National Craft Month Demo Days at The Muse!

As part of National Craft Month, my local handmade shop, The Muse, hosts a local artist each Sunday of March to demonstrate a craft or skill from 2-4 in the afternoon. I was asked to kick off Demo Days and I decided to demonstrate how to use pom pom makers and then use them to make a pom pom rug! I only got about half way finished the rug, as I taught SO many wonderful people how to use pom pom makers, but I'm excited to finish the rug during this huge snow storm we're expecting this week.

Anyway, while I was teaching an adorable 5th grader how to use the pom pom makers, Bill Green, a photographer from our local paper, The Frederick News Post, came by and snapped a few photos. It's certainly not the best photo, but is a little bit of press to add to my resume! I wish they could have included the little girl, too, but that's ok!

Read the press release here.

What have you been crafting for National Craft 9and Crochet!) Month? 

xo,

Crochet Class! March 10th!

My friend Karla and I will be teaching another crochet class at The Muse on March 10th! This time, we're teaching two skills: making t-shirt yarn and how to make a bangle bracelet!

We're expecting this class to be a lot of fun as attendees will learn the art of re-purposing an everyday item and transforming it into something functional and cute!

For more details, visit The Muse or call 301.663.3632!

xo,

A little weekend action

Aside from participating in two craft shows this weekend, I found a little time to hangout with my BFF who was visiting from New York City. We had a good time checking out a new restaurant downtown, The Wine Kitchen and looking through old photo albums (yes, I still put together photo albums and I L.O.V.E. them). I had the best time hanging out with Lisa--it was so great getting girl time right before the holidays!

I also received my new earrings from the Bellwether Shop! I'm wearing them right now and specifically picked out an outfit to wear them with tomorrow ;). They're really light weight and the perfect amount of color for my autumn wardrobe :)

How was your weekend?

Artomatic is coming to Frederick!

Artomatic, a non-profit organization created with intentions to support open-entry artisans in the D.C. community, began in 1999 and has become quite an exciting event in the metro area. So what does D.C. have to do with Frederick? Well, other than it being less than an hour away from us, what happens in D.C./Baltimore usually floats our way eventually, which is why I'm smitten with this little artist-friendly town.

Nearly four years ago, the local school system finally decided to compile all four Board of Education offices that operated throughout Frederick County and have one massive BOE building downtown. Sure, they already had a headquarters downtown, but it wasn't even close to being large enough to house all the offices... plus it was in need of millions of dollars in rennovations, that unfortunately, were much more expensive than starting from scratch. That brings us to 2010 when they opened the doors to their beautiful new office building. But what was going to happen with the landmark location on Church Street?

(old office)

(image)

(new office)

(image)

It's been the question in a lot of discussions recently, and that's when Artomatic stepped in!

Yes! Artomatic is to be held in Frederick this fall (September 28-November 6)! I can't even believe it. Although the plans had been in the works with the Frederick Arts Council, I didn't hear about this until last night and I am so excited to share it with all of you!

So here's the deal. Artists have until September 9th to sign up for a spot in the building. The building can house over 300 artists! Each spot is $100. Each artist is required to pay the fee plus donate a few hours of their time helping out with the event. Now--let's say you're a gal like me that has a pretty busy fall season ahead and you're not quite sure if you can handle another big event--I'm just donating my time! That's right, I signed up to be a greeter for the event a few Sundays. If I can't give my art, I will surely give my time!

I'm really excited about this for a few key reasons.

1) More art in Frederick is never a bad thing.

2) Autumn is my favorite season for art... and life in general... ;)

3) Frederick is gorgeous in autumn!

So, come on out folks. If you're a metro-area resident, it will be worth your journey. Many locals have already signed up (did you know Frederick has always had a large artist demographic?), but there are also quite a few visiting artists looking to get their work introduced in a new community! Fun!

Weekend Musings

Life is so funny. I'm the kind of person who can get really wound up in whatever I'm working on and need a friendly reminder that sometimes, life just isn't that serious.

(fyi: the photos used in this post were taken with my droid phone)

This past weekend my best friend, Lisa, came to visit from New York City. It's always a treat to have her here; she hasn't been since our wedding last July. She even treated us to a cupcake themed housewarming gift including yummy Magnolia Bakery cupcakes fresh from NYC! Yes! We had a lovely weekend together despite the humidity and insane heat. We visited the pool, went antiquing and thrifting, and had a few drinks at my favorite local bar.

And of course, we ended our night Saturday with a dinner at Nido's (my fav Italian joint in town) and hulu action back home with a few bottles of wine. Pretty perfect, if you ask me.

Today, we woke slowly and left for brunch before taking Lisa back to Baltimore to catch her bus. As we were heading toward brunch, Cory and I were reviewing the itinerary for his upcoming work conference in Rehoboth, Delaware. Something puzzled me... we weren't supposed to check in until Monday? Hm. Okay, we could just find a place to crash tonight, not a big deal. We have loads of friends and family in the area. Because something just didn't feel right, I looked up the conference on my phone and realized that the conference doesn't actually begin until... Tuesday! Which is why our county wasn't providing room and board this evening. Silly, silly. So we're all packed up and have the housesitter all set...

with no where to go! lol

Unfortunately, Cory is really suffering with a head cold, so we decided to take Lisa to Baltimore and head back home. Our compromise was that we would go see the new Harry Potter and take it easy at home tonight. I'm happy to say my husband is currently asleep at 9:30pm.. which is exactly where he needs to be in order to get better before this conference!

So, we'll head out early tomorrow, probably spend some time roaming the Delaware beaches and taking it easy. I'll be at the beach all week while he's at the conference... or going around the Ocean City boardwalk taking photos ;).

Have you had a moment when life just made you giggle a little?

xo, Liz

Frederick's Signs of Love

Ever since I moved to downtown Frederick 4 years ago, I have aquired a certain love for one specific alley. It never fails, whenever I walk anywhere downtown, I always take Maxwell. It is right by our house and connects us to all the downtown streets. Cory and I often go for walks down Maxwell in the evening to stretch out our legs and enjoy some quality time together. Last night, during our walk, I noticed a few signs of love posted throughout Maxwell and I wanted to share them with you!

Are there any signs of love around you?

xo,

Liz

Spring time in Frederick, MD

One of my favorite aspects of living in Frederick is that it's easy to just go out for a walk that could last for hours. Cory and I do this all the time, especially when it's warm out. We find ourselves walking all over this cute town multiple times during a week, and Spring Break was no exception. Here are a few snapshots of a walk we took over the weekend!

Once we got home from our walk, I had every intention of curling up with the kitties and taking a nice nap... it seemed as if they were ready, too...

So, I lay down... and Flip decides to play..

:)

Liz

DIY: Peacock Feather Necklace with Chrissy Gemmill!

I am so excited to share today's DIY project with you to continue our celebration of National Craft & Crochet Month! Chrissy Gemmill is a local jewelry artist in Frederick that I have come to know over the years since I have been living in the downtown area. You may remember Chrissy from previous posts, as she was the teacher of the class we took for my bachelorette party last June and she attended my "Statement Scarf" class in February! Without further adieu...

Hi Donna’s Decembers Readers!

My name is Chrissy Gemmill and I am a jewelry designer, instructor, wife and mom. I write a blog where I chronicle the daily goings on in my studio and little world in beautiful Frederick, MD. I love what I do and my passion for jewelry making is life long. It is a true pleasure to have the opportunity to share what I do with fellow crafters!

I am excited to share with you my Transforming A Feather Into A Wearable Pendant In Just Four Easy Steps DIY project! This project requires NO jewelry making experience. Jeweler’s pliers are helpful but not necessary, this piece can be created with a few common household accoutrements!

I originally made this peacock feather necklace as a gift for a friend. The peacock is symbolic of kindness, patience, good fortune and immortality.

When I began designing with this fanciful feather I found such beauty in the feather alone that I didn’t want to take away from it with over embellishments of the chain or findings. The end result was so simplistic and steps to create it so simple that I thought one day I should share this simple DIY project! Thanks to Liz for finally prompting me to follow through!

Transform A Feather Into A Wearable Pendant In Four Easy Steps!

By Chrissy Gemmill

Materials List

(available at Joann Fabrics and most other craft stores)

• Feathers (selecting feathers with fabric at the top is helpful).

• 26 gauge wire (I used silver tone but colored wire would work nicely)

• Wire Necklace Or Cording

Tools(available at Joann Fabric and most other craft stores):

Pliers (optional); 1 wire cutter, 1 flat nose, 1 round nose, 1 chain nose (tapered)

How to improvise without buying tools:

• Household scissors; will easily cut 26 gauge wire

• Your fingers; great for bending and twisting wire into place

• Round chopsticks or a pen; to shape and bend a loop

• Tweezers; to push in wire ends

Steps to create a coil and loop for your feather:

Step 1: Make a coil.

• Cut about 6 or so inches of wire

• Place your wire at the fabric base of the top of the feather

• Begin your coil by placing about two or so inches of wire on the front side of the feather and then wrap the long end of the wire around to the opposite side

• Continue your coil by using your fingers and wrapping the wire around while working your way up the top of the feather. Remember to pull the coil tightly so that it does not slide off the top of the feather. Coil as many times as you find aesthetically fitting.

Step 2: Making a loop

• To create your loop stop your coil making at the back of the feather and grab your round nose pliers (or chop stick/pen) then bend the wire over the round part of your tool and take the long part of the wire over the front of the feather.

• To secure the loop in place take the long part of the wire and tuck it under the tail then bend both wires in the opposite direction to the back of the feather.

Step 3: Secure and finish the loop

 

• Take the longer tail and wrap it up and over the start of the loop

• Carefully with your chain nose pliers (or tweezers) wrap the two tails around each other to secure them in place

• With your wire cutters (or scissors) snip off the excess wire and then bend or wrap any little extra wire tail under the coils.

• Using your fingers or flat and/or chain nose pliers gently adjust any wires into shape.

Step 4: Add to wire necklace or cord

 

• If you are using cord, cut it so that it can simply be tied around the back of the neck. If you have chosen a wire necklace simply slide your pendant on and it is ready to wear!

Thank you Chrissy! What a beautiful statement piece for spring and summer!

For more information about Chrissy or Chrissy Gemmill Jewelry:

Twitter

Facebook

Etsy

Blog

Check out our other National Craft & Crochet Month posts!

xo,

Liz

Presidents Day weekend... 75 degrees with a chance of snow?!

It has been a low-key weekend in my world. Friday night, after a really stressful work week, I met up with a few colleagues from a different school at a local dive bar and enjoyed a brief happy hour. It was the perfect way to unwind after such a crazy week. Plus, it was 75 degrees outside so we just wanted an excuse to sit outside on a patio somewhere! On our way home, Cory and I decided that we were in no hurry to be home for the night, so we fed the cats and headed back out to run some quick errands (craft store for me, shoe store for him). We realized it was nearing 8 pm and we hadn't eaten dinner yet, so we started to pay attention to our surroundings as we were driving through town. We stumbled upon a little strip mall we had never paid much attention to and noticed there was a Greek restaurant, Greek Aroma! GREEK FOOD! Of course, we stopped and enjoyed amazingly delicious food. I had the Chicken Souvlaki sandwich and Cory had the Gryo. Ah-mazing! In fact, 2 days later, I was tempted to go back and have it again for lunch! This what I had...YUM!

(photo from their website)

Saturday morning I decided I need to get a lot of crocheting accomplished so I refined a pattern I had for fingerless gloves. I wanted to make a spring-friendly driving glove in brighter colors, so I worked on that for most of the morning (photos soon), until Cory decided that I was going with him down to Arlington for the afternoon to visit our friend who is home from Afghanistan. Our friend was a Major in the Army for years, but recently ended his last contract and signed with a defense contractor for the gov't. He's still flying planes and doing the exact same job,  but isn't away from home for as long. He's essentially over there for 3 months or so, comes home and has 2 months off. We hadn't seen him since he left in the fall, so we wanted to hangout and catch up.  It was actually really nice to get out of town for a bit, hangout with some like-minded people, eat some good bbq, and relax. The boys didn't even mind if I crocheted the entire time! Hooray!

Yesterday was a lot of bone-deep relaxation. Lots of quiet time, errands, crocheting. All was well. Cory and I even made a late-night run to Target to get snacks for the evening and I bought a new purse and coat, woo! (Since we only have 1 television in our house, and it is downtsairs, we have this thing where we will drag the mattress downstairs and sleep infront of the tv. It only happens every few months, but it is so fun! It's sort of like building an adult fort!)

Today, it is significantly colder, the sky is overcast and white, which tells me we're going to be getting some snow. It's crazy! 75 degrees one day, 2 days later: snow! What?!

I plan on staying indoors today (seeing as how I left my winter coat at school, because I was blinded by the beautiful weather outdoors on Friday). Flip hasn't really left me alone, so I will certainly have a cat near by. Plus, I realized all 9 seasons of Scrubs is available on Netflix streaming! YES!

While I thought we were on the brink of this....

(source)

It looks like we're really going to be doing this...

(source)

Keep warm!

xo,

Liz

Get Connected!

This month is bringing a major blog makeover to Donna's Decembers with the help of a very talented gal. Once we're ready with our fresh look, you'll have available links to all the ways you can connect with us in a pretty little toolbar. Until then, I'm gonna kick it oldschool.

Did you know that Donna's Decembers is on Facebook? mmhmmmmmmm. Follow us!

If you're not into Facebook, but you're into love, you can also follow us on Blog Lovin'. That's right. Spread the love!

And if you're into more instant gratification, you can also watch us tweet on Twitter :)

See... we can be bffs in just a matter of minutes :)

Anywho... it's Thursday and for that I am incredibly thankful. I have a whole load of errands to run after work (including a HUGE inventory drop off at The Muse for 1st Saturday). Don't forget it's your last weekend to sign up for my statement scarf crochet class! You can call or stop in to The Muse to sign up!

xo,

Liz