Hooked on Renegade Craft Fair

In July something amazing happened at Blue Brooklyn.  My company became part of a marvelously friendly and amazingly talented group of makers.  If you stopped by my booth in Herbst Pavilion, you could see my excitement.  And if you became a Blue Brooklyn customer, you got to share some of the magic. . .

Applications for the holiday fair in November have just opened, and it is with eager anticipation, that Blue Brooklyn hopes to see you there. Stay tuned :)

Inspiration

We are affected, on some level,  by everything we see.  Sometimes I don't even know what exactly has inspired me when I sit down to express a creative idea.  Its good practice to consciously contemplate who inspires our work.  So in the name of creativity, I want to share some of the artists who inspire my work!

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In 2008, I managed a furniture store -Therapy- in the Mission in San Francisco.  I moved to SF at age 22 and was being exposed to all these art mediums and amazing work by talented designers. When I came across a Lotta Jansdotter print in the shop, I was amazed by the beauty and simplicity of her designs, and the reoccurring theme of nature in her work (flowers, plants, and organic shapes often appear in her prints).

image from: http://windhamfabsnipits.typepad.com/

We also sold graphic designer Rex Ray's prints at Therapy. Two of which hang in my house to this day. His bright colors, mixed textures, and simple shapes have stuck with me all this time and inspire my work. When he passed away recently, many artists came forward to recognize him as a major inspiration to their work.

Image from: http://www.californiahomedesign.com/

Swoon is an important role model for me, not only because her designs are incredible, but because her work is far reaching, feminist, humanistic, and accessible to the public.  I had a friend who I would go wheat pasting with, in Swoon fashion.  We pasted painted poppies to a derelict building in SF's lower Haight one night.

Image from littlelondonobservationist.wordpress.com

More recently I discovered, Marisa Mason jewelry on a trip to Alley 49 and Temascal Alley in Oakland, when I visited her stunning shop and workspace.  I love how she mixes materials like leather, stone, and metals.  She marries her workshop and a storefront gloriously, a maker's dream come to life (below).

                       

Image from http://www.timeout.com/san-francisco/shopping/marisa-mason

Another Oakland artist, Diva of Linea Carta, has inspired me with her playful designs and unique calligraphy.  Her work pushes me to express my authentic self and try new things.  I stamped my first fabric after seeing her work on display at the Handcraft Studio School in Emeryville, CA.

Image from: https://www.etsy.com/shop/lineacarta

I have recently, as you know if you follow my work, started ceramics.  Cathy Terepocki was a huge influence when I started taking classes.  I found her work on Instagram, and became obsessed with the simplicity of her shapes matched with the fine details of the prints on her pots.  I have focused heavily on simple shapes like the cylinder, as a beginning potter, feeling fine (and prideful) about that because of Cathy's pots.

Image from http://newcraftcoalition.com

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I am inspired every day by someone new.  Its so exciting to be part of a community of talented crafters and artists.  I hope others will share who they are inspired by.  

Street Vending Firsts

"Presenting my creations to the public is so utterly exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. I can feel this is going to be a very important experience for me as a maker"  I wrote this little note to myself on Friday before rushing from work to get ready to sell at Oakland's First Friday event.  It may be surprising, but this was my first time selling my jewelry as a vendor in this environment. I have previously only made sales on Etsy, through networking at my day job and selling to people I know.  When I made my first sale to a total stranger who bought a bar of  my "bicycle" soap, I was elated! I had the most fun connecting with customers, handing out my card and telling people about my products.

My boyfriend (pictured on his phone) came with.  Having someone there to help set up, go buy a bandaid when I randomly cut my hand, and buy dinner at  a nearby booth, was super helpful. He even scoped out other vendors and recommended I go check a certain jewelry maker out- as she had just opened a mobile jewelry store in an old food truck! I highly recommend having a buddy when possible at outdoor events like these. All in all I had a complete blast and am now addicted to street vending.  I'm looking for other venues to sell now and will post more about that later!

Bead Necklaces Complete!

In my last post, I showed the basic steps to making clay beads. Here are the results! If you like the look and don't want to make your own clay beads, I put these up on Etsy! Go to bluebrooklyn.com and then hit shop.

DIY Clay Beads

Making clay beads at home with paint and air dry clay is easy.  The hardest part is making the holes while maintaining the integrity of the shape of the bead.  My beads look a bit organically shaped and chunky.

After forming the shapes above, I let the clay dry for an hour before piercing the holes through.  I used a knitting needle to make the holes.

Once the beads dry (24 hours), its time to paint.  I like to experiment. Acrylic paints work best.  This time I also used shimmery water colors I picked up at Blick a while ago.

I mixed white and green to get a light mint color and made a couple cards with the extra paint and a small circular sponge. 

I'll post the necklaces I make with the beads soon!

Behind the Scenes: Images from Blue Brooklyn Studio

Hello! This week, it was especially hard to get up every morning and leave my maker space behind (my studio is my bedroom) to go to my day job.  So today I decided to share some images from my beloved space and relish in my being able to stay here and create for the weekend.

This is the newest addition to the studio (above!), my coworker and friend brought it back from a recent trip to Baja California. Gracias Sandra! Beautiful things, especially when they're from nature, are good for inspiration.

The painted cork boards were a recent project. I simply used tape to make the shapes and acrylic paint.  A student of mine and his mama made the Emily sign for Valentine's Day...so sweet.  

This wall is a bit more personal, love notes, a picture with grandpa, and a necklace I made (Marilyn Tribal), adorn the workspace next to my computer, providing inspiration daily.

This paper garland is a recent experiment with my new (old) sewing machine and a hexagon obsession. 

I love the intimacy of working from home.  When I'm at work and my boyfriend is home, he uses my desk as his workspace.  His watch and headphones have been left behind here (and I don't mind). Also more hexagons! Always.

Feathers, buttons, an owl stamp, and of course multi-colored dice. Duh. This is the shelf over my desk that my dear friend Joel put up for me. Supportive friends are a must!

Some old collages, my dear paint brushes and my personal jewelry.  I like the aesthetics of mixing things I've made with the personal items I've collected.

Until next time!

As Promised...

I took those stamps I made on my recent post and added white fabric paint, creating a very moon-like image! And as I said I would do, I made it into a tote.  If you look closely you can see that I'm a beginning sewer...details!

Oh, and its reversible!

Lemons

We all know the old saying, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade."  Being in a rut myself, I know how hard this is to do.  I have put a lot of time and effort into my small handmade business, and I am feeling defeated right now.  I LOVE it and couldn't live without it, but it just isn't bringing in the interest I hope it will every day.  And that is O.K.  To supplement my income and boost morale, I have come up with what feels like an exciting and crazy idea, yet something I know I'll be really good at and most importantly its something that allows me to be creative and collaborate! So here it is...

I am starting a small party planning business in addition to my current jewelry and lifestyle accessories endeavors. BB Parties is a culmination of a background in interior design, a love of kids, and a highly organized work ethic.  It is more than anything, my lemonade.  Blue Brooklyn Jewelry (bluebrooklyn.etsy.com) was founded in 2012 after a summer of deep contemplation about how I want to make money.  I began making jewelry and immediately fell in love with using my hands.  Since then I have expanded to ceramics, fabric printing, sewing, and soap making.  I became ill recently and had to miss several days of work.  Stressed about a tight financial situation, I found myself pondering again, how I can make ends meet creatively.  The idea to do something fun and help others have fun, while using my skills, and bringing in extra income was born. Life gave me lemons and BB Parties is my lemonade : ) Birthday parties here I come!

DIY Tissue Paper Garland

These garlands are showing up everywhere so I had to try to make them myself.  Here they are above, in my living room, underneath a Swoon print. Below are the easy (yet a bit time consuming steps). Enjoy!

You need to cut the tissue paper in half and then fold it in half and cut as straight as possible leaving at least an inch un-cut at the top.  I use fabric cutters.  Scissor would be fine if you're meticulous. Martha Stewart sells a cutter just for these for around $22 at Michael's

 

After cutting, open the tissue paper as shown here and begin to roll. It doesn't have to be too tight and it helps to straighten the strands as you go. Once you rolled it al the way begin to twist tight until you twist one side around the other, ending up with a look like this:

Mix and match colors and string them in different patterns! The possibilities are endless!

Moon Phase Stamps

Happy Sunday! We've just begun a new moon...what perfect timing for this project! Enjoy!

I started with a cardboard circle, speedy-cut rubber  and a Speedball carver. I traced moon phase shapes onto the rubber with pencil using the cardboard circle cutout.

After I finished tracing onto the rubber I carved away.  *Hint: I learned useful carving techniques from the book Carve Stamp Play by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.

Next I did a test print with a regular stamp pad,  I do this to see if there are parts of the stamps I need to adjust (learned this in the book!)

Once I was happy with the stamps, I got out the block printing ink and roller.  Usually I would go for a solid shape, but I thought the unevenness of the ink was a more honest moon image so I opted for it.

I made this poster for fun, and to try the stamps with the block print ink. I also used this as a chance to practice lettering with a brush pen.

                      

I then made a card that I will sell at my table at the next Oakland First Friday with other stamped cards I've made.  I love the brown paper and envelopes.  I usually cut and fold my own card stock, but I found this card stock all ready to go at Michaels and couldn't resist. 

Stay tuned I'll be making a tote bag with these stamps this week! xo

Hello from Blue Brooklyn!

I am owner, designer and maker at my shop Blue Brooklyn.  I have created Blue Brooklyn Press to share DIY's, inspiration, and behind-the-scenes moments from a crafter's life. I hope you enjoy!