Skate Vampire is 7 year old Jack Lee’s debut line of stuff. The name came from his Halloween costume last year, which was a vampire skateboarder. This year he says he’s thinking vampire airline pilot. Is there a future of vampire accountant and dentist designs on the way? Vampire dentists would be scary!!!

Inspired by his mom’s 60 bugs designs, Jack thought it would be cool to make his own shirts to wear, so with a little help he designed and gocco printed t-shirts and bookmarks to sell at Crafty Bastards Silver Spring in June. A few lucky kids walked away with the limited edition original Skate Vampire baseball tee, and now he’s ready to try the big time at Crafty DC! Come support Crafty’s youngest official vendor and stop by the 60 bugs vs. Skate Vampire Booth #50 on Sunday!

The 5th Annual Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair is this Sunday, September 28th from 10am-5pm at the Marie Reed Learning Center in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC.

There are few places on the earth where you can find as much plush as you will find at Crafty Bastards this Sunday. From the expressive eyes of Tigerflight’s upcycled owls, to the spotty heads of My Paper Crane’s mushrooms, to the furry weirdness of Jenny Harada’s monsters to the simple wonder that are Spooky Daddy’s Roaming Eyes of Doom. You will find it at the fair.

Jenny Harada recently sat down with Impatient Crafter to make make make! Check out this awesome video:

The Impatient Crafter™ and Special Guest Star Jenny Harada!

Need more? Spooky Daddy’s puppet videos/interviews can be found here.

And if you want to make it yourself, go no further than Sewing Stars in Booth #23. She is ready to arm the masses with kits to do it themselves! Check out her blog for tutorials and inspiration.

The 5th Annual Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair is this Sunday, September 28th from 10am-5pm at the Marie Reed Learning Center in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC.

First I have to ask. Is the plural of Yeti, Yetis? Should Yeti have an uppercase Y? Where is the AP Style for magical creatures? Does J.K. Rowling have one? Can I get a copy?

There are few humans who don’t love the Yeti. Beth of Lemon Cadet puts her powers of sewing to good use with her awesome Yeti baby gear!

1) Is there a specific product that you will be selling at the fair that you would like to talk about?

I’ve been hard at work on a new yeti design. He’s much bigger so there’s room for many more teeth! I also gave the yeti on the onesie a matching plush friend.

2) Does this product have an origin story? Did the idea come to you in a dream or through a portal or other strange way?

I love Christmas movies. One of my favorites is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer because of its most important character Hermey, the elf who wants to be a dentist. In the film he befriends the Abominable Snowman. Because of that, I became really interested in the Yeti and started collecting them and drawing them.

It was only natural that I have a yeti in my clothing line.

3) What famous personality (alive or dead, real or imagined) would most likely be found wearing/holding/admiring this product? Why?

If they made really really big onesies, I think the Loch Ness Monster would wear one. Maybe I could just make a shirt for him…

4) Convince me that this piece should be one of only 3 things I could take with me to a deserted island!

Of course if you were heading out to a deserted island, one of the three things you’d bring would be your baby. The kid has to wear something and it should be one of these.

Check out Lemon Cadet in Booth #10 on September 28th at the Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair!

Tina Seamonster blogs her life and craft at tinaseamonster.com. She is writing a brief history of how Yetis are the new unicorns.

I met a crafter the other night who asked me a really interesting question. How do you go from a “dabbler,” someone who makes all kinds of stuff to a crafter with a brand and a product line? How do you go from the early phases of making stuff to give to your friends as gifts to making stuff that you want to sell (and that people want to buy!)?

I thought I would ask some of this year’s Crafty Bastards vendors this question. First up is Tamara of Block Party Press. She uses hand carved stamps (blocks, hence the Block Party title) to create amazingly textured polymer clay jewelry.

Here you can see how her work has progressed. The pendant on the left is from 2006 and the one on the right is brand new.

Question: How long did it take for your product line to become what it is today?

Answer: It has taken about 2 1/2 years. I stumbled upon my signature technique quite by accident while trying to make myself a pendant I couldn’t find in the store. Around the same time I found Etsy and thought I would give it a try. I had been a stay at home mom for 3 years, and I had been trying to come up with a way to make some money so the planets aligned and I started Block Party Press. Honestly it was the right product at the right time. I wish I could say it was a brilliant scheme that I had planned all along, but it was just me jumping in with both feet hoping to make it work. I learned all of what I know now about selling my art by doing it.

Question: What did you start making at the very beginning?

Answer: In the beginning I was strictly making pendants. Basically I had very little jewelery making skills or supplies, so I worked with what I had and at the time I thought the majority of buyers were crafters, so I thought selling a “supply” rather than a finished piece would be more profitable. Eventually I have expanded to finished jewelry pieces and now I am moving into creating wall art and home decor items. I think it is important to always keep innovating. I am always trying to think of new products, new color combinations or new themes for my art. I am always working on something new and I think that keeps things fresh for both me and my customers.

Question: How did you know when you got it right?

Answer: Honestly, I didn’t know. I knew that I liked what I was making and I just hoped someone else would too. I knew that other people really liked what I made from sales and from comments from fellow artists and crafters. Their comments and support and customer feedback made me want to continue to improve and create new things.

Question: How did you know it was time to start selling your creations?

Answer: I think when I found a technique that worked for me, that I enjoyed making and a venue that worked for me I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try. I knew very little about the indie craft scene and have never been to art school, so I was pretty in the dark about the possibilities of selling my art and so my expectations weren’t very high. I also had the encouragement from family and friends which is always helpful.

Question: Final thoughts?

Answer: My main thoughts are make something unique, make it well, love making it and know your audience. Take a chance.

Tamara has a blog where she writes about her craft and her inspiration. I love how she is always examining texture. Check out http://blockpartypress.blogspot.com/

You can find (and buy!) some of Block Party Press’ work at the Crafty Bastards Arts and Craft Fair on September 28th. She is booth number 38.

If you would like to share your From Dabbler to… story, email Tina at craftyupdates@washingtoncitypaper.com