Our makers are from all walks of life.  Many of them have ‘day jobs’ otherwise referred to as ‘what I have to do so I can make my art’ and other not-as-nice phrases.  But the main thing is that they are almost exclusively living in the DFW area, and as such are about as ‘local’ as you can get.

Most of them do have websites, Etsy pages, and /or Facebook sites.  So without further ado, I will be happy to list them here along with active linking to their own sites:

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Amanda Rocha – “Sencillo Candles.”  A sophisticated line of candles in three sizes.  Fun story; we met Amanda through one of those crazy flukes.  Turns out we were searching for a candle maker for the shop, and Steve mentioned that to his hairdresser.  Guess who that was?  Right!  So Amanda says, “did you know I make candles?” and the rest is history.  See, sometimes it helps to put your needs out to the Universe!

Amy Marks – Funky Muppet Bags – fantastically adorned handbags with many many colors and textures of ribbons swinging from crocheted coir bags.  One of a kind; just like the maker.

Andrea Smith –  Andrea makes the most adorable tiny retro beaded trees bonsai trees on stones.  Also she makes lovely beaded jewelry, embellished headbands, covered boxes, and most recently has enjoyed adding upcycled funk factors to framed artwork!

Ann Huey – Ann is an East Texas native whose paintings, drawings, and multi-media creations have drawn critical praise.  We also carry prints and cards of her quirky, finely-imagined works done in pen, ink, guache, and acrylic.  Her faux Latin-named bird cards are a favorite at MC2, as well as her cat bereavement cards.  Some of her inspiration flows out of her day jobs, which have put her up close and personal with a number of quirky birds (the Dallas Zoo and Trinity River Audubon Center.)  Her husband is also a fantastic artist, and you can witness his percussion with a number of area band playing at Poor David’s Pub, among others.

Annie Benjamin – Gorgeous aprons with a retro feel.  Using fine quality cotton fabrics and rich embellishments, she fashions them fully inside and out.  Many are two sided, and all are very very special and one of a kind.  Annie is an award-winning singer songwriter too, and is currently recording a new album with some highly recognized talents in Austin. She is a woman of many skills, to be sure.

Barbara Mabli –  We met Barbara years ago when she had a fantastic little shop in Fort Worth called Eclections, where she sold her own quirky jewelry, boxes, and pillows.  Now she lives in Dallas and we carry her lavender sachet pillows, trivets, and cotton pouches.

Beverly Ann Moore (BAM) – What can we say?  With a name like BAM, it was pretty obvious we were dealing with a Force of Nature.  When she introduced herself years ago at MC1, we loved her magical take on the world – the projected hope and belief in the goodness of others.  We were under the spell of her charming images, and wonderful juicy stories.  Over the ensuing months she tested out different ideas with us, and has since landed on some truly winning ideas.  We are so in love with her illustrations of the State Fair of Texas and of White Rock Lake; and equally love her one of a kind nature and art cards.  She makes the art cards specially for us, inspired by memories of childhood days at camp.  We are so glad to have befriended this very special camper…. BAM.

Brad Abrams – Brad has blown glass for years, and is known locally for his one of a kind, collectible goblets and witch balls!  In our shop he has placed his beautiful blown and pressed glass suncatchers.  You can see them any day right in the front window.

Bryan Valadez – We carry cards with prints of Bryan’s incredibly realistically painted scenes

Carla Arimes – One of a kind cards that double as gifts, and stained glass frames.

Carlos Zuniga – Zunlan Designs – Fully fashioned leather handbags (pouches to totes).  We have known Carlos since MC1, when he was making sweet little animal-face handbags out of leather.  Since then we’ve watched his amazing painting videos on IG, and found out that he’s also quite an amazing artist… all this in addition to his busy day job as a visual merchandiser for a major retailer.  We were lucky he had time to help us set up the store before opening back in May.  His gifts extend to portrait commissions as well.

Charity Ridpath – Charity is on a mission to meld her recent master of metalsmith degree with a message of environmentalism; her jewelry contains fragments of plastics from her ‘year of plastic’ wherein she dutifully collected (and washed) every piece she carried home from the market, using sterling elements and a fine sculptural aesthetic.

Chris Unruh – Truly Unruhly Studio Jewelry; a modern, colorful take on adornments with an eye toward unusual materials and color combos.  Now she can be found every day that MC2 is open, trying to whack the computer into working properly ala Fonzie and meeting with artisans.

Cindy Bagwell – Sculptural mixed metal and gemstone beaded earrings & necklaces

Cindee Kueny – Cindee creates the prettiest succulents that will never die, curated in real tiny terracotta pots.  She is a master of the art of crochet!

Dan Dudley / Lori Dudley –  This dynamic duo have spent many years growing their clay empire, and have made an indelible mark on the Dallas craft landscape.  You will see their work yearly at Edom, Bath House, and many other quality shows. Hint:  Lori’s pieces are generally very soft and curvy, with emphasis on female figures and fairies;  Dan’s work looks like it jumped straight off his cartoonist’s sketch book!   Lori can be booked for massage and Dan is a terrific illustrator.

Deana Hinchcliff –  Working at a high level in leather and metal, Deana makes an amazing line of OOAK handbags, cuffs, earrings, game sets, drink koozies, wine totes, and even the most incredible brief case you ever laid eyes on.  She can be found at shows all over Dallas, and can be booked for massage as well.

Darleen – Choca Loca Designs has grown out of Darleen’s work with paper from Two Women Boxing.  She sells her beautiful hand-sewn cards with silk ribbons almost every week at the Dallas Farmers Market, along with her marbled leather handbags and earrings.  Her style is both sophisticated and earthy, and exudes the same happy energy as the maker!

Douglas Dover – An architect by training, Douglas has become obsessed with the use of styrofoam in his artwork.  He feels that the pre-formed pieces are at once beautiful objects in their own right, but can be made fascinating with the addition of colorful resins, toys, and other bright bits that draw the eye around the piece.  Massing these works looks especially arresting.

Ed Freiheit / Bug and Mowl – Ed and his wife Janice met as performers at Scarborough Faire, a renaissance fair located south of Dallas.  Therefore it’s no surprise that he makes upcycled and steampunk inspired jewelry using watch parts from his father’s collection of horological ephemera; and rounds out the collection with goggles and hats worthy of Jules Verne in a Steaming Space Ship going to planets yet unknown.  Janice is also an artist, working in paper and ink; she created the paper Christmas trees you can see on the front desk as well as Inspirational stickers, a series that sprang from a personal challenge during (and before) Covid.  And his brother, who also had ties to Scarby, creates the incredible computer-generated fractal found framed on the walls and featured on cards.

Eryn Rosenbaum aka Earrings by Eryn – Silver, keum-bo, and unusual gemstones form the backdrop of Eryn’s collection made specially for our store. We first met Eryn at MC1, when she had just gotten into making jewelry.  At that time, she was making mostly wrapped wire earrings (hence her company name), but with time and tenacity and a bunch of in person classes at places like the Dallas Craft Guild plus online courses, she’s emerging as a truly solid jewelry maker with many unusual and fantastic ideas – constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible for her pieces.  We are so glad she agreed to work with us again!

Eugenia Finkler – Eva and Andre Jewelry.  Eugenia and her family emegrated from Bellarus, and found their home in Dallas, where her interest in jewelry art led her to discover the many uses for art clay.  Eugenia’s jewelry can look like wood, rocks, fossils, and even water when viewed from a distance.  She takes a jeweler’s care to finish each piece lovingly.

Ghost – Photography – Ghost is a real person but would like to stay anonymous and have his work speak for itself.  In the gallery, we have six of his close-up views of flowers and bugs that transport the viewer into the tiny world in a dreamlike way.

Ginny Belcer – Ginny is making a name for herself in the fused glass world with her beautiful glass hearts, which she showcases framed in lovely shadowboxes; affordable and ready to gift.  

Jane Sintobin-  We met Jane at Edom, which hosts a high quality art show every year.  Her work is both modern and sleek, lightweight and easy to wear.  Mostly working in silver, she’s intrigued by the ‘weirder’ stones, as she puts it – K2, drusy, hemimorphite, and others find their way into her oervre.

Janet Powell –  This multi-creative is the wizard behind the company Loos Phish, and has been making cheeky cards (very sweet images paired with snarky phrases) and adorable cat toys (the martini olive – a must for every fashionable feline!) for years.  We finally caught up with her and convinced her to let us show her work.  Win/Win!

Janice Somerville – Totem heads, Metal Angels, face tiles, and space ship nightlights are really just the tip of the creative iceberg with this designer.  She also makes jewelry with humor and a nod to the Jetson’s and futurama.  You can’t help but smile when looking at her incredibly colorful and whimsical work.

Jennifer Christy – A fantastic modern painter and elementary art teacher, Jennifer’s work burst on the scene when we met her at the Cedars Art Tour three years ago.  She explained that she made jewelry from cutting up her old paintings after watching ‘the jewelry people at shows making all the sales!’  Now she has branched out into resin, metal, and other materials and her pieces are so bright and bold you will never mistake her work.  While you can still get her cut up painting jewelry, we also show her art and hope no one will cut it ever!

Jillian Maifert – Our Nest in Progress.  We met Jillian through Etsy Dallas, and the relationship has been nothing short of fantastic.  Her robes, jumpsuits, baby onesies and scarves have livened up our store with their fabulous color bursts, organized like a rainbow.

JiYoung Moore – We love the detail and precision of JiYoungs delicate embroidery and tiny painted scenes.  Her imagination clearly takes her into sweet stories where cats and birds tryst among the snowy mountain tops.  Two of her amazing cuffs are paeons to beloved books.

Joe Davila –  BirdBox2.  Joe makes exquisitely crafted wood items, from Modrian-inspired bird feeders to salt and pepper shakers and Dallas skylines.  His history as an architect and interior specialist for high end shops is very evident in the quality of his work.

Judith Cooper – Original illustrated Zentangle jewelry.  Judith has been certified as a Zentangle master, and will be joining us as a teacher in January with classes on Zentangle.

Julie Dempsey – tiny jewelry canvases (bracelets) created with loomed bead weaving.  Her choices of colors and patterns are what sets her work apart from the crowd.  Just yummy.

Julie Shulnick Brown –  Julie is a trained painter whose work has gone from small to quite large.  We are lucky to carry some of her earlier smaller works, which look great in groupings or alone.

Katie Rose – Katie makes beautiful, delicate goldfilled and silver chain jewelry enhanced with gemstones and meaning.

Katrina Rasmussen – We were lucky to meet Katrina during our four years on Northwest Highway, when she was working on painting Dallas landmarks.  Now she’s moved into another, equally interesting phase, using alcohol inks to portray her inspiration with the American Southwest.  We carry four framed originals and a number of handpainted coasters that are works of art in themselves.

Kelley Vaughan (Blue Flame Studios ceramics) – Jars, small vessels, and hanging sculpture that hold air plants; often featuring crystals or stones and of a Japanese bent.  Kelley’s tiny jars and air circles have been a hit since they hit our shop back in 2014 and thank goodness she’s still making them.

Larry Pile;  The Kessler Craftsman – Larry works in fused glass, creating platters, plates, bowls, tiles, vases, and larger art installations like the gorgeous Weave on view over our wrap stand.  His influence is felt all over the shop, from the large circular and heart sculptures in stands to the suede-textured blue and  yellow drop vases.  Additionally, he teaches classes at MC2 at least once and month.  He’s truly a fan fave of a teacher!

Kimberley Morris Jewelry– Kim’s work has been on show at MC2 since day one in 2013, where we kept her copper/silver/prismacolor pieces in the front jewelry case.  Now we have a number of her earrings in addition to the case of necklaces and brooches, but now she’s also branched into making modern hand-sewn, one of a kind wool felt pillows with clean, crisp graphic elements.

Kris Hundt – Is there anything this polycreative can’t do?  No.  We met her at the old shop where she introduced herself as a photographer.  While she still is that, she’s also gotten into so much more, crafting glass cab necklaces, hilarious cards, glass wall pieces, ‘Frankenstein monster’ paper hangers, and more:  In fact she leads a bunch of our classes at MC2 and is considered our resident expert at Instagram and other technologies.

Letter Lounge aka Shelley and Mike Clem.  Old books are given new life when they employ their magic!  Mike’s background includes working with his dad on racecars, so  his knowledge of machines and tolerances comes in handy when cutting into cardboard and paper with incredible accuracy.

Lynn Wilkes-Armstrong – Both Hands Studio. Lynn joined us in the later years of MC1 with her adorable pinch-spoons and a few mugs, but now you can see her gorgeous wood display wall, where we carry her signature leaf-printed ceramic mugs, vessels, earrings, candles, flasks, jugs, match holders, and adorable hedgehog pin cushions!

Michael Bohdan – Ceramics.  Michael is one of our newest additions, and has brought us some of his signature ring dishes, created by casting real oyster shells and filling with white porcelain and a spot of green or blue crackle glass!  He also brought us textured white flat ornaments which can be customized with your own paint or markers.

Molly Lam – Toko Dots.  We met Molly through Etsy Dallas, and are in love with her bright, graphic style.  Her modern style really fits our store, bringing in elements of your youth spent in Asia and a respect for form and line.  Her new line of holiday cards are sold in singles and in sets, so come take a look.  She made a set for Hanukkah, too!

Nancy LaChapelle – Fused glass is the material of choice for this LFH neighbor, and she chooses both figurative and non-figurative themes in her panels and lightcatchers.  We are loving her tone on tone panels (lots of texture), as well as her eye catching flowers, birds, and dragonflies.

Nancy Robbins – This dynamo has recently popped onto our radar as a wonderful supporter and now is known to us also as an amazing maker as well!  Her illuminated light boxes aka Hue Fusions lamps are truly works of art, made from upcycled cigar boxes and some in new shadow box frames.  Nancy is local to Garland, TX and is a mixed media artist who
loves all things color, found objects, and the unusual!  She’s been creating art since age 12 (when she would pin patterns into bars of soap with brightly colored pearl straight pins) often gifting them to random strangers, teachers, and neighbors.

Nathalie Lu – Fringe and Free.  Nathalie’s simply lovely natural cotton rope macrame plant hangers can be found right up front of the store, along with a few pots crafted by another local potter named John, of Full Circle Pottery.  They have co-created a number of pieces that they sell at Good Local and other markets around the area.

Nicole Bernard – NB Makes Jewelry.  Nicole is a recent addition to our happy mix of mahem at MC2, bringing her beautifully designed ceramic jewelry and chunky, modern mugs to share with us.  We think she’s pretty brilliant.

Patti Haskins / Critter Central –  Catnip filled snakes.  Certified best by cats!  This is no joke.  We are super lucky she agreed to sell them to us wholesale by the dozen so we can serve the cats of east Dallas.  Her secret?  She REALLY loves animals, and especially cats.  Also, she buys only ‘the best catnip’ sourced from Canada.  MEOW!  Our four cats fight over them and yours will too. Guaranteed.

Rebecca Landsdowne Collins – Enigmantic monster/ critters realized in glass, embroidery, paint, pastel, and computer illustration techniques.  So glad to have made Rebecca’s acquaintance, following so many glowing recommendations by other friends and artists.  I took a ‘deep dive’ in getting to know her by taking one of her Monday morning garden-art mosaic classes, and it turned into the most fun (and multi-media) explosion of fun for yours truly that I was super glad when she agreed to bring some of her fabulously silly and yet meticulously crafted items into the shop.  We now show her shard monsters, embroidered monsters, one of a kind art cards, multi-media prints, and soon to have bird and fishie ornaments!  She’s also leading a workshop coming up on Saturday, December 4, making mosaic necklaces and keychains!  Still space available!

Reid Barnhart aka  “By Barnhart”  – Hats and jackets utilizing fabulous vintage textiles.  We first met Reid a loooong time ago, but can still pinpoint the time and place:  it was at a holiday market held at Hexter Elementary (remember those?  Good times!).  She was set up with her Wall of Hats back in the south aisle, and I was along the west side with my mom.  We had met Kim Morris (north aisle) recently, and she wanted me to meet her buddy Reid.  She kept telling me about this ‘super cool lady who makes hats and jackets out of old blankets and fabrics!  You have to meet her!’  I am sure glad I did.  We have enjoyed being just one of her sales outlets; you can also find her wearable art at galleries in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

Richard Misdom – Richard made lemoneade out of lemons.  When Dallas experienced the craziest wind event, followed closely by a tornado that ripped through much of north Dallas, he went around to homes that has lost trees and asked to collect hardwoods.  He then crafted them into fantastic bowls, plates, and platters.  Pecan, live oak, walnut loveliness.

Rick Van Dyke Studio / Fireseed Studio  – Funky colorful pottery with plants in mind.  We met Rick many years ago and quickly came to realize that if we wanted to show his work, we’d have to buy and bring it back to our store.  He is not a fan of travel, and though we’ve tried tempting him with one-man shows at MC2, he’s much happier hanging out in Austin as his wonderfu Fireseed Studio, where he provides workspace, kiln usage, and guidance to about 8 other clay artists.

Robin Ayres –  Robin bounced into our lives one Thursday afternoon at MC1, when we were holding our Third Thursday Craft Meetups at the shop.  She was in search of an artistic community, and boy did she find one.  But we were the lucky ones, having no idea at the time just how amazing her work was!  A small part of her work is shown now at MC2, including upcycled globes, one of kind old timepiece necklaces with tiny collaged worlds inside, and massive single-color necklaces created with thousands of tiny toys and treasures collected over many years.  (She also makes attainably priced earrings!)

Selena Dixon – We have been admirers of Selena’s work since early years at MC1, where she had a one-woman show.  Quiet and unassuming, one wouldn’t guess the sheer amount of technically amazing work she produces, keeping herself on a constant schedule of creating and moving forward.  Primarily working in collage and acrylic, she’s also a gifted art quilter.  Fun fact; her name was a key to getting recognition from a college professor while studying Geology.  Since her name means Moon Goddess, she was chosen to be first to examine one of the first moon-rocks brought back in early NASA missions.

Sharon Zigrossi – Sharon came in recently and introduced herself!  She chooses to work her painting magic on upcycled hub caps – so she’s not only cleaning up the world, she’s beautifying it, one creation at a time.  She leads classes at MC2 and other locations, and is a wonderful and upbeat instructor!

Sharon Ashby – Blown glass. We met Sharon recently, and were mesmerized by her beautiful work, created at Marrs studios in Dallas.  Her pumpkins were especially a hit recently at Halloween and continue to be lovely for Thanksgiving.  Great colors!

Sheila Jakubik / Happy Calaveras – Pillows and aprons featuring sugar skulls, Frida Kahlo, and Day of the Dead themes.  Sheila got started using her skill in sewing to help out her sister, who has a store in San Antonio.  She’s been with us since the early years, and her pieces are still adorable and affordable, even as the cost of her favorite fabrics has risen.

Soap Girl – Rebecca and David Day – Since early in MC1, we enjoyed carrying their wonderful soaps.  As time went on, their company grew and they were tapped by Whole Foods as a seller in their bulk-buy area, and to this day you can go there and buy up bars of handcrafted goodness.  We carry their artisanal bars (wrapped for gifting) as well as some of their bulk offerings as well; plus facial masks, shampoo bars, and clay bath.  They keep our place smelling magnificent!

Stanford Family Farms – Simply some of the best handcrafted jellies, jams, and pickled things.  Yes, in addition to the standard cucumber, they also pickle beets, onions, and nopales….. you know, cactus!  Come try some.

Tara Brock – Tara cannot go a day without creating something – whether it’s a photoshoot featuring her best model (herself) in moody and artistic backgrounds, or digitally printing mid-modern furnishings for her amazing dollhouse vingnettes.  She has created a batch of handpainted art handbags at MC2, and we’re thrilled to see what will come next!

Tom Sale aka Pinky Diablo – Pinky used to have a booth in a local shop, and that’s when some of us started falling in love with (and collecting) his adorably macabre images of dancing skeletons… often with observations about what you’d find in hell (Ted Cruz’s socks).  He created a bespoke series of dancing skellies just for us at MC2, and we’re loving them.

Traci Hutton – ArtiDolls and Hartline Interiors.  Traci has been on our radar since the early years.  Her training in sewing (her day job includes work for the Dallas Opera) and her incredible ability to focus on details has made many of her primitive dolls quite collectible.  She creates them mainly around her favorite holiday, Halloween!  We currently carry her puffy-stuffies – adorable stuffed animals and tooth fairies.

Valery Guignon – Valery’s work has been consistently gorgeous lo these many years, as we’ve met her time and again at so many art fairs and festivals around Dallas.  Her richly dyed scarves and ponchos (loose blouses) are crafted from silk and other natural fibers, and are truly delightful.  She has also led a few classes at MC2 in the art of dying and painting on silk!

YKAJE Jewelry – Jeanne Sanders creates her bespoke method of crafting plastic to look like glass; we carry her lightweight sculptural jewelry and bowls.