Come check out the awesome I Made it! market at the SSW Exposed festival this weekend. I’ll be vending there all weekend along with 70+ other artists and crafters!
Artist Market: Friday 5-10 pm
Sat. 2-10 pm
Sun. 2-6 pm
July 9, 2009
July 9, 2009
Wow. I have been so busy that I never had a chance to publish this post….. written over a month ago!
I had 4 days off in a row! last weekend and it was great. I was busy the whole time, but some of it was relaxing (working in the garden).
Highlights:
1) Being interviewed by Pittsburgh Superstar, Documentary Maker Extraordonnaire, Rick Sebak (WQED)!!!!
2) Attending my friend and neighbor’s wedding. Somali weddings are so much fun!
3) Having the chance to pay back (a fraction) my friend Matt for all the work he did on our house. I helped to prep and paint the exterior of his house. We still owe him hours and hours, ok, maybe weeks of help.
4) Working in the yard, prepping the garden.
5) Getting in a good amount of studio time in preparation for the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn (June 6th and 7th, so soon!)
Being Interviewed by the one and only, Rick Sebak!
OMG, I'm talking to Rick Sebak, what do I do with my hands?
So, garbella got some press this week in the Pittsburgh City Paper. It is my first printed (not web) press! Oh, okay, it really doesn’t say anything about garbella, but the article mentions that Lindsay Welsh is wearing a t-shirt that says “I [bike] PGH.” I made that shirt! So, that is kind of press, isn’t it? It made me smile, anyway. 
May 27, 2009
Steevo and I are lucky enough to have a ton of awesome kids in our neighborhood. We are really close with 4 families, who are refugees from Somalia.
So, during Spring Break we decided to host a party for the kids at our house. We had music, dancing, snacks, pizza, cake and….. screenprinting! As I have mentioned before, I screenprint shirts for a Somali hip-hop/R&B group called the Lil Kiziguwaz. All of the neighborhood kids love the shirts. So, as a surprise at the party, each kid got to screenprint their very own Lil Kiziguwaz shirt. We even made a baby onesie for one of their Mothers who was expecting. Congratulations Makay! (She gave birth to Mukufu Osman on April 12th). These kids always make my day. When I come home, 95% of the time, one of the kids (usually 5-10 kids) are outside and come running over to say ‘hello’ while screaming “Amy…Amy….Amy!” It makes me feel all good inside.
Also, check out Steevo’s blog post about the party.
Fatuma is crafty!
April 30, 2009
I Made It! at the Oakmont Library- this Saturday, May 2nd
Posted by garbella under Crafts | Tags: books, handmade, i made it!, oakmont, plants, succulents |Leave a Comment
succulents! handmade awesomeness! books!
In the mood to shop for books, plant, and handmade art/craft? Well, you are in luck. Come to the latest I Made It! market happening this Saturday in Oakmont, PA in conjunction with the library book sale and the Garden Club of Oakmont’s Annual Plant and Flower sale from 9 am – 3 pm in the parking lot next to Brr-Kees.
The Plant and Flower sale benefits community projects. Also, I Made It! supports local artists and crafters. Come by to support everyone and leave feeling great about yourself!
Come check it out! If you want a preview of some of the local vendors who will be at I Made It!, then click here.
Also, if you love succulents too, then come by and check out my brand new succulent inspired designs on Saturday.
April 21, 2009
Awesome upcycled "Make a List" notebook from remaker
So, I always make lists. The problem is… I rarely scratch off everything on my list before I make a new one. I made a list over the weekend of things that I needed to get done, supplies that needed to be ordered, appointments I needed to set. It was 4 separate lists, 4 pages long by the time I was done! This list is different though. I am committing to this list. I will scratch things off as I complete them and I think I should be able to have everything scratched off within the week!
I am going to spend more time scratching things off the list and less time reading blogs this week. That being said, I think the following blogs are awesome and should not be neglected. So, I put together a list of blogs that I like for your reading pleasure. Maybe you can pick up the slack for me and keep readership up while I am crossing off my list? Oh, okay… I’ll probably read just a little bit, so I’m not out of the loop, but I’ll still keep up with my list. Maybe I should add “Keep up with RSS and read blogs daily” to my list? Then I can still have the satisfaction of scratching it off.
Indie Craft/Design/Business Blogs
- Poppytalk and Poppytalk Handmade
- Indie Fixx
- Design Sponge
- Bakery
- Handmade Business Blog
- Heart Handmade
Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh Representin’
Bike Related Blogs
This is just a sample of some of my favorite blogs. There are plenty of other awesome blogs out there. Maybe next week I’ll make another list of awesome crafty bloggers, local and not so local. I’ll add that to my list.
April 9, 2009
Well, this week is off to a great start! First, the I Made It! Market was great this past weekend. Everyone was really friendly, I think the sunshine and nice weather really helped with that Sales were good and I got some new tea cups and mugs from Jeff of Jeff Guerrero Ceramics. Awesome!
Also, I am really excited to report that …….. drum roll please…… my friend Taryn and I got accepted as vendors for the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn! We are thrilled. She and her business (Tomgirl) live in San Francisco, CA. We have done a number of art shows together while in college, but this is going to our first time vending together at a craft fair. We are going to have so much fun! I love vending at craft shows and I love spending time with her, so I can’t wait for Renegade- Brooklyn!
I called Tom last night to tell her the great news and I imagined that her face looked like this when she heard what I said.
So, we have a lot to prepare….. I have so many new ideas and can’t wait to start making them happen.
April 3, 2009
I Made It! April 4th at Union Project
Comeout and say ‘hello’ to me and all of the other vendors at the I Made It! Market at the Union Project tomorrow. I’m sure that there is going to lots of great crafty goodness for sale. Show some support for local artists and crafters!
April 3, 2009
I know it has been a long, long time since my last blog post…. It is Spring time now, and I am turning a new leaf. I am going to start back by posting two (that’s right 2) entries on one day. I was inspired to get back to the blog by Tara from Handmade in PA. She is going to be posting blogging tips tomorrow (I definitely need to check those out!) Her blog is great and features all sorts of amazing work from artists and crafters in the Keystone State!
My day is off to a great start because of Handmade in PA. I received a message on Etsy from a previous customer who saw one of my clocks featured as a favorite on the blog this morning and purchased it right away! Thanks! So, check out Handmade in PA. Do it.
November 29, 2008
Now that we are all full with delicious food and have spent some time with friends and family, many will start to think about holiday gift giving. In order to get the gifts, many people were up shopping early this morning at the malls and chain stores. Maybe it is time to mix it up a little bit this holiday season?
- Consider making your own gifts! I love receiving handmade gifts; they are so special.
- If you are not the crafty or creative type, then please consider buying handmade for the holidays this year. Here is a link with a list of reasons why buying handmade makes sense.
It feels good to support local and independent artists. I received an order through my Etsy shop this evening and the customer said “always glad to spend locally!” It turns out that the customer address is right near my office. So not only is she satisfied with spending her money locally, but she is going to have the item hand delivered and her shipping fee refunded!
Looking for some ideas or places to pick up awesome gifts from local or independent artists?
- Etsy ! There are thousands of shops on Etsy selling anything you can dream of…. Use the “Shop Local” tool to find an artist near you. Or use the color tool, or the category listing… there are many ways to search.
- Holiday Craft Shows! This is a great way to check out some of the amazing items being made in your area. Check your local paper and holiday listings to find out more.
Upcoming shows for Yinz in Pittsburgh (Stop by and say hello to me!)
* I Made It! Market
December 6th, 12-5 PM
Union Project * 801 North Negley Ave * Pittsburgh, PA
* Holiday Arts & Crafts Show
Sunday, December 7th
CC Mellor Library * 1 Penwood Place * Pittsburgh, PA
CityCraft Handmade Holiday Happy Hour Market
Thursday, December 18th, 2008, 5-9 PM
Navarra (next to Bossa Nova) 131 Seventh Street (Downtown)
Pittsburgh, PA
Ohio Folks
Bazaar Bizarre- Cleveland
Sat. Dec. 13th (12 PM- 9 PM)
Sun. Dec. 14th (12 PM- 6 PM)
78th Street Studios: 1300 W. 78th St to 1305 W. 80th St., North parking lot, North entrance — accessible from W. 78th OR W 80th St.
Rhode Island Folks
Craftland!
Providence, RI
235 Westminster Street, Providence, RI
Craftland 2008 will be open 7 days a week from December 5-24, 2008.
SEARCHING FOR HANDMADE GIFTS?
On your quest to find the perfect handmade gift, check out some of these shops. You can always stop by my shop, garbella, too!
Here are some of my friends’ shops and shops that I love for you to check out:
- Awesome Photographs by my friend Matt Dayak
This is one of my favorites. Check out his gallery to order ready to frame prints of all sizes!
- Recycled Notebooks by Subu
Recycled Notebooks by Subu
- Recycled and new fabric fashions- fingerless gloves and scarves- Xmittens
Xmittens!
- Amazing Jewelry by Mel McCabe
Carnelian Waterfall earrings by Mel McCabe
- Beautiful buttons from Tabyn McCabe/ buttonbee
love these buttons!
Happy Shopping!
November 11, 2008
Wow… what a great event! Thanks to everyone who stopped by the garbella table this past weekend. I had so much fun and got to meet a lot of awesome people. My family also came through for me big time; I couldn’t have kept up without them. It is estimated that 10,000 people came to Handmade Arcade! That is awesome. Kudos to the HA organizers and all of the vendors, the great DJs (I loved the music), the food vendors, especially My Goodies Bakery and Franktuary (Deanna and Megan are cool). This was the first of many holiday shows for me this year. I got some great feedback, tried out a new display, and determined that I must pack the car the night before a show so that I am not scrambling to set up in time!
If you stopped by and are interested in something that you don’t see in my etsy shop, please send me a message or e-mail and let me know. I’d be happy to do a custom order or the list a new item.
I am still recovering from HA, but it is a good recovery. I am getting ready to finally post new clocks and screen-printed art blocks on the site, so check back in a day or two.
My table at Handmade Arcade (photo courtesy of Subu of the Pittsburgh Craft Collective)
Today was an off-day and tomorrow I am back in the studio working on custom orders from the show, some new shirts for the Lil Kiziguwaz and some other large screen-printing jobs. Somewhere in there I am going to list my new clocks in the etsy shop and start getting ready for all of the upcoming shows!
