Thursday, December 11, 2014

Rosalba Couture


Rosalba Valentino is a fabric and clothing artist who creates one-of-a-kind fashion and accessories that offer a unique artistic approach to style with an emphasis on combining creatively sources materials.  New, vintage, and sustainable goods are always in rotation in her pieces.  She has been creating art of various kinds since childhood and continued that through her studies at Virginia Commonwealth University before diving into business for herself.  She encourages people to consider that handmade means patience and attention to detail, where value increases with workmanship... there's a look and a quality you cannot get from an assembly line.


Quotes of Note & Girls Day Out


Quotes of Note

Quotes and design have been a part of Julia Tolbert's life for as long as she can remember.  What started as a hobby for her when she was a little girl has now turned into a business for this full-time U.Va. student.  These handpainted canvases make great holiday gifts.  Choose one of her favorite quotes or have her design one from one of yours!





Girls Day Out

Girls Day Out began in 2002 when designer and artist Amy Schilling began hand crafting fun, unique accessories for her two daughters.  Since early childhood, Amy has dabbled in the world of design on many levels.  Having children of her own allows her to keep her focus on the fashion forward girls in our lives, both big and little.  Over the years her business has grown and taken many new directions.  Her designs have been sought after around the globe.  Using only the finest materials, each piece is made by hand, one at a time, in her home studio in Culpeper, VA.







Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Grid+Love

Love where you're going. Love where you're from!
That's the concept of Grid+Love, a locally run design business by Sarah Courtney, as she creates her prints and notecards with special maps of US & International Cities as well as U.S. colleges and universities.  

A first time participant at Craftacular, come check out Grid+Love to get your special maps for all of your special memories.


UVA print


and Charlottesville notecards







ByCary

Cary Oliva of ByCary is another returning long standing participant of the Holiday Craftacular! She will be at the 9th annual Holiday Craftacular showcasing her custom and affordable unique goods for everyday life.  As one of the founding participants of the show, Cary has gone from setting up in her home to setting up at CitySpace with lots of other artists and crafters and is excited to be a part of the group.

Come shop with her for functional and sustainable art to give as gifts this holiday season!
Check out her 2015 calendars or marble coasters and trivets...and don't forget to ask her about custom work!


Coasters with vintage images


and sustainable water bottles



Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Lindsey Mears

Lindsey is a long time participant in Craftacular.  This year she brings you her beautiful leather goods.  Lindsey says, "All my leather goods are made without a sewing machine. I use hand tools like a knife, awl and needles to create my bracelets and satchels from start to finish. My slow crafting, especially of the bags, lets me take time to secure each stitch and detail, to make high quality, timeless pieces."  Her work is unique and beautiful!


Purcell Toys

This will be Christopher Purcell's third year as a vendor at Craftacular. While most of Christopher's work is handcrafted wooden toys, especially vehicles, Christopher knows that anything can be thought of as a toy. Life is play. So his work includes more than traditional children's toys. The hallmark of Christopher's work is the incredibly smooth and refined finished product.

Christopher says "My love of materials shapes my commitment to the careful use of resources. Scraps from other woodworkers, broken furniture, and tree limbs provide the bulk of my woods."

A favorite in his product line is the toy vehicle kit: everything you need to make your own wooden vehicle. This year, for the first time, a special 4-pack (pictured below).

To see more of the selection that will be available this Saturday, December 13, 9 am - 6 pm at CitySpace, visit the Purcell Toys Etsy shop.

4-pack toy kit set: race car, flatbed truck, bus, and delivery truck 
(pictured on right is what the kits look like after assembled)

Buy the special gift bag with all 8 train cars which look like this after assembled!




Monday, December 8, 2014

3-D printed toys, games, and more from [carrythewhat?] replications

[carrythewhat?] replications is the coming together of three good friends, their 2 cats, and an ever expanding number of 3D printers. Currently, they have NINE(!!!) printers, but back in 2011 when [carrythewhat?] first got started, all they had was one lonely printer and loads of curiosity. They started out by making some fun things they found online or designed themselves. Eventually they figured "hey, not everyone has a 3D printer (yet!), why not make all of this awesomeness available to buy!?"

Ever since then, they have cultivated their shop with the attitude of, "if we don't like it, we don't list it." Not only does this mean selecting items they themselves would love to receive, it also means putting effort into maximizing the quality of prints they sell. By the time they list an item, they have already done several rounds of test printing to make sure it looks its best and is built to last.

Craftacular first saw the work of [carrythewhat?] at the Charlottesville Mini Maker Faire. We were impressed with their creativity and knew they would bring something completely different and new to Craftacular this year. Come check them out on Saturday, December 13th, 9am - 6pm at CitySpace downtown.

*all geared parts move and are fully functional!

*all geared parts move and are fully functional!

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Ewephoria

Clare Waite, of Ewephoria, makes stylish handknit hats, cowls & shawls in all shapes and sizes! Clare, a former Waldorf teacher, has a wonderful style and enjoys making her creations for kids and adults alike. Come see her beautiful work on December 13th at our Holiday Craftacular!


Check out her new "shawlettes"!






Herb Angel


Herb Angel is owned and operated by Angel Shockley – plant lover, gardener, medicine maker and perennial experimenter.  Herb Angel offers seasonally inspired, high quality, small batch herbal products and an eclectic array of medicinal herbs and other interesting plants. 
Angel is a native Virginian, who has worked on numerous farms around the country and has extensive knowledge of plants and herbs.  She is currently studying at Sacred Plant Traditions here in Charlottesville.  Angel is not new to Craftacular or other markets around town.  



Come check out her wonderful products next Saturday at the 





Saturday, December 6, 2014

Roslyn Nuesch

Roslyn Nuesch, owner of Two Owls Pottery Studio in Crozet, is a Virginia native whose inspiration comes from nature, her mother, and her Native American heritage. Her creative side came out late in life and is ever growing, but her pottery remains functional and for everyday use. Creating a form from a ball of clay on a wheel has intrigued her ever since she was a little girl and her mother took her to a pottery studio in North Carolina. She loves that a simple ball of clay can be transformed into a creation that is visually, aesthetically, and tactually pleasing. Her utilization of glaze, texture, carving, and altering a pot in various ways reminds us how the clay was once very pliable before reaching its final destination as stoneware.





Friday, December 5, 2014

VerĂ³nica Morales of Made By Me

VerĂ³nica Morales, designer and owner of Made By Me, has been designing and creating jewelry since she was eleven. She has a bachelor's in Theoretical Physics and a master's in Electrical Engineering but always has found time to dedicate to the creative side of her brain. She makes glass beads and incorporates these with gemstones and any type of beads. VerĂ³nica also works with leather, fused glass, crystals, silver and other metals. Each piece of jewelry she makes is an eclectic-whimsical piece of art to be worn and get compliments on from everybody.

VerĂ³nica owns a petite bead shop and jewelry atelier on Water St. inside Les Fabriques in downtown Charlottesville. Her creations have been exported to places nearby in Virginia, DC and Maryland as well as to farther flung locales such as Florida, Puerto Rico (her birthplace), and all the way to England.



Industrial Stone Works / Soapstone for Living

We met Kierk Ashmore-Sorenson last spring and knew his work should be at this Holiday Craftacular. As you can see in the photos below, their creations are beautiful. Kierk and his brother Bjorn have this to say:

"We are Industrial Stone Works / Soapstone for Living, two brothers creating beautiful art and home accessories while having fun. We have been working in Virginia soapstone for over 20 years, and we want to share our love of this wonderful material with you."

Come see (and touch!) their work on Saturday, December 13, 9am - 6pm at CitySpace downtown.






Victoria Horner Creative Handbags

Victoria Horner of Victoria Horner Creative Handbags has been sewing and creating for over 30 years. Her handbags are meticulously designed and crafted and her exquisite talent shows through in every hand-made creation. Victoria makes at least six different distinct style bags to accommodate your every mood in lots of different classic and fun fabrics for your every whim. Each bag has a surprise lining color, carefully chosen to best accentuate the outer fabric.  

Victoria has been exhibiting her work in museum shops, galleries and other art shows across the country for many years.  Having her be a part of Craftacular from almost the very beginning has been a sheer pleasure! Come out and see her latest designs on December 13th at CitySpace from 9-6.








Thursday, December 4, 2014

Hunter Gatherer Game Dinners bringing gourmet to the show!

Let us tempt your tastebuds with a wonderful, new to Craftacular, vendor who creates gourmet dinner kits! Leslie and Eric Benz create their kits using savory spices and a whole lot of expertise that help create healthy and delicious gourmet meals!  How does Cedar Plank Salmon with Moroccan Couscous sound? The dish starts with the sassy flavor of lavender, honey glaze combined with the aromatic and smoky flavors of the cedar plank. This particular kit includes a side dish of savory tasting Moroccan couscous which pairs well with the main entree, as well as a cedar plank, a polished stainless steel spice shaker, and a boars hair basting brush!

Come see Hunter Gatherer Game Dinners at the Holiday Craftacular to buy savory gifts for all of your friends or family!


Sample dinner kits


Dinner kits make great holiday gifts!



Nancy Hopkins of Silver Muse Studio

Nancy Hopkins, of Silver Muse Studio, has been part of Cville Craftacular for the last 7 years.  She's enjoyed making things with her hands all her life.  As a young girl she enjoyed making wire rings, necklaces and bracelets out of brightly colored telephone wire her father brought home one day.

Today, the artist and designer is known for her simple, graceful and streamlined jewelry.  She says, "I used to love to watch my father make things with his power tools.  I was amazed at what he could create with his hands and few tools.  I love going to my studio and creating beautiful jewelry with my tools and torch."



Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Kate Evans of Copper's Hollow

We have another newcomer to Craftacular this year: Kate Evans of Copper's Hollow buntings.

"I made my first bunting for my daughter's first birthday party a few years ago, and enough guests at the party commented that I should make and sell them, that I started Copper's Hollow last fall after moving to Charlottesville. I enjoy choosing fun, simple and elegant fabrics to use, and find the actual work of making them to be relaxing and rewarding. I have created buntings for Halloween, Autumn, Christmas, UVa and NFL teams, and for boys' and girls' nurseries. They make great seasonal decor, take up little storage room, and are reusable year after year. I look forward to being a part of Craftacular this year!





Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Karen Welk of Twink Beauty

Karen Welk, of Twink Beauty, recently moved into the area with her family and is so excited to share her handmade cosmetics, soaps, and personal products. Look out for her goats milk soaps, made with milk from her very own goat, Clara. 

Note: We can personally attest to the fabulousness of these goats milk soaps!