We will be slashing prices on tons of stuff! Outside we will have $1-$5 bins and racks of clothes marked down. We will also fill our back gallery space with sale items. Expect discounts between 20-80% off select merchandise! Light refreshments provided.
Tag: art star
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Northern Liberties Spring Sidewalk Sale THIS WEEKEND!
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An Interview with Marcus Benavides of Red Light Press
Red Light Press is Marcus Benavides’ Fine Art Printing Press that specializes in limited edition woodcuts, lithographs and other prints on paper. This will be Marcus’ first year participating in our Art Star Craft Bazaar, so we were interested in learning more about him. Visit his booth #50 at our upcoming bazaar or check out his website
Art Star: What will you be selling at the bazaar?
Marcus Benavides: I’ll be selling Woodcut and Lithographic prints.AS. Describe your process.
MB: I carve tiny marks into wood, roll those carvings up with oil based inks, and reproduce the images on paper. I also draw images on Bavarian Lithographic Limestones, chemically alter the stones with acids and solutions, roll the image up with ink, and print the image on paper. Both of these methods are printed with the help of Lula, a 100 year old, cast-iron, hand-cranked printing press.
AS: Are you professionally trained?
MB: I received a BFA, MA, and an MFA in printmaking. I’ve been making prints for 10 years and I’ve been making art as far back as I can remember. Years of honing my craft, sharpening pencils, and grinding down stones can only stem from a love of hard work and printing beautiful images.
AS: Are you able to make your work full time? If not, what is your day job?
MB: Sadly, I am not. I work at a commercial print-shop here in Philly.AS: Where would you like to see your craft business in 10 years?
MB: Owning a printing press allows me to make multiples of not only my own work, but collaborations with fellow artists. I would like to see Red Light Press’s expanding portfolio include more collaborative prints. I want to provide an artistic outlet for the ideas of like-minded individuals. Today, this is achievable with local artists; however, in the future I hope to build a fund for visiting, nationally-recognized artists.
AS: Any exciting projects in the works?
MB: I am currently in conversations with two local artists about printing collaborative prints. That, and I’m working on a new piece entitled “Surf Mothers Must Die!”AS: What is your favorite thing about Philadelphia?
MB: Dim Sum Garden’s soup dumplings.
AS: What are some of the inspirations for your work?
MB: I’m inspired most by the things that scare us as civilized beings; Indecency, the Grotesque, the Occult, Rebellious Behavior, Moralizing Folklore, and the Sleaze and Grime of back-alley cultures. I’m also influenced by the pop culture and cartoons of my childhood.
AS: What are you reading / listening to?
MB: I listen to a lot of early Blues and Rock & Roll music. Mostly stuff from the 30’s to 50’s. But my taste runs the gamut of music genres.
AS: Anything fun readers might be interested in knowing about you or your business?
MB: I grew up in South Texas. I have a rifle-scope scar on my left brow. That, and I have a collection of voodoo and Mexican witchcraft paraphernalia. -
ASCB Shopping List: Clothing, Part 2
Part 2 of our Clothing Shopping List. Click here to check out Part 1. Find all these vendors at our upcoming Art Star Craft Bazaar! (please note: the vendors may not be selling these exact styles. It is just an example of the type of work they make)
6. Ace Blakley by ChaCha N’Kole
Local Philly designer ChaCha N’Kole creates classy and stylish pieces with an edge. The best part is that she makes a wide range of sizes to fit all body types – Small – 3X.
7. Better Than Jam Brooklyn based Karin Persan’s pieces are handmade from start to finish. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and made from her own hand printed fabrics.
8. Jay McCarroll
This Season 1 Project Runway winner will be back with all his latest spring designs. Jay expertly pairs bright patterns and colors that you would never think to put together, but it really works! I love his new line of maxi dresses!
9. Luksin Daria Norviaan will be joining us all the way from the coast of Maine. Her line of earth friendly clothing is made from organic cotton and other sustainable fabrics. Each piece is hand dyed and screen printed with her own original drawings. 
10. Nicole’s Threads
Nicole’s Threads is an eclectic line of handmade women’s clothing, using mainly organic cottons, bamboo, hemp, end of the mill fabrics mixed with vintage prints to create one-of-a-kind looks! You’ll also find cute button jewelry, cuff links, and other sewn accessories.
11. Phea Jean Amber Zaraza of Phea Jean hand sews the cutest summer dresses and capelets made from primarily vintage and upcycled materials. I love how she mixes color, pattern, and texture to create her one-of-a-kind pieces.
12. Pretty Pretty Rebel
Leah Delfiner creates “fun pretty girly rocker clothes for badass chicks”. Her adorable line of clothing is inspired by 80’s punk rock music + cult icons. Think lots of pink, lace, & skulls! She will also be debuting her rockin’ line of kids clothes!
13. Sardine Clothing Co. Maryanne Petrus Gilbert is the lady behind this line of skirts + accessories made from recycled clothing. She brings new life to some of the most awesome t-shirts that she finds at thrift stores by turning them into the perfect A-Line Skirt! -
ASCB Shopping List: Clothing, Part 1
The Art Star Craft Bazaar is less than 1 month away!! With around 140 amazing artists/crafters participating, it is easy to become overwhelmed and want to buy everything! We recommend coming to the show with a game plan. We will be sharing ASCB Shopping Lists until the big day (May 10th/11th), so you can come with a plan of attack. Today’s shopping list is devoted to clothing b/c we have a pretty large group of vendors in this category this year. This shopping list does not include screen printed T-shirts, onesies, etc – I will devote a post to them in the coming weeks!
We have a slew of vendors selling unique, fashion forward clothes just in time for you to freshen up your spring/summer wardrobe! Which one of these vendors are you excited to check out? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!
1. Pretty Snake Joseph Aaron Segal is the genius behind this line of cool clothing. He had me at CATS! But seriously, his prints are amazing! He is on my personal ascb shopping list this year. Joseph was a contestant on Season 11 of Project Runway and currently teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design. This will be his first year participating in our bazaar.
2. Meerwiibli This line of clothing is expertly hand made in Phoenicia, NY by the lovely Sarah-Maria Vischer-Masino. Sarah-Maria recently opened up a shop called the Tailored Mermaid in Beacon, NY, which showcases clothing & accessories handmade by Sarah and other talented designers. She will be setting up a Tailored Mermaid pop up shop at the bazaar so she will also be selling clothing by Snoozer Loser, Vilma Mare and Quel Theatre.
3. Rebe by Debra Weiss We are happy to welcome back Art Star Craft Bazaar alum, Debra Weiss who is the talented woman behind the clothing line, Rebe. Each piece is truly a wearable work of art and her line is a favorite among ascb shoppers. Debra’s clothing is sold exclusively at craft markets and her daughter (and booth mate!) Hillery Sproatt’s online shop called Specks & Keepings. Don’t miss this chance to shop her line in person!
4. Temperate creates ethically responsible and timeless pieces made from 100% organic cotton and non-toxic, plant based dye. The clothing is not only beautiful but also comfortable and designed to be worn in a temperate, two-season climate. Their production process is low impact and their clothing is grown, milled & sewn in the USA so you can feel good about your purchase. This will be Temperate’s first time participating in our bazaar and we are excited to check out their clothes in person!
5. Megan Auman I have had Megan Auman’s leggings on my wishlist for a while now and I plan to finally pick up a pair at the bazaar. I love the colorful, painterly prints the she has designed for these. She has a bunch of different colors & patterns. I am having a hard time choosing which ones to get…. These prints are also available on clutches, pillows, and scarves. Plus, she makes incredible steel jewelry. She is a very talented lady and I am always looking forward to seeing what she makes next.There are so many great clothing vendors this year that I have decided to break this up into two posts. Soooo, To be continued…………
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Clover Market this Sunday!
We are busy packing up for Clover Market this Sunday in beautiful downtown Chestnut Hill! We will be bringing a selection of handmade goods from our shop, including new clothing by Supermaggie & Nicole Carey, our new wooden baby toys by Patrick Donovan, Book Journals by Ex Libris, as well as tons of stationary, prints, housewares, jewelry and more! Come check out our little pop up shop!Clover Market boasts over 100 vendors selling handmade goods, collectibles, antiques and vintage! Plus show organizer, Janet Long, is calling their food truck line-up KILLER. But does Janet do anything that is not killer? No! Lady is pure gold! Oh and we are looking at clear skies and temps in the high 70s. Perfect first show of the season weather! We hope to see ya there! xo
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ASCB VENDOR LINE UP ANNOUNCED!
Image Credits from Left to Right: Ace Blakley by ChaCha N’Kole, Anastasia Alexandrin, Lenny Mud, redraven studios, The 807, Megan Auman, Khara Ledonne, Pretty Snake, Opposite of Far, Inedible Jewelry, Bmore Papercuts, and Field Guide Design The full vendor-line up for our upcoming Art Star Craft Bazaar at Penn’s Landing has been posted! We are humbled by the amount of talent that is participating in the show. We have 139 vendors total and 69 are completely new to the show! There will be something for everyone, so bring the entire family!
Keep checking the website for updates – Make + Takes PLUS the full music line-up will be posted very soon!!
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Featured Artist: April Hale
April Hale is a traditionally trained metalsmith who has been practicing her art for over ten years. Creating jewelry in her small studio in Bozeman, Montana, she derives her designs from forms and colors that she sees in the landscape. Because of her jewelry’s connection to the environment and her desire to create sustainable jewelry, all work is made from a minimum of 50% reclaimed materials. By using reclaimed steel or roofing copper as a base for colorful enamel, hand-forming earwires from recycled sterling silver, and forging steel baling wire into rings, bracelets, and components of necklaces and earrings, April creates jewelry that transforms everyday materials into expressive, finely crafted adornment.
When she is not working in the studio, April can usually be found wandering in the woods, either on foot or cross country skis, looking at birds and finding wonder in her surroundings.
“Flowers on Branches Necklace” by April Hale / forged steel, enameled copper, and sterling silver. 
April in her studio. 
Dangling Flower Earrings in Blue + Green by April Hale / sterling silver and enameled copper 
Enamel + Steel Linked Bracelet by April Hale / forged steel, enameled copper, and sterling silver 
Flower Post Earrings by April Hale / enamel + sterling silver We are so happy to be carrying April’s line of bright + colorful jewelry! Check out our entire collection of her work here.
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NEW! Nugget Planters by Nikkuu Designs
Even though we are supposed to get snow later today (ugh), it actually is spring! We just got in these awesome new handmade wood planters by local Philly artist Melissa Moore of Nikkuu Design. Cut from a variety of woods (oak, pine, walnut), these planters are the perfect size for air plants or succulents. If you are like me and can’t keep plants alive, these will be perfect for you! If you kill these, you really aren’t meant to own plants! Comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Some are painted with splashes of bright white or aqua paint for a pop of color, while others just show off the wood grain. Grab a couple for your window ledge to try to evoke some warmer weather! $12-$38, each comes with an air plant.
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Art Star + School of Vintage
If you have been to our shop recently, you may have noticed that our whole back gallery space is now a little School of Vintage pop up shop that will be up through April. If you haven’t been by to check it out, do it soon! Their stuff is the absolute best! We have loved working with Erin + Jeannine of SOV and have become friends in the process. I think our shops really compliment one another, so we hope to continue to work together outside of their Art Star pop up.
We recently opened up a tiny little space with them inside the Tuckerton Emporium. The emporium has been family owned and operated for the past 20 years and is home to a bunch of little shops in one big, beautiful old house in Tuckerton, NJ. Our space is located right by a big, bright window and you will find a nice selection of SOV clothing, accessories, jewelry and some housewares.
an assortment of Art Star prints We sent them 2 boxes of our merchandise and Erin + Jeannine were kind enough to set it up for us. We decided to start off small to see how their customers respond to the types of work we carry.
You will find affordable prints like this one by Paper Sparrow for $12 Right now you will find an assortment of prints, soy candles by Melo, wallets by Shara Porter, Necklaces by Julianna Swaney, a couple Horrible Adorables, Farmhaus Candle Holders, Coin Pouches by So Softies, Cherry Box Eye Masks, Printed Tea Towels from Art Goodies and some small ceramic pieces. So if you live out in that area, please stop by and pick up a little something to adorn your home, find a special gift for a friend, or treat yourself to a little handmade goody. If we do well, we will stock more products. And please let us know if there is anything in particular that you’d like to see there!
Our necklaces by Julianna Swaney, Wallets by Shara Porter, and Coasters by Yardsale Press are amongst the Art Star goods you will find at the Tuckerton Emporium. The Tuckerton Emporium is home to a bunch of shops that sell a variety of goods, including vintage, antiques, new items, and some art + handmade items. Here are some more photos I snapped inside the Emporium:
A collection of School of Vintage housewares 
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Make This: Conversation Heart Pin DIY
I love conversation hearts! I dreamed up this little DIY to make your own out of sculpey for your friends or sweetheart! My husband tried to eat one this morning, so that means they look pretty close to the real deal, right?
Step 1: Gather your supplies
You will need the following:
Sculpey in pastel colors
2 sharpie fine point markers in red or pink
a little heart shaped cookie cutter (i found this in the baking section at AC Moore)
a pack of pin backs (make sure they are small enough to fit on the back of your heart)
Jewelry + Metal Glue (also from AC Moore, any type will do)
a rolling pin or as you can see, I used a fat knitting needle (whatever works!)
a small sheet of sandpaper – a nice light grit
Roll out a piece of your clay evenly and not too thin! Mine was probably around an 1/8″ thick.
Now cut out your little hearts with your cookie cutter! No worries if they don’t come out perfect, you can sand them smooth after baking.
After you’ve cut out your desired amount of hearts, gather them up on a baking tray or piece of foil and stick them in your preheated oven. Bake at 125 for 15 mins (or whatever it reads on your sculpey packaging). Remove from oven and let cool before handling. Sand the edges, front & back to remove imperfections.
Grab your sharpie (make sure it is permanent b/c otherwise it will smear) and write in your favorite sayings! This is definitely the fun part. I kept it somewhat sweet and PG-13 for this post, but I did have fun writing in some really naughty ones! I practiced my handwriting on paper first, cuz I’m a dork. They didn’t all come out perfectly but that’s okay – it gives them character!
Next you will glue on your pin backs. You need just the tiniest dot of glue on the back. Let them dry overnight before handling.
All finished! They make cute and easy v-day gifts! I pinned this one to my hubby this morning after he tried to eat it. As tasty as they look, don’t eat them. You’ll die.
I hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to share but please credit me and link back to our site.If you plan to come to our Crafty Hearts Party on Valentine’s Day, I’ll have some blank ones of these for you to customize and take home. xo.
Copyright 2014, Megan Brewster / Art Star / All Rights Reserved.
