April Stanley Njari
AprilMist

April Stanley Njari is the creative force behind AprilMist, and a self confessed paper bead making addict. Magazine, pamphlets, gift wrap, and scrap booking paper have all inspired her to capture and seal beautiful images and design lasting wearable art. She has always appreciated the artistic images of colorful print and can't stand seeing beauitful paper go in the trash. She enjoys the intricate process of individually creating each paper bead and using them to design funky jewelry. Recent trends in her work have been to create cone, tube, and disk shaped beads. She has also dabbled in a variety of arts and crafts from tie dye and knitting to pottery and floral design. She works in the sustainable development and environmental conservation field and has a deep interest in social entrepreneurship.
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Emily Landsman
EHL Creations

Emily Landsman usually has some sort of camera within a 12 foot reach.  Currently crazy about Polaroid and the reintroduction of analogue film to the market, Emily has been a photography enthusiast for nearly two decades.  She has mastered the art of the Polaroid transfer and the emulsion lift and enjoys working on new pieces for EHL Creations.  When not hiding behind the lens or in a graduate class, Emily travels around the country highlighting the hard work that our county governments do for us citizen folk.  She has been in the DC area for more than 12 years and currently lives in Arlington with her rascally rabbit, Miss Dolley Hopsalot.

Erica Burns
Erica Burns Designs

Erica Burns is the creative force behind Erica Burns Designs. She has been designing one-of-a-kind hammered metal and vintage-style jewelry since 2006. Erica has recently branched out to accessories, clothing and housewares. Often inspired by nature, her work evokes the beautiful scenery of the area. She lives in the DC suburbs with her husband, two sons and the always adorable Shih Tzus Bella and Lola.
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Renee de Sibour
My UglyKitty

Renee de Sibour, a 9-5er with an over-active creative twitch, and her "adorkable" kitty Quasi, who has a similar more-sneeze-less-creative twitch make up the creative team behind My UglyKitty. Together they wreak havoc on kitchen tables trying to perfect Gocco'd stationary, going on "sewing adventures," and trying to turn junk mail into functional works of art. Since 2005, they have built a reputation for creating exquisite custom screen printed invitations, unique housewase, and Quasi's claim to fame, the UglyKitty Fund, which has helped raise over $2,000 for the local animal shelter.
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Vanessa Alsondo
Ninnycat Crochet

Crafty Wiccan Pastry Chef. Vanessa studied art at the High School of Art & Design and The Art Students League, both in New York City. Currently, she resides in Washington, DC, working on her crocheted accessories business, Ninnycat Crochet, and starting on Ninny Honeybee, an online organic bakery. Vanessa has been practicing the Wiccan Craft since she was eight, the Crafting Craft since she was four and the Pastry Craft for six years.
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Shayne Rioux
Novelty Kitten

Shayne Rioux and her cat Patsy are the evil mistressminds behind Novelty Kitten. They live in the DC suburbs with the rest of the family (husband, kid, a pug, two other cats and a hamster). Shayne enjoys dabbling in a variety of craft mediums, but favorites include embroidery, sewing, fuse bead portraiture and designing silly pins and cards. She can also be found at geekcrafts.com and transcraftinental.com.
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Jessica Blaszczak
This Little Piggy

Jessica Blaszczak is the busy gal behind This Little Piggy. While not managing Ballston Arts & Crafts Market, she loves to hand-decoupage all of her ceramic piggy banks with premium papers from her little bungalow in Arlington, Virginia. Her main goal is to bring smiles to children's faces while inspiring each and everyone to save a little money in an enjoyable way. You never know when you'll need some change.
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