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Announcing a number of art shows going on this weekend, Dec. 3-5. This is a great time to support your independent artists, crafters and musicians. Get your loved ones something unique and one-of-a-kind this season. It’s so much more fun than hitting the malls. Instead enjoy a weekend of creativity and inspiration.
Friday: $99 Only Show Stoneworks Studios & Gallery * 300 N. Ventura Ave. Ventura, CA
First Friday at Stoneworks! 5% of all artwork sold helps local food banks and charities! Help local artists, help the community, and score some sweet art gifts for your loved ones!
An evening of pure awesomeness!!! Come see some great art by some of LA’s most talented and exciting artists. Enjoy live music and be around fun and creative people. We will have snacks and refreshments available.
Also we will have a merchandise table full of unique handmade goodies that artists will be selling at the show. You won’t want to miss out on this.
I’m organizing this show and so excited by so many talented contributions.
This post is all about gifts for guys. Harder to shop for, right? I think so anyway. I used to think I could just get Bradley anything with a robot on it and he would be happy. But after I asked him to look for things on etsy he thought guys would like, I was surprised by the results. This is the history of keywords he looked up:
zelda triforce, musette, tour de france, cycling, lumberjack, axe, army of darkness, new pornographers, wolf parade, animal collective music, band of horses, grizzly bear, firefly mal, walking dead, himym, the wire hbo, deadwood, community troy abed, cuff links, dice, deck cards, wooden pen, wire puzzles, geocaching, camping.....robot friend
Not everything had results but maybe that gave you some ideas! My general suggestions are: wool socks, wristwatch, toiletry bag, coffee cup, coffee cup cosy, messenger bag, ipod cosy, ipad etc. cosy, artwork, passport case, notebook, pen, wallet. Anyway, here are my picks:
I've been admiring this shop for some time now, fascinated by the notion of embellishing handmade items with crocheted mold and lichen. And the results are stunning! I love how Elin captures a variety of textures with her choices of yarn and stitches. Each piece is a beautiful microscopic landscape.
Jamie takes vintage items and adds her own wood grain embroidery. What a great idea! The embroidery really updates each piece and makes it so cool. I like them myself, but they're definitely manly. Practical too, this would be the perfect toiletry case to take on a camping trip.
0 Comments on Buying Handmade - part three as of 1/1/1900
Does your little monkey need a little monkey? Etsy makes me wish I had more kids to buy for, so many cute things! I love this monkey's plaid jumpsuit. He looks a little perplexed: why am I still here? why hasn't anyone bought me yet??
I can't say enough about this talented artist! Sabrina's necklaces are made from recycled glass and hand-painted with beautiful lace/nature-inspired patterns. Bradley gave me one for our anniversary and to say it is a treasured possession is an understatement! Absolutely beautiful.
I love pretty much all printmaking techniques, especially when they have a textured look to them and charming content such as this "egg basket" block print. This print is part of Amanda's "happy kitchen"" series so you could even have a little grouping of them!
Part three coming up soon...
1 Comments on Buying Handmade - part two, last added: 11/21/2010
I think it's probably obvious that I'm a handmade kind of person. I buy handmade things, and I sell handmade things, and if I'm lucky I occasionally get to swap handmade things. This is great because to be frank most of us aren't getting rich selling handmade and I'm constantly surrounded by talented crafters and artists whose work I covet.
This holiday I'll be making handmade items for gifts and for upcoming craft shows. Over the years I've found lots of presents myself at craft shows and I love skipping the mall and finding something that's one-of-a-kind and didn't come from a factory. To inspire you, I thought I'd post some of my favourite handmade treats.
This is a lovely cuff made from vintage feedsack. Amy also offers made-to-order cuffs with custom embroidery. Her shop is popular so dash over there early if you're looking for a holiday gift!
Now, how can you go wrong with barkcloth? It's a great search word to use if you want to find something special. This oversized pincushion is just one of many gorgeous items in this artfire shop. I also love the pretty vintage-style necklaces.
My dear husband, for reasons yet unknown, picked out these shades for the lights in our apartment living room. In most apartments here, the lighting fixtures are not included, and since we’re here for a limited time, we didn’t want to spend a lot on them. We have no pink in our house otherwise, so I can only guess he was asking for a dose of color in our lovely but very white white white apartment. Reactions from guests have ranged from: “Fresh! Modern! I love them!” to “Hmmmph. Why? Why?”
I felt the need to echo the pink somewhere else, so recovering our pillows was my first thought. Finding fabrics here has been tough, so I hit up the thrift store, bought old white cotton tablecloths and turned them into something that works.
First I doused the tablecloths in a good strong brew of coffee (no, I did not use the good stuff, honey). Then I broke out a favorite childhood toy.
I love these stamps. I used Deka fabric ink that I found at the local art store. I’ve used Deka ink before, a long time ago, which was more like a gouache consistency. This was different, more gel-like.
You may recognize this shape from another project using dishwasher gel.
Now the pink feels at home.
For more information about printing on fabrics and other surfaces, check out Lena Corwin’s excellent book: Printing by Hand.
How well i know the desperation of WHITE walls when you don’t want to put much money into the place you’ll be in for a short time.
In Todd’s choice i see a definite fatherly influence (and hear Mira squealing with delight).
Today is the first day of Spring here…I’m sorry for what that means for you there
Emily Smith Pearce said, on 9/22/2010 3:33:00 AM
Thanks, Annette Actually it’s gorgeous here today, so gorgeous you just can’t help but smile. If there’s one good thing you can say about the lack of sunshine here, it’s that you treasure every moment of sun when you do have it. The people here are great about getting outside and eating ice cream and walking/ running/ biking/ playing it up.
My mother-in-law made this beautiful wool rug as a wedding gift. She let me pick out the shape, size and colors (she even dyed a couple herself). We didn’t really know what to expect with the grey, yellow and ivory color combination. Though it seems trendy, I figured these colors would make the rug look more modern while still retaining the old-fashioned feel from a braided rug. I have to say I was completely thrilled when I open the box!
The photos don’t do it justice, plus you can’t feel how soft it is. As you can see, even the four-legged member of the household approves! This photo was taken soon as I unrolled it (you can see the edges are still a little wavy) and Spoo has pretty much claimed it as his own. Because of this I’ve had to move from the living room it to my office (oh geez that’s a real shame, now i have it all to myself) where I can shut the door when I’m not around. See, Spoo Kee likes to dig his claws into the wool (as most cats would); he knows he’s not supposed to. In fact, while I was on the computer the other day, I heard the faintest of sounds behind me: *pick* *pick*. Yes, that was Spoo Kee trying to be ever so quiet while scratching the rug!
Oh, and thank you for the comments on Dress Parade (Yellow, Part 1), I’m glad you love that little yellow dress. Part 2 is coming up very soon!
I have this habit of buying vintage for a bargain (because pieces are damaged, ill-fitting, etc.) and taking forever to getting around to making repairs and thus wearing said items. But I’ve made the commitment to change this bad habit into a good one and I’m working my way through my to do pile. This is the first post of my vintage dress parade and I’ll detail the fixes and tweaks I’ve made for each one. I’ll try to remember to include “before” shots next time, hee hee.
The above late 1930s or early ’40s dress was quite the steal as it was falling apart in various places, had a motley crew of ugly buttons and was an unflattering mid-calf length. My fixes:
Changed the buttons to clear glass ones with faceted edges; I figured this would work well both in the light-colored printed (and flocked!) fabric as well as the navy blue organza. (My camera died before I could get any close up shots.)
Added bust darts for a better fit.
Trimmed the flutter sleeves for a little bit more modern look. (I felt like I would fly away before I narrowed them down!)
Hemmed the skirt by a few inches. Each tier in the skirt was a little bit wider (taller?) than the proceeding one, from waist to hem. Instead of hemming just the bottom tier (and messing up the sequence) or hemming each tier (too much work!), I hemmed the second navy blue tier to match the width of the first one. This way there is still some order/design to the width of the tiers.
Used the piece I trimmed off the skirt and turned it into a sash (original belt was missing). I can see here that the sash could stand to be shortened (that’s the beauty of taking photos of your projects - you see things you might miss in the mirror!).
Made other minor repairs like loose seams, wonky tiers, etc.
Next: I love wearing this ’50s dress. I found it soon after seeing (500) Days of Summer and thought it looked like something Zooey’s character might wear. I bought a pale grey-blue crinoline just for this dress. I’m also wearing the same pale blue slip I’m wearing under the dress above. I considered going dark but then you wouldn’t be able to see the print on the sheer fabric very well. Anyway, here’s what I did:
Removed the sleeves: this dress had half sleeves with quick and dirty hems that were not so great. Since I don’t like fixing/sewing sleeves I just took them off and finished the openings by simply folding under the edges (which doesn’t always work due to the curves but luckily it did in this case).
Let the waist out: the wearer before me had a tiny waist and had taken it in in several spots around the ruched waist panel.
Hemmed the skirt. (I will almost always do this!)
Repaired little holes and opened seams.
(I thought about pinning on that dark blue rose that I’m holding at the waist along with a ribbon sash but the flower is a bit dark and I think the dress looks nice unadorned.)
Hope you enjoyed this little dress tour!
(By the way, thanks for the Lucy love from the last post - it made her blush!)
It’s a perfectly dreary, drizzly day; not good for photo-taking but just right for hot chocolate (which I’ve already had) and split pea soup (which I plan to make for lunch). Regardless, I snapped this photo of my latest creation, a rag doll named Lucy!
Drafting a pattern for this doll has been a surprisingly slow process. It was important to me to make this doll from scratch and while I felt like I was reinventing the wheel at times, it’s satisfying to finally get the proportions down. My doll-making supplies box is full of forlorn and random limbs, which is both a little creepy and amusing. But finally something just clicked and I drew up these plans rather quickly.
And the hair is completely experimental - how does it look? It’s a mohair/silk blend yarn from Rowan. And painting on fabric - did you know? It’s FUN.
Like with my Leda softie pattern, I’ve looked to old-fashioned dolls for inspiration. Lucy looks like something you’d find in an old chest in the attic, amidst bone china teacups, lace collars and tattered school primers.
So tiny, yet jam-packed so full of cute your teeth will rot and you’ll just beg for more, Jamie Ferraioli’s hand-painted polymer clay sculptures are TO DIE FOR. She’s got a Flickr page and a Twitter account and of course an Etsy shop.
Wonder if she needs to pay a licensing fee to sell those sculptures that use the Totoro characters.
Leif Peng said, on 12/16/2009 3:45:00 PM
You mean the way thousands of artists pay a licensing fee every time they sell a commission drawing/painting of some Marvel or DC character…?
Luc Latulippe said, on 12/17/2009 1:43:00 PM
Right; It doesn’t seem like she’s mass-producing these either. In fact, the Totoro figurines were in a set of wedding cake toppers, so I’m guessing they were commissioned specifically for someone’s wedding and not for commercial purposes. Her collection of handmade figurines is pretty extensive, and 99% of it are all characters of her own creation.
Thanks Bjornik and Valerie. And yes--that's a good idea about the Baro't Saya! Bjornik, Keep me poosted also about your show in Sunteck Singapore. Wish I was back there again to see it.
Fun and (I am happy to report :) ) busy day today at the South End Open Market. I tell you I LOVE this side of town! Lived in Boston or Cambridge for most of my life. Now WHY have I not spent time in this vibrant little shoebox-cozy part of town? Let's look forward shall we! I'm going to drag Matt out of Cambridge for a leisurely South End Saturday one of these weekends. The dog count ALONE here is worth the trip -- so many adorable, sweet, big, tiny, licky-friendly and then also of course the non-chalant, stand-offish doggies, and I love to meet every last one! It's like a big dog party! :)
Weather was nice today -- very warm but not too sticky with intermittent sun and overcast skies. The a.m. was just a little bit harried because we did not have a lot of time to set up our tent and area. It was a race but it all worked out just fine in the end.
The crowds were intermittently thick or moderate at any given moment. We had an aisle spot, so there were a couple of "Now you see them, now you DON'T" types of moments, but in reverse: "Now you don't see them, now you DO!" That was fun and kept us on our toes!
Today, SOWA hosted a group of NYC artisans called "The {New New}". (The {New New} group is similar in philosophy and concept as the group to which I belong, Boston Handmade.) I think that having The {New New} here today may have helped to increase foot traffic over a typical summer Sunday. In general, the overall number of vendors was high as well, so it was a very good day to be here,whether vending or shopping or just hanging out! I was not able to do a good walk through, greet our NYC guests and see what kind of cool stuff they were making and selling. I was too busy today. with my own booth, which is a good thing, I can't complain about that but I sure would like to meet the NYC artists some time. For now, I will have to depend on their Flickr photostream to check out how the day went from their end!
I also did not take too many pics today (see the photos I did take HERE). I just didn't have many chances. I was able to take a few of my table and a few of my booth mate / sister / jewelry designer NancyRosetta's. (Those did not require that I leave the booth. It's no wonder I could get a few pics!)
Well,that's my SOWA report for Sunday, August 9, 2009. I might do one more SOWA date this month ( Aug. 30) . It's not certain yet but I promise to keep you in the loop!
1 Comments on Fun day at SOWA, last added: 8/10/2009
I just love your amazing work and your blog is so interesting and fun...so I am giving you a blog award. You are a very busy gal it seems, so feel free to just accept and not have to follow the "rules" or you can bend them. Why not? See my blog for details.
I recently started making these little hand-painted wood tag-style charm necklaces. (I like to call them "amulets", because it sounds magical!) On one side, the feature little kitties that help you meditate on a certain goal or behavior (which is written out on the other side) . The idea for these grew out my attempts to produce some beautiful, one of a kind, wearable mini-artworks that not only looked cute but but that also had a more meaningful, and maybe useful, purpose. I love words, quotes, and I love to do lettering too, so making these charming kitty amulets would also be extra engaging for me to make.
Focus
I wasn't even thinking about this when I created the one above, but, strangely, this one seems to echo my wishes for my mom in her stroke recovery. For one thing, she sometimes shuts one of her eyes - like Popeye... and like the kitty here. The second thing is that all the swirlies above the kitty's head could signify the brain injury event of a stroke, and of how a person's brain so cerebrally mixed up after one. And lastly, one of her biggest hurdles she is working through is being able to focus on one task long enough to complete it successfully... and this is called Focus. Hmmm!
These are so great Kathy, very charming! I have been following your blog on Mom's recovery. I think it is great that you have your sisters to go through all of this with. I hope Dolly will have some success soon with her focus and follow through.
I just finished this the other day. Had to wait for good light to photograph it. I had so much fun making this, that I may make some more to sell in my shop. Any interest out there?
1 Comments on Birdhouse Frame collage, last added: 6/30/2009
Melbourne is the home of much that is the best of handcrafted, craftsman made. Parthenon Shoesin Coburg is one such business. Run by Christine and her Father John Koikas, this is the shoe as art! Christine is holding one of her personal favourites among her creations. Craft made ball gowns and bridal gowns glitter from street front boutiques along the long, long stretch of Sydney Road. Glorious gowns with finely detailed beadwork and exquisite lace look out of suburban shopfronts.
The markets in Melbournes' beachfront St Kilda are typical of the amazing array of highly original craft work on offer at affordable prices!
From Mugs on Mugs to Aussie Animals, Origami Architecture to Sleeper Clocks.
St Kilda Marketeers include:
Sculpted by Senia - Australian, handcrafted pottery animals, [email protected]
Glass Art - Sally Green's unique lampwork jewellery www.glass-art.net.au Celtic Handmade - Tony Fitton, www.celtichandmade.com.au Handmade pewter jewellery - Yvonne Moloney & Colin Fleming, www.calypsoflash.com.au Recycled redgum, clocks - Bill Jackson, www.redgumclocks.com Handmade kilnformed glass - Ray Seeber www.seeglass.com.au Metal jewellery - Edward Faingold, www.edwardfaingold.com.au Ocean inspired jewellery - Dan McGill - www.danmcgilljewellery.com.au Art & Craft - Yani Moediman - [email protected] Stainless Steel Design - Serge Rudakov - www.srss.com.au Handcrafted bells and windchimes - Bird's Gallery www.birdsgallery.com.au Handmade Metal Art - Lee Rodsted - Hyram's Metal Webs www.metalwebs.com.au Other crafts - Danny's Knitwear, Queen Victoria Markets, www.bomilnex.com.au
For the art of writing and associated excellent conversation - Collected Works Poetry & Ideas Bookshop, www.collectedworks-poetryideas.blogspot.com
0 Comments on Melbourne - Creative and Craft paradise as of 1/1/1990
$40 USD - Handmade in Toronto and sold on etsy.com
Oh yes. Hot indeed. I believe some of us here can confirm that boys and girls DO make passes at folks who wear glasses. Especially if they are well-versed in database design, collections management, or bibliographic instruction.
0 Comments on Hot Librarian Necklace as of 11/8/2008 2:41:00 AM
“Konnichi-waaaaa minna san! It’s meeee Jessica Hoshi! Today we got a super treat for everyone. This is our first ever article with a video, because my friend Talitha-chan is super smart and can do anything with computers. This is an article that was written by a guest author and they said we could put in on our site. We love big kitties because Shannon-sama has a big kitty named Kishi that is a magical cat. So we got this article about three cheetahs at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Their names are Majani, Kubali and Karroo! The first two are brother and sister cheetahs. Majani is a Swahili word that means ‘grasslands,’ and Kubali is also a Swahili word that means ‘to accept.’ Swahili is a language that is spoken in Africa, which is where there are lots of cheetahs, but not so many now cause cheetahs are endangered. I’m gonna get Talitha-chan to put links in our Fun Places list about cheetahs so you can get involved and help out just like us! Arigato minna!”
Meet Majani, Kubali and Karroo
Zero to 60 in 3.4 seconds.
No, it isn’t the latest super car or souped up motorcycle. In fact, these “vehicles” have no metal parts, engines or wheels at all. They have names, though. They are Majani and Kubali, brother and sister cheetahs who reside at the San Diego Zoo and are featured every weekend at the San Diego Wild Animal Park’s Animal Shows.
Majani and Kubali put on speed exhibitions at the new San Diego Wild Animal Park’s “Cheetah Run Safari” where guests line the track and can get an up close, thrilling view of the animals as they dash past, chasing a small mechanical lure at speeds well in excess of 60 miles per hour. Majani, whose name means “grasslands” in Swahili, is the larger brother of Kubali, whose name means “to accept” in Swahili. Majani also holds the distinction of being the largest and heaviest zoo kept cheetah in the country, weighing in at 144 pounds. The largest and heaviest cheetah recorded in the wild was scarcely one pound heavier at 145 pounds.
Because of her size and weight advantage, Kubali is slightly faster than her brother. This may also be due to the fact that, like many big cats, female cheetahs must develop better and more effective hunting skills since they are responsible for catching and providing food for their cubs.
But what is probably most charming about these two magnificent animals at the San Diego Wild Animal Park is the fact they have befriended two dogs from the local San Diego Humane Society. That’s right. Cats and dogs, living together. Clifford is a labrador and Bear is a labrador/chow who were “assigned” to Majani and Kubali respectively, and act as a calming influence on the big cats when they are performing for the public. Like all cats, cheetahs can be somewhat reclusive in unfamiliar situations, but with their companions around, it seems the brother and sister team have an easier time of it during the Cheetah Run Safari shows.
Just for fun, the park staff lets Clifford and Bear out on the track for trial runs before the stars of the show take to the starter’s blocks. While they are probably quite capable runners, as some dogs are, labradors don’t quite compare to the fastest land animal on the planet.
After their runs, the big cats are fed and spectators have an opportunity to listen as their loud purring is heard throughout Cheetah Outpost. The Cheetah Run Safari is available on weekends to spectators and guests by reservation and requires an additional fee which does not include admission to the San Diego Wild Animal Park or Zoo. The program includes refreshments and a 5×7 photograph of one of the cheetahs from the show.
The third “dog and cat” team at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park is also a dog and cheetah team like Majani and Clifford or Kubali and Bear. They are Karroo and Sven, a cheetah and golden retriever team that appears in the “Wild Ones” show in the San Diego Wild Animal Park’s “Cat Canyon” area.
Karroo and Sven Olaf are the current caretakers of a historical dog and cheetah tradition at the park’s Cheetah Run and Cat Canyon, signified by a plaque commemorating the original team at Wegeforth Bowl in the park. The original team, consisting of a cheetah named Arusha and a golden retriever named Anna, performed and worked at the park together well into their old ages. Chobe and Jessie followed, and now, the featured dog and cat team of Karroo and Sven continue to thrill and delight audiences at the San Diego Wild Animal Park’s many shows and attractions, including the Zoo’s show at the Hunte Ampitheater.
Cheetahs are a unique species, and are among the most specialized creatures in nature. Their bodies are a wonder of aerodynamics, agility, speed and strength, and there is undoubtedly still much to be learned about the way they hunt and survive in the wild. Cheetahs live considerably longer in captivity than in the wild, and this will hopefully provide more opportunties to help this spectacular big cat overcome some of the challenges that are facing the 12,000 remaining cheetahs in the world, including inbreeding, genetic defects and various viruses and infections that cheetahs are susceptible to.
But in the meantime, there’s no reason that people cannot marvel at the incredible abilities of Majani, Kubali and Karroo at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park. There is no better way to learn to appreciate wild animals, their habitat and humanity’s relationship with nature than to see nature’s strength and dignity in person, and that is precisely the opportunity shows like the Cheetah Run Safari and the Wild Ones provide. Endangered species like the cheetah and many others around the world are everyone’s responsibility, and learning more about both endangered species and species with healthy populations is an excellent way for people to develop a more profound understanding of both the world we live in and the challenges we share in preserving the natural world around us.
Friday: $99 Only Show Stoneworks Studios & Gallery * 300 N. Ventura Ave. Ventura, CA
Sunday:
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Actually it’s gorgeous here today, so gorgeous you just can’t help but smile. If there’s one good thing you can say about the lack of sunshine here, it’s that you treasure every moment of sun when you do have it. The people here are great about getting outside and eating ice cream and walking/ running/ biking/ playing it up..jpeg?picon=2420)
rom the department of products-inadvertently-marketed-to-librarians:
Claire!
I love that little guy! and now i have a little one to buy for! I look forward too seeing you at Crafternoon Tea!
hugs!