Do you have a story behind your company name?

Yes! My dog Elvis was the stinkiest little guy, and so I used to call him stinky paws.

How cute! How did you get your start?
I learned to crochet when I was a kid and picked it up again when my dad passed in 2012. I learned that it was very therapeutic and then only crocheted occasionally.

Do you have a favorite part of the maker process?

Watching it all come together and becoming something that I created.

Must be very satisfying. What serves as inspiration for you?

My boy Elvis and my parents; I miss them all so much.

What is a typical day like in the studio for you?

Chaotic. I work two part time jobs and trying to turn my passion into something I want to do full time is insane but totally possible.

Do you have a favorite item you have made?

I think my favorite piece is the cat house I made. I used a lamp frame and made a cat like sleeve over it; creating a cat house.

What will you be bringing to the festival?

Crocheted items for fur babies, their pawrents and many other items!

We can’t wait to see you in person this May 14th & 15th for the Downtown Burbank Arts Festival!

Where to see more of Crochet for Stinky Paws:

Instagram | @Crochet_for_stinky_paws

How did you get started?

I was working as a tutor and I also happened to be making a beaded bracelet for a friend, when I thought it would be a good idea to make my student a math bracelet representing fractions.

So fun! What inspires you to create?

I love coming up with cool ways to remember things. I also enjoy being inspired by colors and different types of beads and patterns.

Do you have a favorite part of the maker process?

Getting the feedback from parents and kids about how much they love their math bracelets!

What is a typical day like in the studio for you?

My studio looks like: Beads and books everywhere! My studio is also my bedroom

Do you have a favorite item you have created?

I've designed a bracelet to teach the distributive property of multiplication.

Do you have anything special that you will be bringing to Jackalope?

I will be bringing math bracelets, bracelet-making kits, shirts, and activity books. There will also be a chance to win a free math-bracelet zoom party for 10 people.

We can’t wait to see you in person this November 20th & 21st when Jackalope returns to Central Park, Pasadena.

Where to see more of Brainy Bracelets:

Website |brainybracelets.store

Instagram | @brainy.bracelets

What is the story behind your company name?

My family and I live by the sea with our dog Moose, the inspiration behind Moose With Me™. After years of running my kids brand Woolf With Me®, our puppy inspired me to do something for dogs and that is when Moose With Me™ a dog brand was born.

How did you get started?

In college I double majored in commercial advertising and portraiture. This passion of mine for aesthetics translates into everything I love to do, whether that is creating designs and patterns for fabric, working on our website and brand, photographing product, and even doing crafts with my kids.

I’m a Mother, Animal Lover, Photographer, and Entrepreneur. I founded Woolf With Me®, a kids' brand in 2014, and Moose With Me™, a dog brand in 2021. I also have a blog called Woolf Talk™ which is a space for community, creativity & all things rad.

What is your primary source of inspiration when creating?

I am inspired by my family. Growing up, I spent a very large percentage of my childhood in my grandmothers sewing room working with her on costumes and custom outfits. I didn’t realize what a big effect this had on me until I had kids of my own and I had the desire to start creating again.

Love that! Do you have a favorite part of the maker process?

My favorite part in my maker process is connecting with people (and animals) and seeing our products live and being used. When I receive images of happy customers or see people at shows or on the street- it truly fuels me to keep creating. A close second is the initial process of having an idea, and acting on it.

What is the hardest part of the creation process?

There are so many complicated parts of life that can be considered challenging, but the creative process for me, is not one of them. Creating is where I thrive. I stay up late at night after the family is asleep dreaming up new designs and colorways and patterns. If I had to choose the most difficult part though, it would be the physical labor of getting the product out into the world. Making the first few products is fun, but doing production can be physically exhausting.

What is a typical day like in the studio for you?

A typical day in the studio (once the kids are dropped off at school) starts out taking a drive down to the ocean. It’s a great way for me to clear my head and day dream. Once I’m at the studio I get to work on the computer, organize shipment, order materials, create mood boards, sew, experiment, photograph product, and then at the end of the day load up the postal truck with orders from the day.

One woman show! What is a favorite item you have created?

Our dog bandanas and truckers hats for adult & kids are all new with interchangeable velcro embroidered patches!! We’re excited to bring our initial letter velcro patches to Jackalope to personalize your dog bandanas and trucker hats. They make rad gifts for the holidays! 

We can’t wait to see all of the happy dogs rocking your bandana's! What do you love most about living in California?

I love a lot of states for many different reasons. I was born and raised in Texas, and I’ve lived in New York as well. I often times day dream about snowy winters on the east coast or tropical days on Oahu… but California is a great place to live. It’s been home for me since 2003. Los Angeles in particular because of the cultural diversity, and resources. The city is full of dreamers and doers and the entrepreneurial spirit is alive. It fuels my motivation and creativity.

How do you define success as an artist?

Success as an artist can be defined as not having to compromise your vision. Being able to have complete creative control from start to finish and having the ability to get your piece of work to a place that makes you proud. The only one that needs to 100% understand your work is YOU.

Do you have anything special that you will be bringing to Jackalope?

I’ll be bringing our Moose With Me rad dog bandanas, charms for dog collars, and kids+adult trucker hats!

We can’t wait! Anything special you would like to add?

Moose With Me™ is a woman owned, small business committed to embracing diversity and inclusion no matter your race, age, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, education, national origin, as well as marital and socioeconomic status.

We value and welcome these differences to create a safe and open space for belonging, respect, and acceptance across our global brand.

Catch Moose with Me at Jackalope Pasadena on November 18th & 19th!

Where to see more of Moose with Me:

Website | MOOSEWITHME.COM

Instagram | @MOOSEWITHME

Do you have a story behind your company name?

 Zelba and Mary were the names of my paternal grandmother and mother respectively. My grandma Zelba was a talkative, piano playing, larger than life figure who taught me to knit and crochet when I was young. My mother, Mary was a phenomenal seamstress who sewed endlessly as a passion and out of necessity. She made everything from under garments to wedding dresses and everything in between.

That is awesome! Tell us more about how you got started? 

I wanted to make my granddaughter a special handmade gift for her 2nd birthday, and she was in love with baby dolls and puppies so I made her a puppy she could dress and care for and always know it was made by me. Soon I was getting requests and before you know it, I’m designing and planning a business. 

What a great gift! What inspires you to create?

I’m an Interior Designer by education and career; one of the first things I learned was to always look at your surroundings, be curious, notice everything. I am inspired by the classics; a black and white farmhouse’s simple form, the sophistication of European toys such as Steiff, fun, colorful fashions of Francis Valentine, or the floral headpieces of artist Frida Kahlo. 

What’s a typical day like for you in the studio? 

As a one woman show it varies every day from cutting, sewing and stuffing, to planning, ordering, and organizing. I tend to get in a groove and end up doing one thing a day, so if I am sewing, I’m sewing all day. I will often hand sew or knit at night while spending time with my family. No 9-5 here.

Do you have a favorite part of your maker process?

I’m a big visionary type so I love to design new collections and products and when it all comes together as planned it’s just so rewarding.

Do you have a favorite doll that you have created?

Really loving the new smaller 10” friends that were just designed and are in production for the fall/winter shows coming up. They fit just right in an adult hand and so easy for little people to carry around.

We can’t wait to see them in person. What will you be bringing to Jackalope? 

I will be bringing handmade textile animal friends made from European linen and dressed in sweet fashions in a standard 15” and a smaller 10”, not including ears of course. I will also be bringing some of my new raw linen pillows and patchwork pouches that are made from fabric remnants from the animal friends. The fabric I use is expensive and I try to use every bit of it.

Now that events are picking back up again, is there a part that you missed most?

I started my business during the pandemic, so I missed being a spectator, I missed being part of the action. Mingling in crowds at art and maker shows, going to concerts to hear live music, and browsing small shops. 

What do you love most about Minnesota? Top Ten Minnesota things...

• Fall is my favorite season

• The Mia (Minneapolis Institute of Art) is my favorite museum

• University of Minnesota campus (I’m an alum) is beautiful

• The Children’s Theater has fantastic shows

• The Nook’s juicy lucy

• Dairy Queen in the summer

• MOA for shopping

• Stillwater and Duluth are my favorite day trips

• Minnesota State Fair is hands down my favorite event

• Oh, and did I mention hockey?

Anything special you’d like to share?  

Zelba + Mary is a new adventure providing simple, well-constructed soft friends for young and not so young and I’m excited to share my handmade items with everyone.

We can’t wait to see you in person this October 2nd & 3rd when Jackalope makes our debut in the Twin Cities!

Where to see more of Zelba & Marry

Website | ZelbaMary.com

Instagram | @zelbamarystudio

1. How did you get your start in the handmade community? 

I got started in the handmade community in 2011. I had just had my first baby (Hill) and was back at work in my social services job 6 weeks after he was born. I decided to open an Etsy store to sell baby blankets with a goal of being able to stay home 1 day a week with him. I met that goal within just a few months and was able to quit my full time job the following year, just 18 months after I opened my store.

2. What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own?

I have always enjoyed the process of curating the fabrics I use in my store to pick fun and unique designs that would be hard to find anywhere else. I also very recently have started to design my own fabrics and am currently making the transition to just using my own designs. I have them printed on various base fabrics through Spoonflower, which is an amazing digital fabric printer located in North Carolina. I love that I can keep most of my supplies made in the USA. You won't find too many in my online shop as I am making that transition because I am stocking up for the Jackalope show while selling off my current inventory!

3. What or Who Inspires you?

My biggest inspiration are my two boys, Hill and Fox. I would have never had the guts to quit my job and make my living as a creative if not for my extreme desire to be home with them. They also get to test my new products and help me decide what is the best kid approved stuff for my shop. 

4. What is your creative process like?

My creative process starts with sketching my ideas/motifs for a design and then taking them in to adobe illustrator to digitize them and set them in to a repeat. Once I am happy with the colors and scale I upload them to Spoonflower who then ships me my awesome new fabrics!  All of the cutting and sewing is done in my home studio, where you can find me sewing while watching Supernatural, Dr. Who, The Office or any British mystery show. Netflix is my best sewing friend!

5. What is the coolest artistic tip you have ever received?

The best tip I have ever received was in an art business class, and it is something that you hear all the time. It was just to be yourself. Nobody else sees the world as you do or is going to draw (or whatever creative thing you do) the same way you do. You don't have to try to appeal to everyone because if you are true to yourself you will find your people :)

6. What can we expect to see from you at Jackalope?

I am bringing blankets for babies and big kids, clothing, bibs, burp cloths and bags.

7. Where can we learn more about you?

You can follow along on our instagram @foxhillbaby and shop our online store foxhillbaby.com or find us on Etsy