Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! Buffalo, you've been great this season. I really appreciate everyone who came out to both Women's Gifts and the Queen City Market this year to support local artisans. Both shows were my best yet. I am really happy. The monsters are happy too. Exciting news! Erin Makes Stuff has a new online shop. I decided to try something different and am using the Square Marketplace. I want to test it out since I already use the Square card reader to take payments at shows. So here's the link: https://squareup.com/market/erinmakesstuff I'm excited to get some feedback. It's a learning experience and I don't have all my products listed yet. Let me know what you think. I have one more event in Buffalo before Christmas. This Friday [December 19th] I'll be at the Larking Building from 10am to 2pm. I'll have a ton of ornaments and cards and of course MONSTERS! :) Stop by if you can!
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Artist open house and holiday sale in Geneva set for Thanksgiving weekend
GENEVA, NY – Find memorable, artistic gifts for everyone on your list at Flying Whale Studios & Friends’ 3rd annual Artist Open House and Holiday Sale, featuring original creations from over thirty artists and craftspeople from throughout the region, Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 28-30, 2014, at 143 William St. Hours are 5 - 8 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Sunday. Kevin and Mary Schoonover, of Flying Whale Studios, open their Greek Revival home for three days of shopping in an intimate, friendly setting. Six downstairs rooms at Flying Whale Landing will be filled with a wide variety of eclectic arts and crafts, from the whimsical to the practical — including holiday decorations and fine art photography, Pysanky eggs, handmade soaps and glass jewelry, paper, pottery and primitives, steel sculpture, wooden cutting boards, decadent desserts, pillows, stuffed monsters, up-cycled mittens, and locally sourced honey and beeswax candles. “If you’re looking for a fun and funky alternative to the malls and big box stores this Thanksgiving, then this is the place to be. We're bigger and better than ever," said Kevin, who opened Flying Whale Studios five years ago, specializing in photography and graphic design. “We have such a great time putting this together each year – juggling artists and their unique visions, rearranging to accommodate all the goodies, and welcoming the enthusiastic patrons into our home.” Participating artists are: Beachcomber Designs (Lisa Johnson), Cedar Pottery (Chris Schnaufer), Chancery Lane Primitives (Sandie Fogle), Cherie Carter Designs, Deborah Bly, Dumpster Bunny Designs (Kristen Curley), Erin Makes Stuff (Erin Busch), Foster’s Frostings (Scott Foster), Flying Whale Studios (Kevin & Mary Schoonover), Gio's Designs (Julia O’Connor), Hand Candy Mittens (Charlotte Reid Besaw), Honey Bee Creations (Melissa Foppes), JK Stitches (Jean Keane), Karen Rothfuss Cloth Bowls, Etc., Kathleen A. Kosel Steelworks, Knit Creations by Judith Treisback, L Prince Designs Art Jewelry (Lori Prince), Ladies of the Lake (Dale Mangan), Lisa B. Contemporary Folk Art (Lisa Bystrak), Peaches Products (Casey Wright), Pine Tree Designs (Stefani Tadio), PS Enjoy Your Life (Jen Born), The Purple Hippo (Tracy Morrall), Pysanky by Mia (Mia Sohn), Rusty Button Studio (Missy Buckley), Sage Studios (Sage Churchill-Foster), Secondseed (Nancy Topolski), Stone Foliage (Kathy Sullivan), Tom Zachman Fused Glass, Urban Turning (Sam Tischler), Waid’s Honey & Candles (Duane Waid), and Woods Edge Studio (Sara Senour). Billsboro Winery will conduct a complimentary wine tasting Friday night from 6-8 p.m. "I look forward to this all year. Kevin and Mary open their house in the truest holiday spirit,” noted returning Rochester jeweler Lisa Johnson of Beachcomber Designs. "I know I can find beautiful, unique gifts for everyone." Lori Prince of L Prince Designs Art Jewelry in Rochester added, "There is such a great selection of high quality, handmade goods being offered. Last year, I bought things for multiple people on my list. And for myself too, I couldn't resist.” "The thing I like about this sale is that even with the returning artists, their work is always new & fresh,” declared paper artist Stefani Tadio from Pine Tree Designs in Fairport. "Kevin always mixes in a few new artists too. It’s a wonderfully curated event.” Tadio is the founder of Rochester Artisans, an online forum and resource for artists and craftspeople in the upstate New York area. Eight artists are making their debuts at this year’s event including Erin Busch of Erin Makes Stuff in Buffalo. "I am super excited to bring my hand-knit monsters to Flying Whale Studios,” she said. For all three days, admission is free and the browsing is easy. There also will be refreshments and prizes. All major credit cards will be accepted. For more information or directions, call Kevin at 315-719-1499 or visit www.flyingwhalestudios.com. Or, check out Flying Whale Studios on Facebook. I feel pretty silly that I haven't updated my site since winter. Where has this year gone? Seriously! Summer is almost over. This past weekend was the Elmwood Festival of the Arts. I set up inside the UUCB at the corner of Elmwood and W Ferry. I've set up inside there for the past few years. I have entertained the idea of applying for a spot out on the street... but then I think of all the monsters I would have to make and sell just to break even... and the hours it would take me to do that. That scares me. It would be so much fun to be on the street and get a truer festival experience. I love this festival. And this year I was super happy to be where I was! Thanks to all the volunteers and all the happy customers I met throughout the weekend! Here are a few pictures of things I made for the show and my table. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you've probably seen these already. And if you don't follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you should. I post there more frequently. My next show in the area is the Music is Art Festival on September 13th and that is at Delaware Park from 10am-dark. I'll have a tent set up in the rose garden and will be selling all sorts of monstery fun. I'll end this post with a picture of the Christmas stockings I am currently knitting for a custom order. I will be making four total. The client LOVED the ones I made for Emily [@merrypad on most social media] so I am making her a similar set. I am done knitting three of them. Of course I still need to deal with loose yarn ends, wash them and block them so they are flat and tidy, just like Emily's. [Here are the ones I made for Emily so that you can imagine how awesome this set will look once they are finished!]
Let's hope it's not 8 months before I post again!!! The Mayday! show in Rochester is over and I've already switched gears to start preparing for Buffalo Women's Gifts. Women's Gifts is one of my favorite shows that I do and this will be my 4th year! In case you're in the Buffalo area and are interested in attending, the show is held at Babeville on Saturday November 16th and goes from 10am through 5pm. Admission is free and there will be tons of great vendors and food trucks! Although I already posted these pictures on my Facebook page, I wanted to share them here as well. My friend Allison and I had a little fun posing the monsters for pictures during a lull on Sunday afternoon. The monsters are meant to make you smile and I hope that these pictures brighten your day!
Everything is now confirmed! So here is the long awaited [for me anyway! The waiting game is always soooo hard!] HOLIDAY SHOW SCHEDULE! This November and December my monsters can be spotted in Buffalo, Rochester and Utica, New York! Hope you can make one of th
Sorry guys... I really was excited about the Music is Art Festival, but unfortunately the weather made it completely impossible to be a vendor today. I arrived in a downpour and the tents they had set up for the art vendors were leaking right through. I came home and drew this monster. He completely sums up how I feel about today. I'm really sorry if you went to MiA and were looking for me. That's how outdoor shows are though... sometimes good, sometimes not. Hopefully the next time the weather cooperates!
If you like puddle jumping and dancing in the rain, you can still go! The event happens rain or shine and goes late into the evening! There's still tons of music, food to eat and stuff to do! I think the rain is even starting to ease up. So enjoy :) This will be my second year as a art vendor at the Music is Art Festival! This year the festival is Saturday September 21st and it runs all day. We set up at Delaware Park behind the Albright Knox and just like last year, I should be right near the rose garden.
What I'd like to know is... What kinds of things do you want to see? Monsters? Fuzzy Monsters? Neon? Owls? Ornaments? Hats? Can Cozies? Phone Cozies? Cards? Onesies? Tshirts [eeek! That would be awesome.] Let me know. I want to stock up my booth with lots of happy awesomeness. Leave a comment with what you'd like to see and I'll make it happen. The week after a big show is always weird. Part of me wants to take a break and relax. I've been knitting pretty much nonstop for the past few weeks and it would be good to give my fingers a break. The other part of me, however, realizes that a lot of monsters found new homes this weekend [YAY! Thank you!] and I gotta work to restock for the next show. So, I don't know what to do and have been having disorganized, partially productive days. These two ornaments were a custom order. They are wedding gifts for a couple who are getting married this fall. The color scheme for the monsters was built around the school colors of the university where they met. I considered giving the bride a veil and bouquet, but decided it was bit much for a small ornament and instead opted instead for a little felt flower with a pearl button center. Perhaps if I make a larger monster bride and groom set I'll give them more accessories. Add these guys to the list of fun "ERIN MAKES STUFF" ideas for weddings! Remember the Ring Bearer Monster from my friend's wedding? And Name Designs always make great gifts too! Besides the wedding monsters, I also finished the monstapus I was knitting this weekend at the the festival. It's nice that I can get a little work done while I'm at a show... a lot of artists can't do that! I'm lucky that knitting is portable. I love how this guy turned out. I haven't made a monstapus in awhile! Now to get some more work done... What would you all like to see at the next show? Let me know in the comments!
This weekend is the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts! Yay! If you go, you'll have to find me because I'm actually a part of the UUCB Arts + Crafts Show in the church on the corner of Elmwood and West Ferry.
This week I'll give you some sneak peeks at the fun stuff I've been making for this show! The past few days I've been knitting animal ornaments like crazy. I love monsters, but sometimes it's nice to have a little variety. So far I've made narwhals, a few walrus and a couple foxes. No hedgehogs yet... but if you'd like me to make some, leave a comment and I will! This event was so overwhelmingly great that I can't think of what I even want to say about it. So I'm just going to include this link to the news coverage of the event and share some pictures and other people's words here. Thank you so much to everyone who came out. It was great to reunite with old friends. Bill Sheehan and his Denver, CO family celebrated Billapalooza with everyone. His daughters were able to use FaceTime to show Mr. Sheehan all the love, support and music that was happening in his honor. ChalkFest Buffalo 2013 is this weekend and I'll be there with my monsters vending on SATURDAY! [August 3rd] I hope to see some of you there. It looks like it is going to be a great family-friendly event.
Hi all. I've been out of town for the past two weeks and the only thing I've accomplished for my business is putting my new greeting cards into bags. Oops. Oh well. For the past three years, I haven't accomplished anything for the second and third weeks of July because I teach art at a summer camp near Rochester, NY. And I love it. If you don't know, I'm not just your friendly neighborhood monster maker! I went to school for Art Education and LOVE teaching. Problem: there aren't too many teaching jobs for art in my area. This is the two weeks out of the summer that I get to put my Master's degree in teaching to work! And I don't have to give standardized tests! [Grumble, grumble, NYS... but that's another rant for another day.] Here's some pictures! First, if you follow me on Instagram, you know I got some new greeting cards! They'll be for sale at my next events in August! [Chalk Art Fest Aug. 3 and during the Elmwood Arts Fest Aug. 24+25] I got new business cards too: And redesigned the top header on this page and on Facebook: I did all of the above in a bout of nervous energy while I was getting prepared for camp. I don't know why I get nervous because the kids at camp are always great and fun and wonderful and I already miss them and they make super fun stuff like this: We accidentally -but kinda on purpose- had a bit of a lizard theme this year, which was really fun! The drawings were done on tagboard and campers created backgrounds using Zentangles or "marker painting" techniques. They lizards were made using Sculpey clay and then painted with acrylics. I love kid art. I had a really great stay in Rochester! Every night was busy! I got to see a lot of friends [including @merrypad and @dadand] and I even was able to go sailing! Here's a pretty sunset at the Yacht Club: The two weeks ended with the very nice outdoor wedding of two of my college friends. They were married on a farm near Utica, NY. They seemed to like the Name Design that I gifted to them. I wish them many years of happiness! Congrats Amanda + Greg! Now back to business. The Chalk Art Festival and Billapalooza are this weekend. Play time is over. Time to get back to work!
I don't have a huge tour of summer arts festivals, but here is the lineup of where you can find me this summer: JUNE 29, 2013
"Mini" Mayday! Underground 256 Alexander Street, Rochester, NY 10am - 4pm AUGUST 3, 2013 ChalkFest Buffalo http://www.chalkfestbuffalo.com Main St. between West Huron and Mohawk, Buffalo, NY Noon - 5pm AUGUST 24 - 25, 2013 U.U.C.B. Summer Art & Craft Show [during the Elmwood Arts Festival] 695 Elmwood Avenue at West Ferry Street, Buffalo, NY Saturday: 10am - 6pm Sunday: 11am - 5pm I'm hoping to add the Music is Art Festival in September to the list. Hope you can make one of these events! Should be fun! :) Thank you to everyone who stopped by Mayday! Underground Craft + Art this past weekend! Here are a couple shots of my booth setup. Sorry they're dark and a little blurry. I forgot my Nikon and had to rely on the iPhone. It was a really fun show and I was super happy to be a part of it. Lots of monsters found new homes. I have such great, enthusiastic, fun customers and I appreciate you all so much! Without you, I couldn't do what I do. You're all great! Mayday is an awesome indie market with a TON of awesome vendors. Somehow I managed to keep my own spending in check. I don't know how... it took a lot of restraint. But, if I had unlimited funds... most of my money would be poured into these two shops: After looking through the Mayday vendors, I knew I had to find The Knotty Owl ASAP. So, after setting up my own booth, I quickly wandered the market looking specifically for TKO. And I wasn't disappointed! TKO is the work of industrial designer/woodworker/jewelry maker, Ashley Landon. Each piece of jewelry that artist Ashley creates is hand-cut and assembled with great care and attention to detail. I could have easily spent hundreds of dollars, but limited myself to a pair of minty green owl earrings. I love that Ashley makes post earrings... I feel that a lot of jewelry makers ignore us post lovers and gravitate toward dangley, which are fun looking, but not so fun for those with sensitive ears! So thanks Ashley. I really wanted to buy one of her spirit animal pins [the deer shown below] but didn't. Once her shop reopens on etsy, I'll probably splurge. Hopefully she'll make it into a necklace too! And there's always Mealy Monster Land. I met Nicole Johnson, monstermind of Mealy Monster Land back in 2010 at winter show. That's when I bought my first monster... and my collection has grown since then. I need a lot of self control since Nicole and I do a lot of the same shows and I find a new favorite that I want to buy each time! Nicole sculpts all her creatures out of polymer clay. My favorites are the brightly colored monsters. They have the best expressions. Even though they are monsters, and a little scary looking, their faces always look like they're the ones that are actually apprehensive. I love that the bigger ones are clinging dolls or teddy bears as a security blanket. They're great. She makes creepy dolls and zombies too, if you're into that kind of stuff.
All in all, it was a great weekend. I'm already excited for the Winter Mayday which, for the first time, is going to be two days! I hope I get in! Until then, my next show is the "Love Your Mom and Pop Vendor Marketplace" on May 18th at the Tri-Main Building at 2495 Main Street in Buffalo, NY. It runs from 10am - 4pm. Hope to see you there! |
Erin Makes What?Thank you for visiting! I am Erin and I love to create. On this site you will find one-of-a-kind knit monsters and other fun knit accessories. I also draw portraits of kids, adults, pets... you name it. Categories
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