Share this page on

Getting Crafty

BY BRET MCCABE
PHOTOGRAPH BY CLAIRE BENOIST

Baltimore is so dedicated to the DIY movement that local crafters banded together in 2006 to create the Charm City Craft Mafia in order to promote their handmade goods. While some are sold in shops, most are only available online or at fairs. Lucky for you, there are two this month: HampdenFest (Sept. 12) and Butchers Hill Fall Flea Market and Craft Fair (Sept. 19).

1 Labudde Laptop Case • Jenny Labudde recycles coffee bags to create laptop sleeves, finishing them with Tanzanian pink batik piping. • $35, www.labudde.etsy.com

2 Phampersand Press Pocket Book • Phuong Pham uses found and recycled materials and organic pigments to create books and paper products. Here, recycled discarded map printouts create folder-style pockets, and the blank pages are superfine stock with a subtle tooth. • $25, www.phampersand.etsy.com

3 Red Prairie Press Spring Garden Tee • Rachel Bone manually prints her hand-drawn designs, which recall enigmatic children's book illustrations, onto items like this men's T-shirt. • $22, www.redprairiepress.com

4 Tigerlilly Rainbow Silk Button Bracelet, Silk Kimono Ring • Maryland Institute College of Art graduate Allison Fomich's handmade jewelry uses a variety of textures and colors from vintage kimono silks, men's ties and silk dupioni. • $25 bracelet, $9.50 ring, www.tigerlillyshop.etsy.com

5 Dude Yarn skeins • Knitting isn't just for the ladies anymore, thanks to Kel Millionie, who offers hand-dyed, 100% natural wool skeins in guy-friendly colors, such as the bright-orange Five Alarm Chili. • $8/skein (120 yards each), www.dudeyarn.etsy.com

6 Biggs and Featherbelle Handmade Soap • Each refreshing bar made by sisters Kelly and Kasey Evick is a luxuriant combination of natural oils and ingredients that cleanses and tones the skin. • $4.69/each, www.biggsandfeather.com

7 Squidfire Onesie • Co-owner Kevin Sherry's ebullient hand-drawn designs, such as the smiling, tentacled, three-eyed alien, look adorable on this all-cotton navy onesie. • $15, www.squidfire.com

• On the Town Milwaukee

  
  read more ›
  
  

• Travel Report: Virginia’s Historic Peninsula

  WILLIAMSBURG | NEWPORT NEWS | HAMPTON
  read more ›
  
  

• Travel Report: Mississippi

  Blues legend Eddie Shaw hits all the right notes at the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale.
  read more ›
  
  

• On the Town - Boston

  
  read more ›
  
  

• Sunrise, Sunset

  IN ARUBA, THERE’S NOTHING MORE ROMANTIC THAN ENJOYING THE SUNRISE, THE SUNSET—AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
  read more ›
  
  

• Biz Bits September 2010

  
  read more ›
  
  

• Starting from Scratch

  A DANCE MUSIC FAN ENJOYS NEW YORK CITY NIGHTLIFE FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE: BEHIND THE TURNTABLES.
  read more ›
  
  

• King of Pop

  INVENTIVE POPCORN FLAVORS ARE THE NEWEST KERNEL OF THE CITY’S FOOD SCENE. TRY THEM AT THESE CREATIVE SPOTS.
  read more ›
  
  

• 43 Amazing Adventures

  LOOKING FOR SOME ACTION? HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR THE BEST WAYS TO GET YOUR ADRENALINE PUMPING.
  read more ›
  
  

• Funny Girl

  WITH A STRING OF HIGH-PROFILE COMEDIC ROLES, THE ONCE BROADWAY-BOUND KRISTEN BELL HAS EMERGED AS ONE OF HOLLYWOOD’S WITTIEST LEADING LADIES.
  read more ›