drew-o-rama

tattoos

I'd never get a tattoo. But, if I did, I'd have Amanda Wachob do it.

images from amandawachobtattoo.com | click to enlarge

Aren't they the coolest! Check out more on her site.

jere urchin sculpture

We had one of these urchin sculptures hanging over the fireplace for years...

Jonathan Adler is now selling reproductions for almost $1000. I wonder if my mom still has the original. hmmm....

morris

This is my current knitting project...

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The pattern is called Morris from über British Rowan. I've been wanting a gray, cabled cardigan for a few years now and never found one that I liked. I decided to just bite the bullet and start knitting this pattern. It's gone very quickly so far... I knit the back in a few days thanks to the double stranded merino and US10.5 needles.

I'm excited to get this finished since it's been rainy and cold here. Autumn is my favorite time of year, mainly because I can start layering and wearing the type of clothes I want.

Next on my knit list... some sort of wacky patterned vest, i'm thinking in shades of green.

russian constructivists

I've always like the artwork of the Russian Constructivists. I think because they tend to be so graphically bold.

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danish modern

I'll take one of each from remodern.dk, please.

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Thanks.

vero construc

I'm loving this old instruction booklet for a children's toy called "Vero Construc."

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via [grain edit]

here's lookin' at me kid

Just stumbled upon the blog, Here's Lookin' at Me Kid, and loving every millimeter of it. Amanda shares photos of her mid-century home and shows off her amazing scrapbooking skillz.

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AND, she lives in Ohio. At a time when there's serious brain drain in this state, it's important to me to support and encourage local talent. Stop by and check it out for yourself.

posters!

Silk-screened concert posters with a hand-drawn, vintage aesthetic are fairly common these days. But, the posters from Chicago-based Delicious Design League stand out to me. Here are some of my faves:

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Check their site for more poster coolness.

ikea fabrics

I am totally in love with these IKEA fabrics...

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Now I just need a reason to buy them.

mixed media

I love these mixed media pieces from Flickr user littleblackbook.

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Check out their photostream for more images.

renegade roundup

I'm back from Chicago and had a ton of fun at the Renegade Craft Fair. I met a ton of amazing people, including Elsie and Jeremy, from Red Velvet Art. They stopped by to say hello and to chat a bit. It was great meeting so many people from the online craft world. Many people recognized the Kitsch Café name and told me they liked the Etsy shop.

I also reached my goals which were to break even, make a profit, and find some wholesale accounts. In fact, a potential seller just contacted me, and so soon after the event!

some scenes from the weekend | click to enlarge

Here is a list of some things that I learned and observed:

- I really need to work on my booth design. I had the chance to walk around early on Sunday morning and I was amazed at the lengths some vendors went to make their booths look like small boutiques. However, I guess my products are appealing since people still bought from me, even with my simple set-up.

- I need to get business cards printed by a real offset printer! I ran out of business cards and postcards halfway through Sunday. I guess that's a good problem to have, though.

- From what I could see from my quick jog around the fair early Sunday morning, I had unique products made with materials that nobody else was using/selling. I'm going to continue with the plan to make what I want and not what I think will sell.

- I'm still a bit confused about pricing. I had price tags on everything and nothing was selling. So I took away the price tags, dropped the prices a bit, and things started selling. Should I have done that? I don't know. I just know I wasn't selling before that happened.

Thanks to Agnes from Lulu Mae, Dan from Vahalla Studios, and Jose and his brother from Mis Nopales Art for watching my booth when I needed to use the restroom, etc.

Also, thanks to my friends Alex and Jason who let me stay in their spare bedroom in their fabulous condo overlooking Lake Michigan, AND, who helped me unload and load each day, driving my car back to their garage so I didn't have to worry about parking, AND, stopped by each day to get me lunch/dinner.

Would I do it again? Probably. But who knows what I will be doing next year at this time! Time will tell...

kitsch café is a funky find!

Thanks to Jessica at Funky Finds for choosing Kitsch Café as today's "funky find." Stop by her blog to see how you can save some money on your next purchase!

abigail brown

I totally heart the soft sculpture work of British artist Abigail Brown:

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More at her charming website.

renegade!

I've been working my butt off the past week and a half to get ready for the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago this weekend.

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If you are in the Chicago area, stop by to say hello. I am booth 212, near the intersection of W. Division St. and N. Wood St. in Wicker Park. The fair is open from 11am to 7pm on both Saturday and Sunday. I will be selling lots of cool schtuff made with vintage fabrics, including: tote bags, journals, neckties, notecards, pillows, small zippered bags, among other things. I will also have packs of vintage paper, flags/bunting and make-you-own-card packs both made with small collections of paper ephemera.

Check out Renegade's website for more info. See you then!

paris

Loving these rediscovered photos from two of my trips to Paris...

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When can I go back to Paris?

sandra backlund

I am totally loving these knitted garments from Sandra Backlund's latest collection:

LOVE how the model looks like an alien | click to enlarge

"... it is through my heavy wool collage knitting that I have found the ultimate way to express myself."

Check out her website for more coolness.

mrs. roper

Don't you just love Mrs. Roper and her maxi dresses?!

studio punkat

Check out the super sleek portfolio of French graphic design firm, Studio Punkat. Here are some of my faves:

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vintage logos

I found a fun collection of 1970s-ish logos on Flickr. Check them out!

i love the "GO" logo | click to enlarge

i want to go to switzerland

I've been having this urge to visit Switzerland again. I've been wasting all kinds of time online looking at typical Swiss mountain views and salivating over chocolate and fondue.

So, I got all excited when I came across the super cool new Swiss bank notes:

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They haven't been released yet and these aren't the final design. From the Swiss National Bank website, "Twelve artists were invited to present their designs for all six denominations on the theme 'Switzerland open to the world' ".

Check out the remaining entries on the Swiss National Bank website and see the current banknotes.