Friends, groups, couples – come one, come all! Get crafty and celebrate Valentine’s Day with us. Deadline to sign up is February 7th and the event is limited to just 25 people, so sign up ASAP. We will only hold the event if we get enough people to sign up, so tell your friends. If we end up not filling up, we will let you know and refund you in full. If you would like to sign up, please click here.
Category: crafternoons
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Crafty Hearts Party!
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Crafternoon #2: Janell Wysock + Rachel Sherman of Malagueta
Our first Crafternoon was such a hit, so we are excited about our 2nd in the series! We will be visiting the studio of textile artist Janell Wysock & then we will head back to Art Star for a trunk show / make + take with Rachel Sherman, the lovely woman behind the amazing clothing line Malagueta.
Janell Wysock’s studio & samples of her work Here are the details & full itinerary for the day:
Sunday, October 21st
10:15am-approximately 2pm$25 per person, limit 10 people per Crafternoon (must have 5 to run)
10:15am– Meet up at Janell Wysock’s studio at the 915 Spring Garden Street Studios
You will get an intimite view of Janell’s studio + she will talk about her work & give a demonstration on her process. She will also have her collection of goods out & available for sale for 20% off – for crafternooners only! coffee, tea & snacks will be provided.
sample of clothing designs by Malagueta 11:45am – approximately 2pm Meet at Art Star where Malagueta clothing designer Rachel Sherman will be set up with her latest line of clothing. She will talk a little bit about her work & then give a demonstration on one of the techniques used on her clothing (see images below) called Couching. Bring a blank t-shirt, skirt, bag, or any other simple fabric piece to try out the technique. All other materials will be provided. Finger foods & refreshments provided.
Sample of the Couching Technique that Crafternooners can try You will receive 20% off any item purchased from Art Star or from any of the artists that day!
Register here or call us at 215.238.1557
About the Artists:
Janell Wysock completed her BFA at Moore College of Art and Design in 2004. Since then, she has lived and worked in Philadelphia and successfully established her textile work by developing a strong following with her unique and creative woven works of art. Janell is a member of the 3 by Three collaborative with Melissa D’Agostino, and Rachel Sherman, of Maleugeta, who believe hand made local fashion is important to building a caring and sustainable community that respects local makers which, in turn, supports other various local suppliers, creating an over all smaller carbon foot print.
Check out our interview with Janell here or visit her website for more info
After receiving her BFA in Textile Design from Moore College, Rachel Sherman traded in her east coast lifestyle for a stint in Seattle. It was there, in 2002, that she launched her label “malagueta”, based on improvised surface manipulation techniques such as applique, couching, shirring, top-stitching, ruching, embroidery, piecing, and pin-tucking. Her inspiration: foliage, architecture, fruits, vegetables, insects, and machinery.
Malagueta, in Portuguese, is known as a tiny, hot red pepper that grows in Brazil, where her mother was born and where Sherman has visited on many occasions. Her lively interpretations of color and pattern pay homage to her passion for nature and music. Her vibrant, modern and easy to wear creations found their way into independent boutiques down the west coast to Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, then east to Tucson, Miami, and DC, where funky and feminine were embraced by a diverse clientele.
Presently, based in Philadelphia, Sherman has reestablished herself on the handmade scene through local fine art festivals and indie craft shows such as Art Star Craft Bazaar, Crafty Bastards, Holiday Heap, and the SOWA Market.
Visit her website for more info
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September Crafternoon Recap
We had so much fun this past Saturday at our first ever Crafternoon! We are definitely going to make this a monthly event – so please sign up for our email newsletter or follow us on Facebook/Twitter for updates!
We met up at Penelope Rakov‘s studio in the morning & she treated us to donuts & coffee while she chatted about her work & walked us through her process. Here are some photos from the visit. Check out all the photos on Flickr.
Penelope (far right) chatting about her work 
bars of colored glass that Penny uses to pull glass cane used to make her jewelry 
Penny showed us each step that is involved in her process. Here are bundles of pulled glass cane. 
after Penny talked about her work, we all got to shop her entire collection, which included new & older pieces. All crafternoon purchases were 20% off! 
We found a drawer filled with finished glass pieces that just needed to be set in sterling silver. A few of our crafternooners picked out their favorites from the drawers & Penny custom set them! After we were finished at Penny’s studio, we headed over to Art Star for a lovely spread of food from A Full Plate Cafe. Bonnie & Susan of Kaye Rachelle were all set up & ready for us. They chatted a bit about their line of printed home textiles & then we dove right into our make & take! They created 3 simple chevron designs cut from acetate & crafternooners could choose their color/design/placement for their tote/tea towel. We had tons of extra totes & towels, so everyone got to make a few. The results were great!
Bonnie & Susan with their three screens. They gave us step by step instructions on how to silk screen. The cut stencil technique is so simple to do at home. Their chevron designs were inspired by the One & Two Liberty Place Buildings right here in Philly. All three designs worked so great together – perfect for layering them onto the totes in different color inks. 
Bonnie & Susan showing us how to print. Everyone loved the minty green color they mixed! They chose the perfect fall palette – this green, mustard yellow, & navy blue. Susan suggested mixing a little of each color in with the color you choose so they all have the same tone & work nicely together. 
The lovely Lisa Castellano is the first one up to print her tote bag! 
Lisa with her completed tote bag 
Me (Megan) hanging up all the printed totes to dry. Thanks so much to Penny, Bonnie, & Susan for making our first Crafternoon so special.
Visit their websites: http://peneloperakov.com/ + http://www.kayerachelledesigns.com/
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Art Star Crafternoons
We have decided to put together a series of what we are calling “crafternoons”, which will essentially be an afternoon of artist studio visits, demonstrations, make & takes, discount shopping & more! It has always been a goal of ours to integrate education into what we do at Art Star. We want to offer the public the opportunity to learn more about the artists we carry & to see first hand what goes into the work that they make & also get an intimate view into their daily studio practices.
First up is a visit to glass jewelry artist, Penelope Rakov’s studio in the Crane Arts Building + a demo/make & take with home textile designers Bonnie & Susan of Kaye Rachelle Designs.
Penelope Rakov with her dog Ella / a pair of lovely glass earrings & a necklace, both set in sterling silver Here are the details & Full Itinerary for the day!
Saturday, September 15th
10:15am-approximately 2pm
$25 per person, limit 10 people per Crafternoon (must have 5 to run)10:15am– Meet up at Penelope Rakov’s studio at the Crane Building.
You will get an intimite view of Penelope’s studio + her full line of jewelry.
Penelope will also talk about her work & give a demonstration on her process.
coffee, tea & snacks will be provided.
Bonnie & Susan from Kaye Rachelle in their studio / Knot Placemat / Sunday Stroll Linen Pillow 11:45am – approximately 2pm Meet at Art Star where Kaye Rachelle will be set up with their latest line of homegoods. They will talk about their work & demonstrate a simple paper stencil technique. Everyone will get a chance to print onto a tote bag or tea towel & take it home! Finger foods & refreshments provided.
You will receive 20% off any item purchased from Art Star or from any of the artists that day!
Register here
or call us at 215.238.1557To learn more about Penelope Rakov & her work, visit her website or check out our blog post. To view her collection of work at Art Star, click here. (more added soon!!)
To learn more about Kaye Rachelle & their work, visit their website or check out our blog post. To view their collection of work at Art Star, click here (more added soon!!)