Art Star Craft Bazaar Will Make You a Better Person

Come Visit I*M*Handmade at booth #71!

The 6th Annual Art Star Craft Bazaar is this weekend!! Saturday, May 30th & Sunday, May 31st 11 am - 6 pm Rain or Shine @ Penn's Landing Great Plaza Walnut St & Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia It's easy to get to the bazaar using public transportation. Click here for directions

Over 100 Artists & Crafters! including (from left to right): Colleen Heineman, BirdQueen Designs: Jewelry by Gretchen Diehl, Brainstorm Print & Design, eieio, J.L. Schnabel, Spread The Love, Paper Satchel, Robert Siegel Ceramics, & Ray-Min Shoulderware Click the image above to be directed to our complete list of vendors w/ links to their websites.

Live Music Both Days! Jack Mcbrearty of the beloved local band The Mural & The Mint has organized live music all day, each day. A full music line-up can be found here Free Raffle! We will be raffling off 3 gift baskets filled with handmade goodies & donations from local businesses. The raffle will be free & the winners will be contacted after the show. Book Signing Saturday with Jenny Hart! Embroidery queen Jenny Hart will be on hand to sign copies of her new books. Stop by booth #99. New titles will be available to purchase or if you've already got one of her books bring it by for her to sign. Visit www.jennyhart.net or www.sublimestitching.com to learn more about Jenny. Goodie Bags! Plus- the early bird catches the worm! We will give out 250 tote bags (silkscreened w/ Julie West's incredible Art Star Craft Bazaar Log) per day filled w/ gifts from our sponsors, handmade donations by our vendors, & coupons to area restaurants & shops. The earliest arrivals will get a tote bag + first dibs on the coolest crafts! Stop by booth #102. Get your "Handmade Nation" Tickets! Meet director Faythe Levine at Philadelphia's premiere screening of her documentary "Handmade Nation" on Saturday, August 1st, 2009 @ 6 pm. Tickets are $5 & available for sale during the bazaar at Art Star booth #101. For more info visit indiecraftdocumentary.blogspot.com ASCB tote bags will be available to purchase at the art star booth #102 this weekend or click here to purchase the above tote for just $5 (plus shipping) SPONSORED IN PART BY:

New in the shop: Jen Corace Limited Edition Prints Click here for more info

Art Star is a gallery & boutique located in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia. We exhibit and sell handmade work & limited edition products by emerging artists across the globe. Hailed by Philadelphia Magazine as the "the cities first cutting-edge craft shop", we strive to carry work that is innovative & superbly crafted. We have also created & continue to support a growing network of burgeoning artists. Our exhibitions rotate every 6 weeks and our boutique offers shoppers everything from handmade clothes, jewelry & accessories to dolls, ceramics & prints.

Prep School's Cool

Prep school's cool, well that I don't know for sure but I know I like this stuff that seems quite prep to me:

Living in the city, you almost have to have a love affair with large bags. For men it's usually the messenger bag and for women the ridiculously large purse. One thing men and women both love to need in the city...totes! Totes with pockets galore, totes with things printed in/on them, totes that can fit your life in them! These will fit your life, but maybe not all of your problems.


The corduroy ones have handprinted gun graphic on the pocket to make you feel like a badass.

But if you're leaving the baggage behind and lightening your load. A vintage convertible clutch is always handy. Wear it as a shoulder bag or take the strap off and use it as a clutch.

Trying prep on for size? Would you say you're inVESTed? Get it?! Oh boy! This vest is cute, dress it up serious for work or wear it with a tee and jeans.

There it is. Preppy clothes for non preppy people.

Get outside it's glorious!

This Thing Right Here

Fake Life:

The Hills is back, I'm brainwashed/brain damaged...for reals I can't get enough of these idiots.

Real Housewives of New Jersey...yes please.


Real Life:


I love spring, even when it's 5 cold days of suffering through rain to get 2 beautiful days. For those warm but cold days when the sky looks like it's going to open up at any moment, I like to wear a cape. You can hide your arms inside if it's cold, or throw up the hood when that rain cloud over head starts leaking on you.




This vintage wool jacket is also great for Spring. A hidden pocket to keep all your secret notes is a bonus!








Skirting Issues

These 2 button corduroy skirts are bright and fun, but not too fun to wear to work too. Brass button closure and spring timey bird lining.



Tiered plaid wrap skirt. Look seriously dapper in this lightweight skirt. Perfect with heels and a tee. With a blouse you're ready for business.


Mini skirts are always great. Elastic waist mini has a Miss Shortcake-esque repeating strawberry design. The purple corduroy (with no wales) skirt cinches around the waist like a paper bag. Sounds flattering huh? No really it's comfortable and adjustable.

So are you ready for Spring yet? No? Stoop sales...flea markets...farmer's markets, how about now are you siked? No?! ...outdoor shows...less clothing...waiting for the bus not fearing you might lose a limb to frostbite...there it is.

The Birds and the Bees...and the flowers on the trees

Spring has sprung and for most people that means one of two things, flowers or allergies. But hey, these Spring clothes are nothing to sneeze at!

Shake what your mama gave you, or what she didn't give you...thanks mom! Don't worry these ruffles can also distract from the lack of a rack. Is that offensive maybe...hmm, yes I think I've hurt my own feelings.

Comfortable cotton tees with black, white and red scarf print ruffles.

Wear it with jeans or a high-waisted mini.


Tiered Aviary Skirts look great with tees, tanks, heels or sandals (I like to wear mine with ankle boots to add a little edge to this flirty skirt).

Have you ever gone to (fill in the blank) and eaten so much that you considered just lying down and taking a nap while your body adjusts to the 40lbs of food you've just ingested? Yes? Well, the elastic waistband is great for that.

The Obamas met the queen, she got an IPod and all I got was this lousy tank top. No wait it's awesome, nevermind.



















This regal racerback is long enough
to be worn as a tunic over leggings
and boots, or pair it with jeans for
a simpler look.

Red and Black grosgrain and royal
patchwork with brass detail.
Great for layering over tees and tanks.

Handprinted African floral applique tee.
Organically geometric (?) design perfect for the season.
Comfortable cotton.



Well that's what I love for Spring this week. Come check out what next week brings. And don't forget to check out the I*M*Handmade site! The rain brings the flowers, embrace it...or stay inside.

The Storm before the Storm

Hello all, Erin from I*M*Handmade here ready to blow your mind!!! Alright I'm not going to blow your mind, but I'm gonna tell you some stuff that may or may not interest you. Here we go!

My grandmothers are and were two very special women; arguably the strongest I've ever known. So on our recent trip to Chicago we stopped by to see our friend Max at Revolution Tattoo to get me some new ink (best souvenir ever!). So now whenever I'm bitching about something stupid (which is more often than I would like) I can look down at my arm and see the names of two people who, not only never complained, but would probably slap the shit out of me if they heard me doing it. Thanks Grams!

Our other no fail Chicago stop is Renegade Handmade on Division St. Think of your favorite handmade craft, clothing, art fair and shove it all into one store and that's Renegade Handmade. The people are always friendly and they carry stuff from all over the country. If you've ever been to a Renegade Craft Fair, this is the store responsible.


When was Christmas? Yeah so my sister, the awesome person that she is, surprised me with a Christmas present the other day; Matt & Kim and Cut Copy at the House of Blues in Boston! Word! So I hopped in the car and went up to Boston to spend the weekend with my sis. Boston is great and there's a lot to do, if you can beat the college kids to it. The ICA has a Shepard Fairey exhibit. It was packed, and the worst thing about a packed museum is the loud conversation about the art that you have to hear. There's always one guy getting all deep into an explanation of a piece, and it's always either wrong or just a really annoying point of view.

We stopped by The Garment District for some vintage duds, it's so hard to say no to buying clothes there because everything's a gem. Every piece is like the diamond in the pile of diamonds...needless to say, keep an eye out for 'new to you' vintage at www.imhandmade.etsy.com. Lots of skirts and a wicked pair of culottes! I threw in the 'wicked' as a salute to bean town, clever huh? No? Whatevs.

The Good Stuff. Ever feel like you need to go to the gym? Me neither so open some Pabst and let's dance our faces off! Matt & Kim are an energetic Duo from Brooklyn. They put on a great show and were more than gracious to the audience and their parents who were in attendance. Maybe it was shrooms, or maybe it was genuine but I don't think I've ever been thanked that much by a band ever. At one point Kim stated apologetically to her father, that her older brother used to sneak her out of the house and bring her to raves at that same venue when it was Avalon. My sister and I broke down laughing because she did the same for me. Awesome show, good beats, warm it up! Cut Copy turned it out, light show, heavy bass, dance circles, party time!

Check out the 'new' vintage duds at www.IMHandmade.etsy.com! Mini dresses, mini skirts, come on it's Spring 2009!

How'd you do that?

Well hello all!




I'm Erin from I*M*Handmade. A tiny clothing/accessories/everything but the kitchen sink operation run out of my little apartment in Brooklyn. The Story of I*M*Handmade has no clear beginning.


My grandmother, an f*ing awesome quilter, taught me to sew at a very young age and I've been doing it ever since. My first customers (my dolls: Barbie, Jem, GI Joe and Teddy Ruxpin) were always looking so darn classy I thought I would try my hand at making some duds for myself. Being a frequent thirft store shopper by age 14 I had plenty of clothing and fabrics to work with. I started by repurposing old items to make new ones. I learned how the patterns worked and I tried my hand at making clothing from scratch for myself. By the end of high school I had friends and family asking for clothes like mine. By college it was freelance work for friends of friends and then finally I was sewing for complete strangers and I loved it! Finally after hearing people tell me to sell my things so much I got up the guts to try it...and here we are. That's right we.

My partner in all of this, Billy, is also sewing his fingers to the bone in the name of handmade goods. His mother taught him to sew when he was younger and together we're unstoppable...I hope. He moved to New York a few years back from Chicago to work in a museum on the upper east side of Mahattan which is where we met. A couple years after I moved here from The Dirty Jersey we started hanging out outside of work and sharing our ideas. Realizing that we could work together and not tear eachothers faces off we knew we had something.








We participate in lots of events in and around the city from street fairs to indie markets to craft fairs and our designs are being picked up by more and more boutiques all the time. You can check our website for events that we'll be participating in and new designs (http://www.imhandmade.etsy.com/). So come check it out and shop online. Why? Because you don't have to put pants on!



When we aren't sewing we're usually making music, eating ice cream (why is it sooo good?), listening to records, hanging out at our favorite Brooklyn spots or watching mind numbing television ('Ru Paul's Drag Race' anyone? Never have I wanted to be a man impersonating a woman so badly). http://www.logoonline.com/shows/dyn/rupauls_drag_race/videos.jhtml





Thanks for checking out who we are...but we aren't done here. Check back for more!



Erin of I*M*Handmade