Homegrown: Deerfield's Local Etsy Crafters

Local shops are sometimes even closer than just down the street. Thanks to a website called Etsy, both hobbysists and professionals from card makers to jewelry crafters to poster printers can have their own shops online. These experts in Do It Yourself crafting take a passion and turn it into a second income, or, in some cases, a new career.

We found three Etsy crafters in Deerfield, and in 'Homegrown,' we take a closer look at the personalities behind the shops.

Just Vonna

Vonna Maslanka has only been seriously selling her jewelry for about 10 years, though she describes herself as a life long crafter. Despite her lack of formal training, Maslanka has spent decades perfecting her pieces: complex, busy and attractive necklaces, bracelets and cuffs made from beads, leather, silver and other materials.

"Asymmetry and a keen eye for color are my trademarks," Maslanka said. "I feel that learning is a process and perfecting the techniques I use can be a challenge. It is this challenge that I find so exciting and fulfilling."

A 20 year resident of Deerfield who proudly boasts that her children attended Stevenson High School, Maslanka finds her inspiration close to home. She plans to collaborate with a Deerfield artist for a new project. Will it be as complex as her pieces?

"Simplicity is not in my vocabulary," she said.

Vonna Maslanka's pieces range from $20 to $400. 

Sofoola

Sofia Price literally creates the beauty she wants to see in the world.

"My desire to create began when I lived in a small impoverished town on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea," Price said. "I learned that if I wanted something beautiful in my life, I had to simply make it myself."

That's exactly what she did, using primarily natural materials to craft her earrings and bracelets. Price's specialty is semi-precious stones, and her Etsy pages reads like a geology primer, with earrings ranging from chalcedony and olivine to lemon quartz and more.

The works reflect the "colorful palate of the sea and flower dotted hills that surrounded me as a girl," Price said.

These days, her inspiration comes from the women of Deerfield themselves. Since her family moved here from Greece, Price said she's been "dazzled" by the local style and flair she sees in the women here.

"They seem to have a sense of fashion, and exude confidence, style, and happiness," Price said. "I like to believe that the variety of personalities [of the women] is enhanced by the beautiful jewelry that adorns the women wearing the pieces."

Most of Price's pieces are in the $30-$40 range, with few of the pieces being offered for more than $60. There's a reason for that.

"I have been told on numerous occasions that my prices are too low given the quality and time spent with each piece, but feel that women, not only in Deerfield, but all over the globe, are thrifty and appreciate a good value," Price said.

SchlisKnits

Sara Schlismann looked to the past to find inspiration for her hand crafted baby hats.

"I've been crafting since I was a teenager," she said. "I starting cross-stitching and did that for years before I starting knitting. Knitting and crocheting I felt was a dying art and I really wanted to revive it."

She found a muse in the form of her newborn baby daughter. Having just quit a full time job to be a stay at home wife and mother, Schlismann was looking for a way to bring in a little cash.

"I viewed a couple Youtube videos to learn how to crochet and just fell in love with it," she said.

Her "cute little hats," as she calls them, are whimsical costume pieces for babies, ranging from the 'newborn Viking hat' to the 'baby aviator.' Animals are represented too, and her hats allow doting parents to adorn their little ones with bumblebee, zebra or giraffe caps, complete with ears or antennae. It's the kind of thing one can't help but want to photograph, and to that end, Schlismann has teamed up with a Deerfield photographer, trading her hats for photography work which she uses in advertising.

Schlismann said that business is booming, but it isn't all about the money.

"It's also really relaxing after a long day," she said. "Plus who doesn't love home-made gifts instead of store bought, right?"

SchlisKnits hats range from $15-$20.