Write a short paragraph explaining what brought you to crafting and the importance of your craft in your life:

 

A while back, two friends were sharing some mutually fulfilling crafting time on their respective projects; when they had this wild idea to combine their respective businesses and skills together to create a single company. The idea was to have a forum through which they could bring the best of their individual works, and the best of their collaborative efforts into to the world. Mirth and Reverence is the multicolored, multifaceted result of that “Ah Ha!” moment between Kate Pennington and Jamie Morgan.

 

If thereÂ’s one thing that defines you, what is it?

 

Well our quote on our website is: “Mirth and Reverence is dedicated to life, laughter, and shiny things” that pretty much sums us up. We chose our name: Mirth & Reverence because our work is about the efforts of two people who are both mirthful and reverential (we trade off who gets to be which one on any given day) and that sensibility is reflected in our work.

 

Tell us about your family and the role they play in your craft.

 

Both of us are mothers who have had to find ways to incorporate motherhood with work and crafting. Jamie has a teenage daughter who shares her passion for photography and beadwork and who gets drafted fairly regularly to help man our booths at craft shows. Kate has two teenage boys who are both theater geeks who love to show off momÂ’s work to their friends on game nights.

 

Tell us about where you live.

 

Jamie lives in Berkeley, CA and Kate lives in Oakland, CA. We tend to work over at KateÂ’s place because she has the most room of the two of them to store extra supplies and because her dolls are a little less portable of their two crafts.

 

Where did you learn to craft?

 

Both of us are self taught for the most part, with a whole lot of assorted training mixed into our backgrounds. Both of us have taken various art and photography classes, philosophy, religious studies, and theater style training. Everything we have done and learned in our lives as individuals, as women, as mothers, as sisters, and now as business partners ends up in our work in one way or another.

 

 

 What is your favorite craft supplier?

 

The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse! You can find all kinds of things there and you never know what you are going to find on any given visit, so itÂ’s always an adventure. Kate has gotten broken down horses and drift wood to use for dolls among other things. We also found some amazing lampwork bead makers at the Bay Area Bead Extravaganza this fall. JamieÂ’s been incorporating many of the pieces she picked up at the show in her new pieces this season.

 

If there is a new craft you could learn, what would it be and why?

 

Each of us has plans to grow our skill sets; we are always learning and growing.

 

For Kate- there is a world of technology and craft skills within Art Dolls that I want to learn. Ideally I want to get to a point in my career where I am building my jointed dolls from scratch. My soft dolls are the first step along that journey of discovery. I have a set of designs in my sketch book that will take even more of a stretch and require me to learn how to work with wire to accomplish them fully.

 

For Jamie – oh yeah! I love my work with seed beads, but I’ve been itchy to get my hands on a set of silver smith tools, so that’s probably the next thing on the list for me. I have a bunch of designs for pendants, rings and even cuff bracelets that really want to be done in solid metal rather than seed beads.

 

What are your goals with your ArtFire studio?

 

We are hoping to expand our market, meet fantastic new buyers and network with other artists.

 

Where do you receive you inspiration, in general?

 

Jamie – Beaded Jewelry & Photography

 

I take a lot of photographs and tend to see the world through the lens of the camera – I wonder how this set of trees and rocks might look as photo, or how these faces in this sunlight appear on film. When I started to make jewelry I found myself applying that same sensibility to the beads. How do these beads reveal the beauty of that sunset? Which combination of blue stones and seed beads will conjure that pool of water? Light, shadow, movement, color - all the elements we work with in photography; earth, fire, water, air and spirit - all the elements we work with in life and magic are the true pallet of my art, the seed beads, pearls, amethyst and citrine of the jewelry are the icing on the cake.

 

Kate – Art / Altar Dolls

 

My work is filled with magic and ritual. As a writer, much of my work is focused on creating original rituals celebrating the seasons and rites of passage. As a doll artist, the magic comes through in the types of figures I choose to explore – usually mythic images and gods from different traditions. My explorations so far have taken me into the Orixia of the African Diasporic traditions, the Norse and Greek Gods and manifestations of the four elements.

 

I got into creating Altar dolls because statues seem too static and remote. I wanted a form that I could touch and pose and maybe, if I was careful, hold and feel close to. My dolls are not generally huggable (although a few now are) but most of them are pose-able, so IÂ’ve managed that part so far!

 

How did you come to selling crafts?

 

For both of us it was really a case of friends and family looking over our shoulders and going “oooh, that’s shiny, can I have it??!” Neither of us was certain that our work was ready for sale at the time we were pushed to start our business. It took a bit of encouragement and then the sales and commissions started coming in. We looked at each other. Laughed and figured if they all thought our stuff was good enough to buy, who were we to argue!

 

Who are your other favorite ArtFire artists?

 

Kate – I love LittleCreatures. The critters are adorable and made with such a great sense of humor. I found the shop because of “oops” and just fell in love.

 

Jamie – naturallyamy’s handmade soaps and lip balms look wonderful. Both Kate and I have issues with scents and chemicals so it was great to find that she has a line of unscented products.

 

How did you come to find a home on ArtFire?

 

Jamie found ArtFire when she was doing some research online one day. We have been looking for ways to expand our presence online and reach new customers and ArtFire seemed like a great new site to get involved with so we got signed on and slowly started building our shop. ItÂ’s been great ever since!

 

What is the best piece of advice you can give other crafters?

 

Play! Experiment. Just try things. DonÂ’t worry about whether something will sell or not. Explore what you like to make and do. Create things that make you happy and which bring you joy. If you are happy with your work and love what you are making then other people will see and feel that joy and respond to that in kind. The money and the success will come in time as long as you love what you do and that passion shows through in your work. DonÂ’t sacrifice skill in the process, you have to learn your craft and hone your abilities but do so in the service of what you love because you love it and canÂ’t imagine doing anything else. Play is the best tool any crafter can have in their kit!

 

What is the most treasured thing in your craft stash?

 

Kate – Paper Clay, definitely Paper Clay. You can sculpt almost anything out of the stuff and it air dries over night. Then you can sand it, if you need it to be smoother, paint it, glue things too it, and it is remarkably light because it really is made from paper. I love the stuff.

 

Jamie – Silkon pre-stretched beading thread. It is the best thread I found for the necklaces I make. It’s stiff enough to hold knots but soft and flexible enough to allow the necklaces freedom of movement.

 

If you won a thousand dollar craft shopping spree, what would you spend it on?

 

Oooh! Shopping! Doll basesÂ… noÂ… got a bunch of thoseÂ… fabricÂ… have thatÂ… we both have a ton of beadsÂ… at this time of year, weÂ’d probably split it and buy presents for all our friends and family.

 

Why do you think that buying and selling handmade products benefits society?

 

Individuals have always been the driving force of culture and economy. By encouraging the buying and selling of handmade products we are fostering original ideas and creative thought. While that maybe a little esoteric, in the short run we also see it in the market place, buying from local small artisans keeps the finances local and cuts down on the gas used to go shopping. Shopping online can do similarly for saving gas and supporting small companies. Instead of feeding a large machine that that may or may not return that support to the community, we feed each other, our families and our dreams.

 

Click here to visit MirthreverenceÂ’s ArtFire studio.