Sheri Gibb and
Jen Lopez understand the value of art accessibility in Utah. Oftentimes, materials, classes and workshops can be financially out of reach for beginners, creating an imbalance between creatives who are able to explore their artistic goals and creatives who are held at bay by differences in income. In 2015, Gibb and Lopez created
Clever Octopus, a “craft thrift store,” along with their
Creative Reuse Centers (
CRC) that run on donations and a waste stream-reduction system to provide affordable and accessible art supplies, classes and community for beginners and tenured artists alike.
“We hope that people will see themselves as artists and creative people who can make small changes that prevent waste from going to the landfill by changing their habits and by extending the life of existing materials,” says Gibb.
DIY Festival,
Utah State Fairpark for the
13th Annual DIY Festival Presented By Harmons. The 2021 Festival features the largest offering yet of artisans, craft foodies, performers and much more. Read about some of the fantastic Utah DIY-ers participating at this year’s festival in the following pages, and head to
craftlakecity.com for more information on the
13th Annual DIY Festival.
Photo: John Barkiple
Lavender Lathers was established by 14-year-old Utah native
Elizabeth Ssejinja. After Ssejinja was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, her family began to create homemade gifts for each other. “I decided to make soap. [I then] decided to make soap to raise money to give back to the charities that did so much to support me,” she says. Ssejinja learned to make soap from pure experimentation. “I experimented [with] melting shavings from other bars of soap, but it didn’t work,” she says. “So, I bought glycerin soap, molds, colorants and started learning from there.�
DIY Festival,
Utah State Fairpark for the
13th Annual DIY Festival Presented By Harmons. The 2021 Festival features the largest offering yet of artisans, craft foodies, performers and much more. Read about some of the fantastic Utah DIY-ers participating at this year’s festival in the following pages, and head to
craftlakecity.com for more information on the
13th Annual DIY Festival.
In the eastern suburbs of Salt Lake City lies an unassuming shopping strip, and within it lives a time machine that takes you everywhere you could want to go at once
Abode Vintage. It’s an organized mix of the old, the used and the magnificent.
DIY Festival,
Utah State Fairpark for the
13th Annual DIY Festival Presented By Harmons. The 2021 Festival features the largest offering yet of artisans, craft foodies, performers and much more. Read about some of the fantastic Utah DIY-ers participating at this year’s festival in the following pages, and head to
craftlakecity.com for more information on the
13th Annual DIY Festival.
Photo: LmSorenson.net
The Pho3nix Child makes music which affirms that all of life’s struggles are unique opportunities for growth. Also known as
Cassandra Houston, The Pho3nix Child is a rapper and poet based in Salt Lake City.
DIY Festival,
Utah State Fairpark for the
13th Annual DIY Festival Presented By Harmons. The 2021 Festival features the largest offering yet of artisans, craft foodies, performers and much more. Read about some of the fantastic Utah DIY-ers participating at this year’s festival in the following pages, and head to
craftlakecity.com for more information on the
13th Annual DIY Festival.
Photo: LmSorenson.net
The future is now, and Max Crafts can prove it with a 3D Pen. 10-year-old
Max Moore uses a 3D pen to create an assortment of objects with the hopes of someday making his very own video game. Moore describes himself as a savvy gamer, and it shows through his creative energy and young consistency. A goofus like myself needed an explanation for how one would describe a “3D pen.” Moore says it’s similar to a 3D printer: “A 3D printer is a machine you can use to make objects, but [a pen] is artistic and crafty because you’re the one doing the artwork instead of te