PDX Profile: Denise Castanon (she's Crafty)

I met Denise Castanon recently at Trillium Artisans, and really liked her cute, cheerful headbands and jewelry. She's also a great role-model for turning your hobbies into your livelihood - after being a magazine editor for years, she took the plunge into her new business, Crafty.

Check out more of Denise's work at her Etsy shop!

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You used to be a magazine editor - how did you come to switch over to a crafty business?
I hate to say it, but an innate sense of frugality. I actually started making jewelry when I working as an editor. I loved all the cute, chandelier-style earrings, but didn’t want to pay 45 bucks a pop. I said to myself “I could make those” and started making jewelry.

But moving to Portland is what actually got me started selling my jewelry and eventually headbands and knit creations. My husband and I moved here about three years ago from Los Angeles. I had saved up some money and thought I’d take some time off before looking for a job. I took a sewing class and started selling jewelry in a few stores. Then I decided to put more energy into my hobbies with the hopes of not having to get a “real job.” Portland is so supportive of handmade arts and crafts, so it’s a great place to try to do this kind of thing. I definitely wouldn’t be able to do it in Los Angeles!

What kinds of things inspire your jewelry designs?
For my jewelry, I basically wander around the bead and gem shows and look for stones that really catch my eye. Then I go home and play with all the colors. It’s as much fun as when I’d get a new box of crayons when I was little. So I’m really influenced by color. I start noticing what colors people are wearing, what you see in magazines and store windows, and go from there. I usually have some idea of what I want when I go to a bead show, but I always end up getting something else, too. The last time I went to a bead show, I was looking for orange because several customers had been commenting how much they loved the color. But I came away with these beautiful turquoise howlite beads, too. I always lean toward simple, clean designs.

Tell me about your headbands - how did you decide to make them part of your product line?
The headbands are, once again, an example of me saying “I could make those!” My sister-in-law and I were shopping one day, and she bought four fabric headbands. She was living in New Orleans at the time said she wore headbands everyday during the hot, muggy summers. I had learned to sew a few months before and had tons of scraps that were perfect for headbands. (I really hate wasting anything.) I thought they’d be great to add to my product line, because so many people make jewelry and it’d be good to have something else to take to shows. I started doing topstitching on them so I could dress up the fabric I had instead of buying more. Eventually I started selling more headbands than jewelry. Especially once I made them reversible. I’ve expanded on the headband line more this summer.

What future crafty plans do you have for your business?
The most fun thing I have coming up are my flip-flops. I deconstruct flip-flops and sew fabric straps and attach them. They are really cute and comfortable. I really like them. I’ve also started making skinny headbands and Stay-Put Bandanas, which have elastic in the back so you can just slip them on. The headbands have been so successful, that I want to expand that line.

Right now I feel like I need to help grow my business by getting someone to help me sew. I’m sewing at least 20 reversible headbands a week to keep up with sales at Saturday Market and my Web site. I am basically working six days a week and still feel like I‘m not quite keeping up. I’d still want to do all the pairing of fabrics, topstitching and appliqué work myself though.

What's your take on the difference between "Art" and "Craft"?
This is a hard one. Anything can be art. However, if I have to elaborate I feel like craft is something taught in the home and passed down from generation to generation. I have two crafty Aunts who taught me so many things: knitting, embroidery, crochet (which I never quite got the hang of), cooking, cake decorating. I also think crafts have a function besides adding beauty to the world. And art is something you need more of a formal training for.

Of course there are exceptions. Also, art doesn’t necessarily have to have a function besides evoking emotion. I feel crafts sometimes get shortchanged when compared with art, but they shouldn’t. They still add beauty to the world. I don’t consider myself an artist, but I definitely consider myself creative.

What are some of your favorite creative spots in Portland?
First off I’d have to say Bolt on Alberta. I love that store! Again, I feel like a kid with a new box of crayons when I leave there. They have so many beautiful modern fabrics. I’ve never been big on traditional floral prints, so it’s great to find so many cool, non-floral patterns.

The Farmer's Market at PSU always makes me feel like creating, too. I also love to cook, so that’s part of it, but I think also because it’s such a vibrant atmosphere. And I’m really blown away by my fellow Portland crafters. I’m part of the PDX Etsy group, and whenever we have shows I can’t get over how many amazingly talented people live here. It’s so cool. We’ve got a string of summer shows coming up. June 28, July19 and August 9 at Farmer’s Market at PSU. I can't wait to see what will be there.