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.

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Scenes from the Ballston Arts & Crafts Market

The weather was perfect on Saturday for the August Ballston Arts & Crafts Market. I was very happy since we got rained out last month. The market is always a lot of fun, well-attended, and full of great artisans.

My next door neighbor this month was the amazing Valerie Williams, owner of Holland Cox. A couple of years ago, Valerie left her lobbying job and now she dedicates all of her time to her beautiful, colorful fabric creations. My favorite Holland Cox item has been her eye masks, which are fashionable and practical. At Saturday’s market, I discovered her newest item, a Japanese obi-style, reversible, wide belt.

And Melissa Lew, whom I met at the 2009 Falls Church Holiday Craft Show, shared the good news with me that she will be displaying her jewelry in the Style Lounge at this year’s Emmy Awards. I have a maneki neko necklace that I bought from her, which I love. She combines Asian iconic imagery with clean modern jewelry designs for a uniquely beautiful look.

Jessica Blaszczak, the wonderfully energetic coordinator of the market, and owner of This Little Piggy, brought cascarrones with her to share with the vendors.

I introduced several new products at this month’s market. They were very well received. The natural herbal deodorant was a big hit, and will become a regular part of my offerings.

Guapo, who is a member of bLuGrnDesign, took a much needed rest after running around checking out all of the vendors as they were setting up. He is a regular attendee at the market, always keeps an eye on what’s going on.

Jewelweed

While hiking in the mountains recently, I came across several patches of Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis). The plants were lush, and several were about 4 feet high. I carefully picked off about two cups of leaves, stems and flowers, with the idea that I would create an infusion from them.

The plant gets its name from its leaves’ strange characteristic of resisting water — if you pour it on the leaves, the water simply beads up in balls that look like little crystal gems.

One of the medical constituents of jewel weed is Lawsone, which has  antihistamine and anti-inflammatory activity. I experienced the medicinal power of jewelweed several years ago while on a guided nature walk. I accidentally brushed against stinging nettle with my bare calf, which instantly resulted in extreme stinging pain and a raised, burning rash. The woman guiding us pointed out some jewel weed growing next to the nettle and instructed me to grab a bunch, smash it into a ball and rub it against the inflammation. It was miraculous how quickly it alleviated the pain. And the swelling went away just as quickly.

I have since read that it works equally well for insect stings and poison ivy. It also is effective in preventing poison ivy rash if rubbed on immediately after exposure to the poison ivy.

For an instant cure, you can just crush up a bunch of leaves, stems and flowers until they become juicy, then apply the poultice to the affected area. Or you can make an herbal infusion.

I made an infusion of the leaves, stems and flowers and used it to make jewel weed and calendula soap. It will be fully cured and ready for sale by the next Ballston Arts & Crafts Market, scheduled for August 14!

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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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Taste of Arlington, May 16th!

Since I moved to the DC area, I’ve enjoyed the annual Taste of Arlington® in the Ballston section of Arlington. (If you are not familiar with Arlington, please see this video by Remy for a taste of the ‘hood). The event is a great way to try out the many wonderful restaurants in the area, and hear some great local bands.

This year, over 40 restaurants from the Ballston, Clarendon-Courthouse, Columbia Pike, Rosslyn and Crystal City neighborhoods will be offering a sampling of their menus. In addition, several crafters who are part of the Ballston Arts and Crafts Market will be displaying their wares at Wellburn Square right next to the Metro.

The Taste will be held Sunday, May 16, 2010 from 12:00pm to 5:00pm, on Wilson Boulevard in front of Ballston Common Mall, just one block from the Metro Ballston-MU station (Orange line).

A portion of the proceeds from this years Taste will be donated to the Virginia Hospital Center and the Arlington Community Foundation.

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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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