flickr favs

The Baltimore by Hand Flickr group is dedicated to showcasing local craft. Here are a few recent pics from group contributors:

The Broken Plate Pendant Company

Pinkkiss Pottery

Jennyjen 42

Featured Crafter: Ono Mangano {Sew Ono}

What led you to pursue design?

When I was starting college, a department chair asked me what I wanted to major in and I responded “phys ed” at which he looked me over, grinned, and said “no you don’t.” Since I was apparently really bad at hiding who I was I became an artist.

What materials do you prefer and why?

I will work with most textiles and found objects as long as they have all been pre-loved. My pieces are recycled right down to the buttons, trims and zippers. When I can obtain quality salvaged thread I will use it but mostly I buy that new, I don’t want a garment to fall apart on a customer because of dry-rotting thread. I have always preferred used materials. There is so much stuff out there and I believe we should be using all of our local resources to provide what we need.

What is your process like?

My process is very similar to what it was when I was a sculptor creating found object assemblages. I find used clothes or rickrack or buttons that appeal to me and I take them home and hope to fit them with other pieces that I have found. It’s amazing to discover that a new acquisition is the exact dye color of a vintage trim craft swapped the year before.

What do you hope to achieve with your work (professionally and personally)?

What I would most like to achieve is a common societal understanding and respect of the sustainable clothing movement. So many people are now coming on board to eat natural and buy local but their sustainable living doesn’t necessarily carry over into what they wear. No one is questioning why the standard mall chains are so cheap or care when the clothes fall apart. When that happens it is a new season anyway and time to buy the newest trends and pitch the old.

What advice would you give to other aspiring designers?

The best advice I can give is to make what you believe in. Don’t create based on fashion or social trends, you won’t be satisfied with what you make or yourself. Others will recognize and be more responsive to your passion and therefore your work.

Do you consider yourself an "indie designer"?

YES. I make recycled one-of-a-kind clothes from used out-of-style ones, by hand, in a studio/guest bedroom/office in my house. You won’t find the fashion industry lurking anywhere near me.

Tell us something that most people don't know about you.

Hmmmm, since Fall is upon us, I will admit to loving football and engaging in the highly unfashionable act of wearing a jersey, in public, on game day.

You can see more of Ono's work on her website or at Crafty Bastards on October 2nd, 2010.

All images courtesy of Ono Mangano.

a few of my favorite things: nifty claywork

These delectable jewels are made entirely by hand from polymer clay by local crafter Erin McManness. The sushi and cookies look good enough to eat! Check out more of Erin's work in her Etsy shop, Miri-love's Little Bird.

DIY Fest 2010

Mark your calendars for the fourth annual DIY Fest, scheduled for October 24th at St. John's Church from noon until 6pm. The event is free (donations are greatly appreciated) and is open to anyone wanting to learn a new skill, teach or present one of their skills/hobbies. Workshops include home brewing with MD Home Brew, roadside repair with Baltimore Bicycle Works, Zines & the Art of Self-Publishing with Eric Nelson, Reusing Yarn Fiber for Knitting/Crocheting, and Urban Composting with Baltimore Free Farm. To learn more, visit www.diyfest.org.

Image courtesy of Baltimore DIY.

Drop in, make, and take

Something you should know about (if you don't already) - drop-in art activities at the Walters Art Museum. Every Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 3pm join museum educators as they help families create artful projects related to the collection, special exhibitions, and family programs. There's no registration required and it's free - simply drop in, make, and take a fantastic piece of art home with you!

October's theme is picture puzzles and images of illusion found in the special exhibition Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos and Toys in the Attic. Each weekend families will create their own mysterious mazes, picture games and tricky collages. So mark your calendars for the following:

10/2-10/3 – Mixed-up Mazes
10/9-10/10 –Two in One paintings
10/16-10/17 – Pop-up Pictures
10/23 – Free Family Festival of Wonders
10/24 – 3-D Illusions
10/30-10/31 – Tricks & Mirrors

Image courtesy of “Frabjous Mirrors!” from Games Magazine.

Featured Crafter: Matt Muirhead

Describe your art and what led you to this particular medium.

I'm primarily a painter, but now that I'm screen printing (the last 3 years), I'm expanding into clothing, etc. It's nothing I can describe except that it's constantly evolving and expanding. As soon as I'm able to pin it down, it wriggles out of my definition. Painting seemed pretty intuitive for me, and when I looked at my future I couldn't see myself working for anybody else, so I thought, "Maybe I could tolerate being an artist in the long term."

What materials do you prefer and why?

I was a picture framer up until this past February. I make a lot of paintings on museum mat board. I get all the scraps I want from the place I used to work. It's great for printing on - so smooth. I also must admit to a bit of a paper fetish. I paint with acrylics, and I love ink and a dropper. I've also developed an addiction to spray paint and fluorescent pink paint. I also use Masonite (so smooth, gessoed with a squeegee). I use a squeegee to create a lot of the painting effects in my work. So much bandwidth in the striations. I build all my own screens in a friend's wood shop, as well as my own light box for exposing my screens.

What is your process like?

Chaotic. I work on a lot of pieces simultaneously. I have about 120 screens. The images are varied - old photographs, ads, blocks of text from old books, my own drawings, friends' poetry, and photographs I've taken. I have so many styles in my repertoire which I use to create whatever I want. I rely on a lot of accidents to take me in new directions.

I lay out maybe 20-30 boards and just start layering images and creating narratives within each piece. Now that I'm making clothing, I have a similar process - lay out all the articles I've decided to print on and begin placing images on them. They all come out unique and interesting, and if they don't, I just keep layering until something is happening. The result is a phenomenal output. The mixing of so many images gives me an exponentially increasing amount of possible paintings and design/narrative possibilities. It's so exciting to see an image I created a year ago be printed and read in the context of something I just made last night. I couldn't have intended the combination, yet there it is.

I spent a significant amount of time living in Tokyo, and just loved the freshness of the contextual blindness in the fashion's of Harajuku: "Let's dress in a traditional Victorian era gown and mix it with a Rolling Stones t-shirt." I love non sequitur. I love the absurd. I love that all the images I use have some sort of significance for me, whether a cultural affinity, or political/philosophical alignment. With them at my disposal, they become a language I can use to illustrate a multiplicity of ideas quickly.

Do you consider yourself an "indie" artist?

Yeah. Voted Best of Baltimore last year as the place to buy art, the self-representing artist is by definition independent. I think the proliferation of social media, and the grassrootsy zeitgeist of this moment in history means that it's never been easier to forge a path that avoids all the traditional venues for the thing I'm doing.

What advice would you give to other aspiring independent artists/crafters?

I don't know. I did what worked for me. I kept on working and making things and getting them out there. I've surrounded myself with loving and supportive people. The most dreaded phrase for me has got to be "You know what you should do." I've got an unorthodox approach. As a photography major in school, I took some basic painting classes, but am pretty much self-taught.

Share something about yourself that most people don't know.

I have a piece of sculpture in a park in China. It's a large, copper ship/Nautilus-shaped piece. I created it for an NGO in Japan that I was affiliated with. I built it in my kitchen, then, I got to go to China to unveil it. Pretty amazing experience.

Matt's gallery HEADSPACE is located at 720 W. 36th St. and is open Thursdays and Fridays, 4pm-8pm, Saturdays and Sundays, 2pm-9pm or by appointment. Call or text 443.791.6670 or email mattmuirhead@gmail.com.

You can also see current work at Metta Integrative Wellness Center in Hampden (located above HEADSPACE), Joe Squared at North and Howard, The Rowhouse at 1400 Light St., and JOJOSouth Records at 2011 N. Charles St.

Finally, check out some of Matt's videography on his YouTube channel (be sure not to miss the short film To Warm the Bones - one of my personal favorites).

All images courtesy of Matt Muirhead.

SKILLED: Part One {Biggs and Featherbelle}

This is an edited transcript from an interview by Hannah Brancato with Kasey and Kelly Evick, June 29, 2010.

I met Kasey and Kelly Evick during donation-only yoga classes taught by Chris Leicht. The sisters offer their aromatic studio - home of their natural body works company Biggs and Featherbelle - for yoga instruction every Tuesday night.

As the first interview for SKILLED: Art, Labor, and Business in Baltimore, the Evick’s story reflects the commitment that it takes to start a new business. Hearing the pair finish one another’s sentences reminded me of the important of having a partner: to share the journey, provide support, and manage the myriad of responsibilities in making, marketing, and selling products.

HB: So if you want to begin with how you got started?

Kasey: Well, we started, what seven? How many years ago?

Kelly: It’s been seven years

Kasey: Seven and a half years ago, we were just making Christmas gifts. We were sitting around the couch at our mom’s house, we both happened to be living there at the time--

Kelly: --we were broke.

Kasey: --we were broke, we were like what are we going to make for people this year? And we were reading a Martha Stewart magazine, and said, “Look at those soaps!” They were so cute, we saved the article, and we decided to make soaps. We both love the whole packaging side of it, making the names. We made body butter bars and lip balm too, and we gave it to probably ten different people, friends and all the girls in our family.

We started thinking about it more, and we did a lot of research and started thinking, “OK, we can learn more about soap making, about making products.” This also comes from us being interested in the natural health side of it. We really wanted to make soaps that were purposeful and weren’t just about scent- to help people. Kel did most of the research. Sort of developed a line and it sold. It was a real slow and organic process.

HB: Did you have other jobs when you started this?

Kelly: We had other jobs, we had to! Because it was impossible…She had a full time job as a web designer, and I was walking dogs. And then, she couldn’t handle her full time job anymore because there is that transition, where you eventually have to put more time into the business.

HB: But you aren’t necessarily making the money yet…(laughs)

Kelly: Yeah, I don’t think you ever make the money, I don’t know…

Kasey: I am still wondering when that will happen (laughs)

Kelly: Yeah, so we had to keep part time jobs. Then we waitressed, same restaurant actually, so that we were able to do the business at night and on weekends and waitress during the day. A LOT of time. Because you have to put full time into the business but you also have to pay for living, you have to make money for your living expenses.

HB: Right- and pay for the start up of the business. Did you do start up loans?

Kasey: Since I had saved up a little money from my job we used that, and then my credit card, pretty much maxed that out, used all the savings that I had. We have gotten some small loans, SBA backed loans, 10 and 15 thousand, nothing crazy-we’ve never gotten a huge sum. And then we had to borrow from our parents so we owed them money (laughs). Just little bits here and there. And then got a business credit card, maxed that out...

Kelly: Everyone we’ve ever talked to that has owned a small business says the same thing: you have to go into complete debt in order to ever make it. And it takes YEARS to even turn a profit, so I think that is where a lot of businesses fail, unfortunately, and right now its very rare for a small business to be able to get financing. NOOObody is. How many banks have we gone to?

Kasey: We’ve tried six different places and they say, “No, we aren’t doing those kind of loans anymore.” It’s just nothing.

HB: You said you got an SBA loan. So have you worked with any other business bureaus?

Kasey: We took a class through Women Entrepreneurs of Baltimore, we took that class on writing a business plan--

HB: When you were starting off?

Kelly: No about three years into the business--

Kasey: --we were about three years into our business. It’s helped us write a 30-page business plan, helped us realize things and get a little more official. But it didn’t lead to much help now. I still feel like we’re on our own. There is never that clarity about what to do. When we go to look for loans, I don’t know where to look, besides searching online- you could just spend all day and you’re on one hokey site. It’s tricky. We never found that person to answer those financial questions we have, and business stuff....

Kelly: Because we didn’t come to it from a business background, we came from an art and design background, wanting to develop a product, develop and design it. It wasn’t that we came at it strategically business minded. That has been an interesting challenge along the way. Learning all the business and the finances and bookkeeping and accounting.

HB: So, I know you have started to divide up your responsibilities. How has that worked out?

Kasey: Eventually we need to get her out of the kitchen, into the office- eventually our roles need to shift again, you become more of a manager as the years go on, you’re just managing the business. We both have to start removing ourselves from daily tasks.

Kelly: We’re managing different things. We both manage but we also do the grunt work. She’s basically the operations and business end of the whole business. Fielding all the emailing, the orders, the liaison with all the stores, she’s the business part. And we do the graphic work together--

Kasey: Yeah I do all the website updates, all the design work, we decide on stuff together but I do the nitty gritty design stuff.

Kelly: You kind of keep the business organized. And I make sure that we have products. So I have someone who works with me part time as a sub contractor. He works most of the time but since he’s a subcontractor he can come and go- like right now he’s touring with Phish for two weeks.

HB: And that flexibility probably works for you too…

Kelly: It does, because sometimes we have more work and sometimes we have less. But I’m in there making products too, so that’s what’s hard because I know Kasey needs help with the business end but I’m still in there making products.

HB: So there might be a shift where you aren’t making the money yet but if you’re both managing then you might make more money…

Kasey: Yeah, it’s always a fine line. You’re always just getting by.

Kelly: Absolutely, it is a fine line.

Kasey: You can’t always quite take that jump, you slowly transition into it.

HB: So I’m sure there have been some markers where you feel like now you have this together, another thing is settled, you’ve had success in one area…

Kasey: Getting into Whole Foods was one. Because that keeps our business afloat. Moving into this warehouse space.

Kelly: Getting Melissa to do bookkeeping, that was a huge one.

Kasey: Yeah we have a friend who helps, she works three days a week, and she’s handled all the bookkeeping now. I used to do all that and always had a stack of papers that I couldn’t get to. So that was huge.

Kelly: And then sales reps.

Kasey: And sales reps, which we just started with.

Kelly: They work independently like independent brokers and we just pay them commission on sales. They’re in territories, so we have a Mid Atlantic sales rep, we have a Midwest region sales rep (she has like six people under her), Texas, and New England. They basically try to get us new sales. So instead of us trying to get out there and knock on doors--

HB: And how did you find these people, is there an organization?

Kelly: Word of mouth.

Kasey: We found them-- One guy here we know from doing demos in stores, he was doing demos for a company he was repping, and we would see him and talk to him. Networking, I guess. We eventually decided that if we had a rep we wanted him to do it, and he knew someone in the Midwest and she knew someone in Texas.

Kelly: They are all in the natural products industry. All of our reps have close relationships with buyers from Whole Foods. That’s our main market, and that’s what we were looking for: people who already had an in with the buyers of Whole Foods because they have a really complex set up. Although they run as one big corporation they try to run on a regional and local level as much as possible, so you are actually dealing with each store, not just the big corporation.

HB: Talk more about the process of getting into Whole Foods.

Kelly: How it typically happens with Whole Foods is that they have ten regions and unless you are some huge big dog, how it usually works is that you have to get accepted in each individual region by the regional buyer and you have to pass certain standards. Once you get accepted into that region, you have to go to every single store and get your products on the shelf. That’s where we needed sales reps because it’s just impossible to do that. Because they try to let each store make all their own decisions- so that’s where it’s hard as a vendor, because your not shipping to one direct place and it gets distributed to all the stores.

HB: So you first got into the Whole Foods in Baltimore?

Kelly: No actually, Annapolis. We were really fortunate: most companies have to knock on every Whole Foods store in one region and do it many times. But (Whole Foods) had just started a local producers initiative. And in body care there really wasn’t anything, and so the manager of the body care dept in Annapolis was in other health food stores sourcing out and saw our stuff and contacted us. We were really lucky.

So we met with her in Annapolis, she took all our stuff to regional and got it accepted, then it was kind of a snowball effect- then all the other stores heard that we were local.

HB: So what are some of your sales tactics- or do you even do direct sales/craft fairs anymore?

Kasey: Yeah we do a ton. That’s how we’ve grown a lot, we’ve met a lot of people and stores. You get good feedback, really understand your products and have customers relate to it. We just did Pile Of Craft last weekend. We travel a lot for fairs.

Kelly: We are starting to slow that down a bit now.

Kasey: Yeah because of the time they take up.

HB: And do you tend to sell a lot of product or more networking?

Kelly: We sell a lot of product, but it depends on the show; there’s good and bad ones. But we’ve done enough now we try to stick to the good ones. You can sell a lot.

HB: And your product is more unique than, say, jewelry.

Kelly: Jewelry is a tough market.

Kasey: I think the most important thing with selling is having a story attached to it. People love that. We don’t always think we have a story but people say we have one- that we’re two sisters. With every product, it would just sell 20 times more to have a story with the product.

HB: So for people who make and sell their own stuff and are trying to have that balance between doing something creative and the business side of things, what do you feel like you’ve learned?

Kelly: It’s hard to keep that balance. Anyone I know who’s created a full time business out of doing something creative, you come to learn that the actual creative part dwindles more and more and more. You spend less and less time doing the part you love and more time running it as a business.

HB: And you end up hiring other people for the creative part.

Kelly: Oh yeah totally. And I know a lot of crafty people would say the same thing- you are making the same design and the same product over and over and you are tired of it but you can’t be, because that’s what you’ve been working to develop and build and sell. I know we see crafters who constantly try to change their product but you kind of have to stick with it, even though you’re tired of it.

HB: Like when you get tired of it that’s when people start paying attention?

Kasey and Kelly: EXACTLY

HB: What’s your dream for the next seven years will bring?

Kelly: Oh um financial stability maybe? Because one thing is that…oh gosh, we didn’t realize how long and how much it takes to develop a business. We are still doing it, and even though we’re doing really great in Baltimore and such, it’s not enough to really make a living. We don’t even have a salary yet after seven and a half years. We want hopefully within seven more years for the business to have its own financing and for us to not be freaking out every day. It’s stressful when you have so much invested in a company both emotionally and financially, and our whole lives invested in it. We are so deep into it that you just gotta keep going, there is just no turning back. We wouldn’t turn back though, ever…

Kasey: No!

Kelly: But at the same time you aren’t seeing the real rewards. And that’s what’s interesting- people who I just meet, they think I’m rich. I’m BROKE. It’s nothing to do with getting rich, absolutely nothing. Unless you are going to be a real estate tycoon…I mean it is to make a living, but you’ve gotta have such a passion for it and love it so much. Don’t you agree?

Kasey: Mhm. Its weird how much you start focusing on the money part of it, and we didn't start the business focusing on the money, I mean some people do start businesses like that. But we were never like, “We want to make lots of money, what can we do?” And you get to a point in
business where you’re like, “OK how can we make money now with this?” And you feel bad that that is your focus. But once you’ve established a product you know that the business won’t run and you won’t be able to make the product if it doesn’t sell. But still then trying to keep the balance of focusing on the product too.

Kelly: And then the balance of your own personal life and your business life is difficult. We are finally starting to get to that point. For the first five years of our business we worked seven days a week all day and all night. Either had to waitress and then work at night or do it all weekend. You become so immersed in it, there is no line, we ARE our business, it never leaves you. I could be away on vacation, well we don’t really go on vacation… (laughs) but I will never leave it. First day I would be calling and ordering. Because it’s like a child, that is always the analogy I use. It is something you are always responsible for no matter where you are and what you are doing. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

HB: Could you imagine doing anything else?

Kasey: Not at this point.

Kelly: I could never work for someone else ever again.

Kasey: I think if I did anything else it would be to--

Kelly: --start up a new business!

Kasey: --yeah start another business, something else we want to do.

HB: What are the benefits of working for yourself?

Kelly: The flexibility . It’s good and bad, because you have to be so much more structured and organized yourself. And the pride.

Kasey: Yeah, the pride, you feel like you get such a reward for what your doing.

Kelly: You’re working for yourself.

Kasey: And you feel satisfied, we would have such a hard time working for someone else unless it was something I really cared about and wanted to help and feel a part of.

Kelly: You don’t mind working.

Kasey: You feel- I always feel lucky because you hear people say, “I just want to do something I love, something I’m passionate about.” That’s what I’m doing.

Kelly: There is not a single day that I wake up and think- I just don’t want to go to work today.

HB: So, what’s your advice to people who are starting off and trying to market their stuff and make their stuff and trying to juggle all those things?

Kelly: Really define your look, define it and stick to it. Define it and refine it. Go with that and you’ve got to stand out.

Kasey: Really create an identity, don’t be all over the place. You just want to tighten everything and fine-tune it.

Kelly: We set guidelines early on and certain criteria of what we wanted and we’ve stuck to it and its really helped up because you want people to identify you quickly. Competition is tough for everything.

You don’t have to go and look for something that’s never been done, because that is almost impossible for anyone at this point- but stick to one look.

To read more about Biggs and Featherbelle, visit their website http://www.biggsandfeather.com/.

For more info about the “Lather Lab” yoga class email chrisleicht@gmail.com.

a few of my favorite things: symbolic hankies

Piercer, fucker, spanker, hustler...the list goes on and on of what these colored hankies indicate to those in the know. In its heydey, the Hanky Code functioned as a color coded system for communicating illegal or stigmatized sexual desires. The hankies you see here have been recontextualized to "promote and acknowledge that identity can be claimed more assertively."

Each one is indivudally silkscreened with exceptionally detailed and humorous illustrations - so even if you're not privy to the color code itself, you'll most certainly recognize the wearer's preferences once you look at what's on the hanky. To read more, visit Hanky Code on Etsy.

Hampdenfest is today!

Food, music, entertainment and lots and lots of CRAFTS! Be there today, September 11th, 11am until 7pm on the Avenue!!

DIY Kick-Ass cot

Who doesn't love craft diva Vickie Howell? She's a DIY aficionado, best-selling author, and the visionary behind the community-driven website Craft Corps.

I found this Kick-Ass cot tutorial on Vickie's website, and while it's a few years old, let's be honest: fun and funky never really go out of style.

To make your own Kick-Ass cot, you will need the following:

MC-1 ball Sport Weight Cotton
CC-Scraps of Fingering Weight Mohair Blend
US Size 8 Needles
US Size 3 Needles
Tapestry Needles

For the full tutorial, go here.

Merry Mart Applications are UP!

Attention crafters: Merry Mart applications are available now through October 11th!

Hosted annually at the Creative Alliance, this "warm and fuzzy" indoor show will take place on Sunday, December 5th and feature local handmade goodness of all kinds including clothing, jewelry, ceramics, bath and beauty, toys, and...well, you get the idea.

This year's event will be coordinated by BEST members Jen Menkhaus and Allison Fomich. Also this year, Merry Mart will have an online presence and juried vendor selection.

Vendors may apply online at http://merrymartbaltimore.blogspot.com/p/home.html.

Shoppers, mark you calendars ASAP!

Featured Crafter: Julie Bent {LOT201}

What led you to pursue clothing design?

I often see things that I like and think to myself "I could figure out how to make that." I am a natural problem solver and I love finding my own answers. Art is concept and execution, and I enjoy both challenges.

What is your process like?

People watching is my current muse. I love to see what kind of garments flatter the shape of people's bodies. Body shape is so unique from person to person, which is one challenge all clothing designers face. I am inspired by the interplay between garment and body and I pursue balance in all my designs.

From a more "nuts and bolts" perspective, my design process usually evolves from sketching ideas (both abstract and more technical drawings) to fabric sourcing. Once I find the perfect fabric, I begin building the garment much as an architect goes about designing a structure. A garment is developed on paper and tested in fabric. These fabric prototypes are marked for fit changes. These changes are then applied back to the paper pattern. The final paper pattern is graded out into different sizes and acts as a map that will eventually guide the garment through production.

What materials do you prefer to use?

I like to work with high quality cottons and silk...soft but crisp cotton holds its shape and still feels nice against the body. Silk is a really diverse material that creates a very distinct visual effect (color, reflection, texture, etc.). I like mixing different silks into one garment.

Do you consider yourself an "indie" artist?

Yes. Being independent from a team of designers, marketers, PR staff, and laborers means I do it all myself or find collaborators. Indie artists have no choice but to create their own opportunities.

For example, my fall collection - a collaboration with Form Boutique owner Aimee Bracken - started as an impromptu conversation about a private collection for Form. At the time, I didn't really know Aimee, but I admired her selection of garments at Form and thought that our pooled skills and resources could help our chances for success.

It turned out that an in-house line for Form was one of Aimee's original inspirations for opening the boutique. The garments that have resulted from our creative partnership are quite different than the garments I have designed solo, and I am excited to present our work to the public and especially to Form's established clientele.

What advice to you have for other aspiring independent designers?

There are definitely financial and logistical obstacles that I face as an independent designer. Therefore, working together with other people is important. I look for people who have the same standards for quality and attention to detail as myself. This way we won't have to manage each other.

The Form Clothing Label will debut on September 25th at the In Good Fashion Show Charity Event. To see more of Julie's designs, visit her website at www.LOT201.com.

Top image courtesy of Bmore Media.

a few of my favorite things: vintage-inspired handbags

These gorgeous handbags by Pistol Designs are vintage-inspired with a decidedly modern twist. Each handle is individually designed and then cut, sanded, and varnished by hand. Fabrics are vintage or from scavenged ends of drapery and upholstery bolts. In a word: darling.

Holiday Heap Applications are UP!

Hey there crafters, it's that time of year! Applications are open for Holiday Heap 2010 - one of Baltimore's favorite indie craft holiday shopping events!

This year's Heap will be held on December 4th from 10am-5pm at 2640 St. Paul Street (St. John's Church) and will feature over 40 juried vendors from across the nation. Also included will be crafty demos from area crafters, a burrito truck, photos, and lots and lots of holiday cheer.

Deadline to apply is October 8th at midnight. Apply here now!

Featured Crafter: Kacey Stafford {Found Studio}

What led you to pursue this particular craft?

Hmmmm...I think it chose me!! I've naturally been drawn to painting and designing since I was small. I've tried every type of media/crafting technique there is (almost) - and I kept coming back to painting. In college, I majored in Art Education which required me to take all types of art classes - printmaking, photography, ceramics, painting, sculpture. Each class enhanced my painting and gave me new ways of looking at and defining my process.

What materials do you use?

I prefer to work with paint and various collage materials. I love using vintage or discarded fabrics, papers, old letters, etc. Not only do I enjoy how these materials look, but it also feels good to know that I am re-purposing and re-using!!

Describe your process.

I am constantly looking for inspiration from nature, vintage items in antique/thrift stores, magazines - I love tearing out images that inspire me - I keep a notebook of them.

I work in layers. Normally, I start creating a textured collaged and painted background. On top of that collage I paint an image. I keep adding layers until it "feels right."

What do you hope to achieve with your work (professionally and personally)?

I hope to continue making work that inspires me and others. I'm thankful that I'm energized by my work; that it doesn't feel like a chore at this point. When it starts to feel like a chore, I will re-evaluate what I am doing!

Do you consider yourself an "indie artist"?

Yes, I am an "indie artist." I am my own designer, promoter, shipper, bookkeeper, etc. I must give my husband, Scott, some credit here. He often designs displays for me, helps me at shows, and is constantly coming up with clever and efficient suggestions. I have always had such a respect for "indie" artists. I smile to think that now I can consider myself one of them!!

What advice do you have for aspiring independent artists/crafters?

Don't be afraid to just START SOMEWHERE!!! Experiment and play with designs. Once you feel good about your product, then promote it...start and Etsy site, apply for a show. Remember, if you are not confident about your designs, no one else will be!! Be your own biggest fan and advocate. Also, set up a spreadsheet early and make it a habit of keeping up with your expenses...even if you only consider this a hobby. I am not always the best at this but it's the smart thing to do. You will be thankful to be organized come tax season AND this will help you know if you are making any money!

Share something that most people don't know about you.

I create silly things like ceramic bacon and mustaches because I love to see people's reactions to them!! They can make even the most somber customer smile and most folks downright giggle when they see them. It's always good for me to create something that is lighthearted and playful.

To see more work by Found Studio, visit Kacey's Etsy shop at www.foundstudio.etsy.com.