2008 Crafty Bastards Vendor Spotlight: Rebound Designs
Get to know this year’s Crafty Bastards vendors! We’re posting a series of interviews of crafters who will be at the CB festival Saturday, June 28, at the Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center in Silver Spring, MD.
Caitlin Phillips of Rebound Designs brings new life to old books with her one-of-a-kind Book Purses. It is the ultimate in upcycling. And if you think her hard back purses are awesome, just wait to see what she is doing with old paper backs! Check out Caitlin in Booth #7 at Crafty Bastards Silver Spring this Saturday!
1. Using just three words, how would you describe your work?
Ingenious, literate, recycled
2. What are you doing to prepare for Crafty Bastards? Are there any new products or techniques that you will be trying out for this show?
I try to be prepared for a show at all times, so the hard stuff like booth display and major inventory is mostly done. I still have some tweaking to do, like redesigning my hangtags and making some new signs, and there are still lots of new purses to be made. And, I am working on a long-awaited new product!
*drumroll please*
Paperback wallets! The one major complaint I get is from guys who wish they could wear a book purse. So, I have heard their pleas, and will be debuting the Paperback Wallet at Crafty Bastards. Of course, the wallets are perfect for women as well. I am also taking custom orders, so if you have a favorite paperback that has fallen apart, bring it to me and you can have a custom wallet made at just the right size to fit in your Book Purse!
3. Is your craft widespread in the handmade community? What makes your stuff different from others in your craft genre?
Making purses out of recycled material is definitely widespread. You may have seen purses made out of cigar boxes, license plates, juice pouches, or record albums, but the Book Purse is my own invention. Since I began making them, others have cropped up, which is natural because it is the greatest idea ever. However, my Book Purses will always stand out because of my utmost dedication to quality and professionalism. Each piece is carefully planned and executed, with the fabric and handles matching so perfectly that you would think the fabric was made to go with the book. While I use old, damaged books as my primary material, the finished product looks beautiful and polished. I also do a large number of custom orders, so that customers can have a Book Purse made out of their own book, or one that really means something to them, as well as have input on the materials.
4. Starting an independent shop takes a lot of dedication, planning and hard work. At what point did you realize you had the chops to start your own indie craft business?
Before I began my indie business, I worked as a salesperson for Cutco Cutlery. This was a great experience, because it taught me a lot about working for myself, planning my schedule, dealing with customers, marketing, and sales, especially. I sold Cutco for almost six years, ran an office for one summer, and was Top 10 in the nation in sales two years running. After selling knives door to door, I can pretty much sell anything.
I took my first Book Purses to Eastern Market a week or so after I made the first one, and they sold right away. I kept making them during the week and selling them on the weekends, and after a few months, I realized I wasn’t setting up many Cutco appointments anymore. I was so in love with crafting that I began doing it full time without even realizing it. I left Cutco almost four years ago, and have been making and selling as Rebound Designs ever since. It’s been a lot of hard work, but the experience I got from being an independent salesperson was invaluable, and has made a huge difference in my being so successful now. Since I graduated college, I have never had a boss other than myself, and I never will.
5. Where are your favorite places to find your supplies?
Most of my books come from library discards, thrift stores, yard sales, or even the trash. I often get donations from people looking to clean out Grandma’s attic. My fabrics come from a variety of sources, mostly local quilting shops, and also my mom’s vintage quilting stash. Once a year, my mom and I go up to Intercourse PA in Amish Country to go to the amazing quilt stores up there.
6. Crafting is a grassroots revolution of sorts. It’s catching on as people appreciate all things handmade, original, recycled and environmentally/socially conscious. Does this influence/inspire your work? If so, how do you incorporate it into your craft?
Absolutely! My work is certainly three of those things, and I am always thinking up new ways to be more environmentally and socially conscious in my work. One of the biggest reasons I was so happy to begin crafting professionally is that it is a rebellion of sorts, a rejection of corporate consumer culture. There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to own beautiful things, but the handmade revolution encourages people to make it themselves, or buy it from individual artists, rather than buying into the glossy mass market, mass produced artifice we are told we ought to want.
It’s hard to put into words just how strongly I feel about the new craft revolution. I am so inspired by all of the crafters I know making a life, not just a living, by making things. It’s really the American Dream, making something out of nothing and being your own boss. I try to share my passion for craft with all of the people I meet, my family, friends, and especially my customers. Even if you don’t make something yourself, buying crafts from the artists is vital part of the craft revolution. I’m glad my customers know that by supporting me, they are supporting an independent artist and the local craft scene, and not child labor in some third-world country.
7. After seeing your work, many would-be crafters are inspired to start their own creations. Will you have any DIY kits available for sale at Crafty this year? Could you provide any simple how-to’s or tips for readers who want to get started on their own designs?
I have some ideas for a little DIY kit, but it won’t be for the book purses, it’s for a new project I’m working on. If I can get it done in time, you’ll see it in June. Otherwise, wait for the September Crafty Bastards.
For anyone wanting to make their own work, remember that inspiration, not imitation, is the sincerest form of flattery. It’s important to find your own voice for making things, to find a style of work that really speaks to who you are or what you want to project, and not to not just simply copy what you’ve already seen. If you could make anything in the world, what would it be?
Rather than just going to the craft store and buying new supplies or kits, take some time to look around your life and see what you can make out of the things you already have. I’m always inspired by trash; empty jars, cardboard tubes, broken earrings, etc. Take something you would normally throw out or put in the recycle bin, and see what else it could be. Or come to the Craft Mutiny Swap Booth, and see what treasures other people have trashed!
Also, let yourself be open to be weird. My best ideas are the strangest ones, the ones that come in the shower or when I’m driving, or just as I fall asleep. Keep a notebook and pen near you always, and write down all your ideas, no matter how strange they seem. Otherwise, you might forget the best idea you ever had.
