Yes, yes, I know I'm no longer a member of the Richmond Craft Mafia. However, I do like a good show and I do like to support great organizations!
The Richmond Craft Mafia is pleased to announce it is collaborating with GayRVA.com to bring you a fabulous holiday event. The Divine' [...]
Today is the day for many positive things so I won’t even make excuses for falling off the NaBloWriMo wagon. I got to wake up to the sight of my husband who normally is long gone to work before I wake up so that was good. Its my last [...]
Having a bit of a cheat day with NaBloWriMo. Check out one of my new favorites.
[...]For the past several years, LINC (Legal Information Network for Cancer) has hosted a handbag auction here in Richmond to raise money for their organization. This year's event is this Thursday November 5th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the new Westin Richmond Hotel. General admission tickets are only [...]
For the past several years, LINC (Legal Information Network for Cancer) has hosted a handbag auction here in Richmond to raise money for their organization. This year's event is this Thursday November 5th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the new Westin Richmond Hotel. General admission tickets are only [...]
November is National Blog Posting Month or NaBloPoMo for short. During this month the goal is to blog everyday, including weekends, to help set the habit of blogging. Needless to say I 've gotten out of the habit a bit, but I'm participating in NaBloPoMo again [...]
November is National Blog Posting Month or NaBloPoMo for short. During this month the goal is to blog everyday, including weekends, to help set the habit of blogging. Needless to say I 've gotten out of the habit a bit, but I'm participating in NaBloPoMo again [...]
Day 1 of the craft challenge went well. Not a ton of production, but lots of preparation. I did finish the 2nd tea towel pillow and got the tops done on my Monopoly pillows.Â
The game board fabric pieces came from the last fabric swap I [...]
The fall/holiday craft show season is gearing up and I am suffering the effects of taking too much craft crack. What is craft crack? It's the stuff...the creative high that one feels when things are going good in crafting - a successful show, a great new product, being surrounded by [...]
Next Thursday I will be participating in Richmond's first Girls Night Out! event to benefit Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks is the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatment and a cure for autism. The organization works to increase awareness of [...]
Costen Floors is hosting a community yard sale this weekend to benefit the American Heart Association. Come out and see me and about 20 other vendors on Saturday from 8am - 1pm. I'll have household items, craft supplies, fabric, men's clothing and more for a steal! Details and directions are' [...]
For the past few years the craft world has been buzzing with a variety of ways to show off the wonderful graphic design work of security envelopes. Security envelopes? You know, the things your bills come in and sometimes junk mail when it wants to look official. If you ever [...]
I need a new slogan/motto for my business and I would like your input. Lark Studio is going green(er) this year. I'm using the supplies I have and when I need to purchase something I'll be using only second-hand materials aside from some basic findings. How can I let folks [...]
Like most professional crafters, my display set-up for Lark Studio is ever changing. For a while I have struggled with a way to display jewelry. Most commercial jewelry displays are pretty generic and I didn't want to copy the creative displays I have seen. Back in March I' [...]
Several years ago I started making holiday ornaments out of the gazillion orphaned SCRABBLE tiles that I have. My husband is a huge thrifting fanatic and whenever he sees a broken or partial SCRABBLE game for sale he grabs it for me. Each year I try to [...]
The founder of the San Antonio Craft Mafia, Katherine Brown, is fighting glioblastoma otherwise known as stage 4 brain cancer. The San Antonio group has been touched deeply by her illness and are holding a benefit for Kat and her children. Please help in any way [...]
I've been toying with the idea of changing my blog name for some time. This blog is more about me the person than about Lark Studio so I've been thinking out taking Lark Studio out of the title. The jury is still out on that one, but I did decide [...]
A few weeks ago I re-committed to the pledge of not throwing away food. Previously some weeks would see me throwing out tens of dollars worth of food purchased but not cooked or consumed before it perished. No more. I have promised myself to get creative and cook/freeze/consume everything that [...]
...I stumbled on this rubbermaid bin...it kinda made me laugh...it took me way back...back down crafty memory lane...
Okay, Minnie I am not.ÂHello blogosphere! Long time no hear from, eh? I'm busy clearing out the studio, attic and any other space I can find around the house this week in preparation for a yard sale next weekend. Crafty maven Kelly McCants (Modern June and Oilcloth Addict) and I are having' [...]
My last event as a member of the Richmond Craft Mafia was great! Â The Spring Bada-bing craft show and I even got some coverage in the Times Dispatch. Â It feels good to go out with a bang!
[...]The weather is going to be nice this weekend! Â While you are out and about, stop by 2 of the areas best craft shows.
For the more traditional - come to Fool for Art at John Tyler Community College (Midlothian) on Saturday from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm.  Amy George [...]Geared specifically for independent artists and crafters, the Summit of Awesome is 3 full days of seminars and hands-on workshops, which will provide business and technical education for those in the handmade arts community. The Summit also includes the D.C. premiere showing of the indie craft documentary, [...]
My sewing skills that is. Â I've made excuse after excuse for the past 3+ years as to why I don't use my sewing machines. Â In 2005 I invested in some great Baby Lock machines (Ellure sewing machine and a Imagine serger) and I can count on one hand how [...]
I have decided to severely cut down on eating processed foods. Â My friend over at House of Lukaya suggested I have a cooking day - a day where I cook several things that can refridgerate/freeze so I have ready made, homemade meals later in the week. Â That's what I'm' [...]
I have 2 whole days off in a row! Â Just wanted you to know that life was getting back to some sort of routine. Â K'thanks.
' [...]
If you are even a remote follower of my blog - you know about my relationship with the Richmond Craft Mafia. Â Five (that's right, count 'em) years ago I helped to start RCM and it has been part of my heart and soul ever since. Â Our little group' [...]
The application deadline for the 4th annual Spring Bada-bing: The BOSS of all craft shows is midnight tonight! Â Go! Â [www.springbadabing.com]
Hello blogosphere! Â How have you been? Â Me? Â I've been busy. Â I went and got myself a part-time job. Â I'm the Education Coordinator for the new JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts superstore in Midlothian. Â The store opens tomorrow at 9:00 am and I several huge events at the [...]
I'm stepping away from the internets for a minute to give my thoughts some space. Â In the meantime, check out the great blogs listed in my links list.
' [...]When I got married back in 2000, my DH and I were flat broke. Â We bought a house and had a wedding within the same month (something I do NOT recommend) with only part-time/contract jobs. Â Needless to say things were tee-ite. Â As most newlyweds we received many gifts that were...err...yum...not [...]
When I got married back in 2000, my DH and I were flat broke. Â We bought a house and had a wedding within the same month (something I do NOT recommend) with only part-time/contract jobs. Â Needless to say things were tee-ite. Â As many newlyweds we received many gifts that were...err...yum...not [...]
Are you an artist, crafter or maker with just too much stuff? Â Do you go crazy during this time of the year wanting to clear out and organize? Â Well, I feel ya. Â And I have a solution for you.Â
The 2nd annual Crafter's Anonymous Craft Swap will [...]
Visarts:latenight is now...Second Friday Sampler!
It’s new! It’s free! It’s earlier! It’s not on First Friday!
Come by the Visual Arts Center of Richmond TONIGHT for a FREE sneak preview of what it's like to take a class at Visarts.
7-9pmÂ
Please arrive a few minutes early, as class spots are limited. Â This month choose' [...]
I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm anOrganized Money Managing Extrovert |
For all you professional crafters, artists, makers...how do you spend the first 3 months of the year? Â Is it all about rest - taking time away from your business? Â Or is it mostly about planning - coming up with what you will create for the year? Â Or do you jump [...]
My NOEL Scrabble Tile ornament received some love from skirt! Richmond editor Constance Costas in this month's issue.
I am NOT a fan of cooked carrots. Â Never have been. Â A few years ago my Step-mother hipped me to the Carrot Souffle at our local Picadilly Cafeteria and I've been hooked ever since. Â Normally we just go to Picadilly and order a huge pan of it [...]
It's that time of the year when most of us with art/craft businesses are wound down - taking a break from a (hopefully) busy holiday season. Â Here is a great, short, motivational podcast from Alyson B. Stanfield, author of the Art Biz Blog, on how best to utilize [...]
Whew...I've been busy since I left my full-time job. So much so that I have to wonder how I juggled both my crafty endevours and work in previous years. When I decided to get up from my week long nap after my "retirment" began, I was all about planning our [...]
Yesterday I turned 38 and took some time to reflect. Â I realized I hadn't set any personal goals in a really long time. Â So here is what's on tap for the next year. Â Inspired by this wonderful blogger.
Ahh..back to the land of the living. Â Much to blog about, but I'll start slow with some links.
First day of retirement
Originally uploaded by larkstudio
I am now a statistic. Gainfully unemployed due to layoffs. I'm taking it easy for a few days, but I'll be back! :)
[...]Do you repurpose items for your craft? If so, Rockport Publishers/Quarry Books is looking for you! They are seeking submissions for 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse, an upcoming book by Garth Johnson of ExtremeCraft.com. The book will feature items all made with recycled, upcycled, repurposed and [...]
Hello blogosphere! It's been awhile. I'm back and here's what's been going on with me:
My last day at my job of eight plus years is two weeks from today. This has been a long time coming for me. I have been somewhere between unhappy and miserable there for several years. [...]
It was all running so smoothly and on schedule. Â But week 3 has brought delays to the project. Â The entire thing will now run into a 5th week. Â Le sigh...one day I'll have my kitchen back...
Week 2 went well. Â All the IKEA Akurum cabinet frames are together, the wall cabinets are completely finished with the Adel door fronts, the flooring guys are scheduled and appliance delivery is scheduled. Â On Friday, the counter top guy came out to template. Â Low and behold my initial measurement was [...]
Week 1 of the kitchen remodel went very smoothly and we are on track to get it all done in 3 weeks. Â
The sub-floor turned out not to be a problem. Â Matt realized all of it had to come up anyway to allow for an even surface [...]
Day 2 of the kitchen remodel in photos.
For the past several years, every year, I say "I'm going to enter something into the State Fair competition...". And unfortunately I have yet to do so. Usually, I remember sometime around the entry deadline and it's too late. But, not this year - the entry deadline isn't until September [...]
I thoroughly enjoyed my vacation in Las Vegas. In 18 years, the DH and I have never taken a 7 day vacation. Unplugging and being away for that long was very nice and we have vowed to do it more often.
If you are a reader of this blog you know [...]
I'm finally remodeling my kitchen and dining room. Â My kitchen is teeny-tiny and we don't need a formal dining room so we are tearing out the wall that divides those rooms and making a larger eat-in kitchen. Â This has been about 2 years in the making. Â I finally bit [...]
Rifferaff, author of the blog Make It, has a very interesting post up entitled "The color of design". Head over and check out the post and the rest of the wonderful blog about building a craft business.
[...]Unfortunately, I didn't snap any photos of my Saturday market finds I got from the South of the James Market and they have already been mostly put to use. Â I did score some super sweet fresh corn, golden zucchini, green tomatoes, and some locally made fresh pumpkin ravioli shown here [...]
Back in 2006, I started a monthly craft lounge for Richmond. Â Since then, my RCM girls have helped it grow and evolved into something robust. Â I just updated the official RVA Craft Lounge blog. Â It will be the place to get all the information about the monthly craft [...]
Ahh...4 day weekends are great. Â Time to relax, clean up and clean out! Â I decided to do a good kitchen cleaning today which included cleaning out the refrigerator. Â Normally, that would mean just pitching what was bad or just unwanted. I'm usually pretty disgusted at how much food I [...]
If you are looking for some crafty funny today - this is it! Â I discovered The Craft Whore's videos thanks to the Craftychica some time ago and came across this one today. Â Enjoy your own craft and cocktail!
[...]I got a chance to sneak down to the 17th Street Farmer's Market during lunch time today.  Just a few essentials purchased...
Want to ramp up your crafting skills? Then join the folks in Etsy.com's virtual labs for over 25 live craft tutorials during the month of July. Etsy will be posting videos, podcasts, and accompanying articles for most of the workshops. You can see the [...]
Last month while at a global conference for the day job in Boston, MA I received a phone call from Venus Zine. The editor had stumbled across my one line bio and got the humor of it. She mentioned [...]
Whew. I'm tired. I spent ALL day cleaning one room of my house. I know telling you this is tricky. On the one hand you could think that me and my DH are complete slobs in live in filth. Really, that's not true. However, if you saw my utility room [...]
Wow... almost a month since I posted last. How'd that happen? The time has been spent recovering from the best Spring Bada-bing ever, traveling to Boston and Chicago for the day job, and births, funerals and weddings of good friends.
The plan is to be very productive with [...]
Whew! I'm still recovering from Spring Bada-bing but had to pass along this bit of info.
BizWorks, a local business incubator, is hosting a QuickBooks seminar on Thursday April 24th from 4:30 - 6:30 pm. From their website:
This course covers the basics of financial management for small business
owners -non-profit and [...]
It's that time of year again boys and girls: the Richmond Craft Mafia's Spring Bada-bing! Richmond's largest indie craft show will be held on Sunday April 20th from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm at Plant Zero Art Center. As always, admission is free so you can spend, spend, spend [...]
Here's a few production photos (which aren't shown enough on this blog) from a huge order I received last month.
Every Fall, I try to come up with a different holiday ornament idea to use up leftover stuffs I've collected throughout the year. This past fall, I [...]
We made our statement. We do what we can.
For more on Earth Hour and ways that you can help the environment, check out [www.earthhourus.org].
[...]
TV star and author Mark Montano was in town yesterday promoting his new book The Big Ass Book of Crafts. I always love when I meet someone famous and they turn out to be a regular person! Mark was relaxed, funny and personable chatting up [...]
A quick photo recap of the "Printemps sur la canal" - Spring fashion show featuring Erin Taylor Designs and Sew Ono Ap*par*el
The designers: Erin Taylor and Ono Mangano
What 'cha doing after work? Grab some friends and head down to Black Finn Restaurant for a few drinks and one great fashion show. Fellow mafiosos Erin Taylor (Erin Taylor Designs) and Ono Mangano (Sew Ono Ap*par*el) will be showing their respective spring lines.
"Printemps [...]
It's that time of year again...National Craft Month!
According to the Craft and Hobby Association, there are over 63 million households in the US crafting! That number is astonishing.
To help you kick your crafting mojo into full gear, come out and join the Richmond [...]
My husband and I have made a commitment to stop eating out so much. We recently sat down and calculated how much money we spend eating out and it was a startling figure. Let's just say that we could probably feed a family of four on what we spend eating [...]
Don't forget: the American Craft Show is this weekend in Baltimore, Maryland. The 2008 show will feature what's being billed as New Wave Craft (read: indie craft that we all know and love). Out of hundreds that applied, only 15 were juried into the show.
[...]
Ileana, of india*romeo fame, is really trying to make the world a more lovely place. On her blog, she's encouraging readers to participate in Random Acts of Kindness Week (Feb. 11-18). 
I have found that my current work environment is starting to affect my [...]
Do the cold, short, dark days of winter have you feeling a bit down? Are you wishing you could come to a comfy local joint, hang out and meet other crafters? Me too!
I along with the Richmond Craft Mafia will be hosting "I *heart* Craft" [...]
Earlier this year I was interviewed for a great new podcast Indiebizchicks.com that focuses on providing business information to help women start or grow their own business.
My interview is up this week (Podcast #15). Check [...]
Cleaning out the 'fridge never tasted so good.
Frittata made with the last 6 eggs, leftover roasted potatoes, the bottom of the roasted red peppers jar, spring onions, and the last of some parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Fresh cut pineapple round out the very yellow [...]
I really like this time of year. I'm stuck in the house because it's dark and cold by 5:00 pm and I get to sit in my studio and do stuff. I spend the first quarter of the year planning for Lark Studio: updating my website, designing new products, planning [...]
Allbrands Sewing is bring Nancy Zieman of "Sewing with Nancy" fame to RVA in April. From their newsletter:
A Once in a Lifetime Experience Love of Sewing Retreat
Featuring Nancy Zieman
Passionate sewers want a getaway to learn more about what they love—sewing! What could be more fun than learning a new [...]
I'm trying to eat better/healthier and thus trying to cook more. I also need to be a better user of food. I'm famous for pitching absolutely good leftovers just because. So today while cleaning out the fridge once again I came across some jasmine rice that was cooked over the [...]
One of my goals for December was to redesign my website www.larkstudioart.com. I've decided to go with a new logo and a new color scheme (purple is my least favorite color and I still don't know how it became part of my initial branding).
I'm still adding [...]
If you are starting to plan your 2008 craft show schedule, check out Fool for Art. This show is a community art festival sponsored by John Tyler Community College in Midlothian, VA. I personally haven't attended the show, but several Richmond Craft Mafia members have and say it is [...]
If you do, the CraftyChica wants it!
From her recent post on Craftster.org:
I'm winding up my next book, which is all about artful stitching. It's for Potter Craft and will be a beautiful book (pub date is spring 09)! I'm looking for small "blurbs" from people to sprinkle [...]
