Summer Stone Project

Over the years I've acquired many stones from various times, places, and people in my life. The Carrie Bilbo Jewelry Stone Project is my fun and creative challenge to utilize those stones. Over the entire summer I will design and make a piece of jewelry each week using these stones. Each piece will be one of a kind and up for sale on a first come, first serve basis.

We are now entering into week 4 of the Stone Project, here are some photos of the progress so far!

week #1 sketch

week #1 sketch

week #1 finished

week #1 finished

week #2 sketch

week #2 sketch

week #2 finished

week #2 finished

week #3 sketch

week #3 sketch

To follow this challenge more closely check out the Carrie Bilbo Jewelry Facebook and Instagram pages. And to purchase of of these great one of a kind pieces, head over to my shop page under "1-of-a-kind".


We like to Make things

Last Holiday Season my boyfriend, Alex Kalaf, and I started a tradition of putting a little holiday package together for our friends and families.

Alex is an amazing home brewer and I of course am a designer, but also just love to make all sorts of things. So for this annual holiday gift we come together and make a little Holiday Handmade Package filled with a delicious beer brewed by Alex, with a hand painted and designed label, by me. Then together we make a soap that coordinates with the beer.

This year we did a Belgian Quadrupel Beer, with cacao nibs and sweet orange peel, and a handmade deliciously scented orange chocolate soap.  

2014 Holiday Fairs

TWAS A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON!

Three different fairs and lots of holiday orders. So as you all can imagine, I was a busy little jewelry making Christmas elf! I'm glad now to be back visiting my old Kentucky home and taking a few minutes to just sit down and relax a bit, visiting family and old friends. 

Here are some pictures from this year's Holiday Fairs...

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Welcome

Welcome to the brand new and improved Carrie Bilbo Jewelry website and shop!

After months of hard work and rebranding it is finally here and I couldn't be happier with it. So take a look around, explore, and maybe even buy a few holiday gifts! The shop is filled with a bunch of new never before seen pieces.

Thanks for visiting!

'Tis That Time of the Year

.... for Holiday Fairs!

This 2014 Holiday Season Carrie Bilbo Jewelry will be participating in three Holiday Fairs. At each fair I will be bringing a wide selection of my handmade jewelry and will be selling everything at a special discounted fair price! So come check one (or all of them!) out. Stop by, say HI, try on, and buy some beautiful jewels!

#1

bk night bazaar

The Brooklyn Night Bazaar is a year round night market that brings together vendors, musicians, chefs, and artists. It is a thriving market place full of diverse and specially selected vendors displaying arts and crafts, antiques, clothing, jewelry, furniture, prints, and more.

#2

Shop local, vintage, handmade. Nothing boxed. Nothing pre-packaged in plastic wrap. Nothing with a barcode.

Farmers, artisans, vintage collectors, and makers of handmade and quality goods will converge at the 2nd annual Basilica Farm + Flea, the large-scale farmstand and flea market taking place over Thanksgiving Weekend. Presented by Basilica Hudson in collaboration with Hudson River Exchange, Basilica Farm + Flea is an alternative to Black Friday shopping, bringing together a collection of thoughtfully selected products and promoting the talents and resources within our community.

Set against the beautiful and industrial setting of the Basilica’s 19th century repurposed factory, this promises to be the only market of its kind in the region. Last year’s incredible response makes it clear that there is a strong desire to showcase the best of what the Hudson Valley has to offer: farms, food, makers, collectors, and strong community.

Visit www.basilicafarmandflea.com for more information or join the Facebook event!

#3

Created for artists, by artists, the Degenerate Craft Fair is not your average craft fair. The DCF transcends the line between art and craft, showcasing artists selling affordable versions of their work or who integrate craft traditions into their practice, dedicated craftmakers who take unconventional approaches toward traditional techniques, and even small independent businesses that produce their own soaps and skincare products.

This year’s fair returns to the DCTV Firehouse, and we are looking forward to featuring our most diverse group of vendors yet! Over 40 vendors will be offering everything from ceramic pinecones to knitted balaclavas to sculptures made of inflatable sea creatures. With most items selling for under $50, stop by the Degenerate Craft Fair to find unique handmade gifts for everyone on your shopping list!

Come Take a Look Inside

As my first official Carriebilbo.com news/blog post I’d like to share with you my world… aka my studio!

Carrie Bilbo Jewelry is located in the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard. Although, no longer an active US Navy Yard this 300-acre property is located on NYC’s East River and is now owned by the city of New York. The Brooklyn Navy Yard has a rich history of makers; in it’s hey-day, WWI and WWII, over 70,000 employees worked here around the clock building ships, sewing flags, and everything in between. This was also the first time women were hired and working in such jobs as mechanics and technicians. During the 1960’s and well into the 1990’s there was not much happening in the Navy Yard, as it was in the rest of the United States as well, due to most of the country’s manufacturing jobs being shipped over seas.

BKNYbefore

With the new millennium came a revitalization of the Navy Yard. Over the past 14 years there have been many upgrades and renovations, which have served to make the Navy Yard a choice location for many companies. Today the Brooklyn Navy Yard is a modern manufacturing center/industrial park, focusing greatly on small businesses and environmentally friendly processes. The Yard is at full capacity for the first time since WWII, half of which are small artisanal businesses.  This includes: designers, artists, craftspeople, fashion brands, and the largest movie studio outside of Hollywood (Steiner Studios).  All of these individuals have made the Navy Yard a mecca of modern creativity and inspiration.  Not to mention the endless amounts of visual inspiration and beauty found in the many old buildings (some even dating all the way back to civil war era) and docks lined with cobblestone walkways.


This creative center rich with history is what brought me as a small business, designer, and maker here five years ago. (The convenient location helped too!)


Take a look inside…

view from my studio window

view from my studio window