Holiday Shop & Stroll: Tomorrow in Silver Spring!

Come brave the weather with me and a bunch of other handmade vendors at the Silver Spring Holiday Shop & Stroll presented by Handmade Mart in conjunction with Downtown SS and Fresh Farm Markets. The event is this Saturday, 12/5, from 10am - 3pm.

Check out the event blog for a list of vendors and activities. The market is all along the pedestrian walkway on Ellsworth Dr. and there are plenty of shops and cafes to stop in to warm up between vendors.

I've made lots of new scarves for the event, and will probably be wearing all of them so if you want one you may have to wind it off of me...

The forecast calls for a chance of snow, which would actually make this a really fun/festive event! (note: I do accept hot chocolate as a form of payment).

This was me bundling up at an early October market in Ballston:

and this will be me tomorrow (in case you don't recognize me):

hope to see you there! xo, kb

Ping Pong + Art = Fun

As part of The Pinkline Project's ongoing series of Art Chat videos, I'll be interviewing area artists over a game of ping pong! Check out the first of the series below, and be sure to check out all of the art vids the Pinkline has to offer here: http://www.pinklineproject.com/artchat

PONGterview with Kristina Bilonick & Adam de Boer from Philippa Hughes on Vimeo.

upcoming exhibition ::

I'm making new work for a group exhibition at a gallery in Detroit that focuses on work by emerging contemporary artists.

December 5 - 23, 2009
"The Butcher's Daughter Gallery- Ferndale, MI
This group exhibition features six artist: Kyohei Abe (MI), Kristina Bilonick (DC), Mira Burack (MI), Cynthia Greig (MI), Michelle McAuliffe (DC) and Alison Wong (MI). Works include those produced using collage, mixed-media installation, painting, photography, prints, and video.
Opening Reception: December 5, 6-9pm
Artist Talk: December 19, 4pm
"read the press release>>

For my piece, I'm creating a site-specific installation dedicated to my 92 year old grandmother...A 5' tube of great lash mascara is involved..



images to follow! check out the other five artists web sites below:

Kyohei Abe

Mira Burack

Cynthia Greig

Michelle McAuliffe

Alison Wong

Crafty Bastards '09 was a blast!

This sixth annual Crafty Bastards Fair was the most fun yet! lots of sunshine, tons of people, and I was lucky to have a steady rotation of friends/fam coming to visit me in the booth. I'm still recovering from all the excitement. Here are some photos from the event..fun times!:

my booth!

my studio-mate, Sarah (of Sarah Cecilia Jewelry) came and helped out for the first part of the day. holla!

my buffalo-print skirt looked so great on this customer that she decided to change into it on the spot!

another customer lookin' good in my buffalo-print tank dress

the Breakfast Club...seeing friends is my favorite part of doing fairs!

Big shout out to the Washington Citypaper, the Crafty Bastards Crew and Hello Craft for putting on such an awesome event! xoxo

Getting ready for Crafty B's...

It's that time again: Crafty Bastards, the city's biggest handmade craft fair sponsored by the Washington CityPaper and powered by Hello Craft. This is my favorite event of the year because it also features live music and activities all day.. It's not all just crafts for sale. Last year there was a haircutting booth, arts/crafts demos, a fashion show and of course their annual b-boy/breakdancing contest which draws huge crowds..

This year's Crafty is on Saturday 10/3 from 10am-5pm at the Marie Reed School grounds in the center of Adam's Morgan's bustling 18th street. (18th btwn Florida and Wyoming)

here's a sneak peek of what I have 'cookin' at the studio. Come by my booth early if you want the best selection of ties, scarves and tops!

Gold Leaf Studios featured in Washington Post Magazine ::

Gold Leaf Studios in downtown DC (btwn Union Station and Chinatown) is where I do all my work. I'm lucky to share a huge, sun filled studio space with two awesome artists, Sarah McLaughlin (not the singer) and Nick Pimentel. There are lots of other artists and musicians who work in the space and a few of them are featured in an article that will come out in this Sunday's Washington Post Magazine. There's also a cool accompanying video piece. check it out!:

watch the video on washingtonpost.com
read the full magazine article

gold leaf studios is located at 443 Eye Street NW, DC 20001

Design Challenge :: Santa Fe wedding

My great friend Steph is getting married in Santa Fe this weekend (holla!).. A few months ago, Steph asked me to design the jewelry for the bridesmaids and for her (eek!). After some initial meetings, here's what we came up with:

the dress: strapless, red, hot!

we decided to go with a clear and puple glass dangle that would slightly skim the shoulders and look great with either an up or down 'do'. Here they are coming out of the kiln.

I found great sterling silver hooks with a little embellishment at local
bead/findings shop, Beadazzled

the result!


And for the bride, I tried something new: clear and white glass 'diamond' pendants hung with an accent bead from sterling silver wire...

I do?...

Can't wait to get down there for the festivities..Congrats Steph & Matt!! xox

This Sat: Gold Leaf Studios Open House!!

I've been saying it for years, but we finally organized an open studio event at the awesome studio building in Chinatown where I do my work. Come see artists, designers and musicians in their once-elusive studios before they become condos like everything else around us (kidding...we're safe for a while!).

(click the flyer for a larger, printable version)

There will be yummy treats and drinks and all of the other makin's of a fun Sunday afternoon in the summer.

Gold Leaf Studios is located at: 443 'Eye' Street near the intersection of 5th and Mass, two blocks from Chinatown or Convention Ctr. metro stops.
see you there!

Hire a 'TJ' for your next party!

I'm introducing a new facet of my apparel and custom printing business...TJ!

Why hire an ordinary DJ to entertain guests, when I'm now available for printing parties? It's fun for all ages! Guests print their own souvenir of the event. Team-mates can make their own jerzees as a pre-season mixer. Looking for a fun kids party idea? look no further...

Party-packages start at $10/person for a basic white tee (one color print- your own design!).

I supply the shirts, the screen, the equipment, the ink, and everyone at the party gets to try screen-printing and walk away with their very own hand-printed tee.

It takes 20 people to make a party, and I can handle up to 500 (it's been done!). Email me at kristina.bilonick@gmail.com for more information, shirt options and rates for your own TJ event!

Beautiful Losers :: Pyramid Atlantic fundraiser next Thursday 6/11

I've donated some work to the Pyramid Atlantic fundraiser, Beautiful Losers: a film screening, talk and silent auction taking place at AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring. The event is not to be missed and btw- Pyramid Atlantic is the coolest arts center in the area specializing in printmaking, book arts and fiber arts (and everything in between!).

more info on the event, silent auction artwork, the talk and the film, Beautiful Losers, check out their site here>>

and below is a sneak peek at the piece I made for the event (one of a kind):
hope to see you there!

Radio CPR Record Sale this Sat ::

For those of you who don't know, Radio CPR (97.5FM) is Mt. Pleasant's 'community powered radio' station which offers all sorts of interesting programming for area residents, presented by members of the community.

This Saturday they're holding their annual record sale fundraiser at La Casa in Mt.Pleasant. (info below) I'll also be there selling my tees and accessories. If you like records, go to this! xox

fun times :: opening day of the Ballston Arts/Crafts Market

We couldn't have asked for nicer weather for the first day of the market yesterday. For me, it was a chance to shake out my canopy for the first time in months, connect with customers in person, and make new friends in the crafting community. Big ups to my friend Michelle M. for the use of her wheels to make it to the event!

here are a few pics from opening day at the Ballston Market ::

booth display with my new sign!

new item for sale: decorative screen printed blocks

first sale of the day!

I'll be back at the Ballston Arts & Crafts Market in October. Stay tuned to the blog for other upcoming sales and events ::

Craft show season starts Sat. 5/9 at the Ballston A&C Market ::

My favorite market of the season, the Ballston Arts & Craft Market, opens today! I'll be selling my signature tees along with printed vintage ties and a new set of hand printed blocks that can be mixed/matched.

The Ballston A&C Market is right at Ballston Metro (orange line) on second Saturdays May-October from 10am - 4pm. The market features 35 area vedors selling strictly handmade items. There is live music in the afternoon and lots of cute cafes and restaurants around to check out when you're done shopping. Hope to see you there! For more info and to see a full list of today's vendors, click here>>

Upcoming Summit of Awesome is um...Awesome:

For those of you who haven't been in the loop, the radical craft group Hello Craft has organized a 3-day 'Summit of Awesome' that is coming up this weekend, May 1-3.

The 'Summit' is a three-day whirlwind of workshops, talks, film screenings, parties, fashion events, treats and more hosted at various locations all along the 14th and U Street corridor in downtown DC.

I will be holding a workshop at my favorite store in the world, Miss Pixies, on Saturday May 2nd. My workshop: 'Fun with Duct Tape' begins at 10:00 am after a breakfast held in the shop for summit attendees. Learn how to make a duct tape bizcard holder or CD case! (sneak peak of my demo below.. my how-to pdfs will post after the summit!)

You have to register for the Summit to attend my workshop or any of the other Summit Events. There are great deals on day passes and passes for the whole event. Write it off as a business expense! More info on all of the events and registration is here>>

Awesome events this weekend in Anacostia ::

Like many other locals, I dodged the crowds during last weekends downtown cherry blossom festivities..but the party continues for us this weekend in Anacostia! Lots of cool stuff goin on:

On Saturday 4/11 from, I'll be participating in the Anacostia Cherry Blossom Art Walk:

2206 MLK Avenue SE: Art+Craft Market- local independent crafters:
Kristina Bilonick, Carolyn Cavanaugh, Donald Terry, Lisa Adams, Sameera Chopra, Mary Ellen Doran, Keith Subani, Moira McCaulley, Bilaal Muhammed, Dana Ayanna Greaves and more!

I'll be selling my Michelle O. tees alongside the super-talented printmaker and book artist, Bookish Lady, and the coolest local fashion designer, Dana Ayanna Greaves!

info, directions, and to see the other stops on the art walk visit: www.archdevelopment.org

And don't forget this friday 4/10 check out the lasted Pinkline Project event, Cherry Blast:

Cherry Blast!
art + music + dance + fashion + anime + origami
A Pink Line Project in association with the National Cherry Blossom Festival
Friday, April 10
9 pm to 2 am
A warehouse at 2020 Shannon Place SE

(click logo for link to site)

Crafts and Kisses this Sunday 2/8 12-6pm!!!

My favorite show of the year is coming up this Sunday at the Josephine Butler Parks Center in Adams Morgan/Mt. Pleasant. (big yellow house at the top of Meridian Hill Park)

Crafts and Kisses features the best of the best local crafters making all sorts of fun valentine gifts in addition to their regular wares:: click the show postcard below for more details, a vendor list and hours/directions.

I'm in the process of moving all of my stuff to etsy so bear with my temporary lack of online presence.. but I'll be selling my hand printed Michelle Obama tees, a special edition kb love mix, awesome hand printed ties for the boys and more! (some samples below)

grab your loved ones!...see you there!! xoxo