Gettin' Made: The New Mafia Kids on the Block

The crocheted horse heads have been put in beds, the painted and glittered fish have been gutted and left as a message, the rubber cement shoes have been poured. And the Long Beach Craft Mafia is proud to introduce three of their newest members! That old cliche is true--the only thing that is constant in life is change. Past members move forward with increasingly busy lives; the group evolves and grows, wishing them well and welcoming the eager newbies that show up to join the ranks of Long Beach's super-talented group of indie artists and crafters.

Some blingy rings by Jen Martin of RadCo

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After the jump, we'll meet three of the five newest indie crafters to join up--Janice Sprenger of WanderLove, Marc Anthony Coronado of Ain Soph Aur and Jennifer Martin of RadCo.

First up, Janice Sprenger of WanderLove. A stay at home mom of three children, Janice also teaches a flexibility class at Brazilian Top Team School in Long Beach. About her full-time mom status, Janice shares, "Family is what makes you strong and makes you crazy."

OC Weekly: You're in the process of starting WanderLove, a line of hands-free
utility bags. without giving too much away, tell us what sparked the idea for these bags.

Janice Sprenger: Fanny packs are a great idea when you do not want to carry a purse, but still need to carry a few items. I find a bag on my waist gets in the way of walking. A bag on the leg, like a holster, allows for more mobility and is just sexier.

Janice Sprenger of WanderLove models both her kids and her unique thigh bag.

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OCW: Are there any stories to share in the planning stages of this?

JS: I have made many types; it has been a task to get it right. There have been many early renditions that fell down while running somewhere, or lipstick falling out. It's very frustrating at times because I have been forced to think mechanically.

OCW: How do you get past the frustrations?

JS: I take a break and then go back to it - sometimes weeks at a time.

OCW: When can we expect to see WanderLove bags on Etsy?

JS: I would like to get local word of mouth first, and then take over the world.

OCW: In the meantime, what other crafty fun do you participate in? What's
your favorite kind of crafting currently?

JS: I like embarassing my children with crocheted hats, and while pregnant, I made a lot of crocheted fish.

Janice's supercute kids model their Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes, complete with crocheted hats by Janice.

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On the next page, we get the details on Marc Anthony Coronado of Ain Soph Aur.