Stay tuned for pictures…

I’ve just returned from a week away, and after the sun and sand of Bermuda, reading, roaming, perusing the art and jewelry of the many talented artists on that beautiful island, I’m home and I’m relaxed, renewed, and creatively refreshed.  As much as I didn’t want the vacation to end, I couldn’t wait to get back and start working on my jewelry and ceramics again.  It’s a great feeling.

I’m experimenting with some new things and hope to have them online in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned.  Meanwhile, here’s some visual inspiration I brought back with me…

My mini domino love earrings are featured in the Indie Spotting Valentine’s Day Giving guide.  You can give them as a gift or buy them for yourself.  Better yet, do both!

GirlinGothamDesigns

Sell Handmade

Will soon have some new Valentine’s Day treasures up in the store so keep checking back…

With the start up of Girl in Gotham Designs, Julie the Craft Geek has been out and proud even more than usual lately.  I was in Florida on vacation last week and on my first trip to Michael’s (yes, there were multiple trips, but more about that in a minute) I helped these two girls find the supplies they needed to make hand-stamped baby shower invitations.  I told them what I thought about different kinds of ink pads (I love ColorBox and Brilliance pigment inks and Ancient Page dye inks, which is what I use for my domino jewelry) and what work best on different kinds of paper.  After which, two other customers mistook me for a store employee.  I guess that’s a good sign?

The thing about my craft geekiness is that it can sometimes verge on obsession.  For instance, I regularly visit the Sharpie website, just to see what’s new (like limited edition colors!) I even own one of these.  I admit that it can also sometimes look like an addiction.  Some people get a high from drugs, I get a high from craft books and craft supplies.  Hence the multiple visits to Michael’s, which resulted in the purchase of some cool magazines, new rubber stamps, yarn, paper punches, and more.  But I figure, as long as I’m not bankrupting myself or turning into a craft supply hoarder (a very delicate balance), there are worse things I can be addicted to than craft supplies.  Besides, they continue to inspire the work that I love to do.  Or maybe that’s just a rationalization.  But if that’s the case, then I’m good with it.

Hello, my name is Julie and I’m a craft supply junkie…

For an artsy craftsy girl like me, it has been incredibly heartening over the last few years to see the emergence of the “indie” craft movement, especially online.  So many of us pride ourselves on our uniqueness and individuality, but every day it becomes harder and harder to express that through our consumer habits.  Even here in New York, the last decade has changed the City from the island of the individual full of tiny little funky stores, to one homogeneous shopping experience, indistinguishable from any mall in the land.

Where once there stood Canal Jean Company, affordable and funky, there now stands a Bloomingdales, overpriced and a lot less interesting.  Don’t get me wrong, I still love a trip to Target or Kmart and do sometimes find myself at Macy’s, but so much of what has been unique about New York has disappeared over the years and been replaced by Starbucks and banks and big box suburban shopping stalwarts, oh and did I mention Starbucks?   So, it’s nice to to see that there’s still room for lots of unique points of view in the marketplace.  Sites like Etsy and ArtFire have made it possible for lots of crafty micro-businesses to thrive and it has given all of us the opportunity to find unique, one of a kind treasures that allow us to express our individuality.

Some of my favorites on Etsy include Metal Sugar, Joan Miller Porcelain, May Luk Ceramics and Red Bridge Brooklyn.  I’m still pretty new to the ArtFire community, but even as I sell from my own store, I’ve started buying from others.  Some new favorites there include The Ivy Leaf, Surly-Ramics, and BCharmer Designs.

All of this is just a long way to say, supporting indie artisans is a great way to support the economy.  Take the Handmade Pledge and buy handmade this holiday season.  You’ll feel good about your gift giving and your friends and family will thank you for giving them something a little different.

There will be more to come soon, including some domino brooches and necklaces.

So take a look at the items in the sidebar, click on the link to the store above, visit my store at ArtFire.com,become a fan of Girl in Gotham Designs on Facebook, and/or join my mailing list above. If you have any questions or requests, drop me a line.

I love making these wearable art items and hope you’ll enjoy wearing them or giving them as gifts. Until next time…

I’ll also be creating a fan page on Facebook which will link in to the store.  Stay tuned for details…

I have spent a lot of time focusing on my day job, which hasn’t been all bad as said job offers a measure of creativity for me, has been particularly fulfilling in the last couple of months and provides me with the ability to eat, pay rent and indulge my addiction to craft supplies, books and magazines.

If only I could somehow find the ongoing energy to add leisurely craft time back into the mix, someday this dream of an active craft blog and Etsy and Artfire stores might be a reality.

I have managed to get back to the pottery studio and have finally glazed a bunch of tiles and mosaic pieces that are holding promise to actually become completed projects soon.  I have a mosaic mirror made from my silkscreened tiles currently in the display case of the West Side YMCA, along with my many talented fellow students and teacher.  I keep threatening to post images of stuff I’ve made.  And now that I own TWO digital cameras, there’s really no excuses…except I keep making them.

I’m hoping that the relatively slowed down pace of the rest of the summer will provide me with more opportunity to create and take action.  I’m also taking some steps to put myself out in the creative community again.  Hopefully this will get me where I want to be.  We shall see..

Meanwhile, it’s 4:12am 4:22am and the insomnia monster has obviously reared its ugly head again.  Oh well, what’s the Web for if not to surf on a sleepless night…

I also took a Quilting 101 class in Toronto and I’m pretty psyched about finally learning how to do this, since I’ve wanted to for years.  There are some great fabrics out there and I’m so inspired by the colors and patterns that I’ve found.  I’m even more excited to start silkscreening my own fabrics and using them in quilting and other projects.  Yes, a million ideas running through my head, and still nothing on this page to show for it.  A little bit of a let down.  Still, I’m hoping when I finally open up the store, it will have been worth the wait.  I’m guessing that before the holidays is probably the ideal time to do it.  Gifts for your friends and family!  Handmade, by me!!!  Okay, getting a little ahead of myself, since there’s nothing up here for sale yet.

But, really, soon.  I promise…