Meet Bethany!

Why I craft...I don't think there is anything more exciting than learning a new skill. I love the moment when an idea becomes a design becomes a reality.I love the way something handmade makes you aware of effort, skill, and perfection in imperfection. I like the idea of a world where you can shake the hands that create the things you use and wear. There has never been a time in my life when I wasn't creating something. I have embroidery that my mom had saved from when I was 3.

These days it is generally handbags featuring recycled materials, women's accessories, wool felt bunnies, embellished t-shirts and all manner of paper craft. I also am working on a project to create a new wardrobe using all vintage patterns, and writing for my little craft blog.

In the last few years I have participated in Craftalicious in Santa Cruz and Bazaar Bizarre at the Maker Faire in San Mateo. I have been a guest on DIY's Craft Lab with Jennifer Perkins (from the Austin Craft Mafia) demonstrating gift wrapping techniques and will be on again this spring demonstrating how to use spray paint and power tools and Shrinky Dinks to make egg art. I hope there is never a day when I wake up without the desire to make something.

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Visit Bethany at her blog Bitter Betty Blogs and at her etsy shop bitterbettyind.etsy.com.

Meet Sarah!

Sarah Potter hails from Davis, California and is a super talented sewer. She also has a great blog, called Sarah P Dot at www.sarahpdot.blogspot.com and an etsy shop at www.sarahpdot.etsy.com. Visit her and say hi for us!

Meet Shannon!

Shannon Udell comes to us from Roseville, CA and is an amazing fiber artist.

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"I'm always searching out bits of folklore and fable to incorporate into my work and working hard to bring out some imaginative original items. Finding a place for the old fashioned or nostalgic in our lives can give us a moment to breathe.When I'm not sewing my fingers off in the living room, I'm reading, or I'm homeschooling the newly-immortalized Muki and Bubb. I love my husband, girls and dogs, God, my garden, the ocean and all the thousands of little things that swirl around to make my life! You'll see it all pop up in the things I sew.I grew up in the 1970's, when Sacramento was a small town with a growing culture of young artists and cool blues bands. My mother is a textile artist and my dad is a photographer. My love and vision for art and all things handmade grew quietly in my hideaway beneath a large oval quilting frame with my very own needle and what scraps I could salvage. The blocky forms in my work derived from the homespun items that I wore and played with and ate from and lived off of in my childhood home and garden."

On the web, I am:

http://mukibubb.etsy.com

http://myspace.com/mrsudell

http://mukibubb.vox.com

http://mukibubb.blogspot.com/

http://flickr.com/photos/mukibubb

Meet Carolyn!

Carolyn is a crafter and pastry chef from Berkeley, California. She tells us why she crafts and what inspires her today.

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Why I craft...I'm a pastry chef by trade falling into baking after college as an art form I could get paid to do. After 25+ year I made a conscious decision to l move out of the kitchen for a while. I love to sew, embroider, knit, crochet, fold paper, cut, embellish glue, bead, you name it I'm never idle. I love all things vintage having a collection of 200+ eggbeaters not to mention all the egg cups and beaded purses-- it's all crazy, I know...So in my hunt vintage things I also look for fabrics that I have turned into handbags, eyeglass cases, coin purses and now embellishing tea towels with it too. I love stitching and use it as an excuse to watch movies and then there's the scraps of paper I play with--cards, collage, boxes. Connecting with other crafters and artists is inspiring.

Visit my crafty blog:

Laughing Duck

And shop Laughing Duck!