meredith cutler :: arts marketing :: artist

If you happen to be in the Boston area today, take a drive up to the harbor near the new Convention Center, and stop by the Boston Design Center. There, until 4pm today, the Boston Sample Drop/Shop event is open to the public. This event is a fantastic way for design firms to recycle their unwanted sample library materials; from fabrics to papers to 3-ring binders. Visitors are welcome to take any of the pre-sorted materials for use in their own creative projects.

"Keep perfectly usable building and finish materials out of the dumpster and give them a good home!"

The event takes place at the Boston Design Center on Drydock Ave. Post "shop", they will be having a barbeque to celebrate their creative and eco-friendly community-mindedness. Cheers!

Also of note in the creative supply realm, I am offering great discounts and special bonus offers in my crostini*VS Vintage & Supply shop. In honor of my upcoming honeymoon, all items will be on sale for the entire month running May 10th-June 10th. Many items are unique and will run out, so get a head start on your creative summer projects with my unique vintage & supply materials before I close shop and head to Italy!

This just in...the long awaited opening of OAK Boston Handmade Boutique in Boston's tony Back Bay neighborhood. Keara has worked her fingers to the bone assembling a retail collection of the best handmade goods from artisans everywhere. A wide selection of designer clothing, artisan toys, unique jewelry, hand-printed paper goods and more await you at 31 Gloucester Street, just a few high-heeled steps off of the legendary upscale shopping mecca of Newbury Street.

A special selection of Crostini Designs handmade jewelry will be available when the store opens its doors to the public for the first time today!

I'm pleased to offer these exclusive designs only at OAK Boston! Be sure to stop in if you are in the neighborhood.

The sun is shining today, which must be nice for everyone who needs some airing out. For my part, this weekend I have been airing out my studio; digging through 10-gallon plastic bins of vintage stash and assembling all kinds of nifty supply packs for my Etsy vintage & supply outlet, crostini*VS.

Because once I get started on something I tend to explode with motivation, and grow a million extra arms like Avalokitesvara, I also banged out four new collectible, mixed-media collage pieces for Crostini designs and a materials study for a new alternative embroidery series that I've been working on.

Not bad for a Saturday. I hope that this steady flow of focused creative production continues, because April showers bring loads of deadlines for yours truly, and I like to make hay while the sun shines.

Tomorrow: stay tuned for a special Monday morning design pick and an announcement about Crostini at retail! 

I believe that you become a real grown-up when you start to willingly let go of the things you have been holding on to forever. Or, maybe I'm just a habitual stasher, finally running out of space! Either way, I'm happy to announce that I've officially opened my studio destash store on Etsy, called CROSTINI*VS:

My Hyde Park studio has been very patient with me over the last 8 years as I have slowly but surely loaded it up with stuff (i.e. every cool thing I find). Alas, I have come to terms with the fact that I will never use ALL of my vintage fabric, clothing and gift wrap finds, or my weaving yarn stash, or that wonderful glass jar full of mysterious gears! Various and delightful new goodies will be added weekly:

While you're perusing Etsy, don't forget to visit Crostini - the mama store, and home to my original jewelry, paper and mixed media designs. Click here for more info on Crostini designs.

Fashion-forward blogger Jill Sherman at Trendinista highlighted Crostini Designs' I Palloni Neri (The Black Balloons) signature earrings in a tribute to the color BLUE, following Kelly Osbourne's announcement that she will record a duet of Roy Orbison's 'Blue Bayou' with Brian Evans. Che colori!