Why We Love Boston in Winter

We're fast approaching December 21st, the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year and the astronomical beginning of winter. With wind chill temps in the single digits here in Boston, it sure feels like winter. This here Texan still finds the Boston winter trying at times, but more than anything, I try to enjoy it for the warm comfort foods and drinks, the beautiful snow, and the chance to actually use warm, cozy, knit clothing. Talented designer Jessica Hische certainly captured the best of the season in these illustrations that ran in the Boston Globe:













We'll take all six, please! Buy theses Giclee prints from Jessica's store, and don't miss her illustrative initial every day, or her design and illustration portfolio. Thanks to our friend and logo designer Ricky Ferrer for introducing us to Jessica's work!

Shift Your Shopping with the 10% Shift

How local is your holiday shopping list? As we all scramble to finish finding gifts for our loved ones, it's easy to go online and click to order from far-away warehouses, but is it the best way to support our communities? Check out Shift Your Shopping, a Cambridge- and Somerville-based initiative that encourages folks to support local economies by shifting 10% of their total purchases this season to businesses, non-profits, and artists in nearby neighborhoods.

From the Shift site: a New Orleans study found that "local retailers have twice the local economic impact in our communities, while consuming a fraction of the land area." That's a pretty big deal! When you support a local business, you help to create and sustain jobs and protect the environment. You also get great, personalized customer service, and a unique purchase out of the deal that will be appreciated by your friends and family.

Some of the businesses that are part of the Shift Your Shopping initiative are ones we frequent for a variety of things:

Grand for well-designed, locally made gifts, like, a-hem, Chroma Lab clocks and furniture.

Cambridge Naturals for natural body and home care products (the only place I've seen Tom's of Maine Bay-Lime scented sensitive care deodorant, which I fully and wholeheartedly endorse).

Greenward for an awesome selection of 100% eco-friendly goods, like locally made Preserve recycled tupperware, of which we have a rather enormous collection.

Veggie Planet for massive, vegetarian, yet delicious enough for meat-eaters pizzas and baked dishes (plus live music!).

Porter Square Books for a good tea-and-a-book sit down during your shopping adventures.

Brattle Theatre, the legendary cinema in Harvard Square that regularly hosts viewings of new, classic, and art-house films and has gift cards. Our favorite Brattle experience was seeing Talking Heads' concert film Stop Making Sense on Alicia's birthday a few years ago, when an audience member dressed as David Byrne in his Big Suit got up on the stage and danced in front of the screen!

Taza Chocolate for locally made, organic choc of all kinds. And they do tours. Yes, you can TOUR A CHOCOLATE FACTORY right in your neighborhood!

Dave's Fresh Pasta for, honestly, some of the most delicious fresh pasta sold by the pound you'll ever eat, not to mention the bread, cheese, olives, sauces, sandwiches, etc. Don't even mess around, just go see Dave.

Christina's for waaay more than 31 flavors of ice cream--Toasted Marshmallow, mmmkay?

Bob Slate Stationer for a huge selection of both new and old timey stationery supplies. Julia Child used to have an account here, says my friend Jen who worked there in high school.

Aboden for a great and ever-changing collection of mid-century inspired furniture and home accessories.

And that's just Cambridge and Somerville! There's much more in Boston, and in your neighborhood, too, I'd imagine. If you do need to shop online, and for some people that's simply the best method, a great way to support local artists is Etsy, where you can search your town for people making things by hand right in your area.

After the holiday shopping is over, consider maintaining your committment to local businesses by pledging to make the 10% Shift! Where do you shop locally? What gifts have you picked up this year in your neighborhood?

SoWa Holiday Market this Saturday and Sunday!

SoWa goes holiday! There are over 80 juried artists participating in this weekend's market, but the Boston Globe was kind enough to suggest you come to see us, Chroma Lab, and a few others. My goodness, how we are blushing! We're bringing lots of our colorful, handmade and hand painted clocks to the market so you can round out your gift list this season. Our clocks are now priced at $45 for the holidays, and since we love and appreciate you, if you mention reading this lil' ol' blog or following us on Twitter, we're giving you a $5 discount! It's a thank you for being our friend, and a great way to get back the five bucks admission. :) As always, we're happy to chat with you about custom work, too.




If you can't make it to the market this weekend, you can still purchase a clock online, or by calling us at 508-641-8228. In order to get the clocks to you by the holidays, we ask that you order by the 13th! Check them out at http://chromalab.net/. Have a great holiday season!

6th Annual SoWa Holiday Market
Saturday, December 12th, 10am-6pm
Sunday, December 13th, 10am-6pm

Admission $5, children under 12 free
Free parking at 500 & 540 Harrison Ave.

74 Union Park Street
Boston, MA 02118

Big Print, Lil Print at pinkcommagallery Friday

Tony will be exhibiting his prints and a few paintings at Design Nearby's annual print show and one-night-only holiday sale, Big Print, Lil Print, at the pinkcommagallery this Friday, December 11th. Prints make great, affordable holiday gifts for friends and family, especially those who appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into the design and production of works on paper. Tony will be selling some of his screenprints for $25, including the two below, Forever and Ever and Silver Gold. (You've got to check out his oil on canvas tribute to Vermeer at the show, too!) See you there!

Big Print, Lil Print

Friday, December 11, 6-11pm

@ pinkcommagallery
81B Wareham Street
Boston, MA 02118

This Sunday - Bazzar Bizarre with Boston Handmade!

After eating enough Thanksgiving leftovers for a family of 25, we've finally managed to roll ourselves "I've fallen and I can't get up"-style from the kitchen to our studio to start working again. *burp* Begging your pardon.

We looked at the calender, and holy cow, not only is December tomorrow, but we have a BIG holiday craft fair to prepare for this weekend! I know you're excited about this one--we'll be at Bazaar Bizarre this Sunday, December 6, from Noon until 7pm with our friends from Boston Handmade. The admission fee is a paltry single dollar, or any variety of pocket change that equals a single dollar (check your couch cushions).




We are highlighting our clocks for the holiday season, since they make excellent gifts for people who need to know the time, i.e. everyone. And get this--our clocks are now $45. For real, $45 for a handmade, hand painted clock from a local company! Does it get any better than that for gift giving? We think not. Between our clocks and the rest of the creative, handmade goods from the talented individuals and companies exhibiting at Bazaar Bizarre, you'll be all set with your holiday shopping in a day.

You'll find Chroma Lab and Boston Handmade in a special area to the left as you enter the show. Whenever you're going to be in a crowd, you should always turn left anyway, since most people automatically turn right (works like a charm at Disneyland). See you there!

Boston's Bazaar Bizarre
Sunday Dec. 6th
Noon-7pm

Admission $1

BCA Cyclorama
539 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02118

Psst...If you have any suggestions on what clock designs you'd like to see at the show, we're all ears!

Chroma Lab at Grand!

We're pleased to announce that we've partnered with the fine folks at Grand! You probably already know Grand as one of Boston's design destinations. In Somerville's Union Square, it's a well-curated collection of home accessories, clothing, and gifts. We've added our furniture to the mix, and next week we'll be supplying them with some fresh new clocks.

The Grand horse jumping our Super Blue Writing Desk.

If you haven't been over to Grand, you'll have a great opportunity to do so tomorrow, when they'll celebrate Halloween with a Super Spooky Sip & Shop. From 2-6pm on Halloween, enjoy cocktails and 10% everything in the store. Make an early start of the holiday and get the most mileage out of your costume!

Grand the Store
374 Somerville Ave.
Somerville, MA
617-623-2429

The Triumphant Retrun of Boston Handmade to SOWA!

The past few weeks we've been feeling a little under the weather, but we're back on track now and we'll be out in full effect this weekend for our last appearance at the SOWA Open Market this year! We saved the best for last--once again we'll be appearing with our friends at Boston Handmade for a 20+ vendor extravaganza. Look for us at the front of the market all in a row on Sunday, October 18th (sister Amy's 18th birthday!!!!).



We've met so many great people at SOWA--friends, customers and clients--so we're looking forward to our last outdoor show before we kick off the holidays next month. And yes, we're bringing a ton of Halloween candy...as if we'd have to bribe you to join us. ;)


SOWA Open Market with Boston Handmade
Sunday October 18th
540 Harrison Ave., Boston
10am-4pm
Free parking and admission!

Cat and Dog of the Week: Snicker and Chi Chi

Our adoptable cat of the week is Snicker, a tortie girl with beautiful silky fur and a distinctively patterned coat. Snicker's kitten Doodle has already been adopted, so she'd like to fine a nice home now, too. Tony and I are convinced that torties, especially torties with a stripe down their noses, are the most loving and affectionate kitties. Won't you go visit Snicker and test our theory yourself? Here is a photo of Snicker in her foster home:


To learn more about Snicker and to contact the shelter, click here.

Our adoptable dog of the week is Chi Chi, a sweet 10 year old chihuahua rat terrier mix. After her owner was evicted, Chi Chi ended up at the shelter, but she's really excited about finding a forever home. She loves to take walks--just read her description. She's got a whole itinerary laid out for you!



To learn more about Chi Chi and to contact the shelter, click here.


To find out what's going on at MSPCA-Angell, look at more available animals, view their wish list, and find directions and adoption hours, click here.

The Colors of Glee

I love Glee, the new musical comedy about a struggling high school show choir, and I know I'm not alone! The internet is all a-twitter with Glee-related hype and praise, and each week I find myself counting down the days until the next episode airs. I enjoy watching for the sharp humor and the hilarious show choir pop music routines, of course, but mostly I'm crazy about the saturated colors of the costumes and set design. You can definitely expect some Glee-inspired furniture rollin' out of here soon! Check out these photos and screen caps of the first three shows and see for yourself why this show is right up Chroma Lab's alley:














































Thanks to those industrious internet types who take the time to screen cap for the rest of us. All photos are copyright Fox.

Once You Go Cheap, You'll Want to Go Back

This post was first written for the Boston Handmade blog; you can see it here.

A few months ago, Tony and I were yuppie-ing it up listening to NPR when we heard a fascinating program on discount stores and the death of craftsmanship. Naturally our ears perked up as we heard person after person phoning into the show to talk to Ellen Ruppel Shell, the author of the book Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, about their experiences as small business owners and craftspeople competing with big box chain discount stores. It most certainly struck a chord with us, since like a lot of people we know, we are making a living by our sorely undervalued craft. I ordered the book from the library, and two months later, I finally got to read it (clearly lots of other people heard the program, too).




Just how did we get stuck in a vicious cycle of buying increasing amounts of inexpensive goods that are ill-fitting, easily broken, and designed not to last until next Tuesday, let alone next year? Cheap helped to answer many of my questions about why craftsmanship and small business has become undervalued in our country (and abroad), and why it is so hard for us all to break off what Shell, a professor of journalism at Boston University, calls our "dangerous liaison" with cheap goods.

Shell relays the history of the discount, from the first Woolworth's to the invention of the price tag, and how the so-called great businessmen of the early 20th century began to de-skill and therefore underpay their (often female) employees in the name of profit and "democracy." She explores the psychology of the "bargain," and how the receptors in our brains work against us in the heat of the moment in front of a stack of ten dollar shirts at H&M.

For me, the most interesting part of the book is the chapter devoted to IKEA, "The Death of the Craftsman." Oh, IKEA. It's so hard to stay mad at you, but I'm determined to try after reading this book. How many of us have Billy bookcases, Not lamps, and Nikkala sofas sitting in our homes right now? And how many of us have eventually put these things out on the street before going back for $1.99 meatballs and a new set of shelves? (Raises hand with guilt).

As a small business dedicated to restoring and redesigning furniture that already exsists, Chroma Lab is the polar opposite of IKEA, the number three consumer of wood on planet Earth. Their products, as Shell points out, are designed to be set out on the curb so that you can come back for more meatballs and get next year's model at an even steeper discount, with no guilt about what you've left behind. This is not sustainable for our planet or for our wallets, and it does nothing to connect us with the skilled people in our community that earn their living by offering a beautifully designed, higher quality product that you would never dream of setting out on the street (a-hem, a-hem).

If you're at all interested in craftsmanship, sustainability and what the true cost of a $3.84 two pack of underwear is, then I highly recommend picking up the book Cheap. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some things to return to H&M.