Hello all, things are so very busy here in muchacha K land, that I have to take a break from blogging. Visit all things muchacha at the website though, as my focus for the next little while will be filling the shop and making some revisions to the site: muchacha K handmade It's all about more sewing, more promotion, and getting moved into the new studio.
I'm also starting the updates and planning for Concord Arts Market, so that site will be hopping too!
I'm staffing the Boston Handmade Downtown Crossing shop today...if you haven't visited, here's a peek:
Photo by Kerry Hawkins Photography.
For yoooour convenience I have updated my selection of jewelry roll fabrics. As always, I'm happy to embark on a search for THE fabric, if what a person wants is not to be seen here...but I did just add some really pretty options...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/muchachak/sets/72157605406861947/
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Enjoy!
These are my favorites from Dawanda.com. Dawanda is a really fun site that I like a lot...it's Europe's answer to Etsy. Basically you can buy really great handmade stuff online. And let's say you have a friend in Germany...and would like to send it to them without having to ship it a billion miles? Find a nice German sellers of handmade delights and have them send it! One of the things I love about Dawanda is that the site is trilingual. You can set the site for English, German or French.
...what? Yes, that's correct. muchacha K is getting a brand new home. More details will come very soon. But isn't that a fantastic, light, airy space? The new place opens in January 2009, and I'll be telling more about my great STUDIO MATES in the near future too!
Tonight is Midnight Merriment night in Concord. Come out to support local business. There are GREAT places to get unique gifts and delicious food on N. Main St. and thereabouts...all you have to do is show up and browse and shop if the spirit moves you, but the cool part is, that all the shops are open until MIDNIGHT. Yes, MIDNIGHT. This is no small excitement in Concord...although I should mention that many Main St. shop ARE staying open later these days anyway and if you haven't noticed, you should look into it, because they'll stay open later if people are out shopping later. The bottom line is this: if you want a healthier local economy, a thriving Main St., and successful local businesses, and an interesting, more happening community...these are the events you need to support! So...go put your wallet and your browsing eyeballs where your mouth is...go out and have a sparkling good time!
Yes gals, it's that time. If you are having a Spring wedding and you haven't started planning, you'd better get yourself in gear :) And muchacha K handmade can help! Have you SEEN our clutches? Have you SEEN our jewelry rolls? It just so happens they make perfect wedding accessories and bridal gifts. Come visit the muchacha K website, and online shop, or just contact me...you can pick your fabrics (it's your wedding) to coordinate with the wedding colors, OR with your bridesmaids' personalities. Lots of fun...send us a note, we're happy to help!
Okay how in the heck did I forget to post this the other day!? I was included in a fantastic article about Concord, NH, in NH Magazine. Here's the ARTICLE, and I'm very happy with it. You never know how people will quote you when you are interviewed and I felt very accurately represented. I am also delighted to see the city of Concord's cool hidden treasures a) being recognized and b) surfacing! Concord is chock full of amazing art and talented artists...and delicious food...and it's all just coming to a wonderful blossoming point.
...this is the shell of a passionfruit, and it's lovely shape and smell have been popping back into my head since it was eaten.
...about the imagery of Catholic worship. For whatever reason, (no, I am not a tortured survivor of Catholic schools) this is a theme that continually inspires me.
A visit to L'Oratoire St. Joseph (St. Joseph Oratory) in Montreal has inspired me in this vein yet again.
You'll notice that my handbag palette is generally comprised of very bright, bold colors, unexpected contrasts of fabrics prints and colors...currently I've also snuck the Virgen of Guadalupe into my shop, a lovely lady in those same bright colors. Central American Catholic imagery tends to be the most boldly colorful and therefore appealing to me...
Here at the Oratoire St. Joseph the rows and rows of lit votives in candy colored glass are flanked by racks of crutches, symbolic of the many sick, injured and dying people who have trudged up Mont Royal to received the blessing of the church and of God himself. That's dedication...because that hill is enormous. And I think it's that kind of faith and dedication, along with the bright colors and flamboyant imagery, that inspire me...there's something very potent about that kind of perserverence, even if you are not a religious person.
I visited Montreal, Quebec this past weekend. What to say about Montreal...it's just so fabulous. One big, bi-lingual, urban adventure, with delicious foods everywhere, fun people...they're so stylish it's ridiculous. Another great things about Montreal...they have a handful of great public markets. You had to know this was heading in that direction, lol...everywhere I go, I visit the nearest market. Ah, my favorite ancient human tradition!
This weekend we went to Marché Jean Talon (Jean Talon Market) a colorful, bustling collection of farm stands, fresh foods, ranging from pastas to meats, people selling soap and knitted hats, cool North African groceries and so much delicious stuff you couldn't possibly eat it all in one visit. We ate everything from wild boar to chocolate covered fruit on a stick...and bought a big tub of olives, and almond and rosewater cookies.
My lackluster setup notwithstanding, my day at Kimball Jenkins selling at "Crafts at the Carriage House" was a very pleasant day. I just didn't have the right "stuff" with me to give my display the levels it needed to be more effective. But enough about that...nice people, tasty food, sold some stuff, all good.
One amusing note: the painting that was behind me! "Mutiny" by Jim Blajda. It evoked speculation all day long about what the story of the painting was, what exactly those stuffed animals were up to...ha...take a look and judge for yourself. Personally, I think they're up to no good!
Thank you to Gigi Laberge for organizing.
Very busy these days in the studio...lots of pouches and clutches coming off the sewing machine...and pulling fabrics for wedding orders...
"Before" pics...
...the artists reception and wine tasting at Butters was so lovely. A ton of friendly people, DELICIOUS wine, lovely shop. Butters is located at 70 N. Main St. in Concord, NH. And many muchacha K creations made their way to new homes...
Gigi Laberge is a glass artist here in NH and she is also a regular supporter of local hospice care services. To further fuse the relationship between her art and her desire to support hospice, Gigi has created Crafts at the Carriage House.
Crafts at the Carriage House is happening next Thursday, November 20th from 12-8PM and I will be one of the featured sellers. It's an intimate, personal shopping event, complete with delicious food, and high quality handmade gift items (at great gift prices). We're taking over the Carriage House at the Kimball-Jenkins estate (at the intersection of N. Main St. and I-393) in Concord. There is a $1 suggested donation at the door, for local hospice services.
Gigi's WEBSITE
Kimball Jenkins is a great place to enjoy art and handmade items...come by, enjoy the food and the atmosphere :) I'll have a colorful selection of my fancy clutches available, and some pouches and other items as well.
Okay so, I am a member of Boston Handmade, a juried collaboration of artists, based in Massachusetts. Yes, I am based in NH, it's a long story, yes, I'm an anomaly. My point though, AHEM...the City of Boston just gave Boston Handmade it's own STOREFRONT for the holiday season!!!
That's right...a whole shop, right in the middle of Boston, at Downtown Crossing, full to the brim with great art and artisan work...knitted goods, handbags, children's clothing, cast-metal jewelry, beaded jewelry, encaustic works, paper goods, art dolls...TONS of great stuff.
Here is our announcement WEB PAGE for the event...
And here is our BLOG so you can learn more about our member artists and our work...
(necklace and photo by Betsy Baker/Stonehouse Studio, member of Boston Handmade)
Why not? Come out for an evening of the lovely things in life, wine, cheese, handbags, and Ahhhht, darling, at Butters Fine foods in downtown Concord, NH. Butters is a treasure trove of savory treats and wines, and on November 14th, 5-7 (hmmm, I'd better double check that time actually) they're hosting an evening artist reception, at which muchacha K will be displaying. It's the season for fancy, colorful clutches, and I'll have a stash on hand for you to enjoy in person. Come by, say hello, sample some delicious treats...
For info on location click HERE!
Lest you be given the impression that I've suddenly become obsessed with Star Wars, allow me to explain. See the amazing visual texture of the blue robe in the photo??? THAT, my friends is Canadian, or North American smocking, and that is the focus of my obsession. It's a method of gathering the fabric on the back, so that it gives that rumpled, elegant texture on the front. For a tutorial on how to do it, visit Savvyseams (I also borrowed this white smocking sample image from their site). I LOVE the result of this technique, so stunning...another site to check out for guidance on how to create this gorgeous texture is the Padawan's Guide (I borrowed the pic of Padme, above, from that site).
Allow me to introduce: Design Hive, debuting this holiday shopping season in Cambridge, MA. Design Hive is an exciting, new indie designers market that I will be selling at this season. The Design Hive will feature a rotating collection of clothing (new + vintage), jewelry, accessories, home décor, and art by different emerging artists every Saturday starting 11/1 through 12/20.
Please stop by my booth on these dates to see my latest items:
November 29, December 6, December 13 and December 20
I'm excited about their fashion-centered focus and can't wait to bring my latest snazzy batch of fancy clutches to share...for more information, visit their WEBSITE.
Apologies for the interesting lighting, but I had to share my newest vintage machine. I'm still investigating its pedigree, but you can see just looking at it, that it's an antique. It's also a heavy duty industrial, so it will open up whole new worlds of project possibilities...and hopefully I won't accidentally sew through any fingers because boy oh boy, does this sucker move FAST. Its external motor (not pictured) is larger than my head.
It joins the 1970's olive green Kenmore, the 1920's black Singer(rewired as an electric), the Blue 1950's Good Housekeeping, and the "Green Machine"--1961 Singer Spartan that I do most of my work on--in my vintage machine stable. The oldies are so great, because they do such good work and they last FOREVER. I can't wait to break this one in on a pile of vinyl!
I am always listening to music when working, and no, it's not all the cool, hipster indie rock a person would expect if one had ever gotten an eyeful of muchacha K. Don't let the fashion mullet fool you. For example...Pocketful of Sunshine...or One Step at a Time or how about American Boy. Yeah that's right cool people of the world...muchacha K is rockin' the pop tunes in the studio this week, and she's not afraid to tell it.
Oh don't worry...one of these rainy days I'll pull out "You Just Haven't Earned it Yet Baby" again...in the meantime, I have happy pop tunes inspiring me to keep stitching.
After 2.5 months of planning and promotion madness, the Concord Arts Market Fall Preview Season is finished...sigh! What's a person to do next? Well it's Fall in NH...I went apple picking. The original goal was actually pumpkin picking at Lull Farm in Hollis (Hollis is so pretty). But it seems I got lost in this apple orchard at the Farm instead...and that apple was delicious!
This Saturday, October 4th is the final weekend for 2008 of Concord Arts Market! Come out and support the market on it's final weekend...then spend the next several months getting as excited as I am that we're coming back next Spring!!! Yeaaah! Well, I know that's what I will be doing anyway ;) And I'm already working on securing the space.
Once the market is over I have another project or two up my sleeve. One of them is this new website, Arts Concord, where I am compiling not only all of our local arts resources, but will be featuring profiles of local aritsts, and neat emerging and underground events alongside the big stuff, and the classics. I think Concord's got an actual arts "scene" gelling and it's easier to see the progress when the news is all in one place!
...haha, and now there is life after the market :) And I'm happy to report, that life after the market is lovely! Everything came together and the day was so fun. I loved meeting all the artists in person, FINALLY, after 2.5 months of emailing with them all the time.
Now, let the prayers begin for good weather this coming Saturday...pleasepleaseplease! It's not looking good right now, BUT, this is New England, and there's still time. Things can change up until right before, so I'm still hoping we'll get a dry day for at least ONE day this weekend!
Official market t's! We'll be the most stylish market crew ever! We'll be sporting the official market blue for week two!
Okay, I've got the garbage cans, and everything's packed in the buggy, all slots are filled, the cones are ready and waiting...the MUSICIANS are ready and waiting, can't even say how glad I am that they're joining us...
Here's a shout out to Just Be, the makers of the official market staff t-shirts. Michelle Pratt-Lienhartt is printing up some t's for us, and taking on the world simultaneously, with her hip t's focused on encouraging positive energy. Here's her website: JUST BE, but she'll also be visiting us in person at the market on the 27th...
I love a relaxing day outdoors.
The countdown to opening day of Concord Arts Market has begun, it's coming up in one week...which is the reason I've been sadly ignoring my blog, of course. So many details to take care of, connections to make, flyers to distribute, calls to return, emails to send..and now here we are with ONE WEEK TO GO!!!
The last minute TO-DO list:
get garbage cans!
pack day-of supplies: broom, traffic cones, saw horses, signs, extra tables, tent...
OH YEAH, SIGNS...still painting those
finalize map of the space
assemble gaggle of volunteers
I'm sure I'll be adding to this list, of course...haha...the work of the market lady never ends...! I have my traffic cones already but maybe I can try to score some like the ones in the pic above...they're so hot! Art AND traffic cone all in one!
Wyrding Studios is one of the artists participating in the upcoming Concord Arts Market. Wyrding, aka Kythryne Aisling, creates gorgeous wire-wrapped jewelry from unusual finds: richly colored beads, antique watch parts, nuggets of stone. She'll be bringing her rich selection of work with her to the market...but also, in her own words "I will be debuting a few new designs there, as well as doing custom work on the spot."
That's right, the artist in action...hooray! I love getting to see artists at work...
Markets are an ancient human phenomenon. And you will find them in cities all over the world. Throughout history they have filled basic human needs and wants. We buy food at markets, we buy other life necessities at market, we buy fun stuff at markets. And despite the fact that superstores and convenience surround us, there is something alluring about those tents on a sidewalk, or the flea market at the roadside venue.
Here in Concord we have our Farmers' Market, soon to be joined by our Arts Market...but even in big big cities like New York, markets spring up on city sidewalks. Here's one I walked through this past weekend:
So aside from the fact that things are INSANELY BUSY right now (I'm not even creating new posts on Etsy, but my order book is full for the next month and a half), there is another reason that my posts have been sparse. For many weeks, I have been trying to figure out why my computer won't recognize that my camera is plugged in. This is pretty craptastic, considering that my camera is my number three business tool, next to the sewing machines, and the computer itself. So here I am thinking something is seriously wrong with my camera, or my computer, when I read an article online that asks the brilliant question "Have you completed all necessary software updates?".
Software updates? You mean those annoying reminders that pop up when I'm trying to use my computer to get work done and the little icon bounces around driving me crazy until I tell them to go away? Those updates I probably haven't done in...uh....I don't know how long.
Yes. Well, I uploaded all the updates, and voila...the camera works. And I got to download all the pretty pictures of new fabrics that I took this weekend...
LESSON LEARNED, and here, I pass it along to you, dear reader. It's good to be back.
Okay okay...I know this blog has been a little quiet lately. We're not taking any new orders for August...it's just that things have been so busy order-wise, that we need to breathe for a minute (we've got brides placing orders through May 2009!)...AND, the Arts Market is requiring a little love right now.
So...hang tight readers, muchacha will return!
I could not be more excited to have received a message this week from Elizabeth at Squam Art Workshops. I have admired their site and programs many times, but have not yet had a chance to attend. Elizabeth wrote to give me a heads up about the Vendor Night they've scheduled for September 13, 2008. They have some tables available and are looking for a few more vendors to fill them up (ignore the signup deadline). Here is a link to the info: SQUAM ART WORKSHOPS VENDOR NIGHT!
If you are interested in participating, contact her directly at elizabeth@squamartworkshops.com
Also check out their classes and workshops for this September (and their gorgeous location!): SQUAM ART WORKSHOPS
(Photos courtesy of Squam Art Workshops' website; above print by Susan Schwake)
I've posted sparsely about this previously, but here's the full update on what's up with the Speakeasy, the Arts Market, and muchacha K, since many have asked.
muchacha K will continue to produce awesome handbags and accessories, as always. The Speakeasy, our studio shop, has closed. Why? Because a person can organize just so much at once. The Concord Arts Market is a project I've been hoping to get off the ground for a while now, and when the opportunity presented itself, I had to jump on it. So essentially, I've traded up, traded my studio shop for an Arts Market, that will have the ability to be a waaaaaay more visible venue for the artists I love to help promote, as well as a super event that the entire community can enjoy.
I LOVE outdoor shopping! And after this Fall's kickoff of the Concord Arts Market I can't wait to get planning for next year. My goal is to continue the weekly outdoor shopping experience once things warm back up next May/June. Picture yourself wandering the Concord Arts Market, tent after tent of super handcrafted items for you to browse, and local artists for you to rub elbows with...maybe an ice cream cone in hand from the Cool Moose Creamery...a bag of veggies on your arm from the Farmer's Market...and a delicious lunch awaiting you on Main St. Hello!? Could this possibly be a more lovely afternoon? Maybe some acoustic music in the air (still working on that permit, haha, but still, imagine how great it would be!)
Just imagine!!!
For more information about the Concord Arts Market (which kicks of Sept 20, 27, and Oct 4, 2008 from 10am to 4pm) visit the MARKET WEBSITE.
(photo by Jessica Burko, an artist who will be participating in the Concord Arts Market this Fall)
...walked through this same hallway in Grand Central Station? It's magical just thinking about it. And so are these pretty lights hanging overhead. It's moments and places like this that feed creativity and inspire creative people to keep on creating...
Okay, the Concord Arts Market is ON! Need more info? Well funny you should ask because the website is up. Here's the link:
CONCORD ARTS MARKET WEBSITE
Just waiting for confirmation on the dates...check back to the site for updates!
Hey everyone,
If you'll be in the greater Boston area this weekend, come say hello as a sell my wares at the Boston Handmade Marketplace, in Somerville, MA. Today, Saturday, June 28, 2008 from 3-7. A gaggle of high quality New England handcrafts will be there for you to browse and buy and two live bands will be performing.
More info: Boston Handmade Marketplace!
Are YOU on my offical Concord Arts Market email update list?
The market is still in its planning stages, but you'll definitely want to be in the know when the details all come together :)
Drop me a note at info@muchachaK.com and get in the loop!
How can I be a designer and be so unskilled in geometry? This pic of the Brooklyn bridge (taken as I whizzed acrost it) really makes a person think. Look at all those lines...look at that arrangement of geometric entities in space. I couldn't map it out for you in math-language, but I could eyeball its elements and come up with a really wicked handbag based on the visual themes therein.
Alright, for those of you who have never heard of the Renegade Craft Fair, here is your clue! Renegade Craft Fair is an enormous indie craft market that happens in three different cities, Brooklyn, Chicago, and San Francisco. It's a giant cornucopia of indie handmades by talented artisans and artists. I went to the Brooklyn Renegade, obviously, and I was NOT disappointed. There were something around 150 vendors, and a delicious vegan ice cream stand, DJ's...good times! I didn't even care that it was 100 degrees out. Okay, actually I did care that it was that hot, but it meant that I got to buy a gorgeously made cotton skirt that I shall post in a later post :) My jeans were just NOT the thing to be wearing in that heat!
I had the good fortune to run into a handful of New England area vendors that I know, some who were there selling and some who, like me, were there gawking and shopping. Adam Yothers of Boston's Dyslexic Press was there. His subversive mix of t-shirts and sarcasm fit right in, lol:
Learn more about Renegade Craft Fair here: Renegade!
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