How did you start in the Handmade community?

After I had my son a few years back I was looking for something to inspire me creatively. I was also looking for something that I could do on my own, for me. I have always had a deep love for stained glass. Being an Art History minor I would be drawn to stained glass and the stories they tell. I found a great class at Stained Glass Supplies, which is now in Pasadena, and I took classes there. I found that my drawings translated really well into glass. It all kind of grew from then on. My friends started wanting me to make them pieces and I saw that I had finally found my medium.

What or who inspires you?

Books! I am a reader so all of my pieces are named after a character, a setting, or a feeling within my favorite novels. I am also very inspired by the world around me. I have been known to find patterns in nature, clothing, and architecture.

What makes your work unique and truly your own?

All of my pieces are original. I first hand draw them then my husband who is a graphic designer vectors them onto the computer. He will tweak my designs and make them a little more “balanced”.  It is very special to be able to work with him artistically. I am lucky to have him look over and help me with my designs.

What can we expect to see from you at Jackalope?

You can expect to see many of my handmade original sun catchers, a few panels, and mobiles.  Each piece is made in the copper foil method. Within my pieces I use both translucent and opaque glass.

How did you start in the Handmade community?

I have been making things my entire life. I have always been drawn towards anything I could try and put together myself. With Crassholes I am at the point now where I don't have to make every single thing myself, which frees up a lot of time to explore making new things. Handmade is so special to me because it is just all people like me trying their hardest and believing in what they do. How could you NOT love that? The community is supportive and kind to each other, and I have met great people and had awesome experiences thus far. 

What or who inspires you?

I get a lot of inspiration from my boyfriend. He is extremely creative in ways totally different from me, and its fun to be creative together. Whenever I doubt myself, he is there to provide the push I need. I also get a lot of inspiration from social media platforms. Taking what I see people talk about and turning them into products that are fun is what I like to do. My family, especially my cousins and their kids are freaking hilarious, and listening to them talk provides a lot of material. 

What makes your work unique and truly your own?

When I started Crassholes I started with just the balloons. I had never seen one person do that before. There were the traditional happy birthday balloons, sure, but there was nothing to help anyone with a sense of humor decorate for their parties. Now we have 50 styles of balloons, cards, journals, water bottles, and so much more to come. Everything I think of I search around and make sure I haven't seen something like it before. Companies now have started to try and copy the balloon idea, which while frustrating, also shows me that it was a niche in the market that people didn't even know they wanted filled until it existed. 

What can we expect to see from you at Jackalope?

I can't wait for Jackalope! I will have all sorts of products there this year- the full line of balloons, all sorts of cards and stationery, accessories, journals, plus of course my awesome dog Tank. (see adorable pic attached)

How did you start in the Handmade community?

We (Brown Bag Books), have been doing pop up events with-in the handmade community for over twelve years now (gasp!), and it still feels like we’re just getting started. I also think that if you’re a ‘handmade kind of person’, it’s always been in you.  So in that way I started as a kid making DIY, custom stickers and selling them out of the garage. But the real deal started when I became interested in doing something with books and their often times overlooked, amazingly vintage covers. That’s when I created Brown Bag Books, a kind of mobile book show, as I like to refer to it as. Like a librarian in reverse, I started deconstructing books, as well as collecting them for our constantly growing book collection. I then stated making cool books into a kind ‘ideal journal’ for someone who is both a writer and an avid reader. Early on I started to save the ‘innards’ as I like to call them, pages and pages of amazing illustrations found in older books, cookbooks, kids books, whatever I found to be eye catching, and began making unique, one of a kind cards from them. It’s understood that we are all moving towards a digitized world, but there some of us, many of us actually, who still need these kinds of unique, handmade items to help us … feel right in the world. It takes a lot of work to make the dis-CARDS (as we like to call them), and now my niece helps. She’s got a great graphic design eye.

What or who inspires you?

Entrepreneurs inspire me. And really, anyone working in the arts, musicians, chefs, painters, film-makers, writers, they’re all entrepreneurs really. I have a background in teaching as well (hence the book love?), and I found myself teaching students not to follow others, not to go for the ‘safe bet’ in their lives, which often times isn’t. I would always say, “Do what you love,” to young people, so I think the people who I admire are those you can tell are doing what they love. Sometimes when I’m having it tough, something didn’t work out, etc., I’ll listen to Radiohead and think man, thank goodness these guys are doing what they love. Music, a great movie, an amazing book – the idea of doing what you love inspires me. And when you’re doing what you love, it feels like everything is in its right place.

What makes your work unique and truly your own?

Our customers, friends, family, people who happen to find us at an event, or even those who follow us on Instagram can tell that my passion is for books, in any way, shape, or form. My two passions are for reading, and writing and everything that we (the business), creates goes into promoting those two fundamental pursuits.  I am a book nerd through and through and people notice that upon their first visit. I love to hear someone in our booth say, “Boy, somebody around here sure loves books …” Heck yes! Because that is exactly what I want to promote, book love. As people who are creating something unique for the world to see, can we ever explain why or how we got there? Sometimes, but I do think you should be able to see the special quality of a presentation, and know that it came from someone’s passion.

What can we expect to see from you at Jackalope?

You can expect to see one of the best, highly curated, small collections of books concentrated in one place. We choose books specific for each event, so in the case of Jackalope, art, design, textiles, hard to find cookbooks, vintage, classics, anything that we think pertains to the discerning crowds at Jackalope Pasadena. We like discerning people, that means someone cares about what they purchase, that its meaningful. And that’s a great thing.

We’ll also be highlighting our handmade creations; Rescued book journals made especially for Jackalope, and our dis-CARDS, which we’ve been saving up as well. Oh, and anything with Pasadena on it. We love local history. Book nerds love history, I don’t know why. 

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

The fact that every single shirt is hand-painted and essentially unique in its own way is something that really helps my work through Tribe Vibe stand out. When people see Tribe Vibe Apparel they often ask me questions that seem to come from genuine curiosity, and that is how I know I landed on something different and unique. With hand-painted shirts there is a texture and vibrancy that pops in a way that you can’t find with screen printing. Also, I really believe that when paint is delivered from hand to any type of canvas, an energy travels with it. This energy and rawness is the main reason I love art and with that I made the promise that every article of Tribe Vibe clothing will be individually hand-painted.

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?

Nature is home to me. It is the place I feel the most comfortable and the most at ease. I pull a lot of my inspiration from the natural world around us. Oftentimes I have to remove myself from the city and take a productive hiatus up in the mountains or somewhere surrounded by nature in order to find the inspiration, motivation, and rejuvenation that I need to continue moving forward. As you can see with Tribe Vibe, the designs and message behind my company is centered around connecting with nature and to each other, this worldly tribe we are all a part of. With that being said, I am also very much so an intellectual and I pull a lot of my inspiration and ideas from great thinkers that have walked this Earth. Two of the most influential people in my life are Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. 

What is your creative process like?

My creative process is quite a roller coaster ride, which is probably similar to most people! When it comes to creation, I usually start the process up in my mind. I am a thinker by default and I certainly can spend a lot of time up in a very heady space. In order to really dive into the creative juice, however, it is essential for me to bring whatever is brewing up in the mind down into the heart. That is where the magic happens. When I overthink the process, which I can easily do, I have a much more difficult time with the fluidity of creation. At some point, I have to allow myself to drop in to the heart, let go of the mind, and just feel it out. I try and look at it like I am not in control of the process, and the more I try and control it intellectually, the more in my own way I get.

What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?

I don’t know if this was necessarily a tip, but it came from a mentor of mine who has helped me immensely in my creative growth. He pointed something out to me that genuinely struck me as a personal truth. When I decided to start my own business and essentially start painting on shirts as a way to reach a larger audience in a more efficient way, he mentioned to me that it is clear that my art is about delivering a message out to the world. He has encouraged me to keep painting on canvas, which I do, but affirmed that Tribe Vibe would help me to reach a larger audience and that is exactly what it is doing. 

Where can we learn more about you?  

You can learn more about Tribe Vibe Apparel at www.tribevibeapparel.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/tribevibeapparel
Instagram - www.instagram.com/tribevibeapparel
Twitter - www.twitter.com/_tribevibe_

Also if you are interested in exploring more about me as a fine artist you can find my portfolio at www.artbyalexavarano.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/artbyalexavarano 
Instagram - www.instagram.com/alexavarano_art

1. How would you describe your style?  Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to?

One of the things I love the most about woodburning and woodworking as a medium is that each and every single piece of wood I use is different from the last and each will project it's own personality into what I do.  It requires a definite being in the moment and ability to get lost in details.  It's almost what I consider meditation...the small, slow movements and concentration it takes, the feel of the wood and the smell of it burning, the smoke.  I love watching a design take shape.

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

I try to keep my style simple, and clean.  I enjoy the fact that my work is easy to connect with, and feels familiar to most people.  I try to avoid making anything that I call shelf sitters.  Those things that you get as a gift or buy because you think they're beautiful in the moment, but then you always feel like they are just too pretty to touch or use.  I really try to keep what I create accessible and comfortable.  My main goal is to give someone an item that is beautiful, functional, made to last, and can bring a smile to someone's face. 

3. What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?

Most of my inspiration comes from growing up here in Colorado and spending as much time as possible in the mountains.  I have always found the small details and simple lines and symmetry that exist in nature fascinating.  I tend to feel the most creative in the late afternoons and into the early morning hours, when I have gotten all of the lists checked off, and my mind can settle and focus on the projects in front of me.  I'm lucky enough to get to do this as my main source of income, and so my schedule can be a bit more flexible than some, and I love the transition of my day after lunch when I can sit outside and just listen and watch and then get to work for the day. 

4. What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?

One of the most useful, although probably not real high on the cool meter, tips that I ever received, was to keep my nose pointing forward and stop measuring myself with someone else's ruler.  To quit listening to all the advice that involved should's, because almost all should's come from a place of someone else's opinions and judgements and comparing yourself and your unique business and art to someone else's.  How much I earn at a show, what makes a show good for me, where I want my business to go in the future,  and most importantly I think, what success actually means for me, are all things that are incredibly personal, and only I know the answer to.  It also, I suppose, is the scariest, but most satisfying part of owning my own business.  The making my own rules and figuring things out for myself. 

Any special item you'll be releasing or sale you'll be doing at the fair that we should tell people about?

I will actually be taking the very, very last of my custom orders for the year at the fair.  After that weekend, I won't be scheduling any more custom work until after New Year's.

Where can we learn more about you?  

You can always learn more about me at www.willowswitchdesigns.com or shoot me an email and ask away at Jen@willowswitchdesigns.com

1. How would you describe your style?

Steam Crow (me and my wife, Dawna) are a weird hybrid between cartoon and graphic design. We love vintage advertising, old time Cub/Girl Scouts, friendly monsters, and propaganda/WPA design.

2. Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to?

Well, sure! We love: Mike Mignola, Alphonse Mucha, Tony Diterlizzi, Dungeons & Dragons, Arthur Rackham, Tom Waits, the Arts & Crafts movement, Saturday Morning Cartoons, Halloween, antiques and more than we can list here.

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

We infuse our own quirks, personality, and viewpoint into our stuff. Some of it's funny, odd, and weird... but it's all US and it makes our work unusual. Most of our stuff has an "old meets new" feel.

4. What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?

We're inspired by old movies, toys, cartoons, comics, Halloween, old signs, D&D, bands (Dawna and I were both in bands when we met), vintage illustration, kid's books... inspiration is EVERYWHERE!

5. When do you feel the most creative?

When I get to design Monster Scouts stuff. (Our odd-ball community.) I love drawing monsters, giving them a story, and sharing it with our Scouts.

. What's Monster Scouts all about?

It's our weird gang of folks who meetup, make stuff, do Monster Camps together, and even wear old timey uniforms. It's super-nerd (Scouts + Halloween) but it's been a ton of fun. We made up these "Spirit Badges" and the Scouts made up all of these other things that we're now doing. It's for anyone who wants to believe in Monsters.

7. What is your creative process like?

We're on the road an awful lot... so I sketch in the Vanotaur. The drawings are bad and all bumpy (because we're rambling down the highway) but it's where we just generate hours and hours of ideas. When we're back at the studio, we can select the best of them to take to completion. 

8. What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?

Use every single talent that you have.

9. Where can we learn more about you?

http://steamcrow.com/our-story/ and http://www.monsterscouts.com

1. How would you describe your style?  Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to?

Our style is bold and happy. I love using bright colors and stark black lines to create simple, iconic images. I've always looked up to the advertising artists of the 50s-70s, who created such great characters for commercials and print media. Unsung heroes!

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

Jenni and I are constantly asking ourselves this question, because it's important for us to create art that's as uniquely Sparky Firepants as possible. I'm constantly asking myself this question, because it's important for me to create art that's as uniquely Sparky Firepants as possible. I look at my work all the time and wonder about it. Then I see a small brush stroke, a squiggly line or an expression on a character, and I see how those little things are what tie everything together and create a style that's truly Sparky.  Jenni's new line of sleeves and bags are created from our own recycled t-shirt misprints and rags from our screen printing. We don't waste anything around here!

3. What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?

Comedy and music are great catalysts for creative work. If I'm laughing or really getting into music, it means I'm loose, more myself, less protected than usual – and that's when inspiration strikes.

4. What is your creative process like?

I spend most of my time doing other non-artistic things while thinking and conceptualizing in my head. That's where all the work is, really. Afterwards it's sort of like taking dictation to get it down on canvas, wood or pixels. When I try to put it down and it's difficult and feels like a chore, I know that I'm probably forcing things. Time to start over at the thinking stage. Sometimes people are surprised at how fast I can execute a concept, but it's only because I spent so many hours working it out in my head first. Nobody can see that part!

5. What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?

Don't put too much stock in either criticism or compliments. I take it to mean that you have to please yourself first. If you're totally crazy in love with your own work, then what others think doesn't matter.

6. Where can we learn more about you?

Probably the best place to learn more about us at a bar where they serve classic, finely crafted cocktails. Barring that, I would say Twitter and Instagram: @sparkyfirepants

1. How did you start in the Handmade community? 

I started in the handmade community when my love for bringing the beauty of the outdoors inside inspired me to make my first vertical garden. The care and maintenance for a vertical garden is quite extensive which inspired me to design a preserved moss wall art, which needs no care at all!

2. What or who inspires you?

I am inspired by the outdoors. I love to hike and explore the forest. I love the vibrant colors and lush textures and I bring this into my artwork.

3. What makes your work unique and truly your own?

My work is truly unique because I incorporate all different kinds of natural elements to create a lush, life like work of art.

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

I will have a wide variety of moss artworks at Jackalope Art Fair ranging from tiny to large, with a vast arrangement in moss, wood, and other natural elements.

How would you describe your style?  
Minimalistic and earthy.  I want to make my pieces raw and unique, but polished enough to be easily wearable by all. 

Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to?
I am always inspired by fellow artists that incorporate themes of nature into their work.  I’ve looked up to Andy Goldsworthy for years.  With the rise of social media and independent artists being able to make a name for themselves on these new platforms, I’ve found so many inspiring artists on Instagram!  @sistergoldenshop makes absolutely stunning portraits out of flowers and plant medium and @jessweymouth_ incorporates crystals, wildlife and other nature themes into her watercolors.  I’m also constantly inspired by all of the amazing crafters and artisans that I find around Colorado—I’m so proud to be surrounded by these talented folks. 

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?
Mother Nature!  I have a background in geology so it’s really difficult for me to look at a stone without thinking about its entire journey and the story of how it got to me.  Because of that, I try to stick with minimalistic designs for my pieces so each mineral has a chance to shine and tell a story.  Whenever I feel in a creative rut, I simply look west to the Rocky Mountains.  I also draw inspiration from daily life around me—changing seasons, music, night skies, architecture, almost anything.

When do you feel the most creative?
Usually late at night when I am reflecting on my day.  I’ll remember a cool building, an odd plant, or something I saw that day and a new idea will come to me.  Traveling to new places always comes with a flood of creative ideas as well.  I am always jotting down notes and reminders because my best ideas always come to me when I am not at my workbench.

What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?
Be fearless.  It can be really scary to be vulnerable and put yourself and your craft out there, but the more you push yourself out of your comfort zone, the easier it gets to really start pushing boundaries and explore new territory.  I find that the more I heed this advice, the more rewarding my journey becomes.

Where can we learn more about you?  
CopperandStoneCO.etsy.com is my Etsy shop! 
https://www.instagram.com/copperandstoneco/ is where I post product shots, behind the scenes snaps, giveaways, and just general day to day thoughts 

How did you get your start?
I have always been a chocoholic I became tired of spending a lot of money on chocolates that were supposed to be good, but were disappointing. I have a culinary background, so I decided to try my hand at making chocolate truffles. I learned a lot on my own and then took classes. Then friends starting asking me to make them some and the business grew out of that." 

What or who inspires you?
I become inspired by interesting flavor combinations.

How do you come up with your creations?
I come up with my creations by discovering a flavor I want to develop into chocolate, research what would pair well with it, and then just trial and error.

What can we expect to see from you at Jackalope?
We will have our double-layered chocolate truffles, coconut and maple chocolate brittle barks, and our new Acai mini morsos - tiny truffles in 70% dark chocolate and full of flavor.