Join Us at Handmade Arcade in Pittsburgh, PA!

The following post is by Katie Perugini, Herban Lifestyle’s Creative Communications Strategist.

As the holiday season falls upon us we hope you will join us this weekend in for a handmade holiday shopping experience in a beautiful city – The Handmade Arcade in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Now in it’s 9^th year, the Handmade Arcade is Pittsburgh’s first and largest independent craft fair. This weekend, it returns to downtown Pittsburgh at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on December 8 from 11am to 7pm with free admission.

Herban Lifestyle is excited to be a vendor in The Handmade Arcade for a second time and first time in the Holiday show. If you’re in the area or making the trip, please stop by and say hello! We will be at booth #91.

Remember to visit the shopper info page to get all the information you need to maximize your Handmade Arcade shopping experience!

I also compiled a short list of cool things in Pittsburgh. This is by no means an exhaustive list, just a few of my favorites. See you there!

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens– Founded in 1893, the conservatory currently has thirteen rooms with different themed gardens featuring various exotic plants. I visited the gardens a little over a year ago was impressed by the commitment to sustainability, environmental education for the community and stunning photo ops.

Mount Washington –The view of the Pittsburgh skyline is as breathtaking as seen in the pictures. I had the opportunity to view it for the first time while sitting on a bench on top of Mount Washington in addition to riding on the Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines–which are the oldest continuous inclines in the world. Although it is definitely a “cliché” Pittsburgh activity—the experience is definitely worth it.

The Cathedral of Learning – Despite being a Penn Stater, I couldn’t help but stand in awe next to the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning. Not only is it 42 stories and the second tallest university building in the world, the inside looks like something straight out of a Harry Potter movie. It’s so beautiful you wish you had the opportunity to study in this building.

The Bridges – Pittsburgh has an incredible amount of character and its bridges are undeniably a big part of that. Pittsburgh has hundreds of bridges within the city limits, practically begging you to get out of your car and take pictures every where you go.

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Join us at Crafty Bastards on 10/1!

For the past few weeks, I’ve been busy gearing up for this year’s Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Show in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC. In its 8th year, it’s one of the biggest craft shows in the country drawing an estimated 30,000 attendees. I am super honored to have been chosen to be a vendor. And it’s not only a great place to be a vendor, it’s also a dream-come-true for the shopper looking for unique, high-quality handcrafted gifts.

fuzzy soap display at Crafty Bastards 2010

It’s a huge show, with tons of great stuff to see and do – besides all the amazing crafts, there will also be DIY demos, food vendors, as well as the new Young & Crafty (featuring the wares of crafty kids 18 and under) and Crafty Food vendors (featuring home brew, preserves and pickles!). So, in order to maximize your time there, you can take a look at the vendor page to get a preview of the who will be selling what, then download the official Crafty Bastards vendor map so you can make sure you find all your favorites.

If you are in DC that day, please stop by Booth #88 and say, “Hi!” (If you are in the market for fuzzy soap, try to get there early, since we sold out of all 100 before the end of the day last year!) I hope to see you there!

Ballston Arts & Crafts Market May 14th!

We are happy to announce that we will once again be participating in the 2011 Ballston Arts & Crafts Market on May 14 from 10:00am to 4:00pm! It is held every Second Saturday from April through October, and is Arlington’s premier 100% handmade indie art market.

We will be vending along with many other amazing DC-area crafters (many of whom are Etsians), including: Bette’s Bags, BoxBoy Demented Decoupage, Brighter Day Beads,Fuzzy Ink, Grumpy Haters, Jen-A-Fusion Fashion Accessories, lolojane, Mary Ellen Larkins, Melissa Lew, The BumbleBee Studio, Warped & Morewarped and Yinibini Baby.

The kind folks at ArlingtonVirginia.com, Arlington’s Social Media Community, will be handing out FREE eco-friendly tote bags for the first 50 visitors. An from 12:00 – 2:00 pm, there will be live music by J-Guden and FREE yoga classes for the whole family will be offered in the square. Donations will be accepted to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.

The market is super-conveniently located in Welburn Square (between North Stuart and North 9th Streets) across the street from the Ballston Metro.

Please Join Us at the Handmade Arcade in Pittsburgh!

I am super excited to be a vendor the The Handmade Arcade, which will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Hall D, at the corner of Penn Ave. and 10th Street, in downtown Pittsburgh.

The Handmade Arcade has been around since 2004, the first indie craft show of its kind in Pittsburgh. It features a variety of inspired DIY including “innovative jewelry, scary and sweet stuffed creatures, knitted accessories, silk screened prints and tees, felted fashions, hand bound books, spun yarns, stationery, ‘zines, housewares and lots more.”

Admission is free, but the show is very well-attended, so you may want to purchase an Early Bird Pass to get a chance to buy your favorite one-of-a-kind crafty items before they get snatched up!

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Crafty Bastards! October 2nd in Adams Morgan

I am looking forward to being a first-time vendor at this year’s Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair. Two years ago, I attended Crafty Bastards for the first time. Located in Adams Morgan, a lively, fun, quirky, personality-filled neighborhood of DC, Crafty Bastards in more than just a great arts and crafts fair. In addition to about 140 unique and talented artisans from around the country, the festival features live music, amazing food, craft demonstrations, hands-on DIY demos, and a BBoy Battle. I spent a long time watching the technically and artistically adept, gravity-defying moves by the competitors and standers-by.
And I, of course, spent a lot of money at the various craft booths! I recall being blown away by the quality and creativity of the artisans, and overwhelmed by the number of items I wanted to take home. For a sneak preview of the temptingly awesome products that will be for sale at this year’s Crafty Bastards, check out the vendor gallery.

So, if you are around, please stop by and check out all the awesomeness at the Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair, Saturday, October 2, 2010, 10am-5pm at the Marie Reed Learning Center at 18th & Wyoming in the hip Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Here’s a video of the 2009 BBoy finalists.

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Join Us at the Ballston Arts & Crafts Market on July 10th!

I am happy to announce that Herban Lifestyle will be  participation in the 2010 Ballston Arts & Crafts Market starting on July 10th! Held every second Saturday from May through October, the Ballsotn Arts & Crafts Market is Arlington’s premier juried 100% handmade Market. It is conveniently located in Welburn Square between North Stuart and North 9th Streets, across from the Ballston Metro.

This year’s Market features many talented artists, live music, free demos and much more. Herban Lifestyle is happy to be participating in the July through October markets. For a preview of some of the great arts and crafts that will be part of the July market, please visit the BACM website.

I hope you can join us on the 10th!

Here is a list of participating artists for July:

• Amanda Beckham Original Artwork
• Art-to-Die-For
• Bette’s Bags
• BoxBoy Demented Decoupage
• Claytastic
• Creative Art & Soul
• DC Craft Mafia
• Fast Snail Creative Greetings & Design
• FatDog Jewelry
• Freund ‘n’ Friends Photos
• Froggy Pants Creations
• FSall Selection
• Grumpy Haters
• Herban Lifestyle
• Holland Cox
• Hope Augustini
• Jerseymaids
• Jewelry Link
• Jillory
• Lanyapi Designs
• Laughing Moon Artworks
• Love to Create
• Mary Ellen Larkins
• Mint Parcel
• Moonlight Bindery
• Purple Skirt Press
• Refined Creations
• Reinvented Elegance
• Sharp Shirter
• Space Moderne
• Steven L. Miller Words & Images
• Tuesday Tauchen Art
• Unique Creations
• Warped & Morewarped

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2010 Ballston Arts & Crafts Market!

I am happy to announce Herban Lifestyle’s participation in the 2010 Ballston Arts & Crafts Market! This juried outdoor market will be held every second Saturday from May through October. It’s conveniently located in Welburn Square, between North Stuart and North 9th Streets, across from the Ballston Metro. The Ballston Arts & Crafts Market is Arlington, VA’s premier 100% handmade Market.

As always, this year’s Market features many talented artists, live music, free demos and much more.

Herban Lifestyle is thrilled to be participating in the July, August, September and October markets, but opening day for the Market is May 8th. I hope you’ll join us and support your local artists at the 2010 Ballston Arts & Crafts Market!

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ArtSpring in Silver Spring

Herban Lifestyle products on display at ArtSpring

Today I was in downtown Silver Spring, MD dropping off a gift basket for an upcoming charity auction, and decided to stop in at ArtSpring, which is just around the corner.

I love ArtSpring for many reasons. For one thing, they carry my products 🙂  But just as important, they carry a wide selection of work by local artisans. ArtSpring is housed in a huge light-filled beautiful retail space (formerly a Merrimekko store) in the relatively recently renewed downtown Silver Spring.

Every time I visit ArtSpring, I have to buy something. Today I found  pure beeswax tapers — a very rare find. The last time I was there, I purchased a bracelet crafted from a repurposed silver fork. Very fun stuff!

Join Herban Lifestyle at the Squidfire Holiday Art Mart

I love this poster that I received from the creative guys at Squidfire advertising their annual Holiday Art Mart. I posted about this show earlier in the week, but just had to share this image. It reminds me of the animated Abominable Snowman in the Rudolph the Reindeer Christmas movie that terrorized me as a child, except this one looks much friendlier and I wouldn’t mind shopping where he shops.

I hope you can join us and 60 other amazing artisans at Du Burns Arena, 1301 South Ellwood Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224 on Saturday, December 12, from 11am to 6pm!

Join Us at Squidfire’s 2009 Winter Art Mart

Join us and 60 other amazing artists and crafters at Squidfire’s Winter Art Mart in downtown Baltimore on December 12. This year’s festivities will be held at the Du Burns Arena in Canton. As always, the art mart will feature some of the best diy/indie crafters from all over the East Coast. Whether you’re looking for handmade soap, freshly baked dog treats, unique paper goods, or even locally roasted coffee beans, they will have it there.

So I hope you can join us on December 12, from 11am-6pm, at the:

Du Burns Arena
1301 S Ellwood Ave
Baltimore, MD 21224