Holiday Craft Market Sampler

Here is a sample of what you'll find at the Holiday Craft Market. Tune in regularly to preview more vendors!

ttishbite
Vintage inspired accessories and jewelry made from vintage metal enamel, Lucite plastic and random findings.

mamma mia
Back packs made of lightweight recycled tee shirt material, messenger-style bags in different sizes made from recycled tee shirts, canvas shoes with painted designs

cjkoho Designs
I am a handspinner and a knitter who loves color. I dye both yarn and a variety of different fibers for people to create their own fiber art.

Holiday Craft Market Sampler

Here is a sample of what you'll find at the Holiday Craft Market.  Tune in regularly to preview more vendors!

Aromaholic

The finest in soaps inspired by mixed drinks! Handmade, cold-process soap scented with essential oils – no artificial ingredients and no actual alcohol. We will be offering 8 varieties: Mojito, Gin & Tonic, Captain & Coke, Scotch on the Rocks, Jagerbomb, Margarita, Bloody Mary, and White Russian (the only non-vegan one).

White Lily
Handmade glass art pendants and resin flower jewelry

Perfect Laughter
Perfect Laughter is a husband and wife team of designers and printmakers. All of our art prints are limited edition, hand pulled screen prints. We also produce letterpress paper goods with our hand operated, tabletop printing press.

Holiday Craft Market Sampler

Here is a sample of what you'll find at the Holiday Craft Market.  Tune in regularly to preview more vendors!

Frankenstitch Productions
I make one of a knid handmade monstas- made from primarily fleece and poly fil

Comfortably Lovely
Greeting Cards (Christmas too!), Recycled Notebooks, Collage Art Prints, Vintage paper pinback buttons. Various other goods all made from vintage and second-hand materials. 

Good Stuff...Naturally
Handmade bath and beauty products (soaps, lotions, cremes, lip balms, face therapy, and more).  Jewlery is made with natural stones and Vintaj Brass findings (not chemically treated, tarnish resistant, eco-friendly).

Holiday Craft Market Sampler

Here is a sample of what you'll find at the Holiday Craft Market.  Tune in regularly to preview more vendors!

Sloe Gin Fizz

Art prints and paper goods featuring my cheerful and whimsical drawings

Crochet Science

I like crocheting things I like to wear.  This can be modern interpretations of vintage patterns or creating items that become topics of discussion like healthy sexuality or green and sustainable living.  I would describe my products as urban chic with a mod flair.

Random Noise Bursts

I make drawstring backpacks out of t-shirts; designs are single panel, double panel and quad panel.  For a day at the beach, at a concert, for use at the gym – whatever suits your personal style and needs.  These bags are lined with decorative fabric, and all sports-themed bags are lined with vinyl to transport muddy shoes, dirty workout clothing, etc.  Backpacks sizes are 13’’ x 18’’ and 14’’ x 19’’.  With the leftover material, I also make woven coaster sets.  Why waste perfectly good material!

Holiday Craft Market Sampler

Here is a sample of what you'll find at the Holiday Craft Market.  Tune in regularly to preview more vendors!

Fartsy Arts

All of my products use vintage images, decoupage, wood, and humor to create affordable jewelry and accessories.  Recently, I have incorporated my main idea with encaustic medium to create smaller mixed media art that fit the same theme.  I try to create designs for men, women, and children of all ages.

CLK creative

Handmade and affordable contemporary, steampunk and traditional jewelry and beaded accessories.  I am excited to introduce many new pieces this holiday season!

Dragonfly Vibes

I create my jewelry by taking apart old jewelry, found and given to me, to create new pieces. I also use metal clay to create pendents of my own design.

Crafty Inspiration: Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids

Posted by Crystal

Once a month, I try to take myself on a creative excursion called an Artist Date.  I learned about taking myself on these Artist Dates from The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. 

I go by myself to a new or familiar place to spend some quality time recharging my creative batteries and reminding myself how beautiful and inspiring life can be when I just take a moment to appreciate it. 

Recently, I took myself to Grand Rapids to visit Meijer Gardens.  As soon as I walked out into the sculpture park, I felt so calm and receptive to inspiration.

This was the first sculpture I saw.  The very strong resemblance to pink rock candy made me smile and feel like working with glass rock beads again. 

I saw this image on the cover of my Meijer Gardens Member Magazine a few months ago.  I didn't realize at first that these spears all all made of glass.  I almost wish I could have gone out there to play in the field of glass reeds.

Last time I came to Meijer Gardens, I took the tram tour and was informed by the guide that, even though this horse looks like it's made out of driftwood, it's actually cast metal.  Wood, of course, would get eroded over time by the elements.  I love knowing that casting is always an option for more weather-resistant pieces!

Sculptures made out of old tires.  I love that artists and crafters alike upcycle.

I love the smooth angles of this sculpture.  The color and angles let it blend in with the environment in a very soothing way.

The Waterfall is one of my favorite places in Meijer Gardens, because I just love the sound of trickling water.  It seems to drown out all the noise inside and outside my head!  The large globes that look like easter eggs are actually part of a temporary glass installation by Dale Chihuly.  Seeing the art tucked so easily and intimately into nature literally gives me shivers of pleasure.

As you may remember from my I am the Leslie Knope of Craft Post, I go bonkers for wildlife.  I saw chipmunks and these gorgeous coy at Meijer Gardens.  I want to make something using the orange and cream and black and gray colors of the coy.  Maybe a quilted piece?

Like it could just roll away...

The bright orange color just pops out so vibrantly from the landscape.  I was so taken by this sculpture, I had to sit down on a bench and just look at it and write in my Artist Date notebook. 

This is the plaque on the bench on which I sat.  What a perfect inscription!   And, this is what I wrote:

"I need peace and quiet more often in my life.  I need to sit in nature surrounded by art more often.  I might make my yard into a sculpture garden.  :)"

These sitting, contemplative figures are created from hundreds of small silver letters.  It makes me want to sit and think when I see them.

Doesn't it just look like this metal sculpture could just stand up and start walking around?!

This horse was designed by Leonardo Da Vinci and deemed impossible to create because all of the weight of the horse body could not rest on two small hooves.  Well, twin horses were finally created by Nina Akamu and the other horse lives in Milan.  It is an absolutely massive sculpture and yet still so lifelike.  It's very impressive and it inspires me to consider working on larger scale creative projects.

This Chihuly installation just snuck up on me!  If I hadn't of turned this way specifically, I never would have noticed the blue glass reeds mixed in with the tall grass along the creek.

Another intimate art/nature glass piece by Chihuly.  Floating ice cubes, right?

Make sure you take a stroll along the boardwalk behind Michigan's Farm and the Children's Garden.  You don't want to miss these three toads peering at you from the woods along the boardwalk.

I saw the pink rock candy sculpture again on my way to lunch in the Meijer Gardens Cafe.  I walked on the other side of it and was able to get a picture with the Conservatory in the background.  The combination of nature, art and architecture in this photo just pleases me immensely.  It was as if my day at Meijer Gardens had come full circle.  :)

If YOU are looking for crafty inspiration a little closer to home, join us at the 4th Annual Flint Handmade Holiday Craft Market on Saturday, November 27, 2010!

Making Metal Jewelry at The Blue House with Courtney Fischer!

Posted by Crystal

I went to an AWESOME metal jewelrymaking workshop at the Blue House Ann Arbor recently!

Courtney Fischer of Courtney Fischer Jewelry lead the workshop.  I learned sooooo much about how to cut, solder, hammer and patina copper into gorgeous earrings, pendants and other pieces.

Courtney Fischer started with an introduction to metal jewelrymaking.  Isn't her smile just so pretty and genuine?  :)

Blue House Ann Arbor (locally owned and operated by Siobhan Lyle) provided jewelry tools and findings.

The table of tools!  Notice the torches, tin snips and power drill.  We love heavy-duty crafting! 

I applied flux to two copper pieces in preparation to solder them together into a pendant.

Andrea soldered these two pieces together for her pendant.

Liz used the torch to melt the solder and stack two copper pieces together for each of her earrings...

...and didn't they turn out great?!

It took a few steps for me to make my earrings.  First, I cut out, sanded and hammered the copper.

Then, I applied patina to the front and back of the earrings.  I waited a few minutes and then rubbed off the excess patina with steel wool.

Next, I torched the earrings to add color variation.

Finally, Courtney helped me drill holes and add hooks to my earrings.  :)

BONUS PIC: Courtney was the randomly selected winner of the Owl Print Lunch Bag from the October Second Saturday Giveaway!  I was so excited to be able to give her the bag at the workshop!

Be sure to visit the 4th Annual Flint Handmade Holiday Craft Market for more awesome handmade goodies!