Tag: craft fair

Meet The Maker: Mariko Iwata of Miks Letterpress

Hello and welcome to our Meet the Maker blog series! Twice a week we will be profiling one of our talented vendors who will be participating in our Holiday Art Star Craft Bazaar on November 19th and 20th at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. This is a great way to get to know each of our artists better. Learn more about their process, get a glimpse into their studio, and meet the person behind the beautiful products they create! We will be posting these every Tuesday and Thursday until the show. Join our Facebook Event so you are notified as soon as a new post is up. Enjoy!
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Hi I’m Mariko and I design and print modern and funny letterpress greeting cards as well as minimal wedding invitations.

photo by Jon Moses Photography

I am all about the hand written note. Nothing says “you’re worth it” than someone who gets out a pen, thinks of something to write, licks the envelope and rifles through their drawer for stamps. Oh, yeah and then remembers to send the letter.

The sentiments printed on my cards are modern and funny as well as gushingly sentimental. I try to think of something unique that people today want to say like “i wait to watch tv shows with you” to express love. Most cards also have a blind impression that you can only see if you’re up close, like a secret message.

photo by Jon Moses Photography

photo by Jon Moses Photography

I love printing. I have a heidelberg windmill letterpress machine in my studio in Mt. Rainier, MD. It’s heavy and large and quite awesome when it comes to letterpress printing. I got it two years ago when I decided I’d pour my heart into designing and printing stationery and wedding invitations.

photo by Jon Moses Photography

There are a number of steps involved in printing, starting from the design and concept, getting plates made, inking up your machine, setting up a design on the machine to then finally print. Here is a video that I did with Below the Park that shows the multiple steps.

Miks Letterpress – Clones from Below The Park on Vimeo.

photo by Rachel Lynn Photography

This year I’ve been focusing more on my modern wedding invitation line. The wedding line is minimal, simple and great for the couple who wants their wedding invitation suite to be unique and different. I use gold foil, letterpress and watercolor in my work.

photo by Rachel Lynn Photography

I’m so excited to be at the Art Star Craft Bazaar this year. I’ll have a number of new items that I don’t have yet online and will be debuting at the show. I’m super excited to be in Philly this year with other super talented makers.

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Mariko Iwata is the creative force behind Miks Letterpress +. When she is not printing and being a boss lady she is hanging out with her husband (the inspiration for many of her cards) and 8 month old son (who frequents craft fairs with her and will be at Art Star). Follow Miks Letterpress + on instagram (@mikspress) and check out her site mikspress.com

Photos by Jon Moses Photography & Rachel Lynn Photography
Video by Below the Park

October 18, 2016
Meet The Maker “Julia Passafiume”

Well, hello everyone! I’m Julia, and I design and sew a line of quirky and sustainably sourced kids and baby clothes.

Five years ago I was knee deep in mannequins and silk crepe de chine at a very fancy fashion school in NYC, and I loved it. I savored every moment I could arguing about the intention behind a style line or the consideration in debating to use one button over another. Most makers know this feeling of getting blissfully lost in the details, right? I graduated after being nominated for designer of the year in my class and I leapt into the arms of my first job offer as an Associate Designer for a kids clothing company.

But when I left the safe sewing rooms of Parsons is when I began to realize the overall motive of the fashion industry: to make money. The entire industry had devolved from creating products that had value and quality to just making as much money for the cheapest cost possible. This shift is at great cost to the lives of millions of people- just Google the Rana Plaza Factory Collapse or “what color are the rivers in China” for just a taste of the toll our fast fashion choices are having on the world around us. Obviously, my naïve little heart couldn’t handle it anymore, so I left my job in New York City and came home to Point Pleasant, New Jersey.

For me, sewing is about creating something from scratch and being mindful of the time and energy it takes to do so. I’ve been sewing for years, but not until I left my job in New York City did I realize this was where I find my happiness. I’m now also a full time seamstress for a local shop, so creating kids clothes is something that happens in the time before and after my 9-5 hustle. And whenever there’s interest, I love giving sewing lessons to people of all ages!

All of the products I make are from sustainably sourced materials such as organic cotton, fast-growing hemp, recycled vintage fabrics or traditional weaving methods. I also make a push to buy American made materials whenever possible. A company called Spoonflower that uses eco-conscious dyes and digital printing methods, which have a much lighter footprint than other printing methods, does most of my printed knits right in North Carolina. Just like other makers of handmade clothing, I know that small-scale fashion is part of the solution to a very large and complicated problem.
I’m so looking forward to the Art Star Craft Bazaar in Asbury Park because the maker community here at the beach is so inviting and we’re sure to have a good time! Come by and say hello to my sister Leah (who is a printmaker and bookbinder) and me while we’re smushed in a booth together and chat with us about happy handmade things!

In the meantime, feel free to check out my Instagram and my Etsy Shop!

July 14, 2016
Meet The Maker: Kimberly Frey of Happy Land Handmade

I started Happy Land Handmade in 2010 to put a name to what I do, which is crafting art objects, wearables, home goods and pottery out of ceramics. My husband and I derived the name from the title of a 19th century Scottish hymn as a ode to our faith. It seemed fitting to touch that vein as an identity piece because I find that the identity of an artist illuminates the work that we make. The pretzel happens to be a symbol I use which touches this vein too. The history of this beloved food is that it was conceived by Italian nuns and labeled as the “trinity loaf.” Besides my faith identity, it represents my heritage as the great great grand daughter of an Italian immigrant who ventured to establish himself as an American citizen and pretzel shop owner on 2nd street in Philadelphia.

I studied fashion design at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia before transferring to Tyler School of Art for crafts and ceramics. I still pull influence from my time in fashion school into my ceramic work. I am inspired to create wearable porcelain jewelry as well as styling and photographing my own photoshoots of people I meet in my own life. I absolutely love the process of creating my own photos of my work. It enables me to have full control over the marketing aspect. I also take it as an opportunity to make art in another medium; photography. So I’m not just interested in photographing a ceramic pot on a gradient background, but more about creating an interactive environment for my work and then photographing that. Though I’m mostly self taught, I truly am a novice of many art forms and am nearly always, unapologetically seeking out another opportunity to try my hand in something new.

I work at my home studio in Happy Valley Pennsylvania which is completely perfect for me. I am an artist mother and being in the home while I practice my craft is essential for this season of life. I am able to seamlessly float between domestic and motherly duties back to the ebb and flow of the ceramic process; one that is both meditative and ever undulating. I work with various ceramic processes such as hand building, throwing, mold making and slip casting. My recent work is inspired by various fashion trends, food, color and material. Honestly, I am an alchemist at heart so this medium a lot of times, informs itself. I will both interpret color and texture from real life into my work or uncover color and texture in my work and expound on it. I see mastering ceramics as a life time of testing and follow through. Each body of work that I make uncovers new insights on the endless possibilities of material, color and form. It’s really fun; at least when things don’t go disastrously wrong, which, any ceramist knows to always account for waste.

I am learning to be business minded as Happy Land debuts this July for its first real deal craft event. I am excited to bring well made and designed, affordable ceramics to the market place and to meet you and the other makers. And of course, to enjoy the sun and surf, which is where I would live permanently if I could! Till then, take care and see you soon.

Find Happy Land Handmade Online and at our Upcoming Art Star Craft Bazaar in Asbury Park, NJ on July 30th and 31st.

July 5, 2016
Meet the Maker: Heidi Shenk/Row House 14

Words and Photos by Heidi Shenk

I’m Heidi, the owner and designer of Row House 14, an indie stationery and paper goods company. I’m a small town Indiana girl that made her way to Baltimore somehow and became a teacher. On the days I felt burned out in the classroom, I turned to art as a creative outlet. The final products– cards and stationery.

Six years later, I moved on from the classroom to design and make cards full time from my home studio in my historic Baltimore row house. I never thought that something I did to keep a creative energy going would turn into my job, but I am always excited for a new adventure in life and haven’t looked back since.

My inspiration comes from daily life, so many of my cards embrace the humor in every day life. I enjoy writing the cards just as much as I like to design them. I pair bold and bright colors with recognizable images to create designs that are relatable. If I can make someone laugh or smile or just make someone’s day a little better, then I think my ultimate goal has been accomplished.

I love experimenting with the final product as well. Some of my cards are bolder and brighter in design and finished digitally. Others, I print myself using a letterpress printing press. Each medium offers its own creative challenges and pushes me to hone my craft and think outside the box.

Aside from greeting cards, I offer other stationery goods such as note cards, notepads, and pencils. The pencils are all individually hand imprinted with a vintage Kingsley press– a piece of history in itself. The process is one that I enjoy immensely and is truly a labor of love.

Working with my hands is incredibly fulfilling for me. I also find importance in using recycled and sustainable paper and products for the end results in my shop. I want my business to not only bring happiness to others, but to be an extension of my own lifestyle from the day to day, so that includes being environmentally conscious while still providing an incredibly high quality product, as well as finding joy in what I do in the day to day.

Through Row House 14, I hope to offer witty, stylish, and ridiculously hilarious stationery goods.
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Thanks for sharing Heidi! Visit Row House 14 at our May 7th + 8th Art Star Craft Bazaar at Penn’s Landing Great Plaza, Booth #86 (along the Walnut Plaza).
http://www.rowhouse14.com/

April 12, 2016
Meet the Maker: Indigo Marie Illustration

by Indigo Marie Illustration

Hello there! I am an illustrator & soft sculpture maker residing in Baltimore, Maryland. I have a strange fascination with hairless kittens, tea, & otherworldly splendor. I am a collector of old, weathered textiles, driftwood scraps, & anything with a story that’s since been neglected.

As a young child I was most often found hunched in the branches of the old apple tree in my backyard illustrating & writing books. Not much has changed since then. As a fresh graduate from Maryland Institute College of Art with my BFA I’m slowly starting to carve away my artistic path.

I love working in a variety of mediums however my primary mediums include ballpoint pen & acrylic paint for my 2D illustrations. For my sculptural work I use polymer clay glazed with acrylic paint and fibers for their soft bodies. Being a maker allows for a very magical opportunity to inject art into peoples everyday lives with it being serendipitous and affordable. This is the reason why I delight so much in making my strange little, dusty creatures. They look as if they have arrived on a ship from a different world, a charming nostalgic treasure hidden on a book self end or crevice of someone’s sacred space. I delight in creating these odd treasures that people tend to double take to fully soak in.

All I ever hope to achieve with my works is to inspire people & get them out of their heads to reconnect with the pure wonder of imagination and the feeling of being 5 years old again, uninhibited by worry. I use nature as a primary muse to my works as well as my love for soaking in different people essences and injecting them into my characters.

I currently sell work in local artisan shop Strongbox and at scattered pop up markets around Baltimore. I enjoy doing commissions for people. I find a lot of pleasure in getting told what to create from other people’s worlds and hopefully superseding their expectations. The unexpected collaboration between the artist and the client is oddly beautiful to me. After the chaos of the holidays are over I will be helping illustrate a book for a dear friend which I’m very excited to dig into and have high hopes for.

This is my first time vending at the Art Star Craft Bazaar and I could not be more excited. Please take a gander at booth #36. I look forward to meeting all of you!

Visit Indigo Marie Illustration on her website

November 5, 2015
Meet the Maker: Kerry + Neil Stavely of Horse and Hare

Horse and Hare are me, Kerry Stavely, and my husband Neil Stavely. We started working under this name in 2008 when we opened our Etsy shop, pulling it from our Chinese Zodiac signs. I am the Horse and Neil is the Hare.

Neil and I met in Memphis, Tennessee while attending art school in the late nineties and have basically been together ever since. We later moved to Winchester, Virginia where we continue to work and live to this day. We do our work mostly out of our home but also have a gallery/handmade retail store here called Tin Top which serves as a home base for us to showcase our work as well as the work of other artists and crafters from around the U.S. We have some studio space there as well and our beloved letterpress lives there too.

Although our work is rooted in linoleum and wood block printing, neither of us focused on the medium very much in school; we came to it as a way to work on smaller projects that we could easily pick up or put away when our daughter was young. We started off just doing linocut prints but it grew from there and has since evolved; exploiting the medium in more experimental and playful ways, creating mixed media works and semi-sculptural assemblages and carved paintings. Now we do everything from commissioned design work, to our own prints, wearables and home goods to one of a kind fine art pieces.

The subjects of our are work are pulled from history, literature, occult/spiritual symbolism and iconography, and the natural world. We like to blur the line between art vs. craft, low brow vs. high brow. Despite the diversity of content, the work is tied together stylistically which primarily comes from the block printing medium but also from our approach.

A lot of people ask us if we work collaboratively on pieces. Usually we do not. Although we think of ourselves as team, our collaborative process is mainly on the conceptual level, whether it’s bouncing ideas off each other or giving each other constructive criticism. On occasion we might work on the same piece but it’s pretty rare – we both have a hard time relinquishing that control!Again our work is tied together due to the nature of the medium but our styles are pretty different. Neil’s work tends to be more controlled and illustrative whereas my work is rougher and more expressionistic. All in all though, I think we work pretty well together!

Neil and I, on average, only do a couple art fairs a year. This will be our first adventure to Art Star and Philadelphia together, we are really excited about it!

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Find Horse and Hare at our Upcoming Fall Art Star Craft Bazaar on Nov. 7th + 8th. or visit their website here

October 20, 2015
Meet ASCB Vendors As The Crow Flies + Co

As the Crow Flies & Co is a little family business in West Philadelphia run by Mike and Wilder Scott-Straight. Married for almost ten years, they started As the Crow Flies & Co five years ago combining their efforts. Mike has been making jewelry for over 20 years since he was a youth vending stained glass jewelry on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley, Ca. Wilder technically could have met him then, as they both moved to the Bay Area at the same time, lived in the same neighborhood and frequented the same places. That however, wasn’t meant to be and they didn’t meet until 10 years later when they had both gone back to the east coast and discovered a mutual love of all things old and the joys of flea marketing together. That joy led to Wilder’s vintage plate collection, which led to much of the jewelry that Mike makes today.

The story goes, that one of Wilder’s favorite calendar plates fell and broke. Mike who up until that time had just made stained glass jewelry thought maybe he could make something for her with the broken shards. He made a piece for her and a few more too and soon he was looking around to see what other plates were damaged enough to cut up.

Over the last 7 years he’s perfected his technique and his eye. He looks for interesting images and patterns, cropping them carefully from the original plate. He tries to find the stories in these images and hopes you can see them too. He has a love of all things nautical so ships and lighthouses always abound as do birds. By choosing already damaged plates from flea markets to work with, he brings new life to an otherwise discarded object.

Vintage dishes are storytellers, steeped in history. The original makers in Europe and the US have a fascinating past to them, as do many of the patterns and the places they came from. The original owners, and their stories also have tales to tell. Mike does a lot of custom work from family dishes that have been well loved over time. By making the broken shards into necklaces, earrings and cuff links, families can keep the memories and have something uniquely wearable to show.

Mike has kept doing stained glass, his first love as well. With an art deco aesthetic he makes earrings and necklaces. Just recently he started making chevrons, based on the windows of his 1903 West Philadelphia home.

Wilder always had an eye for color and fabric. She originally started with knitwear but when their daughter came along she wanted to make timeless clothes that weren’t easily found in shops. Believe it or not she’d always been intimidated by sewing, mostly due to the half broken machines that she’d found in thrift stores and been working on. Her friend gave her some expert advice, buy a cheap, new machine with instructions (this is key) and learn the ropes on that. She did and with a few quick lessons from said friend, figured out sewing was not as terrifying as she’d first thought. It, in fact, was fun and liberating!

Wilder uses simple, timeless, vintage patterns and combines them with new designer fabrics to create a fresh look that’s sweet and harkens back to bygone days. Her inspirations come from her some of her favorite childhood books, Pippi Longstocking, Anne of Green Gables and The Princess and The Goblin.

At the moment she only makes girl’s clothes but with the new addition of a little boy to the family she realizes boy clothing is going to have to happen soon (look out for it this fall).

Mike is excited to be vending at the Art Star Craft Bazaar in Asbury Park, which was his grandmothers old summer stomping ground in the 1920s. He’ll be there with plenty of ships and lighthouses as well as stained glass brights and Wilder’s summer dresses and skirts, perfect for the beach.

July 22, 2015
Meet ASCB Vendor Bethany Rusen of Stanley Chester & Albert

being a potter in an urban area has its challenges. every so often, i envy my friends who are ceramic artists in far flung, beautiful places like the mountains of North Carolina or the plains of Montana and Nebraska. i love the beauty of where they live and most of all, the abundance of space. but i grew up in rural Pennsylvania, so by age 18 i had had enough of the country life. i have lived in Philly for almost 12 years and i think i am a permanent condition in this fair city. besides, i would miss the vibrant urban environment and the amazing community of makers that Philadelphia has to offer.

when i was looking to buy a house a year and a half ago, i told my realtor that my number one need was a work space. because Philly’s housing stock in almost entirely rowhomes, i knew my studio would be in the basement. so i needed a large, open, airy, high ceilinged basement, which was a challenge, especially in older homes. my house is almost a hundred years old, but it has an ideal basement. so this has been my studio home since then.

when i started making pots under Stanley Chester & Albert about two and a half years ago, i had almost 15 years working as a ceramic artist under my belt, including a BFA and an MFA in ceramic sculpture. i started SC&A with a very simple premise: to produce well made vessels that would be accessible to a diverse audience and appeal to a population of people who normally didn’t buy handmade pots. with that in mind, i decided to stick to simple forms like bowls and cups – things that could be used in a variety of ways and be at home in any domestic environment.

i’ve always been in love with vintage imagery, pop culture and snark, and the unexpected ways they can be combined. as for putting them on pots, it all started about seven years ago when i was still in grad school. i made a vase for a friend’s birthday: on one side was a dead flower, and the other said “BITCH PLS”. no one around me really got why it was funny, but i thought it was hilarious at the time (and still do). ceramics sometimes has a tendency to be overly formal and serious, so i love to disrupt that expectation.

most everything i make starts on the potters’ wheel, thrown by yours truly. i favor simple, elemental forms. everything is thrown generously and has a solid weight and heft to it. i want these pieces to stand up to daily use in your home, not put on a shelf only to be admired.

after the pots are trimmed and dried, they are bisque fired to 1860 degrees, and then glazed and fired again to 2232 degrees. almost everything i make is dipped in a clear glaze to allow the clay body (which is a really delicious speckled while stoneware) to shine through. i try to keep glazing very simple, mostly because i really hate glazing, but also because i’m more interested in using the vessel as a blank canvas for the images i apply.

i was introduced to the waterslide decal process by my colleague and friend, Sharon Bartmann. i immediately saw the possibility of decals and ended up running with it like mad. i source my images from copyright free and vintage websites and books, in particular the Dover series of illustration books, which compiles a huge variety of images in one place. after scanning or downloading, i play with the images in Photoshop a bit, adjusting contrast, brightness, proportion and orientation. because of the way the printer works, high contrast images without a lot of shades of gray work best.

once i have the image the way i want it in Photoshop, i print it out using a special printer and special decal paper. from there, i cut out the image, put it in water, and then affix the cellophane image to the vessel. it’s fired once more to permanently bond the image to the glaze. although the images are printed with black ink, once they are fired they turn a lovely reddish brown sepia color. with that aesthetic in mind, i gravitated toward imagery from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. i love anatomy and so skulls, hearts, bones and brains frequently find their way onto my work.

looking forward to the first Craft Bazaar at Asbury Park. come find me, i will be sure to have some Fucking Coffee in my hand.

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Bethany Rusen is the creative force behind Stanley Chester & Albert. when she is not making pots, she is the Ceramics Technician at Main Line Art Center in Haverford, PA. she teaches kids, teens and adults at MLAC and Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington. she likes to go through other people’s trash, is obsessed with Richard Nixon and is dogmom to her two greyhounds, Calvin and Pearl. follow SC&A on Instagram (@stanleychesteralbert) and for more info, check out stanleychesteralbert.com

Photo credit: Bethany Rusen and Ananda Connolly

July 16, 2015
Meet ASCB Vendors: Tigerlillyshop and Dreadnought Workshop

Hi, we are Allison and Brett, the artists behind Tigerlillyshop and Dreadnought Workshop.

Double Maple Seed Necklace by Tigerlillyshop

We met in college at MICA, he was a painting major and I was a sculpture major. We have always been studio artists. After our early careers in mural painting and upholstery, we decided to narrow our scope and put all of our efforts into a creative business. Most of our jewelry skills are self taught. With our creative talents and drive, we thought we could make a sustainable handmade life as studio artists in Baltimore City.

Dreadnought Workshop Money Clips

So here we are 10 years after starting my Etsy shop! Our lines have evolved and changed with our interests but have always remained true to our hand. I started out with custom plastic rings, developed the kimono button jewelry, then the botanical metalwork and later Brett launched the men’s accessory line, it debuted in 2010. Shoppers can still see us at select regional retail shows, but mostly we make our living wholesaling our men’s and women’s jewelry. You can find us in the studio every day filling orders and shipping all over the country. We are a growing business and hope to be for a long time.

Hydrangea Petal Earrings by Tigerlillyshop

My sister Maria Fomich and I developed the Tigerlillyshop Botanical line together. Since 2009 she has been part of this crazy train ride making her own metalwork and helping spread the word about our family business. Last year she opened a beautiful retail brick & mortar in New Orleans to showcase her own handmade art jewelry. In her Adorn & Conquer Gallery you will find our Tigerlillyshop & Dreadnought lines, and a curated selection of only the best handmade gifts. We are proud to be living the handmade life, advocating for and supporting artists in our larger indie family out there!

About Tigerlillyshop’s Botanical Collection: Allison collects nature specimen to press into metal for one of a kind jewelry. She also creates a cast jewelry collection of her best finds: acorns, twigs, maple seeds, etc.

About Dreadnought Workshop: Brett is inspired by the city, American history, and the things he experiences living in an urban setting. Brett’s new line of belt buckles, tie clips, and cufflinks are made using various metal fabricating and casting techniques which he has learned through studio exploration.
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Thanks to Allison + Brett for sharing their story with us today! Please visit them at the Art Star Craft Bazaar on May 9th + 10th in booth #104 at Penn’s Landing Great Plaza. You can also find them here: Website, Twitter, and Facebook.

April 21, 2015
Meet New Art Star Craft Bazaar Vendor Marcella Kriebel

photos and text by Marcella Kriebel

I am a watercolor artist and illustrator from Portland, OR, living in Washington DC for the last 5 years. I’m excited to be a part of the Art Star Craft Bazaar for the first time this year. Because my work covers food themes and cooking, I can be found at select Farmers’ Markets as well as Art and Craft fairs in the Mid-Atlantic and on the West Coast.

I’ve always really enjoyed cooking and traveling. I’ve made a point to cook with people during my trips throughout Latin America, and it is through these experiences that I created my cookbook, Mi Comida Latina. The book is entirely hand lettered and includes my watercolor illustrations on every page. The style reflects my sketchbook journal that I keep during experiences abroad- small step by step drawings and lots of color throughout.

I published the book thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign in November 2012. This self-published edition of the book is sold out, but I’m excited to share that the Art Star Craft Bazaar will be my first Craft Fair showcasing the published edition of the new book. This new edition will be a bigger and better version with an additional 40 pages!

After the Kickstarter edition of the book came out, I got a number of commissions for food-related artwork and custom illustrated recipes (a service I still offer) and my food-related collection began to flourish.

I like to work in a series and have explored various fruit and vegetable “families”, complete with Latin names. I have designs which celebrate the different types of cheeses, figs, olives and other delicacies.

My Art Every Day project from 2014 expanded my collection immensely and I’ll be offering many of these designs as prints for the first time at the bazaar. Hope to see you all at my booth, #118, Mother’s Day weekend!

April 14, 2015