rar!

My little sister is in New York right now! That's where she snapped the awesome photo you see above. I'm so jealous. But hey, even though I'm not there, I can shop like I am! So here are some picks I found using Etsy's shop local tool.

This purse from pesky cat designs is so cute! And the color is gorgeous.

Squee! The cuteness of this little owl family from ManiMina is too too!

I feel like maybe I've shared this fern leaf bangle from EmilyEJewelry before, but I can't help it, I think it's great.

This sweet sweater from theAnecdotes looks so warm and cuddly...I wish they had it in an adult size!

I'm loving the warm colors in Gwen Meyerson's work.

mel

ha ha! POUNCED!

So I am truly distraught over my inability to check out the treasuries. It is one of my favorite things to do on Etsy. To console myself I decided to indulge in some serious pouncing. Of course I quickly found loads of awesome undiscovered shops that I cannot wait to share with you.

This Love Birds cut-out card by pocketstudio is so sweet and pretty!

I am loving the over the top old school glamour of the cuffs (like this geometric gold one) by lizncoco.

I am totally digging the colors and lines of Growing Young by JohnStorm.

These pastel fabric bangles by MelissaWarren are totally 80s, but in the good way.

There something I find so appealing about this mixed media piece by ksantiago. It reminds me of the best children's books. Click over to the listing to read the interesting inspiration behind it.

More birds! More works on wood! Butter yellow! Yes, Little Yellow Bird by KimFoxArt is a no brainer for me.

I found a lot to love in the Lighthouse Designs shop, but I think I was most enamored with these El Tango earrings. Gorgeous.

Tomorrow: POUNCED! pt. 2!
mel

Cathy Cahill

Andre by Cathy Cahill

Cathy Cahill is a pretty new shop on etsy (she opened in August), but I am still surprised that she has anything left in her shop because I think her drawings are super wonderful! Right now her shop is full of lovely rabbits like Andre up there, beautifully rendered in pastels and pencil. The colors are just perfect, and I especially love the dreaminess of these little drawings. And they are so so affordable, which is like a dream come true. As soon as I can choose which is my favorite I will be ordering it straightaway, so you should probably get over to her shop fast so you can swoop on your fave! And if you are wanting more of the most adorable drawings you have ever seen in your life, click on over to cathycahill.com.

mel

PikaPackage: The time is now

We've already established that I've been neglecting my blogging duties lately, but it's even more aggrevious because I've had some very exciting news to share: I am participating in this month's PikaPackage! I can't believe I not only didn't share this with you a week ago like I should have, but that I also forgot to tell you about it yesterday! Oops. Anyway, I contributed original linoprints and some of linoprint buttons. I'm really excited to be in the company of some really wonderful artists like Elise of Argyle Whale, Shelby Healy, Julia Pott, and Gracia + Louise, among many others. There are 39 contributed artists this round! The driver of this whole thing is the lovely Amy, if you haven't had a chance to check out her blog PikaLand, do it right now! It's full of lovely art. Oh, and if you'd like to buy your own pikapackage, why you can do so by clicking right here. And guess what? Two dollars from every sale go to Amnesty International.

mel

Etsy Finds: sonFlower

various feather tote bag by sonFlower

About 5 years ago I purchased what I called an Indian Necklace t-shirt at a thrift store. It was a white crew neck t-shirt with a colorful screenprint at the neck line that was supposed to look like necklaces with a Native American feel; you know, turquoise and feathers and all that. I wore it all the time, I wore it to see Huey Lewis at the California state fair. And then I gave it up. For love. And I don't regret it, exactly...I just miss it. So imagine how excited I was to find sonFlower's etsy shop, and this:

icarus on heathered grey by sonFlower

Not exactly an Indian necklace t-shirt...I think it is definitely classier and might even not make a certain person in my life want to throw up. Here's a nice detail shot:

Yep, I think next payday this will have to be mine. Doesn't the t-shirt look super soft? This grey version of the shirt is actually not available right at this moment, but the same design is on white v-neck tees as well. sonFlower also has some really cool totebags like the one at the top of this post. If I didn't need another bag like I need a hole in the head, I would have snatched that up real quick.

The really cool thing about the sonFlower shop? 15% of proceeds from sales go to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. From sonFlower's profile:

The "Hate Clips Our Wings" collection of shirts focus on the thousands of hate crimes that happen every year. In 2006 5,449 people were attacked because of their race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion. Every feather represents one of those victims. 15% of each shirt's price is donated to The Matthew Shepard Foundation that fights for stricter hate crime laws as well as the equality and acceptance of gay & bisexual youth.

mel

Walking Weekend

Erin and I unknowingly walked four miles on Saturday! This (above) is the new wallet I picked up on our travels. It is a Betsy Walton design by Poketo and I got it at Rare Device. Poketo makes so many awesome wallets with so many awesome artists, it was really really difficult to decide which one I wanted. I decided on this one because I've been lusting after Betsy Walton's work in her etsy shop for a while now, so I figured this would be a gateway of sorts. Soon I'll be be snapping up her prints, I'm sure. In fact, they had some at rare device, and now I'm kind of hitting myself for not buying one. I'm hitting myself for not buying a bunch of prints they had there actually, I really need to make a trip back soon.

Another place we hit up on Saturday that I need to get back to stat is Little Otsu. I think what was going was it was super hot on Saturday, I was walking around, getting all sweaty and I wasn't thinking straight enough to know that I wanted to buy buy buy everything they had! They collaborate with artists to make awesome exclusive to them items like calendars with Jennie Smith, adorable planners with Martine Workman, and this genius film diary (want it!). Of course they are also stocked with tons and tons of sweet stationary and notebooks and pins and postcards and wallets...oh, and right now they are offering free shipping on orders over $25 on their website! That's a pretty good deal. Be sure to check out their fun blog too.

The only downer on Saturday was that we didn't make it to the Curiosity Shoppe because they were closing early, but we did get to drool a little over the window display, which was all weaving. They were showing a portable loom like the one in Craft that I've been using, but instead of paper it was made out of what looked like acrylic. Needless to say I am aching to get in there and buy that! Luckily, Curiosity Shoppe is practically next door to Little Otsu, so it will be very easy for me to visit both next weekend. See you there!

mel

This Is An Emergency!

Pigeon Power By Clare Bowers

Oh my gosh you guys! I have just discovered that one of my very very favoritest etsy shops is having an amazing blowout sale!!!! Clare Bowers (who also writes a nice little blog called Clare Cupcake) has significantly discounted every piece in her shop. Wow. This is a bargain you will not see the likes of again, I promise you. Her paintings are jam packed with cuteness. Look at this!

Quail Guardian by Clare Bowers

Oh yeah. You better get your buns over there.

mel

Michelle Kendrick

Texas Original Acrylic painting by MichelleKendrick

I happened upon Michelle Kendrick's etsy shop the other day and was immediately impressed with her mixed media works. I especially love her 50 States series, because you know how I have a soft spot for anything remotely map related. But really I love her colors and how she uses white highlighting to give her works an ethereal feel that contrasts with the earthiness of the maple she paints on and the straightforwardness of the states. She also has some really wonderful figure studies in her shop. In fact, she's only had one sale in this shop so far, so you'll have a real trove of treasures to choose from when you check it out.

mel

Original Painting - HSP Acrylic on wood by MichelleKendrick

Things Are Happening (have happened)

I am sorry for the lack of posts in the last week. I don't exactly know what happened, I think it was a combination of being in Sacramento over the weekend, a broken alarm on my phone, and, y'know, being old now. But posts will start occuring at their regular frequency again. I'll give you a quick recap of things I've been thinking about this week.

*I am going to go to my coworker's daughter's Girl Scout meeting next weekend and teach the troupe how to make perfect bound books. This is exciting and a little scary.

*Steve and I will be hitting up the Mission Indie Mart this Sunday. Woo hoo craft shows!

*I am excited about the new record cover notebooks I've made that I'm slowly listing in the shop.

*KK of Lulaboutique wrote a really nice post about roska handmade on her blog. What a sweetie!

*I am on the lookout for art! I need things to hang on the wall, things that Steve and I will both like. Please share any suggestions you may have, either particular prints or places to buy. I'd sure appreciate it!

mel

Renegade SF

Renegade Craft Fair, originally uploaded by DaveyWilson.

I'm getting really excited about the Renegade Craft Fair! This is the first year that there will be one in San Francisco, and it will also be the first time I've been to a craft fair since I was in kindergarten and my mom was selling her puffy painted tshirts in the Elks Lodge parking lot. I'm really looking forward to it. It's being held at Fort Mason, one of my very favorite places, on July 12th and 13th. I was looking at the vendor list a little while ago and it looks like there will be lots of awesome shops there. One of them is a recent etsy find of mine, honeylux, a letterpress company in Oakland. I love pretty much everything in the honeylux shop and am really tempted to buy it all up right now, but I'm thinking I'll wait until Renegade, it will be more fun to buy stuff there. Stuff like this

Twilight by honeylux

Yeah, I don't know if I'm going to be able to hold out for another week. If you're going to be at Renegade SF, I hope I'll see you there!

mel

ps - Don't forget to enter the notebook giveaway here. The winner will be announced on monday!

Sleepyhead

81, originally uploaded by lucy rose.

I'm so tired today, I am almost too tired to blog. In fact, I had pretty much decided that I definitely wasn't going to blog, but it felt really unnatural. It's been about a month now I think that I have been blogging everyday. Before that it was incredibly sporadic. I'm not sure what happened, it was like a switch was flipped. Now I am a blog-a-holic. And so you have this post, in which I can think of very little to say because my poor brain is so fatigued, and yet I am compelled to write you a little something. So I'll just say two things, one is LucyPlayer, who's work was very recently shared on this blog, has started her own blog, lucyplayer.blogspot.com, so you should pay that a visit. Also, her shop is growing chockfull of amazing things, so you might want to stop by there as well.
And the second thing is just to remind all readers about my giveaway. Don't forget to leave a comment on the giveaway post!
mel

Etsy Find of the Day: Llamas with Larkspur Funny Farm

Lark Spur Funny Farm originally caught my eye because of it's bounty of beautiful handpainted yarns and dyed silk cocoons. The other day something different popped up in the shop; adorable llamas! Grace, the proprietress of the farm, airbrushed her little creatures onto cotton swatches; the one above has a gold sparkle to it, how cool is that? I've been a fan of airbrushing since I was a kid, it's a technique I would love to learn. I've never seen airbrushing used in quite this way though. I love these so much, and I think you will too. But Grace has only two in her shop, the above sparkly fellow on blue and another on beige, and she says she has no plans to make more. And you know what that means; you had better scoot on over there before they're gone!

mel

Post Secret and 21st Century Mail Art

I was listening to my not so favorite radio show, the one I've been relegated to since they took away all streaming radio access at work, the Bryant Park Project on NPR, and they talked to the founder of the Post Secret project. I feel like I've heard of this before, but I've never actually looked at the website or anything, so I'm glad the BPP spotlighted this, because it is really fascinating. In a you can't look away sort of way. This guy handed out tons of postcards with his address and asked people to anonymously write a secret and send it to him. The results are funny and depressing and heartwarming and, obviously, extremely personal. It's worth checking out, trust me.
The other cool thing they talked about is this exhibition of Mail Art in the 21st Century that's going on now at the Center for Book Arts in New York City. I so wish I could go to this it sounds so cool. It's funny because just the other day I was telling my good pal Erin she should see How To Draw a Bunny, a really good movie about the artist Ray Johnson, who did mail art. Anyway, you can listen to the BPP interview with Martha Wilson about the exhibition, as well as see a gallery of works from the show here.
mel

Etsy Find of the Day: Lucy Player

68, originally uploaded by lucy rose.

So, I have a neat Etsy find today, which I originally found through her flickr page, which is so awesome. I was really taken with her sweet line drawings, so of course I was really excited when she opened an etsy shop. The name is Lucy Player, and it features the aforementioned line drawings as well as screenprints and linocuts, many on nice, totally reasonably priced greeting card sets. I think her shop is really going to take off! My personal favorites are featured below.
No. 1 - Geranium Greetings Card
No. 2 - My Cat Likes to Sleep Like This - Greeting Card
No. 3 - Triangles Screenprint on Grey
mel

GLST

Yesterday I happened upon a documentary on PBS about Emile Norman, By His Own Design. Although I've seen Emile's work many many times, I'd never heard of him before, and after watching the documentary I was really surprised that I hadn't. Not only is his life story incredibly inspirational and romantic, he also created one of the most impressive works of art in San Francisco, the mosaic window in the Masonic Temple on Nob Hill (detail below).

Norman is a genius artist who was completely self taught, who, when he could not find the material he needed, invented a new kind of epoxy. That's the kind of innovator he was, and still is.
Also interesting to me at this time , since I'm taking my first Gay and Lesbian Studies class right now, is that he is something of a gay icon. He was born in 1918, and was out when people didn't do such things. He and his partner built themselves a house in Big Sur, where they lived openly (and happily) as a couple and he has been an inspiration to other gay artists. Since this is Gay (and Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer) Pride Month, I think it is happily appropriate that I have encountered all kinds of cool LGBT culture stuff in the past couple weeks, which I can share with you, like the Norman documentary, a really interesting (and kind of depressing) article about John Cheever in Believer magazine, a cute show on Logo called Exes and Ohs, and the upcoming movie Chris and Don: A Love Story, which I am looking forward to.
Anyway, the point really is that I highly recommend the Emile Norman documentary, or, if you don't have a chance to see it, at least visit his website to see examples of his amazing work, or, if you live in San Francisco, take the cable car up to the top of Nob Hill and check out the Masonic Temple in person. You could even make a little day of it; the Temple is right across the street from Grace Cathedral and the Flood Mansion and just a block or two from the Fairmont Hotel, home of the Tonga Room and their famous Lava Bowls. Yum.
mel

Kozue's Bag

I was just idly clicking that next blog button at the top of blogger there and I came across this blog, Kozue's Bag and I stopped and I was like: wowzers. It has some of the cutest purses I have ever seen, they are so avant garde and fun, full of free style stitches and pretty fabrics and abstract shapes. Some of look soft and squishy, like a totally huggable pillow. I just want to squeeze them so bad! I love them, and if anyone speaks Japanese and could help me navigate around her site, I'd totally appreciate it. If you don't speak Japanese, just go to the blog and drool over the pretty pictures.

Ok, I can't help it, I have to share one with you!

So pretty!

mel

Total Awesomeness

Check it out! Via the always wonderful My Love For You Is A Stampede of Horses, news that Yellena James has a show at Giant Robot right here in San Francisco opening on this saturday! That is so exciting! See, I knew cool stuff happened here! Yellena is an amazing artist, I'm familiar with her work through her etsy shop; her paintings are some of the only ones that Steve and I both like. So, if you are in San Francisco you should totally go to see her stuff, I will definitely be there. You can click the pic above for more info.
mel

h@bl

Frühstück 16.06.08, originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/haebl/.

Today I went looking for a group on flickr where I could share the photos I sometimes take of my lunch (when it is especially delicious looking) and I came upon the group yummy in my tummy, which is where I found haebl (blogger won't let me spell it right). I can't tell if he is German or French (or Austrian?) because I don't speak either of those languages, but I do speak clean, retro-modern, and so does he. His photos are equal parts gourmet deliciousness, 50s automat, and perfect lighting. The above photo is my favorite, but he has many equally as lovely. Please discover him for yourself!

mel

Creature Comforts

Oh my gosh you guys, this is so cool. Unless you've been living under a rock or something you have probably heard about the birthday celebration over at the fabulous Creature Comforts blog. If you haven't, there is an amazing birthday giveaway going on. Check out this list of giveaway contributors:
-Beau Ideal-Caitlin Shearer-Clementine-Cursive Design-Freshly Blended Press -Holly Becker-Ink + Wit-Lab Partners-Lush Bella-Matte Stephens-My Folk Lover-Nest Pretty Things-Oh My Cavalier-Palindrome-Remake-Rifferaff-Shim + Sons-Skinny laMinx
Wow, right? That means you could have a little present from each of those! All you have to do is go over to Creature Comforts and leave a comment. I know I'm going to. And I would take a look around while you're there, because it's a really nice site.
mel

Fur Parade

It's Thursday and that means it's time for another interview with one of my favorite Etsy sellers! This week I'm super excited to introduce you to Shanna from Fur Parade. I am so in love with the work she is doing I couldn't just keep it to myself!wolf vs. fireworks

Please introduce yourself.

Hello. I’m Shanna Fiorucci co-founder of the collective fur parade.

How did you get started drawing and sewing?

Everyone has something that makes them happy, something that takes up their lazy days and for me that’s making art. I’ve been creating since I was born and I never took anything more serious than the exploration of my own creativity. Art was my major and only concern in school. Pottery, painting and illustration were some of my favorites. I taught myself how to sew when I was in 4th grade (with a little help from the mom) but not for any reasons but practical. I made skirts, stitched holes and hemmed where needed. I didn’t start using the sewing machine for a main art medium until I went to Cleveland Institute of Art. It wasn’t quite what inspired me, in fact I hated it and dropped out after only a semester. Art school made me realize how pretentious and fake the art world is and how I’d much rather be DIY. So I started teaching myself as many methods and things as I could, from acetone transfers to photography to screen printing. Yet it always came back to good ol sewing. It can be used as an adhesive, its non toxic, expressive, reusable, accessible, and fun to do.

Please tell us a bit about the fur parade collective; how it came into being, what it's all about.

Fur parade really took shape when I met Brandon Opalich in Cleveland. We became partners almost instantly and our visions started to take shape. We’re a collective now of a small number of artists, writers and musicians. We really like the idea of all creative expression supporting the weight of one another. We believe very strongly in the fact that many things in this world are pretty messed up right now (ie. global warming, excessive extinction, poverty, unwarranted war and the basic alienation of ourselves and this planet.). Fur parade represents the idea of all living things coming together to stop this genocidal way in which we live. Educating people (especially the people in our generation) to open their eyes, to inspire change and concern about their well being and the world living around us. We think it is so important to realize we share this earth so we’re responsible for all that we do or take from it. There are a lot of things that hold people down and make people insecure; fur parade is that voice of support and an outlet for change. We’re in the process of building a website to properly link all these things together and we’re also going to be opening a fur parade shop in Bellingham WA.

How do you choose the animals (and other subjects) you use in your pieces?

I’ve been a vintage animal encyclopedia book collector for a while and I usually use them as points of reference. I like to choice animals that have been exploited or wiped off this planet from human hands. Like the red fox for their fur or the dodo for their meat. It’s so odd to me how one species of animal has eradicated so many other species of animal (and plants too). How is it possible and for what point? How does the endangerment of 1/3 of all the frogs in the world not scare anybody? My drawings and paintings are a lot more articulate on how I feel man has infected this world. I like the thought of nature enduring and civilization collapsing. So maybe we can all know what its like to actually live from this land and giving and taking won’t just be one sided. I enjoy creating images that portray a mystical and unexplored earth. One we don’t already think we know everything about.

Guanaco and Sunset

Do you feel like your art is making a difference?

You know, I can only hope it is. But that’s why I really enjoy selling my things directly so I can communicate my purpose with in each piece. I always include little hand made booklets to let people know about the animal they are wearing or buying and ways in which they can help. I’m a huge promoter of self education, self realization, and self acceptance. Change starts with in us and we can only hope we’ve been surrounded by enough positive reinforcement to embrace change when it comes knocking on our door. The tools to a better tomorrow are often misplaced and scattered about, but they’re there. We just have to look for them and have the courage to use them when they are found.

Can we find your art anywhere outside of Etsy?

I often sell at little street fairs and craft fairs. Whenever SCRAP has recycled art fairs I set up a booth. I will be setting up at the sustainability fair on the 2nd Sunday of every month at the Hip Drip Café in the Eco-Motion building at 1625 NE Sandy Blvd. I have some pillow cases and clothes at this really cute shop in Eureka CA called Shipwreck. I currently have some of my pieces at the Together Gallery on Alberta St. and when last Thursdays start again I will be there as well. I also have a myspace which will link you to some of the bands (caves and murn) and more of my art. I will set up or sell my stuff at any place that supports sustainability and/or reusing and recycling craft materials.

Floral Frog

Do you think living in Portland has an influence on your work?

I think people here are more open minded to the subjects of my art but I don’t think it has influenced me personally. Camping, walking to places and getting lost in the woods inspires me. There is a lot of awesome people making a difference in this town, and there are outlets for people who don’t quite know how to yet. Portland is an awesome place to get involved and feel important.

Would you share some of your favorite local spots?

SCRAP on N. Williams!!!! It’s a recycling craft center. I volunteer there and I would live there. Right next door to Scrap is Pix, a French style dessert bar with dessert and drinks that will blow you away. The Together gallery I spoke of earlier is an awesome new little shop with local artists and hand made items. Its adorable and worth a visit. ReRun on 7th and NE. Fremont is a sweet thrift store with cheap furniture and tons of awesome vintage fabrics.

What is your favorite piece in your etsy shop right now?

I’m a huge fan of the Roosevelt elk shirt. He’s a beautiful creature and I actually got to see one while camping in Washington a few months back. They’re almost extinct and very rare so hence my excitement. I think the tall doug firs, the elk with pleather antlers and the ferns is going to look awesome on who ever buys it.

Roosevelt Elk

What else should we know about fur parade?

Fur parade is ever growing and changing. Like I said we plan on opening a sustainability shop and our website we’ll be up with in the next month. Everything I make is from reused or recycled materials. We also hope to link up with some organizations that are working towards the same cause. “Lets Parade Fur Ever!”

mel