THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!

A whole lot of heartfelt Thank Yous coming at ya.....

THANK YOU to all our vendors for trucking your amazing wares from up and down the east coast to the beautiful old church in Charles Village and spending your day with us! Your beautiful set-ups, high-quality creations, and smiling faces make all the hard work worthwhile!

THANK YOU to ALL our awesome SPONSORS: Ma Petite Shoe, Hamilton Tavern, Chop Shop, Carma's Cafe, Alpha Graphics, Double Dutch, Trohv, Charm City Cakes, Breathe Books, The Laughing Pint, Artist & Craftsman Supply, Washington City Paper, Hello Craft & Crafty Bastards!!  You made the show WAY more awesome with all your support!

THANK YOU to everyone who generously donated to our raffle basket, both vendors and sponsors, AND to everyone who purchased a raffle ticket! Together we raised about $300 to benefit Great Kids Farm! And congrats to our very lucky winner, Sue Bornemann, who was overjoyed when she found out she had won not one, but ALL the items in the basket!

THANK YOU to Kinderhook, our adorable roving snack vendors for providing delicious snacks to all our vendors and to the Gypsy Queen food truck and Hula Honeys for feeding the masses outside the show!

THANK YOU to Red Emma's for keeping 2640/St. John's Church a great venue for events and shows in Baltimore!

and finally,

THANK YOU BALTIMORE for continually coming out to shop and bringing your hard earned dough to help support all things handmade at Charm City Craft Mafia's shows!! We most definitely could not have done it without you!

A BIG THANK YOU to one of our sponsors...Hamilton Tavern

Hamilton Tavern

5517 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD

Located right on the main strip of the up and coming Hamilton Neighborhood off Harford Road, the Hamilton Tavern makes for the perfect neighborhood bar. Decked out in a rustic farm decor you can choose to sit indoors with the intimate yet casual crowd, at the bar with the bustle of the bartenders and chatter of the locals or outside during the warmer months soaking up the summer air and sipping a cold beverage.

 Start your meal with a pint or two from their delicious tap selection or request a cocktail from their fully stocked bar. Happy hour is from 4:30-6:30 daily but don't stop in on a Tuesday, sadly they will be closed!

Chef Sarah Dudeck made the Tavern famous for the "Crosstown Burger", it's a must have for anyone who hasn't been to the Tavern yet but be sure to order it with sticky sweet bacon and a farm fresh egg! You won't be disappointed. Stop in on a Monday for "Burger Night" and get your burger, fries and a pint for just $14!

Don't go into a burger rut though, you will miss out on all their other tasty treats, like the pork schnitzel sandwich above! The Tavern menu is always changing depending on what's seasonal, fresh and locally available. During the summer they even incorporate produce from their own roof top garden! Yum.

Friendly staff, a bustling atmosphere, delicious food and great drinks are all wrapped into this corner tavern on Harford Road. If you haven't stopped in yet I highly suggest you take a night, make a date and go!


The Charm City Craft Mafia thanks you Hamilton Tavern for your support of Pile of Craft!  

Vendor Spotlight: Planted

List your shop name and give a brief description of your work and process. 

Shop name: Planted

We craft terrariums and other types of planted goodness. Zach starts by screening and washing various types of stones, gravels, and chipped terra cotta. He selects a vessel--usually vintage glassware--and thoughtfully layers the soils to create stripes of color. From his eccentric collection of over 50 of succulent varieties, Zach plants and arranges a miniature landscape within the vessel.

What type of music do you listen to when you're hard at work?

Andrew Bird is currently on heavy rotation on our studio playlists.

What is your favorite summer ritual?

Our favorite summer rituals are crabbing on the Severn River and homemade popsicles of fresh, in-season fruits from the Waverly Farmer's Market. 

A BIG THANK YOU to one of our sponsors...

Ma Petite Shoe is a one-of-a-kind, independent boutique located at 832 W. 36th Street in Hampden that specializes in the world's most fabulous shoes & artisan chocolates from around the globe!  Owner Susannah Siger has an impeccable sense of taste & style. 

You'll find a charming atmosphere and friendly customer service as you shop for not only shoes & chocolate but also fun socks & baby shoes for the wee ones!

  

My favorite are the mustache ones!

A perfect baby shower gift!

Perhaps Dad would like some chocolate for Father's Day...

This BACON BAR would be a great gift for my dear ol' Dad! 

Check out the Chocopologie bars with yummy flavors like fresh mint, mocha coffee, caramel & hawaiian sea salt!

Ma Petite Shoe now has private label earrings that I LOVED!  I had to buy these for myself while I was there today.  They were a steal...made in the USA, wood/laser-cut for only $14.99!

The Charm City Craft Mafia thanks you Ma Petite Shoe for your support of Pile of Craft!  

A BIG THANK YOU to one of our sponsors....

Located on the mainstreet of Lauraville at 4321 Harford Road, Chop Shop is a friendly and funky salon that can satisfy all of your beauty needs- hair, skin, and body! 

Recently selected by Baltimore magazine as 'Best of Baltimore' 2011, Chop Shop goes way beyond your average beauty parlor. In addition to their great hair cuts, coloring, and waxing Chop Shop also offers a variety of awesome events including Stitch and Bitch Sundays, and houses a 20-seat movie theater (available to rent!). Described by Baltimore Magazine as 'kitschy-cool' Chop Shop will get you looking fabulous while having a great time!  Take it from me, this is where I proudly get my hair cut by Lisa!  It's always a fantastic cut and I leave feeling like a superstar!

 

Gift cards make wonderful birthday presents, and Men's haircuts are just $16 in case you want to treat Dad for Father's Day!

The Chop Shop also utilizes part of their space as a gallery, so be sure to check out all of the wonderful local art on display while you're there!

                    Lisa Hawkes, Owner

Call 410.426.2300 to to set up an appointment with Lisa, Shannon, Nicole,

Arika, or Bill the barber.

Thank you, Chop Shop for your continued support of the Charm City Craft Mafia!!

POC's Raffle Basket to benefit Great Kids Farms!

Pile of Craft is just a few days away!!!  One of our favorite parts of hosting these awesome craft shows is helping raise funds for local non-profits. We are pleased as punch to announce that this year’s good cause is Great Kids Farms!   “Great Kids Farm provides opportunities for Baltimore City Public School students to understand and participate in every aspect of food preparation - from seed to fork - and prepares them to lead 21st century sustainability efforts.”

Raffle tickets to benefit Great Kids Farm 
cost only $1 each 

and can be purchased at our Craft Mafia Info Table, which will be located outside St. John’s Church this Saturday! Look for a pop-up tent with balloons! Please help us support this great cause AND buy yourself a chance (or two or TEN chances!) to win an AMAZING assortment of handmade goods donated by CCCM members as well as many of our talented Vendors AND our fabulous sponsors! ALL this and MORE could be YOURS!

Here is JUST A SAMPLING of a few of the items you’ll find in this show’s Raffle Basket:

*$100 value gift certificate good for one 45 minute session with Susan Wis-Bohlen Chopra Center Certified Ayurvedic Consultant & 6 paperback books from Breathe Books

* $20 gift card for Artist and Craftsman Supply

* A fat quarter of Rachel Beckman’s Stilts and Giraffes fabric

*Mini Bar soap sampler from Biggs and Featherbelle

*Handmade Eyeglass Case from Jennyjen42 

*Hand Screen Printed Guitar Tea Towel from Tiny Peepers

*One-of-a-kind, handcrafted dandelion tuft necklace from Yummy & Company 

* Two Prints from Found Studios

* T-shirt and a print from Red Prairie Press

*A handmade stuffed monster from Cotton Monster

*AND SOOOOOOOO MUCH MORE!!!!! You'll have to come and check it out in person!!

The winner's name will be drawn at random after 5pm when Pile of Craft is over and will be called to come pick up the raffle basket!! GOOD LUCK to everyone and THANK YOU to all who donated! See you Saturday!! 

Vendor Spotlight: Transient Bag Co.

List your shop name and give a brief description of your work and process.

Transient Bag Co. formed as a company, in the spring of 2008, with one goal in mind. Producing quality products at fair and affordable prices 

All products are constructed 100% in house, using top quality materials. The company goal is to provide you with the highest quality products, while proving that hand made products can be just as good (if not better) as what you would receive from one of the larger faceless companies out there. Transient Bag Co. strives to do all of this while still matching, aesthetics, durability, AND price. 

Transient Bag Co began as (and remains) a small company, making hip pouches for friends. Over the past four years Transient grew into a company producing and providing a full line of products to customers all over the world. At it's peak, Transient supplied over 40 dealers worldwide. As of late the company has scaled back to 3 dealers and a webstore. Now producing smaller batches of bags in lower quantities, allowing for a wide range of custom products! This company was started solely by myself (Alex), but over the years I have received a LOT of help from friends, and a few employees. From cutting fabric, to production & helping piece together orders. Currently I am back to a one-man show, and working out of my home workshop. SO yes, when I say products are produced "In-House" I mean it! 

This company started small, and from scratch. I chose not to hit ground running with big courier bags, and then throw in some smaller products later as an after thought. Everything Transient produces has been thought through and planned, specifically with you in mind. 

Transient Bag Co. doesn't outsource, and we never will. Your love of Transient products, and support, keeps this company afloat. NOT budgeting for ads on MySpace. NOT by having someone the products for pennies on the dollar, and turning THEIR hard work, into a way to make a quick buck. Hard work, applied to something that I love, and the appreciation, and support, of and for the cycling community, will allow for than enough to survive. If it can't be constructed in-house, it won't me made.


What type of music do you listen to when you're hard at work? 
I listen to a little bit of everything when I work. It really depends on the day, sometimes I think my neighbors must think I'm crazy going off the range of things they hear coming out of my workshop. From NPR related podcasts to, Sludge Metal, Pop-punk, Hip-hop, Bluegrass and/or Jazz amongst others haha. 


What is your favorite summer ritual? 
When I'm not buried in work? Spending time with friends, working and tinkering on bikes & mopeds. Impromptu rides to go swimming on those unbearably hot Baltimore summer days. Nights with friends @ Benji's Drive-in!

Where else can we find your work (online or stores). 
Transient Bag Co Products can be found Locally at Baltimore Bicycle works, in Dallas TX @ Transit Bicycle Co, and Last but not least in Los Angeles @ Orange20 Bikes. Not to mention the assortment of products offered in the web-store to cater to everyone else around the globe!