Hey Slackers!

Have you changed your bookmarks yet??? IBreakplates.com. Now come on over, or these plates will get it. Oh wait...

Hope to see you soon! =)

I BREAK PLATES!

Please change your bookmark to Ibreakplates.com!
(thank you!)

We've Moved

Although it is still a work in progress, I am excited to announce that the new and improved ibreakplates.com is ready. It will be the address of my new blog! So PLEASE change your bookmarks and come in for a visit. Please bear with me as I learn Wordpress and add new and exciting things. If you don't check in there every once in a while you might miss my BIG announcement coming up...(tease, tease...) Go check it out and let me know what you think!

The image above is from Macaroniandglue.

Apvintage

One of the coolest gifts that I have ever received was a little jar of random vintage goodness from my former boss, Amy. It was filled with crazy buttons, findings and other odd stuff. This was probably 2 years ago, but I consulted this jar just last week when I was stuck on a project. A few days later, through the magic of the Internet, I found Amy and her new Etsy shop, Apvintage! She makes jewelry out of this random vintage goodness, and I just had to share.

Sticker art

Check out what SilviaC did with her bumpersticker! SO cute, thanks Silvia!

Please Stand By

As some of you may have noticed, the main website is down right now. I am pretty www-stupid, so I have a team of other folks working on it. I will make a big announcement when the new site is ready! Thanks!

Guess who the featured crafter on Baltimore by Hand?

Check it out!

Matt from Etsy

We (BEST) were lucky enough to have a little date with Matt, VP of Communications of Etsy this weekend! I was a little (ok, a lot) late so I missed out on the group picture, but Matt was awesome and wants to come for a proper dinner with us sometime in the future! Thanks Matt!
See more photos from Tigerlillyshop's Flickr.

Not often that there is a parade in your neighborhood...

York Rd
Katie Hoff
Mama Phelps

Michael Phelps.

To see cute photos of Nolan at the parade, check his blog. =)

Shop update

Just updated the shop a bit, adding 6 new pieces. I will hopefully be adding much more in preparation for the big holiday season which, I hate to be the one to tell you, is FAST approaching!

BEST Fall giveaway

The Baltimore Etsy Street team is excited to announce our new Virtual Giveaway! In preparation for the holiday season we have decided to giveaway $10 gift certificates from each of the following Street Team Members shops!

SweetPepita

BlockPartyPress

JenyGwen

JerseyGirlDesign

JillPopowichDesigns

JennyJen42

TigerLillyShop

BennyAndHeidi

BowerboxPress

ElisaShereJewelry

CEKCustomDesigns

JenMenkhaus

VWStudios

DorsetHillBeads

DandelionBlu

WynnStudio

Miscelena
SugarPaperie

SpaTherapy
TheBrokenPlate

GreenStarStudio
Holy Smokes! That's a lot of cool stuff you can win, worth $200! Check the blog to get the rest of the scoop!

(photo courtesy of JenMenkhaus)

Checking in.

Sorry I have been M.I.A. - Life is a little crazy in Broken Plate land. I am busily filling some wholesale orders since Crafty Bastards cleaned me out a bit! Bastards was awesome despite the random rain showers. Shoppers were prepared with umbrellas and were not going to let a little rain hold them back. It was hardcore. To see a whole bunch of photos from the day, check out some on Flickr here . As soon as Tya gives up the goods, I will post some of my own. The photo above is from sande1974 on flickr.

New ring!

The rain won't let up enough for me to take a good photo of my new ring, but I had to get it up here anyway, even if it meant posting a snapshot. My supplier of the oval scalloped ring has run out so after hunting around, I think I have found a suitable replacement. What do you think?

New work!

It was inevitable - I always invent something new the week before a big show. It is half to procrastinate, and half to reinvigorate. Either way, it was fun!

Baltimore by Hand Crafty Bastards preview

Christy over at The Baltimore Sun's craft blog, Baltimore by Hand, has put together this cute treasury of Baltimore artists that will be at Crafty Bastards! I hope to see you all!

New stuff at MuthaCrafter!

Two kinds of tote bags and long sleeve maternity t-shirts are now available in the MuthaCrafter shop!

Crafty Bastards in 5 days!

I just saw the countdown on the Crafty bastards blog, and am now officially nervous. The lovely Whitney has always run my booth for Bastards, and I have yet to experiance the mayhem as a vendor. It is now time to obsessivly make jewelry and hope I am prepared for the Super Bowl of Craft! =)

(click on the map to see larger)

New promo stuff

New earring card

Stickers and tattoos!

For some reason, I could not seem to break plates this weekend. You would think that I would be feverishly preparing for Crafty Bastards, but I am feeling pretty calm and prepared. Instead, I was inspired by Yummy and Company to design a tattoo for some promos. I also created these stickers and earring cards inspired by paintings by Susan Homer. They probably won't arrive in time, but at least I felt kinda productive.

20 Things

Check out the Baltimore Etsy Street Team blog if you want learn 20 things you might not know about me.

30 Minute Meals tonight!

Don't forget to tune in tonight @6 to 30 Minute Meals on Food Network to (hopefully) see Rachael Ray in my necklace! I'm saying hopefully because I am going on a tip from a customer, I won't believe it till I see it! =)

**Update! It was my necklace!! Here is the episode infoin case you want to catch it again! (and so I can find it later)

Congrats Annie!!!

Best Local Jewelry Designer, Imogene!

Australian Broken Plate love.

So in love with this work by Mel Robson!

An interpretation of the Willow Pattern by Gerry Wedd.

A Good Day

I am having a good day! Well, at least The Broken Plate Pendant Co. is. When I checked my email this morning I was excited to find an email from a fabulous customer of mine telling me that Rachael Ray wore my necklace on 30 Minute Meals this morning! It will re-air on Wednesday, I will be sure to get a screen shot for you. Next, I got an email from Dorset Hill Beads to tell me that I am on the front page of Etsy today! Awesome. Then an email from Amy Quarry told me that I was on her blog, Thanks! To top it all off, the fabulously detail-oriented Jen told me that I was in Baltimore Magazine! I would have never noticed, Thanks! (The model is wearing my ring.) I am so glad I have people around to tell me when good things happen to me, I would never notice! =)

Getting ready

Gearing up for craft show season! First up - Hamdenfest this Saturday!

Hamdenfest!

I will be at Hampdenfest this Saturday with members of BEST! We will be selling our wares and collecting any unused craft (or office) supplies or gift cards for Art with a Heart, a Baltimore charity which provides interactive, hands-on art activities to disadvantaged families and children, and to people with developmental and physical challenges. they lost many of their supplies to a fire this summer! When you donate, you will receive a coupon for 10% off any one purchase from a BEST member at the show! For a complete list of needed supplies, visit the best blog. see you there!

Cover Girl!

Check out my logo on the cover of Compleat Mother Magazine! What a cool surprise! Thanks Jody!

YOU by Crocs

I have been weening myself from my Crocs for a few months now, after finally realizing that I will regret having worn them in 10 years when some VH1 show dogs them out as an embarrassing trend of 2007-2008. I am about to relapse. The shoes above are the new fall line called YOU by Crocs. Can you believe it? I am back on the bandwagon! Screw VH1 and their snarky documentaries!

RastyaRecyclets

I am so excited to announce that my Tya has been bit by the crafting bug!! She just opened a new Etsy shop which will soon be chock full of new goodies made from the yarn of recycled sweaters. Her little headbands are not up yet, but are ridiculously adorable on adults and kids. Check back soon! She has also started her blog back up and will chronicle her crafting/photographing/nannying life. Bookmark her!

In other news...

I am proud to announce that Mr. Broken Plate has reclaimed his chili cook-off champion title (and hand crafted trophy!)

Jon Stewart for President

We should not even be talking about Sarah Palin because it's sexist. I could not resist posting this.

Emo for Obama

Funniest button ever.

Thanks Baltimore Mama!

For mentioning the Baltimore Street Team! What a cool blog!

Craft business

Be sure to check in with Modish to read her new series of post on how to make your crafty business stronger! Learn about finding your niche here.

Threadless sale

Art print sale at Threadless -- all prints are marked down to $19 (originally $35).

From the ridiculous celebrity post-baby body file...

2 weeks? Seriously? I am surprised she is not wearing a half shirt! (Sorry for the snark so early in the morning.)

Won't you be my friend??

Introducing my new line of "You Complete Me" friendship necklaces - now you can wear a little matching broken plate instead of a broken heart!

earrings.

I always dread making earrings, but then am really happy with the outcome. I guess I just have to get over it.

Caroline Slotte

Amazing use of recycled plates by Caroline Slotte.

Siri Breke

Siri Breke uses recyled plates, depicting vintage scenes of British life, to explore the topic of the global food situation. The spoken words are picked out from different discussion groups at the world wide web.

Calu Fontes

My heart literally fluttered when I saw this work from ceramic artist Calu Fontes.

Featured Team!

Thanks Etsy for making BEST your featured team! Check it out here...

Contest Winner!

Not only is Funky Finds an awesome blog, but apparently, it's writer Jessica is also a great guesser of plate stacks!!! Congrats! You won my contest!! I had 187 unbroken plates in my stack (with about 1000 already broken in boxes.) Thanks to everyone who entered! I will defiantly have to do a jelly bean jar contest again!

The Coloring Nook

When I am in a REALLY bad mood, it's not breaking plates that I want to do. (That is too much like work now.) What I really want to do is build a fort, hide and color. Jason and I made big plans this morning to build a secret tree fort that housed beer, pasta and coloring books called the Coloring Nook (instead of coloring book, get it?) as a bunker for when we need to escape. Anyway, leave it to Etsy to have a plethora of coloring books for me to choose from. From vintage to handmade (even dirty ones that I edited out of my list...) Etsy can always improve my mood. Enjoy. Vintage coloring books

An Activity Book For Children Who Love Someone With A Mental Illness

Iraq War Activity Book - Shock and Draw Edition
Fucupcake coloring book (this is the one I got!)

BEST on Myspace

The Baltimore Street Team is now on MySpace! Won't you please be our friend?

Just a quick Sunday Check in...

If you are curious what my creative space looks like, please visit the BEST blog!
AND
Tomorrow is the last day to enter my contest!

Wedding stuff

Ms. LoloJane got me thinking about something this morning. Everyone gives me a hard time about this whole wedding planning thing (Jason too!) It just seems so overwhelming and extravagant for me. I was never the girl that sat around and dreamed of her wedding day. So, to prove that I am actually thinking about it, I have put together my dream Etsy wedding, from favorites that I have gathered over the past few months. So what if I have not done much beyond Etsy searches, it is a step! If click the image to see the shop.

Custom Wedding Jewelry

I just posted 2 new items in my shop for custom wedding jewelry, one for pendants and one for cufflinks. I am really excited to do more custom jobs like this and really proud of how they are turning out. This photography is by John Zito who was really wonderful about making sure to get good photos of my work even through the stress of a wedding. Thanks!

Cut-out Flowers

I have been practicing with my new saw until my fingers are literally bleeding. Ouch. I am having fun making a little flower patch of brooches though!

Keds on Zazzle

I did have time to design my own Keds on Zazzle (if only just for fun.)

sorry

Sorry I have been a blog slacker, but this is why. My new saw and I are getting acquainted. =)

Best of Baltimore!

The Best of Baltimore party was pretty fun despite the fact that we had to walk through a torrential down pour of rain, ruining my straight hair, to get to the stadium. We got to sample all sorts of food from local restaurants and all kinds of drinks (bad idea) all while doing some good people watching. We met Jess from Baltimore Magazine who told us how cute she thought Nolan's "Strong-man" video was, hung out with some of the crafty ladies (and gents) of BEST, and if that wasn't cool enough, I scored 3 tubes of lip gloss from the Cover Girl booth which was really fortunate because I forgot my chap stick was was jonesing for some lip moisture. After we left we stopped by Crush, the new restaurant in Belevedere Square where we had an amazing BLT made with homemade mozzarella cheese, yum. Thanks my sister for hanging with a Nolan.

Swooon.

Chest of drawers made out of discarded drawers, found and rescued from flea markets. A mix of different styles from earlier decades, with woods and knobs of various kinds, in a single piece of furniture.

Back to school Etsy Finds

I love back to school time! Nothing is better then wearing new shoes with a new backpack full of new school supplies on your sunburned back. Here are some Etsy finds to help get you in the spirit!

Apple Sweater from HandmaidenBC

Vintage 80s Pee Wee Herman Playhouse Lunch Box from 52girls

Gray Letterpile LRG notebook from Slowshirts

Summer apple Art Kit from LoucheLab

Hipsterschool Backpack

New cuff bracelets

I can't stop.

Green Room

I came across a new shop through the Shop Local feature the other day, and I just had to share. I just love the photography and over look of GreenRoom and the artist is from Baltimore! Take a look. Hopefully we will see her at craft shows soon!

Best is the Best!

Check out BEST in the Baltimore Sun Blog, Baltimore by Hand!

MuthaCrafter made The Storque!

Check out Handmade Kids: Pregzilla Strikes! !

Susan Homer

I just discovered this artist through Dear Ada, I can not tell you how in love I am with these paintings by Susan Homer. I'd like to imagine that this is how all of my plates got broken.

A couple of new buckles

Now that Carrie is gone, I am attempting to be a "nap-time" crafter. The minute Nolan goes down for a nap, I run to the basement and start smashing unsuspecting plates with wild abandon. This is today's result. I am not sure how productive this can really be - to work my ass off for only 3 hours a day and spend the rest of the time chasing after a boy and taking things out of his mouth. hmmm.

They're baaaaaaaaa-aaack!

Thanks to Katie Holmes and J Crew, the 80's tight fold is back. What's next? Oh, if only big bangs would come back. I've got the perfect hair...

Mixed Plate

Thanks so much to Mixed Plate for featuring The Broken Plate today!!!

Contest time!

You know those silly contests where you guess how many jellybeans are in a jar? Well, imagine the jellybeans are plates and the jar is my basement. I did a little studio clean up this week and I must say that my stack of unbroken plates in impressive! (not to mention the buckets of already broken ones, I have a problem) Anyway, the contest is to guess how many unbroken plates I have squirreled away in the basement. The commenter who guesses closest without going over (Price is Right style!) will win this pendant! Good Luck! Contest ends August 25th.

Barreries Not Required

I try to keep anything baby related out of this blog, but since it is craft related, I thought someone might appreciate it! I just got this awesome Interactive Play Quilt from Batteriesnotrequired. It is a concentration-style memory, every square on the quilt feature flaps with pictures hidden underneath. It is a great baby gift idea!

Baltimore Biz!

Thanks to Grace of Design*Sponge, Megan & Leslie of Double Dutch, Kat of Gilah Press and the business and law panelests (whose names escape me, but info does not!) for providing such wonderful information last night at the Baltimore Biz Ladies Meetup. I am sure we are all better business people for it. Above are some of the lovely ladies of BEST who came to absorb as much info as possible.

I might have a problem.

Hello, my name is Juliet, and I have a belt buckle addiction.

For my favorite Philly Brother

Broken Philly travel plate belt buckle

Etsy Shop Update!

Finally! I got off my butt and added some left over craft show stock to my Etsy Shop. Enjoy!

Congrats Earth Alley!

Baltimore's Best Eco-Gifts "You're giving more than just one gift when you buy from Earth Alley, 3602 Elm Avenue, 410-366-2110. Almost every trinket lining the yellow-green walls of this fair- trade eco-oasis is made from reusable material and supports nonprofit causes in the artist's country of origin. Gifts include lightweight aluminum bangles, delicate necklaces made from broken plates, mirrors framed with tightly rolled magazine pages, intricate metalwork made from recycled oil drums, candles that melt into massage oil, and bowls made from tightly-wound telephone wire. This shop will make you reconsider the artistic value of everything you've ever thrown out."

Congrat's Eva! Well Deserved!

How fun is this??

Bubble calendar.

Cake Wrecks

I just spent way too much time looking at the Cake Wrecks blog (found via Craft.) I guess I am getting in the mood for Jo's wedding tonight!!

It's giveaway time!

Here's a peek at the biggest giveaway we've had yet! The drawing will take place august 5th, so if you haven't signed up for the BEST mailing list, sign up now !

Work by BlockPartyPress, BowerboxPress, GreenStarStudio, JenMenkhaus, JennyJen42, JillPopowichDesigns, Miscelena, SpaTherapy, TheBrokenPlate, TigerLillyShop, VWStudios.

Best Locally Made Crafts!

"Our hearts swell with B'more pride whenever we log onto The Baltimore Etsy Street Team's site, baltimore-etsy.blogspot.com. This is a compilation of all the local designers and crafters who have pages on Etsy, the popular online marketplace. The talent is awe-inspiring. Some of our faves: TheBrokenPlate takes vintage and contemporary dinnerware and gives it new life as a necklace or a ring. And vwstudios, where images on clay are created using a process that includes photography, painting and printmaking."

Thanks Baltimore Magazine!!! You made me feel much better about Rachael Ray Bumping me to Nov/Dec!!!

This just in...

I'm the Craftiest Bastard of the Week! Cool!

Pardon the break in craft talk but...

REALLY? Nicole Kidman? 2 weeks post-partom, come on now. I wish I lived in Hollywood.

Finally!

These are finally ready and in my MuthaCrafter Shop!!

I Survived!

I Survived Artscape! I could not have done it without Jo, Ray, Tya, Ci, Jason, Nolan, the girls of BEST (especially my neighbor Shannon!) and Kristen Grey. It was so nice to meet lots of new artists and customers too. I hope you all enjoy your little pieces of broken plates.

After some math, we will see if it was worth it...

(pictured above is Tya with Nolan and a blurry image taken behind my booth. This is pretty much how remeber it all, dark and blurry.)

Checking out.

I am officially checking out for Artscape. If you are up early, check out the Baltimore Street Team chatting about our wares on the Fox 45 am News tomorrow. Also, check out this story about the DIY section in today's Baltimore Sun!

How crafty are you??

Before and After

Here is a fun little before and after of custom cufflinks made from Johnson Brothers Indian Tree China. They are for a wedding party.

New Belt Buckles

In an effort to avoid making more stock for Artscape, I made a belt today! I am in love with it, and it provided me with an art buzz to get me over the burn-out I was feeling. Nothing like an artgasm to improve a stressful week. Stay tuned for more!

The Storque

WOW! Check it out-we made The Storque today!

Double Dutch Trunk Show!

Double Dutch will play host to the Baltimore Etsy Street Team this coming Sunday, July 13th for our first ever trunk show! There will be yummy eats and delicious drinks, as well as new work from BEST crafters.Stop by between 11am and 5pm, meet BEST members, have a snack, and do some shopping. Also, enter to win a $50 gift certificate to Double Dutch for a future shopping spree! (Winner will be notified via email on July 14th)
Participating crafters:

DandelionBlu

JenMenkhaus

ElisaShereJewelry

TheBrokenPlate

SpaTherapy

JennyJen42

JillPopowichDesigns

TigerLillyShop

BethPohlman

Hope to see you there!!

Today.

Another busy day preparing for Artscape! Check out the vendor list for the DIY section!

Home Sweet Home.

We are back from our mini-vacation and I am back to work! I was on a mission to make jewelry out of the shells that I collected on the beach that don't look like "beachy" jewelry. I am pretty happy with them, guess I will have to go back and collect more. A business trip, of course...

My video debut

Image my surprise when I came across this video advertising Earth Alley which features my work. How nice!

Spirits of the Abandoned

Back in May, I told you about Spirits of the Abandoned, a thesis project by Sue Tatterson in which she eplores abandoned buildings in Maryland and shares her findings through a web site and a coffee table book. The final part of this project culminates in an exhibition of her work at the UB Student Center Gallery, 21 W. mount Royal Ave, 5th Floor, Baltimore MD 21201. The opening reception of this exhibit is Thursday June 26th from 6-8pm. Light refreshments will be served. Go check it out!!

I am on vacation, my jewelry is not!

While we are off in sunny Florida, please go visit Whitney at my booth at Crafty Bastards! I am so sad to miss it but shall return on June 30th (hopefully with a suitcase full of new plates.)

Pile of Craft

I Love Pile of Craft! This show was more mellow then shows past, but business was still great! I got some prime real estate with the benefit of a steady breeze to keep me cool. Tya was an awesome helper and not only documented the day with her amazing photos, but took the pen away from me to take care of writing up orders. (if you saw my handwriting, you would understand.) Thanks Tya!!!A highlight of any show is when Nolan comes to visit!
Little Ms. Sweet Pepita is one of the happiest (and most energetic) kids I have ever met!
Human beatbox Shodekeh performs with Phil's (of Red Prairie Press Fame) ukulele in front of my booth.
Shani, Shawn and Seeley came for a visit as well as a few neighbors! Thanks!

We saw greatest tattoo ever! I thought she really had a tattoo of my Bella!

Pile of Craft Scores!

Re-cap is coming soon, but first, these are my scores from this years show...
I can not do a craft show without leaving with soap from Biggs and Featherbelle. The post-show shower is the reward I look forward to all day!

I met Stacey of 1 Boy 1 Girl at Handmade Arcade in 2006. At the time had no purpose for her adorable children's shirts, but filed them away in the "if I have kids someday file." Finally, I had a reason to buy one of her shirts for Mr. Nolan and can't wait till it fits!

Every show, I want to buy a shirt from Red Prairie Press, but never try one on. This year, I was lucky enough to have a booth next to her, so I could not resist! I finally have one, and now I think I need another!

Phew.

All packed up and ready to go! Now I rest...

See you tomorrow!

At Pile of Craft! Check out some of the fun stuff you might see at the Baltimore Etsy Street Team Blog!

Help!

Looks like these will be moving forward very soon!!! I am even getting different color shirts! But I do need help with placement. PLEASE vote, Chest or Belly??? I am sick of looking at them. =)

Cufflinks

I used Martha's Father's Day card idea and turned it into cufflink displays, just wanted to pass on the tip!

Bracelet!

My sister makes an awesome jewerly making consultant! Thanks for the idea, my sister!

Why is it...

that when I saw these deer heads from featured seller Rubyslounge, I fell in love?

Check out these other odes to taxidermy below. (click to get to the store...)

This weeks batch

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I am busily stocking up work for Pile of Craft, Crafty Bastards and eventually Artscape! Now, back to work!!!

Doin' the Front Page Dance!

I am on the yummiest front page today! thanks ChakraPennyWhistle!

Confessions

I was a bad Etsian this weekend - I bought a Fossil bag at Macy's. Something as purposeful as a bag I have a hard time buying online, and this one just spoke to me. (plus I spilled a jar of baby peaches in my Crafty Bastards tote.) I promise to put an Etsy pin on it or something though. Please forgive...

(but I love it)

New earring style I am working on...

I'm in Urbanite this month!

The June issue is in boxes now!
(psst-Mr. intern - I took those photos, not you!)