My name is Steve O’Neil, and Milkbomb is a kids’ clothing line featuring my kid-and-baby centric silkscreen designs. I’ve always made limited editions of adult shirts, but after our son Sam was born my focus changed and I started kicking out the onsies and kiddy t-shirts. I’ve worked for a while in the technology space so it was pretty straight forward to build an e-commerce site and start selling online.

How did you first get involved with crafting? My parents were always working on arty projects outside of their main line of work, so it always seemed natural to be tinkering with something. I suppose that it felt like the best way to relax was to hang out and make something.

What are your favorite materials to work with? Do you have a favorite color palette? I’ve always enjoyed printing and painting on fabric. Filling in blank fabric is fun! As far as colors go, I seem to gravitate toward bright, contrasting colors that pop. In the last few years, I’ve found that I also really enjoy creating designs directly in my Mac (as opposed to scanning in drawings) because of how much it’s sped up my overall workflow.

What are your inspirations in your art and in life? For the Milkbomb lineup, I get a lot of inspiration from my son, Sam. I try and take a look at life through his eyes and the designs flow naturally. In general, though, I always get recharged by checking out local art galleries and seeing what my friends are up to. I also like to try and take time to scope what’s going on in the big museums. On a wall near my desk I have a postcard from the the Matthew Barney Cremaster show I saw a few years ago at the Guggenheim in NY. It depicts Matthew Barney with his face done up like a pig,  wearing an immaculate white suit and two-tone white and brown wingtips. He’s dancing in front of a blue and yellow backdrop and he’s got this impish smile on his face. That show totally blew me away and that postcard always inspires me.

What is your favorite song or album to listen to while working? I have this 1940’s portable vacuum tube record player and I like to play an assortment of random and wacky vinyl records, mostly from the 1950’s and 1960’s that I’ve picked up at garage sales. Lots of sing-along albums, polkas, cocktail jazz kinda stuff as well as loads of albums dedicated to certain dances such as the Waltz, the Fox Trot, Rumba, etc. Since I didn’t grow up with that kind of music, it serves as kind of a blank slate and therefore a nice backdrop to work to.

Who are some of your favorite indie artist/crafters and why do you love them? I totally dig the “I Heart Guts” plush toys created by Wendy Bryan because they are so unexpected and totally fun. I’m also a big fan of the Turk + Taylor t-shirts because their silkscreen designs are so consistently simple, elegant and powerful.

Any exciting future plans or developments in the works for your business? In addition to creating more designs for the Milkbomb lineup, I’m currently working on a series of small and medium sized silkscreened canvases to hang on the wall. In the digital realm, I’m in the process of creating an online greeting card site. So many projects, so little time!

You can check out the latest Milkbomb creations at www.milkbomb.com.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your business.

Roxycraft was born out of a desire to make my unborn child a fun mobile for his crib made out of adorable little yarn animals. Well, the mobile never got made but Roxycraft Amigurumi Patterns were born. That was in 2005 and I’ve been designing cute little animals and creatures ever since. Selling almost 100% e-patterns has been good for me, less waste and no post office and great for my customers because they have almost instant gratification and get their pattern in hours instead of days.

I love doing shows like San Francisco Bazaar because I can sell the dolls I make and pattern kits that I normally don’t sell online.

How did you first get involved with crafting?

I’ve been crafting since childhood. I even had a small business in junior high school selling those notorious “friendship bracelets”. As an adult, my husband encouraged me to start again. I picked it up as an economical way to make things I could afford to buy, and soon taught myself to knit and crochet. I’ve been “hooked” ever since.

What are your favorite materials to work with? Do you have a favorite color palette?

Obviously…I love yarn. What kind of yarn I like could probably be best defined by what I don’t like to work with, because I generally love all kinds of yarn.

Color-wise, I am very attracted to bright, vivid colors…the more intense the better!

What are your inspirations in your art and in life?

Being the mother of a three year old definitely influences me a lot. The cartoons that are on the tv, the books we read, the toys he plays with. It’s hard to get away from.

What is your favorite song or album to listen to while working?

Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Adele. But Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow and the Carpenters are all in regular rotation as well as Otis, Aretha and Marvin Gaye. I sing while I work, so I like songs that are fun to sing along to.

Who are some of your favorite indie artist/crafters and why do you love them?

I’m a lucky girl because most of my favorites are also my pals in real life. Lauren Brandy of Goody-Goody because her taste is amazing and Missy Balance because her ideas blow me away .

Those who I don’t know in real life…Jenny Harada, who has an imagination that I completely envy. Beth Doherty because she was probably the person I saw online doing Amigurumi and she made me want to try.

Any exciting future plans or developments in the works for your business?

Working on a new book that I hope gets off the ground! Doing projects for magazines and just finished one for a future book.

Also doing more shows and teaching Amigurumi classes in yarn stores in the Sacramento area.

You can check out Roxycraft at http://roxycraft.com

How did you first get involved with crafting? I’m from Texas. You’ve never been to a real craft show until you go to one in Texas. They are huge! I come from a long line of craft makers and collectors.

What are your favorite materials to work with? Do you have a favorite color palette? I swoon over vintage fabric and buttons, regardless of the era and colors. They are all inspiring.

What are your inspirations in your art and in life? Currently – this being Spring and Northern California – I am inspired by the vivid colors in the bounty of blossoms right out my back door. You just get happy looking at a flower. From the brilliant orange of the California poppy, to the radical red in the rhododendrum, to the soft delicate white apple blossom. The colors are magnificent and the petal shapes amazing. How does all that beauty come from a little seed? My homage to Mother Nature are my new colorful corsage pins for hats or bags using multi-layers of petals and colors and dotted with vintage fabric button in the center.

What is your favorite song or album to listen to while working? Duffy, Adele, Alicia Keys, The Cranberries, Amy Winehouse.

Who are some of your favorite indie artist/crafters and why do you love them? Julie Lewis’ mod canvas paintings; Jen Breitback’s wool dolls; Helen Dardik graphics; Tamara’s handmade wood blocks. Their work shows their passion (and talent!!)

Any exciting future plans or developments in the works for your business? Watch for felted cuff and button embellishment kits. And more buttons, buttons, buttons!

Learn and read more about Julie St. Martin’s creations at www.vintageinspiration.etsy.com

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your business. I’m Claire. I live in a teeny tiny town in the foothills of California, where it’s nice and weird. I like to make stuff that makes people laugh. My business statement sums it up pretty well: “The purpose of Absolutely Small is to create and distribute approachable, enjoyable, and live-with-able art and art toys. I create in plush because you can’t hug a painting. I create in paint because it is awesome. If I can get people to smile or laugh at what I’ve created, then I’ve succeeded.”

How did you first get involved with crafting? I’ve been crafting as long as I can remember. My mom was a great enabler, always making sure I had plenty of supplies to keep me busy. Some of my earliest memories are of us crafting together.

What are your favorite materials to work with? I work a lot with fleece, but my favorite fabrics are weird cotton prints and vintage polyester. I also love sifting through vintage buttons and trims to find just the right touch of oddness for  a piece.

Do you have a favorite color palette? I’m sort of a color dilettante. I like to always be working with new color combinations. The same ones over & over again just get too dull.

What are your inspirations in your art and in life? My two pugs, Topanaga and Buster, are my muses. Weirdness and goofyness inspires me. And bad puns and plays on words.

What is your favorite song or album to listen to while working? Music is always going in the studio. It helps me think, or rather, not think. Perennial favorites include Of Montreal, the first Katamari Damacy soundtrack, TMBG, Jonathan Richman, The Shins….

Who are some of your favorite indie artist/crafters and why do you love them? Leslie Hall is a huge inspiration to me. She reminds me not to take myself and life so seriously. James Kochalka is another inspiration. His daily comics are just amazing. Oh! And Vanessa Davis. Her comics are fantastic. They seem so friendly.

Any exciting future plans or developments in the works for your business? Besides being at San Francisco Bazaar/Maker Faire, you mean? This week I’m working on a new Chickenpants video. And after that, there are just too many scatterbrained plans to mention. Stay tuned!

Look for anything Absolutely Small:

shop!  http://absolutelysmall.etsy.com

twitter!  http://twitter.com/absolutelysmall

movies & everything else:  http://absolutelysmall.com

I’m also the admin over at The Needle:  http://theneedle.org

I’m an LA girl living in upstate NY where we are just now emerging from a long hard snow laden winter, the glory of the snow and daffodils are blooming in the arboretum and I am so excited for the sun. My studio is in an old fruit syrup factory where I’m told there is an exotic ant that was brought over with some fruit years ago and only lives in our building. Karl Blossfeldt’s black and white photographs of plants and seedpods inspire me. The intelligence of shapes is endlessly fascinating to me and seems to point to the plant’s consciousness. My favorite enamel color right now is bitter green, which takes on different tones when over fired in the kiln. The music I’m listening to right now is Beirut, and Postcards from Italy, which makes me forget I’m in the U.S. Thanks San Francisco Bazaar.

I first got involved with crafting upon returning to the States after five years in India. It was a pretty shocking transition from a simple village life to the apparent meaninglessness of Los Angeles. I felt that Americans had forgotten how to be human in some basic ways, like no one was sitting out on their front porch and shooting the shit with passing neighbors or just interacting in general in a natural way. I fled to craft school in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina where I learned to use my hands as a metalsmith/jeweler. Learning a craft restored me to wholeness in some new way and gave me a path to follow, which is based on the premise that beauty has meaning.

One of my favorite indie artists right now is Lisa Norris of “Made by One Girl” she uses vintage pattern paper to construct “paintings” of a woman or man’s silhouette wearing a vintage dress or suit that she has created from thousands of strips of pattern paper. They are framed and stand life size and are so cool.

One of the things I’m excited about developing is a line of my jewelry but cast in glass instead of metal. My sweetheart is a glassblower, and I’d love to be able to collaborate with him on some cast glass jewelry. It would be really neat for me to work in another medium but with my same shapes and see what comes of it.

You can see Amber’s jewelry at manidesignsjewlery.com.

How did you first get involved with crafting?

I first began crafting as a hobby with my friends. It has always been so much fun to hand make just about anything from aprons to bags. For the holidays, I decided to create some plush dolls for my nieces and cousins. I made them little ninja dolls and little Sumo Wrestlers. A few of my co-workers saw the dolls and asked if they could order some from me and the business just grew from there. It really just happened naturally and with the help of Etsy, blogging and craft fairs I was able to spread the word about my handmade crafts.

What are your favorite materials to work with? Do you have a favorite color palette?

I absolutely love working with wool felt-it is the best thing ever. I also like working with fleece because it makes you want to hug everything! I don’t really have a favorite color palette. I like working with vibrant colors like orange, yellow and green. I try to stay away from using too many pastels.

What are your inspirations in your art and in life?

My great grandmother was a huge inspiration on my art and in my life. At the age of 10 she taught me how to sew and make patterns. I made my own clothes, costumes and gifts for family and friends. I have a beautiful black and white photo of her in my workroom which I took when I was in high school. When I have long nights of working and trying to meet deadlines I look at it to get a burst of energy. She reminds me to always go for what I want and to never stop learning.

What is your favorite song or album to listen to while working?

When I’m working I like to listen to mostly Motown like James Brown, Otis Redding or Sam Cooke. Also, anything from the Temptations just gets you going. I’ll also listen to some other bands like The Decemberists, Rilo Kiley, Abba, or Oingo Boingo….it’s definitely an eclectic mix of songs. It would depend on my mood for the day.

Who are some of your favorite indie artist/crafters and why do you love them?

There are so many it would be difficult to narrow it down. I saw the work of Heidi Kenney at my first Felt Club and I just love everything she creates. She is simply amazing. I also love the work of Emily Martin of The Black Apple. Sarah Neuburger of The Small Object is perfection! I also like the artwork of Ashley G and Drew-if I could buy every print I would! See, I told you there were alot….

Any exciting future plans or developments in the works for your business?

Well, I’m currently working with the wonderful people at Aeolida on the launch of my new site in May. I also will take part in Plush You 2009 in Seattle.

And I’m working on other products that promote the Sweet and Sour Goodies Brand. I’ve been working on some greeting cards and stationary sets that will feature the plush characters on them. It will be an exciting year and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for Sweet and Sour!!

You can find Kristine Domingo’s Sweet and Sour Goodies on etsy.com.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your business.

I am children’s book illustrator and writer. I currently have three books published with Vancouver, BC publishing house Simply Read Books. An additional two books are in the works for release in 2009 and 2010. In addition to my children’s books I co-own Bluebottle Art Gallery and Store in Seattle with my wife, Andrea. Bluebottle is headquarters for my infamous Monkey World paintings and products.

How did you first get involved with crafting?

When we first opened our gallery in 2002 I wanted some products to go along with my paintings. I wanted to create a more affordable option for customers so I started creating prints, magnets, and clothing plus a few other items. All of my products feature my illustrations.

What are your favorite materials to work with?

Acrylic paint on wood. I almost always sand my paintings. It give them a worn and faded look that I think is reminiscent of the well loved and worn wooden ABC blocks we stacked up, chewed up, kicked around, and dropped as children

Do you have a favorite color palette?

I like light blue, faded yellow and cool green.

What are your inspirations in your art and in life?

I like a lot of old stuff, books, movies, records. I like trees and fields and animals. I like terrible fart jokes and cockney rhyming slang.

What is your favorite song or album to listen to while working?

I like old radio shows like The Goon Show and listen to the bbc iplayer all the time. I like vinyl records on color wax. S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things is on at the moment

Who are some of your favorite indie artist/crafters and why do you love them?

Kristen Rask of Schmancy – www.schmancytoys.com

Moxie of Made by Moxie – www.madebymoxie.com

Both are Seattle artists that make really cute things. I tend to fall for things that just make me smile and we show a lot of that at Bluebottle. Moxie is actually going to be showing her work in our gallery in June. Both artists are participating in Maker Faire too and encouraged me to participate!

Any exciting future plans or developments in the works for your business?

I’m working on a new children’s book called Flowers. It’s about flowers and butterflies and 10 different colors. I also have a new Monkey World book of short stories in the pipeline which I’m really excited about.  Most recently I have licensed my monkey images to www.StartMovingPictures.com to create repositionable wall art. Almost like a giant sticker. I am part of an art show in May at Hotel des Arts located in the French District of San Francisco. They are also going to be using these images as cell phone wallpaper! I’m continuing on in my efforts for monkey world domination!

You can find out more about Mathew Porter by visiting his website and blog:

www.matthewporterart.com

www.matthewporterart.blogspot.com

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your business.

About the product – PIPEROID

PIPEROID is a paper craft robot that is made from paper pipes with pre-drilled holes. All you need is a pair of scissors to cut, connect, and bend the pipes to form a cute unique robot without a need of tape or glue.

In 2007, PIPEROID received the Good Design Award in Japan as well as becoming the featured product in New York Museum of Modern Arts. As such, this product has been quite popular to young adults who consider it to be a decorative item in their home or office.

About the designer – Takashi Tsunoda

With the motto “communication from hand to hand”, Takashi Tsunoda designs toys that moves your hands and makes you think. The concept of his work, PIPEROID, is to make people think about the world through hand crafting. In our current world full of pre-made goods, he wants people to rethink about having responsibility in creating products. Feel the deep message behind the cute designs he brings to the world.

How did you first get involved with crafting?

Started crafting as a kid but got inspired again when I found out what can be made out of paper pipes.

What are your favorite materials to work with? Do you have a favorite color palette?

Paper, wood

What are your inspirations in your art and in life?

History and unique cultures around the world

What is your favorite song or album to listen to while working?

Bill Evans “The Bill Evans Album”

INO hidehumi “Satisfaction”

Wes Montgomery “Full House”

Who are some of your favorite indie artist/crafters and why do you love them?

Product designer Sori Yanagi.

Any exciting future plans or developments in the works for your business?

I would like to let the world know about the beauty of hand-crafting.

New models of PIPEROIDs come out every season, so make sure to check us out on our website. For more information, please visit our website at www.piperoids.com or contact us at sales@magnote.com.

Passion flower is a jewelry line made entirely out of shrinky dink plastic. It’s a blast from the past with a little love, creativity & imagination it’s turned into miniature pieces of wearable art.

Art & crafting have always been a part of my life, I love it all. It’s just a part of me and everything I do.

I like to working in any medium or material, they all present their own unique possibilities. With this line I mainly work with design and obviously plastic. Drawing, photography, color combinations, sharp scissors, stones, a little wire and some strings play an important part in the design. And then there’s baking to shrink the pieces a lot of baking, and that’s an art form in it self. In the end it’s just a lot of fun craftiness.

The inspiration for this line is definitely nature. From them sky to the sea to the earth and all of the plants and creatures with in it, beauty is everywhere.

You can find passion flower jewelry on etsy.com

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your business.

My name is Rachel Riggin and my business is called SuperSugarRayRay – a nickname given to me by and old roommate (Hi Molly!). I officially went into business in 2007 but have been doing this as a side project since whenever I was short of cash.

How did you first get involved with crafting?

I have been crafting since kindergarden – isn’t that when we all started crafting? My childhood was filled with beautiful, old quilts of my grandmothers, great grandmothers and great, great grandmothers and my mother nurtured that craft, teaching me to sew on the home Singer when I was 10 years old. My father was always tinkering, fixing things and helping my older brothers build hovercrafts, boxcars and go-karts.

What are your favorite materials to work with?

Soft things, silky things and colorful things. As tricky as silk can be to work with, the colors found in silk makes it worth the extra effort. Applique and embroidery continue to be staples in my designs.

Do you have a favorite color palette?

Purples, hot pink, blacks and greys are big favorites. Oh yeah, yellow, red and orange too. I like to create things in accordance to the colors found in the seasons.

What are your inspirations in your art and in life?

I am always inspired by nature. High-end fashion magazines quicken my pulse. Shows at the De Young museum get me sketching and my friends keep me on my toes with a smile on my face.

What is your favorite song or album to listen to while working?

I mostly listen to KALX, KUSF or KPOO while I work. No commercials and I leave the DJing to the professionals.

Who are some of your favorite indie artist/crafters and why do you love them?

Silver Lucy for her ability to always surprise and impress me. I had the honor of collaborating with the artist SWOON last year on the Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea. She is incredibly talented and professional while being underground (relatively) and can remain totally calm and in the moment even when dealing with 60 other artists, clowns, performers, NYPD and the Coast Guard.

Any exciting future plans or developments in the works for your business?

I am in the process of expanding my product line, working on a new website and I hope to collaborate with more crafty folks in the near future.

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