I Made It! for the Holidays

 

I Made It! Market, the city’s nomadic indie craft marketplace, will pop into Bakery Square for their sixth annual I Made It! for the Holidays event. This year’s event features more than 90 local artisans selling all handmade wares. Shoppers can meet and talk with the artists who are our neighbors throughout the Pittsburgh region on Friday, November 30 from 5 pm - 10 pm and Saturday, December 1 from 11 am - 6 pm.

Friday’s festivities include the lighting of Bakery Square’s building in red to acknowledge World AIDS Awareness Day by the Delta Foundation. On Saturday, a pop up beer garden will be hosted by Tapped and Santa will be on site to pose for pictures. 

Last year I Made It! Market welcomed 7,000 shoppers over the two-day event. This year’s artists will include a diverse mixture of goods including ceramics, housewares, jewelry, clothing, bath and body products, giftware, prints, letterpress, sweet treats, plush, children’s items and much more.

This pop up marketplace offers shoppers the opportunity to shop for all of their holiday needs in one space, choosing handmade and local offerings. The makers will be on hand to share their passion for creating unique products and will often work with customers to produce custom orders just in time for the holidays.

Each purchase made at I Made It! Market benefits our local micro economy by supporting an artist from our region who is able to continue to make a living through their art, some even sourcing their materials locally. Additionally, many I Made It! artists utilize repurposed or recycled materials in the creation of new ones including plush, clothing, jewelry, accessories, and more.

Several of the artist members at the boutique will be exhibiting their wares at this market including:

After Dinner Designs http://imadeitmarket.com/after-dinner-designs-2/
Barker's Herbs & Heirlooms http://imadeitmarket.com/barkers-herbs-heirlooms/
Bel Monili  http://imadeitmarket.com/bel-monili/
Bonne Amy http://imadeitmarket.com/bonne-amy/
Designs by Samantha http://imadeitmarket.com/designs-by-samantha/
Everyday Balloons http://imadeitmarket.com/everyday-balloons/
Junxtaposition http://imadeitmarket.com/junxtaposition/

Neighborhood Blonde http://imadeitmarket.com/neighborhood-blonde/

Recycled Reads http://imadeitmarket.com/recycled-reads/

 

The I Made It! Market creates events with a two-fold mission in mind: to provide the opportunity for regional craftspeople to establish small businesses and to partner with non-profit, arts, and community groups to raise awareness and financial assistance for their causes.

Partner with IMI!: For more information including sponsorship and partnerships, or to vend at a future I Made It! Market event, contact info@imadeitmarket.com.

 

Access a listing of all participating artists: http://imadeitmarket.com/i-made-it-for-the-holidays-2012-2/

Find their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/imadeitmarket

Their Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/117011748449077

And find them on Twitter @imadeitmarket

 

 

South Side Works Exposed Recap

Several of our artist members can often be seen vending at local indie craft fairs and artist markets.  On July 13-15, 2012 several of them vended at the South Side Works Exposed artist market that was sponsored by I Made It! Market and featured over 60 unique artists.

Countless shoppers came over the course of the weekend and we thank each and every one of you!

Following are pictures of our members who were at the market, their booths, and several of their items.  If you see something you like, chances are good it's for sale at the Boutique.  If not, our members always take custom requests.  Please feel free to ask.

First up, several shots of the booth of our founder, Tamara Barker, of Barker's Herbs & Heirlooms:

Next up, Lisa Parker, of On the Rocks Designs.  Unfortunately, she was so busy with customers that I was only able to get one picture of her.  Doesn't she have a fantastic display? 

Marcy Bates, of Recycled Reads, makes fabulous book sculptures and other items out of discarded and unwanted books:

Shelly Picard, of Neighborhood Blonde, makes a wide variety of items from repurposed materials, including the ever popular dishwasher magnets that let everyone in your house know if the dishes are clean or dirty: 

Lucy McClure, of Belmonili, makes a number of items, but the most popular in the boutique are her flowers that feature vintage button centers and jewelry made from bits of repurposed vintage jewelry:

Even a few of our artists that offer their items on consignment in our boutique were there vending.

Nicole Santella, of Concrete Zen:

Amy Garbark, of Garbella:

Chrissie Barcelona of Party, Paper, Scissors (Gillie is pictured here and we hope she'll soon be joining us as well):

Joel Brown of Surreal Banana Peel:

Kathryn Carr, of Go Carr Go:

We hope you enjoyed these pictures of some of our artists and their booth setups and hope you'll stop into the boutique to see these items, and many more, in person soon.

Artist Bio from bel monili by l.marlane

Today our featured artist uses vintage and repurposed materials to make wearable art. This is near and dear to my heart as my mother sells vintage and estate jewelry. I was very impressed with the peices that Lucy makes. I also found myself coveting her show schedule. Take a peek into what she does and check her out at Boutique 208 or at one of her shows which you can find on her Facebook page.
Enjoy!
Amy Levier

 My name is Lucy McClure, and I am the owner/artist of bel monili by l.marlane. I hand-craft jewelry and accessories using vintage and re-purposed materials, including vintage earrings, chain, books, buttons, flowers, and much more. Each item I make is uniquely one of a kind, making it an affordable piece of wearable art.

For my "day job", I am a speech-language pathologist at a suburban elementary school. I love every minute of my job, and one of the best features is that it allows me the time and availability to indulge my artistic side.

My artistic journey began two years ago in the summer of 2010. My boyfriend was traveling extensively for work, and I was looking to learn some new things. I have always been creative and crafty, so when I noticed a special on classes at my local JoAnn Fabrics, I signed up for a few jewelry making sessions. After the first class, I knew that I really had something. I seemed to have a natural knack for the mechanics of jewelry making and (according to the class teacher and several onlookers) a good eye for color and scale. I was hooked instantly, and spent the rest of the summer happily making jewelry for myself and my friends.

I quickly began to receive requests from people to buy my items, which was a welcome bonus to my new found hobby. I got to the point where I had so many interested buyers, I decided to take a friend's recommendation and apply to be a vendor at a craft show. I had shopped at the I Made It! Markets since their inception, so it seemed like a good place to begin. I applied for the I Made It! Market at the WYEP Rock the Block, and (much to my surprise) I was accepted! From that point on, my jewelry making went from a small side hobby to the full-fledged business it is today.
bel monili by l.marlane has been very fortunate to have many wonderful opportunities and accolades. In March 2011, bel monili's signature flower pins and hand crafted jewelry was featured in Pittsburgh Fashion Magazine. In April 2011, I was asked to create a custom design to be auctioned at the first annual TEALtini event for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Pittsburgh Chapter. In June 2011, bel monili's flower pins were featured in the giveaway bags at the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards. Throughout the fall and winter of 2011, bel monili participated in some amazing artist/craft shows including the I Made It! Markets, the Bedford Fall Foliage Festival, and Bazaar Bizarre in Cleveland. 2012 has been a busy year for bel monili as well, beginning with a feature in Pittsburgh Magazine for a special edition red dress flower pin supporting the Go Red for Women campaign.
I am honored to have so many loyal customers and online "fans" who have whole heartedly supported me and my business. It seems like every day my business grows to new heights, be it through retail opportunities, personal acknowledgements, or national shows/events. I am especially excited to announce that bel monili by l.marlane has been invited to be a vendor at the prestigious Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia.

I invite you to follow bel monili on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, and subscribe to my blog to keep up on new items, where I'll be, and what we have going on in the city.