Tag Archive for 'shout out'

A Heapload of Thanks

Published on December 7, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

to everyone who came out to Saturday’s Holiday Heap!!


(image courtesy of Tigerlilly.)

Lookit all those people who came out, even in the snow! There were times where you couldn’t even walk through the aisles! (My table and fancy new banner were tucked behind that second pillar on the left.)

We Mafiosos have been gushing to each other about how awesome everyone was–vendors and shoppers, and not sleeping Friday night followed by a loooong 14 hour day was totally worth it. A perfect winter weekend, really. Gigantic snowflakes all day, my favorite crafters, Manfriends earning their keep by helping us break down the space after we were probably too delirious to be on ladders, greeting lots and lots of buddies old and new, a new headband from the Candy Thief, and sooooo. much. coffee.

Newest discovery while work-work-working: Egg Nog instead of cream in my coffee. Amazing.

After a well-earned treat of samosas and jehangiri kofta from my favorite Indian place up the block, I totally crash-snuggled as soon as we left on Saturday. I was looking forward to a day of re-inventorying and looking for the motivation to wear pants on Sunday, until I remembered that I had organized an install day at the gallery! OOPS! all was well though: finally rested, show goes up without a hitch, and a refreshing session of hot hot hot yoga wrapped up the whirlwind weekend.

Re-inventory/re-stock of my Etsy shop this week. Stay tuned!

Friday Shout-out: Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

Published on November 6, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: .

I am really, really, reallyreally, really excited to see Thao with the Get Down Stay Down with my favorite people tonight in DC! Besides being all around awesome, her music has gotten me through some long, exhausting drives, and various amounts of heartache in the last few years. They’ve got a new album out via Kill Rock Stars and I’m loving it so far.

Also in DC tonight, check out new work by Martha Jackson-Javis at the Hillyer. Hooray for art and my favorite people and this weather and dancing in my boots.

Oh bring your hips, oh oh bring your hips to me.

Friday shout-out: Thursday Vinyasa

Published on October 16, 2009 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , .
what? I had to.

what? I had to.

(it’s been a while for one of these, innit?)

I am like, not very graceful, sometimes off-balance, and often teeming with unfocused energy, and this week’s shout-out goes to not only the fabulous people at Charm City Yoga, but specifically to their Thursday night Vinyasa class with Tami. In my efforts to sustain physical and mental equilibrium, I’ve been taking a variety of yoga classes here, and let me just say: Thursday Vinyasa is both meditative and sure to kick your ass.

My bff and I turned last nights session into a little catch-up date, and after a long, rainy day amongst the DC Suits, the slow but full intensity of that class was just what we needed. I’ll probably never be able to do a one-armed handstand with my legs contorted around my ears, but man, Thursday Vinyasa is Where It’s At for the workout and tension-release. If you’ve never been here before, they offer multiple beginner and community classes to try before you commit to the more challenging sessions. Many thumbs up!

You Guyz!!

Published on September 15, 2009 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

The Hexagon won this year’s award for best Multi-Purpose Art Space!!!! I am so freaking pumped!! We have all been working so hard to keep bringing Baltimore the best in emerging art and music, this is so so so so exciting. With this, and our recent successes with Second Saturdays in Station North, it’s all bright and shiny from here. Stay tuned for upcoming gallery news: Hexchange, exhibition by Mike Riley, a Publishing Genius interdisciplinary fiesta, a 40-artist/two-city curatorial collaboration, video games, and more! OMG OMG OMG

check it:

Formerly the Lo-Fi Social Club and almost exclusively a music venue, the revamped Hexagon Space has transitioned into the most promising multipurpose space in the Station North Arts District. Collectively run by local artists and musicians, the previously underused lobby/lounge has become a functioning art gallery (hosting a members’ art showcase and screen-printing exchange and exhibition) and DIY/limited-release music store. The rear performance space still welcomes musical acts of all variety, as well as free 16-mm movie screenings. Constantly accepting proposals for both art exhibitions and music shows, festivals and dance parties, the space has an enthusiastic ever-expanding audience.

Friday Shout-Out: The NewJ and the general state of humanity

Published on July 10, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Not even kidding–this week’s shout-out goes to the State of New Jersey, the NewJ, Dirty Jerz, etc. etc.

While you folks were lighting sparklers and steaming crabs, Leah and I were off on our epic adventure. Friends who’ve known me for a while also know that I am just a personal jinx on my car. She’s survived so much, and keeps chugging along, despite crisis after crisis. There was the time that it was stolen and later recovered by the FBI after having been used in a series of bank heists (true!). Or the time it was hit by the Philadelphia Fire Dept. and they left me a note. Or the time that the electric company towed it for some temporary construction and left it in an alley between two abandoned buildings. Or the other time or the other time. My car is a trooper.

So we’re driving along, girlin’ out over our girlcation, listening to some girl-tunes, in Northern NJ, about an hour or two from our final destination, and I hear a loud pop! from behind us, my car starts to wiggle like crazy, and luckily, so luckily, the cars behind us saw it and slowed down enough so we could make a fast move onto the shoulder. A truck pulled over to see if we were okay; apparently, an old tire in the rear had hit something, or something, and the tread flew off, leaving wires and raw rubber exposed. Damn! And of course, by a sequence of boring and long-winded events, I didn’t have any tire-changing tools with me. Nor do I have AAA (yes, getting on that now… thanks Mom), so I called up Geico, they connected me with an emergency response person, who then directly connected me to a tow guy in the area, who THEN started to head in my direction and said “uhhh, why don’t you just call NJ DOT? They’ll take care of you…”

DID YOU KNOW? The New Jersey Department of Transportation has an army of service trucks that patrol the highways LOOKING for people who need help. And they help you. For free. So not only did Tony the Tow Guy stay on the phone with me while I figured things out, he also saved me a crap ton of money and referred me to a free service. And the NJ DOT trucks are awesome! I waited not more than 20 minutes, the guy put on my spare and perked up my tires free of charge, and safely saw us to the next exit to get a replacement. I also expected the rest of the process to be a complete pain in the ass, but the two auto shops we visited were completely nice and honest and awesome to us, the afternoon before the 4th of July, when you Know homedude just wants to go home to a beer and a brat’ and a bbq.

You don’t even have to pump your own gas in New Jersey!

NewJ, I’m sorry you get all that Armpit flack from Pennsylvanians and New Yorkers. You’ve won a billion more points from me. I’ll see you again next month for beach fun, too!

Friday Shout-Out: Weekend Rituals

Published on June 26, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , .

(in getting all existential-like about my blog/website, I’ve decided that I don’t need my Shout-outs to all be inspiration-related, since my posts are mostly project/art/craft themed anyway. so this newish feature I’m trying to be consistent with is just going to be a shout-out to whatever is floatin my boat each week, ‘kay?)


We all have our rituals, and for us weekday-champs, we’ve got our weekend rituals. Coffee, paper, studio, hardware store, refreshing the plants, whathaveyou. My favorite ritual that I’ve picked up since moving here last year is a Sunday trip to the Baltimore Farmer’s Market, and from observing the crowds, it looks to be a favorite for plentyplentplenty more people.

These days, Sunday is like this (when I am not out of town, which seems to be more often than I’d like lately): coffee and paper on the stoop, wakeup-texts between neighbors/friends to see which of us are alive or not hungover, meet up near the monument, and take a nice stroll to the market. I love: eating in season, eating fresh, and eating new. I like to give myself the goal of trying something new each week, but sometimes I love something so dearly that I want it again and again and again. Curry vegetable pockets or mint iced tea or seasonal falafel, yes please! And for the weeks where the ‘fridge is adequately stocked, I’m down just for breakfast and flowers for home. (latest observation for the ladies–girl:fresh flowers in arms::boy:dog in the park)

My most recent haul from the Farmer’s Market brought in: dill, chives, little cucumbers, asparagus, garlic scapes. After some researching and cooking, I pickled the rest! I’m so pumped! Pickling right now, I’ve got:
-cucumbers with mustard seed, dill, and garlic
-asparagus and garlic scapes with lots of pepper, garlic, and chives
-grapes with mustard seed, peppercorns, and cinnamon
-carrots with shallots, cardamom, and garlic.

I’m going to be in pickle heaven soon. So that’s my shout out, small though mighty. Maybe we’ll bump into each other under 83 sometime. Bon Week-end, buddies.

Friday Shout-out: Mercy Mercy Me

Published on June 19, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , .

My shout-out this week is not art, craft, or book-related, but very Baltimore and close to me. I never had health insurance growing up, and even the student insurance I was able to purchase in college was always a little shoddy. (This is one of those hot-button topics for me, how stupid our healthcare system is, and that’s another post, another day.) So when I was offered this job back in 2008, my first thought after the whoa-new-job-excitement was whoa–health insurance! Good, fancypants, gold-plated health insurance! I remember my mom getting a little teary-eyed when I showed her not my cool new magnetic ID badge, but my Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO insurance card. Talk about a telling glance.

Anyway, I never had health insurance, and the idea of finding a doctor and keeping them, and having just one person to call up when I was actually sick instead of waiting an illness out, holy-crapola it was awesome. Even a little overwhelming because it was all pretty foreign to me. My shout-out today goes to Mercy Hospital and their amazing women-focused healthcare. Given some of my current circumstances, I am seeing 2 doctors and my primary physician there, and I couldn’t be happier with the care I’ve received. Last month I was curled up in bed with terrible pains and body-ouchies and was able to get in to see my doc within a couple hours. Is this real life??? This week I needed to make another appointment and they were able to accommodate my commute–a 5:30 pm appointment! Where am I? Health care heaven? On top of that, their administrative staff is friendly, helpful, and super responsive. It also helps that I can walk there too.

So lady-readers (well I guess they do treat men of course) in Baltimore, if you’re looking for a new doctor or specialist or something and don’t know where to go, I’m happy to give you my doc’s number.

Friday Shout-out: Craft Mafia on the Signal

Published on June 12, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

The Charm City Craft Mafia will be featured this week on WYPR’s The Signal! The program airs today at noon and 7 PM.

(for some reason Signalradio.org isn’t working right now… keep checking back though! or you can just stream through WYPR.org)

[Thursday] Shout-out/to-do: Philly edition

Published on June 4, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

A few hybrid notes here: Friday shout-out is on Thursday this week, because I’ll be out of town and not really around computers; this week’s shout-out is also a to-do list because I’m very excited about these activities; and these are events happening in Philly.

That said, it’s time for the Hybrid Book Conference!!! My colleagues have been working so hard at putting this together, and I’m really looking forward to a long weekend of reunions, book arts, and all of these panels on the Artist Book as Hybrid/Interdisciplinary contemporary art. oh boy, I really really can’t wait.

Philly folk: if you don’t have tickets to the conference (sold-out!!), don’t fret. Many alumni from the programs as well as some of your favorite book artists and artist book dealers from around the country will be at the festival after the conference each day. Vamp & Tramp, Julie Chen, Bea Nettles, to name a few.

How are you spending your First Friday anyway? I suggest you make your way up to Fishtown (you’ll be in NoLibs anyway right?) to Little Berlin, where the awesome and amazing Alex Gartelmann has curated an 80-person collaborative happening, and they’ll kick it off tonight. 80 artists, writers, musicians, anthropologists, all in one huge space, celebrating collectivism, collaboration, and the mind-bullets of Philadelphia.

And if you need to decompress after all of that artin’, join me and my buddies at Philebrity’s annual Belle & Sebastian dance party on Saturday at 9 PM, at National Mechanics.

Get your boogie and bookie ON this weekend!

Friday Shout-out: Art Star Craft Bazaar

Published on May 29, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

(missed last week’s because I was out of town… I’ll try to make it a regular Thing though!)

If you’re in or near Philly, do stop by Art Star and check out new crafty warez from many members of the Charm City Craft Mafia, and my friends Leah Mackin and Julianna Lose! Good luck guys, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for beautiful weather for y’all. xo

Bad Behavior has blocked 52 access attempts in the last 7 days.