Dream Spa Medical Featured Artist of October: Fiona Mastromattei

For Westwood native Fiona Mastromattei, art has always been part of the picture, even if it wasn’t a career path she originally imagined. A 2018 graduate of Westwood High School, Fiona studied criminal justice at Endicott College, earning her bachelor’s degree in 2022 and completing an accelerated master’s in homeland security a year later. Today, she balances her role as a case manager in the clinical support unit at the Cambridge Police Department with her growing creative side hustle, The Crafty Cape Local.
 
Fiona’s love for art stretches back to childhood. She remembers weekend classes in Norwood and studio art at Westwood High, where her work often caught the attention of teachers and administrators.
 
“Each year, the art teachers would pick pieces to hang in the superintendent’s or principal’s office. A couple of mine were chosen, and it was such an honor. That’s when I thought, ‘Hey, maybe I’m actually kind of good at this art thing!’” Fiona recalled.
 
Later, at Endicott, she fit in a semester of studio art – even though it wasn’t tied to her major – before turning mostly to self-teaching. The Crafty Cape Local officially came to life in the spring of 2024, when Fiona began decoupaging seashells she collected by the shore. It was a natural craft for someone now living on Cape Cod. But as her creativity expanded, her focus shifted.
 
“I was selling seashells for about a year, but this past March is when my business really took off with the totes,” Fiona explained. “That’s when I officially registered my business with Massachusetts so I could do things the right way – collect sales tax, do pop-ups, all of that. Before that, it was just Instagram sales locally on Cape Cod, but it grew faster than I ever expected!”
 
The tote bags quickly became her signature. Fiona offers three sizes: pouches, small bags, and large bags.
 
“The small and large can fit up to six images, and the pouch up to four. People usually reach out to me through Instagram and tell me what they’d like. Sometimes they send me images, other times I’ll find inspiration on Pinterest or Google, and then I put my own spin on it. Each bag is completely unique to the person ordering it.”
 
Her Boston-themed designs have proven especially popular. One of her earliest successes was the “wicked” tote, which pulled together a playful collection of local icons—from Dunkin’ iced coffee to Red Sox and Bruins bears. She has turned several of her designs, including the wicked tote, into stickers as well.
 
Getting her work in front of the right audience took trial and error. Fiona first tried her luck at the Mashpee Farmers Market, but quickly realized that most shoppers came for produce, not painted totes.
 
”People usually went there for bread or vegetables, so the totes didn’t sell as much,” Fiona admitted.
 
The breakthrough came when her friend Ashley, owner of Ashley Irene Boutique in Mashpee Commons, invited her to host a pop-up.
 
“That’s when sales really picked up. Her customers are exactly the kind of people who love my bags, so it just worked. She’s amazing, and I’m so grateful for her support!”
 
Even with steady orders for bags and stickers, Fiona’s creativity keeps her thinking ahead. She’s already eyeing new projects, like miniature tote keychains.
 
“I saw these mini LL Bean totes that are keychain-sized, and I thought they’d be so fun to paint. That’s definitely something I want to try soon!”
 
Balancing her professional career with her creative one has been both challenging and rewarding. And while Cape Cod is where her business has flourished, Fiona still credits her hometown for nurturing her passion for art.
 
“I grew up in Westwood and it’ll always be home,” she said. “My biggest claim to fame was playing on the Westwood High School field hockey team. I’ve even thought about doing a Westwood-themed bag with the W and some of the things that make the town so special. There’s so much charm in Westwood, and it’s always going to be part of me, no matter where I am.”
 
You can find Fiona’s work on Instagram at @thecraftycapelocal or by emailing thecraftycapelocal@gmail.com
 
Congratulations Fiona for being our October Featured Artist! If you’d like to nominate an artist of any sort to be featured – music, acting, painting, drawing, sculpture, etc. – please email dbezdedeanu@bestversionmedia.com.