The First Clover Market of this season is upon us! This show makes me happy – I love doing it! Great mix of antiques, vintage and handmade PLUS it is very low stress for us vendors IMO due to proprietor Janet Long’s organizational prowess.
Photo by Carrie Hill Photography, Courtesy of Clover Market
We will be bringing a variety of items from our shop, which includes goodies from our own line of products (like our Hot Tots / I Fight Crime T’s and onesies) and a variety of pieces from the shop. We hope to see you there! The show is in Ardmore from 10-5. Details: www.theclovermarket.com
Here are some more photos to get you in the mood for this fab show! All these pics are by the lovely Carrie Hill Photography from the September 2012 show and were nabbed from Clover Market’s beautiful new website (jealous!!)
Photo by Carrie Hill Photography / Courtesy of Clover MarketPhoto by Carrie Hill Photography // Courtesy of Clover MarketPhoto by Carrie Hill Photography // Courtesy of Clover MarketPhoto by Carrie Hill Photography / Courtesy of Clover MarketPhoto by Carrie Hill Photography / Courtesy of Clover MarketPhoto by Carrie Hill Photography / Courtesy of Clover Market
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 fabricsprinting the fabricsa burned screen ready for printingstacks of screens – each burned with an image that Karin will print on the fabric individually, creating her final collage of imagesPatternssewing all her beautifully printed fabrics into stunning garmentsBetter Than Jam Handmade Storefront
Now, I know you are all coming to the Art Star Craft Bazaar this weekend, right? After you leave the bazaar you are going to be hungry for more. So head over to Rittenhouse Square & check out the Pennsylvania Guild Fine Craft Fair!
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 CeramicsKlara BorbasElizabeth Gates, hand bookbinderLana Heckendorn
I can’t say enough how much I love my job! I get to do fun things like photo shoots with my friends! What girl wouldn’t love that? The gorgeous Kelly Kozma agreed to model our new collection of clothing & I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Kelly modeling the Dresden Skirt by Jay McCarroll
Kelly is the woman behind KKnits, the really cool hand knit necklace/cowls that you may have seen at Art Star. We have a good selection of different colors and styles in stock now. They make a great statement piece. Find out more about KKnits here.
Kelly in an Oversized Top by Danielle Marie Tobin
She also creates beautiful mixed media pieces on paper that incorporates hand drawings with embroidery. She recently had a solo exhibition of this work at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, which is so impressive! You can view her body of work here.
Kelly wearing Supermaggie’s Coyote Hoodie
Anyway, I wanted to introduce you all to this amazing lady. She will be helping us in the shop from time to time as we start getting busy with our bazaar prep, so you’ll be seeing more of her. I had so much fun dressing her up & taking her photo – she’s a natural model!
Looking Stunning in Malagueta’s Foliage Applique Top
Save the Date! The 2013 Spring Art Star Craft Bazaar will be held on May 11th + 12th at The Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing. And guess what? This is our 10th Art Star Craft Bazaar! We’ve decided to revisit one of our favorite designs by Julie West for this year’s logo. This is the first image she designed for us – she just reworked it a bit this year. She also gave us a design with gold highlights, which we hope to use for the print materials.
If you are an artist and would like to participate, we are now accepting applications! Deadline is March 5th, Midnight. Spread the word to fellow artists!
I finally uploaded Carrie Bender Hill’s beautiful photos from last year’s bazaar. We were blessed with incredible weather ALL WEEKEND for like, the first time in I don’t know how long. Here are some of my favorite photos from the weekend. More HERE on our Flickr page.
ENJOY!
(P.S. if you are an artist that participated and there is a photo of your work, feel free to include your name and website in the comments section on FLICKR)
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!
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 Shermantraded 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.
Art Star is pleased to announce a book signing with author and expert crafter, Kayte Terry on First Friday, November 2nd from 6-8pm. Kayte will be here promoting her new book Paper Made!, which features over 100 really cool projects to make out of paper. She will have books on hand for you to purchase/have signed & also will be demonstrating one of the projects in the book – the Kirigami Wallflowers. Guests can try their hand at making them too & will get to take home what they create!
an assortment of colorful Kirigami Wallflowers from the book
I plan on making a bunch to incorporate into Art Star’s Window display. I have a copy of this book & can’t wait to try some of the projects. I love that many of the materials needed can just be found around the house, so you won’t need to spend any money to make many of the things in the book. Some of my favorites include “Strike Your Fancy Matchbook” that you hide a secret message inside, a curio shelf made from layers of corrugated cardboard, a beautiful hanging lamp inspired by the designs of Tord Boontje, giant paper pom-poms, and too many wearable accessories to list here.
So come by, have a boozy drink, make some colorful flowers with us & pick up a copy of the book! And like every First Friday, all Art Star purchases (does not include the book) are 10% off. See you then! And hey, check out our facebook invite & let us know if you can make it. Reservations are not required, but it will give us an idea of how much paper to have on hand. (maybe bring your own scissors if you can?) Free & open to all.
Kayte Terry
Kayte Terry is a trendsetter in the world of paper design and Visual Communication and Inspiration Manager at Anthropologie. Her previous crafting books include Complete Embellishing (Collins and Brown) and Appliqué Your Way (Chronicle). Her work has appeared in Parents, Quick and Simple, Cutting Edge, Adorn, HGTV Ideas magazine, and on Etsy, Design*Sponge, GetCrafty, and others. For more crafting ideas and inspiration, visit Kayte’s blog at www.thisisloveforever.com.
Namoo makes simple, modern quilts, hand sewn fabric accessories and hand printed goods for babies, kids and the home. Insung Kim created Namoo along with her sister not long after her daughter was born. Her work is inspired by the geometric shapes she finds both in the city buildings and in the wood blocks that her daughter plays with. She also finds inspiration in shapes and colors found in nature—the colors of the sky, leaves, trees, or even the squirrels in her back yard. Namoo is a line of simple and fresh modern pieces designed for someone who appreciates craftsmanship, creativity and natural beauty.
Namoo is busy making items for the upcoming Art Star Craft Bazaar! She will be debuting her new product line – The Baby Ball.
Babies and toddlers love to play with this soft sensory ball. They are safe for play & can be gently thrown and rolled on the ground. Colors, patterns, textures and shapes, will awaken your baby’s mind and interests.
The Baby Ball doesn’t have to be just for babies. Pick up a bunch in assorted colors to display in the home or use them as pin cushions.
Visit Namoo at the Art Star Craft Bazaar at booth #71. They will also be selling a variety of quilts in spring colors made from high quality designer fabrics & organic cotton batting.
Art Star is pleased to announce a book signing with author and expert crafter, Kayte Terry on First Friday, November 2nd from 6-8pm. Kayte will be here promoting her new book 
