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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

In case you haven’t heard, holiday shopping season has arrived.  Since you are reading this, I’ll assume you’re not the sort that rushes to big box stores at 4am the day after Thanksgiving.  If you’re like me, you want no part of the mind-numbing mall experience and would rather avoid our nation’s gross display of [...]

With Crafty Bastards just days away, Hello Craft is busy getting ready to offer you some amazing fun during this, the most awesomest craft fair ever. Stop by the Hello Craft booth (#126) during Crafty Bastards to enter a handmade giveaway, make a button, sign up for a membership or just say hi! Hello Craft’s [...]

Do you like handmade goods and eco-friendly products? What about winning prizes? Everyone loves winning prizes, right? Well, be sure to stop by cosa verde‘s booth (#127) at Crafty Bastards to enter for a change to win a super awesome prize pack worth over $350. There are four prize packs in all, worth approximately $1500 [...]

Pinecone + Chickadee is a collaboration between a graphic designer and musician. Together this creative duo silkscreen their art onto greeting cards, journals, apparel and accessories. On top of creating adorable fantasy settings, their stationary line is printed on recycled paper. Their clothing is often organic. And their inks are water-based and earth friendly. You [...]

Steampunk jewelry has never been my style, but I still respect people making things in this currently popular style. So I often find myself searching for Steampunk stuffs on Etsy. I recently found and can’t stop thinking about these awesome converted toy guns by River Wraith. Can you believe this is a converted Nerf gun, [...]

Each week we feature an advertiser from the Crafty Bastards Classifieds. This week the honor goes to: Bohemian Babydolls! Bohemian Babydolls Unite! These are some incredibly cute handmade summer dresses and jewelry for your shopping pleasure. The dresses are available at SMASH! in Adams Morgan. You can see a greater selection of babydolls, vinyl and [...]

Why do you make handmade? I’ve seen this question asked a lot recently. Here is a brilliant animation that crankbunny did to explain why she makes handmade. I think it’s the best explanation I’ve heard so far. Crankbunny video on Flickr You can read more about her animation process and tools in this storque article, [...]