Trickets of Martha's Vineyard

One weekend in July, I went with some of my friends on a daytrip to Martha's Vineyard. It was a fantastic day of sunshine, ocean breezes, sandy beaches, and visiting the familiar sites of Aquinnah lighthouse, the gingerbread cottages, etc. However, what really caught my eye this time around were all the funky art for sale in various boutiques around the island. I admired the nautical themed pieces, items that hinted at Boston/Massachusetts pride, the fanciful and inspirational handcrafted decor, to the outright funky and silly.

fun seashell mirror and decorations

Haha keeping the rivalry alive!

I just love the colors and design of this table and the little sayings!

Signs with sayings on them were sold in all shapes, sizes, and designs!

Wow, very unique trinket!

Portland's Saturday Market

I just recently returned from a short trip to Portland, Oregon. Nestled within a state known for its natural scenery, Portland is a funky city that has been ranked as one of the "greenest" cities in the USA. Not only does Portland seem to be environmentally conscious, but there seems to be very strong support for local businesses and an expanding and thriving handmade community!

During my visit, I had the opportunity to check out their famous Portland Saturday Market - and it was quite a site to behold! The sheer number of handmade artisans was already awe-inspiring and to see how well-attended it was, so very exciting to see!

It wouldnt be Portland without some tie-dye!

Some neat signs made out of saws

impressive ideas for lawn ornaments

You can even buy some gourmet catnip here!

I just love how colorful this booth was

very cool wooden sculptures

These were only a small sample of the 250+ vendors that were there! Definitely worth checking out!

Landing on Plymouth Rock

The other weekend I was in Plymouth, MA doing some errands, and just had to wander over to find the historic site of Plymouth rock! Although I didnt have anytime to experience Plimouth Plantation , I did take a stroll to find a replica of the Mayflower and some other statues and memorials for the Pilgrim settlers and Wampanoag Native Americans.

If you look carefully you can see 2 little bears on his pipe!

Of course it wouldnt be a trip to a coastal New England town without a visit to one of the ubiquitous antique shops!

Brainstorming DIY Summer Wedding Ideas

Title: "Brainstorming DIY Wedding Ideas"

By: Jennifer Tang of MaJenta Designs



As I go through my wedding checklists, I find myself most excited in daydreaming of all the fun things I can personally make to give our wedding some personal touches. I have been googling images of wedding reception decorations, gift favors, and more - to get inspiration of ideas of things I could make for my own wedding!

For example, since our wedding will be an outdoors, summertime wedding - I thought it'd be great to make something similar to these programs that double as fans to help cool down our guests during the ceremony!

If only I had the time - I think making some place cards similar to these would really make our reception stand out!

 

These funny strawberries were actually from a social gathering I went to, and think it'd be such a fun idea to serve such unique tasty treats at the wedding.

There are so many fun things to think and daydream about! Now if only I had the time to handmake it all!

And of course since MaJenta Designs, my handcrafted business, is such a large part of who I am now, I definitely want to incorporate those designs into our wedding somehow too! I'm thinking of making some sort of gift favors using these useful mint tins! :)

DIY Winter Wedding

Over the winter holidays I went up to Maine for a wedding. With a limited budget and creative ingenuity they put together a very DIY wedding!

It being the winter time and thus making fresh flowers hard to come by or expensive, they played up the winter theme by using Christmas lights and pine leaves garlands for decorations.



They also took apart pieces of Christmas decorations and made their own boutonnieres!



Table centerpieces were made using rustic preserves jars, a votive candle, and again a simple strand of golden decorations and ribbon they bought from after Christmas sales.

Shop Local!

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, shopping malls are packed with massive crow, dsand for those who support handmade and local artists, there are also plenty of exciting holiday craft shows and markets coming up and Boston Handmade's Downtown Crossing Gallery too! However, for those who want to avoid the crowds and still want to support handmade by shopping from the comforts of their own home - there is still yet another option! Etsy's "Shop local" function!

Its very easy to do, just go to Etsy's homepage, then click on the tab on the left hand side called "shop local" and then you can just enter your town or state and it will find some of the Etsy shops closest to you! This way you can feel good about supporting local artists and buying unique handmade gifts, and rest at ease that you can get your items sooner in the mail too!

Find us @ Boston's Bazaar Bizarre!

 

MaJenta Designs has the exciting opportunity to sell her wares at the most hyped show of the year, Boston's Bazaar Bizarre! Here are the details:

~ DECEMBER 6, 2009 (Sunday) ~
BCA Cyclorama
539 Tremont St.
Boston, MA
12 - 7pm
$1 Admission
http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/boston.html