Filed under: BirdDog Press, Craft Biz, Friends, Handmade Revolution | Tags: Boulder, Dottie Angel, handmade, handmade holiday, Knoxville
Upholding my own tradition of handmade gifts, I’m proudly guessing that I have about an 80% lifetime achievement rate of giving. Starting this holiday giving season, I pledge my allegiance to the Dottie Angel challenge of the utmost kind. I have been enamored with Dottie Angel since I stumbled upon it back at the end of summer/beginning of fall. Any Boulderites or Knoxvillians who would like to join in have an opportunity to start with the Open Studios Holiday Market at Twenty-Ninth Street or Handmade Holiday on Gay Street, both going on one more weekend for your holiday shopping pleasure. The first day & opening reception of Boulder’s market went so well and I am honored to have been chosen to show & sell alongside some of Boulder’s great artists & craftspeople:
Jaala Jewels {pair of red ball earrings}· Feral Apparel · Greenleaf Design {reclaimed corduroy skirt with scrap fabric patches} · ali dejohn {wool felt barettes}· Antje Ryken · CarolAnn Wachter {haute couture hat}· Luscious Metals {copper nest earrings}· Adagio Art Glass · 11:11 Productions · Ru Fabricates · K Starr’s Homemade Goods · Lola Images · Pottery by Terry · Perlalu {yellow + guinea feather headband} · Pink Collar Studio {dazzling necklace}· Alison Blair Studio · Sue Puterbaugh · Dsenyo Handbags · Candace Newlove · Caroline Douglas · Sweet Letter Press · Artist, Ltd. · Natural Imagery · Leapnlizart · Haberkorn {flower woodblock print}· Swear Jar Designs {belt buckle}· TrueJune · Cannon Pottery · Dandy Social Club {toddler tie + ridiculously cute plaid cropped pants, size 3T}· Marcus-McKenna Studio · English Retreads {inner tube handbag}· Mary Scrimgeour Studios · Vita Verde · Ferally Normal Clayworks · Double Vision Photography · Spirit of the Grain · Basically Tweaked
I may have already spent all of the money that I made, see in {parenthesis} what I have my eye on from each seller. And, no, it’s not all for me.
Filed under: BirdDog Press, Craft Biz, Handmade Revolution | Tags: Boulder, gift, handmade holiday, Holiday Market, Knoxville, Open Studios, shopping, Tennessee, twenty-ninth street
Usually, when I check out of twitter and neglect the blog here it means that there are some extra exciting things going on that are keeping me busy!! That is certainly the case right now, I’m happy to report! We have been busy little elves around here, and I must implore you to buy local and buy handmade this holiday season.
Open Studios is presenting a juried Holiday Market this year in Boulder’s Twenty-Ninth Street shopping district. Please join us for a wine & cheese reception from 7 to 9pm this Friday, December 4th – get your ticket here! Or pop by for some great gifts any time during the first two weekends of December.
At the same time, there will be a reception for my hometown Handmade Holiday trunk show in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee on historic Gay Street next to Yee-Haw Industries from 5 to 9. Big, huge, thanks to Jill of Duchess Craft for putting her heart & soul into promoting local artists and for always calling me home & including me in her crafty plans. I wish I could pack myself into that big box of BirdDog paper goods that I just sent to her.
Buy Local! Buy Handmade!!!
Filed under: BirdDog Press, Bozeman Collaborative, Craft Biz | Tags: Boulder, Entrepreneurs, WE2E, women
Tonight I am hosting my Women’s Entrepreneur group meeting. I’m a little sad about the rain, so keep your fingers crossed for me that it holds off another round until 8 or so. What is we2e?
What: we2e (women entrepreneur 2 entrepreneur) A fun, informal networking group.
Who: late 20’s, 30’s and 40’s women business owners in Boulder and Denver.
When: The third Monday of every month at a new spot in Boulder. Please feel free to bring suggestions.
No need to RSVP and no cost to join. Be ready to meet inspiring women.
Filed under: Inspirations, Life, Tangents | Tags: Boulder, colorado, Jonny Copp, letter, sympathy
IMG_6094.JPG, originally uploaded by theHandmaiden.
Boulder was sad today, the sky cried much earlier and longer than usual. Climbing is a big part of the culture here and today, news of a huge loss rung from an ascent gone amiss in China. I only met Jonny once, but first impressions are strong and as I read anecdotes from the love pouring in, it appears as though my opinion was shared by everyone. An exceptional guy with a big spirit.
As a mother, I can’t stop thinking about this tragedy, to outlive your children would weigh heaviest on your heart. We all deal with difficult emotions differently. We all want to help those who mourn feel happiness again. How best to offer your condolences to those who are experiencing their deepest grief?
I love the letter posted here by a friend, put out in the universe, written directly to Jonny Copp. It is a perfect example of heartfelt celebration of the life of a dear companion. Personally, I find sympathy letters to be some of the hardest to write, but I also know that families and friends want to know that their late loved ones had a positive impact on the world and that they touched the lives of others. There has to be comfort in that.
Filed under: BirdDog Press, Friends, Inspirations | Tags: Boulder, colorado, custom framing, Lyons, NCWIT, Sushi Matsuri, Symons Innovator Award, wordle
Have I ever told you how much I LOVE my little town of Lyons? Last night, I had dinner at the new Sushi Matsuri restaurant in town, … we walked! Friday night several families gathered cooked out on the fire pit that is right outside of my studio after finishing up a collaborative project with my neighbor and friend, Valerie, an amazingly artistic custom framer.
The project for NCWIT, a Boulder based non-profit organization, began with another local who works for the coalition and a wordle, as shown in the word cloud above. We collectively married new technology and traditional craftsmanship to create the Symons Innovator Award which will be presented next month to an outstanding entreprenurial woman. I documented the whole process of creating this art print in pictures and will be sharing more tomorrow. The point is, I was able to work with phenomenal women and be a part of an awesome worldly opportunity all from the homebase of small {but spectacular} Lyons, Colorado.
Filed under: Bozeman Collaborative, Craft Biz | Tags: Boulder, Chicks who Click, Gwen Bell, social media
exciting! a social media conference in Boulder and who will be attending? Moi! and it’s this weekend. Of course I will have tweets and a recap for you on all of my social media outlets – it’s probably a requirement. Learned about this from local social media godess, Gwen Bell. create. connect. collaborate!
This business card just got a makeover. The design didn’t really change just the details. The method went from traditional offset, to even more traditional letterpress. The paper became more tactile, cotton and duplexed in color. The colors became more muted, but richer.
This may be a foreshadowing of what is to come from both the BirdDog Press and Akamai Consulting with their participation in the WE2E New You Expo in May. The Women Entrepreneur to Entrepreneur group came up with the idea of showcasing their businesses through a community effort, offering Whole Life Makeovers to women in the area and presenting their amazing transformations in a red carpet, expo-style celebration at the St. Julien Hotel in Boulder, Colorado.
Come see the results!
