OK, so our Craftermath ornaments aren't for everyone...

If you have a great sense of humor and get a kick out of crafts made with tongues firmly planted in cheeks, don't forget to do a little last minute shopping at our craft table on Christmas Eve at Joe's Pub for "A Night of Dirty Songs", 9:30 PM. You can get your tickets, which are $15 each, HERE or at the door, the night of the show.

Stop in and say hello before our holiday craft season comes to a close.

It's That Time Again

The Craftermath crew is back in the swing of things for the holiday season. We have shows coming up all over the month of December featuring our wacky and lovable crafts made out of reused, recycled, upcycled and found materials. We love to craft and it shows. And we love to craft at shows! So if you have a rock, variety, burlesque, holiday or miscellaneous event coming up and would like to have us show up with our original skull or tampon holiday ornaments, jewelry, unique cut paper cards and ornaments, and more, please contact us or leave a comment below so we can get in touch. Or find us at one of the events below:

Every Monday in December

Holiday Pop Up Shop @

Bowery Poetry Club

308 Bowery

NY, NY

Every Monday @ 10 PM

Free admission to Craftermath,

$3 to see Talent Show Variety Show

Friday, Dec. 9

Triple Shot of Rock Punk + Crafts

Otto's Shrunken Head

14th @ Ave B

NY. NY

10 PM

Free

Sunday, Dec. 11

De Flea Art & Craft Market

benefitting animal rescue

Bar 82

136 2nd Ave,

NY, NY

3 - 8 PM

Free Entry

Monday, Dec. 12

Open Love NY Holiday Party

DJ, live performances, food, crafts

@ Affaire

50 Ave B btw. 3/4

NY, NY

7:30 - 9:30

Free

Thursday, Dec. 15

The Local 269 Bar

Garage Rock bands / party / crafts

269 E. Houston @ Suffolk

7 PM til ?

Free

Craftermath's presence at your event is a lot of fun. We dress up, sell stuff and people love us. It's pretty much as simple as that. We don't charge you to show up, (obviously!) and you don't charge us. We help cross-promote your event and add to the ambiance. Yep, sharing resources is what we do best.

And isn't that what the holidays are all about, kinda? Sorta? Well, ok, fine, the holidays are about drinking spiced egg nog, too.

** Check back soon for more holiday dates **

EARTH DAY SWAP, UPCYCLE ART SHOW

Today was the annual NYU Swap-A-Palooza, and as I do every year, I showed up with a suitcase full of clothes, emptied it and left with a suitcase full of clothes. It's my yearly shopping extravaganza, except no money is exchanged -- usually. However, this year, I did, in fact, buy a pair of leather Marc Jacobs gloves from another swapper who'd found them. But it was a small price to pay for the suitcase full of clothing I took out of there.

Swapping is a great way to benefit the planet, and you don't have to stop at clothes. You can swap baby furniture (or adult furniture), books, CDs, bric-a-brac, dishes, art, food & recipes, and so much more. It's a simple concept, really, and it costs almost no money to produce a swap. If you don't have the space in your or a friend's home, often times a bar or local venue will offer the space in exchange for people buying drinks or paying a small cover.

For more interest about the Swap-A-Palooza or an update next year, join my mailing list or visit www.nonsensenyc.com, who usually lists the event.

I'd also like to share an art opening called, "Art from Detritus: Upcycling with Imagination" which takes place at the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, or WAH, April 23rd - May 29 at 135 Broadway, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For more info, call (718) 486-7372 or email wahcenter@earthlink.net.

From the press release:

"Since 1994, the changing group of artists in this exhibit has opened dialogues with viewers about the importance and usefulness of art as something beyond decoration. The current exhibit at the Williamsburgh Art and Historical Center is the 19th realization of the concept. This exhibition gives talented artists who are outside the mainstream and whose artwork does not fit the prevailing fashion, a much-needed opportunity to exhibit. By curatorial choice many of these artists are ”emerging” artists, and still unknown, who continue to make art in which they believe, despite fame & fortune, thus far, eluding them. These artists often cannot afford studio assistants or expensive materials and equipment for art making. All see beauty in the discarded that fills and eventually serves to destroy our environment and realize this is a satisfying and rewarding way to creatively deal with the problem of too much trash."

In short, it's a show of artists who make stuff from garbage -- they sound like people after our own heart.

Found this nifty website today

http://dollarstorecrafts.com/

Though we at Craftermath do try to use materials that we already have kicking around the house / recycle / upcycle and what not, this website had me at hello with it's adorable, practical, cheap crafts. In my humble opinion, dollar stores mostly suck but they have their merits. For example, I wouldn't go anywhere else to get my CD mailers, though I do wonder about licking the glue that is on them sometimes. That's also my place for packing tape and glittering star stickers.

Give a peek see at this cute site and come up with your own creative cheap craft ideas. Valentine's Day is just a heart break away, but you never need an excuse to make crafts.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Above, Daniella and Jessica sell hand made goodies at the Craft-Tiki-Tacular at Otto's in NYC.

It's been a great season for Craftermath with more of last year's goodies - shrines made from carefully chosen clean trash and ornaments made from tampons, boob ornaments (that's ornaments for the trees in the shape of boobs, not ornaments FOR your boobs, although we were selling pasties too, so that's sort of a boob ornament, isn't it?) and a few new additions --

This year we added head bands made from yarn saved from being thrown into the garbage and hand made holiday cards made from envelopes purchased at thrift stores, and the shrines are even better, the way all art improves as an artist perfects their system and skills. Also added was the new CD "Perfect Holidays" with funny, nutty Christmas songs, and lucky you! Though the Craftermath season is coming to a close, you can pick up the CD any time at iTunes. We sold at Bowery Poetry Club's pop up store for most of the season with a few pop ins at other venues such as Otto's Shrunken Head and Trash Bar. A definite highlight was selling at Angels and Kings for the awesome feminist Paradigm Shift show and party.

Our mission is to incorporate items that are used, borrowed, trashed or about to become trash and recycle or "upcycle" materials (as we hear is the new nomenclature that all the kids are using these days) into useable, lovable, adorable crafts. Currently, we like to sell at shows and venues where performances are already going on. If possible, we like to be involved in the performing aspect of the show as well, with our comedy music and / or burlesque / blood wrestling.

In addition, we had some terrific additional crafters on board this year such as MirandaHope.com and Wendy Chan, as well as a few others.

If you'd like us to sell at your upcoming show, please inquire or leave a comment below. We make a great addition to the atmosphere with nifty items priced right that can be thematically complementary to your show, we promote your event, and not to mention, we've got buttloads of charm and wit. There is no fee to have us sell at the show, but we keep the money from items we sell.

Please check back here for updates about where to find us next, and have yourself a Merry little Christmas NOW.

HOLIDAYS Pop Up Shop @ 308 Bowery, NYC

grand opening: MONDAY Dec. 12 @ 6 PM - midnight

Monday night 12/13 the BPC Holidays Pop Up Shop fun begins!

Come on by at 6:00 PM to partake in the festivities and check out the terrific merchandise available. Get on top of your holiday shopping and check out beautiful hand made jewelry out of found objects, cards, tampon holiday ornaments, shrines made out of cleaned and recycled trash items and so much more priced right. Also, tarot readings by donation will be available!

While you peruse the crafts and make a few holiday purchases remember you will be helping support the Bowery Poetry Club and all the great shows there as well as independent artists and crafts people of NYC including the Craftermath crew who will be in attendance!

Also at 6:00 PM - The art opening of Popular Language curated by Samuel Jablon will take place in the front room, so you'll be surrounded by art and culture on this fun night. No cover, free entry, the booze flows like wine at the BPC's full bar with drink specials and then if you're feelin' wild, stick around for Bingo at 8 and Diane O'Debra's open mic at 10 PM!

The BPC Holidays Pop Up Shop hours (subject to availability):

Mondays - Fridays: 6 PM to closing (about 1 am or so)
Saturdays and Sundays: Noon to close (about 1 am or so)
BPC Pop Up Store is open through December 31

Also available by appointment

Email jessdelfino at yahoo dot com or sam at sam jablon dot com if you're interested in selling your crafts in the Holidays Pop Up Shop or if you have any questions about hours or would like to make an appointment.

Upcoming: Otto's Craft-tiki-acular THIS SATURDAY Dec. 18, 6-10 pm, free entry. More details to come. Cool music, hot ladies, indie crafts and subversive fun.

Tis the season to be crafty

And Craftermath has some fun events coming up in NYC. Check us out:

Wed, Dec. 8

Skits'N'Tits 2 Year Anniversary Blow Out

308 Bowery, NYC

10 PM

and

Thurs, Dec. 9

Paradigm Shift

Angels & Kings

12th and Ave A, NYC

7 PM

and

Sunday, Dec. 12

Carlay Rhodes + friends

+ Jessica Delfino's cd release party:

"Perfect Holidays"

Arlene's Grocery

more details TBA

If you love craft events but aren't in NYC, check us out on Etsy and don't forget to buy home made this year for the holidays. Here's a craft event going on in Portland, Maine Saturday Dec. 11 at 9 am that looks fun. Craftermath loves Maine!