Featured Member: DESTROYED BY DESIGN

September 09

STL CRAFT MAFIA MAG

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September 09

 September 12th 

Tower Grove Farmer’s Market @ Tower Grove Park 

  

September 18th & 19th Urban Art / Italian Fest ‐‐ Market Days  @ The Urban Art Co‐op in Colinsville, IL 

  

September 26th‐27th Strange Folk Festival 

@ Community Park in O’Fallon, IL   

October 16th & 17th St. Louis Fashion Week 

Indie Underground: Designer Market @ Lumière Place Casino & Hotels  

  

October 24th Tower Grove Farmer’s Market  

Harvest Festival @ Tower Grove Park 

  

upcoming events

Welcome to the second edition of the STL Craft Mafia Mag! In this month’s issue, we cover Upcycling 101 with Alli-son from Squaresville (page 6) and give you the details on the Strange Folk Fes-tival which will be happening at the end of the month (page 8). Also of note for you crafty folk, our Call For Artists is posted for Indie Under-ground: Designer Market (page 4). Speaking of applications, the Call For Artists for the next Big Ass Indie Show (this winter) is now live, too. Check out our mini scrapbook from the Big Ass summer event (page 13). Last, but certainly not least, Destroyed by Design is this month’s Featured Art-ist. Check out her interview over on page 10! ~ The St. Louis Craft Mafia

WHAT: a handmade marketplace featuring indie crafters &STL Fashion Week designers; held on Friday & 

Saturday of Fashion Week during the last two days of runway shows.  

WHEN: Oct. 16‐17, 2009, 11 am – 8 pm 

 

WHERE: the beautiful atrium of Lumière Place Casino & Hotels, 999 2nd Ave., Downtown, 314.881.7777 

 

WHO: local indie crafters & designers; organized by the STL Craft Mafia in partnership with the STL Fashion 

Week Team.   

*APPLY ONLINE*  

  

ABOUT ST. LOUIS FASHION WEEK  Saint Louis Fashion Week brings the best of America’s new generation of designers to the world and the best designers of the world to the heart of America.  Part of a new wave of Americans in the center of the country who embrace the excitement, possibilities and power of fashion, Saint Louis Fashion Week supports the movement to cultivate the cultural energy created by great design.  Saint Louis Fashion Week is proud to be part of a local fashion community whose talent comes together each season to support one another and grow the careers of the best up‐and‐coming St. Louis‐based designers. 

Indie underground: designer market

“Another  buzzword?”  you  think.  “What  will they  invent  a  name  for  next?”    I  remember when  I  discovered  the  meaning  of  the  word “ennui” and being surprised that someone else, namely Cole Porter, knew the word for a feeling I had.   Yes, upcycling  is a new‐ish buzzword. Yes,  it  is something  that you or your older  family mem‐bers may have been doing for a while. And yes, it is magic.  The term “upcycling” was first popularly used in 2002  by  authors William McDonaugh  and Mi‐chael  Braugart.  Their  book  about  ecologically intelligent  design,  “Cradle  to  Cradle”, made  it an almost‐household word. If you’re wondering what’s  the  difference  between  upcycling  and recycling, consider the end product’s value. The yogurt cups I toss in my curbside recycling get shredded and made into other plastic cups. But if I were to create an abstract wall hanging from them, that end product would have more value than  the 74  cents  I originally paid  for my blueberry  yogurt  cup.   Basically, when  artists  take lowly dish soap bottles, ratty wool sweaters or denim jeans and transform them into Day of the Dead figurines, dachshund stuffed animals or oven mitts, that is upcycling in action. 

 Upcycling is not a new thing; it just finally has a name for it. In the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, there is a 5‐foot round rug crocheted entirely from Won‐der Bread bags. It’s not a new item; it was found in an old woman’s house after she had died. Quilts  are  an excellent example of  taking  scraps  and  creating  something beautiful and valuable.  If you were  freezing your  tuckus off  in a  sod house on  the prairie, you would acutely understand the importance of upcycling! 

  

The Rise of Upcycling By Allison Rabbit

Many members of the St. Louis Craft Mafia are avid upcyclers. For me, it’s because I was raised to not waste anything  and  reuse  as much  as  possible.  I was  the  kid with  book  covers made with  paper  grocery  bags.  (Thanks, Mom)  For others, it’s because they have discovered and developed a craft they love that happens to use ordinary trash. Twisted uses old phone and data wire to create earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Su‐perchick and Hypercraftive use old wool sweaters in their stuffed animals and felted coffee cozies. Even tiny bits of old costume jewelry find a new home in Miss Lemon’s jewelry.  The magic of upcycling  is discovering who can make what  from what.   When you buy something  that has been upcycled, you’re helping to sustain a growing movement. This movement is helping to keep trash out of the  landfills and  is helping  the artists keep  their costs down. When people donate  their old  jeans  to me,  I don’t have to buy new denim and then pass that cost onto the consumer.  I can spend the saved money on real vintage fabrics at the antique mall, which then get made into more oven mitts.  The other wonderful thing about supporting upcycling artists is that you are supporting local artists who are usually working another job or raising children. Your dollars (and trash) go directly to the maker and stay in the  local economy. You won’t have to worry about  lead poisoning or child sweatshop  labor or the environ‐mental impact of shipping.  Upcycling is a great movement that needs both creators and consumers.  If you would like to be a consumer, check out The Upcycle Exchange (www.lucoop.com/pilot/) to see what creators need. Also, members of the St.  Louis Craft Mafia are  involved with  several upcoming area  craft  shows and  the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market.  Go to our website (www.stlouiscraftmafia.com) and browse the events details/calendar to see who will be where.  With your help, upcycling can play a leading role in the new eco‐friendly world we all want to create.   Allison  repurposes old clothes,  fabric scraps, denim  jeans and vintage  fabrics  to  fashion one‐of‐a‐kind oven mitts and pot holders (among other creations) for SQUARESVILLE.  

Visit the Upcycled Exchange at a craft show near you.

Strange Folk Festival 2009 is almost here! Head over to O’Fallon, IL September 26th & 27th for a weekend filled with  indie art, crafts, music, and fun for the whole family! Strange Folk is the heartland's biggest indie craft show, featuring 125 modern makers from across the  country. Voted BEST OF 2008 by The Riverfront Times! You'll find  affordable  handmade  merchandise  with  aesthetics  ranging from  retro, pretty, punk, urban, and everything  in between. Plus, plenty of eco‐friendly craft activities, exhibits, live bands, free WiFi and  local  cuisine...all  under  a  canopy  of  beautiful  trees.  Just  15 minutes from downtown St. Louis.   Every year, Strange Folk provides FREE hands‐on activities that will appeal  to both kids and adults. This year,  they’ve chosen 4 great projects, all green ideas that you can repeat at home. Paste Crafts will be supplying embellishments, while local Girl Scout Troops will be assisting and selling you cookies. Also, Discovery School  is join‐ing Strange Folk again this year, hosting a project in their tent.   The crafty gnomes of Strange Folk will also be giving away goodie bags to the first 100 shoppers to present a Strange Folk vendor  purchase at  the  info booth!  If  you have  the  competitive drive of Miss Violet Beauregarde, then you might have a chance! As for the rest of you, said bags (sans goodies but awesome nonetheless) are available for sale at the info booth during the festival.   For more details  including  a peak  at  the 2009  food  vendors  and entertainment  lineup,  stay  tuned  by  becoming  a  fan  of  Strange Folk on Facebook and check out the website for all the details!     

Saturday & Sunday September 26th & 27th, 2009 (10AM to 6PM Both Days) O’Fallon Community Park 401 E. 5th St. O’Fallon, IL 62269 Admission to Strange Folk Festival is FREE for the whole family!

Strange Folk ‘09

This month’s featured artist is none other than Shelah McClymont of Destroyed by Design. Read her answers to our quick five questions below and be sure to visit her shop to check out her work after the jump! 1. Tell us a little about yourself and your shop: I make jewelry and other creations under the name Destroyed by Design. I live in Old Town Florissant with my husband, our little girl Stella and two silly dogs who earn their keep by Hoovering the floors free of crumbs. I graduated from Fontbonne Univer�sity with a degree in fashion merchandising and after a few jobs merchandising in home furnishings, I started working on Destroyed by Design full time in November 2008. I have enjoyed every moment of this little adventure so far and look forward to all of the fun ahead. 2. What is your favorite item from your own shop? My favorite creation is most often the one I have just finished. I have a little case of crafter ADD and I tend to get bored with doing one thing over and over. So today my fa�vorite piece would have to be my Travel Trailer Makeup Case or a necklace design my husband and I just finished for our friends band Love, Kingsford. Tomorrow it will be something totally different which is what keeps things exciting. 3. Who or what gives you inspiration? I find inspiration in other creative, like�minded individuals as well as music and pop culture. I read lots of style and design blogs for inspiration. Some of my faves would have to be Decor8, Design Sponge, and Creature Comforts. 4. Explain your art� what exactly is it you do? When I first started Destroyed by Design, I was reconstructing vintage t�shirts and screen printing images on them by hand. This project took up far too much space in our teeny apartment at the time so I got the idea for "screen printed" jewelry. I began ex�perimenting with various materials and finally honed a super secret process involving acrylic and magic to create fun, one of a kind necklaces. Since then the crafting add has set in and I have added appliqued wall hangings and bags to the line. Next step for DbD is to use my little animal silhouettes for metal charms and jewelry. And after that, who knows? I am always up to something crafty so you will have to wait and see. You can find Destroyed by Design goodies at destroyedbydesign.etsy.com and several shops across the country including Cranky Yellow in St. Louis, Oak in Boston, Renegade Hand�made in Chicago, Kadillac Kitten in Kansas City, and Wholly Craft in Columbus. I also try to do as many craft shows as possible. Upcoming events include Renegade Craft Fair Chi�cago, Strange Folk, and the Indie Underground Designer Market.

DESTROYED BY DESIGN

Our pHotos From Big Ass Indie (this summer)

Don’t Forget: The Next Big Ass is December 4th-6th!

the STL CRAFT MAFIA

the famil

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All Along Press  http://allalongpress.com 

AlleyKat Pinstriping  http://www.alleykatpinstriping.com 

Beqi Clothing  http://beqiclothing.com 

Cate Anevski  http://cateanevski.com 

C. Bunny Binx  http://cbunnybinx.etsy.com 

Cranky Yellow  http://crankyyellow.com 

The Creative Brush & Double M Designs  http://ally21.etsy.com 

Destroyed by Design  http://destroyedbydesign.com 

DownZipper  http://www.downzipper.etsy.com 

Fatt Daddy Leather  http://fattdaddyleather.blogspot.com 

GalactiCat  http://www.galacticat5.com 

Hoag’s Bags  http://hoags75.etsy.com 

Houseshoe Mamas  http://houseshoemamas.com 

Hypercraftive  http://www.hypercraftive.etsy.com 

Iram‐Inal  http://iraminal.com 

Jane Linders  http://freewebs.com/janelinders 

Julie Birkemeier Photography  http://www.juliebirkemeierphoto.etsy.com 

Lauren B  http://madebylaurenb.etsy.com 

Lock & Key Press  http://lockandkeypress.etsy.com 

Miss Lemon  http://miss‐lemon.com 

Red Anvil Art  http://redanvilart.com 

Rodeo Revival  http://bruk66.blogspot.com 

Senora Muertos  http://senoraalegremuertos.etsy.com 

Smellgood  http://smellgood.etsy.com 

Scarlett Garnet  http://scarlettgarnet.com 

South City Slings  http://southcityslings.etsy.com 

Squaresville  http://squaresville.etsy.com 

SuperChick Studio  http://superchickstudio.com 

Suzanne Shenkman Designs  http://suzannedesigns.etsy.com 

The Fancy Lamb  http://thefancylamb.etsy.com 

TwIsTeD  http://www.twistedhandmade.com 

Evil Little Girls  http://evillittlegirls.deviantart.com 

Just L:iv  http://www.justliv.etsy.com 

South City Studio  http://www.southcitystudio.etsy.com 

Strung Out & Wired  http://www.strungoutandwired.com 

the STL CRAFT MAFIA www.stlouiscraftmafia.com