Fresh Picks at the Spring Kick-off of the Handmade Market

Local and regional artists, artisans and crafters will come together April 5^th and 6^th for the first installment of the recurring monthly 1^st Weekend Handmade Market which runs April through November at the War Memorial Building, 102 E. German St., Shepherdstown WV. The market is open Saturday from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. There is always free admission.

The Handmade Market is no ordinary craft show, it is an intimate creative shopping experience where you can meet and learn first-hand what inspires and motivates these creative artists. Now in its second year, the Handmade Market features items ranging from wonderful to whimsical. Shoppers are sure to find the perfect handmade gifts for birthdays, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduation, and other celebratory events through the year. Sellers at the Handmade Market offer creative home décor, skillful fine art, functional pottery, beautiful sewn items, statement jewelry, awesome accessories, homemade chocolate and Easter baskets, and so much more . In addition to the returning favorites, new sellers will be joining us to offer their unique handmade goodness, so there will be something new to see each month. Check out our Facebook page for schedules, featured sellers, and other information.

The Handmade Market is sponsored by the Shepherdstown Community Club (SCC), a non-profit community organization of men and women founded in 1945 (formerly known as the Men's Club) . Monies collected from sellers' space fees go towards the maintenance and operation of the historic War Memorial Building, an important civic and community hub in downtown Shepherdstown, and the 21-acre public access Morgan's Grove Park. In 2013, the Handmade Market and the subsequent Christmas Bazaar raised approximately $10,000 for the Shepherdstown Community Club!

Come visit vibrant downtown Shepherdstown, shop the Handmade Market, celebrate local arts, stock up on locally grown fresh fruits, herbs, veggies and garden plants at the Shepherdstown Farmer's Market (Sundays 9am-1pm, behind the Handmade Market), browse the quaint local shops, have a delicious lunch at one of Shepherdstown's finest eateries, and take the walking tour through our lovely historic town. Go to www.shepherdstown.us to find a guide to public parking in Shepherdstown.

2014 Handmade Market Schedule: 2014 Dates & Hours: Apr 5-6, May 3-4, Jun 7-8, Jul 12-13, Aug 2-3
Sep 6-7, Oct 4-5, Nov 1-2. Open Saturdays 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. & Sundays 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Seller Applications now being accepted for the 2014 Shepherdstown Community Club 1st Weekend Handmade Market

Market Details at a Glance

Dates: April 5-6, May 3-4, Jun 7-8, Jul 12-13, Aug 2-3, Sep 6-7, Oct 4-5, Nov 1-2
Hours: Sat 10am – 7pm, Sun 9am – 4pm
Criteria: Juried event; items must be handmade by the seller
Max # of Spaces: 13
Where: Shepherdstown Community Club Building, 102 E. German St. Shepherdstown, WV
Space Fees: $90/weekend (Discounts if you apply for 5 or more shows)
Payments: $90 Deposit due with application. All fees due by March 30th.
Set Up: Friday evening set-up available most weekends (or Sat. mornings).
Supplied: Tables and chairs are available for your use
Vendor Parking: Parking available at Shepherd University (~2 blocks from bldg).
Marketing: Banner on building, rack cards distributed throughout region, Facebook page, Blog, online calendar announcements, newspaper (news releases) and more!
Coordinators: Susan Halbert swhalbert@frontiernet.net and Kristian McIntyre info@creativeartandsoul.com

Download Application and Guidelines 

Click HERE for .pdf format 

Click HERE for .doc format 

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The 1st Weekend...um...2nd Weekend Handmade Market Returns!

The 1st Weekend Handmade Market returns to the War Memorial Building (102 E. German Street, Shepherdstown, WV) this weekend, July 13th-14th.  But wait....this the 2nd weekend! What's going on??  The War Memorial Building was scheduled for another event last weekend, so we rescheduled the event to the 2nd weekend in July. The Handmade Market will resume the 1st weekend schedule August-November.

Come and discover a delightfully curated marketplace of local independent artists, designers and crafters.  Find unique creations from Susan Carney (fine art paintings, monotypes, cards), Nature's Inspirations (gemstone jewelry with fair-trade components), Creative Art and Soul (engraved stone/glass pendants and mosaics), Shea Wolfe Designs (clothing, accessories, masks, jewelry and fine art),  MFJ designs (knitted/crocheted items, polymer clay creations), Two Rivers Turnings (functional hand-turned woodcraft), Cottage of Herbs (herbs, teas, dips and vinegars), Sweetwood Fine Art (photography, prints, mixed-media and collage), and No Match Studio (hand-thrown functional pottery).  

The Market's hours are 10:00 am-7:00 pm on Saturday and 9:00 am-4:00 pm on Sunday.  The 1st Weekend Handmade Market is a wonderful celebration of handmade arts, crafts and community!  We hope to see you there!  

 Pod by Barry Chlypavka at No Match Studio

 Beaded Sash by Liz Chlypavka at No Match Studio

 Fine Art Butterfy by Susan Carney 

Jewelry, hats, scarves by Teddy Shea at Shea Wolfe Designs

 

Gemstone Chakra necklaces and pendants made with fair trade components by Susan Halbert of Nature's Inspirations

Custards Last Stand - Art photography by Peggy Meckling at Sweetwood Fine Art

Sandcarved (engraved) glass gem magnets by Kristian McIntyre at Creative Art and Soul

Hand-turned wood based wine glasses by Neil Super at Two Rivers Turnings

 Herb mixes by Inge Ledden at Cottage of Herbs

Polymer clay earring creations on handpainted cards by Susan Holloway at MFJ Designs.

 

Building Community

Shepherdstown is a unique community.  It is different than any other place I have ever lived, and I've lived in over 20 cities and towns in 9 different states and 2 different countries.  We moved to Shepherdstown nearly 7 years ago and I must say honestly that I was a bit hesitant.  Unable to find a job in my field as a non-game wildlife research biologist/ecologist, I had to think fast and start over. I started my new venture as a small business owner, learning how to sandblast stone and glass, making jewelry at home, selling my creations online, in shops and at arts and craft shows and festivals. I take great pride and joy in working with local shop owners, and show promoters, and meeting interested locals and tourists. Never before until we moved here, have I ever really involved myself with a community, or community events. Becoming a part of the Shepherdstown community has enriched my life in many ways.  I have come to know my neighbors, our hard-working postal employees, many shop and restaurant owners, some police officers, bartenders, students, artists, musicians, folks who work for the media, folks who work for the town, community organizers, movers and shakers, dreamers, activists, and others who care about this town as much as I do...if not more.  

I feel lucky that the opportunity to help co-coordinate the Shepherdstown Community Club Christmas Bazaar and the 1st Weekend Handmade Market was presented to me.  I adore working with co-coordinator Susan, and with Tom, Austin, Don, Marit and all the other wonderful SCC folks. I am thrilled to be able to contribute my time and energy into building something for this community that locals and tourists enjoy, that helps bring feet to the streets of downtown Shepherdstown, that helps energizes the local economy, that helps boost small businesses.  While reflecting on all of this yesterday, I happened to come across this inspirational poster by Karen Kerney © 1998, that has been making the rounds on Facebook and I was compelled to share this with you. I love how some of the buildings in the artwork resemble some buildings in downtown Shepherdstown.  

How To Build Community Text:
Turn off your TV * Leave your house * Know your neighbors * Look up when you are walking * Greet people * Sit on your stoop * Plant flowers * Use your library * Play together * Buy from local merchants * Share what you have * Help a lost dog *
Take children to the park * Garden together * Support neighborhood schools * Fix it even if you didn't break it * Have pot lucks * Honor elders * Pick up litter * Read stories aloud *
Dance in the street * Talk to the mail carrier * Listen to the birds * Put up a swing * Help carry something heavy * Barter for your goods * Start a tradition * Ask a question * Hire young people for odd jobs * Organize a block party * Bake extra and share * Ask for help when you need it * Open your shades * Sing together * Share your skills * Take back the night * Turn up the music * Turn down the music * Listen before you react to anger *  Mediate a conflict * Seek to understand * Learn from new and uncomfortable angles * Know that no one is silent, though many are not heard * Work to change this. 

We hope you can find time to visit downtown Shepherdstown, walk the streets, take in the history, enjoy a coffee, browse the shops, visit James Rumsey Memorial Park and take in the scenery of the Potomac and C&O Canal, have some lunch, talk to the locals. stop by the Visitor Center and Museum, see the Little House, find some art, purchase some local produce, learn something new, and enjoy the day.
 

Hello, Spring! I'm Feeling Crafty!

blmiers2 / Nature Photos / CC BY-NC-SA

What a joy the first day of Spring is this morning! The first thing I notice is the sunshine, glorious sunshine! I also notice the cool slight breeze, not the gale force winds that have persisted for what seems like forever.  The bright green leaf buds are popping out on the trees and shrubs.  Numerous species of birds were singing, foraging, and flitting about the yard (I counted 18 species in less than 3 minutes!).  So uplifting!  My creative juices are flowing!  I'm inspired to pull out those half-finished projects out of the closet, delve into new projects that I have been thinking about all winter, learn a new technique, and explore new possibilities!

Need a little inspiration?  Get out the glue, glitter, paint, fabric, scissors, hammers and saws!  Perhaps some of these Spring craft ideas will motivate you. Explore some of these Spring project tutorials and learn a new technique!   If you are preparing to show your creations at shows and festivals this season, these awesome craft booth spaces may inspire you!  Find more craft booth ideas here!

How about you...are you feeling invigorated, innovative, and inspired ?  What  things are you planning for this Spring season?  What influences your creativity?  Please share your thoughts by posting a comment!   Me?  I'm now off to Home Depot for some tools and supplies!

New Contact Form

I received a message today via our new contact form on this blog, but the service I was using failed to provide the email address of the sender with the message so I could not reply!  I have just replaced the old contact form with a new one from another service and it tested just fine. So, if you sent me a message today (Tuesday) with the contact form, please resend so I can answer your question! My apologies for any inconvenience. Kris

Send those applications in!!

The applications are starting to come in and we are getting very excited! The launch weekend is barely over three weeks from today! Is your application in the mail yet? If you are planning to participate in April, please send it in ASAP!!  Apps and payment are due by March 30!  It will also help our planning if you can send us a message via the "Contact Us" link on the right menu to let us know you are planning to participate.

Although we need April apps ASAP, we will be accepting applications for unreserved spaces throughout the next few months.  But hurry, spaces go FAST and are on a first-come basis!!

And please help us promote, promote, promote - to potential vendors as well as the community as a whole.  Feel free to contact us if you have ay questions!

Hoping to see you soon.