I know you’re thinking of really making this year a handmade holiday right? You’ve probably already gathered your ingredients for all the cookie platters you plan to make for parties, clipped all the necessary recipes from various resources and maaaaybe didn’t look away from the TV while some lady named Martha prattled on about ‘easy table centerpieces’.

But now you’re too tired to knit that hat or solder that pair of earrings right?  So where can you find people who have done all the crafty hard work for you?

You’ll find them at the Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market! This annual holiday market returns to the Big Bear Cafe in Washington, DC on Sunday December 5th.  6 top-notch, DC-based crafters  have done the work for you and will be selling unique handmade goods from 4-9pm (full disclosure, I am one of them but I assure you, we are the notchiest).

Organized by the artistic husband and wife team of Goshdarnknit’s Rania Hassan and Scenic Artisan’s Sean Hennessey Big Bear Cafe (now with alcohol!) is hosting this event with many things to do. Caroling! Buy a Christmas tree! Have a Bloomingdale photographer snap your holiday portrait! And let’s not forget the spiced rum… let’s never forget the spiced rum.

Other vendor offerings include luxe, one-of-a-kind handmade bags by Eve VanDalsen , the green (as in recycled) jewelry of Figs & Ginger and the kid-centric embroidery of  60 Bugs. And… oh yeah, me! I make plush animals out of recycled sweaters .

The Bloomingdale Holiday Market is Sunday, December 5 from 4-9 pm at Big Bear Cafe located at the corner of 1st and R street NW in the adorable Bloomingdale neighborhood.

I personally am hoping he will bring a few of these adorable mushroom totes.

Check out The Colony by Jay McCarroll in the vendor gallery or at booth #36 at Crafty Bastards on October 2, 2010.

Quietly and cleverly building an empire with belts, t-shirts, wallets and wrist cuffs, Jon is quickly taking over the pants of many a DC citizen. Jon makes beautiful belts in his obsessively clean craftsmanship from leather that he prints himself in his workshop in Capitol Hill.

Jon also recently opened up a store in New York City featuring all of his wares – but lucky for us, we can save ourselves the Boltbus fare and nab some of his work at Crafty Bastards again this year!

Perhaps you’re more of a suspender person? Jon has a line of t-shirts for you!

I hear the Pirate Chef design is very popular with some fedora wearing Top Chef contestant….

And for those of you who like to get a little matchy-matchy with your pups? Jon has a line of dog collars named for his beloved pooch Fred too!

Check out Jon Wye in the vendor gallery and in Booth #137 at Crafty Bastards on October 2, 2010.

She also creates beautifully bound books that would be perfect for your trip to, say Australia. Or maybe it would give you a good reason to start planning that trip now!

Check out Moonlight Bindery in the vendor gallery or in Booth #52 at Crafty Bastards on October 2, 2010!

I asked her where she finds her inspiration (you’ll see when you check out her wallets, there’s a small tag indicating where she’s lived) and she said “Sitting on the Metro checking out my fellow commuters, walking my dogs in and around Eastern Market, all of these free museums, etc. I am a fairly utilitarian gal, probably my sensible mid-western upbringing. So for me the greatest adage is ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ “.


Eve is currently learning Portugese for her move in February, splitting time between learning, her studio in the basement (she points out that the Portugese word for basement roughly means ‘cave’) and her work as a dietitian. This is one busy (and amazingly talented!) lady.

Check out Eve in the vendor gallery and at Crafty Bastards on October 2, 2010!

Those looking for smaller, indie craft shows, there is IndieCraftShows.com

That’s well and good, you say, but what about locally?

The good folks at DC Conspiracy are putting on their 5th Counter Culture festival. Previously held at Dr. Dremo’s, this year it moves into the city at RFD on 7th street NW. You can see their swell flier (they are comic book artists, after all) here or shoot an email to rhodes@oletheros.com for more information.

New markets and fairs are popping up all the time in this area. If you have information about upcoming local shows, post in the comments and we will be sure to write about them.

Tina Seamonster, ace marketer, blogger, and mother to two girls who make me re-think my stance on kids, has once again expanded her product line to clothing and fantastic new zombie cards and book marks (perfect for holding your place in the new zombie-fied Jane Austen, no)? Visit her at booth #131 this year at Crafty Bastards!

Thanks to Rah Rah Press’ fantastic letterpress cards, I know have Jawbreaker’s song Boxcar in my head. You (and I!) can visit them at booth #62 this year (I’m serious ‘tho…don’t sell out of that postcard before I get there…).

Mean Cards have cards for all of those situations you find yourself in without the words. Why not show them you care just a *little* bit more and send them a card. Really drive that point home that their driving sucks.

Pick up cards for all your friends (and poorly parking strangers) at booth #38.

And finally, Fishcakes. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I went to college with Voz from Fishcakes and it really is a small world, and I am so glad to see Voz making stuff, raising chickens. I still have the PJ Harvey tape she made for me. You can pick up one of her fantastic illustrations/stamps/buttons/magnets at booth #76 this year.

Crafty Bastards is Saturday, October 3rd at the Marie Reed Learning Center in Adams Morgan!

Sean is a painter and sculptor and has taken to combining glass and concrete together for some really beautiful bas-relief wall sculptures.

You can find Rania and Sean at booths 18 & 19 this year at Crafty Bastards.

I had the pleasure of meeting Maggie and David from Brooklyn New York’s Loyalty and Blood last December at a show in NYC. Not only did I like them because they are probably two of the nicest people ever, but they work so well together as they worked on stuff at their table. And they have a really nice, clean aesthetic which carries over from their shirts, to their tote bags to their jewelry.

Soak up some Loyalty and Blood at booth #105

Coming out of Philly, Shauna and Stephen of Something’s Hiding in Here craft a huge array of interesting things you had no idea you needed. Wooden acorns? Got ‘em. Wooden rings? Done. Moustache’s on sticks? Yes.

And if you have the chance, I recommend looking up their unbelievable loft apartment on Apartment Therapy. If that doesn’t turn you green with envy, their talent surely will. Find out how they get to be so awesome at booth #60 this year at Crafty Bastards, this Saturday, rain or shine!

Also on the upcycled tip is The Devil Made Me Do It in Booth #99 . Check out their booth for whimsical, complicated looking confections featuring layers and tough-looking ruffles!

Mignonette Designs (Booth #68) makes new clothes in timeless shapes and patterns. Her background in tailoring and fine art really shows!

For the cutest shirts around, check out local designer b-kao in Booth #63 at the fair this Saturday, October 3rd in Adams Morgan.

It has to be Minda Merinsky right? Her work has grown to encompass tableus (dig that dino-light!). Only, make sure to not put that blender in your kitchen, for fear of confusing a friend who only wants to make margaritas! Flip the switch at booth #21 this year!

I love pottery. A lot. But sometimes I have trouble rationalizing a chunk of money on something my cat will just (purposely) knock over. What can I say, she’s vindictive.With Tasha McKelvey you have the option of wearing her pieces! She makes jewelry that compliments her other utilitarian (but still beautiful!) pottery pieces.

A word to the wise about Tasha’s stuff, get there EARLY! Last year I tried to get in her booth and it was packed. I almost don’t want to tell you where her booth is. Ok, it’s #31, but wait for me, will ya?

Any company that sites the Melvins as an ingredient to their creativity is A-OK in my book. Hogmalion & Company has the sort of tongue-in-someone-else’s cheek kinda humor we all love. Sock Monkey wine-covers, Che-a-Pet plant holders and wine stoppers with the visage of newly minted Chief Justice Sotomayor.

This will be your one-stop-shopping place for the friends you know all too well … and maybe the family members of which you might want to get under the skin of. Just a little. This year, Hogmalion & Co are at booth #7 at Crafty Bastards. Which is the 3rd of October. Which is a Saturday, but you knew that already, right?