose the handmade goodness that makes every skirt unique.

AS: Are there any bazaar participants that you are excited to check out this year?
MPG: I can’t wait to see what monsters Leroy’s Place has in store, I may need to add another to my wall, Gilbert and Leona, Rocks and Salt, Horrible Adorables…I really just like seeing everything!

Try on some of her skirts/dresses at the bazaar this weekend at booth #29!

Art Star: Did you go to art school?  If so, where did you study?

AS: What types of items will you be selling at the bazaar?
JB: Our hand poured candles, in unique packaging designed by us!

AS: What materials do you work with?
JB: We only use American made materials that are as all-natural as possible, including food-grade soy wax, all-natural fragrance (no icky synthetic perfumes), cotton wicks, recycled paper packaging and handmade paper boxes.

AS: How are your items made? Describe your process.
JB: We hand pour all of our candles in batches no greater than 35, in traditional warming pots. No hoses, no industrial equipment–the old fashioned way. Our candles are also all hand signed and numbered…

AS: Are you able to make your work full-time?  If not, what do you do for your day job?
JB: We are lucky to be able to be busy enough to do this full time! If I had to work on the side, I would go back to decorating and photo styling…

AS: Who are some of your favorite artists?
JB: I collect vintage and antique oil on canvas landscape paintings, most of which are unsigned, or signed by artists of little notoriety. I tend to gravitate to works that were clearly done solely for personal pleasure, and handed down and inherited through family members (until they end up on eBay or flea markets)… As for works of established artists that I covet and would LOVE to collect, I enjoy the work of photographers like Stephen Shore, Gregory Crewdson and Diane Arbus who transform people, places and things we see everyday, into extraordinary imagery.

AS: What are you reading/listening to right now?
JB: Sirius XM 70′s on 7. I’m old.

AS: Are there any bazaar participants that you are excited to check out this year?
JB: I LOVE Twig Terrariums–their tongue-in-cheek humor is right up my alley! I have also always loved Volta Organics soaps when I come across them in stores, so am pumped to have their entire assortment in front of me (although I might implode with excitement). Additionally, I’m a dude that likes his small accessories, so am also intrigued to see Bregga & Co.’s leather goods up close and personal.

Thanks for Sharing Jeffrey!  Visit him at the Art Star Craft Bazaar this weekend at booth #101 

Aside from t-shirts, he is obsessed with pugs. Matt has a 6 year old pug named Oliver that lives with him in South Philly. He also got a pug tattoo at the 2013 Philadelphia Tattoo Convention. Ask him to see it!

Art Star: Did you go to art school?  If so, where did you study?
Matt Eyer: I did not. I did live in Germany for a year in between high school and college though, and I think my experience there definitely plays into my inspiration.

AS: What types of items will you be selling at the bazaar?
ME: T-shirts! My brand is centered around graphic t-shirts.  I have a few hoodies too.

AS: What materials do you work with?
ME: T-shirts! haha. and inks to print on them. I mostly use American Apparel shirts, as they are great to print on and very comfy to wear. I use 100% cotton, a 50/50 Poly-Cotton blend, and a super soft Tri-Blend shirt.

AS: How are your items made? Describe your process.
ME: All my designs are my ideas that start in my head and sometimes on paper with a very rough sketch. I then share these ideas with the artists and designers I work with and they beautifully craft them into print-ready designs. When the finished pieces are set to go, they are hand screen printed onto t-shirts and then I have custom hem tags that I sew on myself.

AS: Are you able to make your work full-time?  If not, what do you do for your day job?
ME: Not yet, unfortunately. Hopefully soon though! My “day job” is actually a night job. I’m a server at one of Philly’s most delicious Mexican restaurants, La Calaca Feliz. If you like Mexican and margaritas, I highly recommend coming in. And ask for me of course.

AS: Who are some of your favorite artists?
ME: Wotto is definitely one of my all time favorites. He has an incredible style that you can always recognize as soon as you see one of his designs. Yema Yema is also at the top of my list. She creates some of the best characters I’ve ever seen. (She designed my Ben Franklin tee and I will have a new one from her this year!) againstbound is another favorite. He has a very unique style that stands out from the crowd. And one of my more recent favorites is Colus. (He just released is first ever dunny with kidrobot!)

I also recently discovered these two wonderful ladies: Anita Inverarity and Lea Barozzi. I just put a deposit on one of Lea’s original pieces!

AS: What are you reading/listening to right now?
ME: Always listening! Local Natives, Tame Impala, Beach House, Father John Misty, Vacationer. All those bands have released really awesome records over the past year and you should definitely check them out.

AS: Where would you like to see yourself and your art/craft business in the next 10 years?
ME: 10 years is a long time from now…but in the next few years, I would like to get my shirts into more stores and shops in Philadelphia and hopefully open my own store one day! I’m also planning on creating a Wear Liberty pet line for all of your Philly loving cats and dogs.

AS: Are there any bazaar participants that you are excited to check out this year?
ME: Gnome Enterprises always has some awesome shirts, so I’ll have to check them out. All the stuff from Mad Knits, Gearforms, and Cutesy but not Cutesy looks great (especially the dog monster hoodie!), so I’ll definitely be stopping by all of their booths. And one of these days, I’m gonna have to pick up one of Jordan Elise’s Horrible Adorables. They’re just too awesome not to.

This is Matt’s second year doing the Art Star Craft Bazaar and he is super excited! He will be releasing 5 new designs, which is the most he’s ever done at once with his own brand.

He was featured on Comcast/Xfinity On Demand for the month of February for an interview he did with the website Philly In Focus. Each month, their top 3 most popular videos are featured on On Demand under the “Get Local” section.  Check it out here 

For sneak peeks and updates, follow Wear Liberty on facebook and twitter.

AS: What types of items will you be selling at the bazaar?
HS: I will be selling hand-colored etchings, drawings, embroidered objects and perhaps some very small weavings.

 AS: What materials do you work with?
HS: I keep many scraps for collage. Many drawings soon become pieces of other drawings. I use embroidery thread, linen, many colored yarns, and a small thing of gouache. Colored pencils, a few nicely colored markers, crayons, fine paper, and pva are also staples in my small studio.

AS: How are your items made? Describe your process.
HS: I am an intuitive maker. I find I often just begin and I try to look closely at what is happening in the work. Relationship building is a big part of making anything for me these days. I use my imagination quite a bit.

AS: Are you able to make your work full-time?  If not, what do you do for your day job?
HS: That is something I hope to work towards. Along with making my work and running Specks & Keepings,  I work four days a week as a production assistant at a small textile company, called Unison, based in Chicago. I get to work with many lovely handprinted fabrics, which is a pleasure.

AS: Who are some of your favorite artists?
HS: Cy Twombly and Claes Oldenburg excited me. I am often inspired by children’s drawings, the quilts made by the women of Gees Bend, the flatness of Grandma Moses, and many other wonderful artists I find and share on my blog. So many beautiful things in the world worth seeing.

Horse Mobile by Hillery Sproatt

AS: What are you reading/listening to right now?
HS:  At the moment I am reading At Home by Bill Bryson, which is very good! I am also enjoying watching Treme on HBO. This is one of my very favorite shows.

AS: Where would you like to see yourself and your art/craft business in the next 10 years?
HS: I would like to be able to support myself and to be showcasing the work of many other fine artists through growing the Specks & Keepings shop. I would also like to be designing fabrics for Debby Weiss, the designer of Rebe, to make her wearables from.

“Henri & Hanna” Soft Sculptures by Hillery Sproatt

AS: Are there any bazaar participants that you are excited to check out this year? 
HS: The ceramic mugs by Earth and Wears. Printed Wearables by Red Prairie Press.

Visit Hillery Sproatt at the Art Star Craft Bazaar at Booth #71

Art Star: Did you go to art school?  If so, where did you study?
Meera Lee Patel:

Pillow by Meera Lee Patel

AS: What types of items will you be selling at the bazaar?
MLP: I’ll be selling original paintings (watercolor & gouache), along with hand-sewn tea towels, pillows, and a slew of illustrated paper goods.

AS: What materials do you work with?
MLP: I work primarily in watercolor & gouache and the tiniest of brushes.

Superfood Tea Towel by Meera Lee Patel

AS: How are your items made? Describe your process.
MLP: Every item starts with a loose pencil sketch, followed by a tighter sketch in color. Then I begin blocking large areas of color in, adding light layers until the painting is finished. My favorite part of the process is the last one, where I use tiny brushes to add little flecks of paint that become the detail & life of each piece.

the artist’s studio

AS: Who are some of your favorite artists?
MLP: I love the work of Carson Ellis, Diana Sudyka, and Teagan White, to name a few, but the list is pretty long and ever-growing!

We Are Made of Stars Postcard by Meera Lee Patel

AS: What are you reading/listening to right now?
MLP: I am reading Crush by Richard Siken for the seventh or eighth time, and listening to Paul Simon perpetually and probably for the rest of my life.

AS: Are there any bazaar participants that you are excited to check out this year?
MLP: I’m especially excited to see work by Andrew Cho, Betsy Olmsted, and Foxglove Factory.

Thanks for sharing Meera!  Follow her work on Etsy, her website, & her blog.  Visit her at our craft bazaar next weekend in booth #65