Go Green: Shop Local

DC Craft Mafia + green = : )

Get your green on! Shop local with a bit of green from the Capitol Region Etsy Street Team (CREST).

Taking a cue from Shayne

A few posts ago, fellow DC Mafia-er, Shayne, posted some of her favorite green items from Etsy, and I'm going to copy her, but with a slightly different definition of "green."

(photo courtesy of heidiandseek)

Here are some of my favorite recycled, upcycled, reused, repurposed, eco-friendly or otherwise "green" handmade goodies from Etsy.

kittybblove

Fabulously adorable kitty crayons made of old crayon bits!


foundling
Gorgeous jewelry from old paper and recycled fabric


loranscruggs
Seriously, how cool are these? Toys made from recycled metal and soda caps. She makes whistles too!

betzwhite
Betz White is an all time fave (and a resident of Maryland)! Her recycled sweater crafts are too cute for words!

artandphilanthropy

This beautiful, fresh collage print is reminding me of how much I'm ready for Spring.

artjewelryonline

Reclaimed mink from a former coat is transformed into this stunning ring.

uglykitty
Pendants from recycled envelopes - how'd those get in here?

crowbiz
Love this! Made from a vintage Russian postage stamp.

Got other fabulously recycled crafts? Post them to the DC Craft Mafia Flickr Group!

A few Etsy Favs

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade ericaburnsdesigns.etsy.com

I'd love to have any of these things! My birthday is in June if you want to surprise me. If not, that's cool! But go to Etsy & make your own favs & while you are there check out our new group Etsy page.

Green!

It's not too late for a little more green, is it? I didn't think so.

Here are some fun green Etsy finds, all available to purchase at the time of this post:


Barneston


daisyandfriends



sweetheartsinner


CitrusTree


animallows


HeroDesignStudio


SickOnSin


mintconspiracy


MATTY8080

More Meet & Greet Fun

DC Craft Mafia members had a blast this past Saturday at Tryst! We knitted, crocheted, folded paper, embroidered & more! We also met a potential new member. Thanks for coming out Kristina!







Vanessa AKA Ninny...you don't want to mess with her!



Beth & Mary making boxes



Vanessa & Kristina, our guest

& my favorite pic from the event...


Me shaking down Shayne with knitting needles. The craft mafia is ruthless!

DC Craft Mafia will be at Open City on Tuesday April 21st at 8PM to get crafty and have a cocktail or two. Bring your project, whatever it is, and join us. We'd love to see you!

Love,
Your friendly neighborhood craft mafia
AKA
DC Craft Mafia

Meeting and Greeting with the DC Craft Mafia

The DC Craft Mafia invaded Tryst Coffeehouse in Adams Morgan Saturday afternoon for our first Meet & Greet of 2009. And we brought craftiness with us: embroidery, crochet, knitting and origami to name a few.

Sorry you missed all the fun? Get ready for Crafty Cocktails in April...stay tuned for details!

Meet the Mafia - Herban Lifestyle

Tell us about yourself and your business.

I make herbal bath and body products that are handcrafted in small batches using natural and organic ingredients, pure-essential oils, in earth-friendly packaging. Unlike other bath and body product businesses that call their products natural, I never use artificial preservatives, synthetics, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, petroleum-based ingredients, parabens, SLS, GMO's or anything else that is bad for your health and the Earth.

I believe in giving back, so I donate 5% of my gross sales to charity, including Sierra Club,Herb Research Foundation and Martha’s Table. And 100% of the profits from my O-BALM-A lip balm goes to Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest). All of my products come packaged in recyclable containers and my labels are printed with soy ink on 100% recycled paper.

How did you come up with your crafty name?
I wanted a name that incorporated the word “herb” to emphasize basis of my products and natural aspect of what I do. I played around with “herb” and “herbal” then realized that “herban,” even though it wasn’t a real word, worked best. Plus I liked the contrast between the feel of “urban” and “herban.” I added “lifestyle” because my craft isn’t just about bath and body products, it’s about living consciously, creating things that support the health and wellbeing of individuals and the planet.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Suggestions from customers and friends, and products that I want in a natural form all inspire my product formulations. And, for a while, when I was on a naturopath-directed diet that eliminated wheat, sugar and dairy, my inspiration for new products was the desserts I had been deprived of (Mint Chocolate Chip Lip Balm, Sugar Cookie Scrub, Tangerine Dreamsicle Lip Balm and Bath Salts).

What is the ugliest thing you've ever made?I tried making soap from an herbal infusion mixed into reprocessed cold process soap. It came out really mushy with a strange brown color, and didn’t hold its shape. It smelled great, but I couldn’t stand to look at it.

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

I am proud of all of my products (except the above-mentioned soap), but I’d say I was most proud when I completed my first dream pillow since sewing is a bit of a challenge for me.

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

When I moved here from the New York Metropolitan area, I was afraid that I would miss the seemingly limitless choices of restaurants and music venues I had access to up North. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that the selection of food and musical entertainment was just as good, if not better, here. I also love all the free museums, and the cultural and ethnic diversity of this area. Plus the Metro is amazing – so clean and easy to navigate. There’s lots to love about this area.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

When I’m not creating bath products, I work as a consultant with a firm that contracts with the National Institutes of Health. I oversee the review of cancer prevention programs to be posted on one of the NIH websites. It keeps me up-to-date with the latest in cancer prevention knowledge (part of the impetus behind my creating truly natural body products) and is a really good use of my academic training in health psychology. I also am a Reiki practitioner, and part of a national team that is conducting systematic reviews of Reiki research. And, while I’ve studied herbs and aromatherapy informally for the past 10 years, I have been undertaking formal herbalism studies for a little over a year. I am an artist and a scientist and healer.

For fun, I love to travel, cook, try out new restaurants, practice yoga, hang out with friends, meet new people, and blog.

What advice would you give to fellow crafters?
Feel good about what you’re doing! Crafting makes the world a better place! It’s fun, it’s creative, it’s local, and it’s real.

Meet & Greet on Saturday!

Meet & Greet with the

Come on out to the DC Craft Mafia's first Meet & Greet of 2009 on Saturday, March 21, 4 p.m. 'til we feel like heading home at Tryst Coffeehouse (2459 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009).

Meet fellow crafters in the region and greet your local mafiosa. Bring a crafty project in the works or one you're proud to have completed--we'd love to check it out! See you Saturday!

Save the Date: Meet & Greet

Mark your calendar and save the date! Meet & Greet with the DC Craft Mafia this Saturday, March 21, in Washington, D.C.

Come on out to meet fellow crafters in the region and greet your local mafiosi. Bring a crafty project in the works or one you're proud to have completed--we'd love to check it out! Stay tuned for all juicy details...

Green with Envy: Ninnycat

The Questions:
1. What is your favorite shade of green?
I think that's the name of an Incubus song. I love Incubus.

2. What is your favorite green food?

Incredible Hulk Cereal



Just be careful about adding too much milk and making it soggy; you wouldn't like it when it's soggy.

3. What steps have you taken to go green?

I've joined the Order of the Green Lantern.

4. What is your favorite item of green clothing?

5. Who do you think does the most for the "green" movement (famous person)?

6. Favorite drink that comes in a green bottle?

Absinthe

7. Favorite thing about St. Patrick's Day?

8. What do you usually do on St. Patrick's Day?

See Above.

9. What is your favorite lucky charm?

Kryptonite.

10. What is the best thing you have ever done to celebrate St. Patrick's Day?
See numbers three and seven. They happened one year, simultaneously. Interesting combo.

11. What shade of green is your least favorite?

Ever drank too much absinthe?

Best of DC

The Washington City Paper is calling on folks to vote for the "Best of D.C." in a ton of different categories. Two of the many that might be of interest to you: "Best Local Crafter" and "Best Public Art." Nominate and promote yourself or your favorites and cast a vote for your favorite. Hurry though 'cause polls close March 15 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

In the News: Prince George's County Arts Districts

I was excited to read in today's Gazette ("Artists carve out space to embrace") that two burgeoning arts districts in Prince George's County, Md., are holding their own. In the news were the Arts District in Hyattsville and National Harbor. Both are up and coming art spots in our National Capital region.

If you're looking for an excuse to explore the arts scene in Hyattsville this weekend, add the photography show by Art DC on Saturday, March 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. to your calender. And if you're in the neighborhood, I highly recommend stopping in for a snack, beer or meal at Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery & General Store (tasty fun).

I haven't made it to National Harbor yet, but this certainly gives me another reason to add it to a weekend "to do" list.

A Flickr of Green

Inspired to carry on the game that Erica Burns started last week, I decided to create my own Flickr mosaic. Here's how it works: Type your answer to each of the following questions into Flickr Search. Using only the first page, choose an image. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Labs mosaic maker.

It's very cool to see what types of images pop up. Have fun with it!

The Questions:
1. What is your favorite shade of green? Sour apple
2. What is your favorite green food? Avocado
3. What steps have you taken to go green? Compact fluorescent light bulbs
4. What is your favorite item of green clothing? Green dress
5. Who do you think does the most for the "green" movement (famous person)? Al Gore
6. Favorite drink that comes in a green bottle? San Benedetto Iced Green Tea
7. Favorite thing about St. Patrick's Day? Wearing of the Green
8. What do you usually do on St. Patrick's Day? Eat Irish Soda Bread
9. What is your favorite lucky charm? Lucky penny
10. What is the best thing you have ever done to celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Seven Nations concert
11. What shade of green is your least favorite? Olive green
12. Your flickr name? herbanlifestyle

Again, if you make your own mosaic, please leave a link to your version of this little game in the comments section!

Credits:
1. Sour Apple, 2. On the beach, 3. Google Yabusame, 4. just chillin', 5. Al Gore is my hero, 6. drinks, 7. A Monk's Life, 8. Irish Soda Bread, 9. lucky penny brain surgery, 10. Hadrians Wall, Cumbria, England - May 2007, 11. Green, Green, Green..., 12. Dolce de Limone Lip Balm

Go Green... on Flickr

I got this idea from my friends over at Tran-Craft-inental. I also did it on my blog & thought it would be fun to do here on the DC Craft Mafia Blog!

So here are the directions:
Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
Using only the first page, pick an image. (You can arrange by "Most relevant," "Most recent," or "Most interesting." You can also select tag only or full text)
Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Labs mosaic maker.

ENJOY!
The Questions:
1. What is your favorite shade of green? Emerald
2. What is your favorite green food? Spinach
3. What steps have you taken to go green? Recycle
4. What is your favorite item of green clothing? Green Blazer
5. Who do you think does the most for the "green" movement (famous person)? Al Gore
6. Favorite drink that comes in a green bottle? San Pellegrino
7. Favorite thing about St. Patrick's Day? Wearing Green
8. What do you usually do on St. Patrick's Day? Eat Green Food
9. What is your favorite lucky charm? Four Leaf Clover
10. What is the best thing you have ever done to celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Party!!
11. What shade of green is your least favorite? Mint
12. Your flickr name? ericaburnsdesigns




1. Red.Petals, 2. Shamrock bento B 2-23-07, 3. Trashion dress made from ties and a secondhand corset, 4. Pam Rodriguez, 5. isawthetruth.jpg, 6. bubbly bokeh, 7. Gorgeous knitted hat for Meredith, 8. Modern Day Fairytale - Princesses don't eat apples anymore, 9. lucky day!, 10. 00688-20081206-7238, 11. My Vintage Kitchen Stove (chambers c model) BEFORE SHOT, 12. Licking

The funniest one to me is the half naked lady by a "green blazer." Not the item of clothing, but the vehicle! Not what I intended, but very funny to me!

I also love the picture of Sarah from Fort Cloudy(formly of Charm City Craft Mafia, but now lives in Seattle) licking someone while wearing my "handcuffed necklace."

Go ahead & play if you'd like & leave a link to your version of this little game in our comments section. We love to hear from you!

Get Your Craft On!

Calling all crafters--put your creative caps on 'cause the DC Craft Mafia has a challenge for you!

Think Green! Find inspiration in the color, St. Patrick's Day, the green movement, recycling--you name it--and create something!

Anyone may participate, you just need to show us a new piece you've created in response to the challenge. Post a photo of your creation, along with a short description to the DC Craft Mafia's Flickr Group. We'll pick a few of our favorites from the month to share with you here.

Have fun with it and get crafting. We can't too see what you make!

Meet the Mafia - My UglyKitty

Tell us about yourself and your business.

Renee, a 9-5 Environmental Scientist with an over-active creative twitch, and her "adorkable" kitty Quasi, who has a similar more-sneeze-less-creative twitch make up the creative team behind My UglyKitty. Together they wreak havoc on kitchen tables trying to perfect Gocco'd (screen printed) stationary, going on "sewing adventures," and trying to turn junk mail into functional works of art. Since 2005, they have built a reputation for creating exquisite custom, screen printed invitations, unique housewares, and Quasi's claim to fame, the UglyKitty Fund, which has helped raise over $2,000 for the local animal shelter.

Why did you start in business/crafting?

I started crafting because, well, it was forced upon me ☺. My aunt owned a gift/craft store (in the years before Michaels) and I spent my summers “working” for gummi worms. So I guess you can say that my crafting “business” started when I was 6 years old. My UglyKitty, however, started in 2005 as a way to justify my $200 a month paper habit. That habit has increased ten-fold, but at least now there is some income from it too.

How did you come up with your crafty name?

When I discovered Etsy, there was this big warning on the sign-up page that you wouldn’t be able to change your name once you’ve signed up. So I stewed on it for a couple weeks making sure that I came up with just the right name. Officially, My UglyKitty is named after my ugly kitty, Quasi. She’s got a bit of a cleft lip, making her sneezy and a little on the “a face only a mother can love” side.

What is your favorite item handmade by someone else?
Hmm, everyone in my family is an artist in some form so gifts are often handmade. My favorite off the top of my head is probably a stocking my aunt made me last year out of my grandma’s plaid wool coat.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I’m a total magazine addict and find the bulk on my inspiration from them. Patterns, stationary, and fabric is another source of great inspiration. I always come back from Paper Source with a whole head full of new ideas.

What are your favorite materials?
Paper, recycled paper, and more paper. ☺

What is the ugliest thing you've ever made?
How ironic ☺. I’ve made a couple pieces of custom wedding stationary that I really did not find attractive, but that’s all the info I’m giving.

What have you made that you're most proud of?
Probably my address boxes. I had seen handmade rolodexes from a few other makers, but when I figured out that magazine subscription cards make the perfect info collectors, I knew I was onto something. I believe that this is the most creative thing I’ll ever come up with. ☺

What's your favorite thing about Washington, D.C. (or the Metro area)?
Access to free museums. On more than one occasion, I’ve dragged my fiancé through the Smithsonian Natural History museum rambling on about Crinoids and the Permian explosion.

What crafts do you still want to learn?
Letterpress. I actually bought a table-top one last fall and took a class, but I don’t have the time (*cough* money) to invest in the time to figure it all out and to purchase the parts I need to replace.

What is your idea of a perfect day?
I’m just going to pretend that I’ll all caught up on my work prior to this “perfect day,” otherwise the perfect day would be spent getting caught up. So, let’s see, perfect day…Wake up mid-morning to a fresh 2-foot blanket of snow, bagel with cream cheese, TV while I wake up, crafting (making journals, designing new cards, sewing, making stuff that’s just because and not because it’s for a client), bake cookies, bake more cookies, play in the said snow, good dinner with wine and some late-night DVR.

What is your favorite crafting tool?
My computer, hands down. I do all my designing on this thing and have nightmares about losing it.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
Not much ☺. Between my environmental scientist job and my crafting job, there really isn’t much free time, but I love to travel, play photographer, and bake.

What advice would you give to fellow crafters?
Take inspiration from others, but you’ll benefit most by developing your own craft. Copying successful sellers may seem like a no brainer way to “jump on the bandwagon,” but in the long run you’ll be more fulfilled refining your own style.