Summer Preview

Summer is almost here and that means craft shows galore! It also means that I have the summer off from teaching art and am so excited to catch up on my creative pursuits. Here's a preview of what's in store for Summer 2009. 

Sno-cone Hair Pins are the perfect summer treat!

Comfest (June 26-28th in Goodale Park): You'll be able to find Sweet Stella Designs' merchandise at Comfest even though I won't personally have a booth there. Check out the Wholly Craft! booth for my usual goods and Buckeye Bling for my colorful clay Ohio map silhouette necklaces. 

Sweet Collaborations: In July, you'll be able to purchase exclusive items from my Tiny Treats line at Pattycake Bakery! These little gems are hand-sculpted from polymer clay and will resemble the awesome, scrumptious vegan baked goods at Pattycake! 

You'll be able to purchase hairpins, earrings, rings, and necklaces shaped like cupcakes, muffins, cookies, and other sweet treats. Check 'em out at the bakery in Clintonville starting July 3rd. 

North Market Artisan Sundays (first Sundays of the month): Take a trip to the North Market to check out all of the talented craft vendors selling their wares. Support local businesses, artists & crafters and find unique items for yourself or for someone special. As always, I will have exciting new creations for sale! 

Crafty Cotillion Handmade Expo @ The Ohio State Fair (August 8, 2009): Even though I won't be able to vend at this event, I am a Crafty Cotillion member and in addition to helping to organize this event, I urge you to stop by and enjoy the handmade goods & local music from talented folks all over the city and beyond! 

Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival (September 7, 2009 at Northam Park): I was accepted as an emerging artist for this festival and I am so excited to be able to branch out and share my jewelry with a whole new audience! Be on the lookout for fresh new designs incorporating more upscale materials and techniques. 

And if you can't make it to these events, you can always order something online from my shop, or email me about a custom creation! 

Productive Spring...

I've spent the last 3 months planning a crafty fundraiser called the CTA Craftstravaganza for the school where I teach. This past Sunday, I got to see all the hard work come together! The event was a blast and seeing all the vendors set up with their handmade goods made me feel so proud to be part of such a wonderful craft community in Columbus.

Especially exciting was having my students see all of the creative goodness that is happening right in their own city! Of course, they were pretty excited that their art teacher makes tiny foods out of clay, too.

*Photos taken by my friend, Kevin. Check out his whole Craftstravaganza set on Flickr!*

And, looking onward, there is much more crafty goodness coming up. This coming Sunday is that first day of the North Market's Artisan Sundays! I'll be a vendor there as well, so stop by and check it out between 12-5 pm on May 3rd.

I'm also working on several custom orders, an upcoming collaboration with Pattycake Vegan Bakery, and possibly a special wedding line. Who knows what the next few months will bring!

New Goodies for February!

I have been so busy over the last few weeks making tiny cakes and cute little treats for Valentine's Day. I also just dropped off a bunch of goodies at Wholly Craft, including fresh new cake rings (below). Wholly Craft is being transformed this month in to the setting for the Sugarcraft exhibition. My Tiny Treats will be included in the "Candy Shoppe" portion of the exhibition, which celebrates all things sweet. 

Another popular item has been the Moustache Necklace. I think it was featured on the front page of Etsy today, because I just listed more in my shop and after less than 24 hours, my listing has almost 280 views and 30 "hearts". Wowzers!

I'm also working on another shipment for the Renegade Handmade store in Chicago. So it will be all cakes & moustaches for me...at least for the next few weeks.

Thanks, Columbus ALIVE!

One great thing about the Dispatch and the Columbus ALIVE is the value they place on DIY & locally-produced items. I think the editors and writers have taken note that people are interested in the do-it-yourself mentality and prefer to buy items that are hand-made or created in Columbus.

This week's issue features holiday gift guides and in addition to my jewelry being featured (in relation to my Holiday Hop Trunk Show @ What The Rock on December 6th), some very fabulous folks also got shout-outs in the 20 for $20 Gift Guide, including WTR, Poshta Designs, Yumi Yumi, Tandi's Glass, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, Umbrella Girl Productions, Skreened, Wholly Craft & Tigertree, to name a few.

Hooray!

Hello, Chicago!

I am proud to announce that select items from Sweet Stella Designs are now available at Renegade Handmade in Chicago! If the name sounds familiar, it's because Renegade is a very well-known alternative craft fair that offers shows throughout the year in Brooklyn, San Francisco, and Chicago.

But if you can't wait and need your handmade goodies now, then head on over to Renegade Handmade at 1924 W. Division St. in Chicago.

And if you're not in the Chicago area, don't fret...Renegade plans to launch an online shop in the near future. Get excited!

Back From Florida...

...and so much to do! I've only been back from my Passover vacation (photos to come!) for a few hours and I'm already feeling overwhelmed. This week, I'll be finishing details, organizing, pricing, etc. because Sunday, May 4th is the first day of "Artisan Sundays" at the North Market! Yipeee, I am so excited!
Check out the fliers below or visit The North Market's website for more info.



My booth at the North Market will feature several new lines of jewelry:
Microbes: pendants and earrings with hand-drawn cell images and references to the microscopic
Kosher Couture: jewelry and accessories for the lover of Jewish culture
At the Library: pendants and rings with images of books, writing, and text

I also have made many more polymer clay food items especially for summer: these are not listed on my Etsy site, so be sure to stop by my booth to say hi and to check out my work. Besides my typical wares, I will also have a spectacular "bargain bin" with deals galore.

Oh, and if you haven't checked out the latest press about the Columbus City Sampler in the ALIVE, you should do so right away! It's a very nice little write-up. The Columbus Samplers are sold out, by the way...so if you didn't manage to get your hands on one, don't forget that many of the fabulous contributors will also be vendors at the North Market. So stop by and check out their awesome work!

City Sampler Press!

City Sampler: Columbus received some nice press on the Craft: Magazine blog the other day!

Be on the lookout for an article in the Columbus Dispatch on Monday, April 7th. And listen for me and some other awesome Sampler contributors on the CD101 Morning Show on Wednesday, April 9th at 7:15 am. In case you don't know, you can find CD101 on the radio at 101.1 fm in Columbus. You can also listen LIVE at CD101.com!

Remember, the Columbus City Sampler goes on sale on Monday, April 7th at 9 am EDT! Get it online before it sells out at www.homeofthesampler.com.

Columbus City Sampler: Get It April 7th!

Columbus, Ohio, USA: The Independent Arts Capital of the World -- Indie artists, crafters, and small businesses are creating amazing works right here in Columbus. Consumers can receive a representative sampling of their work by ordering the Columbus City Sampler for only $20.

The Columbus City Sampler will go on sale April 7 at www.homeofthesampler.com/city/columbus.html.

Inspired by City Samplers from San Francisco, Brooklyn, and Boston, Columbus Sampler curator Amy Neiwirth wanted to showcase the incredible talent in our own capital city. “This is a wonderful way to highlight that creative, do-it-yourself spirit we have in Columbus,” Amy says. Working with Alison Gordon of homeofthesampler.com, Amy helped organize the Columbus City Sampler by seeking contributions from fellow artists, crafters, and indie business owners. The City Sampler is an exciting venue for these individuals to promote their original creations, events, and services while showcasing the city of Columbus. Those who purchase the City Sampler are in for a treat that is well worth the money.

The Columbus City Sampler features contributions ranging from buttons to earrings to small prints and more. Each City Sampler will include a selection of items from the following contributors: Adam Brouillette/Little Red Men; AmyD; An Artful Note; Anne Holman Jewelry Design; Bead Noir; Betty's/Surly Girl Saloon; Bootleg; Chop Chop Gallery; Couchfire Collective; Crafty Beavers; Jennifer Sadler Designs; Kiko Kreations; L. Cabanero Designs; Lisa's Paperdoll; Locura; Lucky Kat; Lusterbunny; Made in a Treehouse; Moogan Creations; Out of the Pink Sky Designs; Patrice Lehocky; Rivet; Sharon Bell/Dirty Booty Clothing; Spacedog Studios; Sparrow Design Works; Sweet Stella Designs; What the Rock; Wholly Craft; and Yumi Yumi.

About The Sampler: The Sampler is a marketing & promotional tool for indie businesses. Each month, independent crafters, artists, shops, ‘zines and record labels who run web-based businesses send samples and promotional materials to a contribution pool. All the samples are photographed, posted to the site and then are portioned out, packaged and sent to Sampler subscribers, other Sampler contributors and members of the media all over the world.

Past contributors to The Sampler have received national attention in ElleGirl, CRAFT, Adorn, Bust, Venus, and Readymade magazines, as well as in indie blogs such as Craftster, Rare Bird Finds, Modish, and IndieFixx.

Craft Sunday

Today, I taught an hour-long workshop for the Columbus Community Kollel's conference for Jewish women.


My workshop was about creating your own handmade accessory (fabric flower brooches) and the importance of shopping locally and buying handmade. I made a packet for the participants with websites, local shops, events, and directions for the project.

Shop Locally & Buy Handmade:

• To build a strong local economy
• To support independent entrepreneurs and small business owners (many of whom are women!)
• To combat the forces of mass production, which can be detrimental to our environment
• To find unique pieces that are created with love