Thank You!

"Thank You!" Image by Ophile Photo

The Richmond Craft Mafia wants to thank our

awesome customers, our talented crafters & designers,

the super helpful staff at Plant Zero &

the Plant Zero Cafe, our generous volunteers,

Art180 and Ophile Photo for making the

2011 Handmade Holiday such an amazing event!

The Richmond Craft Mafia & a few of our Alumni Members Image by Ophile Photo

Serious Richmond Craft Mafia is Serious Image by Ophile Photo

Il Gatto Selvatico :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

Il Gatto Selvatico has taken the traditional craft of embroidery and freshened it up. You can find her amazing necklaces, earrings and new wallhangings this year's Handmade Holiday!

Here's a little bit more about Il Gatto Selvatico...

Describe your studio.
My studio has a sewing machine lots of yarn, floss, fabric, felt and leather in it. All different sizes of hoops and a collection of vintage postcards of mountains framed above my desk.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
I love the change of seasons, the cripsness of the early winter air, and the anticipation of the first snow. It's a magical and romantic time. I enjoy walking around and seeing all the lights and decorations. In Rome I enjoyed walking around Piaza Navona where there is an open air market where you can buy supplies to build your own nativity set. In Italy everyone makes their own nativity sets out of paper, lights, straw, and plastic figurines. Elaborate creches that look like dioramas are built in the churches and the Vatican has a life sized nativity scene set up in the Piazza. I enjoy being with family and celebrating the traditions of both my American and Italian family.

What's your newest crafty creation?
I have been working on a serious of embroidered portraits of grandmothers. They are my grandmothers and my husbands grandmother. I plan to add more embroidered portraits of old ladies who I found particularly fascinating in Rome to the series.

Is there a story behind your shop name?
My shop name, Il Gatto Selvatico {il} {gat-to} {sell-va-tee-ko} means 'wild cat' in Italian. It is a specific breed of small striped wild cats with bushy tails called Felis Silvestris Silvestris (they look a little like the domestic cat). They live in parts of Europe, including Rome which is where I was living when I came up with the name. There was a family of feral cats living in the courtyard of the apartment building where I was living, who I grew attached to, so I named my shop in honor of them in a way.

What's your soundtrack while you're working?
Owen, Slowdive, Built to Spill, Lower Dens, Beirut

What are your influences?
I'm influenced by the boxes and collages of Joseph Cornell, the sculptures of Kiki Smith, the embroidered works by Jenny Hart, and the paintings of Julie Heffernan. I'm also influence by vintage fashion and antiques.

Turnerbots :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

Who doesn't love robots?! Turnerbots combines robots (amongst other quirky things) with her love of clay and makes the most amazing objects including ceramic coin banks, cups, vases as well as other non-clay items like squishy toys, and altered clothing.

Here's a little bit more about Turnerbots...

Describe your studio.
My studio is split between an extra room in my house and some space in VCU's Ceramics area. Clean(ish) projects happen at home and all clay work is done amongst the busily working clay students. Either place involves lots of stacks which is the closest I get to an organized workspace.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
If I'm honest, I'd have to say it's dressing my cat in his elf costume. I must say he loves that! Secondly, I love tacky lights and house decorations. It doesn't align with my craft sensibilities, but I can't help it! What's your newest crafty creation? Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show? I have so many new items this year. The robots have gone two-dimensional with ornaments and magnets. I have also started making vases which draw on my favorite robotic elements without being representational. I'm pretty excited about all of these things and the holiday shoppers seem to be also.

Is there a story behind your shop name?
I started turnerbots unofficially when I was embroidering robots on shirts for friend. A friend of mine named the shop for me. It was through their encouragement that I continued and here I am, years later, making the robots I will be selling at the craft sale.

What's your soundtrack while you're working?
Any good dance music or Harry Potter audiobooks.

What are your influences?
Tiny mechanical elements. I love the small screws on watches/eyeglasses, disassembling clicky ink pens, and any small systems of that nature.

Dawn Stitches :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

The Holidays always inspire the desire to decorate and spruce up your home. And banners are such a lovely and easy way to do it! Dawn Stitches will have lots of Holiday banners and other fun handmade home decor items like quilts and ornaments at Handmade Holiday.

Here's a little bit more about Dawn Stitches....

Describe your studio.
I am very lucky to have a whole room in our 1920's Craftsman house. It's really sunny and gives me plenty of space to play with all of my fabric.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
I love getting together with my whole family. Also we mostly buy handmade items and it's so fun to see all of the creative gifts! Now that we own a house it's been so fun to decorate and start our own holiday traditions.

What's your newest crafty creation? Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show?
I am especially excited about my fabric banners. I've made small ones for the holidays that would be perfect on a fireplace mantle. I have 'sweet dreams' banners that would make a great decoration for a child's room. Also I'm thrilled to have lots of quilts for sale. My quilts are 100% cotton and are filled with organic batting. Furthermore I am available to make custom orders for quilts and banners - I love doing custom work to make a person's vision come true!

Is there a story behind your shop name?
Dawn is my middle name and I've always loved it. A new day, a new beginning.. I feel like each time I start a new quilt the first stitches are the beginning of an exciting process.

What's your soundtrack while you're working?
I am all about streaming Netflix while sewing. I have a laptop set up next to my sewing machine. Anybody have any favorite shows let me know!

Alternative Holiday Foto Booth at Handmade Holiday!

Modern June :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

We could not be more proud of our Richmond Craft Mafia alumni member, Kelly McCants from Modern June! Kelly has recently written an amazingly beautiful craft book, Sewing with Oilcloth, that you just have to see. Wouldn't that make an awesome gift for the crafty person in your life?


Here's a little bit more about Modern June...


Describe your studio.
My studio is in the back room of my home, it’s a very tiny-little room but I love it. Several days a week two of my Junies and I get together to make a lot of loot within that 156 square feet.

This last summer I took a few weeks and updated my studio. A coat of pretty turquoise blue paint, improved storage, and new work tables made it very bright and functional. Little did I know that Hurricane Irene would drop a 100 year old tree upon my little workspace only two months later. While the studio didn’t suffer much interior damage the roof was totally trashed.

Since early November my home and studio have been a messy construction site. The studio had to be stripped down to the bones and I’ve had to shut down production for the last two weeks. In trade for putting up with plaster dust, mud and constant hammering the studio has gotten new windows and pot lights!

Please come by my blog for my weekly Reno Updates and see how we make lemonade out of lemons.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
My favorite thing about the holidays is Christmas shut down. I close Modern June and Oilcloth Addict down for about two weeks so my team of Junies and I can spend time with our families. This was a tradition started by my mother, she spent every Christmas holiday at home with us making memories. It’s the best two weeks of the year!

What's your newest crafty creation? Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show?
My new book, Sewing with Oilcloth is my newest crafty creation!! It’s filled with 20 great projects that make sewing with laminated cotton, oilcloth and chalk cloth fun and easy. I’ll have a ton of books at the show along with an assortment of pre-cut oilcloth for sale.

Is there a story behind your shop name?
Oh, yes! When I started the business my two children and I went out looking for mannequin to show off my pretty little aprons. After we got the thing in the care my then 8 year old daughter wanted to give our new friend a name. I suggested June -- as in Cleaver, of course. As I drove the four of us home I mentioned that I aspired to be a Modern June Cleaver. By the time we arrived home I had finally found the perfect name for my little venture.

What's your soundtrack while you're working?
I am totally in love with Mumford and Son’s album, Sigh No More, right now, I can’t listen to it enough!

What are your influences?
I love the whole 50’s housewife thing, really anything from June Cleaver’s kitchen is fine by me. Fun and functional housewares make me giddy and bright color and kitsch make my heart happy so I am big fan of all that is Crate and Barrel. My professional background in costuming is a big influence in what I do. The costume/fashion history, patterning and sewing knowledge gained by that career helps me with Modern June every-single day.

ZouZou's Basement :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

You will no problem stocking up on your handmade cards and paper goods at Handmade Holiday! ZouZou's Basement makes colorful cards, notecards and paintings too.

Here's a bit more about ZouZou's Basement...

Describe your studio.
even though i am called zouzou's basement my studio is actually in my attic. it is a big walkup space covering the top floor of our house, covered in paint, paper, and misc supplies -- always a mess. i make paintings and collages, and greeting cards and paper products, teach adult and child classes up there, and prep for classes i teach at Westminster Canterbury to early dementia residents, and it also serves as a sort of gallery for anyone who wants to come look at paintings -- it's all up there. It was featured in the spring 2011 edition of Richmond Bride (I do paintings for brides and grooms)! I drink lots of coffee, always have candy on hand, and listen to music loud -- dave matthews, wilco, lauren hill, glen hansard, etc.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
getting caught up in the rush of shopping, and all of the parties and get togethers with friends and family. What's your newest crafty creation? i have been making animal collages by painting an animal in acrylic on canvas and applying various papers in whimsical colors that have been selling like crazy.

Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show?
my newest collages are an ostrich and a porcupine.

Is there a story behind your shop name?
my grandmother's name was ZouZou (short for Missouri). She had "come of age" during the Depression and never threw anything away that might possibly have another use. When she passed away my mother was charged with cleaning out her house and in the basement she found a hundred or so aluminum pie plates and dozens and dozens of terracotta flower pots. My mom begged me to take some of the pots, so I took a bunch, cleaned them up, painted some stuff on them and gave them away as gifts. Immediately people began asking to buy some and have some made for them.
What's your soundtrack while you're working?
Dave Matthews "Live At" (and others) Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" (and others), Swell Season "Once" (and others), Philip Glass, Soundtrack from "The Hours", Lauren Hill "Miseducation"

What are your influences?
Colorists -- Janet Fish, Matisse, local Laura Loe, Tricia Guild. Gardens, topiaries, flowers. Animals and the sense of whimsy.

City Girl Sews :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

The supercute vinyl accessories from City Girl Sews are so great for stocking stuffers!

Here's a bit more about City Girl Sews...

Describe your studio.
My studio is typically a disaster. When I have a new idea or am feeling really motivated , I just go, go go! I can't stand having to pause and put things away and clean up after myself. If I have a marathon crafting session, I almost always have a marathon clean up session afterwards.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
My favorite thing about the holidays is the overall feeling of family and togetherness. The food is a close second. My favorite holiday food by far is Anisette Cookies. They're an Italian thing. My family has been making them as long as I can remember.

What's your newest crafty creation? Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show?
I just started making these fabric covered button earrings. I'm in love with them! I could make them all day long. I love how they dress up any old outfit.

What's your soundtrack while you're working?
My toddler and sometimes country music.

S. Tector Metals :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

The beautiful simplicity of S. Tector Metals work is amongst the amazing selection of jewelery vendors at this year's Handmade Holiday!

Here's a little bit more about S. Tector Metals...

Describe your studio.
Happily my studio is in my apartment. I have my designing & prepping bench and a separate bench for my torch with a lovely extra large window in front of it. My friends love that I keep my tumbler on the kitchen counter next to my blender. But lets be honest, whenever I'm working on a show the kitchen, dining room and living room become my studio too.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
Spending time with my family. I live in the same town as my parents, but my sister and brother and their families live much further away.

What's your newest crafty creation?
Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show: I've been introducing different materials with my metal work. You'll find hand cut vinyl, cast resin, rubber dipping, and powder coating too.

Is there a story behind your shop name?
Actually yes. When I lived in NYC I found that I was running into a little sexism with some studios I was trying to work in. So I decided to use my first initial only and last name letting my work get in the door and be seen before it was judged by who made it.

What's your soundtrack while you're working?
Depends, right now my Pandora stations include: Girl Talk, Black Keys, Ting Tings, Beck, Michael Jackson, LCD Sound System, and Michael Jackson (not too much past Thriller though).

What are your influences?
My parents have had a big influence on my work over the years. They've always been very encouraging, and great with critiques of my work (they never sugar coat and I greatly appreciate that). Most importantly they told me to pick a major that made me happy. Design wise I find that I'm most draw to clean lines, geometric shapes, and bold color (whether it's a strong orange or a crisp white).

Mashulu :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

Every girl needs a gorgeous handbag for the Holidays - why not one made completely by hand? You will find no shortage of such things at Handmade Holiday and Mashulu accessories are truly functional works of art!

Here's a little bit more about Mashulu...

Describe your studio.
Being a Fine Arts graduate student, I am fortunate to actually have a designated studio space. It's sectioned off and tucked in the back of a larger classroom space. People are usually impressed with how "organized" it is, but when I look at it I see chaos! For the most part I suppose it is pretty well put together. I have my cutting area, several rolling plastic storage units with my notions well organized and labeled. I have an area for my microwave and a comfy chair for those long nights of production. Next to my sewing station is where I keep all of my fabric dyes and chemicals. It sounds all nice and set, but that's because I don't want to bore you with the details about things pinned to the walls and stacked under tables!

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
As I get older the Holidays don't feel the same as they once did, primarily due to the loss of all of my grandparents. For example, my paternal grandmother used to "hide" an audio recorder and tape everyone's interactions when they came to visit for Christmas. She would play old ones while we had dinner and we would all try to figure out who's voice was who's. I try not to let it get me down too much because now I'm responsible for creating Christmas memories for the younger members of my family.

What's your newest crafty creation? I have been playing a lot with dyeing and printing my own fabric. It's become quite an addiction for me! Unfortunately I have been so busy with school that I didn't have any time to create any textiles for the bags I will be showing this time.

Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show? Though handbags and clutches are my specialty, I'm excited about showing my crochet earrings and headbands. I love color and print and these items give me a quick way to play around with different combinations.

Is there a story behind your shop name? Mashulu means "stitches" in Swahili. I wanted a name that sounded exotic but easy to pronounce. And with my love for sewing, that one word says it all!

What's your soundtrack while you're working? It depends...I love how versatile my music tastes are. I have a lot of R&B and Hip Hop, old and new. When I crochet sometimes I listen to slow R&B songs. If I need that extra "push" or need to get through a certain task at an aggressive pace, I turn to my "Head Banger" playlist that features Marilyn Manson, Metallica, Seether, Linkin Park, and Paramore, just to name a few. And I have to have earbuds in for maximum productivity...I'm easily distracted!

Mimosa :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

How cute is this Yeti!?! You can find him amongst robots, penguins, hedgehogs and other original illustrations on cards, prints, onesies and tees at Mimosa's booth at Handmade Holiday.



Here's a little bit more about Mimosa...

Describe your studio. Holly: It looks remarkably like a cluttered bedroom! Ariel: Part studio, part music room, part laundry room.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
Ariel: Driving around checking out Christmas lights with my daughter.
Holly: Baking with my family, and walking home with our children and our Christmas tree in the cold night.

What's your newest crafty creation? Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show?
Ariel: Yeti! He's super fuzzy and sweet and lives in a little snowglobe. Available on organic onesies and tees, and letterpress cards on cotton paper, all printed in Richmond!

Is there a story behind your shop name?
Holly: I love the way italian mimosas smell, and I wanted something from nature. Plus, to be named after a fantastic cocktail doesn't hurt either.

What's your soundtrack while you're working?
Holly: Public Radio or the Moth Podcast.
Ariel: Lately, Avett Brothers and Decemberists. But looking forward to cranking up the holiday music!

What are your influences?
Holly: I am a sucker for cute. I love modern art, folk art, Scandinavian design. I love Wayne Thiebaud and Charley Harper, and I am really into vintage children's illustration. And my favorite color is rainbow.

Bowerbox Press :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

Send out handmade cards to all of your friends and relatives this Holiday. Bowerbox Press makes their one-of-a-kind books, letterpressed cards, and prints on a restored antique press from 1901!

Here's a little bit more about Bowerbox Press...


Describe your studio.
My shop is slowly filling up with old machinery- letterpresses, foil stampers, corner rounders, hundreds of pounds of lead type- I like anything old, and really love bringing old machines back to life and making new art with them!


What's your newest crafty creation?
Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show? I just got my hundred-year-old hot foil stamper working, and have some shiny holiday cards this year, as well as books with gold foil stamping on the covers. I'm really excited to be able to add a little sparkle to my prints- this print, Sunbelly, is a woodcut with gold foil stamping.


What are your influences?
Historical printing- there are 500 years of examples to be inspired by; I love old books and the detailed woodcut illustrations that used to be the norm. I try to bring a bit of that old aesthetic into my work, but I do combine it with a new twist and sometimes a little humor.

Ergane :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

The lovely wearable art of Ergane is one of the fantastic jewelery vendors you will find at this year's Handmade Holiday!

Here's a little bit more about Ergane...

Describe your studio....
My studio is a 30x60 space of pure chaos comprised of papery bits, colorful ribbons, pieces of leather, mirrors, chain and tools. It's not tame in the least.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
My favorite things about the holidays are Italian Christmas dinner and fireworks on New Year's Eve.

What's your newest crafty creation?
Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show? My newest crafty creations for this fall are myriad circlets and chokers in a motley array of colors and texture.

Is there a story behind your shop name?
People always ask-Athena Ergane is the name used to describe Athena as the patroness of various arts and crafts, especially of weaving. She was always accompanied by an owl and her favorite homeslice, Nike.

What's your soundtrack while you're working?
Radiolab, This American Life, Mumford and Sons, Led Zeppelin, John Lee Hooker, James Hunter

What are your influences?
I am ruled by textures, colors and pithy-ness...and as always-anything comprised of minute details.

Designs by Nancy :: Handmade Holiday Vendor Feature!

Decorate your home with something handmade this Holiday. Stop by the Designs by Nancy booth at Handmade Holiday for fun pillow covers and stockings too!

Here's a little bit more about Designs by Nancy...

Describe your studio.
My studio is a small part of my house I call heaven - although some might describe it as an extra bedroom. In it I have everything I need to create; my sewing machine, my fabric and felt, and usually my cats are in there with me too.

What is your favorite thing about the holidays?
I LOVE giving gifts. I love to think of something someone mentioned last summer and totally forgot about, or something special only to that person, something they would want. I do not give gift cards!! I have the most wonderful idea for this Christmas; it’s useful, uses recycled items, and helps the environment. Sorry, I can’t tell you what it is, someone I know might by reading this…

What is your newest crafty creation?
My newest creations are my seahorse, crab and turtle pillows. I had a turtle last year, but I’ve added more detail to him and given him friends. Everyone needs friends!

What is your soundtrack while you're working?
Even though I love music and love to sing, my studio is quiet while I work. Wait… let me correct that statement. To an observer it is quiet, but in my head there are conversations taking place, ideas forming, “to-do” listing being prepared, sometimes it is total chaos!! Luckily, I have a legal pad close by and will scribble down what must not be forgotten.