Art Star

Category: Uncategorized

  • Meet Debby Weiss of Rebe

    Red Check Dress by Rebe

    Welcome to our 2nd installment of Art Star Craft Bazaar vendor profiles!  Meet Debby Weiss, the talented artist behind the clothing/accessories/housewares brand, Rebe. Debby travels all the way from California to do our show & we are happy to have her back again this year!

    Art Star: Did you go to art school?  If so, where did you study?
    Debby Weiss:     I did not go to art school. I went to the University of California @ Davis in the mid 1970’s and went back and forth between science and art. I did graduate with a B.S. degree in textile design.

    AS: What types of items will you be selling at the bazaar?
    DW:     I design and make woman’s apparel. I do not like to think of it as fashion since fashion seems to represent trends. I create things that I feel will work for all ages and functionality and will be able to incorporate into a persons wardrobe for decades to come. As a woman I once met described it as art for “around the body.”

    AS: What materials do you work with?
    DW: I work with primarily woven and knitted fabrics, sustainable when I can find what I want. I have recently taken up knitting, making sweaters and will be making blankets so I get to work with yarns. I also incorporate all my scraps into stitched pieces that have first been collaged and they are meant for the wall. And I have brought macramé back into my life for both functional pieces and design inspiration.

    AS: How are your items made? Describe your process.
    RW: I first sketch my ideas, and then find fabric, although I often find the fabric and that leads to the design. I make a pattern, cut and sew. I am always letting pieces help dictate what is next by seeing how they function together.

    I also try to take in how pieces are fitting my customers so I know how to alter for sizing for the majority of our varying shapes.

    AS: Are you able to make your work full-time?  If not, what do you do for your day job?
    DW: My business, Rebe is my full time work for the past 6 years. For the first 7 years I worked as an ultrasound technician.

    The Paola Sweater in Brown by Rebe

    AS: Who are some of your favorite artists?
    DW: I am inspired by many Japanese designers, not one in particular. I had also grown up with Marimekko designs in my life and still love it. I love Moroccan textiles. It is more the pieces by the masses than an actually artist that inspire me. I loved seeing Nick Cave’s Sound Suit Exhibition. I guess I would say just about anything with textiles inspires. Ghee’s Bend quilts too have been a great inspiration.

    If it was not for my daughter (artist & bazaar participant) Hillery Sproatt I might not have ever been brave enough to have started Rebe. I always made and sold things but seeing her amazing talent gave me the courage as a mother to help guide her by taking a risk in starting a business and following my passion as I have tried to encourage all my daughters to do.

    Rachelle Dress by Rebe

    AS: What are you reading/listening to right now?
    DW: I love listening to stories while I work such as This American Life and Radio Lab.

    AS: Where would you like to see yourself and your art/craft business in the next 10 years?
    DW: I hope to have a studio with a brick and mortar shop that perhaps I can include a bed and breakfast in. I always thought it would be in the Bay Area but not sure yet. At 57 I am still trying to figure out where I want to be when I grow up, but I am having an amazing time traveling the country with my art and doing what I love.

    AS: Are there any bazaar participants that you are excited to check out this year?
    DW:     I have been blessed to meet some amazing artist and absolutely wonderful people on my journey. I am looking forward to walking the show and seeing all the work each person has put their heart and soul into.

    Check out Rebe’s entire collection online at Specks & Keepings and at our upcoming bazaar.  Check out our entire line up of vendors here.

  • Andrew Zangerle’s Top 5 ASCB Picks

    We have been showing work by Andrew Zangerle (The Maple Ridge)at Art Star for a few years now and he has participated in our bazaar for several.  We consider him a member of our Art Star family at this point.  We asked him to choose 5 of the Spring Art Star Craft Bazaar vendors that he is most excited to check out.  Here are his picks:

    Going through this year’s vendor list for the Bazaar with the intent to high-light five that stand out to me was a lot harder than I thought. This is going to be an incredible year with some really amazing crafters. Here’s my list:


    1. Fabric Horse. Fabric Horse makes (among other great things) these amazing Utility Belts! I seriously need one of these. It’s like a Fanny-pack and a Tool Belt had a baby…and that baby made you look like a Superhero. Why wouldn’t you want to have one of these?

     2. Buffalo Craft Company. I believe this is Buffalo Craft Company’s first time showing in Philadelphia. Mark and Katie are really nice and incredibly talented people. The Cuff bracelets are definitely my favorite item of theirs. If I were a woman I’d want several.

     3. The 50/50 Company. This print by The 50/50 company really stood out to me because I love patterns and the aesthetic qualities of the United States. They have a bunch of other prints and t-shirts. I know a lot of the time it’s hard to find a gift for a guy at a craft show so I’d highly recommend you check out The 50/50 Company.

     4. Horrible Adorables. The taxidermied felt creatures from Horrible Adorables are amazing. They all have so much personality and charm. They also come in a bunch of different sizes, too!  You get the sense that these creatures aren’t exactly mounted as trophies for your wall, but are in fact being displayed in their natural state. That they’re lively and playful and know magic…weird magic.

     5. Twig Terrariums.  The summer is just around the corner and I’ve been getting really excited about having plants around again. The great thing about Twig Terrariums is that they not only have ready-made terrariums you can pick up, but also have an assortment of kits so you can have fun creating your very own unique environment. They all look amazing.

    Like I said–it was really hard for me to narrow it all down to just five, but I hope this helps you get pumped for this year’s Bazaar! And I know that all you true craft show attendees are going to hit up every vendor booth at Penn’s Landing. (don’t forget to stop by and say hello to me, too!)

    Special thanks to Andrew for taking the time to share his favorite vendors with us!  Please check out our selection of The Maple Ridge’s items here or visit his Etsy page.  Check out our full Vendor Line-Up – what are your favorites?

    And look out for more picks from our friends soon!

  • New Woodland Themed Window Display


    Drexel Visual Merchandising Students have descended upon Northern Liberties, split off into groups & designed window displays for us & our neighbors – Once Worn Consignment, Duke & Winston, & Arcadia.  Our group has created a fantastic Woodland Theme for us & we couldn’t be happier with the results.  All the windows will be completed by this First Friday & to celebrate, we are all offering up refreshments, sidewalk sales & discounts from 5-8pm.

    Come check out all the windows & get 10% off all purchases at Art Star (discounts at other shops may vary).  As an added bonus, Once Worn Consignment will be celebrating their Grand Re-Opening into a much larger & brighter space at 906 N. 2nd Street, which is close by her former location (the old Colors by Padmini spot).  Owner Jen Waxman (yup, Erin’s little sis) has expanded her inventory which includes women’s/men’s clothing, jewelry, and accessories and now has a small selection of vintage housewares.  Jen is also expecting a baby boy in April!  We are so happy for her and can’t wait to welcome her little guy into our extended family!

    I leave you with some pics of Once Worn’s new digs!

  • Philly Clover Market


    We are super excited to participate in the Clover Market’s first winter show in Philly on Sunday.  We’ve been doing the market out in Ardmore for a while now & love it!  The organizer, Janet Long, has a great eye and the market is such a well curated mix of vintage,  antiques, and handmade.

    Here are some vendors that I am personally excited to check out:

    Hinterland Vintage

    Hinterland Vintage always has really cute coats and dresses!

    Reclaimed Crafts

    Reclaimed Crafts has amazing furniture, frames, and mirrors made from reclaimed wood. Our prints would look great in their frames (hint, hint)!

    Greenmarket Purveying Co

    I fell in love with Greenmarket Purveying Co’s candles even before I smelled them.  The packaging is fantastic & you can’t go wrong with scents like “Baked Goods”, “Cinnamon and Mint” and “Lemon and Cucumber”.

    Picked Vintage has a fantastic collection of Mid Century Modern Furniture.

    I will also be happy to see some Art Stars there too: Masthead, Yummy and Company, and Jay McCarroll!  Plus all the yummy food trucks –  Pitruco Pizza, Lucky Old Souls, Rival Brothers Coffee, Sweetbox Truck, and Yumtown USA.  See ya there!!

    For More Details, Visit www.theclovermarket.com 

  • Art Star Branded Products

    Salt & Pepper Shakers – The Maple Ridge for Art Star, currently in production

    Over the past few years we’ve been working with a handful of our artists to make Art Star branded products. These items are a collaboration between us and some of our favorite Art Star artists. Typically we start by pitching a product idea to one of our artists & then from there we figure out how we are going to make it and price it out.   Many times we make it ourselves here in house or we find another artist or small company to make it for us. We try to keep it made within Philadelphia whenever possible and we never source outside of the US.  The artist sends us the design & we do the rest! Our products run the gamut.  We have jewelry, fridge magnets, calendars, datebooks, T-shirts and more. This past year we really pushed to put out a wholesale catalog and get some of our products into cool shops across the country.  So far we’ve been pretty successful with it and have some great ideas to expand the product line.  Here’s a glimpse of what we are currently working on & what you’ll see in our shop (and other shops, hopefully) very soon!

    color tests for the salt + pepper shakers
    Bottle Opener Key Chains by The Maple Ridge for Art Star. Now available, $8 in store. Coming soon to www.artstarphilly.com

    We’ve got some more goodies in the works, but they are a secret for now 😉

    You can purchase our line from our site here.  Here are a list of the cool shops that stock select Art Star branded products:

    Amelia Presents
    Water Valley, MS

    Buy Olympia
    Portland, OR

    Doubledutch Boutique
    Baltimore, MD

    Magpie
    Somerville, MA

    Trohv Home + Gift
    Baltimore + DC

    If you are interested in carrying our line, please fill out our wholesale submission form here

     

     

  • Shop NoLibs Retail Spotlight on Arcadia

    We decided to start a new series spotlighting retail shops in our neighborhood, Northern Liberties (us locals call it NoLibs).  There are tons of really great shops right here in our hood.  You could probably find something for everyone on your holiday shopping list.   We feel it is extremely important to support independent retailers – especially this time of year. I could list all the reasons, but instead I’ll just list one important one from the 350 Project: “For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures.  If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here.  Spend it online and nothing comes home.” (see more reasons to shop local here).  If you can’t make it to NoLibs, support an indie shop in your own neck of the woods!


    So let’s start shopping!  First stop: Arcadia.  Located at 819 N. 2nd Street, Arcadia focuses on sustainable fashion.  The shop is stocked with beautiful clothing, jewelry & accessories by small, and often hard to find, indie fashion labels.  They also keep a well curated selection of vintage + recycled clothing.

    Work by local artists adorn the walls & the shop hosts regular openings, trunk shows & other fun events (which always include a yummy, seasonal cocktail & we like cocktails….).

     There is also a nice selection of unique gift items, like these candles.  I especially love these little cactus candles, which I think would be a nice gift for a co-worker.

    I am mesmerized by all the sparkly, handmade jewelry.  I love the earthy/bohemian vibe of it all – lots of stones, crystals and wood.

    My favorites are these chunky wood rings and bangles.

    There is a great selection of bags & scarves.  I love all the patterns & textures.

    But my favorite thing about Arcadia are all the super cute clothes!  I love all the prints & the fabrics.  I got two of my all time favorite dresses here by designer Kelly Lane.  They fit me so perfectly and are so comfy.  Also, when you shop here you can feel good about what you are buying b/c the designers they carry all use sustainable business practices.


    Now stop what you are doing and go check out Arcadia for yourself (or um, visit during the Holiday Shopping Spree cuz you’ll get a discount).

    www.arcadiaboutique.com
    819 N. 2nd Street
    or visit their Rittenhouse location (it’s smaller than the NoLibs one and we are only telling you this b/c we care, we don’t just really want you to come up to our hood…tee-hee)
    265 S. 20th Street

  • Jay McCarroll Trunk Show

    We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a Jay McCarroll Trunk Show on Saturday, November 17th from 11am-3pm.  Meet Jay and shop his collection of clothing, scarves, socks & more!  Complimentary mimosas & snacks will be provided.  Free & open to all!

    The Geneva Scarf by Jay McCarroll

     

    The Helsinki Scarf by Jay McCarroll

    Jay McCarroll is the fashion designer who is internationally recognized for winning the inaugural season of the Emmy nominated competitive reality television show, Project Runway. Jay studied fashion design at the former Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, now Philadelphia University , where he currently teaches. He also studied at the London College of Fashion.

    Fabric, color, pattern, and texture are among the great loves of Jay’s life. According to Jay the greatest part of his job is manipulating those elements into functioning products for people to use and enjoy. Jay finds inspiration for his work in many different things. He’s always been drawn to the vastness and the beauty of nature and is also fascinated by how other humans utilize nature so industriously.

    Socks by Jay McCarroll

    Can’t make it to the trunk show?  Shop our selection of Jay McCarroll items Online.

  • November’s Art Pick: Divided – An Election Party and Exhibition

    Running a shop, art space, and crafty business can be overwhelming with just two people.  So we tend to get stuck in our little Art Star bubble sometimes.  Erin & I have recently vowed to check out at least one art exhibition outside of Art Star at LEAST once a month.  Tomorrow night we will be attending “Divided – An Election Party and Exhibition“, which will be held at the Ice Box within the Crane Arts Building on Tuesday (election night!) beginning at 7pm.

    The exhibition/event is by artist + frequent Art Star collaborator (she made our latest line of mugs illustrated by Susie Ghahremani + we have some other special projects planned with her) and just all around awesome lady – Hope Rovelto & (I’m sure equally as awesome though we haven’t met yet) local artist Amanda Benton.  The exhibition will feature art made by the pair.

    Here are the details from the press release: “The main event will occur Tuesday, November 6, the evening of one of the most highly anticipated Presidential elections of our time. Beginning at 7:00pm, the artists will project live feeds of the election results from multiple news sources alongside an exhibition including politically themed broadsides, newspapers, ceramics, t-shirts, an interactive map of the United States, and more.

    With the support of several local businesses including Barry’s Home Brew, who will be providing beer, and The Dapper Dog Food Truck, who will be serving up some special “Obama and Romney Dogs,” the goal of the collaborators is to capture and critique the spectacle of political discourse in our media landscape. The division of the gallery into blue and red spaces will mimic and call attention to the passionately divided supporters of Republican candidate Mitt Romney and Democratic incumbent Barack Obama.

    From the artists: ‘The tension between the divided space is meant to mimic that of our two party system. We are a divided country. Our political debate reflects that and this show is meant to reflect that as well.’

    An admission price of $20 gets you your choice of a handmade ceramic cup, all the beer you can drink, games, art, music, and a chance to watch history being made with artists and citizens from the Philadelphia area. A $5 discount applies to all students with ID and anyone who shows up with an “I voted” sticker. A portion of the proceeds from the evening will go to the American Red Cross to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy.”

    We hope to see you there – after you vote of course!

  • New Goodies At Art Star

    We are getting tons on new items in! Everyday we get at least one package to open up, price, & put on the shelves.  Here is a little sneak peek of brand spankin’ new goodies – some are now on shelves + others will be in stock soon.

    NOW IN STOCK

    Skirts, Tops & Dresses by Jay McCarroll
    Earrings by Maria Eifebangles by Maria Eife
    Sculptures by The Maple Ridge
    Skirts by Erin Waxman
    Scout Handknits

    AND COMING VERY SOON….NEW Art Star Exclusive 2013 Calendars + Planner

    Kurt Halsey 2013
    Noosed Kitty 2013
    Weekly Planner by Julianna Swaney

    Stop by the shop to check it all out and keep an eye out for website updates.  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest for most up to date info!

  • New Art Star Exclusive “Reading Octopus Mug by Susie Ghahremani”

    We teamed up with San Diego based artist Susie Ghahremani of www.boygirlparty.com to create this awesome mug.  Susie created this illustration just for us & we hope to continue working with her on new products.   Local ceramic artist, Hope Rovelto of Little Chair Printing printed the illustration on these mugs for us & she did such an amazing job.  I’m excited about future collaborations with these two talented ladies.

    Illustration © 2011 Susie Ghahremani/Boygirlparty.com. Cutting board by Farmhaus Furniture.

    I went and got a Pumpkin Butter Soy beverage from Soy Cafe across the street to test out the mug.  It was like drinking fall in a cup!  My favorite thing to do during the cold weather days is to curl up with a good book & drink a hot toddy made by my husband, Cisco.  That is what I will be drinking mostly from this mug.

    Have you ever made a hot toddy?  It is easy.  Just add as much Wild Turkey American Honey Whiskey as you’d like (usually just a finger or so) to hot tea.  Get an orange or lemon wedge & stick some whole cloves into it & plop that in.  The honey whiskey adds just the right touch of sweetness.  Enjoy!

    Susie Ghahremani is a 2002 graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with a BFA in Illustration. Her artwork combines her love of nature, animals, music and patterns. Born and raised in Chicago, Susie now happily spends her time painting, drawing, crafting and tending to her pet finches and cat in San Diego, CA.

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