Two Sundays ago we attended the Richmond Craft Mafia’s craft show called Handmade Holiday. As one of our friends put it, it felt like Etsy—only in real life.
We enjoy supporting and meeting local (and regional) artists and makers, so we went expecting to see interesting work, run into a few friends, and maybe pick up a couple of gifts. What we found was even better: lots of beautiful and inventive items, dozens of friendly familiar faces, and a pile of handmade treasures that came home with us. Below is a snapshot of what we brought back after laying everything out on the counter.
1. A print from Zou Zou’s Basement ($25). This colorful mixed-media rabbit print caught our eye immediately. We’d almost chosen an elephant print until Clara loudly declared, “Bunny rabbit!”—and that sealed the deal.
2. A robot coloring sheet from Turnerbots. The vendor kindly included this for free after we bought several ornaments. Clara loved coloring it when we got home; she’s been obsessed with coloring lately and this was the perfect little bonus to keep her busy.
3. Two small canvas paintings from Amy Keith Barney ($15 each). Amy usually works with stained glass, but these tiny original paintings in bright, cheerful colors fit our daughter’s frame wall perfectly. At $15 apiece, they were a great find.
4. A Virginia-shaped ornament from Funnel Cloud Studio ($7). The map-shaped ornament was irresistible to us. The artist also had Maryland and DC options for anyone looking for regionally themed gifts.
5. Ceramic letter ornaments from Turnerbots ($7 for all four). We picked up one initial each for Clara, Sherry, me, and Burger. Turnerbots’ booth was full of candy-colored pottery and whimsical robot pieces that were hard to pass up.
6. A stack of business cards from many different vendors. Every booth was worth visiting, and we made sure to collect cards so we could follow up with artists whose work we admired.
7. A letterpress card from Almanac Industries (free). Their booth stood out for its craftsmanship and obvious passion. Their letterpress pieces were both tactile and thoughtfully designed.
We were delighted to find that several items displayed our initials—little things like that made us smile. Sherry’s, Burger’s and my initials were clearly represented, and if that P had been a C we probably would have been over the moon.
Because we couldn’t buy something from every artist whose work we loved, we wanted to highlight a few more favorites from the show. MonkeyDogStudio had a range of “Dangerous Animal” notebooks that were equal parts clever and silly. My favorite was an octopus wielding ninja throwing stars; Sherry couldn’t stop laughing at a squirrel depicted with a tiny pistol.
Bowerbox Press offered woodblock prints and cards featuring cheeky birds with playful, pun-filled captions. The combination of simple design and witty text gave those pieces a fresh, modern charm.
We also enjoyed an assortment of handmade crocheted items. Needle Noodles had quirky creatures like a crocheted jellyfish and a ray-gun, while Lazymuse Productions showed off ornaments shaped like jellyfish and a lovely crocheted conch shell. The craftsmanship and sense of humor behind many of the textile pieces made them standouts.
The New Woodsman exhibited colorful faux antlers cast in resin, including a few metallic finishes that drew Sherry’s eye—she was especially taken with the gold-toned pieces.
Illegible Ink displayed a detailed, charming print of vegetables that invited close study; there was also an amusing print about meat that elicited plenty of smiles. The line work and composition on those pieces felt timeless.
Jewelry was well represented too. Lucky Accessories had a delicate peapod necklace that Sherry mentally bookmarked for someday when our family grows—available with different numbers of “peas,” it was an adorable piece that mixed whimsy and sentiment.
We ran into familiar makers at the fair. Love Elaine, whom we’ve met at previous giveaways, offered a selection of holiday fabric goods; the kids’ apron she had on display would be perfect for Clara to wear while helping with cookie-making. Phil Barbato, another vendor we’ve seen before, brought funky stuffed apes and other playful soft sculptures—Clara waved “buh-bye monkey!” as we walked on, which made us laugh.
Back at home we found the perfect spot to display a print we’d bought from Phil earlier in the summer, and we hung it alongside two of our new Handmade Holiday finds. The small frame arrangement sits on the short wall outside Clara’s bedroom door, opposite the playroom entrance. We thought she’d love greeting the bunny at bedtime, but more often she points at the robots and announces, “Color! Color!”—which, honestly, fits her personality perfectly.
Overall, the Handmade Holiday show was a joyful celebration of craft: thoughtful design, skilled making, and lots of personality. Are any of you planning to shop handmade for the holidays this year? We’d love to hear about craft fairs in your area or any special handmade finds you’ve picked up for yourself or the people you love.
Pssst—if you’re enjoying holiday gift ideas, there have been plenty of blogger gift swaps and Secret Santa events this season. They’re a fun way to discover new creators and to share handmade spirit with others.