about mkc photography

mkc photography is an eco-friendly, hand-made gift & home decor company that creates gorgeous art and wares using salvaged wood, paper from damaged library books, and original art by Michelle Ciarlo-Hayes. Customers love to purchase our artwork both for themselves and for gifts because they know each piece gives new life to otherwise discarded materials, especially wood products that are not normally recycled, reused, or salvaged. Our hands touch each piece we make countless times: we take pride in the handmade process and our exquisite attention to detail. We use only the highest quality archival prints, non-toxic sealant, and durable wood materials salvaged from a variety of sources, so each piece is (hand)made to last. We’ve been making beautiful things by hand in our Philadelphia-area studio since 2009.

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Michelle Ciarlo-Hayes is the award-winning artist, creator, and story-teller behind mkc photography. Until the age of ten, Michelle was certain the secret passage into Narnia truly existed and if she just rifled through enough closets and cupboards, she would find it. Fables, fairy tales, and legends have always enchanted Michelle, her favorites being those where feisty and daring heroines like Lucy and Alice run off to have wild adventures. She graduated from the University of Oxford, where she would read in the same gardens that inspired C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll’s imaginations, and her whimsical, witty, & joyful {with just a hint of quirky} artwork is still influenced by this idea of magical worlds that mingle with our own. She’s a former librarian (hence, all those salvaged books) and she creates every piece of artwork featured on her handmade wares.

Michelle creates her artwork by photographing or illustrating each separate component: moon, cottage, flowers, or any other inspirations in her imagination. She then weaves these pieces into a digital collage, combining them into her magical scenes.

MichelleCiarloHayes-mkc Photography-portrait

Michelle is a member of the Artessa Alliance (an award-winning artist collective) and received the Artist Cultural Exchange prize for “Alone With the Stars,” her mixed-media piece honoring Amelia Earhart.

Questions about our work?

Check out our FAQ below, read our customer reviews or contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
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Here’s a peek inside the studio!

FAQ

Art Blocks

Handmade by Michelle from her archival art prints, reclaimed wood, and vintage book paper. Michelle seals each block with multiple layers of non-toxic matte varnish and signs them on the reverse. All blocks come with a keyhole opening in the back for ease of hanging.

Canvas Gallery Wraps

Professionally printed with archival inks on water resistant canvas that last over 100 years in direct sunlight. The canvas is stretched over 1.5 inch-deep handmade frames constructed of solid wood, and arrives signed and ready-to-hang. Michelle signs every piece by hand in the lower right corner.

Returns

We want you to love your art! If your items arrive damaged or you’re not happy in any way, please contact us within seven (7) calendar days of your order’s arrival to arrange an exchange or a return.

Fine Art Prints

Professionally printed on archival photo paper with light-safe inks. Prints last 100 years in home display and 200 years in dark storage. Michelle signs each print on the reverse with photo-safe ink. If selecting the matted 8×8 or 8×10 option, your print will arrive matted in classic white archival mat board and will be signed on the mat in pencil.

Keychains, Ornaments & Picture Holders

Beautiful and eco-friendly! Michelle creates each one from salvaged wood and book paper, and seals them with multiple coats of a high-quality, non-toxic finish. Our keychains aren’t fully waterproof (so please don’t leave them outside in a rain storm) but they are super durable and will withstand years of daily use.

Shipping

All items on this site ship free in the Continental United States. Please allow three (3) business days for prints, ornaments/keychains, photo holders, and 5×5 art blocks & seven (7) business days for canvas gallery wraps and large art blocks to ship once you’ve placed your order (expedited and international shipping is available for an additional fee: please contact us for a quote).

become an mkc retailer

Would you like to carry mkc photography art and gifts in your shop? We’d love to join you! Simply fill out our application to place your wholesale order with us today.

Apply here

retail boutiques

mkc photography is available at these fine retailers in the USA and Canada:

Colorado
Art & Soul Gallery: Boulder
Colorado Cross Stitcher: Ft. Collins
Willow: Crested Butte

Connecticut
Splat Art Studio: Wallingford

Georgia
Queen of Hearts: Alpharetta

Idaho
R. Grey Gallery: Boise

Iowa
Agora Arts: Decorah

Louisiana
Octavia Books: New Orleans

Maine
Calluna Fine Flowers: Ogunquit
Spruce & Gussy: Bar Harbor
On the Main: Ogunquit

Maryland
The Muse: Frederick

Massachusetts
E. Drumm Designs: Acton
Flourish Market: West Stockbridge
Lee & Co: Amesbury

Michigan
Two Fish Gallery: Leland

Minnesota
Gallery 360: Minneapolis

Missouri
Missouri Baptist Medical Center Gift Shop: St. Louis

New Jersey
Good Scents: Cape May
Kay Jay’s Doll Shoppe: Ocean City

New York
Harbor Market & Kitchen: Sag Harbor
The Artful Gardener: Rochester
The Eclectic Collector: Katonah

Oregon
White Rabbit Gifts: Oregon City

Pennsylvania
Earth & State: Media
Krysset: Yardley
Pennsylvania General Store: Elkins Park
Pennsylvania General Store: Philadelphia
Soul Sisters: Emmaus
Sweet Mabel: Narberth
The Frame Game: Newtown
The Frame Game: Yardley
This Little Gallery: Jenkintown
Thistle & Sage Creative: Columbia

Rhode Island
Paper Packaging & Panache: Bristol

Tennesee
Wild Blue Market

Vermont
Carr’s Florist & Gifts: Brandon

Virginia
Glave Kocen Gallery: Richmond
Reunions: Alexandria

Washington
The Handmade Showroom: Seattle

Washington D.C.
The Phoenix

Wisconsin
Yerkes Observatory: Williams Bay