Upcoming Event: Woolfest

Woolfest, the UK's biggest celebration of natural fibers, will be held June 22nd and 23rd at Mitchell's Lakeland Livestock Centre near Cockermouth, Cumbria. The event will feature a variety of demonstrations & workshops, as well as rare-breed sheep showing the story of fleece to garment. In addition, a wide variety of crafters & designers will be set up selling their wares. One of the stallholders is Victoria Baker of Little Wren Pottery. She will be displaying her full collection of yarn bowls. Little Wren Pottery has been producing hand-thrown ceramics in the city of Sunderland since 2009. The studio focuses on producing everyday objects which are both elegant & functional. You will find all the details regarding Woolfest on the event website, as well as Facebook. (Photo from Woolfest Gallery)

Funky Five: Jewelry Designs

1. Noelani Villanueva of Coconut Head Jewelry specializes in creating odd, unique and interesting science jewelry. Pictured: Purple and Gold Erlenmeyer Flasks

2. Artulia Jewelry features handcrafted artisan jewelry by Meaghan Aires. Pictured: Circle Cluster Set

3. Debrah Block Krol of DBK Design Arts creates totally unique wire mesh, as well as stunning scarves and an assortment of hand-knit & vintage fabric pillows. Pictured: lime & hand-dyed ribbon cuff with brass rings

4. Catherine of Sparkles N Glitter creates jewelry, cell phone & camera cases, and cards that will add a touch of bling to your life. Pictured: Cupcake Necklace

5. Lisa Compton of Grimm and Grete creates urban bohemian chic accessories. Pictured: Rainbow Fluorite Multichain Necklace

This Week's Events

Tuesday, July 5 through Saturday, July 9
We Make London Pop-up Shop, 10am-Late
Oak Studios, 8 Perrins Ct., Hampstead, London, NW3 1QS

Wednesday, July 6 through Sunday, July 17
Visual Fringe, 6:30-9:30pm
The Fringe Club, 581 Bloor St. West, Toronto, ON

Friday, July 8
The Urban Growers Market, 4-8pm
One World Merchants, 2315 Main St., Vancouver, WA

Friday, July 8 through Sunday, July 10
Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, (F/S) 10:30am-7:30pm, (Sun) 10:30am-6:30pm
Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St., Toronto, ON

SLV Folk Arts & Fiber Festival, (F) Noon-8pm, (Sat) 8:30am-6pm, (Sun) 8:30am-4pm
Marsh Park (by Sonic), Monte Vista, CO

Saturday, July 9
BrisStyle Indie Designers Market, 9am-2pm
St. Augustine's Church, Racecourse Rd., Hamilton, QLD

Parker County Peach Festival, 8am-5pm
Historic Downtown Weatherford, TX

Ballston Arts & Crafts Market, 10am-4pm
Welburn Square, btwn N. Stuart & N. 9th Streets, Arlington, VA

The City Flea, 11am-5pm
W. Central Pkwy. & Vine St. at the Cincinnatus Mural, Cincinnati, OH

Cut&Paste Rock&Roll #4, 5pm-1am
Dipiazza Restaurant & Lava Lounge, 5205 E, Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, CA

White Rock Local Market, 8am-1pm
The Green Spot Market & Fuels, 702 N. Buckner Blvd., Dallas, TX

Craft Candy July Mini Fair, 1-5pm
Bungalows And Bears, Division St., S1 4GF Sheffield, UK

"House & Home", an evening with painter & printmaker Suzanne Francis, 6-9pm
VIX Emporium, 5009 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA

The Creative Collective Craft & Fine Arts Fair, 10am-9pm
The Historic Headhouse Shambles, 2nd & Pine St., Society Hill, Philadelphia, PA

Porter Flea, 10am-5pm
Porter East Building, 715 Porter Rd., Nashville, TN

Crafts from the Past, 9am-3pm
Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace, 911 Reems Creek Rd., Weaverville, NC

Greenway Open Market - Opening Day, 11am-4pm
Rose Kennedy Greenway, Surface Ave. between Atlantic Ave. & High St., Boston, MA

Saturday, July 9 & Sunday, July 10
Renegade Craft Fair, 11am-7pm
Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion, Marina Blvd. at Buchanan St., San Francisco, CA

Urban Craft Uprising, 11am-5pm
Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, 305 Harrison St., Seattle, WA

Art Fair on the Square, 9am-6pm, 10am-5pm
227 State St., Madison, WI

The Villages Craft Festival, 10am-5pm
Lake Sumter Landing Market Square, 1129 Canal St.,The Villages, FL

Accessories

Arrowsarah features wooden box purses & jewelry designs by Angela Mosera. My long-time favorite has been the hand-painted retro owl purse. The zebra square box is pretty funky, too!

Tracey Medrano IS Bad Tracey! Using recycled bicycle tires, she creates the coolest watches & other accessories. I recently read on Facebook that Tracey is now offering bicycle tire koozies for just $7!

Beatrice Ardila is originally from Venezuela, but is currently living & working in Texas. beat-art showcases Beatrice's unique accessories & photography. Her collection of fabric necklaces is full of eye-catching designs. I also dig the braided headwraps.

With over 20 years experience in the fashion industry, Guadalupe Salais creates a beautiful line of accessories found at Cosa Monna Leather. My favorite pieces are the fabric-covered beaded necklaces. Each one is adorned with a leather flower that is so lovely.

Creative Imaginings offers a wide variety of accessories, including glass pendants & yarn scarves & belts. And don't miss the hand-crafted glass sun catchers.

At Delightful Decor you'll find one-of-a-kind gifts items, including beaded tassels. These make fun party or wedding favors, bookmarks, purse or backpack charms, key chains, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Elizabeth Cassels is the talented designer behind eclectibles. She always has a beautiful booth set-up & her accessory designs are unique & funky. I love all her jewelry designs, as well as the vintage purses & tins.


Elliott Williams of ezduzit by elliott is the epitome of a funky find! His booth set-up is so colorful, eye-catching and Elliott is full of life & energy. His funky handbags, wallets & other accessories are always a big hit with shoppers of all ages.

Gypsyharte Arts features unique needle & wet felted creations by Joyce Hazlerig. Her award-winning Psychedelic Cheshire Cat is stunning! Event attendees always ask where Joyce's booth is, because they enjoy collecting her small felted figures & her needle felting kits.

Looking for "fancies and frippery"? Katinka Pinka is the place for you! Kat Wallace has a terrific style that's hard to imitate. Her jewelry is great, but I really love her clothing designs & hair accessories. Visit her Facebook page for more photos.

KraftyMunchkin Designs features all kinds of fun accessories created by Lisa Baltierra. The monster bags & tie pouches are my favorite!

Karen Rester of Luna Azul Studio is a talented painter and fiber artist. Karen weaves her fiber art on a Leclerc 4 shuttle loom & each piece is made from hand-dyed wools, natural fiber and other fun yarns.

I loved the feel of Melissa Knight's booth space at the Spring Fling. Take Flight Boutique has a shabby chic style that suits me to a T! You'll find jewelry, tote bags, hats & more listed online. Also, Melissa donates 5% of all proceeds to Homes for Our Troops, a foundation that builds specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans.

Alena Veteto of the Beadtanical Garden creates one-of-a-kind, hand-beaded florals that will last a lifetime. Her designs are available in the form of hair accessories, rings, earrings & more. Her intricate work is truly amazing!

Upcoming Events

Saturday, January 8
OCH New Year Art Market, 11am-4:30pm
Zeitgeist Multi-disciplinary Arts Ctr, 1618 Oretha C Haley Blvd., New Orleans, LA

Roc Day Celebration, 9am-4pm
Lee Dam Arts Center, 201 S. 9th St., Marysville, KS

Handmade Market, Noon-4pm
The Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL

Saturday, January 8 & Sunday, January 9
Brooklyn Flea, 10am-6pm
1 Hanson Pl. (at Flatbush Ave.), Brooklyn, NY

Plan ahead with our Handmade Events Around the World calendar page, a valuable resource for crafters & shoppers alike!

Art Star Craft Bazaar Recap

Joe and I recently attended the Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philadelphia & I wanted to highlight some of the talented vendors. The show was held at Penn's Landing on the Delaware River Waterfront which was a very nice setting.

I love Nate Duval's artwork. Once we have a permanent home, I would love to decorate with a few of Nate's prints, such as Hootie and Flowers 2. I've also been a fan of the Aquatic Cowboy (pictured) for some time.


Tasha McKelvey creates lots of great ceramic pieces. I love her small bowls adorned with squirrels and birds. At the show, she had the cutest garden gnome plant stakes (pictured), as well as hedgehogs (one of which I nabbed for myself).

Endless Hats & Endless Records features handmade hats and bags, as well as fine quality music from Bloomsburg, PA. They had a variety of great hats & I especially loved their handbags made of vintage tea towels.

Joe and I were both in awe of the unique accessories created by Jesse Walker of Realm Jewelry. I am especially intrigued by the Cameo Pin Cluster necklaces and the Hard Candy Triple Pin necklace.

Angela Davidson is an extremely talented fiber artist. We were enamored with her lovable and lively creatures. All her creations are so well-made and have such personality. The large-lipped squids and Giraffarina (pictured) were among our favorites.

We purchased the best-smelling candle from Melo Studios. These eco-friendly soy candles are available in recyclable tin canisters or in various upcycled glasses and tea cups. We purchased a honeysuckle scent in an adorable mushroom glass.

Sharing a booth were Soda Bomb and Rotorcaps. Both feature accessories made from repurposed or upcycled materials, such as rotorcaps and vintage bottle caps. I purchased a funky pair of My Pops vintage soda bottle cap earrings (pictured). I also wanted the dog earrings & necklace from Rotorcaps, but had to stick to my budget.

And, on a local note, if you happen to be in Philly and are looking for a not-so ordinary date night, check out The Clay Studio. They offer a date night once a month where the instructors will walk you through a few simple projects, or you are free to make your own creations. Your work will be glazed, fired, and ready for you to take home in approximately two weeks after the event. Beer, wine, snacks, materials and firings are all included. The next date night is Friday, June 18.

Take Three - The Shops @ Funky Finds

Cynthia Sickler of Demonstrative Amigurumi Bears and Friends has several Amigurumi patterns available so you can create your own funky friends! She has been designing and making bears and Friends since 1992. The Bobbly Wobbly Puppy Amigurumi PDF pattern is pictured above.

A Snails Pace features a variety of hip, handmade crafts created from fabulous recycled finds. I really like the Sweet Shutterbug Pin Up Girl Scrabble tile pendant, as well as the Birdcage illustration print on vintage dictionary paper.

Texas-based Heather Best creates funky decorative lamps using glass blocks. Lamps by HB offers lamps in various themes, including babies - a perfect baby shower gift or decoration!

Frontier Scholarship Applications

Frontier is a scholarship program started by The Lone Star Ladies in 2010. The scholarship is based on the belief that art and the process of creating art enriches peoples' lives in a way that no other field of study can. To qualify for Frontier, students must be Seniors graduating from an Austin Independent School District High School in the Spring of 2010, and plan to study the applied arts. Funding may be used for an apprenticeship or non-traditional training, i.e., students do not have to use the funds at a four year Liberal Arts College. If you wish to pursue: Art/Fine Art, Fiber (crochet, embroidery, knitting, sewing, quilting, etc.), Glass Work, Graphic Design, Illustration/Drawing, Jewelry, Metal Work, Mixed Media, Mosaics, Photography, Pottery/Ceramics, and Sculpture, then this is the PERFECT scholarship for you!

Shop Austin, a handmade showcase to be held in Austin on April 17, is a FUNDRAISER for this scholarship! Half of each $10.00 ticket sale goes directly to the fund. In addition, a raffle will be held at the event featuring awesome prizes and the scholarship recipient will be showcased as the event.

Application Dates: March 4 - March 31
Click for Application

Yarnplayer Arts

I must admit that my knowledge about knitting, weaving, and yarn in general is limited at best. However, one thing I do know is that creating intricate designs in these areas cannot be easy. Marilee of Yarnplayer Arts creates works of art using various threads & other materials. The tatted Sweetheart earrings are a perfect example of her talents. The pink tatted necklace with beads is another gorgeous design. And check out the Dream earrings...aren't they fabulous? Marilee also sells various hand dyed fibers. You can see the interesting process she uses to dye them here.