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.

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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 one magical scene.

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, and was named Runner-Up Entrepreneur of the Year (2017) by Handmade Business Magazine. MKC Photography and has been a finalist for the Happening List’s Best of Montgomery County, PA in 2019 and 2020, and in 2021 won “Best in Show” at the American Handcrafted show.

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