Portrait of the Young Artist's Husband Minding the Shop

Another international visitor to the LA MUSE KALLIOPÊ Union Square Holiday Market Shop. Vladimir used a camera rather than a video. Still a terrific result!

Vlad is currently working on a project (kinda secret) that he hopes will become an exhibition soon. You can see what he is up to here.



WannBe Dragon Monsters invade YouTube

One of the advantages of setting up shop at the Union Square Holiday Market is the ability to reach a varied and international audience. One such visitor was Mahmood. He liked the WannaBe Dragon Monsters and their story so much he asked to video them. The result is this terrific look at the WannaBe Dragon Monsters and all the other Les Musettes families!

Thanks Mahmood. You can check out Mahmood's blog here.



LMK USQ: Design to Reality

When thinking about "the look" for the LA MUSE KALLIOPÊ Shop at the Union Square Holiday Markets we wanted something that fully encompassed the Wondrous World of Les Musettes. Where all the Les Musettes, from the original Offy to the newest Unicornettes and the best-selling WannaBe Dragon Monsters, can all co-exist in peace, love, and happness. A Musette World that is warm and invites YOU into their world. A Shop that transfers you to a good place where making that connection to your personal Lil' Muse is not only possible but exciting.

Jean had lots of ideas but they all centered on the above theme. After narrowing the choices (functionality plus feasibility needed to be considered) here was the final sketch.

Design in hand came the process of making it work. Buying lumber and tools, procuring necessary accessories, and finding the time to do it right all the while producing inventory to sell within the Shop. With the pre-work completed it was time to actually build it. Three days (one day in the rain!) of painting and assembly and hanging lights and leveling wall hangings all came to fruition.

We hope you'll come visit us and enter the Wondrous World of Les Musettes!

Remember the Union Square Holiday Market opens TODAY November 16!  

HOLIDAY SEASON SHOPPING!!!!

The Holidays are quickly approaching. LA MUSE KALLIOPÊ is ready!

Here is a quick reminder where LA MUSE KALLIOPÊ and Les Musettes can be found. 

We are working hard to handcraft these one-of-a-kind creations and have them ready to be placed under the tree or in the stocking!

As always you can find where we will be or where Les Musettes are sold by checking out our Events Calender

• This is the third year that Les Musettes will be exhibited at the Annual Celebration of American Crafts. We are proud to announce that this year  LA MUSE KALLIOPÊ is one of the featured artists! 
• After a successful Holiday Market at Columbus Circle last season as part of the LIl' New Yorker Shop, LA MUSE KALLIOPÊ has moved on to their own Shop at Union Square this year! Come visit and see new designs of Dragon Monsters and brand new creations to boot!
• Bungalow Blue is a fantastic gallery In Larchmont with all sorts of inspired items which are eco-friendly, upcycled, reccycled and just plain cool.   
• Our WannaBe Dragon Monsters are created with felt from recycled plastic bottles. We also use scrap fabric in many of the creations. We were very happy that Bungalow Blue wants our product in their shop. Very cool. 
• Come visit us at Union Square and ask us about our efforts to incorporate reccyled and scrap material and find out how you can get a custom-made Les Musettes from your old clothes and/or fabric!
• For those outside of the Tri-State area who can't pick a Les Musettes in person, visit our Etsy Shop to order your very own Les Musettes. Or just email us. Thanks! 

Creative Arts Workshop

44th Annual Celebration of American Crafts 

80 Audubon Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06510

October 27 - December 24, 2012

Mon to Sat 11 - 6
Thursdays 11 - 8
Sundays 1 - 5
December 24, 11 - 2


The Holiday Market at Union Square
Union Square, NYC

November 16 - December 24, 2012
(Closed Thanksgiving Day)

Monday – Friday, 11:00am to 8:00pm

Saturday, 10:00am to 8:00pm

Sunday, 11:00am to 7:00pm

Monday, December 24th closes at 4:00pm

Bungalow Blue Gallery Boutique
Bungalow BLUE is a Gallery and Shop featuring beautiful art and fashionable and edgy useful items that are created through upcycling and repurposing reclaimed, recycled and natural materials.  We support artists who believe in the philosophy that all things made by man can have a second life as art, home decor, fashion accessories, jewelry, and more.

150 Larchmont Avenue,

Larchmont NY 10538

(914) 834-0302

Bungalow Blue

Bungalow Blue is a great gallery boutique located in Larchmont, NY. ...and we are not saying that because you can find WannaBe Dragon Monsters living there!

Bungalow Blue has loads of nifty and crafty upcycled and recyclked goods!

If you find yourself in Larchmont, stop in and say hi to Dusty and the Dragon Monsters. Once you step inside we are sure you will stay a while.

Jean recently hosted a sachet-making workshop there and fun was had by everyone!

Check it out!



Sachet fun for everyone! Yay!



Hoboken Fall 2012 Arts and Music Festival - TOMORROW!

Hoboken Fall Arts & Music Festival

 Come join the fun! New WannaBe Dragon Monsters will be available tomorrow. New designs, new sizes, same old ferocious cuteness!!!

Exciting Upcoming Events!

The Upcoming Events page has been updated! The LMK Calendar is full. We are looking forward to an exciting and fabulous Fall and Holiday season. 

A couple notes:

• The BTJ Handmade Gift Shops on Governor's Island has been extended until September 30!! Last chance to visit beautiful Governor's Island and purchase great handmade items before the island closes for the year! What are you waiting for?

• On September 30 LMK will be in Hoboken. If you end up by the Starbucks on Washington Street, you'll be sure to find us. The Hoboken Arts and Music Festival is always a great time. Come check it out!! 

• LMK will be a featured artist at the Creative Arts Workshop 44th Annual Celebration of American Crafts Exhibition! Begins the end of October and goes until Christmas Eve! If you find yourself in New Haven,please check out this wonderful organization. So much great art on display. Excellent Christmas gifts!

• The new addition to the Upcoming Event is The Holiday Market at Union Square. LMK will have our own booth. Lots of Musettes. Loads of WannaBe Dragon Monsters. It's a great atmosphere, full of Holiday cheer and throngs of shoppers, tourists, and assorted gawkers. A real New York experience and one that LMK is happy to be part of. Come visit on these cold days and warm your heart with a Musette. (Bring hot chocolate to keep us warm, too!!)

• As always you can find LMK in the comfort of your own home at out Etsy Shop.

• All LMK products are 100% Handmade. Some recycled and organic materials available as well as our signature lines of designer fabrics. LMK is locate din nearby Jersey City, home of other great artists!



Christmas In July Sale at LMK ETSY Shop!

You heard right - it's Christmas time!! Don't sweat the heat!! Cool off in an air conditioned room and check out our 20% off Christmas In July Sale!!!

Find your favorite Les Musettes, including the new look WannaBe Dragon Monsters, and use Coupon Code JULY2012 during checkout in the LMK ETSY Shop!

With great fanfare and even greater success the new design of WannaBe Dragon Monster hits the LMK ETSY Shop.

Cyclops Blue Houndstooth WannaBe Dragon Monster sporting the new design.

Watchoo lookin' at?...Just enjoying the new design WannaBe Dragon Monsters!

You traditionalists don't fret none. The classic design WannaBe Dragon Monsters are still available!!

Classic!

Classic Cyclops!

Plus Baby Dragon Monsters and Ninja Dragon Monsters!!

Interactive - check!

Cute yet ferocious - check!

Inspirational - check!

LMK Etsy Shop. WannaBe Dragon Monsters. Christmas In July Sale.

Nothing more to be said.

Ninja Baby Dragon Monster Galore!!!

A popular item in the new design for WannaBe Dragon Monsters has been the Ninja Baby Dragon Monsters!

Great new design! Great new colors! Each made with a loop so you can use it as a keychain or a bag charm or just to have hanging around at all times!!

All these Ninja Baby Dragon Monsters and more can be found at our ETSY Shop right now!

Check out the "I Heart You" Ninja Baby Dragon Monster!

Brown with Green Polka Dots and Pink Swirl. Extremely smart looking!

Climbing the stairway of love with a Yellow and "I Heart You" Baby Ninja Dragon Monster.

LMK Sachet Making Workshop at Better Than Jam Summer Handmade Gift Shop on Governor's Island!!!

Come join LMK (which means lil' ole' me) Saturday, July 7 2012 for a 

Sachet Making With Scraps Workshop!!!

Better Than Jam 
Summer Handmade Gifts Shop
Governors Island, NY 

12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

 

Cut your own fabric design, pick your scent, and stuff!!

Fun, fun, pleasantly smelling fun!!

Here's what you can make!! Sorry, no smello-vision so you only get a visual. But imagine walking through the French countryside while the lavender is blooming! Now, you got the idea!

LMK Card Making Workshop at Better Than Jam Summer Handmade Gift Shop on Governor's Island!!!

Tomorrow is the FREE card making workshop!!!!

Join me as I put the handmade touch on card making.
Learn to look beyond what you see. Let's take a trip with the eyes of our creative mind.

Go from this

to this

It all happens:

June 30
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Better Than Jam Summer Handmade Gifts Shop

Governors Island, NY 

Whew!

The summer arts & craft fair season is dwindling to an end for LMK!

It was a tremendously busy and successful May and a positive June.

That doesn't mean we have stopped.

You can still find your favorite Musettes at BTJ Handmade Gift Shop on Governor's Island all summer long.

We may also be showing up at other stores soon. No more talk... you know about the best laid plans....


The ETSY Shop is always open for business.

And in the meantime we are working on new designs and expanding the Les Musettes universe for the Fall and Holidays Market in 2012!

Thanks for being part of it!!

Yeti Kath

Yeti Kath now lives with us among all the Musettes. She fits right in. Another fuzzy faced Musette.

Yeti finding rest in the kitchen.

Awww, Yeti Kath

While renting we could not have pets (well, we could but it was an extra monthly charge and then we heard they kept lots of the deposit fee for clean-up) but we knew we would get a cat when we moved.

Jean began looking at rescue sites. One day she saw Yeti's face and knew she had to have her. The only glitch was we still had a month to go on our lease.

Jean and I picked her up at Social Tees Animal Rescue in the East Village. We were bringing her to my brother's house for safe keeping along with their three other cats. Since it is assumed that she is a Himalyan mix, I proposed to name her Yeti. Jean was unsure and she wasn't the only one who thought Yeti was too masculine a name. Other names were thrown out there but none stuck.

Yeti circling her food bowl like a shark

Yeti began to grow as a name to everyone who knew her. She looked like a Yeti, acted like a Yeti, hid like a Yeti, bit like a Yeti (personal experience), and overall was Yeti. Jean added her middle name Kath in honor of Kathmandu hoping that Yeti Kath sounded a bit softer than plain ole' Yeti. But Yeti is it.

Yeti has been a great addition to the house. She picks up our spirits and enlivens the day. She loves the Hamilton Park neighborhood in Jersey City and enjoys walks in the park whenever she can.

Meow, Meow

Yeti pondering the meaning of life during a stroll in Hamilton Park

Thanks, Yeti Kath.

Not Yo' Mama's Musettes 2012

LMK will be at the Not Yo Moma's 4th Annual Blow Out Bash 2012 on Saturday June 12.

The day is looking to be wonderful - sunny and 80!

Begin the summer months with us in the Powerhouse Distrct!

 

The HUGE capper to the NYM Blitzcraft 2012 will be 3 blocks long. Just het yourself behind the SHoprite and BJ's and you won't miss it. 

Offically, the exact location is on Provost Street between 2nd Street & Bay Street AND First Street, between 2nd Street and Warren Street.

Just follow the fun and you'll find it!

ALL SUMMER LONG

Here is where to find your favorite Musette - is it a WannaBe Dragon Monster or a Haiku or a Ninja Dragon Monster?

Yours to find all summer long. 

Take the ferry and explore beautiful, historical Governor's Island! You'll be glad you did.

 WEEKENDS

MAY 26 - SEPTEMBER 3

10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Better Than Jam 

Summer Handmade Gifts Shop

Governors Island, NY 

 

Memorial Day Weekend - Come celebrate Filipno Culture with LMK

 On Sunday, May 27 LMK will be a vendor at the 34th Annual Santacruzan Flores de Mayo Street Festival. This is one of the largest celebrations of Filipno culture in the tri-state area. 

Come pick up a Dragon Monster and eat delicious Filipno food and listen to music all day long!! 

Sunday, May 27, 2012

2nd Street Between Erie and Marin

Jersey City, NJ

10:00 AM - 8:00 PM

For more information take a peek at this great article from the Jersey City Independent.

Ninja Dragon Monsters and WannaBe Dragon Monsters and other Les Musettes join forces to fight cancer!

Donation of Les Musettes to Music Against Myeloma 2012 MAM NYC

Music Against Myeloma 2012 - Rock & Socks to Cure Cancer is today.

Please join us to make a better tomorrow. http://www.indiegogo.com/Music-Against-Myeloma

Music Against Myeloma
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
7:00PM – 10:00PM
BLVD @199 Bowery
Music: Eclectic Method, Canon Logic, Natalie Gelman

Busy May Continues...

The busy May continues for LMK. 

But we wouldn't have it any other way. 

This weekend and Memorial Day weekend. 

2 more shows until the end of the month!

Come visit if you can!!

Check out the upcoming events page for more information!! 

                                Saturday, May 19, 2012

Everything Jersey City Festival
Central Avenue Shopping District
Jersey City Heights

Historic Governors Island!

This summer be sure to visit historic Governors Island!

LMK and a whole bunch of other great, one-of-a-kind handmade items will be found at the Better Than Jam Summer Handmade Gifts Shop.

 WEEKENDS
MAY 26 - SEPTEMBER 3
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Better Than Jam 
Summer Handmade Gifts Shop

Governors Island, NY

This summer, the Bushwick boutique, Better Than Jam is once again journeying to the historic Governors Island, and bringing the creations of New York City's most talented artists and crafters. From May 26 through September 3, one of the island's historic apartment buildings will be filled with the work of local designers, artists, and crafts people, who have turned their creative eye toward the island just off the shores of Manhattan and Brooklyn for inspiration.

In coming to Governors Island, Better Than Jam hopes to create context around artisanal processes and inspiration. Better Than Jam’s gift shop will complement and add to the Island’s growing popularity, allowing visitors to take home a tangible memento from their Governors Island visit—a souvenir that was designed and crafted with the island in mind. With the help of the Etsy New York Team, the shop will also host demonstrations and workshops on Saturdays, to show and teach visitors some of their skills.

Short History of Governors Island
The Native Americans of the Manhattan region referred to the island as Pagganck ("Nut Island") after the Island's plentiful hickory, oak, and chestnut trees. In June of 1637 it was purchased by the Dutch and was called Noten Eylan . In 1664, the English captured New York, and took the island, however, the island switched hands between the British and the Dutch over the next 10 years until
the British regained exclusive control of the island for the "benefit and accommodation of His Majesty's Governors,” and officially it became Governors Island in 1784. Defensive works were raised on the island in 1776 by Continental Army troops during the
American Revolutionary War, and fired upon British ships before falling into enemy hands. From 1783 to 1966, the island was a United States Army post. From 1966 to 1996 the island served as a major United States Coast Guard installation. On January
19, 2001, 22 acres of the Island was proclaimed a National Monument, and in 2003, the remaining 150 acres of the island was transferred to the State of New York for a nominal fee of $1.

Baby Dragon Monsters - what don't they do?

Everyone loves a Baby Dragon Monster (BDM). Each one unique and comes equipped with their very own individualized charming personality. But it doesn't end there:

Each BDM is interactive. You give yours its wish of creative, fun spikes by making your own wishes and designing your BDM's spikes any way you want!

GLOW-IN-THE-DARK FANGS! "Nuff said.

  Cute as all get out. (Ferocious too!)

A BDM stands on its tippy-toes to increase it's Musebility

BDM is small and compact. So much fun in such a diminutive package.












Each BDM has a hand-sewn hoop that a keyring or bag charm or any ole type of hanging device canbe attached. So easy to have your BDM with you at all times!

Some BDM are trained in the secret art of the  Ninja!

You can find a baby Dragon  Monster on baby clothes!! Still interactive and always adorable!










 


We are sure there is a Baby Dragon Monster just waiting for you. Out there. Somewhere. Make your wishes come true with a Baby Dragon Monster!

MAY DAY!! MAY DAY!!

Busy May for LMK! But we wouldn't have it any other way!

Come visit us like you are voting at Tammany Hall -  early and often!!

 MAY 2012

Saturday, May 5, 2012 

Spring Handmade Cavalcade

Littlefield, 622 Degraw Street

Brooklyn, NY btwn 3rd/4th Avenues

Sunday, May 6, 2012 

Hoboken Arts & Music Festival

11am to 6pm

 

presented by Mayor Dawn Zimmer and The City of Hoboken

takes place on Washington St.
between Observer Highway to 7th St.

Over 300 Artists, Crafters, Photographers,

Sculptors, Local Businesses, Restaurants,

Food Vendors, local non-profits & more
Rain or shine – Admission is Free

With 3 Stages of live music

Saturday, May 12, 2012 

Not Yo Mama's

“Parks&Crafts” 

 Beautiful Historic Downtown Van Vorst Park 

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Everything Jersey City Festival

Central Avenue Shopping District

Jersey City Heights

LMK is "Springing" to Action!

A weekend to catch our breath...and then off to Brooklyn and Hoboken!

The Spring Craft Fairs have begun in earnest!

See our Upcoming Events page for more info!

SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012

SUNDAY, MAY 6