Congratulations to our 2022 Scholarship Recipients

We’re thrilled to announce our 2022 Craft Industry Alliance Scholarship recipients. We launched our scholarship program two years ago in an effort to make Craft Industry Alliance membership available to creative small business owners who would benefit from the resources and community support we offer, regardless of financial means. We had a record-high number of applicants this year and reading through the applications was truly inspiring! We had applicants from every area of craft including upcycling, quilting, jewelry, garment sewing, rug hooking, spinning and dyeing, paper crafting, and more. Some were at the beginning stages of their business, and some were further along. We had high school and college students, mid-career professionals, and retirees starting on a brand new path.

Six applicants truly stood out and we’re thrilled to offer them one-year memberships. Each recipient has their own hopes and aspirations for their craft business and we can’t wait to welcome them into the Craft Industry Alliance community. Thank you to the six recipients for granting us permission to share a bit about their stories so you can get to know their businesses and celebrate this special day along with us.

IM JUST CRAFTY LLC is a network that supports creativess who want to build, manage, and scale a craft-based small business. We offer online classes, tools, and resources in general crafting, small business branding, social media management, course creation, and email marketing. Additionally, we will be opening The Maker Studio which is a brick-and-mortar facility where creatives can take in-person classes or participate in open studio sessions having full access to our craft equipment, tools, and supplies to create the products to sell on their Etsy, Shopify, or other eCommerce platforms. This space is also available for Creatives who want to teach their own classes and record social media content as well as podcasts. We are truly a one-stop shop for craftpreneurs.

Elvira Noesen’s creativity was unleashed when her kids were born.  As a Latina stay-at-home mom, she needed a creative outlet. In 2020, she opened her Etsy shop, Rose Tilma Co. Elvira offers Mexican-themed handmade t-shirts and accessories using jer sewing and machine embroidery skills. Since 2020, she has pivoted several times but continues to stitch forward in her small business journey. Elvira has a background in urban planning and creating community is her passion. She recently graduated from Sunshine Enterprises’ Business Academy where she learned how to manage her business. Elvira says she is now prepared to take the next stitch, which is creating community and supporting other Latina stay-at-home moms, encouraging them to take hold of their entrepreneurial dreams. As her business grows she plans to create a mentoring group for entrepreneurial moms and teach them to sew and machine embroider. As an entrepreneur, she has learned that the entrepreneurial journey can be lonely, but by creating community and helping others we can stitch a community together.

Jackie is a jeweler specializing in lost wax casting and has been making a living selling her jewelry worldwide and online since 2006. She considers herself to be an artist-entrepreneur, 50% art, 50% business. Jackie is also a lifelong learner and each summer travels across the country to take weeklong workshops at art schools. These workshops compromise many areas of study that she would like to eventually l teach in her area of Tampa Bay. Over the last three years, she has transitioned into teaching local art workshops at five different art centers and museums in mold making and pewter casting, resin jewelry, and powder coating, and hopes to add to her skills in the future. She sees her future in teaching and putting together public art projects. Jackie is always on the lookout for the unusual and newest products and skills.

Terina Nicole is a New Jersey native who creates beautiful, bold statement pieces for art and design lovers. She is the designer and founder of Jypsea Leathergoods, a line of luxe leather home goods, handbags & jewelry made primarily of recycled skins. She is also the author of ENVISION: The Young Accessory Designer’s Guide to Collection Development, the founder of the Independent Designer Showcase, and co-founder of DIYMakersCon, a conference for creative women makers. Her most recent and proudest venture is The Fashion Design Center of South Jersey, which she founded to make design education available to Camden residents.

Sandra embarked on her teaching career 38 years ago at Santa Ana Community College. She now teaches at many national shows including Quilt Canada, Stitches West, QuiltCon, Festival of Quilts, and Squam, as well as teaching a weekly virtual quilting class through Saddleback Community College. Sandra’s work has been published in numerous magazines and she has made several television appearances as well that have helped to launch her career to new heights. Sandra’s core materials for quilting are thread and fabric, however, she often employs recycled denim, yarns, dyed fabrics, and stamps to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.  Sandra is especially known for her repurposed denim quilts and wearable art quilted garments.

Risa started her letterpress stationery company, Papa Llama, 10 years ago and she has created a wholesale/ retail business that now spans over 250 stores nationwide. In the past two years, she has started to share her personal work of fiber arts, video performance art/ teaching, and illustration and has been in four gallery shows (two solo shows) in San Francisco, Austin, and New Orleans. Risa has also become a published illustrator, has shot multiple tutorials for companies, and is currently working with Chronicle Books.