STL CRAFT MAFIA MAG September 09
Featured Member: DESTROYED BY DESIGN
the STL CRAFT MAFIA
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September 09 Welcome to the second edition of the STL Craft Mafia Mag! In this month’s issue, we cover Upcycling 101 with Allison from Squaresville (page 6) and give you the details on the Strange Folk Festival which will be happening at the end of the month (page 8). Also of note for you crafty folk, our Call For Artists is posted for Indie Underground: Designer Market (page 4). Speaking of applications, the Call For Artists for the next Big Ass Indie Show (this winter) is now live, too. Check out our mini scrapbook from the Big Ass summer event (page 13). Last, but certainly not least, Destroyed by Design is this month’s Featured Artist. Check out her interview over on page 10! ~ The St. Louis Craft Mafia
upcoming events September 12th Tower Grove Farmer’s Market @ Tower Grove Park September 18th & 19th Urban Art / Italian Fest ‐‐ Market Days @ The Urban Art Co‐op in Colinsville, IL September 26th‐27th Strange Folk Festival @ Community Park in O’Fallon, IL October 16th & 17th St. Louis Fashion Week Indie Underground: Designer Market @ Lumière Place Casino & Hotels October 24th Tower Grove Farmer’s Market Harvest Festival @ Tower Grove Park
Indie underground: designer market WHAT: a handmade marketplace featuring indie crafters &STL Fashion Week designers; held on Friday & Saturday of Fashion Week during the last two days of runway shows.
WHEN: Oct. 16‐17, 2009, 11 am – 8 pm
WHERE: the beautiful atrium of Lumière Place Casino & Hotels, 999 2nd Ave., Downtown, 314.881.7777
WHO: local indie crafters & designers; organized by the STL Craft Mafia in partnership with the STL Fashion Week Team.
*APPLY ONLINE*
ABOUT ST. LOUIS FASHION WEEK Saint Louis Fashion Week brings the best of America’s new generation of designers to the world and the best designers of the world to the heart of America. Part of a new wave of Americans in the center of the country who embrace the excitement, possibilities and power of fashion, Saint Louis Fashion Week supports the movement to cultivate the cultural energy created by great design. Saint Louis Fashion Week is proud to be part of a local fashion community whose talent comes together each season to support one another and grow the careers of the best up‐and‐coming St. Louis‐based designers.
The Rise of Upcycling By Allison Rabbit
“Another buzzword?” you think. “What will they invent a name for next?” I remember when I discovered the meaning of the word “ennui” and being surprised that someone else, namely Cole Porter, knew the word for a feeling I had. Yes, upcycling is a new‐ish buzzword. Yes, it is something that you or your older family mem‐ bers may have been doing for a while. And yes, it is magic. The term “upcycling” was first popularly used in 2002 by authors William McDonaugh and Mi‐ chael Braugart. Their book about ecologically intelligent design, “Cradle to Cradle”, made it an almost‐household word. If you’re wondering what’s the difference between upcycling and recycling, consider the end product’s value. The yogurt cups I toss in my curbside recycling get shredded and made into other plastic cups. But if I were to create an abstract wall hanging from them, that end product would have more value than the 74 cents I originally paid for my blueberry yogurt cup. Basically, when artists take lowly dish soap bottles, ratty wool sweaters or denim jeans and transform them into Day of the Dead figurines, dachshund stuffed animals or oven mitts, that is upcycling in action. Upcycling is not a new thing; it just finally has a name for it. In the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, there is a 5‐foot round rug crocheted entirely from Won‐ der Bread bags. It’s not a new item; it was found in an old woman’s house after she had died. Quilts are an excellent example of taking scraps and creating something beautiful and valuable. If you were freezing your tuckus off in a sod house on the prairie, you would acutely understand the importance of upcycling!
Many members of the St. Louis Craft Mafia are avid upcyclers. For me, it’s because I was raised to not waste anything and reuse as much as possible. I was the kid with book covers made with paper grocery bags. (Thanks, Mom) For others, it’s because they have discovered and developed a craft they love that happens to use ordinary trash. Twisted uses old phone and data wire to create earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Su‐ perchick and Hypercraftive use old wool sweaters in their stuffed animals and felted coffee cozies. Even tiny bits of old costume jewelry find a new home in Miss Lemon’s jewelry. The magic of upcycling is discovering who can make what from what. When you buy something that has been upcycled, you’re helping to sustain a growing movement. This movement is helping to keep trash out of the landfills and is helping the artists keep their costs down. When people donate their old jeans to me, I don’t have to buy new denim and then pass that cost onto the consumer. I can spend the saved money on real vintage fabrics at the antique mall, which then get made into more oven mitts. The other wonderful thing about supporting upcycling artists is that you are supporting local artists who are usually working another job or raising children. Your dollars (and trash) go directly to the maker and stay in the local economy. You won’t have to worry about lead poisoning or child sweatshop labor or the environ‐ mental impact of shipping. Upcycling is a great movement that needs both creators and consumers. If you would like to be a consumer, check out The Upcycle Exchange (www.lucoop.com/pilot/) to see what creators need. Also, members of the St. Louis Craft Mafia are involved with several upcoming area craft shows and the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market. Go to our website (www.stlouiscraftmafia.com) and browse the events details/calendar to see who will be where. With your help, upcycling can play a leading role in the new eco‐friendly world we all want to create. Allison repurposes old clothes, fabric scraps, denim jeans and vintage fabrics to fashion one‐of‐a‐kind oven mitts and pot holders (among other creations) for SQUARESVILLE.
Visit the Upcycled Exchange at a craft show near you.
Strange Folk ‘09 Strange Folk Festival 2009 is almost here! Head over to O’Fallon, IL September 26th & 27th for a weekend filled with indie art, crafts, music, and fun for the whole family! Strange Folk is the heartland's biggest indie craft show, featuring 125 modern makers from across the country. Voted BEST OF 2008 by The Riverfront Times! You'll find affordable handmade merchandise with aesthetics ranging from retro, pretty, punk, urban, and everything in between. Plus, plenty of eco‐friendly craft activities, exhibits, live bands, free WiFi and local cuisine...all under a canopy of beautiful trees. Just 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis. Every year, Strange Folk provides FREE hands‐on activities that will appeal to both kids and adults. This year, they’ve chosen 4 great projects, all green ideas that you can repeat at home. Paste Crafts will be supplying embellishments, while local Girl Scout Troops will be assisting and selling you cookies. Also, Discovery School is join‐ ing Strange Folk again this year, hosting a project in their tent. The crafty gnomes of Strange Folk will also be giving away goodie bags to the first 100 shoppers to present a Strange Folk vendor purchase at the info booth! If you have the competitive drive of Miss Violet Beauregarde, then you might have a chance! As for the rest of you, said bags (sans goodies but awesome nonetheless) are available for sale at the info booth during the festival. For more details including a peak at the 2009 food vendors and entertainment lineup, stay tuned by becoming a fan of Strange Folk on Facebook and check out the website for all the details! Saturday & Sunday September 26th & 27th, 2009 (10AM to 6PM Both Days) O’Fallon Community Park 401 E. 5th St. O’Fallon, IL 62269 Admission to Strange Folk Festival is FREE for the whole family!
DESTROYED BY DESIGN This month’s featured artist is none other than Shelah McClymont of Destroyed by Design. Read her answers to our quick five questions below and be sure to visit her shop to check out her work after the jump! 1. Tell us a little about yourself and your shop: I make jewelry and other creations under the name Destroyed by Design. I live in Old Town Florissant with my husband, our little girl Stella and two silly dogs who earn their keep by Hoovering the floors free of crumbs. I graduated from Fontbonne Univer sity with a degree in fashion merchandising and after a few jobs merchandising in home furnishings, I started working on Destroyed by Design full time in November 2008. I have enjoyed every moment of this little adventure so far and look forward to all of the fun ahead. 2. What is your favorite item from your own shop? My favorite creation is most often the one I have just finished. I have a little case of crafter ADD and I tend to get bored with doing one thing over and over. So today my fa vorite piece would have to be my Travel Trailer Makeup Case or a necklace design my husband and I just finished for our friends band Love, Kingsford. Tomorrow it will be something totally different which is what keeps things exciting. 3. Who or what gives you inspiration? I find inspiration in other creative, like minded individuals as well as music and pop culture. I read lots of style and design blogs for inspiration. Some of my faves would have to be Decor8, Design Sponge, and Creature Comforts. 4. Explain your art what exactly is it you do? When I first started Destroyed by Design, I was reconstructing vintage t shirts and screen printing images on them by hand. This project took up far too much space in our teeny apartment at the time so I got the idea for "screen printed" jewelry. I began ex perimenting with various materials and finally honed a super secret process involving acrylic and magic to create fun, one of a kind necklaces. Since then the crafting add has set in and I have added appliqued wall hangings and bags to the line. Next step for DbD is to use my little animal silhouettes for metal charms and jewelry. And after that, who knows? I am always up to something crafty so you will have to wait and see. You can find Destroyed by Design goodies at destroyedbydesign.etsy.com and several shops across the country including Cranky Yellow in St. Louis, Oak in Boston, Renegade Hand made in Chicago, Kadillac Kitten in Kansas City, and Wholly Craft in Columbus. I also try to do as many craft shows as possible. Upcoming events include Renegade Craft Fair Chi cago, Strange Folk, and the Indie Underground Designer Market.
Our pHotos From Big Ass Indie (this summer)
Don’t Forget: The Next Big Ass is December 4th-6th!
the family
All Along Press
http://allalongpress.com
AlleyKat Pinstriping
http://www.alleykatpinstriping.com
Beqi Clothing
http://beqiclothing.com
Cate Anevski
http://cateanevski.com
C. Bunny Binx
http://cbunnybinx.etsy.com
Cranky Yellow
http://crankyyellow.com
The Creative Brush & Double M Designs
http://ally21.etsy.com
Destroyed by Design
http://destroyedbydesign.com
DownZipper
http://www.downzipper.etsy.com
Evil Little Girls
http://evillittlegirls.deviantart.com
Fatt Daddy Leather
http://fattdaddyleather.blogspot.com
GalactiCat
http://www.galacticat5.com
Hoag’s Bags
http://hoags75.etsy.com
Houseshoe Mamas
http://houseshoemamas.com
Hypercraftive
http://www.hypercraftive.etsy.com
Iram‐Inal
http://iraminal.com
Jane Linders
http://freewebs.com/janelinders
Julie Birkemeier Photography
http://www.juliebirkemeierphoto.etsy.com
Just L:iv
http://www.justliv.etsy.com
Lauren B
http://madebylaurenb.etsy.com
Lock & Key Press
http://lockandkeypress.etsy.com
Miss Lemon
http://miss‐lemon.com
Red Anvil Art
http://redanvilart.com
Rodeo Revival
http://bruk66.blogspot.com
Senora Muertos
http://senoraalegremuertos.etsy.com
Smellgood
http://smellgood.etsy.com
Scarlett Garnet
http://scarlettgarnet.com
South City Slings
http://southcityslings.etsy.com
South City Studio
http://www.southcitystudio.etsy.com
Squaresville
http://squaresville.etsy.com
Strung Out & Wired
http://www.strungoutandwired.com
SuperChick Studio
http://superchickstudio.com
Suzanne Shenkman Designs
http://suzannedesigns.etsy.com
The Fancy Lamb
http://thefancylamb.etsy.com
TwIsTeD
http://www.twistedhandmade.com
the STL CRAFT MAFIA
the STL CRAFT MAFIA www.stlouiscraftmafia.com