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Weekend Recap: 8th Annual Jinxed Heart Show

Last Saturday, Tom and I made it back to Fishtown for Jinxed's 8th Annual Heart Show.  Last year I posted about our experience at the event for the first time and swore that in 2017 I would make sure that I participated! Long story short, a few weeks ago I stopped by Jinxed to inquire about participating this year.  The way it works is pretty simple.  The store gives out blank, wooden hearts as templates and the artists decorate them and bring them back by a certain deadline.  Jinxed keeps 30% of the selling price and the artist keeps 70%.   I was able to pick up two hearts at once, one for me and one for my boyfriend, Tom.





Now I do not claim to be some kind of real artist, but I definitely have a knack for D.I.Y. and crafting.  I had a lot of fun designing my own heart this year.  I knew ahead of time that I wanted to make some sort of vertical hanging planter and incorporate real plants in the design.  In my post last year, I mentioned that one of the ones I loved was a 3-d terrarium.  I loved the idea of having the heart actually function as art and something you could actually use. The hearts are only a few inches in size, they are not that big (so you don't really have that much space to work with), but after a few trips to the vintage flea market and home depot, I eventually had all the supplies I needed to craft my first heart!  The heart in the picture above was also one of my favorites and it probably the only heart in which you can see what the wooden template really looks like.


I have to admit, it was really nerve wracking to wonder if our hearts were going to sell.  I'm happy to say that mine ended up selling within the first hour! Thank goodness I showed up early this year or I wouldn't have been able to photograph it while it was still there! Tom's didn't sell right away, we actually left before knowing if someone bought it or not.  Eventually by the end of the night, someone snagged his as well. Actually Tom's heart was featured on Jinxed's instagram (!) before the show, so I was 99% sure it was going to sell eventually! One of the coolest things was getting the chance to see how other artists interpreted their heart designs.  The heart below was really unique in that the artist actually constructed a pillow as their submission! What a genius thing to do! Now that's a functional piece of art.



In the picture above, you can see Tom's "Fresh Pretzels" submission (he painted the word FRESH to look like actual mustard).  My submission is pictured in the photo below, it's the one with the succulents on the lower right.


There were sooooo many good hearts this year.  You could tell that everyone was really impressed by a lot of the submissions. One thing I noticed was that many of the more expensive hearts ($100-$200) actually sold faster than the less expensive ones. When I spoked to a Jinxed staff member after the show, I learned that a lot of people that night were actually buying multiple hearts.  Hearts ranged from $20 to upwards of $200, but I would say the average price for one was $100.  The red dots in the photos indicate that the piece was sold.  I (foolishly!) didn't bring any cash that night so I missed out on the one heart I really wanted (the one shaped like a Septa token, you can see it in a few pictures up).


I have no words for how beautiful the heart above was.  The picture does it no justice. Amazing. In case you are wondering, this piece also sold pretty quickly.




Well we had a great time at the show this year and I am so happy we both were able to be a part of it. I really can't wait for the show next year! Not only will I design another heart, but I will have to remember to bring some cash so I can take one home for myself!



Photo Recap: The Women's March in Philly

So today I joined upwards of 50,000 men, women, and children at the Women's March here in Philadelphia early this morning. Of course people were marching in cities all over the country and  world, with global sister marches happening in Paris, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Bangkok, Delhi and Capetown - to name a few. This was my first time marching in such a large event so I didn't really know what to expect.  When I was in college, I attended Barack Obama's first inauguration which clocked in at a smooth 1.8 million people. Thinking back to that event as I prepared for today, I remember that even though the inauguration crowds were massive and a bit daunting, there was an awesome spirit of hope, inclusion, and solidarity. The best part about it was that it brought together so many people from all different backgrounds, ages, etc. for one common purpose. I knew I had to make plans to go to the march today, even if trekking all the way to D.C. for the main event wasn't going to be a realistic option. I'm so glad that I did!

My four-day work week was super busy so I had zero time to fashion up my own sign ahead of the event. Lucky for me, Amberella (a local street-artist whose work I secretly fan-girl over) let her IG followers know that she was giving out a limited batch of goth heart signs to both D.C. and Philly marchers. Pieces of her goth hearts series are all over the city (and country), usually in the most unassuming of places. I always get excited when I randomly stumble upon one here in Philly. The city had some *awesome* hand made signs out there on the parkway. I mean, wow! I tried to get a few photos of the crowds and the friends I met up with along the way:





My coworker Hayley made this lil' gem:


This guy told me that even though he didn't have a sign, he wanted to, "walk in her shoes" today.  And walk he did, I mean, I probably couldn't take more than three steps in those heels! 



I got a lot of really nice compliments on the jacket I wore today, which I literally just DIY-ed last night. I bought a $13 bomber jacket, and then printed up some iron-on images to go on the back and front of the jacket. It took me a couple of minutes to think about what I wanted to print on the back, but when I eventually narrowed my options down, I went with the name of one of my favorite Janelle Monae songs. I was really happy with how it came out considering I didn't have a lot of time to make it!



P.S. If you haven't heard it before, the video is below for your viewing pleasure! 


Until next time,