Attention all crafters and Crafty shoppers: The date has been set for the 2010 Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 2, 2010.

The fair will take place from 10am-5pm, at our favorite location -  on the grounds at the Marie Reed Learning Center in Adams Morgan, in Washington, D.C.

The vendor application will be online before the end of April, so be sure to sign up for our email list to receive first notification as soon as it’s up.

Questions? Email us at craftybastards@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Treasury, a local vintage and clothing accessory boutique, is debuting their custom line of metal rings on Saturday. Titled “Lithics,” the line is produced by Treasury from vintage casts. Join them from 1 to 4pm for a celebration of the new line featuring music from DJ’s Kim and Sara (Kicks!, Black Cat). And read below for a special interview with Treasury’s Katerina Herodotou.

Why did you decide to make a custom line of rings?

We are always inspired by the vintage treasures we find on our hunts – the clothing, accessories, and jewelry, down the the tiniest little baubles that we can’t help but save and make into some version of updated jewelry. We are known to spend hours digging through dirty boxes of ancient finds at antique shows. One day we came across these rings and saw the possibility and how perfectly they would fit into our boutique’s aesthetic. We love to experiment!

I hear the rings are made from vintage casts. Where did you find the original vintage sources of inspiration?

We picked up the casts on a buying trip from a jewelry buyer who was going to melt them down for the raw metal. After seeing the intricate designs we couldn’t bear to think of them being lost forever.

Can you describe the creation process of the rings?

We worked with a jeweler/consultant to get in contact with the right people in the jewelry district in NYC and to brainstorm the different materials and finishes for the collection. The casts were first modified to include a space for a silver stamp and a Treasury stamp. Then they are used to make intricate wax molds so that they can be reproduced. We are using sterling silver and pink silver (an amalgam of silver and brass that produces a rosy pink alloy), as well as gold-plating for the rings. After they are cast from the molds, they have to be modified into different ring sizings, any excess metal has to be sanded down and the stamps are added. The last steps are the finishes: we are oxidizing some, shining some, and using vermeil on others.

Are there any plans for Treasury to help produce more jewelry in the future?

Yes! We have lots of things brewing in minds for more jewelry.

Are you interested in featuring other custom-made jewelry or clothing from local makers? If so, how can they get in touch with you?

We do already carry a couple jewelry lines from independent designers and would love to find more. Our contact information is our our website: www.shoptreasury.com

Treasury’s Launch of Lithics

Saturday, January 30
1 to 4 pm
1843 14th St. NW (second floor)
Washington, DC 20009

Last weekend’s snowpocalypse put a damper on my plans to shop at the Holiday Booty Market & Black Cat’s Rock and Shop.  Good thing our area has local shops that carry handmade goods to round out my last minute holiday shopping.

Head downtown now to catch the final hours of DC’s Downtown Holiday Market, which runs until 8pm tonight.  If you’re looking for something to get the guys on your list, be sure to check out Jon Wye’s booth for belts, wallets, shirts and more.

DC folks: swing by the Adams Morgan/ U Street area and check out the handmade selections at Meeps, Nana, Smash, and Junction.  If you’re in Baltimore, head to the Hampden neighborhood for shopping at Red Tree, Double Dutch, Atomic Pop, Squidfire, Shine Collective and more.  And, total bonus: scoot on over to Christmas Street for pure holiday decoration overload.

For the fiber addicts on my list, I’m heading to Fibre Space in Alexandria and Stitch DC in Georgetown.

Chocolate makes a great gift & the truffles from Artisan Confections featuring designs by local artists are on my list to pick up.   They also offer classes for $65, which includes,  “a little bit of wine, a little bit of knowledge, and a whole lot of chocolate to take home.”  Yum!  In addition to their diverse line of chocolates from around the globe, Biagio Chocolates in DC carries several locally made brands:

Artisan Confections – Arlington, VA
Christopher’s Confections – Alexandria, VA
Fleurir Chocolates, Hartfield, VA
J Chocolatier – Georgetown, DC
Wanders Chocolatiere – Manassas, VA
Robert’s Chocolates – Alexandria, VA

And of course, I’ll be checking Miss Pixies for cute vintage items my crafty friends can incorporate in to their booth displays.

Time to get moving to get all the shopping done.  Before I go, here’s the list of 2009 Crafty Bastards that listed Virginia as their home state.

Inedible Jewelry: http://www.inediblejewelry.com/
Philip Barbato: http://www.etsy.com/shop/philbarbato
Tasha McKelvey: http://tashamck.com/
Robert Ullman/Atom-Bomb Bikini: http://rkullman.blogspot.com/
this chickadee: http://thischickadee.blogspot.com/
popidiot: http://www.popidiot.com/
Michael Brown – UC Studios: http://www.ucstudios.com/
Moonlight Bindery: http://www.etsy.com/shop/moonlightbindery
molly miller by appointment:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/mollymillerbyappt
imoM / MousyBabe: http://mousybabe.com/
Minda Merinsky: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MINDASART
Richmond Craft Mafia: http://www.richmondcraftmafia.com/
Steve Strawn: http://www.splutphoto.com/
DB PUPPET: http://www.dbpuppet.com/

You can get a listing of all the local Crafty Bastards (DC/MD/VA) in the City Paper’s Shop Local Directory by clicking Crafty Bastards under the partner heading.  Or, just go here.

And I leave you with this holiday message from the sisters of imoM.

Don’t miss Hello Craft’s holiday party tonight in Adams Morgan.  Bring your holiday cheer, a small appetite and a handmade gift to play in the holiday gift exchange.

Head to the Black Squirrel’s upstairs lounge tonight, Dec. 15th from 7 to 10 pm.  Hello Craft will provide supplies to make holiday cards, gift tags and buttons and will conduct a Handmade White Elephant gift exchange.

The White Elephant will begin around 8:30 pm. To participate, bring a handmade gift worth no more than $15. It can be something you made or by someone else, just as long as it is handmade. Not sure what the White Elephant thing is all about.  No worries.  Hello Craft will explain the rules of the game before the exchange starts.  If you attended the Summit of Awesome last spring you know how much fun this is!  I totally scored at that one and went home with an awesome Jaime Zollars pirate hedgehog pencil sketch.  Looking forward to another awesome surprise tonight!

The Black Squirrel is located at 2427 18th St. NW in the Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington, D.C.

Happy Holidays!

Come shop, eat, drink, and be merry with the DC Rollergirls this Saturday night. I got details for ya:

DC Rollergirls 2nd Annual Craft Fair & Holiday Bash!
Date: Saturday, December 12, 2009
Time: 8-11 pm
Location: McFadden’s, 2401 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20037 (metro accessible via the Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro Station)

This event is free and open to the public (must be 21+) and features 20 crafters in the DC Area, including:

* Queer Crafter Collective
* Nourishing Botanicals and Beso Beso
* Grey Moggie Greetings
* UC Studios
* Glittery Blue
* Zatch Creations
* Printlike
* A.W.E. Jewelry Design
* EHL creations
* bLuGrn Design
* LaVieve Boutique Quality Skincare
* Uptown Savvy
* Jump Honey Handmade
* meg-a-morphosis
* Swag Galaxy
* Blue Heaven Designs
* She Felt Pink
* OceanSea

They will be collecting art supplies to benefit the N Street Village. For more information, check out dcrollergirls.com

The holiday season is in full swing all right. My living room has been taken over with plastic storage bins & craft fair display racks and my social life has dwindled to interactions with my cat, the art supply store and my UPS guy. But guess what? I’m loving every second of it…aren’t you? Why? Because every weekend, we crafters get to come meet all of YOU fabulous craft enthusiasts & holiday shoppers in person!

I’m pretty excited for Squidfire’s Holiday Art Mart this weekend. Are you coming? Join Squidfire and 60 other talented artists and crafters for an all day shopping experience on December 12. The Du Burns Arena in Canton will be transformed into an alternative shopping center when diy/indie crafters from all over the east coast descend upon Baltimore to offer you the most unique, handmade gift ideas. Might I suggest a poster from Brainstorm Silkscreen? A one-of-a-kind stuffed monster from Cotton Monster? With each of the 60+ crafters setting up a 10 x 10 foot space chock full of gift ideas, ample parking for all, and plenty of snacks to feast on while getting the job done, you’re guaranteed to leave feeling productive & inspired!

screenprinted poseter by Brainstorm Silkscreen

hand sewn space bug by Cotton Monster

SquidFire’s Holiday Art Mart

Saturday, December 12, 2009 11-6 pm

Duburns Arena

1301 S. Ellwood Ave.

Baltimore, MD

This Saturday in Downtown Silver Spring is the Holiday-Shop-n-Stroll. Handmade Mart and FRESHFARM Markets are teaming up, meaning there will be approximately 50 artisans and crafters selling their handmade products plus local  produce from the farmers market vendors. For those inspired to get crafty at the event, Art Spring (the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center retail store) will be hosting an ornament-making workshop.

It’s a shoppers paradise for those looking to support local/handmade, plus a quick stop for all those Christmas shopper slackers who still need to begin their holiday shopping. You can find everything from silk-screened cards and posters, to jewelry, to handmade soaps and body products. Here are some of my favorites.

b-kao, hand-sewn clothing and accessories made from reconstructed vintage materials:

This Chickadee, really cute handmade home decor & more:

Pretty Little Fings, plush goodness:

FuzzyMug, pet inspired note cards, journals and cards (plus custom pet portraits!)

When: Saturday, December 5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Downtown Silver Spring, MD on Ellsworth Drive (between Georgia and Fenton Ave.)
More info: Vendor Q&A’s can be found on the official Handmade Mart blog and the vendor gallery is on the Pyramid Atlantic Web site.

It is surprising, but true, that I didn’t know that Narwhals were actual real creatures until this recent piece on NPR. Look, see, they are real!

Since I heard that story, I have been captivated by the idea of the Narwhal. And it looks like I am not the only one. Indie craft seems to be exploding with images of the magical horned whale. Here are some of my favorites.

A Narwhal named Gob, by SquidInkKollective:

Don’t Forget the Donuts Print by NoosedKitty

NARWHAL Hand Cut Sterling Silver Pendant by Metalsmitten

Narwhal notebook on seafoam blue by Juliepeach

The wicked cool Narwhal makes owls look downright boring. Go Narwhal!

Following the list of DC crafters I posted last week, below you will find links to all the Crafty Bastards in Maryland.  I’m working on the Virginia crafters.  Stay tuned.

But first, one of my favorite ways to buy handmade: craft shows!

Craft shows are a great place to find handmade gifts and come with the added bonus of buying directly from artist.  Over on Hello Craft, I posted a round up of all the holiday craft shows I want to shop this year.  The list includes a few not-to-be-missed local events like this Saturday’s Handmade Mart Holiday Shop and Stroll in Silver Spring (where I’ll be sharing a booth with market organizers Kimberly Dorn & Debbie Lee-come say hi!), and Holiday Heap in Baltimore presented by the Charm City Craft Mafia.

Also, DC’s Downtown Holiday Market kicks off this Friday and runs daily from noon-8pm through December 23rd.  Next Saturday, you can scoop up handmade goods at the Squidfire Winter Art Mart in Baltimore.  And, last minute shoppers, be sure to check out the Holiday Booty Market on December 19th.

And now, as promised, all the 2009 Crafty Bastards that listed Maryland as their home:

Crafty Bastards: Maryland Edition

60bugs: http://www.etsy.com/shop/60bugs

Alitas Jewelry: http://www.etsy.com/shop/alitasjewelry

Amy Klainer: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AmyKlainer

BEST: http://baltimorecraft.com/shop.html

beth pohlman jewelry: http://www.etsy.com/shop/bethpohlman

Biggs and Featherbelle: http://www.biggsandfeather.com/

b-kao: http://b-kao.com/

Block Party Press: http://www.etsy.com/shop/blockpartypress

Brown Paper: http://www.etsy.com/shop/brownpaper

Carlybird Weaves: http://www.carlygoss.com/

Cotton Monster: http://www.cottonmonster.com/

Dandelion Blu Jewelry: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dandelionblu

DIRTFARM!: http://www.bendependent.com/

Dots, Lines, and Polygons: http://www.dotslinesandpolygons.com

Elisa Shere Jewelry: http://www.etsy.com/shop/elisasherejewelry

Fisticuffs Leather:  http://fisticuffsleather.com/

Folktale Fibers: http://www.etsy.com/shop/folktale

Jaime Zollars: http://jaimezollars.com/category.php?new=1

jennyjen42: http://www.etsy.com/shop/jennyjen42

Maganda Design: http://www.etsy.com/shop/magandadesign

My UglyKitty: http://myuglykitty.com/

Neighborhood Fiber Co.: http://www.neighborhoodfiberco.com/

Pellinore Press: http://www.pellinorepress.com/

pistolstitched: http://www.pistol-stitched.com/

Rebound Designs: http://www.rebound-designs.com/

Red Prairie Press : http://www.redprairiepress.com/

spaghetti kiss: http://spaghettikiss.websiteanimal.com/

squidfire, inc.: http://www.squidfire.com/

Sugar Paperie: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sugarpaperie

Sweet Pepita:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetpepita

The Broken Plate Pendant Co.: http://ibreakplates.com/

The Devil Made Me Do It: http://thedevilmademedoitclothing.com/

The Garbologist’s Wife: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGarbologistsWife

The Littlest Bean: http://www.littlestbean.com/

Tigerlillyshop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/tigerlillyshop

tlane: http://www.etsy.com/shop/tlane

Woolarina: http://woolarina.com/

Happy shopping!

Image Credit: Spruce Springstein Soap by 8th Street Soap Kitchen.  Buy online or in person at Handmade Mart this Saturday.

The Holiday Shop-n-Stroll is looking for volunteers to help them with vendor load-in, on the day of the fair, from 7am-10am.

Crafters, craft-lovers, and early birds are welcome to join them.

All volunteers will be provided breakfast, and will receive a free, limited edition, Holiday Shop-n-Stroll tote bag.

All interested volunteers should email them at handmademart@gmail.com.

For more information about the show, check out http://handmademart.blogspot.com/