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!