Craftcation 2022 Presenters
ALANA RIVERA
After years of pushing paper around in corporate America, feeling deeply unsatisfied and utterly uncreative, Alana found her calling through a gift. Her mom gave her a book on soapmaking in 2006 and from that point on, everything changed. She discovered her creativity and launched her entrepreneurial journey. Alana founded Etta + Billie, an artisanal bath + body company, in 2009. She combines highly effective natural ingredients to create products that are inspired by her love of farm-to-table food culture. Her goal is to elevate your daily routine with some delicious body care. Etta + Billie products have been featured in publications like Buzzfeed, 7×7, Sunset, InStyle, and Refinery 29. Etta + Billie is a certified Green Business in California, a member of Indie Business Network and the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetics Guild as well as an alumnus of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program. When not in her soap kitchen, she is often cooking, honing her cocktail-making skills at home, or chasing her toddler down the street.
Alyson Toone-Aguilar
Alyson Toone-Aguilar is an arts and crafts dabbler with a knack for explaining concepts to others. This makes her a wonderful teaching artist. She started teaching in 2014 during her own career in the New York City fashion industry. Her experiences in a STEAM career composed of women sparked her to change the pedagogy of craft in her teaching. In her current city of Los Angeles, she has taught for a variety of organizations including Self Help Graphics and Art, Side Street Projects, and Makers Mess.
Alyssa Hammond
Alyssa Hammond is a wealth coach for entrepreneurs, she helps women master their money so they can use their wealth to change the world. Alyssa has 10+ years of experience in the handling & energetics of money and enjoys teaching women how to identify and destroy money blocks so they can live their happiest, most abundant life. She loves to teach women the techniques she used to personally ditch over $400k in debt, buy & renovate 2 houses, pay off her car in under 6 months, and knock out her husband’s student loans. She is also a lover of design and helping people create a sacred space in their home to recharge and rejuvenate them simply by being in the space. She welcomes any questions you may have on either subject and loves to make new connections.
Amanda Kerzman
Amanda Kerzman is the Creative Director of Bramble Berry Handcraft Provisions. Bramble Berry brings together high-quality handcraft supplies, creative inspiration, and expert guidance, all in one place. Amanda’s passion for creating started with food and lifestyle blogging. With over 6 years at Bramble Berry, she is an experienced maker of soap, bath bombs, body scrubs, lotions, lip balms, and much more. She has designed, tested, styled, and photographed hundreds of bath and beauty projects for Bramble Berry. With a background in retail cosmetics and skincare, Amanda believes in the power of customization and simplicity when creating beauty products at home. When she is not testing and photographing DIY recipes, you can find Amanda walking her corgi, or taking photos of her food in Bellingham, WA.
Amanda TOWNER
My name is Amanda and I consider myself a maker, crafter, illustrator, and designer. I love that creativity can take on so many forms and I find joy in empowering others to flex their creative abilities, regardless of skill level. I am excited to be part of Craftcation and to share my true passion with you in helping to discover your creative spirit…or maybe a new way to express it!
From a little kid who doodled on her walls to a designer in the footwear, greeting cards, and financial services industries – I feel fortunate to have found myself as a designer for two brands who also believe in creative empowerment – Handprint and Walnut Hollow. I hope our Handprint workshops provide you the opportunity to create something you love, something you’re proud of, and inspire you to keep creating long after the classes have finished.
AMY TAN
Small business owner, proud mama, and hand lettering enthusiast, Amy is the founder of Amy Tangerine, a brand fully committed to providing creatives with the tools and space to see the bright, shiny side of life. In her day-to-day, Amy makes sweet online content as well as thoughtful products designed to promote a colorful, positive message. Amy is the author of Craft A Life You Love, and launched a podcast of the same name. In March 2022, she released a book for kids ages 8 and up called Making Memories. She also teaches workshops all over the world, films YouTube videos, and consults with awesome brands including American Crafts, Avery, Amazon and more, all with the intention of building a sense of fun, positive energy and putting valuable resources out in the world for everyone to use. She loves any excuse to celebrate and spread happiness. You can meet Amy at the intersection of creativity, passion, and purpose.
Ana Manzano Fairbairn
Hi, creative humans! I’m the Mentor Mama Bear and Creative Strategist at Hustle Takes Heart, where I guide artists, makers, and designers to become radical storytellers and scale up with sustainability. I help creatives reignite the WHY behind their work and sing that song from the rooftops with unbridled joy as they grow the brand & business to new heights!
I’m obsessed with plants, am on a lifelong hunt for the perfect street taco, and can recite Dirty Dancing from start to finish with choreographed songs and scene directions. My two Littles are my greatest inspirations and continually push me to be more creative/kind/patient/scrappy. Oh, and to always carry extra snacks.
Angie Chua
Angie Chua is the founder, heart, and soul of bobo design studio where she designs and creates wanderlust and travel-inspired stationery that encourages and enables people to explore the world around them. Angie opened a retail store in Palm Springs in August of 2021 with a focus on curating a boutique stationery experience featuring products from women-owned, women-of-color owned, and LGBTQIA+ owned brands, as well as rare stationery goods from Japan.
A self-taught artist, Angie is also an illustrator and muralist. When she isn’t at the shop or working with clients, she can be found lounging in her home with her husband and wiener dogs in their 1975 Airstream or packing her bags for an epic adventure.
Anne-Marie Faiola
Anne-Marie is passionate about creativity and believes it’s essential for everyone. That passion led her to found Bramble Berry Handcraft Provisions in 1999. Through Bramble Berry she’s able to inspire, cheerlead, coach, and lead their 60,000 customers – most of whom are small businesses that sell soap at farmers markets.
Her mission statement has been the same since she started: She uses her forward-thinking positivity to encourage women to lead lives of distinction that bring them joy. Let Anne-Marie show you that Handmade is Bestmade.
Arianne Foulks
Arianne Foulks is a popular educator and small business enthusiast who has collaborated with many creative publications, conferences, and events. She is raising boys, will walk any distance, always has a pile of books by her bed, and was once bitten by a baby elephant seal.
At Aeolidia, her web and graphic design agency, she works exclusively with creative businesses with a penchant for design, and has launched hundreds of online shops. She loves having a problem to solve, and has focused throughout her career on building online homes for fascinating people. Serving those at early stages on their path with an informative blog, newsletter, and a supportive community, Arianne also meets more established businesses at that tipping point where strategic design can cause exponential growth.
ASHLEY NORDIN
Based in Chicago, BLICK Artist and Education Developer Ashley Nordin combines her passion for the arts while inspiring others to be their most creative. Working alongside the team at BLICK, Ashley has developed numerous hands-on art workshops, demonstrations, art tutorials, and online education-based resources. Ashley earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture, with Distinction from The Ohio State University, and makes accessibility in the arts the focus of her career. Passionate about all mediums, Ashley focuses her work on watercolors, acrylics, gouache, oils, and mixed media.
Blaire Fujimoto
Blaire is a crafter and photo stylist aspiring to spread joy and encourage creativity through her art. Her vibrant imagination and knack for color and style shines through in all of her client work and fun projects on her blog, Freshly Fuji. She has created craft tutorials and videos for brands including Cricut, Tulip Color, and Sanrio. She also dabbles in set design and craft instruction. Blaire is a Hawaii native but currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two pups. When she’s not making all the things she’s probably snacking, trying new boba tea flavors or taking a nap.
Bridget Watson Payne
Bridget Watson Payne is a writer, artist, and art book editor at esteemed independent publisher Chronicle Books. She is the author of the books How Time Is On Your Side, How Art Can Make You Happy, The Secret Art of Being a Grown-Up, and several others. In her nearly twenty years in publishing she has collaborated with hundreds of authors and artists to make their book ideas a beautiful reality. She is a committee member of Bay Area Women in Publishing and a Senior Mentor for Representation Matters. She has taught at the ICON Illustration Conference, on CreativeLive, and elsewhere; she’s spoken at Alt Summit, HOW Design Live, and many more. Bridget has been featured on KTVU Mornings on 2, KATU TV Portland, Minnesota Public Radio, Prairie Public Radio, Raise Your Hand Say Yes, Cup of Jo, and Women Who Draw, among others. She wrote and illustrated the fill-in journal How Was Your Day? and her drawings have been featured on Shondaland, Little U magazine and elsewhere. She had her first art show at San Francisco’s Rare Device in 2018. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and daughter.
Charlie Gilkey
Philosophical yet practical, compassionate yet disciplined, creative yet analytical, happy but calm — Charlie Gilkey is a walking contradiction. This duality informs his unique, pragmatic perspective, which he’s equally comfortable sharing publicly online and privately with his clients. Through actionable guidance grounded in thought-provoking theory, Charlie helps you take meaningful action on the stuff that matters in both life and work.
People with too many ideas and too little time look to Charlie for help, and he delivers. His website, ProductiveFlourishing.com, is one of the top websites for planning and productivity for professional creatives, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. His award-winning book Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done was published by Sounds True in September 2019, and his Amazon.com best-selling book is titled The Small Business Lifecycle: Taking the Right Steps at the Right Time to Grow Your Small Business.
Courtney Cerruti
Courtney is an artist, author, and collaborator working out of Oakland, California. She’s authored 5 books with Quarto Press and Abrams, which have been translated into Italian, French, German, Spanish and Chinese. She teaches workshops all over the country and online at Creativebug.com where she is Editor-In-Chief.
Daisy McClellan
Daisy McClellan is a fiber artist residing in Charleston, SC with her husband and 3 young sons. Combining punch needle with sewing and natural dying she makes wearable objects like bright cardigans and bags as well as items for the home like plant holders and heirloom stuffed animals and baby teethers. She sells her work as well as DIY punch needle kits on her website, in local shops, and at juried art fairs. In addition to creating she offers her expertise as a maker teaching workshops ranging from punch needle to candle making to indigo dying in museums, galleries, camps and shops in the region. Most recently she completed an artist in residency program at the Gibbes Museum of Art and is currently is exhibiting her work in a special show there.
Prior to life in Charleston, Daisy founded gather, a brick and mortar retail shop in San Francisco where she featured over 200 artists and hosted both public and private creative workshops. Some of her largest events were in the form of team building workshops with companies like Etsy, Pinterest, Zen Desk and Nerd Wallet. In addition, Daisy designed a clothing collection for women and young children, founded a bi-annual shopping market for local boutiques, and worked with several artists on joint collaborations.
Debbie Stoller
Debbie Stoller is the author of the New York Times-bestselling Stitch ‘n Bitch series of knitting and crocheting books, of which there are now 5. She is also the co-founder, Editor-in-Chief and webmistress of BUST magazine and bust.com, and holds a PhD in the Psychology of Women from Yale University. Debbie is multi-craftual and enjoys sewing, embroidery, cross stitch, and bobbin lace in addition to knitting and crocheting. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner, their three dogs, and way too much yarn.
Denise Ambrosi
Denise Ambrosi is the owner and founder of These Hands Maker’s Collective and has had more than 30 years of crafty experience. When she’s not MAKING ALL OF THE THINGS, she is roller-skating with her 7 year-old daughter and eating her hubby’s yummy Italian cooking. She’s a firm believer that making things with your hands is a form of self-care and treats herself to it daily! She hosts hundreds of amazing artist’s workshops from shoe making to watercolor to wood spoon carving!
EMILY GUTMAN
Emily Gutman has been sewing for as long as she can remember- at an early age she’d play around on her mum’s and grandmother’s machines, making self-drafted purses for all the stuff she never carried around (she was 7, she didn’t have keys!). Upon discovery that her high school “Fashion Design” class was more like “Intro to Sewing” she got her teacher’s blessing to run her own prom-dress-making business out of the classroom while everyone else made pajama pants. She now holds a degree in Apparel Design and Merchandising and is fascinated with the technical aspects of pattern design, which led her to launch her own sew-at-home pattern company, Mighty Femme Patterns. Emily loves to teach others to sew, and is constantly trying to lure her friends into her basement/sewing studio to make fun projects (it’s not as creepy as it sounds). When she’s not sewing, Emily can usually be found in her kitchen whipping up incredible meals that she will serve you along with a napkin she made herself.
erica floyd
I’m Erica Floyd and I help run all marketing efforts at Creativebug.com! Creativebug is an online video subscription service which offers thousands of fine art and crafting classes for all ages and skill levels. You can learn how to paint, knit, crochet, sew, bake and more – all from the comfort of your own home. We’re a small team of passionate makers and creatives and we want everyone’s unique creative journey to be successful. No matter your schedule, budget, or skill level, we believe Creativebug is the perfect place to tap into your creativity.
faye weiss
Faye Weiss is a technical editor and maker of all things with needles and thread based in Flagstaff, AZ. She learned to knit at a young age and she enjoys sharing her love of fiber arts with others through teaching and mentoring. She has taught knit and crochet classes for years, including at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio in NYC and the Flagstaff Sheep & Wool festival. Feeling ready for something new, Faye taught herself to sew her own clothes; the hobby has taken her by storm and she can’t wait to help you gain the confidence and skills to create your own handmade wardrobe. When away from her home studio, she can be found cooking and exploring the Southwest with her husband and two (spoiled) rescue dogs. You can find more from Faye at Good to Goat Studio, her catchall business for editing, cross stitch patterns and beyond.
Gabriella Layne-Avery
Gabriella Layne-Avery is a content strategist & creative director. A content creator & storyteller at heart, Gabriella was often handed the responsibility of managing social media platforms for my clients as ‘busy work,’ but that time in my career became the Bootcamp training she needed to learn how to apply her writing skills to crafting content for brands that actually sell. She fell in love and learned the ins and outs of social media strategy down to a science — and she’s been using it to help WOC business owners grow their brands ever since!
Helen Hulskamp
Helen has working on the web since 1996, and her work has focused on conversion optimization and analytics. She’s a software engineer who ran a small-batch natural soap and skincare business, and dives headfirst into new crafts regularly, particularly in the fiber arts, though any medium or material is fair game. She loves DIYing everything (except food) and is a genius at creating Halloween costumes for her son.
Hilary L Hahn
Hilary L Hahn is an artist and textile designer working with natural indigo, plant palettes and watercolors. She has taught for over a decade and lectures on textiles, art and sustainable practices. Outside of her studio, she offers an array of workshops and courses. She creates modern textile designs inspired by natural dye processes influenced by a credential in interior architectural design. Her work has been shown in galleries across the U.S.
As the founder of The Creator’s Path, she is passionate about helping other a f creative entrepreneurs have the life and business of their dreams. Her signature workshops are designed to ignite creativity through the simple, bold act of creating.
holly marsh
Holly is a maker, illustrator, and ecommerce nerd. She is also a regular nerd, too- she’ll chat with anyone about Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, D&D, and Hello Kitty, of which she is an enthusiastic collector. She also dabbles in tarot and astrology, but what excites her the most is helping other creative entrepreneurs. She’s even earned the moniker “helpfun” from a client. Granted, it was initially a typo. But the client kept it in their review because their experience with Holly was truly helpful and fun.
Holly is a breast cancer survivor AND went through treatment for it in 2019 and all of 2020. You know, during a pandemic. Also while coordinating remote schooling for her two boys. And while pivoting her handmade business and providing services instead- after all, didn’t we ALL pivot in some way?? You may see her at Craftcation either completely comatose or totally chill and open-minded. Perhaps both.
HONEY GRACE LOPEZ
Honey Grace Lopez is a Yoga Teacher, Holistic Chef and the Founder of Nourish. Honor. Play.®, a Whole Being Self-Care approach to coming into authentic alignment with your truest self.
Honey’s passion is helping you to move the idea of self-care out of a timeslot in your calendar and instead bring it into every moment, every breath, so that every action you take is an act of self-care, and your life authentically reflects and feeds who you are and why you are here. Her workshops and retreats are dedicated to supporting you in becoming more resilient in the face of stress, discovering and walking your own heart-led path, and falling deeply in love with your whole self, so that you can take on even the hardest of challenges without losing yourself and move confidently in the direction of your wildest dreams.
Everyone has their own personal self-care recipe. Let’s discover yours!
JANET LEBLANC
Janet LeBlanc is a Certified Public Accountant, serial-entrepreneur, maker and mama located in Greenville, South Carolina. She started selling handmade jewelry in 2011 as a creative outlet from a soul-sucking corporate accounting job. Through her time as a maker, she noticed lots of other handmade sellers had questions about the financial side of running their businesses. So in 2014, she founded Paper + Spark, where she offers educational content, tools, and spreadsheet templates for makers. Her goal is to help creative entrepreneurs become more confident and less confused about the financial side of running their business. Janet is passionate about empowering makers and helping creatives bring their entrepreneurial dreams to life with clarity.
Jeanetta Gonzales
Jeanetta Gonzales is a Los Angeles-based designer, illustrator and artist mentor. After many years of working as a graphic designer and art director, she transitioned into surface pattern and illustration full time. Her work captures moods and moments using bold colors, patterns and textures and make statements of inspiration, positivity and beauty. Her surface pattern work can be found on products such as stationery, calendars, puzzles, textiles, apparel, greeting cards sold in major retailers. She has also created art for companies such as the New York Times, Facebook, Mixbook, Michaels, Crayola, Uppercase Magazine and The California Lottery. In addition to her client work, she also finds joy in creating art for her own products, speaking at conferences and events and mentoring artists one-on-one, facilitating their artistic growth and career.
JENNIFER PERKINS
Jennifer Perkins is a creative content designer from Austin. She adores crafts, kitsch, color and has a tendency to go overkill when decorating for holidays. You can find Jen’s work places like HGTV, Micheals or DIY Network.
JESSIE KATZ GREENBERG
Jessie Katz Greenberg is a crafter, content creator, and craft educator currently located in NYC with her husband, 2 cats, and 2 hermit crabs. With 10+ years as a graphic designer and packaging director, she loves incorporating her design & typography knowledge into the crafts she’s been obsessed with since childhood, especially upcycling and embroidery.
With a passion for crafts and creating video content, Jessie worked as the Director of DIY Content for a social media startup called Jumprope, which was acquired by LinkedIn. She is also a co-host of the inspiration destination podcast, Craft Hangout. Jessie has created art and content for brands including TOMS Shoes, lululemon, Lion Brand Yarn, and Woodpeckers Crafts. You can check out her engaging craft videos @jessiekatzgreenberg on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest.
JOAN GOODSPEED
Joan Goodspeed is the host of Break + Remake, a sewing channel on YouTube. If you need help sewing plus size clothing or need beginner tips, this is the show for you. When not working on youtube Joan is a costume professor and professional dyer.
"katie mac" macavoy
Katie Mac is a maker, marketer and Mama living in Atlanta with her husband, two kids and maniacal dog. She started her professional career working for large corporations like IBM and Rolling Stone Magazine before finding her niche working for and with small businesses. She believes in shopping small, eating local and always roots for the underdog. Her love languages include tacos, sarcasm, travel, and flavored potato chips. She’s a self-proclaimed foodie-in-training, developed a love of cooking from her (healthy and not at all weird) obsession with Gordon Ramsay and loves to try new and adventurous foods.
When she’s not wearing the many hats in her role as Director of Marking, Community and Online Operations at Dear Handmade Life, you can find her crafting all the things with her mini-me daughter, watching soccer and The Office reruns with her teenage son, binging ALL the true crime with her husband, cheering on her beloved (and newly crowned National Champion) Georgia Bulldogs and (2021 World Series Champs) Atlanta Braves and squeezing in as much time with her girl gang as possible.
kelly affleck
Kelly Affleck is the creative mind behind Tomato Tomato Creative. Joining her graphic design skills and her passion for creative problem solving she has created a whimsical line of craft kits for adults and kids alike.
kerry burki
Kerry Burki is the author of the Tend To Your Vibration: Learn how to use nature, breath, thoughts, imagination, and energy to get unstuck and into the flow of life. The intention of her work is to help you live a more intuitive, creative, and impactful life. She also teaches business classes at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. Kerry lives in Arizona with her husband, two kids, and numerous pets. She loves people, art, mystery books, and decorating her home. Learn more at www.kerryburki.com.
kimberly payne
Kimberly Payne is a Vancouver Island based pattern designer, teacher, and maker at Straight Stitch Designs. Having learned to sew in high school it wasn’t until she was a mom of two young kids that she decided to teach herself how to draft sewing patterns. Both in teaching and through her patterns, Kimberly tries to show that anyone can make their own garments, you just have to start. When she isn’t sewing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids on the beautiful island they call home.
kirsten rowe
Kirsten Rowe is the founder and owner of Craftiful Studio, a Portland based craft studio offering craft kits, workshops, and events. Before opening the studio in 2018, Kirsten spent 20+ years in the Corporate Tech world while trying to figure out how to turn her passion for crafting into a career. Kirsten loves doing lots of different types of crafts but considers her real talent to be making accessible community and group crafting experiences.
LAURA PLOUZEK
Laura is the color-loving entrepreneur behind xoelle, where she’s been making rad & ridiculous bow ties for 14 years. She left her dream job (high school art teacher!) to travel from port to port when she fell in love with a bow-tie-wearing sailor. Her total love affair with making has been at the heart of everything else she does and so she happily paints, bakes, sews, prints, stitches, tufts, designs, builds, and folds lots of laundry (she made three kids with that sailor). If you give her a day off from bow ties, you’ll find her thrifting or taking long walks through old neighborhoods.
LAUREN VENELL
Lauren Venell is the founder of Maydel.com, a revolutionary new needlework shop that uses technology and cooperative partnerships to democratize access to supplies, education, and income for every crafter on earth. A 20-year veteran crafter, teacher, and designer, Lauren’s work has been published in titles by Chronicle Books, Klutz/Scholastic, and Quarry Books, and featured in media outlets including The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Everyday with Rachel Ray, Vogue Japan and on Canal+ Television in Paris. She has also taught and written for design*sponge, Uppercase Magazine, CreativeLive, and Craftzine.
After recovering from a too-long stint in Silicon Valley Lauren is thrilled to be back within her chosen community and to be building something meaningful within the great city of Chicago.
LISA BARDOT
Lisa Bardot is an artist/creative maven/self-proclaimed-jack-of-all-trades-master-of-fun. Her mission in all her creative endeavors is to bring cheer, color, and playfulness into the lives of her customers and clients. She works full-time on her business, Bardot Brush, where she develops digital brushes and art-making tools to help both new and experienced artists find the joy in creating. Her educational videos about drawing and illustration have been viewed millions of times, and she receives high praise for her thorough, concise, and fun teaching style. In her work, she explores and promotes self-development and vulnerability through art. And when she’s not making things, Lisa likes to indulge long romantic walks through IKEA, making up songs for her three kids, and dipping french fries in ice cream.
MALLORY WHITFIELD
Mallory Whitfield is an accomplished artist, performer, and keynote speaker, with more than 16 years of experience as an entrepreneur and digital marketer. Mallory has decades of experience speaking and performing on stages of all shapes and sizes, across the United States. She even performed as Freddie Mercury as part of a documentary for French public television about Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Mallory got her start as an entrepreneur selling her handmade clothing and accessories at craft shows. She later wrote a book about what she learned during 10+ years of selling at craft shows. As an Adjunct Professor for Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement, she taught and developed classes on digital marketing. In 2016, she was named one of Gambit’s 40 Under 40, which salutes the brightest innovators, artists, and professionals in New Orleans.
MARISA LYNCH
Marisa Lynch is a Los Angeles based blogger and author of the book “New Dress A Day” published by Random House. When she’s not sifting through vintage bling at the flea market, you can find her scrolling through Instagram while waiting on line at Starbucks (say hi @newdressaday), behind a sewing machine with Dua Lipa playing on Spotify, or hanging out with her newborn son, doing late night feeds with episodes of Succession keeping them company.
She’s been featured in the NY Times, Glamour, and on Anderson Cooper, but her most beloved moment was when Rihanna called her vintage Harley Davidson t-shirt badass.
marlo miyashiro
Marlo Miyashiro (@imakecutestuff) is a jeweler, crafter, teacher, product photographer, and crafts business mentor at Creative Arts Consulting where she helps emerging artists find their next best step toward growing their creative businesses. She was the organizer for the Seattle area Etsy sellers team for 10 years, taught classes on CreativeLive, and is currently co-owner and managing director of The Handmade Showroom and Bezel & Kiln – two retail gift galleries established in 2015 and 2019 whose overall mission is to #elevatehandmade by showcasing highly curated collections of more than 200 artists from all over the US and abroad.
melissa galbraith
Melissa Galbraith is the fiber artist behind MCreativeJ. She was born and raised in the desert of Washington state, where her mother instilled a love of making things by hand at an early age. Drawing on her love of nature, Melissa creates whimsical and modern embroidery patterns and kits. She loves sharing how anyone can embroider using her embroidery kits, patterns, and virtual workshops.
Melissa was reintroduced to hand embroidery after finding her desk job monotonous and needing a creative outlet. She loves that embroidery allows her to play with texture and color and is also a portable craft. Along the way, many crafty minded makers also wanted to learn how to embroider too but were daunted by where to start. So Melissa began to share her embroidery knowledge. Melissa’s embroidery kits and patterns make it easy to learn a new craft for makers of all skill levels. She loves helping makers fall in love with the needle arts and seeing that magical ah-ha moment of learning something new.
melissa quaal
Melissa Quaal is a business owner, sewing instructor, and creator of The Espadrilles Kits. Her work has been featured in Frankie, BUST, Mollie Makes magazines and various places online. In addition to making her own shoes, she also makes her own clothes. For the last six years she has refused to buy new clothes and has, instead, sewn or thrifted her wardrobe in an effort to counter the waste and conformity of fast fashion. It’s the radically simple idea of a mindful wardrobe. She sells her complete DIY kits for making espadrilles on Etsy and teaches sewing around the country. Visit her website at A HAPPY STITCH.
Monica Tetteh
Monica of That’s Sew Monica, was born and raised in New York City with roots from Ghana, West Africa, took up sewing to connect to her late mother who also sewed. Monica has a passion for sewing and the community. She is one of the owners of Sewrority Wear, LLC a sewing novelty and apparel company. She hosts a monthly online sew-a-long called SEWYOURVIEW and an in person sewing meetup called Project Sew. Her YouTube channel “On the Road with That’s Sew Monica” highlights the Dallas area fashion and fabric district. Monica’s leadership led her to form Black Makers Matter, a coalition of black makers united to bring about and implement cultural transformation in the sewing and crafting industry.
Monique Malcolm
Monique Malcolm is a multi-passionate creative, podcaster, and coach who is obsessed with bringing ideas to life. She’s the founder of Keep Chasing the Stars – a stationery and small gifts brand, as well as, the business podcast Pimp Your Brilliance. She loves teaching and creating resources for people with banging ideas who struggle to make them happen. When she’s not wearing the many hats that being a creative entrepreneur demands, you can find her soaking up the Florida sun on a sandy beach with her husband and rude teenage son.
Natalie Keller-Pariano
Natalie Keller Pariano is a lettering artist, writer, educator, and sprinkler of positivity confetti. She has been described as the Kimmy Schmidt of paper – colorful, quirky, socially conscious and FUN! Natalie launched her brand, NatterDoodle, in 2015 when after months of sharing her creations on Instagram and playing the role of everyone’s online bestie, she began mailing doodles across the country to anyone who asked (for free!) and quickly realized her hobby was turning into a jobby! NatterDoodle features Natalie’s fresh take on wordplay, equal parts sappy and snarky. In addition to her hand lettered goodies, Natalie’s colorful persona hosts a sold out series of creative lettering workshops or “Pen Parties” across the country! With a popular Instagram (@natterdoodles) known for it’s rainbow theme, knack for storytelling and a keen eye for color, Natalie has carved out a place as the Queen of Confetti and an artist to watch – you can even see some of her designs popping up with brands like Apple, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Ross, & Tuesday Morning! After 10 years in higher education as the Dean of Co-Curricular Design at Denison University teaching leadership to college students, Natalie left her career to pursue her art full time and open NatterDoodle Shop + Studio in Columbus, Ohio with the help of her sidekick (rescue pup Confetticine Alfredo).
Natasha Monahan Papousek
Natasha Papousek, the founder of Crescent Moon Designs Henna Art and Poppyfish Studio, is a henna artist, papermaker, and collage artist with more than 20 years of experience. Her henna was featured on the cover of The Reader, and she has provided henna services for events and private clients. She has taught classes for Bravo School of Art, the San Diego County Library System, and the Spanish Village Arts Education Foundation. Her collage paintings have won several awards and can be seen in the Southwestern Artists’ Association, Studio 23, Spanish Village, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA. Natasha lives in lovely Lemon Grove, CA with her husband and cat.
Nicole Stevenson
Nicole Stevenson is a multi-passionate creative, middle-aged first-time mama, impostor syndrome warrior, Korean BBQ connoisseur and the CEO and creative director at Dear Handmade Life.
Nicole’s desire to help other creatives pursue their dream business and discover the joy of making led her away from her own handmade business and into teaching, consulting, running her own workshop studio and eventually co-founding Dear Handmade Life in 2007. Now, she connects, educates and shortens the learning curve for other creatives by sharing what she’s learned through the Dear Handmade Life events like Craftcation Conference, Patchwork Show and Camp Dear Handmade Life, blog and podcast. She has a BA and an MA in English and a dual “PhD” in crafting to keep your sanity and badass business skills from the School of Life.
Nicole Swartz
Nicole Swartz is an attorney and the founder of Sprout Law, a law firm for women business owners. She’s also a business owner as well. In 2015, she started a skincare line that was featured in hundreds of stores around the world and even the Golden Globes giftbags. After two years, she had to rebrand the entire business because she didn’t have a trademark.
Now, she helps other women trademark their brands to avoid the same situation. Nicole is featured as an expert in Forbes, the Washington Post, Girlboss, and speaks at events like Alt Summit, Create + Cultivate, and South by Southwest.
RachAel DURAN
Rachael Duran is the owner/maker at thunder textile. A self-taught dyer and a lover of soft and comfortable natural fiber clothing, it only made sense that she would put those two things together. She’s dabbled in it all over the years – knitting, macrame, photography, candle making, marbling, screen printing and more. Whenever she’s not starting a new project or tackling a new craft she’s spending time with her wonderful husband and amazing daughter.
Rachel Strauss
Rachel Strauss (she/her) is the hands, heart, and mind behind Wood Burn Corner (@woodburncorner). Rachel found the relaxing, versatile and beautiful art of wood burning in 2011 and was instantly hooked. She is an author, artist, educator, and community leader. Rachel’s first book, The Wood Burn Book was published in 2020, and she released her second book, The Wood Burn Community Book of Templates in 2021. Wood Burn Corner reflects her love of creating, collaborating, supporting the wood burning community, teaching, and giving back. Rachel chooses to use wood from sustainable sources and donates 30% of all profits to organizations that plant trees around the globe. She lives in Fremont, California.
Rawley Clark
Rawley Clark graduated from Stanford University (2020) with a degree in Art Practice with Honors and a minor in African and African American Studies. Through drawing, painting, and sculpture with bold uses of color and composition, Rawley’s work draws on their personal and cultural identities as a queer African American person living in Northern California and frequently touches on subjects of femininity, touch, and consumption. Her practice is centered around the connections between nature and the body, interdisciplinary creation, and community. They are inspired by bright colors, magic, Black culture, and the vastness of the universe.
Rebecca Saylor
Rebecca Saylor is a community builder and creative entrepreneur. She enjoys making things happen. Since 2013, she’s proudly worn the hat of “team captain” for the vibrant SFEtsy Team, one of the largest communities of creative entrepreneurs in the Bay Area. Using her superpower of networking to help Etsy sellers come together through a variety of local business development programs.
As owner and head of design at OodleBaDoodle, she spends her days as a solo-entrepreneur to create a line of whimsical home decor pillows by hand.
Risa Iwasaki Culbertson
Risa Iwasaki Culbertson is a multimedia artist, illustrator, and owner of Papa Llama; a playful stationery company based out of San Francisco. Specializing in wacky, whimsical, and colorful work meant to brighten up the gloomiest of days. Risa is constantly experimenting with a wide variety of mediums including paper art, felting, sculpting, illustration, stop-motion animation and more. Her artwork is all about being playful as a way to recharge the creative spirit and find ways to stay connected to those we love.
Sadye Harvey
Sadye Harvey is an artist, designer and teacher based in Los Angeles. She is a multi-faceted maker, following her curiosity to explore a range of mediums including leather work, marbling, basket weaving, knitting, sewing, dyeing and pattern making. From her tiny home studio, she pursues the creation of beautiful accessories and homes goods under her brand Temerity, working by hand, using sustainable materials and focusing on longevity. The peaceful, meditative and empowering act of creating is at the core of Sadye’s teaching ethos, which holds at it center that not only is everyone capable of making lovely things, but that it is a necessary part of being fully human.
Temerity means reckless boldness, action taken with little regard to the consequences. It is being moved to act beyond reason, breaking through the confines of the status quo in order to make a mark, a statement, a declaration. For Sadye, this means making beautiful things slowly and thoughtfully, by hand. It is the act of making – the satisfaction of knowing how to make, the continuing to make in the face of difficulty and tedium, the quiet but persistent resistance to unchecked speed and mindless consumption – that is her small rebellious act.
SHELLEY EASTER
Shelley Easter owns an e-commerce design studio called Launch Party, where she designs brands and websites for product-based businesses. She’s also the creator of Shop School, an online program designed for Etsy sellers that teaches how to go from zero to launch creating a successful Shopify store.
Sophy Lakshmanan
Hi! I am Sophy, the face behind Miss Paper Craft. Miss Paper Craft is all about my love for Paper Quilling. What started as a journey for making handmade gifts for friends and family, has now turned into my small business. I handmake lightweight jewelry for everyday use and create craft kits & workshops for my customers to experience Paper Quilling with their own hands.
Teresa Remple
Teresa Remple has studied and practiced textile arts for almost 4 decades. She has dabbled in many techniques ranging from quilting to knitting to mono printing. Her brand, Texture Clothing, focuses on creating basics for curves using sustainable materials such as hemp and organic cotton.
Tisa Jackson
Tisa Jackson is the colorful mind behind This Is Tisa. Tisa is a stationery designer, DIY craft content creator and workshop instructor. She’s inspired by color, has a passion for bright, colorful, happy designs and DIY projects. Tisa has collaborated with brands such as HP, Michaels, Cricut, Beacon, and Grove. Visit her blog and you will come away learning quick and easy crafts, even if you don’t consider yourself a crafter. Visit with her daily on Instagram for inspiration and a look at behind the scenes of her not so perfect craft room.
TWINKIE CHAN
I’m Twinkie Chan, and I’m a crochet designer as well as an instructor, artist coach, and content editor at Creativebug.com! Creativebug is an online video subscription service which offers thousands of fine art and crafting classes for all ages and skill levels. You can learn how to paint, knit, crochet, sew, bake and more – all from the comfort of your own home. We’re a small team of passionate makers and creatives and we want everyone’s unique creative journey to be successful. No matter your schedule, budget, or skill level, we believe Creativebug is the perfect place to tap into your creativity.
