I started sewing at the age of six, when Santa brought me a weird little sewing machine that used a glue cartridge instead of thread.  In my senior year of high school, already admitted to college and looking to take it easy, I took a clothing construction class.  I was motivated by a desire to always have pockets in my clothes--so ahead of my time!--but quickly became addicted to textiles in general.  I love the colors, the textures, the quirks of how different fabrics behave.  I love to solve the puzzle of how a garment should fit together.  When I work with vintage linens or a pile of flannel shirts, I lose track of time as I work out how to best use the original textile to create a new garment.  It’s a delight to me to see a finished product and know that it sprang from MY head.
Sure, okay, but what about the monsters?  I’ve been making NomNom Bags since 2008, at first just a few a year, but even as my output has gone way up, I still love each one.  The moment of “birth,” when I turn the bag right-side-out, is a surprise each time.  I can pick the colors, of course, decide how many teeth, but each monster gets its own personality in its own way.  After I turn the bag and see who I’ve got, I pick the name card to best suit that monster.  Naming the monsters and listing their favorite foods and activities takes as long as the sewing, but is integral to the fun of the bag.  I love to see how my silly creatures delight children, but it’s especially great to see an adult find a NomNom Monster that speaks to them.
You can follow me on Instagram @DeanaSews for photos of new releases, my adorable cats, and the occasional hiking photo.  I’m on Facebook as Six Gables Originals (but terrible at remembering to post there).  And soon, I SWEAR, I’ll be at sixgables.com, posting about new projects.  Maybe in July I’ll REcommit to actually starting that blog...

​​No need for you to hunt, come on in to Art Collective to get a zippered pouch with a sparkly Snallygaster on it! Braddock Heights resident Deana Greenberg of Six Gables Originals makes the pouches mostly from upcycled materials so that you can store your agates (state mineral!) and Patuxent River Stones (state gemstone!) in style.  She will neither confirm nor deny that the Snallygaster is nesting in her attic saying only “I need to pay for all this candy corn somehow.”

March is Women’s History Month, a great time to focus on the female identifying artists of the past and today!  Art Collective is home to the art of 21 women, and a few of them agreed to share their reflections on women who inspire them. Interestingly they are all living artists! 

Take some time this month to learn about a woman artist! #womenshistorymonth #womenartists

​​Hello there! My name is Chelsea Weiss, but people know me as Chelsea *Sparks* too. I came up with the name, Chelsea *Sparks*, because I found that when I worked with people, I loved when the creative sparks would fly.

I opened the doors to Art Collective on Jan 9th, 2019 after a successful Pop Up Shop in November and December of 2018. I created a unique boutique in historic Downtown Frederick that offers one-of-a-kind handmade goods, original artwork and mixed media workshops with the most fabulous of artists.

I tend to call myself a mixed media artist. Over the last 11 years, I’ve been trying out many different techniques and areas of art & making. I like to make things that have many layers and some aspect of sparkle or shine to them. While I love a crisp and new aesthetic in art styles, in my own work I prefer things that are weathered, look as though they have lived a life already and tell a story.

My schooling was in graphic and interior design, and I’ve also dabbled in event design and planning. Throughout  my career, I have ongoingly participated in artistic learning experiences in a variety of mixed-media specialties. My favorite work is my steam-punk inspired mobiles. I am always open to learning a new technique, and am constantly experimenting.

So here’s my story about starting the shop:
After participating in 5 weeks of Artomatic Frederick in the Fall of 2013, I realized my need to have artist friends actively in my life. There I met my future Artner, Bette Brody. On one of my shifts, someone told me about an online group organizing site called MeetUp and how I could find like-minded people looking to “meet up”. So I investigated and set up a group called Art *Sparks* of Frederick. We met pretty much monthly and either had demos by other *Sparks*, show and tell, or brought individual projects to work on while we met up.

Art *Sparks* of Frederick was a great meeting place and we had a variety of artists and makers over a 5 year span. I hosted Holiday Markets in my home for a few years and then moved onto more public spaces with a larger group of artists.

In the summer of 2018 while I struggled to strap two mannequins onto the roof of my car heading to the Chincoteague Blueberry Festival, I realized I wasn't up for festivals or shows any longer. It was an exhausting way to make money. A fortuitous call from Sharon Mesa during the drive to the Eastern Shore changed all that. 
Sharon owned En Masse in Downtown Frederick asked if I was still interested in having a pop up shop in her studio space. I said, "YES!" before she even finished the question. I came up with a plan and enrolled my art *sparks* tribe into participating. Chelsea *Sparks* Pop Up Shop was a great success. At the end of the run, the lease for the space became available and I chose to open up a permanent shop.
The first half of 2019 was a bit rough, as I was running Art Collective by myself. I started hosting a handful of onsite classes and workshops. For the second half, Bette started working the shop a couple of days a month, which helped me a lot, along with the artists volunteering during the holiday season. I realized that for the shop to be successful and for me to have time to create and make art, I needed more help. I asked Bette to be my Artner and she was on board. 

We began hosted even more classes at Art Collective and were just getting our schedule ramped up earlier this year, even adding a visiting artist’s multi-day workshop, and then the pandemic hit. We had to cancel all our classes and workshops and close our doors for April and May. 

To be honest, it has been a test in small business ingenuity to keep the shop running. The biggest help has been creating personal virtual shopping appointments. This is a personalized Zoom or FaceTime appointment where I walk you around the store and show you what we have in stock. 

People ask if we have a website, and we do, though with most of what we sell being one-of-a-kind, listing all the items is just too overwhelming. Plus, it’s far more interesting having your own personal tour of the shop to see the collection of unique items our artists have made.

If you are interested in shopping virtually with me this holiday season, you can find more details on how to set up an appointment with me here.