The holidays are right around the corner which means there are a slew of craft shows in the D.C. area. With that in mind, check out DC Craft Mafia’s Holiday Heist in Vienna, VA on Saturday.

You can find handmade gifts ranging from environmentally-friendly jewelry by Elisa Shere, to vegan body products by Lollibomb Beauty and portraits from Jaime Zolllars. The full vendor list can be found here.

Also make sure to stick around for some crafty demos:
12 noon: Paper Bead Making with April Mist Jewelry
1 pm: Crochet Lessons with Ninnycat Crochet
2 pm: Sewing Demo with DC Threads Sewing Lounge

Holiday Heist presented by DC Craft Mafia
When: This Saturday, 11/21, noon-6pm
Where: The Soundry (316 Dominion Road, Vienna, VA 22180)
More info: Check out the DC Craft Mafia Blog for introductions to the vendors

The  Holiday Shop-n-Stroll is looking for  volunteers to help us with vendor load-in on December 5th, from 7am-10am.

Located in Silver Spring, Maryland, this one-day, handmade, holiday shopping extravaganza is looking for crafters, craft enthusiasts, and shoppers to help our vendors out in the morning.

Breakfast will be provided, and you’ll also receive a free, limited edition Holiday Shop-n-Stroll tote bag!

Interested? Come to the official Vendor/Volunteer Meet-and Greet on Wednesday, November 18, from 6:30-8:30pm at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center (8230 Georgia Avenue)… or email Debbie or Kim at handmademart@gmail.com.

Saturday, December 5, 2009, 10am-3pm
Ellsworth Drive (Between Fenton Ave. and Georgia Ave.)
Downtown Silver Spring

The Silver Spring indie craft show, Handmade Mart, is teaming up with Downtown Silver Spring and the FRESHFARM Market for the first annual Holiday Shop-n-Stroll.

Founders, Kim Dorn (Crafty Bastards Director) and Debbie Lee (Rock-n-Romp Founder), invite all crafters to apply to sell their wares this one-of-a-kind, holiday extravaganza, which will take place along the bustling Ellsworth Drive in Downtown Silver Spring.

This one-day, outdoor event will feature 50+ independent crafters, local farmers selling fresh seasonal produce, workshops, carolers, a tree lighting, and much more to get everyone into the holiday swing of things.

Vendor applications for crafters are up online, and it’s FREE to apply!

Apply Now
Hurry, the application deadline is October 19th!
The Handmade Mart is a juried craft show. Vendors will be selected based on quality and uniqueness of their craft.

There is no fee to apply, but all accepted vendors will need to pay a $65 booth fee + an additional fee if electricity is needed.

Check out photos from the spring Handmade Mart here.

Check out handmademart.blogspot.com for more show information.

DCRG Holiday Bash & Craft Sale
Saturday, December 12th, 8-11pm
McFadden’s Bar (2401 Pennsylvania Ave NW)

The DC Roller Girls are looking for crafters to set up shop at this holiday show that includes music, dancing, a bake sale, pictures with Santa, and general rollergirl fun!

Apply Now
Email dr.SKabs at stephk75@gmail.com for an application.
Application Deadline:  Friday, November 13
Table fee: $50 (includes a 3ft.x5ft. table and 2 chairs)

For more information about the DCRG, check out dcrollergirls.com!

It is with great pleasure that I announce that the Craftiest Bastard of 2009, after thousands of votes is… My Paper Crane.

Heidi wins bragging rights and a $500 gift certificate to Urban Outfitters. Heidi not only makes giant plush donuts and toilets, but is one of the original Crafty Bastards. She is part of an elite group of folks who have done all 6 annual fairs!

The runners-up also walk away with something. Second place goes to b-kao, who wins Washington City Paper advertising ($500 value). And third place goes to Sardine Clothing Company, who wins a Crafty Bastards prize pack filled with Washington CityPaper goodies.

Thanks to everyone who voted! Now, here’s Sara with a giant My Paper Crane donut.

At this year’s Crafty Bastards Hello Craft wanted to share the fun of making with those at the fair. So we threw up a tent, asked some of our friends to sponsor some projects, and let the creativity run wild.

And run wild it did. The Make Something Awesome Area was packed from start to finish all day long. Anyone who sat down could make a pin cushion from Etsy, earrings from Mary Ellen Doran, knit up a scarf from Knit Outta the Box, embroider patterns by Sublime Stitching or let their imagination dictate the project with access to a myriad of materials.

Much thanks to the DC Craft Mafia who helped guide project makers throughout the day.

Did you make anything awesome? We’d love to see! Be sure to upload your photos to the Crafty Bastards 2009 Flickr Group.

When we love something around these parts we usually use the word awesome to describe it. It might be overused, but it works for us. But I have to say that I am not really sure how to describe Crafty Bastards 2009. Awesome might not be awesome enough.

This past Saturday, the weather was perfect, the ATM trucks were stacked with cash and it felt like all of DC said, “Screw the bad economy, let’s go to Crafty Bastards!”

You can add your photos to the 2009 Crafty Flickr Group! We would love to see them!

To see more of what folks are saying about this year’s fair, check out this piece on Brightest Young Things: Damn! Those Crafty Bastards! and this one from the Washingtonian.

Thanks to the massive crowds who reaffirmed that this is the best, biggest and most awesome indie craft fair in the world.

** Photos in this post by Nestor Diaz. See more on Dots, Lines, and Polygons’ photostream.

At tomorrow’s Crafty Bastards you’ll see amazing artisans from the District area. These include myself  as well as my favorites The Garbologist’s Wife, this chickadee, and Biggs and Featherbelle. But there’s also quite a few crafters  coming in from all across the country. You can check out the vendor gallery for Etsy and personal Web sites after the fair, but all the Internet shopping in the world cannot replace interacting with the creator of your favorite items in person. Make sure to visit the below vendors tomorrow before they leave town.

Making the trip down from New England is moth written. According to Etsy, it will be their first trip to D.C. so please make them feel welcome and pick up one of their hand silkscreened Arabic t-shirts at Booth #17.

Making the trip down from New York City is The Hand of Fatima Design. Make sure to check out the Steampunk and Victorian-inspired  jewelry at Booth #68 before The Hand of Fatima Design returns to the Big Apple.

Coming in from the Midwest is Barry’s Farm with their unique line of bags and laptop cases. This year they’ll also have iPhone sleeves and kickass pins made out of Legos. You can visit them at Booth #104 before they head back out West.

From PDX comes Bossa Nova Baby who will be selling cute accessories right up the alley of your favorite crafter. Make sure to grab a bag adorned with Gocco-printed scissors or sewing machines from Booth #45 before Bossa Nova Baby packs up and makes the trek back to Portland.

You will love Carlybird Weaves.

Carlybird Weaves is a one-woman business that brings a modern aesthetic to traditional woven patterns. Her line of handwoven fashion accessories includes cuffs, scarflettes, pocket scarves and other items for the home. All Carlybird Weaves products are handwoven, one line at a time, in Baltimore.

In honor of her mother, Carly will be donating 5% of tomorrow’s sales to breast cancer research organizations.

Cruise on over to Etsy.com & check out the Crafty Bastards picks on the homepage.  Start the handmade shopping early and buy online now!  The Crafty Bastards picks will be featured on the homepage for about an hour, but you can still find them in the Crafty Bastards gift guide for a few more days.

Meet the makers and buy from them in person tomorrow at Crafty Bastards from 10am-5pm at the Marie Reed Learning Center in Adams Morgan.  See you there!