Sunday, December 5, 2010

Holiday Craftacular this weekend! Join us!


When?!
Friday, December 10, 4pm-8pm &
Saturday, December 11, 10am-5pm

Where?!
OpenSpace
(next to downtown ACAC)
455 Second St. SE.
Charlottesville, VA

What?!
Don't miss our gorgeous semi-annual shopping event this weekend, showcasing many of your favorite designers from Craftaculars past, as well as fresh new faces. This lovely and eclectic collection will surely meet your holiday shopping needs, and then some. You'll find locally hand made jewelry, pottery, soft sculpture, mixed media art, journals, clothing, photography, housewares, photo frames, knitted goods, textile designs and more.

Why?!
A portion of our proceeds will benefit the Foothills Child Advocacy Center, so feel good about shopping locally while supporting an organization that plays such a vital role in the strength of our fabulous community!

We can't wait to get set up again at the lovely OpenSpace! Find twinkly lights and glowing globes for a festive atmosphere Friday evening, or find sunlight pouring in all day Saturday. Either way, light refreshments and plenty of good cheer await. Bring your friends and your holiday shopping list, and we'll see you soon!

Monday, November 29, 2010

We're Getting Excited...

December is just a couple of days away! Have you started your holiday shopping? Remember to shop local at the 5th Annual Holiday Craftacular show at OpenSpace on Friday, December 10 and Saturday, December 11. There will be pottery, textiles, repurposed art and, of course, jewelry. Here's a small sampling of what you might see.









Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Holiday Craftacular is Only 3 Weeks Away!

The 5th annual Holiday Craftacular opens in about 3 weeks! We're making final preparations and working hard on our creations. Here's a glimpse of what you might see on December 10th (4pm - 8pm) and 11th (10am - 5pm) at OpenSpace.








Wednesday, October 27, 2010

2010 Holiday Craftacular Dates



YES! The dates and location are finalized for this year's fabulous Holiday Craftacular!


Join us Friday December 10th 4pm-8pm and Saturday December 11th 10am-5pm.


At OpenSpace, in the Forum Room, located at 455 Second Street SE, Suite 100. Near ACAC and the Downtown Mall. Charlottesville, VA


This year we are adding 6 new artists to our show, so there is sure to be something new to see! All your old favorites will be there too, with their new and signature designs. So, be sure to attend and be a part of this fantastic event showcasing some of Charlottesville's most talented and independent artists and designers.

We look forward to seeing you there!!!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010


alright, people. it's been waaaay too long. i am a guilty non-blogger. i blame facebook, my kids and, well...me. the super good news: the holiday show is coming up in december; by the end of the week, we should have a date, time and place for you. stay tuned!


2nd chance studio is still up at Sticks (pantops mountain location) until the end of september AND everything is on sale!! stop by and have a look - any questions, email me at secondchancestudio.gmail.com
also, check me out on etsy - www.secondchancestudio.etsy.com
i look forward to hearing from you!


Tuesday, June 29, 2010

weehah! + journals = true love


It's fun to be an honorary Craft Attacker, even though I live up north now. In fact, I'm starting a Boston area Craft Attack group - first meeting at my house in September! It won't be quite the same as the startup crew in Cville (ahhh, Cary, Martha, Tavia . . .) but what's a girl to do when she's so far away from her crafty girls?

The news here is that I'm finally designing some journals! Small and large. Kraft and red and navy. Ruled and lined and squared. I've been wanting to do them for some time and have been inspired by many other women who do their techniques on these Moleskine notebooks, and it's been fun to experiment with my own way of making them. In fact, I think it's safe to say I'm just crazy about them!

They're available in Charlottesville exclusively at rock paper scissors, in the journal section of my website, and at various shows and events that I'm doing up in New England. Custom orders available upon request.

I think of these - dare I say it? - Craftacular women so often, and can't wait to see them during my visit in just a few weeks.

Happy Summer!
With love from Louisa

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Celebrate!

I had two big events coming up (my sister's baby shower and my daughter's 1st birthday) and decided that I needed to have some flag bunting for both.  I was originally planning to make them myself until Rachel of Gemini Skye brought some recent ones she had made to our Craft Attack meeting.  They were gorgeous and soooo much better than what I could do with a sewing machine. I asked her if she would make some for me and ta-daa!  Now, being a creative person, I tend to make things myself almost always and rarely have anything made especially for me.  I can't tell you how thrilled I was to have these arrive at my door.  For my sister's baby shower, Rachel had the wonderful idea to have the back be blank so that everyone could write a sweet little note to the baby to be (she even included a fabric pen!).  The idea being that my sister could read the notes everyone wrote to her daughter when she grew up.  People loved the idea and wrote the sweetest things.  She is planning to hang it in her nursery.

The bunting for my daughter's 1st birthday is oh so fun and even has a personalized note sewn into it that marks the momentous occasion.  There are already three parties planned for her and I plan to use the bunting at each one.  It really is wonderful to have something hand made especially for you - especially when it turns out as wonderful as these.  Thanks Rachel!!    - Christina

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

A Craftacular Time!

Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday to support us and The Women's Initiative at the Spring Craftacular.  It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time meeting new people and seeing old friends among the community!  We want to thank Frontrunner signs for the beautiful banner and sandwich boards.  Also, our fellow craft attacker - Rachel, did an amazing job with the food - the chocolate covered strawberries alone were sooo Yummy!  Thanks to everyone who helped promote the event and to OpenSpace for hosting!  Click here to see more pics.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Four Craft Attack designers and artists invade the Corner Radio this morning!!!




Cary, Tavia, Martha and Christina spoke to Brad Savage of the Corner Radio (106.1) this morning on the Community Corner about our upcoming Spring Craftacular at OpenSpace! What fun we had telling more people about our show and sharing more about our group to Cvillians. We reminded people that a portion of our proceeds will be given to an awesome local group called the Women's Initiative and that the show will be happening just in time for Mother's Day and Graduation gifts.

If you missed us, here is the segment:



Monday, April 26, 2010



There's something special about holding these dice. They're cool in your palm. They're smooth. They're textured. They're heavy. They're small. They're solid sterling silver! Image a game of Yahtzee with 6 of these babies!!! - Nancy Hopkins

Wednesday, April 21, 2010


2nd chance studio - kim is thrilled to have her work up in Sticks Kebob Shop on Pantops Mountain. To be paired with a business that just received their GREEN status is a wonderful honor.


Cville Craft Attack April News

Christina at Magnolia Moonlight is very excited to announce the launch of her new Whisper Wall Mobiles! They are made of 100% Wool Felt and Black Walnut and available in three designs - Rain, Cubes and Circles. You can click here to see all the designs and her brand new shop

Magnolia Moonlight is also thrilled to be included in a new book by Bowie Style of the blog print and pattern.  The idea of the book is to celebrate and showcase the wealth of talent in the fields of surface pattern design, stationery, papergoods, illustration, textiles, cards and more. The Print and Pattern book was just released in the USA this march. You can see more here...

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laurel denise - this month i've been busy creating new jewels for all of the lovely laurel denise customers out there. a favorite online and at retail shows has been the new texture collection - adjustable leather bracelets featuring laser etched laurel denise handwriting. come to the spring craftacular at open space to see dozens of new words added to the collection! i've also been updating the laurel denise blog everyday with the daily doings in my personal and business life. check it out if you need a good laugh and would like to see some snippets of what goes on from day-to-day here at laurel denise.

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bycary - spring is such an inspiring time! so many new colors on the horizon that become a part of the palette for new bycary creations. here are some new spring floral silhouette cards.
many more colors to come too! stay tuned!

bycary has had fun dabbling again with her polaroid camera creating some new transfers she plans on selling at her upcoming shows. these images can be purchased as matted fine art prints, cards, coasters or trivets.  a recent custom project involved turning some engagement portraits into transfer art images for jeweler, erin mcdermott.

come out to the farmer's market on april 24th and to the cville spring craftacular may 1st to check out some new bycary green products...

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Lindsey Mears will have a piece of art in the annual auction at the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative May 1st (after Craftacular). It should be a wonderful time, with auctions, collaborative on-site filmaking, bands and a dance party.
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Martha Keith has recently been featured in Cville Niche, a new online magazine.  It is a sweet article about her jewelry and 10 of her fav things to do on the Charlottesville Downtown Malll.  You can check it out here
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Victoria Horner - Victoria is busy taking her handbags on the road with her spring show schedule.  She just returned from Florida, and has back to back shows in Virginia and Maryland through May.  You may view her complete schedule and see the new fabrics on her website www.victoriahorner.com.
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Saturday, March 27, 2010

Cville Craft Attack March News
We are thrilled to welcome two new members to Cville Craft Attack - Laurel Denise and Meg Runion!

Hi there, I'm Laurel Denise! I just moved back to Charlottesville from Hoboken, NJ and I'm super happy to be joining the Craft Attack group. I make glass and recycled sterling jewelry in my Charlottesville studio and sell online and in stores nationwide. I also write a little blog about my daily doings. All of my jewelry features my tiny handwriting in some way or another - fused to the glass, laser cut into the sterling or laser etched into leather goods.

Photo above by Meg Runion

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Meg Runion Studios - unique handcrafted frames, beautiful to display with or without a photo
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We also have some news from Boston. weehah! has a new card at Para Coffee and it will be in other Cville stores soon. We miss you Louisa!
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The studio of taviametal is abuzz with numerous projects, including orders for galleries, custom Wedding Bands, Adoration Bracelets and Lockets for clients, and the development of new work. New this spring are Petite versions of Tavia’s Adoration bracelets for those sweet little kiddos we all love. Also, taviametal has been included in an invitational exhibition “Charmed” at the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburg, PA. Keep checking in on taviametal’s website for more information and updates about Tavia’s show schedule, new galleries and latest happenings._________________________________________________

bycary is gearing up for our spring craftacular as well as the cville farmer's market.
come out on the following dates to the market to see me:
April 24
May 22
July 10
August 7
August 21
Sept 18
Oct 9
Nov 13
you will see cards, coasters, prints and more!
anyone planning to be in new york the first weekend in june?
if so, the brooklyn renegade craft fair is where i will be on june 5th + 6th.
check it out here.

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Magnolia Moonlight - There are a few new projects in the works at Magnolia Moonlight. The first is a new series of drawings inspired by the seasons. Spring could not come fast enough this year! Christina created "Spring... i'm so glad you're here" to celebrate its arrival and started a new series of drawings, with one for each season. Christina has been busy with invitation and baby announcement design for Oh So Smitten and is really excited about her new wall mobiles that will launch in April... stay tuned to MagnoliaMoonlight.com, or sign up for her newsletter to be the first to know!

Oh yeah, she is also thrilled to be designing the cville Spring Craftacular poster this year. It is May 1st and is going to be a spectacular event!
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Lindsey Mears has a show at McGuffey Art Center

Album: Winter into Spring
New mixed media work and one of a kind artist's books on exhibit through March 28.

Her show and work have also been featured in the hook! click here to read more.
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Monday, March 22, 2010


Here in the studio of Martha Keith, I'm focused on commissioned pieces these days. Since giving birth to my son just over a year ago, I've concentrated my limited jewelry energy on my favorite way to design: with a specific individual in mind. I've been honored to continue making pieces for significant life events for folks both locally and at a distance. This most recent engagement ring now rests on the hand of one New Zealander living in the UK who will be marrying an American currently in Turkey (just to keep it interesting.) 18 karat white gold wraps, like waves or foliage, around greenstone, or jade, from New Zealand. The stone, purchased as a slab from NZ, was cut by local jeweler and lapidary Carol Rohmann. I asked her to keep the words, "organic", "pebble", and "found object" in mind as she shaped the stone. Congratulations to the newly engaged duo, Liz and Christoph!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010



Silver Muse Studio - If I could, I would literally give away everything I make. Fortunately or unfortunately, the business side of me steps in and keeps me from going into bankruptcy. Luckily for me, I have many friends who are interested in trading their services and artwork for my jewelry. It brings joy to my heart to know that the people around me treasure my jewelry as much as I treasure their creative services and handiwork. This is about as close as I can get to giving my jewelry away. These sterling silver stacking rings are a gift for Rachel Thielmann of Gemini Skye who made a killer robot shirt for my son. Thank you, Rachel! - Nancy Hopkins

Friday, January 29, 2010

Cville Craft Attack January News

Magnolia Moonlight has been nominated for the Poppies!
The Canadian blog Poppytalk has unveiled a new way to acknowledge and celebrate the handmade community, The Poppies awards ceremony. W
e're honored to have been nominated under Favorite Handmade Papergoods!

Magnolia Moonlight and sister shop Oh So Smitten are thrilled about the super mention about our "Rad Robots and more" on the blog ohdeedoh!
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ByCary - After a busy holiday season, ByCary has been busy doing a lot of nothing in January but recuperating and relaxing...she has managed to plan an art opening however in February of her Polaroid transfers at the local Play On theatre located in the IX building.
Come out to her art opening and the opening night of Arcadia on February 4th from 6-7:30PM. If you miss the opening, feel free to visit through the month of February during the evenings.

A little mention in this month's C-ville Abode for ByCary coasters was a nice thing to stumble across. She felt humbled by her company there.
It's a great time of year to plan a spring/summer wedding so keep ByCary in mind for any custom invitations and save the dates. A great source for brides-to-be is Cville's Unions which came out on January 26th. Look for a colorful ByCary ad towards the back.Happy New Year everyone!
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Kim Boggs of 2nd chance studio has her artwork up in blue moon diner through the end of February. 60% of the proceeds will benefit haiti relief.
_________________________________________________Tavia Brown, of taviametal, experienced a very exciting 2009! Developing new work, seeing her first international sales, and nominated for awards, Tavia also found herself the recipient of great press on multiple blogs and in several magazines. To top off such a fantastic year, Tavia had her work included in celebrity gift bags for the holidays! Creating her custom Adoration bracelets for 27 A-list Celebrities, Tavia had a lot of fun making these heirloom pieces for celebrity parents to wear. The recipients of her bracelets included Cindy Crawford, Gwen Stefani, Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alyson Hannigan, Halle Berry, Tobey Maguire, and Heidi Klum.
The beginning of 2010 is off to a great start as she is busy making custom wedding bands for several couples, engagement rings, special gifts and developing yet another new series called “Grace and the Machine”. Tavia is also preparing to go to Philadelphia in February to exhibit at The Buyers Market of American Craft, a large Wholesale show, where she will debut her new line and visit with new and familiar boutique and gallery owners. Keep an eye on her website for information on new locations to find taviametal.
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Victoria Horner will have her first show of 2010 in late February, so in the meantime she's having fun searching for new fabrics and starting to work on her Spring line. Here's a sampling!
_________________________________________________Lindsey Mears journals made of recycled book covers and floppy disks are featured in the Cville Weekly: What's old is new again- Local items to attract your eye and your eco-consciousness.
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