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. We’ve been making beautiful things by hand in our Philadelphia-area studio since 2009.
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 is a member of the Artessa Alliance (an award-winning artist collective), received the Artist Cultural Exchange prize for “Alone With the Stars,” her mixed-media piece honoring Amelia Earhart, was named Runner-Up Entrepreneur of the Year (2017) by Handmade Business Magazine, and has been a finalist for the Happening List’s Best of Montgomery County, PA in 2019 and 2020!

Questions about our work?
Check out our FAQ below, read our customer reviews,
or contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
Visit mkc photography on Instagram.
Here’s a peek inside the studio!
FAQ
Art Blocks
Handmade by Michelle from her archival 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.
Growth Charts
Printed on removable, reusable vinyl and each comes with application instructions. In stock and ready to ship today!
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 1.25″ square 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 will withstand years of daily use.
Shipping
All items on this site ship free in the Continental United States. Please allow five (5) business days for prints, ornaments/keychains, photo holders, and 5×5 art blocks & twelve (12) 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 wholesaler
Would you like to carry mkc photography wares in your shop? We’d love to join you! Simply contact us or fill out our wholesale application to receive our line sheet and order form.
retailer boutiques
mkc photography is available at these fine retailers in the USA:
Connecticut
Evergreen Fine Crafts: Guilford
Delaware
Hockessin Bookshelf: Hockessin
Georgia
Queen of Hearts: Alpharetta
Indiana
Ivy Boutique: Valparaiso
Maine
On the Main: Ogunquit
A Little Mad: Bar Harbor
Massachusetts
Westcott Mercantile: Belmont
Michigan
Two Fish Gallery: Leland
New Jersey
August Heart: Ocean City
Good Scents: Cape May
Heartstrings: Clinton
Ocean Galleries: Avalon
Ocean Galleries: Stone Harbor
North Carolina
Fable: Charlotte
Over the Moon: Ocracoke
SugarBritches: Holden Beach
Pennsylvania
Earth & State: Media
Reads & Company: Phoenixville
The Frame Game: Newtown
The Frame Game: Yardley
This Little Gallery: Jenkintown
Topeo Gallery: New Hope
Urban Princess: Philadelphia
Texas
Coast & Cottage: Rockport
Twisted Willow Mercantile: Magnolia
Virginia
The Book Dragon: Staunton
Reunions: Alexandria
Washington
Crow: Edmonds
The Handmade Showroom: Seattle
Online
Art Star
The Barrington Garage
Bas Bleu
Clover Market
Simply Inspired Goods
Tree Free Greetings
Selected Interviews and Features
The Story Exchange Home for the Holidays Gift Guide December 2020 Interview with Bas Bleu Booksellers December 2020 The Happening List Best in Montgomery County 2020 Finalist “Rebirth” with Kate Brenton on Apple Podcasts May 2019
Meet the Artist on AnytownUSA April 2019
The Happening List Best in Montgomery County 2019 Finalist
“Tastemakers” on Sirius XM July 2018
10 Tips for Taking Great Holiday Photos (Medium, November 2018)
Giftware News Designer Spotlight Jan 2018 (PDF)
Handmade Business Magazine 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year: Runner Up
NBC10 News
The Story Exchange