Head downtown now to catch the final hours of DC’s Downtown Holiday Market, which runs until 8pm tonight.  If you’re looking for something to get the guys on your list, be sure to check out Jon Wye‘s booth for belts, wallets, shirts and more.

DC folks: swing by the Adams Morgan/ U Street area and check out the handmade selections at Meeps, Nana, Smash, and Junction.  If you’re in Baltimore, head to the Hampden neighborhood for shopping at Red Tree, Double Dutch, Atomic Pop, Squidfire, Shine Collective and more.  And, total bonus: scoot on over to Christmas Street for pure holiday decoration overload.

For the fiber addicts on my list, I’m heading to Fibre Space in Alexandria and Stitch DC in Georgetown.

Chocolate makes a great gift & the truffles from Artisan Confections featuring designs by local artists are on my list to pick up.   They also offer classes for $65, which includes,  “a little bit of wine, a little bit of knowledge, and a whole lot of chocolate to take home.”  Yum!  In addition to their diverse line of chocolates from around the globe, Biagio Chocolates in DC carries several locally made brands:

Artisan Confections – Arlington, VA
Christopher’s Confections – Alexandria, VA
Fleurir Chocolates, Hartfield, VA
J Chocolatier – Georgetown, DC
Wanders Chocolatiere – Manassas, VA
Robert’s Chocolates – Alexandria, VA

And of course, I’ll be checking Miss Pixies for cute vintage items my crafty friends can incorporate in to their booth displays.

Time to get moving to get all the shopping done.  Before I go, here’s the list of 2009 Crafty Bastards that listed Virginia as their home state.

Inedible Jewelry: http://www.inediblejewelry.com/
Philip Barbato: http://www.etsy.com/shop/philbarbato
Tasha McKelvey: http://tashamck.com/
Robert Ullman/Atom-Bomb Bikini: http://rkullman.blogspot.com/
this chickadee: http://thischickadee.blogspot.com/
popidiot: http://www.popidiot.com/
Michael Brown – UC Studios: http://www.ucstudios.com/
Moonlight Bindery: http://www.etsy.com/shop/moonlightbindery
molly miller by appointment:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/mollymillerbyappt
imoM / MousyBabe: http://mousybabe.com/
Minda Merinsky: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MINDASART
Richmond Craft Mafia: http://www.richmondcraftmafia.com/
Steve Strawn: http://www.splutphoto.com/
DB PUPPET: http://www.dbpuppet.com/

You can get a listing of all the local Crafty Bastards (DC/MD/VA) in the City Paper’s Shop Local Directory by clicking Crafty Bastards under the partner heading.  Or, just go here.

And I leave you with this holiday message from the sisters of imoM.

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 store) will be hosting an ornament-making workshop.

It’s a shoppers paradise for those looking to support local/handmade, plus a quick stop for all those Christmas shopper slackers who still need to begin their holiday shopping. You can find everything from silk-screened cards and posters, to jewelry, to handmade soaps and body products. Here are some of my favorites.

b-kao, hand-sewn clothing and accessories made from reconstructed vintage materials:

This Chickadee, really cute handmade home decor & more:

Pretty Little Fings, plush goodness:

FuzzyMug, pet inspired note cards, journals and cards (plus custom pet portraits!)

When: Saturday, December 5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Downtown Silver Spring, MD on Ellsworth Drive (between Georgia and Fenton Ave.)
More info: Vendor Q&A’s can be found on the official Handmade Mart blog and the vendor gallery is on the Pyramid Atlantic Web site.

Dekka is now open Friday and Saturday nights from 9:30pm-Midnight. Come out for live interviews with local artists and designers, interactive video, music, drinks, and of course shopping for your favorite one-of-a-kind wares… cause who can shop properly with all that sunlight in your eyes?

This is possibly DC’s only afterhours shopping experience (as far as we know!?).
Dekka is located at 1338 U St. NW, 2nd Floor.

Celebrate summer shopping in DC with the Mid-City Dog Days of Summer Sidewalk Sale. This weekend-long event will take place on August 2nd and 3rd in Mid-City, the area surrounding 14th and U Streets NW.

This Sidewalk Sale is not only a great opportunity to eat, drink and shop at discount prices, but it also takes place during DC’s Tax Free Holiday, which is an awesome bonus!

Mid-City doesn’t have the frenzy of tourists that Downtown has, nor the shopping frenzy of places like Georgetown… and that’s a good thing for locals. Mid-City’s attraction is its ever-growing assortment of small restaurants and cute boutiques that ooze neighborly charm… and it’s the cute boutiques make this area a definite stop for weekend shopping.

We all know that shopping for affordable indie finds in the District used to be almost impossible…. but Mid-City has become a hub of sorts of eclectic clothing stores with handmade dresses and accessories from local independent designers, not-your-average shoe stores, funky shops that sell everything from magnets to one-of-a-kind glassware, and a Saturday Farmer’s Market that supports local growers.

Some of my favorite Mid-City shops that support local indie crafters and artists, or are just plain cool, include:

Dekka (1338 U Street, second floor)
Nana (1528 U Street)
Lettie Gooch Boutique (1911 9th Street)
Garden District Interior (14th and Church Streets)
Miss Pixies (1626 14th Street)
Pop (1803-A 14th Street)
Go Mama Go (1809 14th Street)

So get down to Mid-City this weekend for the Dog Days of Summer Sidewalk Sale. You’ll be in for some sweet shopping and a host of other free activities. For a full list of participating shops, restaurants, bars theaters and galleries, as well as discounts and events, check out midcitylife.com.