crafting for a cause

yikes!!.....i meant to post about this earlier, but as usual life sucked me into its vortex or busy-ness. anyway, please check out this website to learn more about wheels for henry. there are a number of vendors who are participating in fundraising for some new wheels for henry, including b hive designs. i will be donating 20% of my sales through Octber 31st. a feel good purchase!

Wheels for Henry is an online Benefit Bazaar to help raise funds for a converted (wheelchair) van for a hardworking single mom in Portland, Oregon. Chloe Eudaly is the proprietress of Reading Frenzy, a disability advocate, and the proud mom of an amazing kid who happens to get around in a wheelchair. They’re more than halfway to funding a used converted van (The van is approx. $45,000) and are now turning to family, friends and the broader community to help raise the rest (We have about $19,500 to go.).

sewing & decorating

i may have said this before, but i am a terrible procrastinator. i always seem to get things done on time (for the most part), but i am always so stressed getting them done. take for instance last night, when i sat sewing in my studio until midnight because i had to finish my girlfriends gift for the shower i was hosting for her today. needless to say the gift is beautiful (at least i think so), but i wish i could figure out how to be more "martha" like. or at least how "martha" appears to be stress free when creating her lovelies. anyway, here is the finished product, and i had to add the pom pom photo because they are just so cute. i think i'll give a little tutorial on this decoration in the near future........but for now i must sleep!

after sewing this super girly cover for the moses basket, i stuffed it full of the sweetest gifts......if you look closely you'll even see one of my cherry blossom newborn gowns. i couldn't give a gift without including a little b hive designs :)

fall, fall, fall

i have a love hate relationship with this season. it has been so beautiful here in portland for the past couple of weeks. the chill in the air feels refreshing, and the sun is still shining. but, i can't help anticipating the rain that is looming in my future, instead of just enjoying the dry beauty of fall. guess i'm in a mood.....

on that note i obviously need a pick me up, and maybe you do too. so i've got one for you.....a sale. i am offering free shipping on all orders placed through Friday, 10/16. i have also listed a few new items for fall, and moved a few new items into the sale section from summer.

take a look......(one for yourself, and one for your little)

B Hive Designs
Etsy

stray birds of summer come to my window

to sing and fly away.

and yellow leaves of autumn,

which have no songs,

flutter and fall there with a sigh.

~ Tagore

getting crafty again

i am getting crafty again.....crafty wonderland that is.

come see me tomorrow at the doug fir. a number of my favorites will be there selling with me!!

Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E. Burnside, Portland, OR
11am-4pm * All Ages * Free Admission

Top: Michelle Summers, Fernworks, Moontea Artwork

Middle: Scrumptious Suds, Misha Ashton, Snarky Cards

Bottom: Mimi Muse, B Hive Designs, Dolcetti

p.s. i already have 4 fernworks pieces. it might seem a little excessive, but once you see them in person you will understand why!.....hoping i will be able to resist buying another :)

finally a break & some crafts

you have no idea how relieved i was to finish working on saturday. the alberta street fair was, as usual, a very spirited event.....with a punk rock marching band to boot. i was not very optimistic when i arrived at the event on saturday morning. it was raining and miserable. but, just like the weather man reported the sun came out just in time for the parade. i sold most of my items, which was a pleasant surprise, and I happily packed up my tent for the last time this year....hooray!

so, what does a girl do when she finally has a day off? why make stuff of course! i was so excited to finally have a day off on sunday, that i immediately went to work on some invitations for a baby shower that i am hosting in october. a good friend of mine is going to have her first child, and it's going to be a girl. i am so excited for her and her husband, and i am also thrilled to have a reason to buy girly things.

this project also gave me a reason to use my gocco. if you don't know what a gocco is, it is one of the best small inventions ever. i love this little thing so much, and it's days are almost numbered (checkout save gocco and read all about it). anyway, this is a little screen-printer that was made in japan up until a few years ago. the company that made the supplies for the little gocco has stopped production of supplies and has shipped its last amount of inventory as of last december. so, much like the polaroid (although that is coming back now), it will soon be a thing of the past. needless to say, i am only using my supplies for special occasions, and this baby shower is definitely just that, very special.

the thing that i love the most about the gocco, is that it is so easy to use. i can make a screen and start printing in under 4 minutes, and it is child friendly! last year a number of neighborhood children used my gocco to make a bundle of christmas gifts :) for this project i printed invitations, thank you notes for the the mom-to-be, and with the extra ink and scraps of paper left over from cutting i printed some gift tags......all of it, just too cute for words......not to mention the lovely pink and chocolate brown color scheme. i can't wait for my friend to receive her little package of goodies. there will be a few more posts about this event, because i have some super craftiness planned that you just might want to read about.

p.s. WWNRD?...she would use recycled card stock, water based ink, re-purposed ribbon...oh, and she would call it card camp!

goodbye sun....hello rain

the end of summer is almost official. only 3 days left! i always dread this time of year. even though i love the fall...for the most part, and love the holiday season it just seems to be so super busy. summertime is so much more relaxing. woe is me.

the only good thing is that the summer weather seems to be sticking around in the northwest just long enough for one more outdoor event....the alberta street fair. i am really excited to set up my tent one last time this year, and mingle with the people. i always meet some very interesting folks at my events, and i know that albert street will not fail me. this event showcases a very interesting parade....enough said :0

anyway, just a little update....the lovely skirt on the right is one of the "comfy" skirts i posted about last week. i sold out of all of the skirts, purple, black & burgundy, except for one of these lovelies. if you are interested, you should stop by for a visit this weekend. i'll be on alberta near 24th.

alberta street fair

september 19, 2009

11am-6pm

muddy boot organic festival

muddy boot organic festival

Saturday, 9/12, 12:00pm - 9:00pm (vendors until 6:00pm)

Sunday, 9/13, 12:00pm - 6:00pm

location:

st phillip neri

2408 se 16th ave.

portland, or 97214

this will be the third consecutive year that i have participated in the muddy boot organic festival. this is a really great event with really great music, organic foods beer and wine, workshops and exhibits on sustainable living, kids activities and entertainment, and of course some really great organic cotton shirts printed with environmentally friendly water based inks by yours truly. one addition to the organic cotton shirts are some super awesome skirts that are made by texture clothing in bellingham. the amazing owner of texture , teresa, sews them up for me & i print them with my own lovely designs. they are truly the most comfortable skirt you will own. as a matter of fact they are called the "comfy" skirt. the skirts consist of hemp, organic cotton, and a tiny bit of lycra to make them super comfy. i am always pleasantly surprised by how well these skirts sell, as a matter of fact it is almost impossible to keep a current picture of my inventory because they tend to sell out quickly. these two photos will give you an idea of how cute the skirts are, but you really just need to stop by the muddy boot organic festival to really appreciate them.

don't get too excited about the mustard skirt on the right.....it is actually sold out, but you get the idea....super comfy waist band (there is actually a little pocket hiding in the waistband), nice a-line & drape. i currently have a pretty purple colored skirt, black, and burgundy for fall.

just in case you're interested in these skirts you can also buy them from teresa directly at www.textureclothing.com , or if you are in portland you can buy them at the master peace on hawthorne.

have a wonderfully sunny weekend!!

bargain hunting 101

everyone should stop by the crystal ballroom today, you won't be disappointed. there is actually a line outside waiting to get in because the shopping is gonna be sooooo good....i gotta go buy something before the rush!

TODAY

12 - 5pm

Crystal Ballroom

1332 W Burnside

P-Town!!
www.bargainhuntingpdx.com

busy b weekend

summer is almost over.....yes it is true! but, in the spirit of true summer fun you can still enjoy yourself at one of the last portland street fairs of the season.....and in my humble opinion the sweetest street fair of them all, multnomah days. the fair begins with a quaint little parade that starts at 10:00am this saturday, 8/15. after the parade you can stroll through the little shops on capitol hwy & visit all of the unique vendors that will be lining the streets. you won't be able to miss my booth. it will undoubtedly be the cutest out of the bunch :)

and on sunday....bargain hunting 101!!!!
i am so excited to be a part of this event. i missed their winter sale, and i personally cannot wait to shop for myself this sunday. you will be happy to know that all of the vendors will be selling their goodies at bargain sale prices, including myself. you really must check out the list of vendors that will be at the event.....oh, i can't wait!




For more info about the events please visit
www.multnomahvillage.org
www.bargainhuntingpdx.com

b on the road again......next stop seattle!

ONLY 3 MORE DAYS!!!!.......or 2 if you read this on thursday.

i can't wait for the urban craft uprising show in seattle. i had such a great time at their christmas show that i am really looking forward to the summer sale. you really must check out the vendor list to see why i am so excited.....crystalyn kae handbags, texture skirts, fernworks jewelry, estrella soap, mugwump accessories, rachel austin paintings, and of course b hive designs shirts! the list could go on and on, but you can just check it out for yourself either on-line or if you're in seattle this weekend at the seattle center exhibition hall. you'll find me conveniently located by the front entrance.....woo hoo!

if you just can't make it to the super duper UCU sale, then be sure to check out my teeny little etsy sale which ends thursday, 7/30!!

mini sale

as promised.....a mini sale!

check it out at www.bhivedesigns.etsy.com & save until thursday, 7/30.

all orders placed during the mini sale will be shipped on friday, 7/31........then i'm off to seattle for the super deluxe urban craft uprising event on 8/1 & 8/2.

ooooh, and i have a new design too, look how cute..........there are a few women's shirts with this design that are on sale, but you need to click on the link above to find it :)

worker "b" all over p-town

i have certainly been a busy "b" this summer. yesterday i had two booths set up in portland, one on mississippi ave. & the other in the pearl at the bastille day festival. the weather was beautiful and i had so many wonderful customers. i even received an email from someone last night who informed me that they had accidentally taken home one extra shirt. can you believe that! how sweet and true can one person be?

the funny thing about setting up for two shows, is how different the shoppers can be just a few short miles away from each other. for example i sold out of this lovely green shirt on mississippi, but my little worker "b" in the pearl only sold a couple. what is that all about? not to mention the difference in sizes that were left over at the end of the day. after going through what was left of my big day yesterday, i am inclined to have a little sale. there are quite a few random sizes of each shirt/design left over, and it would be nice to start with a fresh batch of prints for the super deluxe urban craft uprising sale in seattle on august 1st & 2nd. so, i will be listing some new sale items within the next couple of days & i'll keep you posted when all of my goodies are ready for purchase...............happy, happy summer!