Meet Holiday Heap Vendor, Little Flower Designs

List your shop name and give a brief description of your work and process.

Little Flower Designs, handmade by Linda Johnson. My wares are handmade by me in my Huntingdon Valley, PA studio. I make simple forms then hand etch and glaze my illustrations onto each piece. My work features birds, flowers, trees, text and other nature inspired themes.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

My favorite holiday tradition is putting up our christmas tree, especially now that we have a little one! I can't wait to see her little face light up when she see's the lights and all the ornaments. My personal tradtion is buying a new handmade ornament from a fellow crafter. I love knowing who made our ornaments and hope to pass this tradition onto our daughter. And of course sharing the season with family and friends!

Do you have anything new that shoppers can look forward to?

Shoppers can find many lovely gifts at my table including, cups, bowls, platters, vases and holiday ornaments.

Meet Holiday Heap Vendor, Kittner Studio

List your shop name and give a brief description of your work and process.

I just started selling on Etsy ;) and can be found at etsy.com/shop/KittnerStudio. I am making my jewelry using frit, resin and marrying them with my hand made, mixed metal bezels. I've also been creating many little found treasure collages from vintage liquor  and cigar labels. I will also have a selection of assemblage work made from found pieces, including playskool blocks.

Where do you find inspiration?

Inspiration usually comes in the middle of the night when all is quiet and I process the happenings of the day. Or in the middle of the day, when I'm singing along with Aretha, Ella, Bonnie or any of my other Ipod studio mates.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

My Favorite holiday tradition is celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas by having a Jewbilee tree.

Meet Holiday Heap Vendor, Queens Metal

List your shop name and give a brief description of your work and process:
Queen's Metal. We make bold jewelry for fearless women! Our pieces are mixed metal creations we forge and carve ourselves. Sometimes we make a model in wax and then cast it, sometimes we work with metal in wire and sheet. Our pieces are fun, easy to wear, but still make a statement.

Where do you find inspiration?

Inspiration comes from everywhere! A lot of ideas come from traveling. Our new harpoon series comes from driving up the Pacific Coast Highway and stopping to visit an old whaling community.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with my brothers.

What is your favorite thing about Baltimore during the holiday season?

I love driving around and looking at all the lights and decorations. The Inner Harbor always looks beautiful.

Do you have anything new that shoppers can look forward to?

So much new stuff! Lots of funky new bracelets, an awesome series of carved and cast "gems" and arrows.

Other than Holiday Heap, where can we find you for purchases (online or stores).

Queensmetal.com

Inside the Crafter's Studio

As we are counting down the final days, hours (so close, so close!) to Holiday Heap, we mafia members thought our shoppers and fellow vendors might appreciate a glimpse into the madness of our studios. This show is certainly the highlight of our year, and no amount of paper, thread, paint, or ink will keep us from celebrating the handmade with everyone!

Personally, I take a little comfort in knowing that my workspace isn't the only one out there that looks like a tornado has gone through it. Offcuts, glue pots, who needs em! Process does not impede work; seeing how other creative folks craft can also be so inspiring.

Cotton Monsters greet the world in the lovely studio above. Below, you can sneak a glimpse of prints and paintings in progress from Found Studio, followed by a well-lit but unintentionally collaged book-making space from Phampersand Press.

Just another day of wading through our crafty avalanches, and then it'll be time to celebrate the handmade season. See you Saturday!

Raffle Sneak Peek!

Here is another taste of what's waiting for you in our Crafty Raffle this year! There are so many goodies we have to divide it into THREE baskets! That's 3x the chances to win!!! Better buy lots of tickets this year, you could win presents for EVERYONE on your list while supporting a great Baltimore Arts Organization, Arts Every Day.

 An adorable Cotton Monster for the creative kid on your list (any age!)...

 This lovely print from Found Studio for the Yogi in your life.

 Beautiful handcrafted journals from Phamersand Press for making that list and checking it twice!

 This "Z" print from Red Prairie Press would look lovely in a new nursery.

A chic scarf from Red Prairie Press will thrill your fashionista BFF!


 Remember that that 100% of this years raffle goes to support Arts Every Day in Baltimore City. Arts Every Day has as its mission to strengthen learning by making arts education and cultural experiences an integral part of the education of all Baltimore City School students, with an emphasis on middle grades, through the facilitation of collaborations among the arts, educational, cultural, and leadership communities. Learn more at http://www.artseveryday.org/.

Meet Holiday Heap Vendor, NAMOO

List your shop name and give a brief description of your work and process.

My shop name is NAMOO which means “tree” in Korean. I work with fabric and make housewares for babies, toddlers and homes. I also make bags and accessories with fabric. I collect fabrics, both new and old, from various locations. I often try to explore traditional patchwork techniques from many different parts of the world. I love combining traditional crafting with contemporary textile.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Wrapping Christmas gifts on late Christmas eve

Do you have anything new that shoppers can look forward to?

Quilted bags and scarves for friends!

Other than Holiday Heap, where can we find you for purchases (online or stores).

www.namoo.etsy.com

Meet Holiday Heap Vendor, Fisticuffs Leather

List your shop name and give a brief description of your work and process:
Fisticuffs Leather. Hand build wrist cuffs and watchbands made from reclaimed and recycled leather and found objects.

Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in everyday items such as bags and belts. I can see a design within every little thing I pick up.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

My favorite holiday tradition is decorating the house with all the lights.

What is your favorite thing about Baltimore during the holiday season?
My Baltimore holiday favorite is Holiday Heap, of course!

Do you have anything new that shoppers can look forward to?

My cuffs are constantly changing. I have some new wrap cuffs and what I'm calling the "scrap cuff" due to all the little extra pieces of leather I'm left with during the process of making loads of cuffs.

Other than Holiday Heap, where can we find you for purchases (online or stores).
My website lists all the stores where you can find cuffs to buy, as well as future shows we'll be attending.