Design Hive

Vintage Glam Day at the Hive

2009-06-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage fashions spanned the decades last Sunday --- whether it was 40s pencil skirts or 80s neon, we saw it all!

Get Green & Groovy - April 3rd at the Hive

2009-04-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

To say the April 3rd event was a success would be putting it mildly, especially given the fact that when I arrived to set up at 7:30am, there was no electricity at the school (yup, no power = no lights = no people) !

Thankfully, NStar arrived on the scene and within minutes, we were back on the grid and gearing up for what turned out to be a great day with 60+ indie designers and a fabulous fashion show presented by Fashion With Impact.

In addition to NStar, a few people to thank:

Heather MacNeil and her team at Fashion With Impact for putting together an inspired show featuring a rock solid collection of refashioned pieces. Heather's got the goods!
Rebel Sound Syste m and DJs Ill Wil, Saucy Lady, U-key, and Edo G for spinning fresh tracks all day long - you guys rocked!
Autonomie Project for the fun design-your-own fair trade t's and high tops
Wine Riot for giving away tix to their 2-day wine tasting extravaganza next weekend (for those of you around 4/18-4/19, you need to check it out!)
And my dutiful "co-chair" Jana Dodoo for tasty treats (Good Stuff anyone?) and emotional support!

More event pics here.

Closet Cleanout Clothing Swap: Did that just happen?

2009-03-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

OK, so I wasn't entirely sure what I was signing up for when I offered to host a clothing swap, but I had total confidence in my partners-in-crime: Amy from Punkystyle.com, Melissa and Meghan from Shoestring Magazine, Kara from MakeReady, and Sheila from YourFairygodShopper.com.

To my amazement - and horror - and amazement, 200+ women showed up with close to 5,000 lbs of clothing which we sorted and displayed on tables, chairs, basically anything that couldn't move. Here's what happened when we opened the doors (thanks to Liana at NewBrahmin for the video footage!):

Join us for our "Spring Cleaning" market on 3/1

2009-02-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

After 2 months off, we're looking forward to kicking off our 2009 market season with a SPRING CLEANING-themed event on Sunday, 3/1. Designers will be cleaning out their showrooms so stop by and scoop up some great deals. And if your closet's in need of some paring down, RSVP for the Closet Cleanout Clothing Swap (same day, same place -- we make it easy).

See you there!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2008-12-19T11:04:00.000-08:00

The Design Hive WILL be open on Sat, 12/20 from 10am - 5pm. It's our last event of the season so what better way to celebrate than with a winter blizzard?!

Shopping Frenzy on Sat, 12/13

2008-12-16T10:15:00.000-08:00

Despite the multitude of local events within walking distance of the Baldwin School (we counted at least 4 other holiday fairs!), shoppers came in droves to snap up all sorts of handmade lovelies. Scenes include:
1) Appearance by Jess Graham (despite the ice storm in VT!)
2) Salmagundi's Jessen plays style guru to the hat-deprived
3) DJ Paul Liberty joined us and got rave reviews
4) Laura Buchen of Bu-kin sold out of her strapless dress, compliments of the Globe review last Sunday

"The Find" Found Us

2008-12-07T19:37:00.001-08:00

The Boston Sunday Globe Magazine's "The Find" featured a dress by our very own Bu-kin designer Laura Buchen who'll be selling this and other stylish wares this Sat, 12/13. Fashionistas, come early, I've been fielding calls all day and there's sure to be lots o' competition for these affordable runway-ready dresses.

Find the full article here.

Market mania - 12/6/08

2008-12-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

There was a festive spirit in the air on Sat:
1) Laurie Coyle's handmade ornaments
2) Shoppers vying over vintage from Sweetwater Vintage
3) DJ addambombb's bust-a-move
4) Surveying the scene
5) Student bake sale

Scenes from Sat 11/29

2008-12-02T12:13:00.000-08:00

From the top:
1) Emily Rose Bird ...ponders the meaning of life
2) Cozy sweaters from Grace Napoleon
3) Vonica Designs' treasure chest of bags, scarves, and purses
4) DJ Chris Roby in action
5) James Crawford framed by his photography
6) A complete outfit: bags from HER Designs and belts/accessories from Lucy's Sister

Scenes from Sat 11/22

2008-12-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

Nov 22 was a *really* cold day --- we were happy to be inside the Hive!

From the top:
1) Sophie Lowery proudly displays her cards and paintings
2) Pinecone + Chickadee's t's are a hit
3) Jess Graham's colorful collection of pins
4) And her hand-painted and hand-stitched ornaments
5) Nature a la Twigs and Heather
6) Exploring angles: Cadence Innovations (background) / Jess DiPietro (foreground)

Scenes from Sat 11/15

2008-11-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

Despite the rain-sun-rain combo, shoppers made it out to the Baldwin School.
1) The Hive's entrance on Sacramento St.
2) Shopper surveying Itsaspringer's affordable art --- handpainted treasures starting at $10!
3) Monique Rancourt's fang-tastic necklace
4) Browsing Grace Napolean's upcycled apparel
5) Isabel Abramson and her lovely - and very fragile - ceramics (Isabel, please make more soon as we love your work!)
6) Dynamic duo Gigi Mederos and daughter Raquel

Design Hive hits the morning news!

2008-11-11T09:38:00.001-08:00

I had the opportunity to plug the Design Hive this morning on Fox 25's "The Look" segment - check it out! Kim Carrigan was a great sport and it was fun getting the "behind the scenes" view of a newsroom.

I'm getting lots of new requests to join our mailing list and emails from new vendors interested in participating.... looks like we could have ourselves another great day this coming Sat, 11/15!

The Buzz for Sat, 11/8

2008-11-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

Stop by to swing, shop, and sample wares from 30 indie designers and live music from DJ Hyssop this Saturday from 10am - 5pm at the Design Hive .

Nostalgic-meets-urban by Lola's Urban Vintage

What's not to like about airbrushed graffiti-inspired vintage bags by Lola's UrbanVintage? It's a mash-up of dainty-meets-street chic and I, for one, love it!

Nicoletta will be selling her bags, jewelry, and other creations on Saturday. See you in line behind me!

It's About Time

It's about time we look for ways to salvage the overabundance of discarded materials and this Saturday, we might learn a few things from Karen Miller Designs.

Karen Miller describes her clocks and framed miniatures as born out of "found, recycled, reused, reclaimed, repossessed, reconstituted materials." They're the ultimate in functional and eco-friendly design, plus cute to boot.

A Whale of a Shirt

Pinecone+Chickadee designer Amy Teh joins us at the Hive this Saturday from Portland, ME which is what likely inspired this modern day take on Moby Dick. Whatever the inspiration, we love her screenprinted t-shirts, journals, and cards all made by hand.

An eye for the everyday

Artist Kelly Provo's Retro Giraffe morphs everyday icons into multi-colored, multi-dimensional collages and prints. Apples, toasters, and lightbulbs get new meaning when boldly painted or printed on a backdrop of textural papers.

Fiscal crisis? Not here - Retro Giraffe's mixed media is well-priced at under $50.

More pics from opening day

2008-11-03T11:38:00.001-08:00

My friend, photographer Sarah Evans, took these Saturday at our opening day event:

Sat, 11/1: Inaugural Day at Design Hive!

2008-11-02T18:54:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic opening day at the Design Hive this past Sat! Over 800 people walked off their Halloween chocolate-induced comas and joined us at the Baldwin School for some real treats: indie fashion & design treasures to decorate their bods and homes.

Here are some snapshots ...my friend, photographer S arah Evans, took much better ones that I'll be adding shortly.

A big thank you to all the vendors who worked their tails off and to DJ Hyssop of Dead Language Studio who was mixing world music-inspired tracks that kept the crowds humming all day!