Founder and Owner of Spices of Life Gift Co.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself & your background in the arts & crafts world?   

A. Hi! My name is Kat (just so you don’t have to do the math, yes my name is Kat Furr and you are allowed to laugh ☺). I am the owner of Spices of Life Gift Co. on Tennyson, going on 2 years. We carry almost 100% made in America items, with more than half being from local artists. I am also the owner and designer of my wire craft business, First Comes Love. I started my wire company after getting involved in some DIY crafts for our wedding (almost 5 years ago!). One of the projects was creating wire place card holders, which also doubled as a favor for guests to bring home and use as a photo holder. I realized after all was said and done, that I enjoyed creating them quite a bit and since I had leftover materials, I kept on playing and it became what it is today. I began to have appreciation and respect for handmade items and the time and love that goes into the process. I started to realize how important it was to support this movement and the individuals behind the scenes. Thus, my dream of owning a “made in America” shop was born!

Q. What/who is your biggest inspiration?   

A. Besides my amazing husband, Nate, I would have to say my customers are a big inspiration for me. I have always gotten so excited to see what reviews people leave for me at my online shop and the stories they would tell me of what gift they were giving or who they were making smile with something I created! It is always very touching and appreciated and I knew I wanted to carry that customer service over to the brick and mortar shop. Sure enough, seeing my customers and their smiling faces is what gets me through.

Q. How did you get into your position in the arts & crafts world?

A. Well, there is no beating around the bush here...I got fired from my marketing job of 5 years and knew that it was meant to be. I was let go on a Friday and went to work for myself full time on Monday without looking back. I could not question what I had been asking the universe for, 10 months later, we opened the doors to Spices of Life Gift Co.

Q. Tell us about a few favorites of yours: Weekend Activity/Color/Animal?

A. Some favorite weekend activities (now that I actually have weekends again!!) are definitely spending time with loved ones; my husband and our dog, Scarlett, and of course, dear friends. We love to hike, camp, see live music and all of the amazing things Denver has to offer. Favorite food: anything involving cheese and/or potatoes. Color: I really could not say ;) Animal: dog, to be boring.

Q. What do you love most about the handmade movement?

A. What I love most about the handmade movement is being able to support these extremely small businesses, most of which are a 1-man/woman show and knowing and hearing how important our support is to them and their families. Of course, having one of a kind, unique items is pretty awesome and just seeing what ideas and creations people come up with is always astonishing to me!

Q. What is the most important feature in an artist's application for you?

A. Most importantly, uniqueness as well as great craftsmanship and presentation. It should be fun and hopefully be able to portray the passion that artist has for his/her work!

Q. What are you most looking forward to in being a part of the Jackalope Arts jury? 

A. I’m just so excited to learn about new local artists and the passions behind the names and products. I am honored to be a part of the selection process and can’t wait to see what connections it might bring my way. 

Q. Where can we find out more about you?

A. I would love to see your friendly faces at our shop anytime, located in the ever evolving Berkeley neighborhood at 3867 Tennyson.  Otherwise, you can find us online! 

Visit the shop Facebook page HeRe! 

Follow us on Instagram hERe!

Our Spices of Life website is HEre and my Etsy shop is hErE!

CEO and Founder of Share Denver

Q. Tell us a little about yourself & your background in the arts & crafts world?           

A. I’m Becky Hensley and I run Share Denver - a community craft and maker space in Denver’s lovely Park Hill neighborhood. My background in arts & crafts started at home with my mother who learned how to embroider and crochet from her great grandmother and grandmother.

I was a pretty obstinate student, as a child, and didn’t pick up my own embroidery and crochet practice until much later. But once I did, I was hooked (pun intended!).

Q. What/who is your biggest inspiration?   

A. My mom is my inspiration. She didn’t have an awesome childhood, but she made a concerted effort to give me a great life and she was always committed to continuing her education and professional development. 

Also, I’m inspired by Lynda Barry, all the teachers at Share Denver, and Santiago Burritos!

Q. How did you get into your position in the arts & crafts world?

A. When I moved to Denver, I was tired of the punk rock party scene and wanted to start doing things that were a bit more productive. I started a group called Denver Craft Ninjas. It started in the backyards and basements of people’s homes, but moved to a fantastic punk rock bar. 

Denver Craft Ninjas created a foundation that Share Denver was built on and I’m so proud of the community that exists because of it.

Q. Tell us about a few favorites of yours: Weekend Activity/Color/Animal?

A. I love to hike with my dude. Drink wine and watch Netflix, eat Mexican food, and start projects I never finish! I love every color as long as it’s black. And I’m REALLY into puppies right now - which is a problem because I can’t have one.

Q. What do you love most about the handmade movement?

A. The community that lives around it. In my experience in Denver, I have encountered the most responsive and supportive group of people that legitimately want good things to happen for their fellow crafters, makers and artisans.

Sometimes it is hard to break into communities, but Denver really loves its makers - it wants them to thrive. And I love that I live here in a city that’s like that!

Q. What is the most important feature in an artist's application for you?

A. That they are being themselves. Not trying to be anyone else. Not making what they think people want, but making what they want.

Q. What are you most looking forward to in being a part of the Jackalope Arts jury? 

A. Seeing all the amazing work of people in our community!

Q. Where can we find out more about you?

A. Come to Share Denver and take a workshop with me or one of our amazing teachers! Or better yet, take our Teacher Training and work with us!

Hit up our website for details: www.sharedenver.com

Jackalope Arts filled the EXDO Event center with nearly 200 top notch artisans for a Summer shopping extravaganza on July 25th & 26th!  Within 1 hour of opening, the Fair had over 500 people through the door and the crowd continued to flow in over the weekend.  One attendee said it perfectly, "The vendors were AWESOME!"

Our Fair entrance welcomed guests with the Sophisticates Tea Truck selling fresh iced Chai & Black Tea!  Perfect for the warm day and sold out by the end of the weekend!  With a fresh iced, caffeinated drink in hand, attendees went head first into shopping two huge rooms full of bright and exciting vendors with an alley of even more vendors connecting them.  Some shoppers even came on Saturday to make the rounds and see everything and then came BACK on Sunday to make all of their purchases!  Now that's dedication.  

We love our vendors with a good sense of humor keeping the weekend light and happy!

Kids and adults alike had some hand on fun at our workshop station throughout the weekend making hula hoops, dolls, buttons and more!  And who doesn't love a beautiful henna tattoo to decorate yourself!

THANK YOU DENVER for an incredible weekend!!

If you missed our first Jackalope Art & Craft Fair in Denver, don't worry!  We are coming back again just in time to start your Holiday shopping in November!  Keep an eye on our Holiday Shopping Fair dates TBA at http://www.jackalopeartfair.com/denver/

Want to vend at the next one?  Apply online by September 19th:  http://www.jackalopeartfair.com/applydenver/

How would you describe your style?  Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to? 
I still look up to some of the big ceramic artists, Tom Coleman, Matt Long, Tom Turner, John Britt, and Frank Massarella, who taught me.  I feel as if my style in an amalgamation of how their work inspires and intrigues me.  With each session of production I feel as if my work becomes more and more refined.  I love to pair that refining process with new shapes, new glazes, and new design ideas.

What is your creative process like?
There are two distinctive processes that provide me with a nice creative flow.  Music and/or podcasts can inspire me any number of ways.  It allows me to concentrate with a tempo or rhythm.  They other process is silence which allows me to focus solely on feeling of being centered. 

What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received? 
You have to have the ‘fire’ inside you to be serious about being a professional potter.

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 
I feel as if I have a relationship with the clay I use.  When you've thrown hundreds, thousands of the same or similar shapes, there is an intuitive representation of form.  Over a few years I've refined every minute detail within the process.  My work is unique in the very fact that my hands create every individual piece, every handle, etc.  I love creating work with passion and I believe the attention to detail enriches each piece. 

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration? 
Looking at what other artists are creating is a good source of inspiration.  For design, I like to imagine what would enhance certain experiences involving clay.  Colors and shapes depending on any particular kind of salad, shape and thickness of a ramen bowl, the perfect coffee mug for a very specific set of hands, a properly constructed fermentation jar.  

I feel most creative in the early morning.  Waking up early gives me a sense of isolation, you don't tend to hear cars, or people walking around.  This solitude allows creativity to be uninterrupted as the repetition of throwing inspires rhythm and flow.   

More about me on my website: jeffreyryanmay.com      Which has links to other sites with more information.

How would you describe your style?  Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to?
My style has evolved a lot over time. I’m currently finding myself drawn to more modern, minimalistic design than ever before, particularly as it applies to home décor and fashion design.

I have so many favorite artists. Even when I was primarily a painter, my favorite artists were usually sculptors like Anish Kapoor, Anthony Gormley and Cornelia Parker.

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 
I tend to work in traditional mediums like oil paint and plaster; materials which wouldn’t be considered unique. However, the ideas are unique and individual to me. I always strive to make something I’ve truly never seen before, but now, more than ever, within a contemporary design context.

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?
I will always be most inspired by nature; it’s the one connecting thread that has remained constant in all of my work. I love looking at landscape photography and contemporary takes on landscape painting. I’ve spent a lot of time on Pinterest in the last year. It’s such a great source for fine art and design imagery. I also frequently visit popular art and design blogs like ‘The Jealous Curator’ and ‘This is Colossal.’

When do you feel the most creative?
When I’m alone with my thoughts, listening to great music.

What is your creative process like?
I’m a big believer in going out and finding your inspiration. It’s always out there waiting for you. I can’t just sit around hoping an idea will pop into my head. I believe you have to look at as much as possible, constantly sifting through imagery until something begins to speak to you.

Where can we learn more about you?  
Follow me on instagram or facebook: 
instagram.com/waterstonesucculents
facebook.com/waterstonesucculents

Shop Waterstone Succulents at Jackalope Art & Craft Fair on July 25th & 26th at EXDO Event Center.

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 
I began creating natural jewelry years ago, when my husband's family decided to sell their beloved cabin above Poudre Canyon. I looked for a tangible way to hold on to the memory of the property, and began collecting small, beautiful artifacts that, when placed together, reconstructed a story about the cabin and what it means to be nourished by a place. 

Since then, I have used my craft as a way to polish my experiences in nature --juxtaposing materials possessing their own, divergent stories to create a piece with a single, unified future. I have seen that everyone finds their own meaning in these pieces--whether through attachment to the physical locations housing the raw materials, the sentimentality of a kind of wood or stone, or the mere tying together of different histories. Thus, each piece is as unique in form as it is in meaning.

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?
A good, old fashioned walk in the woods is the best inspiration, but particularly when I have a thought-provoking book by my side. Nature writers like John Muir, Wallace Stegner, Ellen Meloy, and Terry Tempest Williams have a way of illuminating the seemingly mundane aspects of our relationship with the world and making them instrumental to our understanding of it. My work operates in similar ways, encouraging both me and the wearer to reconsider what we know and feel about our natural surroundings.

When do you feel the most creative?
Walking in the woods outside my house in Breckenridge is the surest way to get me excited about creating. I love finding gnarled pieces of deadfall and wondering about the grain patterns that lay inside. Any time I'm out collecting lichens, too, I am anxious to be back in my shop, pairing them with new woods to see what makes each specimen come alive in a new relationship. The process of creating is equally exciting, allowing me to pair wood and lichens based on their complementary organic patterns.

Where can we learn more about you?  
My website, www.thelichenist.com, is a great way to learn about the materials I use and why I get so fired up about them. Follow me on Tumblr @thelichenist to gain insight into my daily inspirations and creative process.

Shop Lichenology at Jackalope Art & Craft Fair on July 25th & 26th at EXDO Event Center.

We are a mother daughter business and also have a pet bakery! We make all natural gluten free treats for you dog or cat!

How would you describe your style?  
We offer modern, contemporary styles for our pet feeders. Clean and simple lines.

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 
We offer numerous different size feeders so we can custom fit to the height of your pet. As our pets age this is particularly important due to instability and arthritis but elevated feeders also aid digestion.

What sort of things inspire you?
Going for walks and hikes with our dogs, especially when we can make it to the ocean. 

When do you feel the most creative?
In a quiet room, with my pets and beautiful bouquet of flowers!

What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?
Be original and purposeful

Where can we learn more about you?
www.trendypet.com

www.sweetpeakitchens.com

Shop Trendy Pet at Jackalope Art & Craft Fair on July 25th & 26th at EXDO Event Center.

How would you describe your style?  

My stuff appeal to turtles, mostly. Humans like the stuff sometimes too, but most of the time it's just because they want to show their turtle the work because they know the their turtle will enjoy it. 

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 
I think maybe the fact that it appeals so much to turtles is pretty unique. 

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?
I am inspired by the realization that if all of this doesn't work out I will be completely screwed, as I don't have any real skills in the workplace. That inspires me to keep doing this well.

When do you feel the most creative?
Probably in the morning and late at night. It really depends on the day. The creative ebb/flow is really inconsistent. I really just try and capture the artistic flow whenever it hits.

What is your creative process like?
It really depends on the project. But I would say coffee and exercise play a big role in stimulating my creativity and keeping me engaged and productive.

What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?
Probably to just keep making stuff and turn off the fear and insecurity. It will never be as good as you want/envision, so the pressure is off, in a way. I enjoy just creating and having fun with it all.

Where can we learn more about you?  
My website, www.mountainvsplains.com, would give you some more insight perhaps. 

Shop Mountain vs Plains at Jackalope Art & Craft Fair on July 25th & 26th at EXDO Event Center.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself & your background in the arts & crafts world:

Hello! I'm Leanna Lin and own a shop/art gallery in Eagle Rock, CA (Northeast LA). I've been doing art and design since I was a kid, moving to fashion design and worked in the industry as a designer up until I opened Leanna Lin's Wonderland in 2010. I also have a jewelry line and have done a bunch of shows over the years including Find, Fashion Co-Op, Bazaar Bizarre, Unique, and recently Jackalope! Through these shows, I've met some amazing talents and decided to open my own shop to carry indie artists and designers!

Q: What/who is your biggest inspiration?

I'm inspired by so much around me (art, design, architecture, fashion), but I'd have to say I adore the street artist Fafi! I also look up to Tarina Tarantino, who I've been following since the beginning, for coming out with a specific brand and her businesses adventures with The Sparkle Factory.

Q: How did you get into your position in the arts & crafts world?

I started my own jewelry line in the early 2000's and started applying to some indie shows. I think the Fashion Co-Op was the trendiest one in LA back then & I would do those shows!

Q: Tell us about a few favorites of yours: Weekend activity? Food? Color? Animal?

I enjoy exploring what LA has to offer from the boutiques, secret stairs, eateries, museums and more! I'm always looking to try the next dessert trend and the perfect boba ;) My favorite color is purple and my favorite animal is the poodle.

Q: What do you love most about the handmade movement?

That you can get creative in any way and now market yourself well and turn it into a real business!

Q: What is most important feature in an artist’s application for you?

How well they brand themselves.

Q: What are you most looking forward to in being a part of the Jackalope Arts jury?

Being a part of the Jackalope community and helping to discover new talent!

Q: Where can we find out more about you?

www.LeannaLinsWonderland.com

@LeannaLIn on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest 

I describe my design style as earthy chic with a rustic glamorous vibe. I am naturally drawn to very raw stones and I think that is attributed to the fact that my husband and I have a daughter, Mo, who graduated with a Geology degree. We were always collecting rocks when she was growing up! She gave me the love of "earthy" gems and each piece of jewelry that I make comes with the history and metaphysical properties of the elements used in the design. 

Megan, my oldest daughter, is my source of all things "color" and texture! She is a self-taught, and very accomplished acrylic artist, who paints with an extremely cheerful and vibrant style. She pushes me to get out of my comfort zone by mixing metals, textures and colors together in ways that I would not have thought of on my own. 

I'm certainly inspired by my family, but nature also gives me a boost to the creative process. Whether I'm on a walk with my dog, or a marathon course with Megan (we've completed 7), I find ideas and think about new designs. I want each piece to be meaningful. For example, I've just recently produced some hammered metal necklaces called "Stepping Stones" that were inspired by polished river rocks along a mountain stream. The name Stepping Stones" can symbolize a way to move forward, or heal, or reach our goals. I like to solder three beads onto the metal cutout to represent mind, body and spirit, but some people have customized them for number of children, anniversary dates, numerology, and so on.

I've also started hammering some new rings in Brass, Copper, and Sterling Silver. They are a wide band with a simple, yet dramatic, diagonal cutout and they are named "Pathway" rings. Megan and I were on a marathon course in Couer d'Alene, Idaho when we started talking about letting go of control and letting the path choose us, instead of the other way around. I think a lot of people can relate to jewelry with meaning. It makes a piece very special and can be a fantastic gift for someone. 

You can find other examples of my work on my website at www.StorytellingStrands.com and there is a link to my Etsy shop on that site, as well. Not everything is listed because I'd rather spend time making things that I can show at events like the Jackalope Art Fair!!!

Shop Storytelling Strands at Jackalope Art & Craft Fair on July 25th & 26th at EXDO Event Center.