Who else is up for fall?
October 4, 2007 at 8:02 am | Posted in Finds Out-and-About, Halloween/Thanksgiving/Fall, Indie! | Leave a commentSo each change-of-season I do certain things that sorta get me in the spirit. I do this for my own personal seasons, which include Fall (October, Halloween, November, Thanksgiving), December (sorta half Solstice/half Christmas), Winter (January/February), Spring (March, April, May) and then Summer (June, July, August, September). If I’m in the north March and September get moved around.
But these are the kinds of things I do that signify that life is moving forward, that I’m in tune with what’s going on outside (air/ground/growing season), and that things are still going on as I expect them to. I get really, really out of tune when I’m not feeling right with the seasons. I always feel really weird when I move northward or southward and the seasons are different.
So the first thing I usually do is decorate my house. For fall, that means pumpkins. I have a lot of pumpkins. And I have no intention of not collecting more pumpkins. I am particularly fond of fabric ones like these orange pumpkins or perhaps another color? Sunshine Annie Designs has pumpkins made of several fabrics.
The second thing I do is decorate myself: jewelry, I mean. Like this fall Breeze pendant by bijoujuju, which is I believe an image transfer onto polymer clay, but has the look of wood. I really love the pendant, and the little leaves and curly image. But you should also check out her description of the pendant which I’ve included below. Priceless. Don’t you want it to be fall already?
Who needs a summer breeze when you have the fall to look forward to? And have you ever really enjoyed a summer breeze? Well, perhaps if you’ve never lived in the South. However, those of us down here have never enjoyed a summer breeze. Primarily because they don’t happen often and, when they do, they are darn near suffocating. So here is a lovely fall breeze to enjoy year round.
Along the lines of decorating myself, I also usually buy or make a new purse at the change of the seasons. This jeweltone purse (left) isn’t obviously fall-ish, but I think it is definitely something that conveys the proper mood for the season. It has the proper colors and, well, the right tone for the job, materials- and style-wise. Not too heavy or light, with an orange, burgundy, dark plum and olive pattern on a medium-weight fabric bag with two inside pockets. From Kreative Karryalls.
I also usually buy new soap. I always think that scented soap is a nice way to start the day. Also, I only buy hand-crafted soap – I have made soap, and researched the subject, and I am appalled at what is in/done to commercial soap, and I boycott it completely.
I don’t want just simply can’t use a cleansing product that is comprised of animal fats and petroleum byproducts. Look at your soap – does it say sodium tallowate or propylene glycol in the ingredients? That’s rendered fat and petroleum.
So this Cinnamon and Cider soap seems like a really good idea (right), plus it repeats my favorite pumpkin theme. Made of olive oil and aloe and essential oils. During Christmas I always get cranberry scent, and springtime I get lemon or lemongrass.
I also usually get some sort of wrap thing or cardigan to wrap about myself. In October it’s all just pretend, ’cause this is Tejas, but it makes me think of real fall in another place. I just keep it and think longingly of, say, Vermont where there are crisp, brightly colored leaves and chilly temperatures and early violet-colored evenings … Regardless, sweaters do eventually come in handy here, even if we just wear them instead of a coat.
So, I pick this cardigan sweater (left), which is way beyond beautiful – soft gray, nice drape and yes! that neckline! and those sleeves! It reminds me of morning mist over a pond on a chilly morning. It’s by Fashion Knitwear in France, who is very talented. Wow. It’s acrylic/nylon (washable, yay!) which is great. and with that, I shall leave you, because I have to think of a way to scare up $78 now.
Favorites last week: did you know?
September 30, 2007 at 10:10 am | Posted in Finds Out-and-About, Top Ten | Leave a commentApparently, it’s been a week for noticing things or being informed of things. In no particular order, here is what I’ve learned since last Saturday.
1. It is difficult to eat one’s hot sauce and/or salsa without chips. When one is too lazy to get chips, one must then attempt to find other things for the hot sauce and salsa. Sometimes these are good ideas, like mixing hot sauce with ketchup. Sometimes these are bad ideas, which then are not spoken of aagain.
2. Shiny Shiny tells me that more women than men own gaming consoles these days. I understand. I bought a Wii. Urged by Husband, but still. There were high-jinks involved in the purchase, and I was an enthusiastic participant. ANYWHO, this probably explains why Crafty Crafty (Shiny Shiny’s sister site) was able to dig up so many hand-crafted covers for DS Lites. However, to further confuse our often-pointless gendered stereotypes, not all the covers were made by women. So there.
3. I had not previously taken a look at Indie Fixx’s Fall Jewelry Guide, but I should have. Nice stuff on there. Indie Fixx is great. And apparently I’ll soon have to add the Indie Fixx Shop to my Index of Indie, ’cause something tells me their shop selection will fit my requirements for the guide. (The woman who made this bracelet just got chosen as one of Baltimore’s best local jewelry artists. Nice!)
4. Adams Morgan is the best part of DC (sorry, Dupont). I know. In the 10 years or so since I left, it’s apparently gotten better, as it now has an annual shindig called the Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair, which took place yesterday. I’m sooo jealous of people who get to go. Instead of Crafty Bastards, it should be Lucky Bastards.
5. Some people (not me) really DO have the patience 0f saints. Such as the woman who made Blythe Manor. The pictures here (right) are of a miniature craft room. All those tiny teeny little bolts of fabric! And what she put ‘em in! I don’t even have that much patience with my real-life craft room.
So far as I can tell, each detail is perfect in its miniature-ness.
Indie Outfit: It’s Still Summer in Texas, folks
September 27, 2007 at 8:05 am | Posted in Fabric-Related, Finds Out-and-About, Indie! | 2 CommentsAll over the web people are talking about fall, thinking about fall, designing fall stuff, talking about cool fronts … but I’m living in the middle of Texas, and it still gets to over 90 every day at the end of September. So this is for people whose weather isn’t thinking about cooling quite yet (or for another 2 months), or who miss summer already.
Everything today is from Lov.li – a craft marketplace that’s in my Index of Indie.
Elizabeth and Kirsten make fabulous clothes. They’ll even make stuff for you based on your measurements. How nice is that? Meanwhile, this beautiful pair is the perfect one last nod toward summer. It’s from the June/July collection of these designers. The sundress, right, is what she’s wearing under the long kimono jacket, left. They’re sold separately, and indeed would be good on their own, but together they’re really amazing.
I had kind of a hard time with jewelry, as I felt that really specific things were needed here – casual but unique, things that wouldn’t compete but were neat on their own. I eventually decided on this pair of flower earrings to go with it from Cindy of Starry Designs. And this lovely lampwork bracelet from Dusty Johnson. And you should really check out Dusty’s page and see where the jewelry is made 
Last but NOT least, this Peruvian inspired handbag is nearly too much matching (I seem to have gotten taken in by bright pinks and greens here), but I really love the bag, so … here it is! It’s a quilted, embroidered, appliqued wonder of a handbag, all based on a vintage napkin. It comes with that cute little mushroom keyfob you see. Made by Hyena in Nashville, whose work I may feature again ’cause I like her shirts, too.
Weekend Warrior: 2007 Hot Sauce Festival, Houston, TX
September 23, 2007 at 10:19 pm | Posted in Finds Out-and-About, Food-Related, Indie!, People Doing Crafts, Weekend Warrior | Leave a comment
This last weekend I got a rare treat – I attended the annual Hot Sauce Festival in Houston, Texas with my husband, dad and stepmom (that’s us to the right with all the dust in the air). There’s also one in Austin, but we missed it – this one, however, was NOT missed and turned out to be a singular experience in the delights of Really Hot Peppers.
This was real Texas-style event: it was held at the Farm & Ranch Club where rodeos tend to be held. There was also cheap beer – that is, cheaply made but not cheaply sold. And lots of folks with Wranglers and boots, just like you’d expect.
I personally tasted 90% of the hot sauces offered at the event on various chips and crackers. My taste buds were in heaven. The vendors at this place really know what they are doing, and I benefited a great deal. The event wins its way onto a Crafting Blog because I met the majority of the people who actually made/come up with these hot sauces, olives, relishes, salsas and the like. These are Food Crafters, and they know what they’re doing. And they’re trying to make a living at it – more power to them!
So here’s what I bought:
1) The top Prize for me at the event is divided between these two, who coincidentally had just won prizes at the August Hot Sauce Festival in Austin:
1A) Big Daddy’s sauces (Houston) – Jeff likes the original Ass Burn Hot Sauce (no, I’m not kidding) and I favor the Amplified Heat Mean Smokin’ Green Hot Sauce. But we also bought the habanero-spiked High on Fire Hot Sauce. We were lucky enough to get our samples (which burned my face off) from Big Daddy himself, who coincidentally plays in a band called Whorehound. I’m pleased also that Big Daddy uses St. Arnold Lawnmower beer in his sauce – St. Arnold is a local brewery in Houston. No wonder it’s so good!
1B) The Salsa Picante Medium from Rancho Bravo in Peru. I met the son of the maker, who had a t-shirt out front that proclaimed he was sold out. I was lucky. I got a jar anyway, probably because I told him his salsa was heavenly and asked all kinds of questions about it. It turns out his dad was an oil and gas man – he sold his business and bought a tomato farm in Peru. And those tomatoes take center stage in this sauce. It’s sweet and spicy and chunky, with the taste of tomatoes fresh from the garden. And if you’ve ever had a fresh tomato from the garden, you know what kind of great I’m talking.
2) The Sausa from Chile Beach Jams in San Antonio. Jeff also bought a gift pack of their pepper jams to take to his work. The Sausa is sorta somewhere between Sauce and Salsa, hence its name. It’s really spicy, but not so far over the edge that it’s not perfectly edible. I think it’ll be great on grilled chicken, myself. But the nice lady at the company offered me a Bloody Mary made with it, and that just kicked it (add to it olives stuffed with jalapenos and you’re set). Yes, definitely, you can’t forget that many libations are also good with hot sauce, in addition to the beer that all proper Texans use to put the fire out when they’ve had too much spicy stuff.
3) Winston’s Hot Sauce and BJ’s Hi-Tech Habanero Pepper Sauce. Ultimately I bought Winston’s Jamaican Hot Pepper Sauce (Winston was there) based on taste. These two were both really hot and of the same style. I have to say, though, that BJ’s was the hottest sauce I tasted at the show, by far. The t-shirt below is Winston’s, and the other pic is of the very tall guy that was kindly brokering BJ’s Habanero to the crowds.
4) The Texas Gourmet – he and his whole family were there, and were very persuasive! – had the best jellies I tasted (apart from the ever-favorite Austin Slow Burn). I bought some of their Mandarin Orange Serrano Jelly, while the parentals opted for Kiwi Jalapeno. Yum! They also put out pads of recipes for their jellies and BBQ etc., which I thought was a really nice addition. I plan to make egg rolls and dip them in my mandarin. Anyone want to join me?
5) Tony Legner’s CAT-5 Food Polish from Rockport, TX tops off the list. This powdery spicy stuff kicked butt on the nice sizzling sausage they had. Also, I’d been craving Cheetos, and they had a bowl full of them sprinkled with their hot powder. I wanted to run away with the whole bowl, but I restrained myself. Cheetos are NOT on the health food diet, y’know. Turns out Tony Legner’s is a restaurant in Rockport… probably yummy!
In other news, my Dad (hot pepper face below, right), who I believe can eat anything spicy, came up against stiff competition – he munched a raw Tabasco pepper (that innocent plant below) off of some plants that someone had for sale, and discovered that it was just about too much! The woman selling the plants was highly amused, my dad was sweating and swearing … it was crazy.
Below are additional pictures of the Fun To Be Had By All Pepper Lovers. This was truly an independent food artists event, and I was pleased to attend. I think the largest pepper vendor there was Austin Slow Burn, and that’s just because Central Market here in Austin sells them, so they’re a bit better-known. But not by much. It was awesome to see so many people there with their handmade stuff. Oh, and a shout out to Cin Chili & Company, whose chili was featured on Bobby Flay’s Showdown not long ago. I got to meet Cindy of Cin fame and sample her chili – it is indeed awe-inspiring.
Cheers and happy hot stuff! What a great weekend!
Favorite Things This Week: metal kimonos to hairy legs
September 22, 2007 at 5:25 pm | Posted in Finds Out-and-About, Top Ten | 1 CommentLots to share with you this week! My daily trolling of blog posts is always interesting. People are unbelievably creative and artistic out there.
1. A quilt-looking item first, because wow! This is one of Catherine Foster’s Woven Kimono, made of gold, silver and copper. It looks quite quilt-like as well as woven, and is just stunning. There are others as well on her website.
Wherever I found this also reminded me of this wooden one “pieced kimono” by Jafabrit. Also really beautiful.
2. Wow. This is really creative. Bet you’ve never seen a necklace like this before. Sure, we all go for pretty and hope vaguely that it might match what we’re wearing, but I think I can safely say that this necklace is in another category of jewelry entirely.
Like this? Well, its creator is Regina Pruss, and she makes more things like this as well. Leaf and acorn. An owl in a tree. An octopus. Available through another shoppe I’m putting on my Indie Index, the Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco.
3. This is really creative and just really … great. Start with the shoes and go up. By the time you finally come to the top of this creation, you’ll just be blown away. Or anyway, I was. The only thing these legs might be missing is a nice ankle tattoo. From Paper Crane.
4. What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America. This book is about historical costumes in a museum in Williamsburg, but much more as well – the stories behind the clothing, and the stories about life changes that the clothing itself tells.
I think sewing is amazing. Handsewn clothing is amazing. I am always deeply impressed and humbled by those who made clothing in the past – not only did people make all their own clothing in most cases, but it was hand-stitched, and in some cases the fabric too was hand-woven or knit. The artistry, work and thoughfulness of the production of 
all of one’s own clothing is mind-boggling.
5. I really have a soft spot for the cups that have been sold in New York by every vendor and a lot of the coffee shops for about half a century. It’s that nice Greek key pattern that says “we are happy to serve you.” Now you can have a cup sleeve knit in that pattern from Half Birthday.
Did you know there’s also a ceramic version of it at the Museum of Modern art? It’s not only a favorite of mine, it’s iconic.
6. Yon Craftzine pointed out this Gigantic Cable Rug from Flocks – you can see the scale from the pictures. Wow! Be impressed! I can’t even manage to handle the normal-size knitting needles. (Note: because of how Craft showed the pictures, I’m not certain picture #2 relates to picture #1, but … I just feel like it ought to.) Also seen at Crafty Crafty. Apparently it’s popular.
7. I wanted to share with you this beautiful and evocative picture (right) from Alicia Paulson’s blog, Posy Gets Cosy. I love reading this blog. She is a sweet person, and I have lately cried with her because she & her husband Andy lost her Corgi to illness – her dog was named Audrey, and my dog is named Audrey, and so every time I think about losing my puppy. Send happy and warm thoughts to her if you’re so inspired.
Still, though, she manages to post unbelievably beautiful pictures like this one to the right. That’s her kitchen and her niece making cupcakes ther. No, really, it is. It looks like it was designed by stylists. Or that it’s from TV in another decade. Which is why, when her new book comes out, I will be purchasing it immediately in the hopes that she styled the scenes and projects herself and took all the pictures herself.
8. I really love this hat/beret/floppy head piece thing from Treats & Treasures (left). It looks very fuzzy, warm and cozy. All of my hair would tuck up into that and my ears would be toasty.
I really like the heathered charcoal yarn, although I’m sure that it would look quite smashing in other colors as well. That right there is a Warm Fuzzy all by itself. Things like this make me wish I could knit, but I can’t, alas. Anybody want to convert it to crochet for me? I lack that talent as well.
The designer says about her hat, “Lately I am very much into cozy warm things like children’s books, hot chocolate, warm baths… and chunky knitwear. I always wanted a big rasta like funky hat and now I made one. If you’re interested, this is the (easy!) pattern.”
Weird Out the People At Work
September 20, 2007 at 9:14 pm | Posted in Finds Out-and-About, Indie! | 2 CommentsYou know, because sometimes I think about these things.
I have to admit that I work in a place full of artists, people with tattoos, non-traditional lifestyles and empathetic souls. So being somewhat nontraditional or punk is … not that impressive or unusual. So what’s left? I guess making people worry a little about you.
1. Noose Earrings. In four colors!
2. Magnum Force Earrings. Yes, these are made from .357 magnum shells. Awesome.
3. Underwear Earrings. Made of polymer clay. I guess all you can hope for with these is that you can find a pair of actual underwear that matches. I don’t wanna know how anyone would know that your earrings and underwear matches.
4. Spock Necklace. OK, I know I’d get funny looks for this, but probably more of the “yeah, I knew she was a nerd, but this is ridiculous” sort. It’s a good picture though, what with Spock smiling
5. Buy My Love. I’d really like to see the double-take on this one. Would they get it? What would they wonder about my life?
6. Not SO, weird, really. I could definitely be convinced that this Egg Pillow would be good in my ofice. Office chairs, of course, are not that comfy. This, on the other hand, is crinkly, as it’s stuffed with garbage sacks. Save the planet!
7. I need art on my office wall at the moment. Perhaps I should use this print – and of course, be sure to label it clearly with its name, Bad Day at Work.
8. I’m truly confused by some of the things that I see on Etsy, like this Dead Rat. But boy wouldn’t it get some serious reactions if it were one of your desk toys?? There’s a dead rat pin, too.
And I’m done.
Favorite things this week:
September 15, 2007 at 2:15 pm | Posted in Finds Out-and-About | 1 Comment
(1) Scatterlings by artist Jacquelyn Berl. (right) Available through Boundless Gallery. This is the kind of art makes me think there really might be fairies living in the wood. The tile shown below is 6″ x 8″ and is a combination of dried flowers and original watercolor painting, built up over time as the seasons change.
(2) This is only sorta crafty … well, nevermind. I totally think these luxury tea packages count, since they are hand selected and apparently handmade. (left)
“This guy” is Alex Probyn, a master tea blender, and he runs Blends for Friends, a tea shop in Kent, England that specializes in blending teas suited to each personality. You can submit a friend/family member, and he will make a tea for them. Also for weddings, and really, probably for anything of the sort. Isn’t that awesome? That seems like total luxury to me.
(3) I’m not sure this was a favorite, exactly, but it was pretty amazing. Just in case you don’t get every yarn newsletter on earth and didn’t happen to see this, Berroco sent me a newsletter with the following crocheted “buttercream” layer cake in it. I’m just truly astounded by this, and I really don’t know what to think. It looks sorta like my wedding cake did what with the flowers. See more at Berroco.
(4) I really love wood, and I was caught by this wooden jewelry yesterday. There are other pieces with inlay or that feature two different woods. There’s even one with a diamond, which is really unusual-looking.
Indie Outfit: What to Wear “Cooking”
September 13, 2007 at 8:43 am | Posted in Domesticity, Finds Out-and-About, Indie! | 6 Comments
This post has tongue firmly in cheek. Yesterday I viewed an astounding array of aprons on Anthropologie‘s website. I’m a little disturbed that they sell aprons and dishcloths (like the one to the right) – it’s just not what I had pictured about them. But to be fair, my mental picture of them is derived entirely from a conversation I overheard on a New York subway car, and the expense and frippery exposed thereof made me think, “ugh.” Perhaps I was wrong?
So I’m looking at these frilly, silly little things and it made me wonder what sort of “cooking outfits” I could scare up on Etsy. Now I cook lots, and I wear (1) an apron ’cause I’m a mess, (2) comfy slippers and (3) lots of hotpads ’cause I burn myself quite a bit too. But that’s not what I’m talking about.
Mostly, it’s not very glamorous, and I have a weird, ironic sense of humor and an urge to search Etsy for odd things, so here’s somebody else’s idealized cooking outfit. Well, really, more entertaining in the fifties. I call it the June Cleaver, although Mrs. Smith (from the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith, of course) could probably serve up her catered meals in it just fine. Also, can I just say that I continue to be totally amazed by what can be found on Etsy?
(Side note: Did you know that aprons & this whole retro look are really becoming a Big Thing? No kidding. Check out the stuff here, here, here, here and here and oh, here if you don’t believe me. And there’s more where that comes from!)
(1) Cinderella earrings from Nature Autumn.
These delicate earrings are made of rhinestones and 4mm purple Swarovski crystals, hanging 1 1/4″ on silver wires. I think they’re a lovely little nod to the quintessential fairytale princess-cook/drudge.
(2) Red dress with a circle skirt. This lovely dress is an actual dress from the 50s/60s, never worn and from an estate sale. Not altered, original condition. The belt and flower don’t come with it (nice touch, though). The dress is a size small (approx 6/7 today) with a (ridiculous) 26″ waist.
This outfit is from vintage purveyors Good Eye. They have an old lace nightgown on there that was amazing, too. Did people really make and wear those?
(3) I have just the necklace, too, because I think you have to have a choker for this dress and to be June Cleaver. Then again, this bracelet is quite beautiful regardless of the other stuff I’ve picked out here.
It’s handmade of Labradorite beads and Swarovski crystals with sterling spacers.This bracelet comes to you courtesy Broken TeePee Designs, which makes a lot of other really great stuff, too.
[Update: the lovely designer of this piece has nicely NOT pointed out two things to me in my comments: (1) my ignorance of the mineral Labradorite and (2) the fact that this is a bracelet, not a necklace at all. So sorry! In my defense, I confess that my only thought when looking at it was simple: “this is really pretty.” After looking at this bracelet, I kept coming back to her stuff trying to find what would match my dress! )
(4) I can guarantee to you that no one ever wore this apron to cook in. But isn’t it just gorgeous? Not like you’d wear the dress to cook, either. But you can safely look great and just as if you just spent 2 hours cooking without looking mussed or dirty, right?
This apron is true vintage – made in Germany in the 1940s of cotton/lawn. It has a wide waistband and long ties in back. It has two tucks plus three bands of 1″ wide lace sewn in.
Being sold by Unfinished Business, who is apparently “clearing out” the closets. I wish I had stuff like this in my closets!
Maid Rite and Family-Owned Joints
August 29, 2007 at 8:45 pm | Posted in Finds Out-and-About, Food-Related | Leave a commentThis evening I was watching Alton Brown’s “Feasting On Asphalt” Part II. In case you aren’t familiar, Feasting on Asphalt is a Food Network show in which Alton travels the back roads and small towns of America looking for little eateries, road food, family-owned restaurants and other joys of eating. I wouldn’t post this here if it weren’t that I think independent artists and independent cooks occupy some of the same landscape. Getting away from the freeway is a lot like getting away from the box stores. And in this case, it’s special to me.
In Part II, Alton decided to travel the length of the Mississippi River from New Orleans all the way to where it begins in Minnesota. I think this is wonderful – I have a lot of family who live somewhere along the Mississippi and indeed, they live or have lived all the way from the ‘Sippi Delta into Minnesota. The Mississippi holds a special place in my heart.
In the episode I was watching he got into Illinois and I was sort of hoping he’d stop some of the places I know. Much of my dad’s family lives in Illinois, and my mom’s family lives across the river in Iowa.
To my surprise, he DID stop somewhere I knew – Quincy, Illinois. My dad lived there. My extended family lives there. Uncles, half-aunts, great uncles and aunts, cousins, you name it. But most importantly, that’s where my grandmother lived while I was growing up. And my grandmother’s favorite restaurant was the Maid Rite – which is JUST where Alton stopped! I’ve BEEN to that Maid Rite a number of times. My grandmother always wanted to go there.
I’m sure my grandmother knew the people featured on the show, since they’d been working there for 30+ years. This Maid Rite, while a franchise, has been a locally-owned shop for 79 years, owned by the same family in fact. They bake their own pies. They mix their own sodas. They want things to be good and they like who they are. And while I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t really know what Etsy is, the truth is they have the same one-of-a-kind, entrepreneurial heart.
Update: Thanks to the someone that posted this segment on YouTube, so you can see what I’m talking about! My dad updates me that he’s been going there since before that waitress worked there. My dad tells me that when he was a kid he had a Maid Rite with ketchup and a strawberry shake with fries!
So where can I get a handmade orange frog, anyway?
August 14, 2007 at 10:50 am | Posted in Finds Out-and-About, Where to Find Stuff | Leave a commentPrepare for a bit of soapbox! Ready? Ok, go!
OK, not so much of a soapbox as a sales pitch for others. You see, clearly I’m a big fan of crafting, and if you’ve read this site at all you know I’m also a big fan of buying other people’s crafts, DIY projects, indie art, and other homemade and handmade items. I’m very much that person who won’t shop at Wal-Mart because of all the local businesses they shut down (don’t get me started) and was saddened when I heard that the last locally-owned shop on 125th Street in Harlem went out of business. Machine-made, mass-produced items and stores are all very well and good, and I’m sure we couldn’t support our society without them, but ….
But I believe that unique artisan items and small shops have more personality and character and, well, soul. By buying these items you don’t just get something, you also support someone who is brave enough to step sideways out of the flow and create something unique and perhaps even try to make a living doing so. I think supporting these arts supports the individuality, creativity and uniqueness of being human. Sure, they cost more, but that’s because more went into their making – time, effort, ingenuity, thought. They really are worth more than cheaply mass-produced, heavily advertised product.
So I’d like to start putting together a page of resources and places in which to find said Indie/DIY/Handmade items. Like I did last week, I plan to feature some of these avant garde artists as well. Sometimes I’ll show off what I’ve bought, or perhaps put together more outfits I wish I could buy or otherwise just pass along things that I find. Some of these are blogs devoted to the idea, others are directories of sites, some are actual places you can buy things.
Here’s the link to the page again- not much yet, but give me time! Just thought up the idea!
And now – recent purchases! Below are two pendants I bought from Blossom Arts on Etsy. I just got them today and they’re even better than the pictures indicate! I love the original jewelry in this shop She also designs and makes bags to sell.
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