Our friends at Urban Handmade in Yellow Springs, Ohio have been having daily promotions and discounts this holiday season. Yesterday offer was on bags and purses . Check out the funny  picture with one of my Geisha Girl totes.

Ahhhh, it's time to enjoy the holiday season.
After months of preparation (sewing, creating, and packaging), the arts and craft show season has wound to an end. Last night was my last event with my annual open house. Every year I clean up my house, bake some homemade cookies and set up my shop in my home. I invite friends and my regular customers in to my home so they can pick out gifts for their loved ones. It's one of my favorite things to do each year. I enjoy spending time with each and everyone while offering a more personal shopping experience . Thank you to all who stopped by. Merry Christmas !

With just a week to go it's not to late to pick up something handmade by Mary Moon. There are several shops around town who carry my work. I plan to restock each location this week for your final shopping needs before the big day.


What The Rock ?! in the Short North carry my little zippy bags,
Wholly Craft in Clintonville offers a wide selection of purses zippies and wristlets
A Gal Named Cinda Lou in Westerville has pencil bags made with vintage fabric,
and pop up shops Celebrate Local and Global Gallery at Easton Town Center have wristlets and purses.

Open Door Studios in Granview has just started carrying my products as well.

If your in the Yellow Springs area you can find wristlets, bags and skirts at Urban Handmade.



Then of course there is my Etsy shop, which is open all year round. Stop in often to see my latest creations.

Celebrate Local at Easton Mall . Mary Moon Stuffies

Mary Moon Wristlets and Totes

Have you been to the holiday pop up shop at Easton this season ? Celebrate Local offers some great gift ideas. They have all Ohio made products including food, desserts and handmade items (including some Mary Moon bags). If you have some mall shopping to do and you want to support your local businesses be sure to check them out.

Bust Magazine Holiday Craftacular and Food Fair

December 10th and 11th Saturday: 11 AM - 8 PM (this will be the one day I will be vending) ; Sunday: 11 AM - 7 PM 82 Mercer St. between Broome and Spring, New York, NY More than 200 crafters and food artisans will participate in our biggest and most popular event of the year -- the BUST Magazine Craftacular and Food Fair Holiday 2011! This upcoming weekend will be my last show of 2011. Talk about going out with a bang ! I'm going on a road trip to NYC. You gotta check out the vendor list

Here are some booth photos from this past weekend at the North Market I made a new blue table cloth with fabric flowers

I created some new designs for the show including these fabric flower hair barrettes

I also created these plate and glass displays

I made mini gift boxes to put on them

I also made some new hand sewn animals, great stocking stuffers

They can be used as a key chain or to hang off of your favorite Mary Moon bag

Fabric zippy bags packaged in plastic

It was just such wonderful weekend, it was great to see all my crafty friends. The North Market was hopping with holiday shopping.

This past weekend I set up shop at the Aullwood Audubon Center. The day started off with a good crowd but once the Ohio State / Michagan football game started the crowd thinned out. I was invited to vend at this show last year so I kinda knew what to expect. The Buckeye nation is strong all through out Ohio, even and hour and a half away in Dayton Ohio.

I'm trying to get ahead for the next couple of events so I brought some stuff to work on while at the show. While sitting at my booth I couldn't get over the feeling that someone was staring at me.

At least I didn't have to look at the snakes slithering around. They are in the box behind the deer so I avoided walking that direction.

Craftin' Outlaws Holiday Pop-Up Market Craftin' Outlaws is thrilled to invite you to our first ever Holiday Market. We have invited members of The Columbus Crafty Cotillion for your handmade holiday shopping needs. The fine folks at Ace of Cups have offered to shelter us for this one day Pop-Up Market on Sunday November 27 from Noon-4pm. Admission is free! On hand will be letterpress cards and posters, screen printed apparel, soaps, aprons, home decor, jewelry, handbags and so much more! Join us for drinks, holiday shopping and to see many of your favorite local artisans and crafters. Cotillion members on hand will be: Stinkybomb Soap, Wholly Craft, Poshta Designs, AmyD, Sweet Stella Designs, Mary Moon Designs, What the Rock!?, Miss Megan Mac, Mary Martineau, Torn Angel, Creux Poche, Out of the Pink Sky, Igloo Letterpress, and Flamestitch.

Craftin' Outlaws 2011 October 15th at the Gateway Film Center

Craftin' Outlaws ( June 2011 ) hosts Crafty Showcase Showdown

Craftin' Outlaws 2010

Craftin' Outlaws 2009

Craftin' Outlaws 2008

If you want to see more photos from past CO's check them out here

Two Weeks Until Craftin' Outlaws October 15, 2011

What The Rock ?!

Stinky Bomb Soap

Out Of The Pink Sky

Poshta Stationary & Design

Umbrella Girl Productions

See Ya At The Show

Independents' Day picks

My daughters came to the show with me. They hung out at the tent ,went on walks with me and had their picture taken.

B was thrilled !

At the Columbus Alive tent they were offering FREE t-shirts. All you had to do is write in your answer to the question and let them take a pic

The shirts were designed by Make Believe Monsters. B loves their designs and owns several of their tees. She was happy to add another one to her collection.

Independents' Day 2011 Saturday, September 17 at 12:00pm - Midnight Gay St and Pearl Alley (downtown Columbus)

Multiple stages with tons of local music. Something going on around every corner. An alleyway full of talented artists and vendors. All this and more, in Downtown Columbus. Bonus, this show brings in a great crowd. In past years I have met some really wonderful people. I LOVE IT !

How do you decorate your sewing machine ? I took this thrift store find and completely covered it in jewels, beads, buttons and other fun stuff. It's no longer funtional but makes a great decoration.

I came into my art room one day to find that my sewing machine had turned into a monster with scary teeth (post it notes added by a little prankster)

Sometimes a cat may think it's a great place to take a nap (that's kinda like a decoration. That is until I turn it on and it chases the fur ball away )

But I mostly prefer a few stickers to inspire me

Have a great Labor Day weekend !

Ohio Bag Tags

Way back when I first started making bags I decided that it would be really cute to add a tag as an accessory . A fun little extra that I could also use to sign my name, Mary Moon Designs.




The first ones I made where created from wood pieces that I bought at the store and decorated before adding to the bag. I didn't think they were large enough or unique enough so I was trying to come up with a better way to execute my plan. My husband offered to cut the wood tags out for me, but wanted to know what shape I wanted them in. Oval, square, circle ?
I was so busy creating the purses I couldn't think of a perfect shape to make them. I tossed around a few ideas. when I mentioned a tag in the shape of Ohio my husband said he really liked it. He commented, " You live in Ohio, you work in Ohio , your an Ohio artist. It kinda makes sense"



When customers are looking over my bags they always stop at the Ohio bag tag in the palm of their hand and comment on how much they love them.




This is a collage of my Ohio tags on a Ohio background that my husband put together

Ohio's state symbols:

State animal: White-tailed Deer (1987)
State beverage: Tomato juice (1965)
State bird: Cardinal (1933)
State capital: Columbus[3] (1816)
State flower: Red carnation (1904)
State herb capital: Gahanna (1972)
State insect: Ladybug (1975)
State motto: "With God all things are possible." (1959)
State reptile: Black racer snake (1995)
State rock song: "Hang On Sloopy" (1985)
State song: "Beautiful Ohio" (1969)
State stone: Ohio Flint (1965)
State tree: Buckeye (1953)
State wildflower: Large white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) (1986)

The list of vendors for Craftin' Outlaws 2011 has been announced, check it out



My wonderful friend Sarah, of Space Dog Studios, created this awesome logo for me.
Isn't it adorable ?
Thank You Sarah !

I thought up these Rainbow Cloud Zippy Bags over a year ago. I finally made them and put them out for sale. They have been hit all summer long. Aren't they just adorable ?