Earthy Mama – Bonsai and terrariums from Daniel Brennan and Fines Herbs, Mosaic Annie garden turtle
Bookie mama – Kindle and Ipad 2 covers by Emzi and Sew It Girl, One Delightful Button paperclip bookmark
Lovely glass from Jonathan McKee and Joshua Solomon
Itsy Designs oversized bag with removable zipper pouch, Kelly Dietrich Designs mandala pocket mirror, Happy Felties card case, Poochtags keychain.
Hey you…yeah you. You’ve procrastinated and now you’re stuck for Mother’s Day. Well, Kitsch is coming to your rescue! On Saturday, we’ll be having a free(well, if you wanna kick in a buck or two for the supplies, we won’t argue) make and take – paint Mom up a mini masterpiece(with magnets for easy fridgeability!) to warm her heart…While you’re at it(or if you’re not in the DIY mood) We’ve got a little gifty guide for you…
PT 1 (Pt 2 tomorrow 
)
The keys to Mom’s heart(natch) Necklace by Salvaged Love, pillow by Impressed, found object key art by Sheila.
Mod sport Mom- Triangle necklace by Gymbohanna, Magic Dirt Tshirt, Stitchhouse pin, Scarf by Lightning Bug Creations, Scooter bag by Nicole Lee Designs, shark embellished skirt from Dreamfly.
Modern Nautical Mom – Luna rosa earrings, Ugly Kitty Redeux necklace, hand printed mermaid tshirt from Dandelion Dream.
Tea party! Clutch from 23 hearts, Tea bag carrier and cup wrap from Sew It Girl, organic lavender lemon tea from Seven Oaks Lavender Farm.
Sterling cluster ring from Angie Van Dyke, matching earrings and ring – dahlia petals set in sterling silver by My Precious Studio, tree of life pendant by Mya’s Jewelry Box, cuff bracelet From Heather’s Hands, sterling and glass earrings by Bad Cat Jewelry.
Art Lovin’ Mama – print from Heather Donis Designs, Photography by Marite, Dreamfly and Sophia’s Lament, hand pulled woodblock print from Horse and Hare.
The crafty mama – Original Cyn cupcake pincushion, CJ’s Sparkles stitch markers, Nutty Nutmeg recycled yarn, Trivet by Chris Griffin Pascuzzi, and don’t you think a gift certificate for a Kitsch class would be nice?
More lovely ideas for Mom tomorrow night!
-KR
We’re in love with the new work on the walls. It’s all by Amanda Page Stephens, a Norfolk native that works in the oh – so non traditional mediums of coffee, tea, cigarettes, Betadine soap and whatever else she can get her hands on to stain up a canvas.
Brought up in an artistic environment and attending the Governors School for the Arts, Amanda studied at TCC, ODU and the Art Institute of Chicago. She has the distinction of being the youngest artist to be accepted into the Irene Leach Exhibition at the Chrysler Museum. She is currently a part of the Studio Artist Program at the Hermitage and is a huge advocate of the artistic community in the 757, curating art shows at the Belmont House of Smoke, most recently “Cus I Like It”.
We’ll be hosting an opening reception this Friday, May 11 from 5-8 for Amanda (and then we’ll be continuing a great art night by heading to this at the Pagoda…
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We’re so stinking proud of our co-owner, Ashley Pickin! She’s now the proud owner of not only Kitsch and Pic-N-Paint(The best dern face and body painting in Hampton Roads!), but a brand spanking new degree from ODU! She has her senior solo up for the next week at the shop. ALL MADE FROM BALLOONS. See, her fiance is this guy. So there are a LOT of bright, colorful balloons lying around – many deflated and broken and looking for a new purpose. And an art medium is born. We’re particularly in love with Latex Stalagtite Tipped in Gold – 4 feet’s worth – thousands of balloons, all tipped in gold paint – and Para Pinata(Para is the name of the South American tree that latex comes from) – a practically huggable rainbow ball…Deflated will be hanging at the shop for about another week!
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We’ve got a new featured artist on the wall, Markus Fussell! Local folks may know him as the guitarist for Shinerunner, from Guitar Center, or from his great space themed paintings that we’re stoked to have hanging at the shop right now! We’ll be having an opening reception for him on Friday, March 23rd, from 7-9 – and weather permitting, he’ll be out on the sidewalk at 5 on Saturday the 24th demoing his process! Stop on by and check it out!
From Markus:
Hello my name is Markus Fussell and I am a spray paint artist. I paint using only spray paint, random tools, paper and plastic on poster board, foam board and sometimes canvas. Started spraying back in high school, doing mostly stencil pieces and some graffiti. Did that for a few years and eventually stopped to play music. Started back again in 2002 doing stencil pieces. In 2004 I saw an artist on the streets of NY using only spray paint, doing amazing scenes from outer space and planets. I was blown away! Came home the next week and started myself. Since then, I have done pieces here and there, eventually getting bored. In 2010 I saw the new TRON movie and, oddly enough, got really inspired to paint again and have not stopped since! I really wanted to recreate scenes from that movie along with a new style of spray paint art.
Click on a thumbnail above to see the work bigger!
You can also find out more about Markus at www.wix.com/civilyen/fuss and his video art at www.youtube.com/civilyen
Well, Kitsch’s Grand Opening weekend has come and gone, but WOW, we are still reeling from the excitement and genuine enthusiasm showered upon our little corner of Ghent. Hundreds of people turned out this past weekend to welcome Kitsch into the big scary world of retail, and they had nothing but nice things to say!
All of the ladies behind Kitsch just want to take a moment to say “thank you” to all of the amazingly beautiful and wonderful people for coming out and supporting this crazy little idea of ours. You have no idea how much we appreciate it, or how much you have helped all of the crafters and artists in our shop by purchasing local, handmade goods. In fact, that very sentiment was heard over and over all weekend and it seems that everyone can appreciate supporting our local economy.
We would also like to thank all of the great folks who came out to help entertain and mesmerize the masses with their talents and skill. Thank you to Skye Zentz, Hipnotic Belly Dance, the Brocket siblings, Cynthia Anderson, Hazel Rowe, Just Cupcakes and all of our amazing artists for making our grand opening truly an event to be seen and experienced.
Don’t think for a second though that Kitsch is finished, far from it! We are now in the planning and scheduling stages of our very own series of Kitsch Classes for adults and not-quite-adults, and we hope to see everyone there! These classes will be a great opportunity for you to finally learn a skill that you’ve always wanted to try, or freshen up an old skill that may have gotten a little rusty. Stay tuned for a listing of classes here on the site!
NOW, check out some fantastic pics from our Grand Opening weekend!
~Ashley Pickin
The store on opening day! How exciting!
A couple of cuties checking out the merchandise!
Kitschy lady Vicki, teaching shoppers how to make their own fabric fortune cookies! They were a hit!
Charles with his new mustache pillow.
Hipnotic, dancing it up with our friend Hollywood.
Hazel, demoing how to spin fibers on a drop spindle. We just happen to also sell the drop spindles that she makes in the shop!
A Kitschy family showing off their new Virginia pillow purchase!
All of the Ladies behind the scenes of Kitsch. From left to right we have Vicki, Kristen, Marie, Ashley, and Michelle!
Things are really coming together! We have heat! A phone number! New inventory arrives daily! If the rain ever stops, we’ll have a sign! We’ve been so overwhelmed by the support and excitement that the community has given us – really makes us feel welcome and that this was an idea who’s time had come…:) We’re so very looking forward to the Grand Opening weekend festivities next weekend, 11-7 on Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday- music, refreshments, demos, make and takes, a raffle, and some great shopping!
Check out these awesome soft sculpture dolls from Silent Orchid!
or not. But the news is so exciting! We will be open, starting February 25th at 11 am! Join us all weekend (11-7 on Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday) for shopping some great things made by real, factual humans in Virginia, making stuff of your own, buskers, makers demonstrating their craft and more! We’re still working out the details, but it’s sure to be a blast! If you are a local crafter that would like to do a demo, a busker that would like to play, or have any questions, please contact us at kitschva@gmail.com.
Over the last several days, our artists have been bringing us their work, showing us new stuff their working on, we’ve been painting store displays, getting the heat fixed – and soon, we’ll actually have an honest to goodness phone number and be in the phone book! (Then we’ll BE somebody!) (ok for those of NOT over 30, go watch “The Jerk”. Right now. You won’t be sorry) Sorry. I’m kind of giddy- just soooo excited!
We still have a lot of work to be done, but it’s getting there!
In the mean time, go see Vicki at Five Points Farm Market on Sunday the 12th from 1-5- she’ll be there with the supplies to make cute little Valentines crafts! For free!
Much love,
-KR
PS: Sneak peek at a few of the goods…:)
Ohmigosh. So much work to be done. LOVING every minute, though. The shop’s well on it’s way to being fully painted…beginning to meet with the artists(meeting new people, yay!)(btw, y’all, I’m meeting with a jewelry artist on Monday that shares studio space with a taxidermist…HOW COOL IS THAT?)…Eventually, I’ll even get our mugs up on here so you can meet the partners in crime behind this operation.
Speaking of artists, we’re loving the response we’re getting, but since we’re greedy and all…WE WANT TO SEE MORE!
Especially want to see wearables(hand pulled screen tshirts/clothing, redesigned/refashioned clothes, Virginia fashion designers), housewares/tableware, pet stuff, funky cool stationary, and possibly something we never knew we needed?
Thank you all for your support in this journey Michelle, Vicki, Marie, Ashley and I are taking…we can’t wait to get this thing in the air!
Much love,
Kristen (KR)
Things are still being pulled together at Kitsch, a brand spankin’ new shop brimming with the love of the handmade, soon to open in the heart of the Ghent neighborhood in Norfolk, VA.
The shop will be stocked with things made exclusively by talented people who live in VA! We’ll be holding workshops and classes and providing a place for the creative community to just come hang out and get inspired.
We are currently taking applications for funky, fresh, Virginia makers of awesome! See that tab at the top of the page that says “Consignment Application”? If you make stuff and would like to sell it, apply!
