This photo was taken at my family’s beautiful “old-new” house in Laguna, Philippines. “Old-new” because its a new house made with a lot of salvaged architectural elements from older houses. This is one of many windows.

One of the best things that we got when Mayumi was a baby, was this wooden mobile with alligator clips to hang photos with (you can find a similar mobile here). Now we hang it over Mayumi’s window and hang all sorts of stuff on it, usually themed with the seasons. Last weekend we decided to change it to something more spring-y. I saw this simple origami tutorial for little lotus flowers (you can watch it here). It was simple enough to replicate multiple times and easy enough for my preschooler to follow. We made a couple of these, punched a hole in each flower’s center and strung them up on some yarn with colored plastic beads. The plastic beads were used to space the flowers apart. We then clipped the strands of the folded lotus flowers on the alligator clips of the mobile. This project is so simple and cheery. Makes me look forward to sunnier days ahead

I Heart Art: Portland – Friday, February 26th @ 6:30 pm

Hosted by Etsy.com, Portland Etsy Team, Pacific Northwest College of Art & Museum of Contemporary Craft

Connecting Portland’s Vibrant Community of Makers

Swigert Commons
Pacific Northwest College of Art
1241 Northwest Johnson Street
Free and open to the public

* The following article is copied from the official press release of I *heart* Art Portland Oregon*

Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and Etsy.com today announce their intentions to develop an ongoing relationship to foster opportunities and offer support for the local Do-It-Yourself craft community. This new relationship — the first ongoing commitment for Etsy with a school of art and design — seems appropriate in Portland, Oregon, nationally recognized as the hub of American DIY youth culture enriched by PNCA’s vibrant student body and alumni community.

Serving as a home base for Etsy in support of their local efforts, PNCA will host Etsy Craft Labs this spring. These events are an open invitation to the Portland community-at-large for a day of making, to celebrate the excitement of creativity and craft. Etsy Labs programming brings to life Etsy.com’s mission to connect local communities through hands-on learning.

Etsy and PNCA will also work directly with a group of local artists — the Portland Etsy Team — to host bi-monthly meetings at the College’s Museum of Contemporary Craft. These sessions will provide a regular series of discussions culled from the vast collection of online Etsy professional development tutorials, augmented by the expertise of local artists, designers, crafters and entrepreneurs. This roundtable series will be developed by the Portland Etsy Team, in collaboration with Etsy and PNCA to foster entrepreneurial skills in the local makers’ community.

To kick-off this new relationship, Etsy, PNCA and the Portland Etsy Team will host an “I Heart Art” meet and greet at PNCA on Friday, February 26. This public event brings together the PNCA student body, the Portland Etsy Team, members of the Guild Council Program from the Museum of Contemporary Craft, and the thriving local arts and crafts community of Portland.

2. Tweed Coat from Buffalo Exchange – I got this for FREE!!! Yes, free! I am a faithful customer of Buffalo Exchange (both trading and shopping) and at my last trip there I scored this awesome Fall coat for free by trading in some of my old clothes. There is no tag on it so I don’t know who made it or how old it is but its absolutely gorgeous and I feel so mod when I wear it.

3. Soaps by Scrumptious Suds – I am so hooked on these. There is something super girly about dessert smelling soaps. Makes me feel yummy after showering My favorite “flavors” are Southern Strawberry Shortcake and the Turkish Mocha.

Photo Cred: I would have loved to put a photo of my bars on this post, but as I am down to my last bar and it is already being used (not a pretty picture), I just used this photo from the Scrumptious Suds website.

4. Jewelry by Dolcetti – Everytime I pass by Joann Lupton’s (super talented designer behind Dolcetti) booth at craft shows I almost always have to get something. Her stuff is so delicate and feminine and colors are always so amazing and her jewelry is the type that you could wear with almost anything. There are very few weeks when I don’t wear one of her pieces.

NOTE: The one with the big blue glass bead was supposed to be a present for someone but I loved it so much, I ended up keeping it for myself.

5. Camisole and Slip from Glam Garb by Gunlis –  I was done pretty early setting up for last year’s Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale. So I decided to walk around and see all the lovely merchandise for sale. I happened upon this space with racks of beautiful hand-dyed slips. And that whole day, I was a lady on a mission, I had to get over there no matter how busy the day got, so I could grab some for my very own. And these are mine

I used to be a pretty good blogger. Well… not so much anymore. And I’m always giving myself a hard time about it. So why not just do it? It’s kinda like missing an entire season of a favorite show, once you lose the story line, its hard to pick up again. Anyway, its good to have friends that have all the answers, like my buddy Christine. Seriously,  I should be paying her for all her craft/art/music/business/etc advice. She showed me a link to this awesome e-book about blogging from Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl. It’s called “52 Weeks of Blogging Your Passion” and you can buy it here. And it was all I needed to get this ball rolling again. It’s nice when you find instructions for life, you know.

Anyway, there were some really good tips in there about organizing your thoughts and coming out with a more cohesive blog. So in keeping with the awesome ideas in that e-book, I am coming out with a blogging schedule of sorts and here it is as follows:

Every Monday: I will be blogging about what’s new with MOSS. New projects I’m working on, products I’m developing, contests and raffles for my dear readers, etc. Everything MOSS, every monday.

Every Tuesday: I am a person that makes a TON of lists (to-do lists, shopping lists, reminders, etc.) So this day will be dedicated to my compulsion for those. This could be anything from my favorite ice cream flavors to things I absolutely hate doing. If you want to make a mental profile of me, Tuesday is the day for you.

Every Wednesday: Art is one of those things that I have been passionate about all my life. This day will be dedicated to visual artists that inspire me and their work and of course my own artistic endeavors (completely separate from MOSS).

Every Thursday: Most of you probably know this about me already, I love love love collecting old things. I will be sharing with all of you vintage treasures and places where to find them (around town and beyond). Fellow pack rats, this is our day.

Every Friday: Portland has such a lively and active creative community so I am dedicating this day to telling all of you, about fun, artsy, craftsy events around town. If you know of one and want to give me a heads up on it, please feel free to email (mosshandmadeatgmail.com) me and I will feature it here.

Every Saturday: Sometimes I do need to get away from work but there’s one thing that I can’t shake off, and its the need to make stuff. So every Saturday, I would like to share small projects that I work on purely for fun.

Every Sunday: I loooove my camera and taking pictures. Sunday will be for sharing pictures of anything and everything under the sun.

So the site looks a little different…. Yup, I am updating my website. Woot! Everything should be back up and running (meaning the galleries, shop, bulletin, etc. sections of the shop) early January. If you would like to purchase MOSS items locally (Portland), please check the “Where to buy MOSS” section on the left column of the screen. And if you would like to purchase MOSS items online, please check my etsy shop and the awesome Never Ender online store. If you need to get a hold of me, Diana, maker of things, please email me at mosshandmadeatgmail.com.

NOTE on the Etsy Shop : I know it looks a little bare. I am currently making new things for Valentines Day and Spring. Check back early January for exciting new designs!

NOTE on finding the awesomest royalty-free retro images for the web: Check out this site.

Stay tuned. Big changes. Exciting stuff. I promise.

‘Tis the season to go shoping. Are you ready? done? somewhere in between? Let me help you out. Here’s a lineup of great shows happening this month. If you can’t find anything you need/want from MOSS, I’m sure other crafty peeps participating will fill that void. Enjoy!

5th Annual da Vinci Arts Fair

December 5, 2009 (Saturday) 10am – 6pm

December 6, 2009 (Sunday) 10am – 4pm

2508 NE Everett, Portland, Oregon

For the last 5 years, da Vinci Middle School has been pooling together an impressive group of artists and crafters to show and sell their work. 30% of all sales benefit the da Vinci Middle School. Please visit this link for more info and for a preview of this year’s participating artists.

OHSU Heart Research Holiday Bazaar

December 8th (Tuesday) 3pm – 7pm

December 9th (Wednesday) 10am – 6pm

December 10th (Thursday) 10am – 6pm

BICC Gallery

3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR 97239

Handmade NW is proud to join with the Heart Research Center to bring local artisans to the OHSU Marquam Hill campus. This three day event will raise awareness and funds for the HRC. MOSS will be there Wednesday and Thursday!

Hip Happening Holiday Spectacular

December 12th (Saturday), 11am – 6pm

Sellwood Masonic Lodge

7126 SE Milwaukie, Portland, Oregon

Join us in celebrating Hip Happening’s 1st Anniversary!

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale!

December 13th (Sunday), 11am – 7pm

Oregon Convention Center

777 NE MLK, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97232

This is the mother of all craft shows! And I am super excited to be participating with my friend Christine of Flapper Girl. There will be goodie bags to the first 200 shoppers (and I heard there’s some pretty awesome swag to be had).

Hope to see you all there! BUY LOCAL! BUY HANDMADE!

xo,

Diana

1. You are more likely to find something unique and better made for the special people in your life. Don’t you think grandma deserves more than the current rollback deals at WalMart?
2. Help stop the recession. Small businesses employ about 50% of private sector workers (statistics about small businesses can be found here). And a big chunk of that is made up of local craftspeople and artisans. Help keep unemployment low. Keep us all employed
3. Buying local and handmade is eco-friendly. Smaller scale production cuts down on energy consumption and waste.

So show us some love! And without further ado, here is MOSS’ November line-up…

Handmade NW Presents The 2nd Annual Downtown Holiday Artisans Fair 2009

Date: Friday, November 20, 2009

Time(s): 10am-6pm

Location: World Trade Center Plaza

121 SW Salmon St

Portland, OR 97204

Free pastries and coffee make this event the perfect break in the day for downtown employees looking to support our local economy. Conveniently located in the covered pavilion of the World Trade Center Plaza, more than fifty vendors offer shoppers quality handmade goods ranging from fragrant handmade soaps to personalized gifts, original photography, and much, much more. And, for those shoppers seeking a bargain, look for specially marked items for $5, $15 and $20 from participating vendors.

This event is also benefitting P:ear, a non-profit organization that builds positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth, ages 15 to 24, through education, art and recreation to affirm personal worth and create more meaningful and healthier lives. Each year their programs serve more than 350 homeless and transitional young people.

Secret Society Sale

Date: November 29, 2009

Time: 11 am – 5 pm

Location: Secret Society Ballroom

116 NE Russell (next to the Wonder Ballroom)

Shop for unique, locally handmade gifts at the Secret Society Sale, an annual artist-run holiday sale.  All vendors participating in this sale will donate 10% of their profits to the Oregon Food Bank, because no one should be hungry.  On the day of the sale dine or shop with participating businesses, known as our community partners and 10% will be donated to the Oregon food Bank. Goody boxes will be given to the first 200 shoppers who bring non-perishable food donations to the sale, as an additional way to help the Oregon Food Bank.

Did I mention the free swag? Yeah, free goodies to the early birds. Yay!

And to close, this is the season of love and giving. Lets all remember to pass that on as we go about our holiday routines.

Peace and love,

Diana

I just wanted to give a shout out to an old friend. Back in 2007, I did my very first craft show at Crafty Wonderland. I was pretty much a newbie to the DIY world, having only sold my wares at etsy. It took me about an hour to write a nervous email to Torie and Cathy introducing myself and applying for a booth at Crafty Wonderland. After waiting a couple of days, I got the acceptance email and that was the beginning of a wonderful partnership. MOSS has grown leaps and bounds since that booth pic was taken above and I would just like to extend my thanks to Crafty (that’s you, Torie and Cathy!). Being accepted to that show was like getting a big warm welcoming hug from the Portland crafty community. I’ve met so many wonderful people and have learned so many things. Without you guys, I never would have grown MOSS to what it is today. 

Earlier this week, Crafty Wonderland has announced a big shift in their plans for 2010. You can read more about why here. MOSS and countless other art and craft enthusiasts will miss all the Sunday crafty goodness at the Doug Fir but will continue our support in the coming years. So WOOT! for Torie and Cathy!

MOSS will not be selling at this month’s Crafty Wonderland (the very last one at the Doug Fir!) but would like to ask all of you to come out and celebrate 3.5 years of crafty love with Torie and Cathy. You ladies are amazing! Many, many, many thanks!

Crafty Wonderland

@ The Doug Fir Lounge (830 E. Burnside, Portland, OR)

Sunday, Novemebr 8th

11am – 4pm * FREE * All Ages