Even more dedicated than the Postal Service!

As you probably know, the good people of Baltimore have been hit might hard by a snow storm of epic proportions! (for us).

Schools, libraries, government etc have been shut down for days, but greenstarstudio doesn't rest! No!
The post offices are open, but the streets aren't drive-able, so they aren't coming to us.

So rest assured, good folks, if you ordered anything from me in the last few days, I just treked 2 miles in the unplowed snow, through streets only pedestrians could travel, often succumbing to 4 ft drifts and twice slipping on ice, to make sure that your packages will reach you AND your loved ones, by Valentine's Day.

No problem, guys. I love ya.
Let me know when you get them!

For now, I'm gonna trek back home, grab a beer and do some knitting.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Last minute Valentines Day gifts that wont LOOK last minute!

If you still aren't sure what to get that special someone... I might could help!
( I love saying "might could"; it makes me feel olde timey)

Let me play secret Cupid to someone!
These secret cupid gift packs come with all sorts of sweet goodies for 'kids' of all ages and will be shipped on Monday, February 8th (or later if you order after the 8th) and are meant to arrive just in time for Valentine's Day--- an unexpected little dose of sweetness in your sweetie's mail box.

There's plenty of other Valentine love to be found in the shop too.



Like these tear & share, color your own Valentines!


Or these sweet pins!

A look at what's to come...

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

The Knitimals and I need your vote!

In the midst of award season and with the growing anticipation of the Olympics, acknowledgement and praise is in the air, and the Handmade Community (never to be outdone) is finding more ways to join in on the fun!

Early in the year, the fabulous website PoppyTalk announced a new (hopefully annual) competition called "The Poppies". They describe The Poppies as "a virtual awards ceremony of sorts celebrating the Handmade Community!"


Nominations were made in several categories and I'm happy to announce that the second category up for voting is "CRAFTERS (Embroidery/Crochet/Knitting/Quilting) Artist/Designer/Shop)" and i have been nominated for my Knitimals!

Anyone can vote, and everyone is allowed one vote per category, per computer, per day, so please take a minute to vote each day, if you can. You don't have to register or sign up for anything--- its very easy. The voting ends on January 26th at 11:59 pm.

You can vote here! Please bookmark the page and visit it every day.

The prizes include all sorts of press & praise and FREE advertising on a very heavily trafficked blog. Plus bragging rights.
Please pass this along to anyone you know who supports the arts or has ever been affected by my work.

If I win, we'll be celebrating with a 40% off coupon code-- so when you vote, post a comment here and let's get some people in those virtual voting booths!

Love and Knitimals are in the Air!

It's beginning to look a lot like Valentine's Day! And, what better way to say "I Love You" than with some super sweet, ultra adorable, Valentines?

I'm sure this won't surprise anyone, but I was actually designing these little cuties back in November (what? doesn't everyone think about their Valentine merchandise at the Thanksgiving table?). And, it's been very hard for me to hold back sharing them until now.... but, I think half way through January is a perfect time to unveil them.

Just like the Holiday & Thank You & "Say What?" Blank cards before them, these cuties start off black and white, but with a very specific goal in mind... they want to be colored! By YOU!

(And those little guys got a LOT of press... here, for example!)

Available in Card, Postcard & Mini Card sizes, there are 4 different designs to choose from.
Enjoy.
xoxox, danamarie

New Year, New Cards, New Sales!

I'd be remiss if I didn't first come clean about something...

As much as I love the fanfare and excitement of getting a new calendar (and i DO really, genuinely enjoy that), I'm not a fan of New Years Eve/Day etc. Call me a scrooge, but I think it's a little overblown. I don't disagree with the sentiment of starting anew, or making life goals, or even the idea that you could stand to improve some... heck, we all could. But I don't agree with the whole "waiting for one particular day each year and only doing it then and if you mess up on Jan 4th, the whole year is ruined and the goal was stupid in the first place" thing that seems to accompany much of the hullabaloo. I mean, any day is a new day, right?

If people were half as motivated to make a change or even a quarter as committed to enjoying the day on, say, March 28th, as they are on January 1st, maybe I'd get behind New Years. Otherwise, to me it's just another excuse to throw the baby out with the bathwater and say "meh, guess its all down hill from here".

Well, i dont believe in down hill!
Every second of the day you can make a change. Its not always easy, sure; I have down days... down hours. Down minutes. But I would never write off a day entirely--- and i certainly wouldn't write off a year.

So, there you have it. My admission--- I'm not a fan of New Years. EXCEPT of course, that i get a chance to buy and fully organize and highlight and color code a brand new calendar.

Nevertheless, a new year is upon us, and if you're like me, you likely got some wonderful gifts this holiday season. Maybe they were gifts of experience (rather than gifts that come wrapped in boxes and bows). Now would be the PERFECT time to say thanks! Why not bring back an old, and sadly oft lost, tradition of letter writing and card sending? Why not incorporate the kids into the deal? Afterall, you're never too young to be thankful, right?

In addition to a slew of new goods on sale in the shop, visit the Cards section for tons of cool cards you can use to let people know you're thankful for them, there for them, love them and support them, EVERY DAY!

And of course, if you're looking for a sweet deal-- maybe you'll want to stock up for NEXT Christmas with some adorable ornaments? Everything in the HOLIDAY section of my shop is an additional 40% off if you use this very special code in the Message to Seller section at checkout. Code: "BLOG40". Due to volume of sales, I can only honor the discount if you include the code, so remember: BLOG40.

Happy Shopping... and happy new EVERY DAY!
xoxo, danamarie

Happy Holidays!

it had to be done.

happy holidays folks!
xoxo, danamarie

cool moms know...

(colored by the littlest bean herself! image courtesy of mama to the bean, jenmenkhaus)

Say Thanks the handmade way! my blank winter themed Knitimal greeting cards were spotted on CoolMomPicks! These super sweet cards are a great way to reflect on the bounty of the holidays & get kids involved in the act of saying "THANKS!".

many thanks, shop update & giveaway!

How could I possibly wrap up EVERY show I've been to in the past month? I couldn't... Suffice to say, I am SO thankful for all of you, who make a real effort to shop local and spread love throughout your communities, by buying art and gifting the handmade. I couldn't do what I do without your constant and generous support.

This year has been jam packed with wonderful opportunities, press, praise & warm feedback. And, as soon as I have a chance to do so, I will share some of those wonderful stories with you!

The constant "packing up, setting up, breaking down, repeat" of the past few weeks has really afforded me some good exercise and a lot of time to reflect on the work I do. It's tedious, time consuming & often difficult, but always totally worth it. So thank you!

I managed to move most of my stock (a good and bad thing as I look ahead to what promises to be a VERY busy spring) but...now that the show season is behind us, i'm stocking up the shop like crazy! There's something for everyone in there ( i promise). Now's a great time to relax and take advantage of all sales & special offers floating around out there in cyber space, and greenstarstudio is no exception!

Looking for a last minute gift, or just the opportunity to shop from the comfort of your own home? maybe you saw some things you liked at a show, but didn't snatch them up right away... well, have no fear!

I'll be shipping (via first class mail for small items & priority mail for knitimals & large orders) EVERYDAY thru 12/24, so it's not too late to get something great!

AND, as a special thanks, for all your support this season, if you mention the code: "FREETREE" in your message to seller at checkout, you'll get a FREE knitimal ornament thrown in too! This is an offer available only to blog & newsletter readers, so do make sure you include the code when you check out, in order to take advantage of the giveaway. (Orders must be placed by 12/24 to take advantage of the ornament giveaway).

Happy Holidays!

xoxo, danamarie

More Shows this weekend!

I can't believe I still have two more shows on my holiday calendar!

it's been a very busy season. Lucky for all of us, though, there's still plenty of good stuff to be found!

"Yes, there's another chance to shop handmade for the holidays in the Baltimore area. The Squidfire Art Mart moves from its original location at the Lyric Theater to a larger arena, the DuBurns Arena on Boston Street in Canton.This event is this Saturday, December 12 from 11 - 6. This new space not only has parking but guarantees more vendors that get to have a 10 ' X 10' space! Look for more mini- boutiques instead of just table top stores! Members from BEST that will be participating in this show include greenstarstudio, dandelion blu, thebrokenplate,sugar paperie, sweetpepita, jennyjen42, Yummy & Company,worndress, jenmenkhaus, Lana Bella, JerseyGirlDesign, CEK Custom Designs, & Tlane."

(thanks JennyJen42 for the post!)

And if that's still not enough-- your last chance to get greenstargoods (in person) is Sunday, December 13th at Last Minute Maul, at School 33! 10-5pm, 1427 Light Street. Phew!