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

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.

I have to move soon and the most redeeming thing about it is that I will have a new space to decorate. I’m planning to score some accessories for my new home at this year’s Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts fair.

Bright Lights Little City makes fantastic lighting with reused materials like cocktail umbrellas. Perfect for lighting up a dark corner in any room. You can see Bright Lights Little City at Booth #110 on the vendor map.

Girls Can Tell features accessories for your kitchen like these screen-printed  hand towels. Often featuring diagrams of objects like bicycles or cameras, these accessories will teach you something as well as serve useful in the kitchen. Find Girls Can Tell at Booth #23 on the vendor map.

Trees has pillows made from vintage fabrics, buttons and recycled materials. They deserve a spot on any couch. Pick one up at Booth # 139 on the vendor map.

Jessica Knapp’s wall art is a must for living up a dull room. Her “Plushkill Forest Taxidermied” animals can be found at Booth # 83 on the vendor map.

You can visit these vendors and more at the 6^th Crafty Bastards which takes place on Saturday, October 3^rd at the Marie Reed Learning Center in Adams Morgan.

I consider many friends as seasonal knitters, meaning they prefer to knit when the weather gets cold.  With winter on it’s way, there will be plenty of awesome yarn to choose from at this year’s Crafty Bastards!

Folktale Fibers has absolutely beautiful yarn make from sustainable, animal-friendly fibers. She has a preview of some yarn that will be for sale at this year’s Crafty Bastards on her blog. Pick up some whimsical yarn at Booth # 2 on the vendor map.

Not only does Woolarina sell knit goods and patterns, they also have yarn spinning kits! Make your own yarn at Booth #81 on the vendor map.

For some environmentally friendly yarn, check out molly miller by appointment. Purchase some handspun yarn made from recycled fibers like soy byproducts and plastic bottles at Booth #2 on the vendor map.

If you’re a DC knitter, you’ll love Neighborhood Fiber Co. who creates fibers inspired by the vivid colors of the District’s neighborhoods. With each skein hand-painted or kettle dyed, you can be certain you are making a unique purchase. Neighborhood Fiber Co. will be at Booth #28 on the vendor map.

You can visit these vendors and more at the 6^th Crafty Bastards which takes place on Saturday, October 3^rd at the Marie Reed Learning Center in Adams Morgan.

Writer’s block takes many forms. It can stop you from finding the right words to fill in that blank card. It can also translate into a form of what I’ve deemed “crafting block,” where it’s hard to find the creativity to sit down and craft something you like. Whether you’re looking for a way to express your inner thoughts or just looking for inspiration take a gander at what this year’s vendors at Crafty Bastards have to offer.

Mean Cards for Many Occasions illustrates greeting cards that you’d never find within four walls of a Hallmark store. With unique messages, ranging from informing a friend about their poor driving skills to what said friend did while intoxicated the other night, these cards let others know you care, in a snarky and humorous way. You can see Mean Cards for Many Occasions at Booth #38.

There’s also Blugrn Design featuring cute cards and mini notes featuring characters like Luchadores that declare “I Love You.” You can see these as well as Blugrn Design’s jewelry and clothing designs at Booth #13.

Ex Libris Anonymous makes one-of-a-kind journals from upcycled hardcover books. Often times the inner pages will contain original pages from the cover making it really two purchases in one — a new journal as well as inspiration if you’re stuck on what to write. Ex Libris Anonymous can be found at Booth #65.

Rar Rar Press makes clever printed postcards, books and postcards that focus on type via letterpress. Bold lettering features phrases like “Never Say Never,” “I Am Falling in Like with You” and “Knitta Please.” These are perfect for those that are at a loss for words. You can see Rar Rar Press at Booth #62.

If you’re looking for some visuals to jumpstart your creativity, check out the limited edition silkscreen prints from Brainstorm Print & Design. These prints are inspired by nature, science and humor and you can find them at Booth #119.

Make sure to visit these vendors and more at the 6^th Crafty Bastards which takes place on Saturday, October 3^rd at the Marie Reed Learning Center in Adams Morgan.