Porcelain Skull by Julie MoonFollow Us!
Postcard Anyone?
Labor Day Weekend Sale!
Posted in Holiday, sales, sales & deals, website
Tagged art star, artstarphilly, labor day sale, sale
Leave a comment
My Art Collection Contest
We want to see your art collection & how it is displayed in your home. Send us your best photos for your chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate to Art Star & a blog post dedicated to your art collection!
Here’s how it works:
Email us at info(at)artstarphilly.com with 3-5 good photos of your art collection displayed in your home. It can be a mix of all different things – framed pieces, pottery, prints – whatever! As long as most of the items in the photos are made by an artist. Make sure the subject line in your email reads ART COLLECTION CONTEST. Images should not be larger than 800 pixels, 72 dpi.
There must be AT LEAST 2 items purchased at Art Star Gallery/Boutique OR from our Art Star Craft Bazaar in your photos.
Deadline to submit is September 30th.
We will choose 1 person whose photos we like best. The lucky winner will get a $50 Gift Certificate to our shop PLUS a blog post dedicated to the winning art collection with a bio and link to their website/etsy page/blog, ect.
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Necklace Giveaway with Julianna Swaney
We are working on adding some new designs to our collection of necklaces by Julianna Swaney. We sent her along 4 new prototypes and she thought it would be fun to do a little giveaway with them on her blog. All you need to do is comment on her blog post between now and Sunday (August 25th) and she will pick 4 lucky winners. Good luck!
Posted in Art Star Exclusives, giveaways, Jewelry
Tagged art star, Art Star Exclusives, artstarphilly, fox, Illustration, jewelry, Julianna Swaney, necklace, oh my cavalier
Leave a comment
Upcoming Exhibition: Farmhaus & Friends
September 21st – October 20th
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 21st, 5-8pm
DesignPhiladelphia Reception: Friday, October 11th, 6-9pm
Art Star is pleased to be hosting Farmhaus & Friends, a group exhibition which is presented as part of the 2013 DesignPhiladelphia Festival, a program of the Center for Architecture. The 9th annual citywide celebration of all things design will run for nine days from October 10-18 in unique venues and spaces throughout the city.
Ben McBrien of Farmhaus will bring his signature rustic modern style into Art Star where he will install a version of his dream home, starting with a handmade bed and dining room table made from reclaimed and responsibly sourced wood. The pro-surfer turned wood worker will also include carefully chosen pieces handmade by Philly friends, which will finish off the look of the urban beach loft that McBrien will create.
The friends of Farmhaus include: Project Runway Season 1 winner Jay McCarroll, ceramicist Audrey Cooper, graphic design/ tattoo artist Mike Ski, sculptor/designer Bill Curran, photographer Trevor Moran, woodworker Rachel Fuld, photographer Dominic Episcopo and master knitter Jane Likens who will lend their skills and work to help realize McBrien’s vision. Together they will create a home truly made by hand from quality materials and expert craftsmanship, reflecting Ben’s love and respect for his friends and the work that they create within his community.
In the Studio with Julie Moon
This month’s edition of “In the Studio” features the work of ceramic artist Julie Moon. Julie Moon is originally from Canada & worked in the garment district in Toronto before she began her career in the field of ceramics. She received her MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2010 and is now a resident artist at The Clay Studio right here in Philly. Julie creates incredible sculptures but also has a production line of ceramic jewelry & skulls that we carry here at Art Star. Julie was kind enough to give us a little glimpse into her everyday studio practice through photos. Enjoy!
A snapshot of Julie’s studio at The Clay Studio. Love seeing all the sculptures drying on the side there!
Julie slip casts all of her skulls from a mold. Here they are drying before they can go in the kiln.
Here are some flowers in progress. These will be made into jewelry or used as crowns on some of the skulls’ heads. The skulls with flower crowns always sell out first here at Art Star.
A bucket of glazes. The next step is glazing.
Here they are after they have been glaze fired. The final step will be to apply the decals to the skull heads.
I hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek. Here are some more pieces by Julie that we just added to the site!
Flower Stick Pins by Julie Moon, $40 each
Geometric Pendant Necklaces by Julie Moon, $80 each
Buttercup Stud Earrings by Julie Moon $50
Visit Julie’s website for more info and to check out her amazing sculptural work
Check out our entire collection of her skulls and jewelry
Posted in artist spotlight, ceramics, Featured Artist, In the Studio With, Jewelry
Tagged art star, artstarphilly, ceramics, flowers, in the studio with, jewelry, Julie Moon, porcelain, skulls
Leave a comment
Pretty Pretty Rebel Trunk Show at Art Star!
We are super excited to present a trunk show with local Philly designer Leah Delfiner of Pretty Pretty Rebel! Leah will be bringing her new fall line, which includes the most adorable pieces inspired by 80s punk rock music & cult icons. Expect a fabulous mix of bright & crazy patterns and tons of girly pink skulls & bows!
Sunday, September 8th from 10am-4pm // FREE
Bring your girlfriends – we’ll be serving mimosas & brunchy snacks!
About The Designer:
Leah D is a Graduate of The Art Institute of Philadelphia. During her time at A.I. she studied all aspects of the Fashion Industry with concentration in Fashion Design. After interning for Betsey Johnson, Leah was inspired to launch Pretty Pretty Rebel.
Since the creation of Pretty Pretty Rebel in 2010 Leah has been painting the fashion industry pink. With her energy, crazy patterns, and punk rock bravado, Leah has become a show stopping designer.
Leah’s motto of, “just have fun” has been appreciated by models and her clients alike. With models dancing down the runway in bright colors and prints it should come as no surprise that Leah always manages to tell the fashion world that she his here to stay. Her brand is well on its way to leaving a big, bright impression on the fashion industry.
Inspired by 1980’s Punk Rock Music and Cult Icons, Pretty Pretty Rebel is perfect for the inner wildchild in everyone. With a diverse selection of products, the brand allows you to be a Barbie one day and a Rock Star The next.
Since partnering with Fashion Photographer and Style Icon Taylor Horne in 2012, Leah now has the team she needs to put Pretty Pretty Rebel on the map. The punk-rock marriage was a match made in 80’s heaven, even calling themselves, “The Sid and Nancy of The Fashion Industry”
Leah D is currently working on a variety of exciting projects including, a childrens-wear line, a t-shirt line, and Pretty Pretty Rebels newest collection. PPR will showcase the Spring/Summer 2013 line at Small Boutique Fashion Week 2012 this September.
Enjoy the rest of these sneak peeks from Pretty Pretty Rebel’s New Fall Line!
Old Calgary PopInShop
We are excited to welcome Old Calgary, an online brand of handcrafted wallets and gadget covers made from Italian Leather and German Wool. We will be hosting the brand for a limited time and will kick off their debut with a Thirsty Thursday reception this Thursday, July 11th from 5-8pm. Enjoy a boozy cocktail while you shop. Also while you are in the neighborhood, visit Arcadia who will be hosting online brand kyu malange + Duke & Winston who will be hosting Maxton Men.
Ipad Proxima in Concrete by Old Calgary
Old Calgary began as a one man operation. What started as a simple design project, has now become a passion and continuing exploration of merging technology with traditional craftsmanship and quality. Our ethos remains the same; design and construct products with careful attention and provide amazing service. We obsess over every little detail, from the industrial thread we use to construct our designs, tasteful packaging, nifty letterpressed inserts, to the box your order is shipped in. We believe in the details, without losing sight of the larger picture. Some of our designs, though simple in appearance, have taken years to distill and perfect. Resulting into a finished product that is stylish, long lasting, and unique
Alpha Card Wallet by Old Calgary
Brought to you by PopInShop
Posted in events, for the dudes, NoLibs, pop ups
Tagged art star, artstarphilly, Old Calgary, PopInShop
Leave a comment
In The Studio with Karin Persan of Better Than Jam
I think it is very important to show our customers what goes into the creation of all the wonderful handmade items that we sell in our shop. I think taking a peak inside an artist’s studio is a great way to learn more about them and their process. I decided to start a series on this blog where our artists can share snap shots of their studio. First up is Karin Persan of Better Than Jam.
Handprinted Oatmeal A-Line Dress
Karin creates women’s dresses, tops and accessories that are each pieces of one-of-a-kind art, yet comfortable and easy to wear. Each piece is made by hand by Karin from start to finish. All of her fabrics are first screen printed with a collage of her unique imagery, which are either created from a photo, drawing or just an item thrown directly on the scanner. She designs all her patterns & sews them up into a truly unique garment. Karin seems to treat each dress or top as a blank canvas for her art. I hope you enjoy this peak into her studio space in Brooklyn as much as I did. If you ever find yourself in Bushwick, feel free to visit b/c her stuido is also home to her own boutique, also called Better Than Jam, which stocks handmade fashion by many other local designers. Shop our collection of her A-Line Dresses here. I have one and I am obsessed with it! Stop in the shop to check them out in person and also some longer ones that aren’t yet on the site.
imagery to be printed on fabrics
printing the fabrics
a burned screen ready for printing
stacks of screens – each burned with an image that Karin will print on the fabric individually, creating her final collage of images
Patterns
sewing all her beautifully printed fabrics into stunning garments
Better Than Jam Handmade Storefront
Thank you Karin for sharing these snap shots of your studio!
http://www.betterthanjamnyc.com
http://betterthanjam.wordpress.com/
Posted in artist spotlight, clothing, fashion, Featured Artist, In the Studio With, Uncategorized
Tagged A-Line, art star, artstarphilly, Better Than Jam, Clothing, dresses, fabric, fashion, handmade, printed, textiles
Leave a comment
ASCB Scores
About a week or so after our bazaar, I asked people to share what they got at the show with us for the chance to win a free tote bag & item from our line of products. We asked everyone to take a shot of their purchases in action (being worn, hung on the wall, etc) with #ascbscore on Instagram. We loved seeing all the pictures people posted. I thought you’d like to see too, so here are some that were submitted.
@htp32 rockin’ her Phea Jean Dress
@brittstagram Love this little tea set with a Bowl Cover by Chez Sucre Chez and “Give Me Some Sugar” print by Yardsale Press
@exit343 posted this pic of her sweet little Bunny by The Wind and The Sail (also, you should follow @exit343 because she makes awesome stuff too)
@kjerstieb Spread the Love Print by Yardsale Press and Types of Cake Print by Jillian Nickell
@mbuttich This one was one of my favorites and was a contender for the win. This Cookie Bandit shirt was made by @mbuttich at the Little Chair Printing Make & Take Station. They had vintage iron ons that customers could heat press themselves!
I chose @elle_melinda as the winner b/c I liked seeing the little Horrible Adorables in the Background with her in the foreground wearing her T-shirt by the 50/50 Company.
Thanks to everyone that played along with us! We’d still love to see what you got at the bazaar or from our shop. Post your pics on instagram with #ascbscore OR #artstarscore. Make sure to change your privacy settings so we can actually see your pics. We will pick our favorite photos from time to time & give out prizes. Follow us on Instagram!
If you missed the bazaar, we stock a good amount of items from participating vendors in our shop OR go to our vendor page for links to everyone’s websites.
3rd Ward Philadelphia
I’m so excited that 3rd Ward Philadelphia is finally open! For those of you that don’t know, 3rd Ward is a 27,000 Square foot space for creating really anything you could think of. They have so many cool classes you really won’t find anywhere else, like LED Millinery, Urban Farming, Digital Textile Design, and um the History of the Cocktail? Sign me up! I have not actually visited the space yet, but I hope to take a tour soon to check it out. They run tours every half hour between 1 and 5pm all week.
After perusing the site I am most excited about the Drink & Draw evenings. There is one tonight from 8-10:30 and for $10 at the door you can kick back, drink some beers and draw. What better way to unwind? Just bring your drawing materials and they will provide the beer and model. I have been looking for a space in Philly that offers this with not much luck. I really need to brush up on my drawing skills and drawing from a live model is the best way to do it! I can’t make it tonight, but I am hoping this will be a regular thing for them.
Also, I am a novice when it comes to design and it would really help us at the shop if I could gain a few more skills. Intro to Illustrator or Photoshop 2 might be a good place to start! It would be a dream to learn Photo Etching on Copper, Upholstery, Enameling……..I want to learn how to make everything! To me there is nothing more satisfying then making something entirely from scratch. I can’t wait to see what other classes will be added to their roster.
I also wanted to share that they recently asked Erin and I to be judges for a contest they are running called Learn.Make.Inspire. They are asking people to share what they are learning, making, or what they are inspired by. Learn more here for your chance to win some cash, class credit or for your submission to be included in a culminating exhibition at 3rd Ward. We are so excited to see all the submissions and honored that we were asked to be a part of it!
And to all you local makers, they are looking for teachers. Sounds like a great opportunity to make some extra cash and become a part of an organization that may just become a creative epicenter in Philadelphia.
Posted in crafts, DIY, events, Exhibitions, NoLibs, philly, Uncategorized
Tagged 3rd Ward Philly, Art Classes, art star, Craft Classes, nolibs
Leave a comment
Sign up for our bi-annual mailing
here.