Craft Riot Vendor: Stick Lizard Designs

Laura Zeiner
Stick Lizard Designs
Stick Lizard Designs' Blog
LauraZeiner on Twitter
laurazeiner@yahoo.com

Give a brief product description.

Bead-woven jewelry and gifts

How did you get started?

I started gluing seed beads to egg shells for ornaments. Then I saw seed beads woven into intricate patterns and was hooked.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Nature and earthy color combinations and textures.

Describe your workspace/workroom.

I have a bead room on the second floor with a large window to the deck where squirrels and birds come together to distract me from my work. It's very Disney-esque.

What has been your favorite winter holiday gift to make or receive?

I love to make bead "fishies" around the holidays. They can be worn as pendants or earrings or just hung on the tree. They're sparkly and evoke a holiday spirit, but can be used year-round. I have one hanging from the rear-view mirror of my car as a little guardian.

Craft Riot Vendor: Chester and Lola

Sara Rothko Hauschildt

Chester and Lola

chesterandlola.etsy.com
Chester and Lola's Facebook Fan Page
chesterandlola@pobox.com

Give a brief product description.

Chester and Lola offers jewelry, cards, and gifts for people who love birds. Every item either features birds or is bird-related in some way.


How did you get started?
I got fed up with looking at great handmade stuff and thinking "I could do that" -- but then never doing it. So one day I just said "Okay, that's it -- just do it already," and that's when I got started.

Where do you get your inspiration?
I get inspiration from my two fantastic parakeets named Chester and Lola. They're so beautiful and playful and affectionate. I also read lots of craft magazines to get new ideas and techniques to play with.

Describe your workspace/workroom.
My work space is at home, in a spare bedroom. It's got a window seat as well as a little sofa bed; both great places to relax and take a little break. The room is filled to the brim with art supplies and projects -- keeping it organized can be a challenge...

What has been your favorite winter holiday gift to make or receive?
For this winter I'm busy making wine charms for holiday parties -- they're so much fun to make!

Craft Riot Vendor: R&R Design

Tara George

R&R Design

rrdesign13.etsy.com

R&R Design's Blog
R&R Design on Twitter

R&R Design's Facebook Fan Page
rrdesign13@gmail.com

Give a brief product description.
Recycled & re-purposed handmade jewelry and home accessories. All products are made with lightly used recycled items such as license plates, silverware, tin cans, old maps, bottle caps, etc.


How did you get started?
I guess you can say my love for crafts started when my grandmother taught me how to embroider and knit as a kid. I've picked up many new hobbies over the years and when I moved to Austin in February I decided to make it a living. I started on Etsy.com and have grown from there.

Where do you get your inspiration?
I have always been an avid recycle-er but I hate the fact that a lot of it still ends up in a dump or storage facility somewhere. I decided to try and take it one step further and use the recycled materials to create unique, environmentally friendly products. I also love thrift store shopping and when I find something new and exciting the first thing I think of is "what can I make out of this?".

Describe your workspace/workroom.
My workspace consists mostly of thrift store finds including a set of vintage cream dressers and a matching sewing desk. I have lots of glass jars, fun tins and cigar boxes that I keep my supplies in. I collect vintage luggage and it currently holds all my fabrics and quilts. Family photos and letterpress prints from Etsy line the walls. My workspace also displays all my favorite books and more of my favorite vintage finds.

What has been your favorite winter holiday gift to make or receive?

I've made lots of holiday gifts in the past but my favorite one I've received was last year from my little sister. She learned how to crochet just to make us each a rug out of cute old sheets she had found. Mine is sage green with pink tones and it is so comfortable to step out of bed and onto in the mornings.

Craft Riot Vendor: grrfeisty's feisty fabrik

Roxy Rodriguez

grrfeisty's feisty fabrik

www.grrfeisty.com
grrfeisty.etsy.com

grrfeisty's Facebook Fan Page

roxy.rodriguez@gmail.com

Give a brief product description.
Feisty Fabrik is all about bright colors and designs. I make a variety of accessories - headbands, brooches, hair clips, and zipper pouches. I also love making funky little plushies and pillows, such as the Bipolar Bunny.


How did you get started?
I remember spending hours making greetings cards for my parents when I was younger. My love for scissors continued though high school as I cut through fabric and hand stitched cute little pillows and scarves. Finally I tried my hand at more detailed work with a sewing machine. :)

Where do you get your inspiration?
First off, my grandmother is an amazing seamstress. And my mother is wicked with the knitting needles! These two women are my biggest inspiration!
I also think crafty blogs are highly motivational. I love reading about people’s new ventures and seeing the cute things they are making. I’ve been reading a lot of crafty books, too! I often check the featured etsian because I want to know what gets noticed :)

Describe your workspace/workroom.
I am lucky enough to have an entire workroom in my home. It's pretty much where I spend most of my time! I have a table where my sewing machine sits, a desk for my computer and other "office" things, and a vintage love seat for relaxing :) My dogs often keep my company as I create - they think it's their room, too!

What has been your favorite winter holiday gift to make or receive?
I ADORE handmade gifts. Any present that obviously involves thoughtfulness is the most meaningful to me. I try and give gifts that have the same qualities I look for :)

Craft Riot Vendor: Anne Marie

Anne Marie Beard

annemariebeard.com

annemariebeard.etsy.com

handmadehappenings.com

annemarie_beard@yahoo.com

Give a brief product description.

Distinctive artisan handbags.


How did you get started?
Been sewing since I was 4 - after studying Costume Design at UT - I launched my business in 2002 using recycled jeans to make handbags - the rest is history!

Where do you get your inspiration?
Vintage fabric, Art Deco Era jewelry, The Night Sky.

Describe your workspace/workroom.
My fabric is having babies right now...

What has been your favorite winter holiday gift to make or receive?
A microwave heatable neckwrap - made for me by a friend - it's the gift that keeps on giving!

Craft Riot Vendor: Petite Pensieri

Tahra Boatright and Katie Wilke

PetitePensieri.etsy.com

Petite Pensieri on Facebook

Petite.Pensieri@gmail.com

Give a brief product description.
We handmake unique baby and toddler clothes, accessories and toys. All of our products are part of a special collection which makes gift giving easy, depending on how big or small you would like the gift to be.


How did you get started?
We were both pregnant at the same time, making each other handmade gifts along the way. After getting into the groove of being stay-at-home moms, we decided we couldn't keep all these cute creations just for our boys. We put out our feelers and started to create baby gifts for family and friends and got an overwhelmingly great response. We set up shop on Etsy and Petite Pensieri was born!

Where do you get your inspiration?
Our sons, Carter and Drake (both just turned a year), have been the prefect inspiration to help us create, test our products, see what works well and looks good!

Describe your workspace/workroom.

Each of us have a cozy studio in our homes to escape and get creative! Our inspiration boards hang right above our trusty sewing machines, to keep the wheels turning at all times. This in-home set up allows us to consistently be open for business and just steps away from work at all times.

What has been your favorite winter holiday gift to make or receive?
There's nothing more thoughtful than a handmade gift! Our friends and family love, or so we think, being our guinea pigs to test out new ideas and sewing projects. Mother-daughter apron sets and laptop cases have been our favorites to spice up our friends' kitchens and workspaces. And of course we have to keep all the babies we know looking sassy and hip in our embellished onesies and ready for any spit up catastrophes with coordinating burp cloths.

Craft Riot! Call for Volunteers!

The Craft Riot! is fast approaching and we are in need of volunteers. EtsyAustin is in need of folks to help decorate the space, assist with set-up and tear-down, help at the door during the event, run errands, and generally keep the show running smoothly. This is a great way to get involved if you don't have your own booth, and it's fun!

Please help us spread the word that we're looking for volunteers - teenagers welcome! If interested in volunteering, please contact Bailey Tucker: lovelylotusdesigns@yahoo.com