On the Road - Craftopia

Since I've been doing craft shows, I've heard from artist after artist, "You just HAVE TO do Craftopia. It's a great show!" Imagine how excited I was when I got accepted into their holiday show this year! Located at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket, RI, this seasonal favorite had a very festive vibe. The event is organized twice a year by masterminds Kim, Kim, and Darlene, fellow artists who run the fabulous shop Rhody Craft 100 in the Hope Artiste Village. The long brick hallways and greenhouse room were lined with talented artists from all over the northeast. Once the doors opened, there was a steady crowd and a buzz all day.

Carrie of SepiaLepus, Kim of Lucky Bird Studio, and Voz of Fishcakes inside of Rhody Craft 100

Rhody Craft 100

Hustle and bustle in the halls of Craftopia

Melissa Gruntkosky of Pressbound offered the most charming old world meets new style stationery and prints at Craftopia. Having a shared Polish and Russian background with Melissa, I instantly made a connection with her images of matryoshka nesting dolls and Polish wycinank woodblock prints. Melissa combines the computer with traditional handcrafting techniques to create her cards, calendars, prints, journals, and magnets. I loved her letterpress journals adorned with art deco images and printed from antique plates. Melissa's folk art freshness, bold geometric designs, and playful colors make her work a welcome escape from the clutter of the modern world. Visit Pressbound's Etsy shop, blog, and website to learn more about this talented graphic designer/teacher and to experience the joy of Pressbound for yourself.

Melissa Gruntkosky of Pressbound

very merry matryoshkas

vintage charm

It only took a brief moment at the Gypsy Girl's booth to figure out that Nancy Rafi and I are cut from the same cloth (that was found in a junk box at a yard sale). Nancy has been creating since she could get her hands on supplies and named her shop in honor of her Hungarian great grandfather who encouraged her to get messy and create. Nancy's journals, shrines, jewelry, and other assemblages are layered with found objects, mysterious ephemera, and a touch of dazzle. She recently upcycled a box chock full of antique door handles into clever place card/photo holders. Her Sassy Saint Shrines are a hoot! Will you pray to Our Lady of Immeasurable Patience or The Patron Saint of Folded Fitted Sheets? With so many gems to be found at Gypsy Girl, you just can't go wrong. Visit Nancy's website and Etsy shop to go on the ultimate treasure hunt. 

Nancy Rafi of Gypsy Girl

Sassy Saint Shrines

knobs with know how

The customers at Craftopia were fabulous and asked a lot of great questions about the materials I used. I really enjoyed talking about the vintage rouge compacts from the 20's, 30's, & 40's, the pinback buttons, and other miscellaneous supplies found on my treasure hunts. Many lockets, blinking doll eye necklaces, pinback button necklaces, and other fun pieces walked out the door with happy folks. My favorite send off of the day was the "Whoopie" necklace, made from a 1940's novelty pinback button. I swapped it with Heather of heatherjeanny for some incredible stationery, including a pack of hilarious Christmas cards.

One adorable girl wearing the "Outdoor Girl" locket

Magnificent in Mickey Mouse

You Nasty Man You - off to a happy home

Heather of heatherjeany- the ONLY one worthy of the Whoopie Necklace!

Whoopie!

I LOVE my new Heatherjeany cards!

Can you believe I only have one holiday show left this season? My inner elves are working overtime to bring you some very unique pieces for the grand finale - SoWa Holiday Market in Boston. 

SoWa Holiday Market - December 8th & 9th - Boston, MA

I do hope to see you there but if you cannot make it, fear not! You can find Twitch and Whiskers gems at the following shops/galleries:

Craftland (Nov. and Dec. holiday show) - Providence, RI
Peter Lawrence Gallery (now thru early Jan.) - Gaylordsville, CT
Vudu Micia - New Milford, CT
English Apothecary - Bethel, CT
Aquvii - Tokyo, Japan - I just sent a bunch of new pieces there!

Find a small sampling of my work on Etsy and please contact me if you're lookin' for something special. I love doing custom orders. Cheers!