I Heart Handmade Art

Last night I took a little trip down to Boston to check out the We Heart Handmade Art event put on at the West Elm on Brookline Ave. The idea was that the store would be open late and it would feature select local Etsy artisans that you could purchase from. I kinda figured that it would be a little event that only other Etsians would attend. I was wrong. The place was packed. Packed with trendy, well-dressed urban dwellers. Which made me realize that I am no longer any of those things. I forgot to put on make-up before I left. I mean, "Hello?!" I was going into the "big"city and I forgot to put on makeup? Worse? I wore my Danskos. Nothing says, "Hey, guys~I don't live in the city. I live in the country where we have more farms than Starbucks and mom jeans are much more common then jeggings" more than Danskos. So that really boosted my confidence.

But, I digress, back to the event. It was hoppin'! There was a dj spinning and free wine and fancy appetizers (think shot glasses of tomato soup with mini grilled cheese). I had a slow start when I first arrived, I think that it was probably because I was experiencing a serious case of sensory overload. I found it a little tricky to find the Etsy sellers amidst the people and the furniture. But once I acclimated to the pounding bass I was able to navigate with success.

I'm not sure how many sellers were there 10? 12? Your typ

ical mainstream selection; a few jewelery designers, a couple stationary artists/ print makers, a photographer, a painter, a handbag designer, and a fine artist. I have to say that I was a little bit disappointed with the lack of creativity in their choices. Not that the chosen artisans weren't amazing, believe me they were, it was inspiring. But that there didn't seem to be much innovation there. Everything was lovely and classy but in my opinion, that doesn't represent the Etsy that I use.

That being said, I did make a few purchases. I got this amazing bangle from Frosted Willow and some cheeky pencils from Earmark Invitations and a little paper birdie from West Elm all of which pleased me greatly.

And then it was time for me to go, because, let's be honest here, we all know that I was freaking out about being out late and not at home furiously knitting for Craftland. Secret's out.