Say Hello to Our Newest Members

The DC Craft Mafia couldn't be more excited to welcome our newest members: Vanessa of Ninnycat Crochet, Mary of Herban Lifestyle and Danielle of Knit-a-Gogo.

You'll hear more from each of them in future blog posts, but in the meantime, check out their Web sites--amazing work all around!

Meet the Mafia--Polly Scoots

Tell us about yourself and your business.

Hello! I'm Beth and I make scooter-themed and inspired crafts. I enjoy sharing them with folks through Polly Scoots. I'm a native of Maryland with stints in Pennsylvania, England, the District of Columbia and Virginia. I live in suburban Maryland with two dogs, husband, Ryan, and some scooters. I love to explore new places and always look for an opportunity to sample something from "Sandwiches That You Will Like" when planning visits to new cities.

Why did you start in business/crafting?
My parents and grandparents all crafted in one form or another so the idea of making things has always been there. I remember making magnets for a 4-H project and selling them at a table alongside my mom and grandmother at an outdoor fair. The challenge of creating things and everything that was involved in selling them (packaging, photographing, creating a Web site, writing descriptions, etc.) appealed to me. And I'm thankful for the opportunity to share what I make with others.

How did you come up with your crafty name?
The first scooter-themed crafts I successfully created were made with polymer clay (like the wine glass charms below), thus "Polly," and well, I scoot around on my scooter--so Polly Scoots it was.

What is your favorite item handmade by someone else?
Tough question! I have lots of favorites--I try to wear something handmade everyday (usually a ring, bracelet or necklace) and I enjoy decorating my home and workspace with bits of handmade goodness (from photos to pottery to magnets, you name it). However, one of the things I know I'll keep forever is the wedding quilt handmade by my mom for Ryan and I.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Scooters and life on two wheels. Long rides in the country. Demolition derby-like commutes into the city. Practical things (like keeping track of my phenomenal gas mileage). Scooter rallies and my fellow scooterists. I also enjoy the challenge of creating scooter-themed things using a variety of mediums.

What are your favorite materials?
Lots including paper, ink, resin (love/hate relationship), plastic and polymer clay.

What is the ugliest thing you've ever made?
Well, I had some awesomely bad luck with resin early on. Lots of things ended up in the trash can. In my last cleaning binge, I also came across a watch made from one of those kits from a craft store which never was actually wearable--I don't know how that project went so terribly wrong.

What have you made that you're most proud of?
My "urban commuter" image is a real favorite. I've painted it and recreated it on belt buckles, magnets and patches.


What's your favorite thing about Washington, D.C. (or the Metro area)?
I love all the things there are to do. Going to museums, parks, the monuments (and that most of them are free!). And if you get bored with DC, there's lots to explore nearby in Maryland and Virginia.

What crafts do you still want to learn?
Experimenting with acrylic and screen printing are next on my list--I've sprung for the supplies, now I just need some time to dig in.

What is your idea of a perfect day?
If I were packing for the perfect days, I'd bring a book, a camera, some peppy music and hit the beach in off-season with my dogs and Ryan. A scooter ride to somewhere with good french fries would be nice too.

What is your favorite crafting tool?
I don't know if it's classified as a "crafting tool," but blue painters tape is usually a must-have.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I like to read, garden, keep my dogs out of trouble and go on scooter rides. My day job is in communications for a nonprofit.

What advice would you give to fellow crafters?
Spend time creating what makes you happy. And, if you're selling your crafts, remember that how you treat your customers can be as important as what you make. Show them that handmade rocks!

Taggin' Denim for Madewell~Denim After Dark Event

Erica of Erica Burns Designs & Shayne of Novelty Kitten, both DC Craft Mafia members, will be taking part in Denim After Dark with Madewell 1937. Madewell is hip collection of women's clothing from the same people that bring us J Crew. I will be at the Tyson's Corner Madewell store from 7-9PM & Shayne will be at the Annapolis store from 7-9PM. All of this takes place on Thursday, March 5th so come out & let us tag your initials on your jeans! Sweet!

Meet the Mafia - Novelty Kitten

Tell us about yourself and your business.

I'm Shayne Rioux (long E, long U) and I sell my crafts as Novelty Kitten. I live in the DC suburbs with my husband, son, a pug, three cats and a hamster.

Why did you start in business/crafting?

I've been crafting and around crafting for as long as I can remember. My mom sews and my grandma knits - I learned how to sew from them. Selling my crafts never occured to me until that started getting popular on the Internet. Participating in craft shows never appealed to me, but publishing a website sure did.

What is your favorite item handmade by someone else?

My favorite handmade item is my Zombie Weiners painting by Peter Malinoski. It sits on my mantle.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

The Internet, of course. But a lot of my designs are the result of a silly idea popping in my head. If I keep thinking about it, I usually ask someone else if it's funny to them. Just to make sure it's not just me.

What are your favorite materials?

Right now, I love fuse beads. Yep, those inexpensive, plastic beads that are actually made for kids.

What is the ugliest thing you've ever made?

I've got some real ugly "collage" work from back when I thought I was an altered artist. When I find them, they will only see the light of day from the top of a dumpster.

What have you made that you're most proud of?

My fuse bead portrait of Mr. T continues to be my favorite piece.

What's your favorite thing about Washington, D.C. (or the Metro area)?

I'm out in the suburbs, but it's great that I can drive a half hour in one direction and be in the city and a half hour in the other and be in the country.

What crafts do you still want to learn?

I would love to learn how to screen print, but it's scary to me.

What is your idea of a perfect day?

My perfect day would be to sleep as late as possible and then go shopping with no limit on how much I can spend.

What is your favorite crafting tool?

My favorite crafting tool is my big Carl paper cutter. Big Carl can cut 32 sheets of regular paper at a time. 32 sheets!

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I'm a virtual assistant and I'm slowly working on a degree in communications. I'm a compulsive proofreader, obsessed with Guitar Hero and I blog about crafts at geekcrafts.com and transcraftinental.com.

What advice would you give to fellow crafters?

Figure out what you love doing, not just what you happen to be good at.

Meet the Mafia - BeadJewelryShopgirl

Tell us about yourself and your business.
My name is Regina Jiron (last name pronounced: Gee-ron) and I like to create beaded jewelry using bead weaving techniques which basically means, stitching seed beads together. I do refer to myself as an obsessive compulsive beader – which you have to be when you are the type of person who finds satisfaction in stitching together beads that could be as small as couscous grains!

Why did you start in business?
About 7-8 years ago an officemate of mine taught me how to make beaded jewelry using wire. It just took off and I started to explore other techniques till I encountered the art of beadweaving and I became obsessed. It never occurred to me to sell but my husband basically said that he wouldn’t buy me any more jewelry boxes to keep my creations in so I better think of how to get rid of them – so I started to sell! I think he kinda realized he put his foot in his mouth in this case!

How did you come up with your crafty name?

Bead Jewelry by Shopgirl is not really a crafty name like the other DCCM members. It’s just logical since I make beaded jewelry and I just thought about the handle shopgirl which was part of my ebay username at that time – nothing to do with Meg Ryan or the other movie.

What is your favorite item handmade by someone else?
My son taught himself origami when he was 5 yrs old. Now at 13, he is a veteran and quite the artist. We have his creations all over the house. He has even sold some in a few of the shows I’ve been to.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I find inspiration in the creative process itself. The construction of a piece, what colors to play with, materials to use, techniques to combine, complex or simple, what textures to create especially if there is a visual and tactile contrast, all turn me on. Like a bracelet that may look stiff and heavy but is actually light, soft and drapes well on your wrist. I never know what my final piece will look like when I start something, so it’s like going on a journey every time I create.

What are your favorite materials?
Seed beads, delicas, vintage swarovski crystals that cost an arm and a leg! It’s hard for me to part with the swarovski pieces.

What is the ugliest thing you've ever made?
It was an ugly bracelet made with wood beads and I can’t remember what stone beads I used, kinda hippie looking. I told myself no one would ever buy it and pretty much never placed it out on display in shows due to embarrassment. To my surprise, it sold the first time I brought it out. Ya never know!

What have you made that you're most proud of?
The first challenge I entered in 2006, which featured about 80 other jewelry artists and I won Best In Show with a special mention on Best Product Photography. The necklace I made wasn’t really complicated compared to my pieces now. I had just launch my business and winning the top prize was a good validation that “Hey, I must be good. They like me!”

What's your favorite thing about Washington, D.C. (or the Metro area)?
I love the museums, art galleries, monuments, the cherry blossoms in spring. I love that everything is so accessible. I love working blocks away from the White House.

What crafts do you still want to learn?
I really want to get into previous metal clay. I’ve taken a few classes and enjoy the concept of sculpting, firing and polishing pure gold and silver beads and components to incorporate into my jewelry. Other than that, I would also like to learn to sew like a professional!

What is your idea of a perfect day?
I have 2 perfect days – one is spending time on all my creative endeavors and the other is spending time with my husband and my son.

What is your favorite crafting tool?
Fireline (a beading thread) and #13 beading needle.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I have a day job where I’m constantly “putting out fires” which keeps me pretty busy (No, I’m not a fireman). So I try to squeeze in some creative time between my work and family life. Visit my website BeadJewelryShopgirl.com to see a gallery of my jewelry.

What advice would you give to fellow crafters?
NEVER undervalue your work.

Meet The Mafia- Erica Burns Designs

Tell us about yourself and your business.

Sure! Well, I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister. I am pretty much a regular woman that happens to be creative. I started my business making handmade jewelry. I have now added knitted items, embroidery, cross stitch, & have plans for even more in 2009!

Why did you start in business?
I started my business because I felt the need to do something with my hands. I needed a creative outlet, so I started making jewelry. I decided to take it to the public!

How did you come up with your crafty name?
I wanted a simple, classic name. Erica Burns Designs simply says what I do, Erica B designs. Ya, dig?

What is your favorite item handmade by someone else?
Yikes! I have so many items that I love that are handmade by others. I love bath & body stuff from Biggs & Featherbelle. I use their body bars & handmade soaps.
I have also had my eyes on these knitting needles from Baa Hurrah. You can get them customized with your name, color, size. Sweet! Those are just a few of the many things I love.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I am a bit of hoarder. I have gotten much better in recent years, but I still love magazines. I find a lot of magazines inspiring. Some of my favs are Blueprint ( I miss you Blueprint), Domino (I'm going to miss you Domino, last issue in March), Bust, ReadyMade & many others. I perused a copy of a new one, Boho Magizine at fellow DC Mafioso, Miss Glittery's house a few weeks ago. It might be a new fav! To avoid my hoarding tendency I try to pull out the pages that inspire me & keep them in my journal or board. I also find inspiration in antique stores. I wander them aimlessly for hours!

What are your favorite materials?
I like to work with sterling silver. It is fairly inexpensive & it can be used sterling or oxidized for an edgier look. I like to work with organic cotton when I am knitting, It is so soft & natural.

What is the ugliest thing you've ever made?
Ugh! I can name several things. When I was first starting out I tried some bead work & I came up with some real duds! Hehe!

What have you made that you're most proud of?
My first neckwarmer, seen here on me:

was a pretty proud moment.

I also love my lariats seen here:


because they always get a lot of attention when I do shows. People seem to like them. That makes me proud!

What's your favorite thing about Washington, D.C. (or the Metro area)?

The Redskins! Go 'Skins! Sometimes I think of moving someplace else, but I get sad thinking about not being in Redskins country anymore. How silly is that? I love the NFL though & the Redskins are my team. Now that we seem to have a different vibe in politics I love being near all of the political action. It feels like we are in the place to be. I also love how close this area is to everything. You can pop up to Baltimore, head down to Richmond & even NYC is only a few hours away.

What crafts do you still want to learn?I want to perfect my current crafts. I want to perfect sewing, knitting, crocheting & learn how to do lost cast waxing.

What is your idea of a perfect day?
Sleep as long as I want, go to brunch, relax by the beach, go shopping, meet my favorite Redskins & get their autographs, go out for cocktails & dance the night away!

What is your favorite crafting tool?
Wow! That is a tough one. My hammer if I had to name one. I love banging the heck out of that metal!

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I take care of my family & work full time as a social work supervisor in child welfare. Yippee!

What advice would you give to fellow crafters?
Make whatever makes you feel happy!