Miami Artisans Guild

MAG on TV!

2008-11-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

Several members of the Miami Artisans Guild were interviewed and featured on Celebrate South Florida, a public television program which highlights events and people from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

This special program which aired tonight is described as:

"Celebrate South Florida gets creative for the holidays. We feature unique one of a kind designs from the Miami’s Artisan’s Guild, an eclectic mix of cool crafters from the South Florida area. Join us as they show off there wares and talk about their passion for crafting. Find out how you can tap into your artistic side with their Sunday Crafternoons for the young and young at heart where sewing machines rumble, beads are being wire wrapped and the hot glue is abundant. Crafting has never been this cool."

The artisans featured were:

♦ Pam of BeanBlossom

♦ Ana of Anamano & AnamanoCrafts

♦ Gina of GinaDesigns

♦ Ciara of CiaraLovesYou

♦ Stephanie of 75Rabbit

In the same program, they featured Heather, aka Ragamufyn

The program originally aired on Monday, November 10th on WLRN at 7:30 pm. It is scheduled to re-air on Saturday, November 15th, same time...but click here to try to find the program in your particular area.

GOCCO Tutorial

2008-07-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

On the same day we had our most recent crafternoon , our hostess Pam
gave us a Gocco demonstration and we wanted to share the basic details with you, so you can get inspired and get your GOCCO on!!
(better hurry though, as Riso, the company who makes these great little machines has decided to stop producing them. Get more info about that here).

Basic information:

The Print Gocco will produce professional quality printing that in some ways will out-perform your local printer.

Either by itself or used in conjunction with one of its accessories, the Print Gocco lets you create colorful designs and lettering on paper, card stock, fabric, wood, three dimensional objects and on large or small surfaces. You can even use the imaged master to etch designs on glass. Print your own personalized greeting cards, invitations, T-shirts, wrapping paper, party napkins, stationery (including envelopes), business cards...the possibilities really are endless!

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There are essentially three steps to follow:

1. You will first need an original. The original could be made up of hand drawn lettering and graphics or it could be constructed using clip art, output from a computer printer or something you might have photocopied.

2. A master is then prepared on the Gocco Printer using flash bulbs similar to those used in camera flash units years ago. With the original in contact with the Print Gocco master, the heat from the flash bulbs is amplified (increased) wherever there is an image on the original causing tiny openings to occur in the master.

3. The master is uniquely constructed in such a way as to allow you to "sandwich" a layer of ink between the imaged master and a transparent plastic film. The initial supply of ink is sufficient to print 80 to 100 copies (or more) before you would have to add more ink to continue printing additional copies. A thin piece of foam material could be placed between each ink color permitting many colors to be printed at the same time. Positioned back in the Gocco printer, you simply place the card stock or paper on a platform and lower the inked-up master into contact, apply some light pressure and "voila!", you have a beautiful, high detail color print of your original.

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Here are photos of all the steps:

This is the screen (on which you will "burn" your image, then use and re-use to print)

The bulbs used to burn the image on the screen (one time use)

Place new screen on the top portion of the gocco machine....Place your image on the bottom portion of the machine (image facing up towards the screen).

Place the part that contains the bulbs on the very top of the machine, until you click it in place.

Then with your bulbs on, new screen in place and your image facing up...its time to press down, until you see the "flash" of the bulbs and "click" (we suggest you don't look directly at the light, just to be safe).

After you've pressed down, go ahead and open the machine.
Left photo: shows how your image has "stuck" to the screen.
Right photo:what the screen looks like after you take the paper off. Now your image is "burned" on the screen - this is your "imaged master".

Take the top with the bulbs off the machine.
Do NOT remove the bulbs right now! They are VERY hot,
so put them on the side where no one can touch them.
Here we see Pam telling Heather NO, you can't touch this!

Next, you outline your image with ink...its ok to be generous with the ink, but don't
go overboard...you can always add more afterwards.

Here is our image inked and ready to go.

Left photo: place the inked screen back to the top portion of the machine
Right photo: Place your fabric (we used fabric ink) or paper on the bottom.

Press down with pressure: not too light, not too hard. It might take a couple of tries for
you to get the right pressure.

TADA!!! Here is our wonderful "Craft or Die" skull image.
MAG members kick some serious butt!

Try different fabrics, papers...go crazy and have fun!

The "imaged master" is capable of printing thousands of copies.
When you're done printing, simply remove the ink from the master and save it until the next time you need more prints.
You can change the ink color and experiment!

Now you know how to GOCCO, so go and get yours and have fun!

MAG's Latest "Crafternoon" - Full of shoe Madness!

2008-07-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

The most recent crafting afternoon (or Crafternoon, as we like to call it), hosted by MAG-member Pam of BeanBlossom, was inspired in part by artist Melanie Hill-Guion's shoe shrines, as well as by an ever-growing desire many contemporary artists and crafters have, to recycle and give new life to used and worn objects.

So a few of us got together and put our personal/artistic touches to our own "art shoes":

Here's an overview of the Crafting table, which was full of all sorts of "goodies",
from paints, fabric trims, glitter - you name it, we had access to it!

The first step before working on your shoe is to clean it with some rubbing
alcohol, so that you don't have any dust or dirt getting in your way.

Ladies hard at work, trying to come up with their masterpieces!

From Left: Julie, Katrina, Pam , Heather and not pictured is
Ana (happily behind the camera).

Still working away!

PAM:
Our lovely hostess for the day, is a MAG member and has an online shop called BeanBlossom.

That's her hand, working on her version of the "Starry Night".
Pretty cool!

This is how is looked at the end of the crafternoon.
VAN GOGH would be proud!

JULIE:
She's not yet a member, but is a Crafter living in Miami who wanted to find other like-minded individuals for crafting sessions & creative brainstorming...so she fit right in with our group. We enjoyed meeting her and hope she becomes a MAG member soon!

Julie working on HER shoes

Here she is with her finished shoes & her hubby!
LOVELY!

KATRINA:
MAG member and owner of Eclectica (home decor store in Miami). She also has two online shops called EclecticaMiami & HomeECOnomics.

Katrina is trying to decide whether or not to use those fabulous red beads!

Katrina's shoe at the end of the crafternoon.
FUNKY!

HEATHER:
MAG member. Has an online shop called Ragamufyn.

Heather is workin' those boots!

Here is what one of the boots (matching pair) looked like
at the end of the crafternoon. Dorothy would have LOVED these!
TOO COOL!

ANA:
MAG member. Has two online shops called Anamano & AnamanoCrafts.

Ana's shoe "in progress"

Here it is at the end of the crafternoon.
GLITTERICIOUS!

♦♦ Next post will have step-by-step photos of a Gocco demonstration Pam graciously did for us...SO STAY TUNED!! ♦♦

Eclectica turns 2!

2008-05-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

Stop in and show some love!

www.eclecticamiami.com

Mother's Day Art Sale

2008-05-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I had a lot of fun. Seven artists were featured in this show and despite this being the season where all our scientists go in to the field and students have left we had a pretty nice turnout. I especially liked the networking going on between artists. I think everyone sold a bit and more importantly got to take all but 10% of it home instead of paying fees! The 10% went to the RSMAS library and to FINCA - a group that provides small loans to families (mostly women) in developing countries so they can start a small business and lift themselves out of poverty. Thought it was quite appropriate!

--Monica Lara
PhBeads.etsy.com

Sunday Crafternoon

2008-04-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Some of my friends from the Miami Artisan's Guild and I got together for our first Sunday Crafternoon. We had so much funnnnn! This first workshop was taught by me. I showed my friends Pam, Ginny, Katrina, Darlene, Kate and Ciara to make a wonderful pair of earrings out of silver sheet, beads and wire. They all turned out fabulous!

We ate pizza, hammered and drilled and struggled with our wire wraps! Of course we discussed all sorts of crazy and wonderful stuff. The next will be taught by Pam (Beanblossom) and it will be about Gocco printing!

--Monica Lara
PhBeads.etsy.com

Screen Printing Demo by Almightee

2008-04-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

MAG member Jordan from the Almightee Clothing Co. provided us with a free screen printing demonstration at Ultrech Arts in South Miami.

For more pictures of the day please visit our flickr @
www.flickr.com/photos/miamiartisansguild

MAG Supply Swap

2008-02-16T12:46:00.000-08:00

Some of the MAG members got together today in the Eclectica Miami shop's parking lot to throw down and have a supply swap!

Members got rid of unwanted crafting goods and were blessed with someone else's crafting junk to make wonderful things out of. I know we all thought ours was the worst and who would want 'that'? but... a glorious day was had by all and everyone went home with a good feeling in their tummies and lots of new ideas in their heads.

Check out photos from the day here
www.flickr.com/photos/miamiartisansguild

Mega Beth Tour Miami • Etsy admin visits MAG!

2008-02-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

Members of the Miami Artisan Guild (Beanblossom, Electicamiami, Phbeads), and Kate Mansfield visit with Etsy's Bethela. See the Miami Edition of the Mega-Beth Tour

We got to meet a celebrity...an ETSY employee! Beth from ETSY reached out and touched the Miami Artisans Guild in January 2008. She was in town for a conference on e-tailing and got in touch with one of us (Eclectica) who invited her to her brick-and-mortar store...she called me (Phbeads) to give her a ride since I was heading out to the store anyway taking Kate and Robbie with me. Beanblossom met us there. It was an impromptu ETSY bash! We got a chance to chat, bring up ideas and suggestions for ETSY and we were rewarded with a feature in the ETSY storque! Go Miami Artisans Guild! We made the ETSY connection!

--Monica Lara
PhBeads.etsy.com

Miami Artisans Guild (MAG)

2008-01-28T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well, there's not as much crafting going on in Miami as you might think. So those of us of like minds somehow have found one another through ETSY and formed, a sort of, mutual support group known as MAG. We meet up to discuss upcoming shows, projects, promotion. It's a good thing. Last Friday night we got together for some conversation, planning, cupcakes, brownies, wine…In attendance were Beanblossom, Eclecticamiami, GinaD, PhBeads, withsugarontop and dogsavethequeen (additional members of MAG are Caprichos, Daisycakes, Ragamufyn, and Ciaralovesyou).

All are on ETSY.

MAG has a planned a "Craft Swap" in which we'll all bring out stuff (craft materials/supplies) we're not using (we all have that stuff, right?) and we'll set up tables and barter like in a souk for each other's "stuff". It's a great way to get rid of that unused but nice stuff and get stuff you actually want!

MAG has also started scheduling tutorials, known as Sunday CrafterNoons…where we each run a workshop teaching the others how to do a project in our own area of expertise. We're starting these for ourselves but there's always the chance they will start to get a following with people outside MAG joining us for an evening of using our hands to make great stuff. PhBeads will be giving the first tutorial where she'll be teaching how to do a bit of metalsmithing at home to make some lovely earrings.

Finally, PhBeads was interviewed by the Key Biscayne Islander newspaper. She is a full time marine biologist at the University of Miami and also makes jewelry as PhBeads. She has been organizing an arts and crafts show at the Rosenstiel School of Marine Science for several years now. The MAG members made up the bulk of this Holiday Show in December. A reporter from the paper covered her Holiday Sale and called her for an interview for the paper because you don't find a marine biologist/metalsmith every day!

Monica Lara
Phbeads.etsy.com

Holiday Cookie Exchange

2007-12-18T12:58:00.000-08:00

See more pics from our holiday cookie exchange here

www.flickr.com/photos/miamiartisansguild