Upcoming Show: Vancouver Farmers Market Holiday Market

Next up in House of Moss's holiday show schedule is this one, put together by the Vancouver (Washington) Farmers Market. The market will be held at the Hilton Hotel, right across from Esther Short Park. Come visit us there this Saturday and Sunday (11/30 and 12/1), 9am-4pm!

A Holiday Hiatus for We Make Portland Awesome

Good morning, friends! Today I would normally be posting an interview for We Make Portland Awesome, as I do every two weeks. So I wanted to let you know why there isn't one! I haven't retired the program, but I'm taking a holiday hiatus from this particular feature.

For us makers and small business owners, November/December is the busy season, so I wanted to make sure everyone could take advantage of every scrap of time to, well, make!

We Make Portland Awesome will return in January, with a brand-new lineup of amazing local talent.

Until then, though, you can catch up on the last two years' worth of interviews HERE.

House of Moss on UncommonGoods.com!

There is something I've had a hard time keeping a secret these past few weeks... but I can finally tell you about it: House of Moss acorn ornaments are available on UncommonGoods.com this holiday season!

UncommonGoods is "an online marketplace offering creatively designed, high-quality merchandise at affordable prices" which believes "that creativity and the expression of individuality represent two great human treasures. We have set out to create a business that makes uncommon goods accessible to everyone." [This quote is from their website.]

You can find my acorn ornaments on the UncommonGoods website HERE.

As always, though, you can find larger selection, including many more colors, over in my Etsy shop.

Thumbnail Glitter Armor for Needle-Felters

I'm not going to lie, needle-felting is kind of a dangerous craft. Poking a notched triangular-tipped needle, several times per second, within millimeters of your fingers, is asking for trouble.

I go through periods of time where I rarely stab myself, but sometimes there will be a week when I draw blood from my fingertip or the side of my finger several times. But recently, I began stabbing through my thumbnail. Four times in the span of a few weeks. One time, the needle went into the same spot it had poked through before. Mind you, I have been needle-felting for nearly four years, and this had never happened before last month.

So I finally decided to do something about it. I went to the store and bought the most glitter-filled nail polish I could find. And I put several layers of it on my thumbnail. Fixed!

It's already proven itself, too! We needle-felters should start a trend. It's like the manicures with the contrasting color on the ring-finger nail. But this one has a purpose!

Upcoming Show: Holiday Market at the Portland Waldorf School

 

I'm very excited about this weekend's show! It's the Spring Creek Store's 2nd Annual Holiday Market at the Portland Waldorf School! I've loved the Waldorf style of education ever since I was first introduced to it 3 years ago when I was working as a nanny.

It'll be happening from 10am-4pm this Saturday, November 16th. Check out their Facebook event to learn more, see which vendors will be there, and get directions!

Featured on Square Market Photography Tips Post

Today I got an email from Square Market linking to, among other things, a post on their blog with tips for vendors about product photography. I clicked on it, as I'm always looking to improve my own shop. I was scrolling down, reading, when... THOSE ARE MY PUMPKINS! They featured my product photo!

There is always improvement to be had, but it's really sweet to get a little pat on the back once in a while. And the photography tips are very good, as well! :) You can read the article HERE.

We Make Portland Awesome: Sarah Laws Made

"We Make Portland Awesome" is a twice-monthy series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Sarah of Sarah Laws Made

Who are you?

I am Sarah Laws, a Portland native, artist, designer and owner of the shop Sarah Laws Made.

What do you make?

I create original paper cut works, silk-screened textiles with the paper cut images, and I sew pillow & modern quilts.

Besides making things, what do you do?
I am a full-time color designer for the footwear industry, and I live with my boyfriend and two dogs in a house in Northeast Portland. I have a detached art studio in the back where I create, and I screen print in the basement. I have also lived in Palm Springs & Santa Barbara California, Boston Massachusetts, and New York City. All of these places have inspired me, but I'm so happy to be back home!

What inspires you?

Things made by hand, flora & fauna, folk art, domestic life, tactile things.

Where can your work be found?

In my Etsy shop, at local craft fairs (handmade NW and Alberta Abbey this holiday season!).

What do you love about Portland?

I love the ease of living here and getting around, the seasons, the food, the laid-back vibe, the creativity, the majestic natural environment, the memories of growing up here. Portland is truly magical! My favorite thing is taking stay-cations.

Make sure you check out Sarah Laws Made's Etsy shop and website. 
Thanks for sharing, Sarah!

Holiday Show Lineup 2013!

Alright, everyone! Here is House of Moss's show schedule for the holidays. It's going to be a crazy couple of months, for sure. I have scheduled 7 individual shows (11 selling days, for all intents and purposes, since some shows overlap and/or last more than one day) in a span of 7 weekends. This is an even fuller schedule than last year, when I challenged myself to do 5 shows in 6 weeks.

You have a lot of wonderful shows to shop at this year, friends. ;) Stop by at any of these and say hello!


• NOVEMBER •

10 November (Sunday), 11am-5pm: Siren Nation Art & Craft Sale, McMenamins Kennedy School, Portland

16 November (Saturday), 10am-4pm: Spring Creek Store Holiday Market, Portland Waldorf School, Milwaukie

30 November (Saturday), 9am-4pm: Vancouver Farmers Market Holiday Show, The Hilton Hotel, downtown Vancouver


• DECEMBER •

1 December (Sunday), 9am-4pm: Vancouver Farmers Market Holiday Show, The Hilton Hotel, downtown Vancouver

6 December (Friday), 5pm-8pm: Capitol Hill Holiday Market, Capitol Hill Elementary School, Portland

7 December (Saturday), 10am-4pm: Capitol Hill Holiday Market, Capitol Hill Elementary School, Portland

7 December (Saturday), 10am-5pm: Arts & Crafts Spectacular, Trillium Charter School, Portland (I will not be physically present at this one, as it is set up like a boutique)

8 December (Sunday), 10am-5pm: Arts & Crafts Spectacular, Trillium Charter School, Portland (I will not be physically present at this one, as it is set up like a boutique)

8 December (Sunday), 9am-4pm: Laurelhurst Winter Bazaar, Laurelhurst Elementary School, Portland

14 December (Saturday), 11am-6pm: Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale, The Oregon Convention Center, Portland

15 December (Saturday), 11am-6pm: Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale, The Oregon Convention Center, Portland


• ONGOING HOLIDAY POP-UP SHOPS •

14 October - 24 December, 10am-6pm Mon-Sat & 11am-5pm Sun (closed Thanksgiving): The Red Sled Bazaar, Sherwood

15 October - 23 December (see their site for hours): The Crafty Fox Holiday Shop, Forest Grove

Upcoming Show: Siren Nation

The crazy season of holiday craft shows is beginning! I know, I did that other one a few weeks ago, but this is when it really starts. And I will be posting the full lineup very soon. But until then, plan on this one!

Siren Nation is one of my very favorite shows of the year. It stole my heart last year, and it's in one of my very favorite venues, McMenamins Kennedy School.

Siren Nation is this Sunday, November 10th, from 11am to 5pm. Check out their Facebook event for more details.

Acorn Ornaments on the Etsy Front Page

My black cherry red acorn ornaments were appeared on the Etsy front page this afternoon! In other news, it looks like Christmas has overtaken autumn themes over there...

New in the shop: Macrame Plant Ornaments!

I'm hard at work stocking up for my holiday shows. [Schedule to be finalized/posted soon!] This generally involves me sitting there making hundreds of one item in one go. But last week I carved out a little snippet of time to create a new product I'd been thinking about, and the macrame plant ornament was born!

It's just been posted in my Etsy shop for the first time this morning. Go check it out!