Make a Knack!

I just wanted to share with you an innovative new gift company that I am proud to have Watermelon Party a part of - Knack.  

Knack offers the chance to create little parcels that include exactly the items you want which are all artfully arranged in the container you choose.  It is then delivered with a personalized gift tag. An even cooler option is that you can get in on a "Group Knack".  Say you and your office pals want to get a group gift for a dear co-worker.  Just go to Knack and you can all pick out an item and contribute $ for the gift - way more thoughtful than just a bouquet of flowers right?!  It's a fun shopping experience and you'll be creating a truly unforgettable gift.

For a limited time, you can include a Watermelon Party Snowman Surprise Ball in your custom created Knack!

New Creation for 2016! Dog and Cat Calendars

Dog and Cat Desk Calendars now available in my Etsy shop at MAnnMCreations.Etsy.com.

Made using paper mache and cardboard.  Refill calendars will be made available yearly.

Parcel ~ Montclair, NJ

I was FINALLY able to make it to New Jersey this past weekend to visit my friend Nancy and her wonderful store PARCEL.  In their new location across the street they have even more space to display their seemingly endless supply of unique treasures.  The rustic original exposed ceilings make the store feel like it has been there forever and it suits the general style of the store.

I visited each shelf and display table at least twice.  It felt like each time I went by I saw something different.  There was so much to look at!

I came home with a huge paper flower, a giraffe calendar, two pink vintage paper flowers, a chirping bird pencil sharpener, a paper and leather match-holder boot, a handmade paper folder and a little felt hat.

If you can't make it to the store visit the website for more photos and a list of workshops!

www.shopparcel.com

New Surprise Balls Designs ~ Available at HeART by Hand

New Doughnut and Cupcake Surprise Ball Designs.  Available only at Heart by Hand, Brooklyn, NY.

HeART by Hand

​172 GREENPOINT AVE.

BROOKLYN, NY 11222

Crown Surprise Balls and Castle Music Box

These will be available for purchase in my shops in November.

Humpty Dumpty Makeover

I wasn't completely happy with the original Humpty Dumpty Surprise Ball I made.  After a few days of trying to figure out what he needed,  I gave him a makeover.  He has been distressed to look vintage, I removed his nose, and he has been given a hat.  Humpty Dumpty is finally available for purchase at my ETSY shop.

Holly's Heart By Hand

M Ann M Creations and Watermelon Party can now be found at Holly's Heart By Hand in Brooklyn, NY!  If you are in the Greenpoint area of Brooklyn, please stop by this lovely shop to see my creations in person.  Also available in this collaborative is art and handmade items from other Etsy NY Team members.

As I was packing up my things to bring to the store, my daughter said she wants to sell art too.  We chose this beautiful original she made when she was 5 years old.  Made using oil pastel crayons and colored pencil, mounted on signed bright purple paper, entitled "Delilah's Flower".

Mad Tea Party 2015

To celebrate this year's Mad Tea Party hosted by A Fanciful Twist, I have made two special surprise balls.

This deluxe Surprise Ball is made using crepe paper to resemble a delicious 6" cupcake of chocolate cake, vanilla frosting, chocolate sprinkles and a cherry on top all wrapped in a pink & blue polka dot lining.  Mad Tea Party goers and Blog readers get FREE SHIPPING! on a Cupcake Surprise Ball order using code:  CupcakeShipFree

Also, introducing a new, limited edition Deluxe Surprise Ball design - Humpty Dumpty.  Humpty Dumpty measures over 10" tall and is made to serve as a keepsake container as the "egg yolk" surprise ball is inside Humpty Dumpty.  Only 6 Humpty Dumpty Surprise Balls will be available for purchase on Etsy on August 21st.

Surprise Ball Special Prizes

Customers interested in buying Surprise Balls often ask me what is inside of them, so to better assist you all I created an FAQ page on my website including pictures of prize examples.  Click here to read the FAQ's.

Every now and then I include a prize in a Surprise Ball that I made myself or that I take from my personal collection of little things.  Here are pictures of the latest prizes that you might get in your next order!  But I can't promise that you will, it's a SURPRISE! 

Handmade Prizes - Clown Bears and Pixie Dust Jars

Personal collection of little things on display in my studio - New, Vintage and Handmade

In the studio: Ballerina art doll

In the studio: commissioned art doll.

Etsy Craft Party and FREE Stick Puppet Kit

I met nice people and had great sales at the Etsy HQ Craft Party in DUMBO this past Saturday. The Etsy headquarters staff made the vendors and the local community feel welcome and they encouraged creativity under the beautiful Manhattan Bridge Archway on what turned out to be a pretty sunny day.

If you didn't get a chance to stop by my table and take home a free stick puppet kit, I still have some left over to giveaway.

If you'd like to have one mailed to you, visit my ETSY shop and pay just $0.75 for shipping & handling.  These are the same stick puppets that were created for the Governors Island Craft Workshops Event in 2013.   You can read more about it here.

Meet me June 6 at Etsy Headquarters Craft Party!

Every year, people from around the world come together and attend locally organized Etsy Craft Parties to meet new members of their community, craft, and inspire each other. This year, the Etsy HQ Craft Party will be located near Etsy headquarters in DUMBO, Brooklyn and will include a market featuring Etsy sellers from the Etsy NY Team. Along with the market, there will be great music, a bar, food trucks and crafting galore!

M Ann M Creations will be one of 16 Etsy NY Team members invited to vend for this special event. Stop by and say hi to receive a free gift!

The Archway Under the Manhattan Bridge

50 Adams St.

Brooklyn, NY

Saturday, June 6, 2015

12-4 p.m.

Fete Paradiso returning to New York!

Yay!  Fete Paradiso announced this month that they are returning to New York City this summer!

Fete Paradiso is the world’s first traveling festival of vintage carnival rides and carousels.  The rare, museum-quality collection, which includes a diverse array of attractions from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, such as carousels, flying swings and a pipe organ are made available for the public to ride and enjoy every weekend in the summer.

They will most likely be returning to Governors Island but check their facebook page for exact dates and location.

Here are a few pictures I took from my last unforgettable visit.

A bicycle carousel from the late 19th century – one of only two in the world that were created in Paris to encourage the use of what was then the new mode of transportation – the bicycle.  This ride was tiring as it is solely powered by it's riders.  But once we all got into rhythm it went faster than any merry go round I've ever been on.

An early 20th century Music-Hall Ball Guzzler, a carnival game that features life-size caricatures of Josephine Baker, Charlie Chaplin and other celebrities of the time.

All of Fête Paradiso’s historic amusements will be painstakingly constructed by a French family of artisans who specialize in repairing and constructing museum-quality carousels. The group will be flown to New York to build the attraction, which will be enjoyed by visitors of all ages.