HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #32 // Give Something Succulent: A Halona Terrarium

We're keeping the Handmade Holiday Craft Fair previews coming so that you'll be well-prepared for the big day tomorrow.

If you've browsed through West Elm or read practically any design blog in the past year or so, you know that terrariums are all the rage. But a Halona Glass stained-glass terratium is something special, something handmade and one-of-a-kind. And filled with cacti and other succulents, they're self-sufficient too. (Trust us, a plant-based gift for someone with a thumb that's not quite green can lead to nothing but heartache otherwise.)

Twiggy Levy, the stained glassmaster behind Halona, is on a personal mission to stop the association between stained glass and "antiquated images like biblical scenes and flowery pastorals." Of her current work, she says "I find inspiration uniting the structure of geometric shapes and the natural warmth of plants." We think it's also pretty inspired to put a cactus where no one can accidentally rest their arm on it and wouldn't be sad to find one under our tree.

--Layla Schlack

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #104 // Kayrock Screenprinting: For the Paper-Chaser in Your Life

With the Handmade Holiday Craft Fair just around the corner, we're basically spending the day bouncing around and chattering about all of the cool stuff we're going to get. But we managed to calm our wildly waving arms to write another preview for you folks.

Karl LaRocca of Kayrock Screenprinting is a kind of printmaking superstar who's done band posters and books and whose work has been collected by MoMA. So when you buy his wrapping paper (which, incidentally, he made just for this event), you're buying artwork--even if it's just to wrap around that Yankee Candle you bought your great aunt Celia because you didn't know what else she might possibly like. 

In addition to the wrapping paper, Kayrock will be selling cards, totebags, journals, totes, and, very excitingly, his minimalist Scrabble boards. We smell a new Christmas Day Scrabble game tradition.

--Layla Schlack

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #52 // Keep Time With Richard Birkett's Fantasy Clocks

As the hours left until Saturday's Handmade Holiday Craft Fair tick away, we'll give you another vendor preview that is...well, quite timely.

Richard Birkett doesn't make plain old clocks. He makes Fantasy Clocks. Inspired by an idea that was "implanted in his brain when he was captured by aliens," Birkett's creations incorporate not just a clock's typical hands and gears, but a whole slew of other additions and appendages, from old cameras and broken typewriters to slide viewers and magnifying glasses.

Birkett has been crafting these amazing Frankenstein-like timepieces since 1984, and they've been featured in markets and fairs across the east coast and on Bushwick BK and BoingBoing. Stop by 3rd Ward this Saturday and pick up a Fantasy Clock--perfect for the steampunk enthusiast in your life!

Hit the jump to see another one of Birkett's one-of-a-kind pieces.

-- John Ruscher

PROFILE // Mieka Pauley Brings Independent Tunes To Saturday's Craft Fair

In addition to the many mind-blowingly crafty vendors, Saturday's Handmade Holiday Craft Fair will also feature some superb live music from singer-songwriter Mieka Pauley.

If you haven't heard Pauley's music, we think her press bio sums it up nicely: "Imagine Radiohead tiptoeing silently behind Patty Griffin as she makes her way backstage. Imagine Jeff Buckley in drag, singing along loudly at a Nirvana concert. Imagine Death Cab hiding in the back of an Emily Dickinson reading."

After receiving her degree in Biological Anthropology from Harvard in 2002, Pauley didn't embark on the career path you'd expect from a typical Ivy League graduate: She threw her guitar in the trunk and hit the road. By summer's end she had won the BMI/Rock Boat Song Contest and made a serious impression at Colorado's renowned Telluride Festival. After snagging few more awards and playing major showcases like the Newport Folk Festival, Pauley was back in Boston in 2004, opening for the legendary Eric Clapton. She hasn't let up since, winning the first ever Starbucks Emerging Artist Award in 2005 and the nationwide Cosmopolitan StarLaunch competition in 2008 and sharing stages with Jason Mraz, Citizen Cope, Wyclef Jean and Black Eyed Peas, just to name a few.

Pauley's debut album, 2007's Elijah Drop Your Gun, was funded entirely by donations from her fans, and she's taking the same route with her forthcoming record, which has already surpassed her fundraising goal. You can still donate, though, with perks ranging from a digital download of the album to your own intimate acoustic concert.

The success and accolades that Pauley has racked up over the past decade are a perfect example of the independent and creative spirit that we thrive on here at 3rd Ward. She's proof that you don't need to settle for a desk job or wait for a major label to come along before you can follow your dreams. Just get out there, do what you love and show the world what you've got!

Watch the video for Mieka Pauley's "All The Same Mistakes" after the jump.

-- John Ruscher

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #72 // Welles & Graham Keep You on Flask

Have we mentioned it?! The Handmade Holiday Craft Fair is almost here! Here's another great vendor to be on the look out for.

Flasks don't get enough play as a go-to gift. We understand that you might not want to imply your friends and relatives are lushes, but flasks are classy little alcohol-delivery devices that we can't imagine anyone who occasionally likes to imbibe wouldn't want. And a flask from Welles & Graham comes with not only a little bit of character but also a little bit of history. 

"We get inspiration for our flasks by pouring over the stacks and stacks of old books and articles we have hoarded away in our studio," says Brittany Bartley, one half of the sister-duo behind Welles & Graham. "This usually happens after we get together for a champagne brunch down the street.  All of our flask imagery is pulled from 1900-1960s publications."

That means there's something for the dandy in your life, something for the frat boy, and something for the badass who likes to keep some hooch tucked in her boot. Affordably priced, you could also just start a collection for yourself to match any of those moods. Hit the jump for more looks.

--Layla Schlack

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #89 // Keep It Clean with MAD Soap

We're all in a lather about the Handmade Holiday Craft Fair this weekend. Here's another vendor preview to put you in the mood.

'Twas a day like any other way back in 2008 when Allyson Dohan and Molly McCullough each (independent from one another) wanted to see if they could make soap in their New York apartments. "We quickly discovered that, yes, you can and well!" Dohan says. Three years later, MAD Soap Company is a full line of bath products, lotions, lip balms, and facial potions. Everything is vegan, all-natural, and made from scratch. 

So now the only question is what to get? Dohan says the charcoal soap is her favorite and a big hit with customers. "We use activated charcoal that draws out impurities from the skin but leaves moisturizing oils to make you feel fresh," she explains. But since 'tis the season and all that, Dohan says "Nothing gets you into the holiday spirit quiet like our chai tea lip balm. The unique spice blend makes your lips tingle while healing them from the cold weather." These two and others will be available, and we'll be extra excited for our postholiday showers.

--Layla Schlack

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #47 // Evolving Habitat Will Help Adorn Your Home With Rustic Goodness

Can you tell we're excited? So continues our ongoing preview of what to expect (and buy) at the Handmade Holiday Craft Fair.

Imagine if you're favorite rustic pieces from places like West Elm and ABC Home & Carpet were way more affordable and salvaged from natural materials. That's the gist of Evolving Habitat. "It's important to me to find a new purpose for organic materials being left behind, and I truly enjoy reshaping it's original story," says creator Meri Vallo of her birch lamps, antler wall plaques, lightboxes, and terrariums.

So yes, each piece is made of reclaimed or recycled materials and we think that's great, but each piece is also one-of-a-kind, which just enhances all their rustic loveliness. It's just the right blend of hip and nostalgic, and that's why outlets like Re-Nest and Artists and Fleas are taking notice. Click the jump for more images--and if you're not mentally redesigning your own apartment, well, you're stronger, more dedicated holiday shoppers than we are.

-- Layla Schlack

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #93 // Stockpile Designs Sheds Some Light On Vintage Military Equipment

And our preview of highlights from this Saturday's Handmade Holiday Craft Fair continues...

Stockpile Designs began with a bomb, but rather than triggering an explosion, it lit up a light bulb, both in the head of founder Jake Wright and in the lamp that he was inspired to create. "I saw a tail section of a bomb from the Korean War being sold as junk," Wright says. "Where it wasn't covered with rust it was encrusted with filth, but underneath the patina was this graceful form that reminded me of streamline deco lighting. It took a lot of sanding and polishing, but the finished piece was more striking than I had imagined."

Wright's idea wasn't born out the blue, though. It owes much to his unique upbringing. "As an air-force brat, I grew up with strange décor - exotic furniture from the places my parents were stationed, excellent mid-century design picked up for pennies on-base, and model planes, rockets, and military antiques littering bookshelves and hung on the wall," he says.

"Military design has a reputation for being industrial and spartan, but out of context it can be strikingly refined and minimal," Wright explains. "With Stockpile, I take military equipment out of its aggressive context, concealing the function while highlighting the form." On Saturday Wright will be selling a range of lighting décor, from repurposed cluster bomblets to the tail of a 100 lb bomb, as well as a pair of end tables made from WWII naval ammo.

Check out more Stockpile Designs pieces after the jump.

-- John Ruscher

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #81 // Kids In Love Collective: Where Avant-Garde Design And Organic Hand Craft Collide

The Handmade Holiday Craft Fair is getting closer and closer but we can't stand to keep all of the goodness to ourselves. That's why we're previewing some of the amazing gifts that you'll be able to pick up this Saturday.

Founder Cathy Hsiao describes the aim of the Kids In Love Collective as "the marriage of avant-garde and graphic design with organic hand craft techniques...Avant-Craft!" Combining dye and print techniques, she's created an array of unique and vibrant apparel and accessories. "I love aesthetic dualities, nature's forms and textures contrasted with the abstractions of design, things that are unkempt and raw but still very natural and soft for my super sensitive skin," she says.

The philosophical perspective that Hsaio takes with her work is natural, as she was a philosophy teacher before starting the Kids In Love Collective. "I left my PhD program to be an artist and designer, to be able to work with my whole body, eye, hand and mind," she says. Her experiences with learning music and art in a DIY community inspired that decision. "The idea of a collective is important to me," she says. "I want to think 'invert the corporation, join the collective.'"

This will be the Kids In Love Collective's first craft fair, and they're debuting with a bang! Stop by their booth for hand-dyed and hand-painted scarves made with organic cotton, modal tops, printed canvas clutches and a hand-printed and hand-died calendar. They've also collaborated with Tom Tom Magazine on hand-painted drumsticks and will be offering a $10 discount when you buy two Kids In Love items.

Hit the jump for another look at Kids In Love's Avant-Craft goodness.

-- John Ruscher

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #77 // With Roots Brings Jewelry To Life With Tiny Terrariums

 

Our Handmade Holiday Craft Fair is just a few days away, and it's no secret that it'll be full of irresistible gifts for all of your friends and family (and probably lots that you'll want to snatch up for yourself.) To keep you from getting too overwhelmed with such abounding awesomeness this Saturday, we're offering up a steady stream of sneak previews of some of that handmade goodness.

With Roots is a homegrown jewelry line. We say that not only because it's a Brooklyn-based, one-woman business, but also because each With Roots piece features a tiny terrarium with real plants growing inside. Sharon Goldberg, also an accomplished photographer, started With Roots about a year ago. "I had made some custom terrariums for a friend of mine," she says. "He liked them so much he told me he wished he could wear them! I did my research and made it happen, and With Roots was born."

With Roots pieces aren't mere novelties; they're well-made terrariums that are self-sustaining and designed to be worn on a daily basis. In Goldberg's own words, they're "the perfect way to wear nature." At the fair you'll find most of the pieces featured on the With Roots website, including an array of necklaces, a terrarium ornament and perfume bottle terrarium, as well as some one of a kind pieces and vintage glass terrariums. Get there early though, these will go fast.

Hit the jump for a couple more photos of Goldberg's amazing creations.

-- John Ruscher