Crafty Drinks November: Arlington Edition!

Yo crafty peeps! Timer for another happy hour already? Thank goodness.

This month, we're taking it to NOVA to chill out at Galaxy Hut in Clarendon; beer, bar grub, and Pac-Man & Galaga (had to click on that link to know the reference? Damn whipper-snappers with your XBox and your air conditioning).

Come on out and meet your friendly neighborhood crafters, learn something new, make friends!

Tuesday 10 November 2009
5:30-8pm
Galaxy Hut
2711 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201

Besitos,
Vanessa

Crafty Drinks: October

Hey there ladies and gents,

Tuesday 13 October we'll be making our way downtown to Rocket Bar for skiball, drinks and talking craft-shop.

Rocket Bar is a really fun space; pool tables and darts are plentiful, as are the selection of beers and cocktails. Plus, you can't beat the location: we'll be right across from the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro stop (Red/Green/Yellow lines), and if you're looking for a nosh after mingling, there are tons of great (and cheap!) eats in the area. I recommend Full Kee.


Their Hong Kong-style Shrimp Dumplings & Noodles Soup is to die for at $5.25. But I digress.

Stop by and meet fellow crafters, indie business owners and future friends. Get some BlogLove from the DC Craft Mafia and great crafty resources! It's all here, baby. Don't fight it.

Rocket Bar
714 Seventh Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Besitos,
Vanessa

Meet Your Maker: EHL Creations

Love photography? We do, too! Meet Emily Landsman of EHL Creations and learn about the craft of Polaroid transfers.

•How did you first get into Polaroid transfering as your medium?
My photography teacher in high school first showed me the process. I was taking independent study art, so I didn't have a set plan for the year. My teacher encouraged me enter creative contests, try new techniques and experiment with the digital camera the school had just purchased in 1996. I stopped making prints about a year after that and picked it up again about three years ago.

Polaroid stopped making all instant film about a year ago, so the supplies we have now are very limited. We in the Polaroid community have our hopes set on THE IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT, a group of Dutch chemists and engineers who, with a number of investors, are working to reintroduce instant film by 2010. http://www.the-impossible-project.com/. I was able to visit them in the Netherlands two months ago. I put my story of the visit with photos on my web site at http://www.ehlcreations.com/.

I was just contacted by Save Polaroid Japan earlier this week. They saw my web site and asked if they could use some of the photos of the visit to let folks over there know about the project.

•How do Polaroid transfers work?
Image transfers are made by developing Polaroid pull-apart films on non-photographic surfaces, usually wet watercolor paper. I interrupt the development process after just a few seconds by placing the negative on the paper to continue developing, and then I toss the positive. I usually use 35mm slides and an enlarger that prints onto Polaroid film, but I sometimes use Polaroid cameras, too. Emulsion lifts are made by soaking fully dried photographs until the emulsion layer separates from the page. It can then be repositioned on almost any surface. I use watercolor paper and ceramic tiles, but I've seen them on all kinds of surfaces, even rocks!

I generally use a slide printer to make my transfer images, so I first select slides. I either use 35mm film or I will convert digital images to a slide at a photo processing location.

This is the slide printer (enlarger head) with a base for Polaroid 669 film. I also have a base for type 59 film.

I make most of my transfers on wet watercolor paper, so I soak the paper in hot water.

I print the image and then quickly separate the positive and negative. Here, I have pressed the negative on the paper with a brayer. The positive is pale and has little image and will be discarded.


After 90 to 120 seconds, peal back the negative and voila!

This is not always a simple process. I generally make two or three prints before getting it right. I leave them on the floor to dry overnight.


•What are your favourite subjects to photograph and transfer?
Flowers are always nice. They come out looking very delicate. I tend to like repeating images, a row of chairs, liquor bottles on a shelf, leaves. I'm good with still life and landscapes, but I'm working on my portrait skills!
Developing an eye has been an ongoing learning process. I think I've figured out what makes an interesting image.

•I couldn't help but notice how well received your work is at the Ballston Arts & Crafts Market. Congrats! How do you feel about the popularity of your labour of love?
Thanks! It's really quite flattering. I just started showing my work about a year ago, so I'm still new to taking compliments. I love photography and creating images, so it's really nice to know that other people appreciate the work I put into my prints. This is the first year I've applied to markets and fairs and some shows have been (much) better than others.

•Your work has a vintage feel. Is that intended?
It kind of comes with the transfer process. Because the photograph is separated in mid-development, some of the colors don't fully transfer and the image has a soft, dream-like etherial quality. I think the variable borders on each image also adds to that feel.


•Where can we find you and your wonderful work?
I just started tweeting (www.twitter.com/ehlcreations) a few months ago, but in that time I have developed some Twitter "friendships." I like to follow other Polaroid photographers, and I love it when they follow me! We trade info about Polaroid products and our latest images. It was also exciting to finally make it to 100 fans on Facebook so I could get my own user name! (www.facebook.com/ehlcreations) My full web site http://www.ehlcreations.com/ has lots of info on my prints, greeting cards, lifts, and my visit to IMPOSSIBLE B.V. in the Netherlands and upcoming shows, including Art on the Avenue on October 3 and the DC Craft Mafia's Holiday Heist on November 21!

•What do you love the most about being an artist? How do you feel about the DC crafts scene?
I think DC has a pretty good craft scene...but I don't know too much about craft networks nationwide. Through my domestic travels for my day job I've been able to compare markets here and there, and I think we (in DC) lean more to the "craft" market and less to the "fine art" market.
I've met so many awesome people over the last few months through shows and events. Crafty Drinks was so much fun in July. It was really nice to chat with people who understand the satisfaction that comes from creating! Brainstorming different marketing opportunities, craft techniques and sharing our latest creations with each other has been really helpful. Plus, I have a bunch of new friends! I can't wait to meet up with everyone in September.

Thanks Em! We can't wait to see more of your work!

Besitos,
Vanessa

Crafty Drinks: September

Crafty Drinks will be post-poned for one week, to Tuesday 15 September. It is not out of disloyalty to our crafty patrons, or worse yet, a sudden distaste of an after-work cocktail. I'm writing to you as I ride the Metro in Montreal!



The food is great, the people are nice and the city is beautiful. In the Crafty Drinks spirit, I've made sure to tote yarn with me wherever I go, and to have a drink or two along the way :)


Make sure to meet us to herald in Autumn and find out about all the great local craft events happening!


L'Enfant Cafe is our gracious host again for this month; October we hit downtown for ski ball and darts at Rocket Bar!


Tuesday 15 September 2009, 5:30-8
L'Enfant Cafe
2000 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
202.319.1800


Besitos,
Vanessa

Crafty Business

So you finally opened that Etsy shop. Yay for you! So what now? You need business cards. They're not just for business execs anymore; these small papers are a little piece of your business.





Your name, business info and website and/or shop address are front and center on that card to serve as a quick reminder to its recipient of who you are, how to find you and, if you designed it well, why they have your card in the first place. It may seem overwhelming, so lets just start with step one: Where do I get my business cards from?

We'll start with your two basic options: Local and online printing companies:

Local Printers
If you want to choose a local printer, good for you! You're supporting your small local businesses, and isn't that what we're all about? You can find your neighborhood printers by word searching "Printing + Companies + Your City/State/Zip/Location" in a search engine such as Yahoo!, Bing or Google. They'll show you local companies in your vicinity. Or go old school and consult your Yellow Pages (maybe not too old school; you can find the Yellow Pages online now, too).

Then from here you have to do some footwork to compare prices and quality; some businesses may have websites, but not all, so count on having to visit many of the stores in person. This is to your benefit, anyway, as sampling paper textures, weights and qualities is always helpful and great to learn.






Online Printers
Online printing companies can be convenient: besides skipping the trouble of scouting local shops, most online printers have all the tools you need right on their websites to help you design a business card, if you don't already have a concept in mind.
I use VistaPrint and they're pretty cheap: 250 business cards for 19.95, but always click on their "Free Business Cards" option for their free templates if you are in a jam and need free cards fast. FYI: the weight of their cards are a little flimsy, so I suggest opting for their heavier weighted cardstock; still not the best, but it will look and feel better. Overnight Prints is another good option.

Want to go green? Try these Eco-friendly online printing companies, whose practices include using recycled papers and soy-based inks:
•GreenerPrinter.com

•Plan It Green Printing.com

Another bit of good advice I wish I'd known before ordering my cards:
Order a small amounts of cards at the beginning of your business (250-500 at a time), especially if you are still figuring out your branding identity. I can't tell you how many times I've been stuck with way too many cards that seemed great when I first made them, but within a few months I've either improved the layout, or figured out the perfect colour & font scheme to identify my business.

Hope this was helpful for you!
Besitos,
Vanessa

Meet Your Maker: AprilMist

Do you know what I love? Nice people. And even more so, nice people who make beautiful things. I truly believe that people who create beauty help the world go round.

So I'm always happy and grateful when I get to meet a great (and talented!) person to gush about. Without further ado, please meet April Stanley Njari of April Mist:

How did you come into crafting?

I grew up with Mrs. DIY herself, my crafty mom was never afraid to tackle any crafting challenge, from paper plate skeletons and Rainbow Brite costumes for Halloween, to making my wedding veil. That maker mentality stuck and creating continues to be a big part of my life today. I’ve been dabbling in a variety of arts and crafts from tie dye, pottery, sewing, floral designing, and knitting but it seems my most recent obsession making handmade paper beads has stuck.

What inspired you to use magazine paper as your medium to create your beads?

I started AprilMist in June after being inspired while stuck at London’s Heathrow airport for 12 hours (ugh). While flipping through fancy European fashion magazines, I realized the paper thickness, color quality, and designs were amazing! How could anyone discard this beautiful work of art after reading it? So, I started creating paper beads from the pages. Imagine how exciting it is to see paper (that would have been discarded) transform into intricately detailed beads! The process of cutting strips, wrapping them into the shape of a bead, and coating them with sealer is tedious, but stress relieving and mind numbing, I love it!

I've seen you work, and I'm in awe with how intricate your beadwork is.



Using my handmade paper beads, I create fun and sassy jewelry designs; my most recent trend has been creating cone and disk shaped beads and challenging myself to make the smallest bead possible (about 1/8 inch thick, so far).

Now that you're creating raving fans (I'm one! And did I tell you guys that she just opened her Etsy shop a month ago and she's already had over ten sales? As fellow Esty shop-owners know, that is a hella-impressive start!), where can we find you around DC?

After opening my shop, I met Vanessa at Ballston Arts & Crafts Market and got involved in Crafty Drinks. Through it I have received a TON of awesome advice and support from fantastic fellow DC crafters (thanks, guys!). In fact, at Vanessa’s encouragement I’ll be debuting my handmade paper bead fashions at the new Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring on October 3rd. Hope to see you there!


Thank you, April!
Besitos,
Vanessa

Late Summer Blues

As much as it pains me to admit it, Summer is almost over.

Sure, we still have most of September, but my internal clock that started in grade school says otherwise. And while I do love the long, sunny days and fireflies and crickets chirping, what I'll miss the most is outdoor seating; there is just something so nice about eating and drinking al fresco, and that is a special treat that only the summer brings.

I am grateful for the last couple of warm days that September will bring, and then I'll finally be ready to unpack my boots and sweaters.

In the meanwhile, more fruit, brie and chilled white summer wines for me.

Besitos,
Vanessa