BarkerBell Herbs and Heirlooms

Handmade Arcade is this Saturday!

2011-11-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

Handmade Arcade will be held this Saturday, November 12th, from 11:00 am - 7:00 pm at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

This event brings a unique shopping experience to Pittsburgh with music, snacks and a Hands-on-Handmade making area. Come meet the Steel Town Etsy team (they'll be there representing Etsy - one of the event sponsors) and buy a raffle ticket to win a basket of locally made handmade items. A portion of the proceeds from the raffle will go to the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse.

I'm honored to be one of the vendors for this event - Barker's Herbs & Heirlooms.

Microcrafts, Book Release Party, & Raffle Prizes!

2011-10-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

Lately, it seems I find myself immersed in one project after the other, causing much time to elapse before I'm able to come up for air. I'm earning a living writing and creating, so no complaints, but I'm guessing my blog readers are feeling abandoned once again. I was undead, which isn't much of an excuse, but it does make typing a bit difficult.

Freshly undead, at Zombiefest

I have a few big updates to share. First, Microcrafts, a book which I have a project published in, was released last Tuesday, October 4th. The day I'd been eagerly anticipating came and went without my notice as I was in the midst of preparing to vend at Zombiefest on Saturday, 10-ATE-11, in Market Square, in Pittsburgh, PA. The event collects food donations for our local food bank and is one of the official festivities for World Zombie Day and put my wares in front of over 4,000 undead and several curious onlookers. Now that I've returned from the undead, I am thrilled to be able to share the news about the book with you.

Back from the undead, at a Steampunk Picnic in Allegheny Cemetery on October 9th.

Microcrafts: Tiny Treasures to Make and Share

Announcing the Wildcard Microcraft Fall Hallo-Witch Craft Book Release Second Anniversary Party Spectacular...in 3D!

From the Wildcard news, "Thursday, October 20: We're celebrating the publication of Microcrafts - a new how-to book for making teeny tiny crafts - edited and contributed to by local crochet superstar Alicia Kachmar and featuring work by Pittsburgh artists Nadia Marks Wojcik and Tamara Barker. We're also highlighting Kachmar's Witch Craft book, which is perfect for planning a handmade, homemade Halloween! We'll also be selling tickets and then drawing winners for our month-long Steeltown Etsy raffle to help Alicia Kachmar with medical bills.

And let's not forget that it's Wildcard's Second Anniversary! We're thrilled to have been here in Lawrenceville for two years now and we want to thank our loyal customers with a spectacular party! Costumes are welcome, and the first 25 families receive a free goodie bag!

5-7pm Crafting

Join Alicia Kachmar, Nadia Marks Wojcik and Tamara Barker as they as they lead you in some DIY craft projects from the book. Family-friendly: just bring yourself and a desire to craft! Free snacks for kids and books for sale!

7-9pm Party!

Bring your dancing and drinking shoes as we celebrate Wildcard's 2nd anniversary! Both books will still be on sale, but we'll have food, drinks (bring your ID if you're over 21), raffles, and music!"

Raffle, you say? Yes, indeed! Steel Town Etsy organized a raffle, with numerous handmade items donated by members, to do our small part to help Alicia, who is one of our members. Baskets are currently on display at Wildcard and raffle tickets are available for sale for the low price of $1.00 each or 10/$5.00.

Raffle Basket #1

Raffle Basket #2

Raffle Basket #3

Raffle tickets will remain on sale through the end of the party at Wildcard on the 20th, with the winners being drawn at the end of the evening. You don't need to be present to win and if you're out of town, or otherwise can't make it to Wildcard, and would like to buy raffle tickets, you can email me at barkerbellheirlooms(at)hotmail.com and purchase virtual raffle tickets. Should you win and need the basket shipped to you, I'll personally pay for half of your shipping costs. If you'd like to simply make a donation to help with some of Alicia's hospital bills, feel free to email me for instructions for how to do that as well.

Where were you 10 years ago today?

2011-09-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine posed this question on Facebook this morning. Now that the 10th anniversary of 9/11 has arrived, I imagine everyone in the country is reflecting on where they were on that fateful day.

I was at work at Marc Advertising, at my desk. One of my coworkers came to my desk and told me that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. As we rushed to the lobby, I remember wondering why the plane had crashed. I imagined that a pilot of a private plane must have had a heart attack while in the air, or something similar had occurred. I wasn't even remotely expecting the reality of what was actually occurring. When we reached the lobby, the TV had already been tuned to the live feed from ground zero and there were already quite a few coworkers gathered around it.

We stood and watched live footage, much of which was never seen again, of the scene at the towers. I remember vivid images of the events and feeling the pure terror of the victims as I stood and watched helplessly. When flight 93 went down in a field not far north from Pittsburgh, there were concerns that Pittsburgh, and the US Steel building in particular, might be a target so buildings were evacuated and we all gathered our things and headed for home.

Jared was working downtown and we'd driven in together, so I waited in front of Station Square, watching the Smithfield Bridge for a sight of him walking toward me. I honestly don't think I have ever been happier to see him than I was then. He may have wondered why he was greeted with such an enthusiastic hug, but he never asked. We quickly made it to our car and headed toward home. My boys (ages 2 3/4 and 5 months)
were in daycare near where my mother-in-law worked at the time and I remember the entire drive home all I could think about was hugging them. Once we arrived at home, I don't think I've ever felt more relieved. Given the way the events were unfolding, I never truly worried about our safety, but I just wanted to have my family all together. Once at home, we retrieved our children from my mother-in-law and spent the rest of the day watching coverage, reacting with great trepidation each time a plane flew over, and hugging our boys more than usual.

Now, 10 years later, as I type this I am reclining on a couch at my parents' house in Yakima, WA. I have just two short days left on this visit and intend to savor every moment. As I reflect on the events as they unfolded 10 years ago this day, I am extremely grateful to the first responders who rushed in selflessly to try to save as many lives as they could but ended up sacrificing their own lives. For all of them, and the people who worked in the towers, I wonder what they said to their loved ones as they left for work on that morning and if they enjoyed the beauty of the clear blue skies and warm temperatures that morning as they went through their morning routine. I try to make the most of each day, but too often find that I too easily fall into a complacent routine. I imagine many of us do.

So, as a character in one the movie, Volunteers, asks, "What have you learned Dorothy?" I answer, "Live each day the best you can. Don't miss an opportunity to hug your loved ones or tell them how you feel. Hold them tight and try to never take anything for granted." I often say that life is too short not to be enjoyed and firmly believe it. Make the most of each moment you have, as you never know when it may be your last.

Where were you 10 years ago today?

Localfest at Bocktown Beer & Grill

2011-08-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

Stop down at Bocktown Beer & Grill tonight from 6:00 - 8:00 pm for their third annual Localfest. They are located at 690 Chauvet Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15275, in Robinson across from the Target.

Meet and greet with some of the local purveyors, artisans and friends that make Bocktown possible. Learn more about Buy Fresh Buy Local and how they support and grow our Pittsburgh area and surrounding communities, and see how you can too.

The event will also feature craft beer tastings, wine samples, and live music from Pete Bush from Pete Bush and the Hoi Polloi.

I'll be there vending and selling raffle tickets for the Steel Town Etsy fundraiser to help benefit one of our members, Alicia Kachmar of Eternal Sunshine who suffers from Ulcerative Colitis. She has had the second of three surgeries to rid her of the disease and, despite having insurance, has mounting medical bills. More fundraising activities will be coming in September, so watch for news of those in a future post.

Tonight's basket features items such as books donated by Quirk Books - Booze Cakes and On A Stick (80 Party-Perfect Recipes), a Pub Sweater donated by Kate of WakulaWorks , a lovely necklace donated by Lucy of Belmonili, a $20.00 gift certificate donated by Chrissie of Party Paper Scissors, and an art print donated by Kathryn of Go Carr Go.

Raffle Tickets are $1.00 each or 10 for $5.00. You need not be present to win. The winner will be contacted and can make arrangements to pick up the basket at Bocktown at a later date.

Babs Who Takes Pictures

2011-06-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

At most any steampunk event, the New York ComiCon, NYC zombie walks, the Mermaid Parade, and at any number of other interesting events, Babette can be seen taking pictures, if you know where to look. Many of us simply refer to her as "Babs who takes pictures". Her photos always perfectly capture the essence of the events she attends and exude the personality of her subjects. In addition to being a highly skilled and talented photographer, she is also a truly kind person and one I'm happy to call a friend.

Please check out her portfolio online http://babettekd.see.me/onelife2011 and vote for her in the One Life photo competition. Voting is as simple as clicking on a link in the top left of the page that says "vote for me".

Let's help her win first place so she can afford to go to more steampunk conventions, pay off some of her bills, take more amazing photos, and continue to be amazing. Thanks!

Return to my internet world...

2011-06-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

The reality of the real world has kept me away from my online world for far too long. I'm slowly trying to achieve a balance and am finally able to devote a bit more time to my online presence.

Unfortunately, we experienced the loss of both of my in-laws earlier this year. My mother-in-law lost her battle with cancer and passed away on January 13th. My father-in-law, who'd been battling cancer even longer than she had, succumbed to the disease on March 26th. They are both greatly missed and since their passing, my life has been absorbed by trying to take care of numerous necessary details and doing what I can to help my husband (an only child) deal with this tremendous loss.

Until recently, we lived in a Victorian farmhouse, built in the mid-1800's that was two doors away from my in-laws. They'd built their home in 1980 on a tract of land that was part of the original farm and we were truly blessed to live as close to them as we did. Their home is almost double the size of our beloved farmhouse and my husband wanted to move, so since the beginning of April, we've been working on cleaning out their home, moving into it, and trying to deal with 10 years of accumulation at the farmhouse. We'll still own the farmhouse and if we ever finish moving out of it, will be renting it to one of my husband's cousins. Eventually, it will become home again to one of our boys.

I haven't had any time for creativity, but have been focusing all of my time on getting organized, taking multiple trips to donate items to the local Goodwill, getting my garden planted, and spending time with my family. I know in time there will be plenty of chances for me to indulge my creative side, but for now I'm doing what I feel is most important.

Until I do have more time for my own endeavors again, I will attempt to keep this blog updated, at least once a week, even if it's with nothing more than a picture.

My lengthy absence...

2011-03-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

I log on to my blog from time to time to add new blogs I want to follow, but it wasn't until today that I realized just how long it's been since I wrote a new post. I apologize profusely to those of you who were eagerly awaiting new content.

Life has a way of taking over at times. While there's always the daily chores that demand my attention, not the least of which is raising my two boys, the past few months there have been additional wrenches thrown into the clockwork of my life.

In the midst of working on a major creative project that has occupied the majority of my time (hopefully I can share news about this soon), my immediate family and I have been dealing with the fact that both my in-laws had cancer. Needless to say, this has been especially difficult for my husband, who is an only child, and for my boys who were able to see them every day of their lives since we live only two doors away from them.

Since my father-in-law's initial diagnosis, over a year before my mother-in-law discovered that she had stomach cancer, we'd been hoping for the best. Unfortunately, shortly before this past Christmas optimism became increasingly difficult as my mother-in-law was hospitalized due to a sudden inability to walk. She was never able to return home, was transferred to hospice care, and passed away on January 13th.

Now my father-in-law's cancer has progressed to the point where he is in hospice care, confined to a bed, on oxygen, with limited time remaining.

Understandably, the above events have absorbed a substantial portion of my time over the past several months.

This isn't intended to cause anyone to feel pity for me, but rather to help you understand the events in my life that have diverted my attention elsewhere.

My husband is fond of saying, "It is what it is." While it's true, there's nothing we can do to change the course of these events, we do control how we react to them. We've chosen to focus on spending as much time as we possibly can with them while they were, and are, still here so that we don't later look back on their last few days with any regrets over courses of action not taken. Our boys have sadly had to learn about loss at a far younger age than I would have chosen, but hopefully they'll end up stronger because of it. I've been making an effort to hug all three of my boys a little more as it's one of the few things I can do to make things easier.

This journey has taught me an important lesson, however: not to take my loved ones for granted and to make the most of each day I have with them. Hopefully this blog post will help you learn the same lesson, if you hadn't learned it already.

Upcoming Events I'll be Vending At

2010-11-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

The Anachronism Steampunk Event: Oz meets Wonderland
Sunday, November 21st, 2010
Webster Hall, New York City
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY
7:30 pm - 12:30 am

For the Annual Lawrenceville Tour of Cookies:
Fe Arts Gallery
4102 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Thursday, December 2nd, 2010
3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Friday, December 3rd, 2010
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Sunday, December 5th, 2010
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

I Made It! for the Holidays
Saturday, Dec. 4th, 2010
428 S. 27th Street,
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
SouthSide Works, near REI
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Midwinter Ball, featuring The Clockwork Dolls
Saturday, December 11th, 2010
Belvedere's
4016 Butler St.
Pittsburgh, PA
9:00 pm - 2:00 am

Last Minute Market
Saturday, December 18th, 2010
Screw Factory
Lake Erie Building,
13000 Athens Avenue
Lakewood, OH
10:00 am - 6:00 pm

I'm already exhausted just thinking about all of these and all the work that goes into them, but I'm really looking forward to them and love what I do. Hopefully I'll see some of you at some of these events.

Living Life Creatively

2010-11-10T13:54:00.000-08:00

Lately there's been quite a buzz in the craft world about living a creative life. This means different things to everyone, but I keep finding myself pondering what it means to me. As someone trying to earn a full time living from their creativity, this topic is especially relevant to me.

One of my favorite novels from childhood, Alice in Wonderland, contains many important lessons, one of which is that things are only impossible if you believe them to be. This is a philosophy I always attempt to follow, especially with regard to my creativity, and the reason hearing the word "can't" is such a huge pet peeve for me. My approach toward creating often involves inspiration from unlikely sources which results in what most people would dismiss as a crazy idea. However, many creative people will tell you there's no such thing as a crazy idea - another philosophy which I embrace fully. The first through fifth attempts at bringing the idea to reality may fail, but each attempt provides learning opportunities and gets you closer to the goal.

Thomas Edison once said, "I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward." While I'm much more a fan of Tesla than I am of Edison, I have to admit that I agree with this philosophy.

What are your views or tips toward living a creative life? Do you have any favorite quotes that inspire your creativity?

Life Lessons Learned at Craft Shows

2010-11-08T09:44:00.000-08:00

If you pay attention when you're out in public, especially when vending at craft shows, you can learn valuable lessons. Some apply to your craft business, some to just life in general. Lessons I've been learning that I'm trying to better implement are as follows:
1) Listen.
Hear your customers. Learn from them. If they like what you're making except for... listen and make adjustments for the next time or offer to do custom work. Look at each show as an opportunity to perform consumer research.

2) Smile.
This is especially important when your day isn't going well. People don't want to be around unhappy negative people. Don't keep potential customers away by complaining about your day or looking miserable. Sometimes others are having a bad day too and something as simple as a smile might make things just a little easier for them. Even if they don't buy something from you one day, you never know when you might see them again.

3) Pay attention.
Some items get attention from customers regardless of how you display them. Others may not get noticed at all. Pay attention to which items your customers are looking at and what they're saying as they do. Make notes of what works and what doesn't and continue fine tuning your display at each show.

4) Follow through.
We all get busy and only have a set number of hours in each day. Try to prioritize tasks in terms of follow through. If I owe someone an answer, I don't want to keep them waiting and yet sometimes I get busy and let things slide. When it happens to me I get truly frustrated, especially if having to wait for information from someone else holds me up so I'm trying to do a better job of following through myself. With customers especially, they're more likely to return for future purchases if you do well with this.

5) Be consistent.
This goes along with follow through as well. If you tell people something they will likely remember it even if you don't. People know other people. You never know who they'll talk to. Due to this, if you tell one person x but do y, you can be fairly certain it will come back to haunt you. You never want to find yourself in a situation where you told customer #1 something, then tell customer #2 the opposite and have them call you on it. While I haven't been guilty of this, I have been on the receiving end and can tell you it's not a good position to find yourself in.

6) Treat others the way you want them to treat you.
This lesson is simple and basic and one most of us should have learned as children. Some of us try to live our lives according to that lesson and some people appear to have forgotten it or never learned it. Try not to let them impact your actions. I feel it's still important to keep in mind as I navigate my way through life. Setting a good example just might rub off on others. If you're nice and friendly and offer to watch a neighbor's booth while they go to the restroom, chances are good they'll do the same for you.

7) You can't make everyone happy all the time.
The best you can do is make the majority of people happy. There will always be at least one person that you can't please no matter what you do. There are always things going on in other people's lives that impact their perspective that you have no control over. Try not to let them affect you negatively.

8) Have fun!
Life is too short not to find a way to enjoy yourself. If you're vending at a craft show, I'm guessing you're trying to find a way to make money doing something you enjoy. Even if it's an off day and you're not making money that day, find a way to have fun at the event. Enjoy interacting with your customers. Get to know your neighbors. If there's music at the event, enjoy the opportunity to hear a new performer. By looking at the positive side of things, you'll most likely have the best day possible given any situation you may find yourself in.

I realize there are many lessons I've missed but the above are themes that seem to come up frequently. These are items I'm trying to improve my implementation of. I am by no means trying to claim I'm an expert at them. I am human after all and therefore imperfect. Despite this, I'm trying to do what I can to improve. What lessons have you learned that are particularly useful? I'd love to hear about them. Let's learn from each other.

Brooklyn Indie Market Steampunk Day III at the Dumbo Lofts

2010-10-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, October 24th, the Brooklyn Indie Market held their third annual Steampunk Day at the Dumbo Lofts from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. Niffer, of 19Moons, and I were thrilled to be able to participate in the event as vendors for the second year in a row.

The prior two events had been held at their weekly location, under the red and white striped tent at Smith and Union, but growing attendance numbers and inclement weather the past two years caused the need for a larger indoor venue.

The larger venue allowed space for additional vendors as well as the addition of a Steampunk corner and salon sponsored by Tor Books and Tor.com. From the opening of the event, at 11:00 am until 4:00 pm, complimentary tea and scones were offered, books were available for sale by Mobile Libris, and readings were offered by a number of interesting personalities and authors. More information about this portion of the event, including the line up of readers and selections read can be found on tor.com.

For a small fee, attendees could take home a photographic memento created for them by Tsirkus Fotografika who employ a mobile photo lab, analog film, and old-fashioned camera equipment to create photos with a vintage appeal, much like the travelling photographers of the past.

This year's vendors included:

19Moons
Ami Nyitray Designs
Barker's Herbs & Heirlooms
Sole Arts
Jenny Sparrow
Papertopias
Ezra's Cousin
Jen Claire
Once Lost Jewelry
I'm Handmade
RockLove Jewelry
Sultana Jewelry
Nemesis Jewelry
Ingkay & Onssay Co.
Sylvia Holden
Andy's House of Design
David Brunell-Brutman

One of the most refreshing aspects of the day was the high number of attendees in street clothes mingling with those in steampunk attire. I always enjoy seeing a wide variety of interpretations of steampunk style at events, and this was no exception. However, those not in costume were equally welcome and for some, this may have been their first introduction to Steampunk and hopefully they'll now want to learn more about it. For this reason, I'm especially thankful that most participants in the steampunk subculture are accepting of anyone with an interest in the genre and don't make those not dressed according to some predefined ideal feel unwelcome.

The fashion show, presided over by the Master of Ceremonies August Wahnsinger, began at 4:00 pm and featured several designers who'd also exhibited as vendors during the day. Following an opening performance by Lola Lola Dance Theatre the first portion featured designs by:

Artificial Intrigue
Kristin Costa
Studio Hibernacula

After a brief intermission, the second portion featured designs by:

KVO Designs
Blooms in the Night
Heartless Revival
Berit New York with hats by La China Loca

While all the designs were certainly a tribute to creativity, the spirit of steampunk, and had aspects to be admired, my personal favorites were the styles created by KVO Designs and Berit New York. This proclamation is based on the Victorian influence clearly present in the designs, their wearability, and frankly, my own personal taste. I truly admired several items by several of the other designers as well. This was yet another of the events that exceeded my expectations and I'm eagerly awaiting next year's event. Kudos to Kathy Malone from the Brooklyn Indie Market, and all those who assisted her, for putting on yet another utterly phenomenal Steampunk Day!

All of the photos I took at the event as well as those taken by others can be viewed on Flickr here.

Several members of the media attended the event this year and some of the coverage , including video of the fashion show, can be seen at the following links:

Flavorwire.com: Steampunk Fashion Show Churns Out Style in Dumbo

Brooklyn Exposed: Photo Gallery of Steampunk Fashion Show: People, Designers, Merchandise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8OC_U9ztW0

Steampunk Fashion Show Event

NY: Steampunk Fashion Show

Time Out New York: Steampunk Day Photos

MetroMix: Steampunk Fashion Show 2010

Whirlwind Weekend in NYC

2010-10-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

I'm finally recovered enough from my whirlwind trip to New York City to write a quick blog post about the trip. Whenever I visit, I always come home filled with creative energy and that was especially true this time.

My friend Niffer, of 19Moons, accompanied me as we left my home outside Pittsburgh, PA to head to Nostalgia Guest House in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, the 23rd. We encountered sunny days, daytime temperatures in the mid-70's, and slightly lower nightime temperatures for our trip. We checked into our room, unpacked, changed for our evening adventures, then headed to dinner at Dao Palate on Flatbush Avenue.

After dining on delicious asian-inspired vegetarian cuisine made from fresh, local, organic ingredients, we headed to the John Fluevog shoe store. There we tried on boots we'd been drooling over online to see how they fit, wished there would soon be a sale on the boots we liked, and took a few fun but silly pictures. From Fluevog's we headed to Times Square to see the Gary Numan concert we had tickets to. Emilie Autumn was scheduled to open for him and I was really looking forward to seeing her perform so I was quite disappointed when we arrived and I learned that she had cancelled. My disappointment quickly turned to pleasant surprise, however, when we learned that Rasputina would be performing in her place. They even played a cover of The Smiths song "How Soon is Now" which we liked even better than the original, which is not easily done. You may be wondering which Smiths song I'm referring to, so I'll help you out - it's their song in which the predominate lyric from the chorus is "I am human and I need to be loved." I'll bet you know which song I'm referring to now, don't you? Following the phenomenal performance by Rasputina, Gary Numan took the stage and performed the entire Pleasure Principle album, or at least most of it. He also performed a few new numbers, which reminded me a bit of Ministry and which I really enjoyed.

Sunday, the majority of the day was devoted to the reason for our trip - vending at the Brooklyn Indie Market's Steampunk Day on Sunday, October 24th. My next post will include full details about the event, so please be patient. After a fabulously successful day of vending and steamy fun, we headed back to the guest house to change our outfits, and especially our shoes (our feet were quite literally screaming their complaints at us), then went back out in search of dinner. The place I'd wanted to try was sadly closed, so we headed back to Dao Palate for yet another extremely delicious dinner.

Monday morning we stopped at a gluten Free artisan bakery called "Everybody Eats" and purchased some delicious multi grain artisan baguettes and other gluten free bread products directly from one of the two owners. We'd hoped to be able to use some of the bread for our breakfast, but it's frozen so you can put it in your freezer at home and then use it at your leisure since it's preservative free. Fortunately, Tony Bagels was just a few doors away and we were able to get breakfast there before heading to Green-Wood Cemetery.

At Green-Wood Cemetery we were greeted by the most breathtaking Gothic style gates I've ever seen. Once we parked and got out of the car, we followed the sound of bird song to the bell tower at the gates and discovered several nests made by several lovely little green parrots, known commonly as Monk Parrots or Monk Parakeets.

We stood and watched the parrots for some time before wandering around the front part of the cemetery, enjoying the sculpture gardens, fall foliage, and a calm respite from the city. After taking numerous photographs, with a contented sigh, and a fond farewell to our new feathered friends, we headed for home.

Zombies Invade Pittsburgh's Market Square for a Good Cause...

2010-10-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

On 10/10/10, the It's Alive Show presented the 2010 Zombie Fest as hordes of local zombies came together to celebrate World Zombie Day. In the past, the event has been held at the Monroeville Mall which was the main location of the original Dawn of the Dead. Last year there were too many zombies for the mall, so Market Square has become the new home of Zombie Fest and it was wonderful to see it in downtown Pittsburgh!

These zombies used their brains to shop local.

Admission was free but zombies were asked to bring non-perishable food items for The Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank and they brought them in droves.

The day's activities included performances from live bands - The Motorpsychos, The Cheats, Icarus Witch, Del Rios, The Flying Dutchmen, and Deathmobile. In between bands, contests such as the Zombie Olympics, a (jello) brain eating contest, an ugly pageant, and the best scream contest were held. Throughout the day, local artists and a few small local businesses vended making the event truly a festival atmosphere. I was fortunate to be one of these vendors and truly appreciate all those in attendance that supported me, and all the local vendors, by buying from us. This event was a wonderful example of consumers shopping local and coming together for a good cause while having good, clean, creative, (even if it was somewhat bloody) fun.

John Russo writer of Night of the Living Dead & George Kosana the Sheriff in Night of the Living Dead were celebrity guests in attendance and there was even a chance auction held to benefit The Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

At the end of the day, the official count was 4,590 zombies in attendance for The Walk of the Dead. This year, Pittsburgh will attempt to reclaim the Guinness world record for "Largest Gathering of Zombies" and this number should have secured the title.

10/14/10 Update: 3,489 pounds of food was collected for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank at Zombie Fest 2010.

Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Creepy-Cute Toys, Magical Treats, and More!

2010-09-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

I own numerous Halloween books, some filled with creepy recipes, some feature seasonal craft projects, and still others feature spooktacular decorating tips. Some feature a bit of each of these. Over the years I've become much more discriminating in my purchases and often find new titles are often sadly similar to books I already own.

Witch Craft, a new title from Quirk books, is an exception. The projects and recipes are all unique and seem simple to replicate. The instructions are all clear and easy to follow. Some projects may involve techniques you may not be familiar with, but there are links provided to web sites with helpful information to help you learn to master new skills.

As an added bonus, one of the two editors and contributor of four of the projects is a fellow Pittsburgher and Steel Town Etsy team member. My overall favorite project is the ruby slippers pictured at the beginning of this post and on the cover of the book. Another project I'm especially eager to try is the Freaky Finger Food. It will most definitely be one of the many dishes featured on the spooky buffet at our annual Boo Bash.

The book is available in bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, and Borders, as well as on Amazon.

If you live in Philadelphia, Seattle, or Pittsburgh, feel free to attend these upcoming book events:

Dracula DIY at the Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia, Saturday, October 23.

A Halloween party at Cakespy in Seattle Saturday, October 9.

Shaler Library Costume Halloween Bash in Pittsburgh October 15.

Tuesday Thinking Green: TerraCycle teams up with Keebler

2010-09-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

This past week I purchased a package of Keebler's Sandies Pecan Shortbread cookies. On the wrapper, I discovered that Keebler has now paired with TerraCycle to encourage people to upcycle their cookie wrappers. As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of upcycling everything I can as I figure the fewer items that end up in landfills the better off we all are.

TerraCycle encourages consumers to save more than just cookie wrappers, though. They have established trash brigades to allow consumers to earn cash for their trash for a school or other non profit group. Through this program you can save items such as drink pouch containers, candy wrappers, home storage items (such as ziploc bags), yogurt containers, chip bag, and other items, then redeem them for $.02 each to raise money for programs such as schools. They then turn these items into products like fencing, eco friendly fire starters, windowbox planters and other garden pots, and much more. Visit their website for more information on this wonderful program.

Once you learn about the program, contact your local elementary, middle school, or high school and encourage them to participate in this program. I already send all my paper recycling to our local elementary school to help them raise money and hope to soon start sending cookie wrappers their way as well.

Back to School and Back to Blog

2010-09-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

I know I've been absent much of the summer, but life just hasn't allowed time to blog. My boys were home on school vacation most of June through this past Monday. They kept the Mom taxi running nonstop, including weekly trips to Sandcastle, the local water park, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. In between, I've been busy pursuing my photography and other artistic outlets, vending at several local shows in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Ohio, and participating in the Carrick Art Escape project.

I first found about about the Art Escape project through a Facebook post from my amazingly talented artist friend Kathryn Carr where she mentioned she'd be participating and linked to an article in Pop City about the project. Several local artists created varied works of art on large panels to be placed in storefronts along Brownsville road primarily, both to beautify the neighborhood and to help make vacant storefronts more appealing to potential occupants. Originally, I'd painted a large 4 foot wide by 5 foot tall panel burgundy, and mounted photographs of various Carrick landmarks to it, but the panel ended up being too large for its final destination and sadly, the mounting tape I normally use for my photos wasn't strong enough to keep the photos adhered to the wood. Missy, the organizer of the project, who normally prefers to remain invisible and behind the scenes in the work she does for the neighborhood has put in many hours of hard, and often thankless work, to pull this project together. She even went above and beyond expectations and remounted my photos to a panel that would fit in the location she wanted to showcase my project in. While they're not displayed in the same order I originally had them in, my angel statue photo is still at the top and center as the prominent piece. The conceptual title of my piece is "Angels Watching Over Carrick" and I envision the angels as the residents of Carrick who get involved in making their neighborhood a better place, the other artists who gave so freely of their time and talents to make the project a reality, as well as the statues in the cemetery atop the hill overlooking Carrick. The Post Gazette blog recently posted a feature entitled Painting Carrick with a few details about the project as well. If you're in Pittsburgh, and interested in viewing the projects, start at Churchview and continue to Carrick Library on Brownsville Rd. Carrick has a huge business district, so art panels are sporadically placed where there were empty storefronts or space availability. Below is a list of where the art is located:

Mary Grace Nichol: Carrick Library -1811 Brownsville Rd.
Kathryn Carr: 1824 Brownsville Rd. (across from library; next to Anthony's Pizza/ Permanent Wave Salon)
Tamara Barker: 2018 Brownsville Rd.(across from Madeline St./ Zion Church)
Anthony Stewart: 2018 Brownsville Rd.(")
Malia Rosenfeld: 2018 Brownsville Rd.(")
Leslie (Soulmate Tattoo): 2018 Brownsville Rd.(")
Lynsey Kern: 2601 Brownsville Rd ( Hess Floral Building)
Tommy Mason: 2608 Brownsville Rd.(Previously Artistic Tattoo business)
Dawn Morris : 2608 Brownsville Rd.( ")
Nichole Musser: 2608 Brownsville Rd.(")
David Connelly: 2608 Brownsville Rd.(")
Anthony Stewart: 2608 Brownsville Rd.(")
Gail Matus: 2608 Brownsville Rd(")
Joyce Wasser: 2619 Brownsville Rd( across the street from Artistic Tattoo)
Elizabeth Vogel: 2619 Brownsville Rd(")
Tirzah De Caria: 2621 Brownsville Rd.(")
Hayley Gallagher: 2621 Brownsville Rd.(")

I apologize for the lengthy post, but had I covered everything I've been up to since I last blogged, the post would be far longer. During my blogging hiatus I also secured a DIY craft book deal and have been busily working on writing it (more on that later), so I will only be blogging sporadically for awhile until it's completed, but I will make an effort to write at least one entry a week. Those of you who've been awaiting the next installment of my zombie tale for my Tale Tuesday series, leave me a comment if you can't wait until mid-to-late October for the next installment, and, if I receive enough comments, I'll endeavor to find time to work on it during craft book breaks.

If you're in the Pittsburgh area, please take the time to view the Carrick Art Escape installment and let me know if you enjoyed it. If you'd like contact info for any of the artists, feel free to let me know and I'll get in touch with them. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

I'll be Vending at the South Side Works Exposed Festival This Weekend

2010-07-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: One of my new Cemetery Angel Series Photos

2010-06-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Monday Meals with Mincie: Strawberry Shortcake

2010-06-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

Today is the official first day of summer and, for me, no summer is ever complete without enjoying several strawberry shortcakes. Mincie often made her own Southern style shortcakes, which were my favorite. Occasionally she'd resort to purchasing mini Hostess sponge cakes that had wells in them to hold the sweetened berries. They were good, but not as good as her homemade sweetened biscuits. Like so many things she made, I don't think she had a recipe for these, but the following is my closest approximation.

Mincie's Strawberry Shortcake

Filling:
1 quart of fresh strawberries (approximately)
1/3 cup of sugar

1) Wash and hull strawberries.
2) Slice into a bowl.
3) Sprinkle sugar over berries.
4) Set aside for about an hour, at room temperature.
5) When ready, sugar should be dissolved and berries should be juicy.

Sweetened Biscuits:

2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup milk

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2) Mix dry ingredients.
3) Cut butter into about eight pieces and add to dry ingredients. Mix butter into dry ingredients, using either a pastry blender or the back of a fork. Butter should be about the size of small peas when blended.
4) Make a well in the center, add milk, and mix until thorougly moistened.
5) Let dough sit for a few minutes, then sprinkle flour on clean countertop, pat dough out into a rectangle, knead two to three times, then roll out using a drinking glass. Cut into biscuits using the opening of the drinking glass and place in buttered biscuit pans.*
6) Bake 10 - 12 minutes until brown on top.

To prepare:
Slice biscuits in half, horizontally, while still warm and place a pat of butter on the bottom. Place top back on so both halves will end up buttered. Allow to cool slightly, then remove top of biscuit, cover bottom of biscuit with sweetened strawberries along with some juice, and place top of biscuit on top of strawberries. Top with more strawberries, then add Cool Whip or whip cream. Enjoy!

* Note: While Mincie's method involved the use of a drinking glass to roll out her biscuits, yours does not have to.

Sunday Snippets: Time has been flying swiftly for me, of late!

2010-06-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

For several weeks leading up to the Steampunk World's Fair, it seemed as if I was consumed by creative ideas and was in a mad flurry to finish them all. Once the event passed, I had a few days to recover and prepare for the family vacation. Now, after what seems like only a week, I find almost a month has passed and I've been severely lax with my blog entries.

Since returning from the family vacation it seems about all I've had time for is spending time with my guys now that they're out of school for the summer. I love having them home, but this year it seems like such a huge adjustment to my schedule. Somehow, about the time August rolls around, I'm sure I'll figure out a way to arrange my schedule to allow time for my creating, writing my blog, and them. For now, though, it's still a bit of a challenge finding time for anything other than the guys. While I know they won't be young for long and I don't regret spending time with them, I'm going to try to carve out small pieces of time for me so I don't feel guilty about neglecting the blog and can enjoy time spent with them all the more.

Thursday Thinking Green: Organic food vs. GMO crops

2010-06-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

I rarely use my blog to write about political issues, but our food quality and preserving choice is one I feel strongly enough to devote space to here.

Monsanto is on the verge of releasing GMO alfalfa. If you at all value the quality of the food you eat, please take a moment to read this post and sign the petition linked at the end of this entry. Not only would GMO alfalfa almost certainly wind pollinate and contaminate organic crops, but there is also the potential for this to severely negatively impact small scale farmers, family farms, the eco-system, etc. The far reaching implications are frightening, but unknown, as not enough research has been done to safely introduce this product to the market. The biggest danger with allowing the introduction of GMO Alfalfa is that, unlike previous GMO introductions, this is a perennial crop. Monsanto's GMO soybeans have already resulted in creating uber-weeds that are resistant to Roundup causing new, more invasive weed control products to be created and, at times, causing farmers to implement intensive tilling farming methods - the very methods the GMO soybeans were created to eliminate.

From the Credo action site: "Stop Monsanto's GMO Alfalfa!

Organics are under attack again. Earlier this year, we let you know about Monsanto's efforts to market and sell its genetically modified (GMO) Roundup Ready (TM) alfalfa. The USDA has given initial signs that it is preparing to grant Monsanto approval to distribute its seed, even knowing that it is almost certain the crop's modified genes will contaminate non-GMO -- including organic -- alfalfa.

Fortunately, the possibility of the USDA giving Monsanto the green light has caught the attention of two leading members of Congress -- Senator Patrick Leahy and Congressman Peter DeFazio. They have written a "Dear Colleague" letter, addressed to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, asking him to maintain the ban on GMO alfalfa in order to protect farmers, the environment, and the organic industry.

If your members of Congress have not done so already, they have until the end of this week -- less than 24 hours -- to sign the letter and join their colleagues in asking Secretary Vilsack to maintain the ban on Monsanto's GMO alfalfa.

During the Bush administration, Monsanto illegally won USDA approval for its GMO alfalfa by convincing regulators to bypass a mandatory environmental review. In response to a lawsuit by consumer groups, the courts then stepped in and banned GMO alfalfa until the USDA followed the law.

During the USDA's public comment period on Monsanto's alfalfa application in March, CREDO Action members submitted over 77,000 comments asking the USDA to protect the organic sector by keeping the GMO seed off the market. Now, we need to generate the same kind of overwhelming response to members of Congress so they will tell Secretary Vilsack to protect organics and farmers instead of Monsanto's profits.

Sign the petition to your senators and representative today, urging them to sign on to the Leahy - DeFazio letter asking Secretary Vilsack to reject Monsanto's application to market and sell GMO alfalfa."

Monday Meals With Mincie: Strawberries and Cream

2010-06-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

t was a bowl of strawberries and cream that began Mincie's strawberry growing hobby and led to my lifetime fascination with strawberries. When I was little, I visited her every chance I got. Each June, as soon as the strawberries from her neighbor's garden were ripe, he'd bring me a bowl of strawberries and cream. I enjoyed it so much, that it wasn't long before she'd planted a small patch of strawberries so I could have more fresh berries the following spring. By the time I was in high school, that one small patch of berries had grown to two sizeable berry patches and we enjoyed a variety of strawberry desserts as well as strawberry freezer jam throughout the year. Next week I'll share more strawberry recipes, but for tonight, here's the recipe for, what is for me, a bit of early summer childhood nostalgia in a bowl.

Strawberries & Cream:
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream or milk
1) Wash and hull strawberries

2) Chop strawberries into a coarse dice.

3) Cover strawberries with sugar. Use a fork to mix sugar with the berries and gently smash the berries, until juice begins to run and sugar is dissolved.

4) Pour whipping cream or milk over berries and enjoy.

Free Form Friday: This weekend's vending schedule

2010-06-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

Here it is, fairly late on a Friday evening, and I'm just now getting a chance to sit down and write a blog entry for today. I had a lengthy list of things I needed to do today, many of them online, and, as luck would have it, thanks in part to a mishap caused by one of our dogs and the interference of summer storms, I haven't had the internet available to me for the majority of the day. Yesterday came and went without providing the opportunity to do much online, including writing a blog entry, thanks to the school year winding down and two boys who were so excited to have a day off due to the annual Kennywood Day (a day when area schools attend the local amusement park) that they kept me overly occupied for the entire day. Next week, the boys only have 3 1/2 days of school left until they're out for the summer, so I'll have to make the most of the last of my "free" days for awhile.

Many weekends I have a packed vending schedule, but I'm especially excited about this one.

Saturday, I'll be vending at the 12th annual Fleatique on the Mon, a wonderful event that's close to home and is always quite fun. The event runs from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm and you can find me among the fine crafts and antique vendors that are located in Chess Park, right on Main Street in Monongahela. If flea market vendors are of interest to you, make sure you wander over to 3rd Street where they'll be located.

Sunday, I'll be in the I Made It! Market tent in the Creativity Zone at the Three Rivers Arts Festival from 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm both vending and teaching children how to make flowers from pop cans. They'll be able to create a flower to take home with them and will hopefully look at their trash a bit more creatively as a result.

If you attend either event this weekend, please stop by and say hello. Have a fantastic weekend, whether I see you or not!

Wordless Wednesday: Couple of shots taken around the house today

2010-06-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

Thursday Travel Log: Southern Adventures

2010-05-27T04:28:00.000-07:00

Since I'm currently on vacation and am enjoying a bit of quiet time at the beach house before everyone else begins to get up, I thought I'd write a brief travel log entry rather than my usual thematic entry for a Thursday.

So far, despite intermittent rain all week (that's been downright torrential at times), we've managed to fit almost everything in that we've wanted to do and have just worked around the rain. I've checked the hour by hour weather forecast on weather.com far more times than I care to count, but I digress. We still have two more full days here, in the Charleston, SC area, to fit in the rest of the things that were on our "things to do while we're here" lists.

Monday, we drove into Charleston and enjoyed shopping at the open air market that is formally known as "The Old City Market". There has been a market on this site since 1788 and the current buildings date to 1841. A wide variety of vendors here offer everything from locally made sweetgrass baskets to candied pecans and salt water taffy, as well as a large variety of souvenir items. A number of shops line the streets on each side of the open air market, one of which is Black Market Minerals, a favorite stop for my boys. Of course, we had to stop in here so they could each purchase a small selection of fossils and unique rocks to add to their collections. They also sell a number of different gemstone beads and beading supplies which I know a number of my friends would find hard to resist (those of you reading this - they also sell them online). After lunch in Charleston, at California Dreaming - my Mother in Law's favorite, we headed back to the beach house to change clothes and head to the beach during a brief break in the rain. At the beach, we found a number of seashells and enjoyed hunting for them until we heard the clap of thunder and decided it was time to head in for the day.

Tuesday morning, we drove back into Charleston and took the boys to the South Carolina Aquarium while my in-laws enjoyed a boat ride over to Fort Sumter followed by a horse-drawn carriage ride around downtown Charleston. The highlight of the aquarium trip for the boys was the new rare albino alligator they have that was rescued in the wild and then raised in captivity. The aquarium also now has an interactive feature where the kids can "drive" an underwater exploratory robotic device inside one of the large tanks that house a number of tropical fish. Needless to say, this was also a huge highlight of the trip for my guys. The aquarium also has several shark and a sea turtle in it's largest tank which is always a must see. After a successful trip to the aquarium and a visit to the gift store there, we headed back over to the open air market and enjoyed lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp, located alongside the market. After lunch, the boys noted that it had stopped raining and seemed like perfect beach weather, so we headed back toward the beach house and stopped only at Rosebank Farms along the way. While they initially grumbled about my desire to stop for corn on the cob and green boiled peanuts, they quickly stopped complaining when they saw the assorted farm animals they could visit. The rabbits and ducks had both just had babies, so we especially enjoyed visiting them. Once they discovered they could buy bottles of Coca-Cola, they were begging me to bring them back again while we were here this trip. After a visit to the beach, we enjoyed a meal at our beach house, made from fresh local ingredients, including the corn I'd purchased.

Wednesday we drove to Savannah, GA, which takes just a little over 2 hours from Seabrook Island, where we're staying. We enjoyed the River Street Shops, had lunch at Bella's Italian Cafe, then the boys headed to a toy store with my in-laws while my husband and I headed to Bonaventure Cemetery. Those of you who know me well, can only imagine how thoroughly excited (geeked even) I was to be here. There are few places more romantic to me than old cemeteries, with their marble monuments surrounded by plants that have resided next to them for decades, and this is especially true of Southern cemeteries filled with old oak trees draped with Spanish Moss. Bonaventure sits on the site of a former plantation and was been a private cemetery from 1846 to 1907, when it became a public cemetery. The cemetery is most famous for being featured in the novel "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" which later became a movie, but the statue of The Bird Girl that was featured on the cover of the novel is no longer here, having been donated to a museum to protect it after the book's popularity risked its safety. There are still several phenomenal statues throughout the cemetery and I took a little over about 36 pictures on film and countless pictures with my digital camera here. Once I'm home, I'll sort through all the pictures from the trip and will share them in my Flickr photo stream.

Today, the weather forecast is for sun, and a high of about 88 degrees so for now, the only plans for the day involve visits to the beach. Here, on Seabrook Island, we never know what the day will bring, though, and that's part of the fun of vacationing here.