Smell this...!

I got to spend this entire past weekend at Artscape and man did it smell good! Lucky for me I was stationed right next to Jussara from Spa Therapy Works and her amazing line of artisanal soaps!

Just read this description of her newest deodorant...

Delicious whipped, sugary pink buttercream frosting on top of a fresh-from-the-oven vanilla cupcake. It's girly, feminine and if you like vanilla, you'll LOVE this! This veggie deodorant works by neutralizing odor from perspiration and by destroying microbes with its antiseptic action. It doesn't interfere with sweating which is a natural cooling process, but it combats and kills odor-causing bacteria! What a sweet treat to your pits!!This paraben-free, alcohol-free deodorant comes in a practical 2oz stick container. And best of all...IT WORKS!

BEST is the Best!

Awww shucks...

Baltimore's Best Locally Made Crafts

"Our hearts swell with B'more pride whenever we log onto The Baltimore Etsy Street Team's site, baltimore-etsy.blogspot.com. This is a compilation of all the local designers and crafters who have pages on Etsy, the popular online marketplace. The talent is awe-inspiring. Some of our faves: TheBrokenPlate takes vintage and contemporary dinnerware and gives it new life as a necklace or a ring. And vwstudios, where images on clay are created using a process that includes photography, painting and printmaking."-from Baltimore Magazine's Best of Baltimore issue 2008

We were hoping you'd notice!!!

BEST on TV!!!!!

Baltimore Etsy's Jen Menkaus waxes poetic on Fox! What a fun crazy weekend we had!

Artscape...ya gotta go!

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday I will be unveiling a new line of cards at ArTsCApE! I am so excited! The new work is inspired by vintage patterns and designs seen in old wallpaper and tile... most likely a result of renovating our 1880's mill house! Stop by and see me and my friends who are all a part of Baltimore Etsy! We will be at the corner of Mt. Royal and Charles Street. By the way, did you see our write up in the Baltimore Sun?!!! Sweet!

MegaArt!

Stop by The Metro Gallery this Thursday and check out one very big new painting, (25.5 x 11.6 feet) by artist Alison Spain. I had a chance to photograph Alison in action and am excited to see the evolution of this gigantic work!


The opening is tomorrow, Thursday the 17th @ 7pm.
The Metro Gallery is located at 1700 North Charles Street in Baltimore.

Carpe Diem!

If this doesn't inspire you to enjoy love life and live in the moment, then I don't know what will!

Flower Power!

Just got these done...thanks to the guys over at Squidfire. And just in time for the EcoFest next week! Stop by and see some of BEST's participating artists! Tanks are available for purchase on my etsy site!

Earth Day Giveaway!!!!

BEST is having another giveaway... featuring an awesome kid's shirt from SweetPepita, made of a repurposed t-shirt and organic cotton; a printed dishtowel from JennyJen42 (why use paper ones?); a notepad from JenyGWen, pendants from Anapurna and GwenWalls, earrings from JillPopowich, headband and bow set from CookiesBowBoutique, a recycled plate ring from TheBrokenPlate, and a brooch from JenMenkhaus.

Sign up now on BEST'S mailing list to be entered in the giveaway!(those who have signed up in the past will already be entered in the giveaway!)
The winner will be announced on April 26th - good luck!

Take notes!

Here's a new little notepad I made...

I got what I expected....

Artists Bobbi Becker, Gregory Bartlet and Lacey Jane Roberts.

So, I went to the ACC last week and saw all the wonderful crafts a girl could ever wish to see. What I didn't expect was to see something like this! Imagine how thrilled I was when I came upon this unexpected installation by San Franciscan artist Lacey Jane Roberts. My friends and I were blow away by the magnitude and creativity of this knitted masterpiece entitled "We Couldn't Get In. We Couldn't Get Out." More and better images of Lacey Jane's work can be seen on her website. Be sure to check out her knitted graffiti tags while you're there!

FYI!!!!!!!

Check it out! For St. Patrick's Day, BEST will be raffling off a bunch of handmade goodness!!! Including items from sweetpepita, miscelena, byamandagotsch, jenmenkhaus, thebrokenplate, dandelionblu, colescloset, vwstudios & me! These pieces and more will be given away to one lucky member of our mailing list, so sign up pronto!!!

The drawing takes place on March 10th & the package will be mailed once we receive a mailing address from the winner!!!!

The Blue Line...

Just finished this new line of funky, blue, squiggly stationery! Gift sets include one 3x5 notebook, one book mark and five note cards!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Watermelon Glory!

I must say, it's so nice having such talented people around me! This photo (of a Chihuly piece)was taken by my good friend, Lynne Suprock, of Simply Pretty Stuff. Lynne isn't just a talented photographer, she is also a wonderful jewelry maker. So check out her site and wonder, with me, about where she finds all the time and energy to make so much stuff!

Bag Lady!

I love this bag! It's handmade by Amanda Gotsch, a talented fashion designer, based here in Baltimore! I've been lucky enough to meet her and see her stuff in person. If Charm City (yes, that is one of Baltimore's many nicknames!) isn't your neck of the woods, then check out her etsy shop!

Black magic woman!

Looking for something different to send to your honey this valentine's day? Look no further! This card, hand calligraphed by artist Katy of KisforCalligraphy makes a great gift!
This card is still available so visit her etsy shop stat!

It doesn't get any sweeter...

...seriously folks! Lately, I've been lucky enough to connect with a bunch of area crafters and artists. One of the many talented people I've run into, is Shannon Kline of Sweet Petita Clothing. Her line of baby wear is great, not only because they are one of a kind originals, but because she uses only organic & recycled fabrics! Her designs are fashioned out of organic rib knit cotton combined with recycled fabrics, resulting in hip funky baby gear! Luckily, Shannon lives right down the road from me, fortunately for you, she has a shop on etsy too! Stop by and check out her shop!

The Edge on Central

clipped from theedgeoncentral.com

Good Lookin!

I have my work up at a great salon in Harbor East...
The Edge On Central ( located at 1300 Bank Street, Suite 110) The stylists there are fantastic! GO!

Love Love Love!

clipped from www.etsy.com

Here's a sweet little card that I have available on my etsy site...
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8345701

Viva La Craft!

I met a bunch of crafters the other nite at Evergreen Coffee House. It was great to hang out with such a creative bunch of people. As a result we are planning a bunch of fun events for the year ahead! Here is a little teaser, showing a few of our goodies! The banner above was designed by Leah of Curious Zoo. Must be nice to be such an amazing photographer and designer!

Fresh and new...

Here is one of my newest creations...personalized stationery! Give me a holler if you want some or just go ahead and buy some already! You can get 'em on my etsy site.

Wooden Majesty!

So this is the project that Paul has been working on this past year...incredible right?!!! It seems like just yesterday we there surveying the land. It's absolutely gorgeous and almost ready for occupancy. Wish it were ours... sigh...!

Art Monkey

I recently had lunch with my talented brother-in-law, Jim, to chat about art, technology, etc... He is my goto guy when I need tech support and is an incredible artist himself. Hopefully he will be posting his own art soon (hint hint) on etsy but in the meantime he has been posting some of his own art faves on his site stop by and check it out!

Did you buy handmade gifts this holiday?

As an artist, I took the buy handmade pledge this year with a happy and hopeful heart. I love the idea of supporting other artists in their ventures and am always appreciative of people purchasing my goodies. Many of my purchases were made on etsy, and others were made in local area shops. Here is one of the items I got from etsy for my niece!

clipped from www.etsy.com

Fantastic Illustrator...

While attending "In the Streets" an arts festival in Frederick, Maryland I picked up one of these for my man (the one on the left)...yes i know i buy him lots of notebooks! Danamarie, the talent behind Green Star Studios, is based out of Baltimore and has a unique line of products and artwork...
Check out Danamarie's work at
http://www.greenstarstudio.com

clipped from 63.134.206.166

Local Designer...

If you live in the Baltimore area and are in need of some nifty promotional materials, look no further!!! Laurie Hare, of Laurie Hare Design, a personal friend of mine, is the girl for you! Check out her website to see all that she has to offer!

Hotel Victor

Here I am with one of my pieces at the Hotel Victor. This print, along with several others are available in the gallery below the hotel.

If you're lucky enough to be in Miami...

Check out my work at the Hotel Victor. The hotel has a fantastic restaurant and the bar there has awesome happy hours which are open to the public...so head on over and have some fun!

If you're ever in Charm City...

Stop by Cupcake Shoes and Apparel. Besides having gorgeous clothes, shoes and accessories, they've got my art hanging all over the place! It's located on south Broadway in Fells Point, a block from the harbor.

Almost done!

Here's another pic that shows the installed glass...partially painted!

Close up!

After it was installed I spent several weeks painting the glass. It was a really fun project and the Null's were fantastic to work with. Here is a close up that shows a detail of the glass after the paint was applied...

Installed!

After I finished with the exacto, the guys went ahead and sandblasted the glass. They then installed the glass at the office.

Process!

The first step after drawing out the concept was meeting with Gettysburg Glass Company. Initially, they were like "you want to do what?!" After scratching our heads, we figured out the best way to go about executing the design.

First, I attached some contact paper to the glass. Next, with an exacto blade, I cut out the design that I wanted to be sandblasted. This took about a week...the guys at the glass shop were great and helped me move the glass into place so that I could work on them in the order that they would be installed.

A great commission!

I also got to create a really cool piece for the Null's. They have an amazing dental practice up in Gettysburg PA and wanted something special done to spice up their waiting room. You can imagine how excited I was when I found out that they wanted an 9x18 foot etched/painted glassed wall!!! After a few design consultations with them and their interior designer Ann Saum, I got to work. This is the design I showed them.

A lovely new home..

This is a commissioned piece that I did for Courtney and Rich Dyer. They had seen some of the drawings that I did for the Hotel Victor in South Beach and wanted something custom for their new home in DC.

Looking back...

With the new year here, I figured I'd share some of the cool projects I got to work on this year. Here is a pic of the painting I did that was bought by the Bronstein's, a sweet couple here in Baltimore.

Jengsshop Goodies!

Got this one for my honey Paul!

clipped from www.etsy.com

Jengsshop

Picked up one of these for my big brother.. I just love her design sense! Stop by her shop on etsy.

clipped from etsypaper.ning.com

Happy New Year!

New Year's- my favorite holiday! Got to spend it with friends and family...lucky me!!! Here's to another great year... cheers!

New Etsy find...

Check out these awesome felt mobiles by Lupin!
They ship out of Gloucestershire, UK so make sure you allow time for delivery!

Lupin mobile

clipped from images.etsy.com