The last Craft Mutiny show of the year is happening at Design Within Reach in Georgetown, this Saturday, December 13th! Shop for awesome handmade goods while hanging out in the sleekest home furnishing showroom in DC.

Craft Mutiny, DC’s most exciting craft collective, has been hosting holiday shows for the last 3 years, encouraging shoppers to buy handmade during the gift giving season.

This is your last chance to get your hands on fabulous Craft Mutiny finds, as well as a slew handmade gifts from local vendors such as Jaime Zollars prints, Spaghetti Kiss Sci-Fi tees, Imogene’s lovely silver jewelry and recycled leather wristcuffs from Fisticuffs Leather.

You can check out the vendors and get directions here.

Craft Mutiny Holiday Trunk Show and Sale
THIS SATURDAY, December 13, 10am-5pm
Design Within Reach – Georgetown (3307 Cady’s Alley NW, Washington, DC 20007)

For more information go to craftmutiny.com.

The holiday season might have crept up on YOU, but local craft show organizers have been hard at work setting up so many shows in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas. Every weekend between now and the end of the year you will be able to go and buy local and handmade. Crafty Bastards veterans can be found at all of these events so mark your calenders!

11/15, Holiday Heap, Baltimore MD
Holiday Heap is an indie craft fair featuring a jury-selected group of more than 50 of the country’s most renegade crafters, selling their own handmade jewelry, screenprinted apparel, stuffed toys, cermaics, knitwear, paper goods and so much more! Come this Saturday (November 15th) to St. John’s Church at 2640 St. Paul Street from 10am – 5pm for Holiday Heap. For more info, check out their Web site.

11/28-29, Bazaart American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore MD
A Holiday Marketplace of original creations by 50 regional artists and craftspeople. Painting, sculpture, papercrafts, metalwork, jewelry, textiles, mixed media, and other work that simply defies categorization. FREE ENTRY. American Visionary Art Museum, Jim Rouse Visionary Center 3rd Floor. More info.

12/6, Craft Mutiny Holiday Booty Market, Washington, D.C.
Start your holiday shopping off right, by buying handmade from the 20 coolest indie crafters in Washington, D.C. There will be snacks and music and free goodie bags to the first 100 shoppers! This cozy little show is at Hilda’s in the National City Christian Church on Thomas Circle from 12-6pm. This event is sponsored by Dekka and Chipotle. List of vendors coming soon at their Web site.

12/7, Creative Alliance Merry Mart, Baltimore, MD
No manic mall madness necessary! Do your holiday shopping at The Patterson from 11am-5pm! 35 + handpicked artists sell some the best of Baltimore-made items. Gorgeous turned vessels, elegant jewelry, whimsical stuffed critters, origami lights, felt applique, hand knits, housemade soaps, wacky fly swatters, photos in jars, totally cool totes, and mucho more. More info.

12/7, SquidFire’s 2008 Winter Art Mart, Baltimore, MD
Join Squidfire and many other vendors at the Lyric Opera House (110 West Mount Royal Avenue – Baltimore, MD 21201) on Sunday December 7, 12-6:30pm. Check out the vendor list on their Web site.

12/13, Craft Mutiny Holiday Trunk Show, Washington, D.C.
Get your last minute indie holiday shopping done with Washington, D.C.’s favorite indie craft collective Craft Mutiny, at Design Within Reach Georgetown (3307 Cady’s Alley N.W.) on Saturday, December 13th from 10am-5pm. Buy handmade goods and meet local crafters at this one-day event, hosted at the slickest home store in D.C. One-of-a-kind goods for sale include clothing, stationary, prints, jewelry, handspun yarn, plush items and more. List of vendors coming soon at their Web site.

12/14, BEST Trunk Show Double Dutch Boutique, Baltimore MD
More info coming soon!

12/21 Black Cat Rock-n-Shop, Washington, D.C.
Hunting for that perfect holiday gift? Looking to augment your hardcore collection with some essential records? Searching for the perfect T-shirt? Stop right there, my friend! Rock-n-Shop is where it’s all at. This twice-yearly junk sale offers more than the standard fare…for one thing, it’s not all junk. To reserve a space please contact Maegan.

> Top of the post image is of Scandinavian Reindeer – Set of 6 Gocco Printed Holiday Cards by papermenagerie.

Tina Seamonster’s new podcast, Hello Craft, is collecting your stories of making and buying handmade. That was a plug.

Ever itch to say something to a loved one without really having to say it? This holiday season, take a load off and let Alastair the grumpy gnome do the dirty work! Tina Seamonster (of CB blogging fame) will be showcasing her deliciously endearing and cruel holiday cards at this month’s Crafty Bastards festival. Muhahahaaa … this way YOU can spend the rest of the holiday spreading good Christmas cheer!

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

My new line of holiday cards! Alastair is a grumpy gnome and he wants you to be honest. Being honest during the holidays is even better than being honest on normal days. Making your friends and family cry because your honesty is borderline stressful is even better. Seriously, these cards are super cute and funny. They say stuff like, “All I want for Christmas… is for you to stop being a miserable drunk.” Or “For you to stop having sex with strangers that you meet on the internet.”

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?

Alastair is who I wish I could be on Xmas morning. He does not pretend things are peachy. He wants to piss people off. He wants to tell people that they drink too much or worry too much or have sex with too many strangers. And with the help of my illustrator pal, Chris Piers, he came to life.

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

I know for a fact that Ricky Gervais (British comedian, The Office) would give these out to everyone he knows. He might hand them out to people on the street, even. They are the perfect mixture of cringe, humor, mean and jolly, just like Mr. Gervais. My dream would be for Ricky to give one to Jack Black and they would both laugh. Or he could send them randomly to crap celebrities like Nicole Kidman or The Jonas Brothers or Madonna.

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

Hahaha. These cards would remind you that you loved your family even though they disappoint you. Not sure that helps on a deserted island. It also makes a cute bookmark if you take a book with you to the island.

Charm City Craft Mafia just announced that applications for their winter craft fair – Holiday Heap 2008 – are now available online.

Holiday Heap will be November 15th, 2008 from 10-5pm at St. John’s Church in Charles Village (Baltimore). 40+ of the country’s most crafty vendors will be carefully chosen by a panel of jurors to sell their wares and thousands of shoppers are expected, much fun is guaranteed! Click the words “apply now” below to do just that:

APPLY NOW!

Applications are due October 5th. Jurying and acceptance status will be emailed by October 15th. There is a non-refundable $10 application fee required to complete the application process. Accepted vendors will pay an additional $65 for a space. (includes an 6 foot table & 2 chairs).

Applications for CRAFTLAND are due August 31st!

CRAFTLAND is a holiday craft show in a unique consignment store format in downtown Providence, RI. CRAFTLAND 2008 will be open seven days a week, from December 5-24th. Now in its 7th year, CRAFTLAND has grown to feature the work of over 150 artists from around the US and other faraway lands. Artists do not need to be present to sell their work at CRAFTLAND, but those that volunteer 12 or more hours are rewarded with a 70% retail cut (while artists who do not live in the area or who are not able to volunteer receive a generous 60%). CRAFTLAND also donates 5% of proceeds to area arts-related non-profits to help continue in its mission to provide and enable economic opportunities for emerging and professional artists and crafters.

Apply online today!

For frequently asked questions about applying to Craftland, please visit http://craftlandshow.com/faq.html.

To see a listing of last year’s artists, check out http://www.craftlandshow.com/artists.html.

I can’t believe it is that time again, but it seems like the holiday indie craft shows are starting to accept applications! If you feel like traveling this December, you might want to apply to Bazaar Bizarre Boston. The show will be held at the Castle on Sunday, December 7, 2008, from 11am – 7pm.

Some history of the event from their website:

Bazaar Bizarre began in 2001 in the Boston-area as a hodge-podge of friends and acquaintances cobbling together their handcrafted DIY wares to sell and staging an offbeat entertainment extravaganza. In its seventh year, the Bazaar Bizarre has brought its hip, fun craft fairs to Boston, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and San Francisco. Last year, over 3,500 shoppers attended the 2007 Boston Bazaar Bizarre at the Cyclorama.

Bazaar Bizarre is a juried craft fair that receives 300+ applications for 150 vendor slots. The vendor fee of $165 will get you one 6″x3″ table and two chairs. According to their application, you are not allowed to bring any additional tables or displays that will not fit on your 6″x3″ table. Eek!

Applications are due online by August 29. You can apply here.