Cathy of California (aka Cathy Callahan) was raised by a super crafty mom and her projects are based on crafts she made as a little girl, as well as ideas she find in her collection of vintage craft and design books from the 1960s and ’70s. We also love that she’s a window dresser and tend to think of her as our own crafty Rhoda. We’re thrilled to be offering a variety of Cathy’s cupcake toppers in our Party Decorations Department. Thank you to Cathy for taking the time to share a little about her life and work!

1. Were you interested in arts and crafts as a kid?

Yes totally! My mom was super crafty and I was taught all of the necessary crafty skills at a very young age. I luckily grew up at a time when sewing was still offered in school. In an effort to be more progressive my junior high school even offered shop classes for girls which of course I had to sigh up
for.

What’s the first thing you remember creating?

2. Tell us about your home life.

I live in Silver Lake with my boyfriend + cat (named Mrs. Peel after the character from “The Avengers”). We don’t have any kids but lots of my friends do so I can be an “Auntie” to them.

3. When and where do you craft/create/design?

I live in kind of a small house so I have a big folding table that I set up in my living room when I make stuff. Everything usually spills over to the dining table and the floor and the couch and even another
folding table.

I am a freelance window dresser, I also do merchandising for small boutiques and product styling. I’ve been pretty good about balancing both but lately it seems that the crafty side is starting to gain momentum

4. Did you collect anything as a kid?