Greensburg jewelry designer featured at pop-up in Pittsburgh

The name Splishy Splash Craft was inspired by Christina Krautz’s love of swimming.

“I’ve been in a pool for as long as I can remember,” said Krautz, of Greensburg, who coaches swimming at Latrobe Aqua Club. “So, coming up with a name was easy because water is such a big part of my life.”

Creating jewelry has now become a pretty important part of her life, too. She creates sterling silver rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings, most of them with a turquoise accent.

She will be one of the 30 aspiring crafters at Handmade Arcade’s “Show and Sell,” a pop-up market of vendors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Construction Junction in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood.

“We wanted to go back to our roots to where it all started,” said Jennifer Baron, director of marketing and outreach for Handmade Arcade. “We are committed to providing opportunities for brand new and emerging artists or maybe artists who are returning to the scene after taking some time off. It’s important to support first time vendors.”

Besides vendors, the event features food and beverage trucks.

Krautz said she has attended previous Handmade Arcade events which are held every December. Her biggest question is how much inventory should she bring. If she has some left she can sell it at an upcoming Ligonier Country Market, she said.

“I love Construction Junction and the Handmade Arcade organizers have been so helpful,” she said. “Handmade Arcade is one of my favorite craft fairs so when I saw they were looking for vendors for this show I decided to put my toe in the water to test it.”

Each piece of Krautz’ jewelry begins as a sheet of silver and she uses wire in the creative process. She also makes jewelry trays and dishes and bowls.

Most items are between $20 and $100.

“My pieces are all one-of-a-kind,” said Krautz. “Every piece has its own uniqueness to it. Even if I try to duplicate a piece it’s never exactly the same.”

Krautz developed her love for creating jewelry while taking a class in high school in Ohio. She had more training when she lived in New York.

“I am always working on my skills, because you can always learn something new,” said Krautz, who also is a substitute teacher in the Mt. Pleasant, Greensburg Salem and Jeannette school districts. “When someone wears one of my pieces it makes me feel good.”

Details: https://handmadearcade.org