Friday at Schmancy

Friday, the 13th, Terry and Vince Go...Way...Way, opens up at Schmancy. New work by Le Merde and John Black. Opening Reception from 6:00 to 9:00pm.

in LA?

Going to be in LA in December? Then this is a great opportunity for anyone who has "plush aspirations" and wants to learn the basics to get started on his/her own creations. Visit here for more info on the event.

Bazaar Bizarre SF

Mark your calendar because we've got an awesome show for you! The 2009 Bazaar Bizarre San Francisco is a TWO DAY Handmade market, Indie entertainment extravaganza and D.I.Y. Festival all under one roof!

SHOP HANDMADE & SHOP LOCAL
Bazaar Bizarre San Francisco will feature over 120 carefully juried artists and designers. You'll find the crème de la crème of indie goods: art, pottery, letterpress, silk-screened t-shirts, baby clothes, body products and more! Handmade food will also be for sale in the form of luscious cupcakes and udon soup with sushi rolls.

FREE WORKSHOPS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Groove all weekend with our crafty DJs including the genius of Slide and Spin Studios. Swing by the Maker Shed and Craft Magazine booth to create D.I.Y. projects for FREE! Capture the moment by posing in the Magnolia Photo Booth, FREE to all customers! Pick up some FREE swag from the Yelp and Kaboodle booths, enter product raffles from Chronicle Books and Craft Magazine. Attend Book Signings and Crafty Workshops with indie superstars such as Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching.

REFASHION YOUR HOLIDAYS WITH SWAP-O-RAMA-RAMA
Jump into the D.I.Y. spirit! For $5 and a bag of clothes you can enter the WORLD FAMOUS clothing swap and workshop Swap-O-Rama-Rama. Swap-O-Rama-Rama's D.I.Y. experts will help you cut, sew, print and personalize your up-cycled fashion finds!

HELP US TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
50% of this years door fees will be donated to the Out of Site Center For Arts Education and Keep Turning Heads. Out of Site offers SF students free programs in visual and performing arts. Turning Heads provides vocational arts instruction, entrepreneurship, and leadership training for high-risk youth in San Francisco.

WHERE AND WHEN
Saturday December 12th 2009 12:00 PM - 6:00PM
Sunday December 13th 2009 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
San Francisco County Fair Building Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
$2.00 Per Adult ~ 12 & Under FREE
50% of Admission Fees Go To Charity

Meet Lizette Greco

Lizette Greco will be exhibiting some work this Sunday. Info below.

Flower Hill Art Showcase
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Noon-5 PM
Flower Hill Promenade
Del Mar, California

Hello Kitty!

I love Hello Kitty! I really feel like she is the reason why I love toys. Every time we would go to a "cool city" as a kid, I would buy Hello Kitty items and got so excited. I actually used to work at the Sanrio store in SF making gift baskets which was pretty fun considering I just sat in the basement and got to be creative a little bit. Anyways, Hello Kitty is celebrating her birthday this month and there is a great article about her creator, Yuko Yamaguchi. I used to think we had the exact same DOB but now I am unsure. The days might be different. Anyways, Happy Birthday to her!

NYC here I come.

airplane by Bumbleday
Today I am going on an airplane to spend a long weekend in upstate New York with some of my best friends. I have known these girls since the age of 11 and next week I turn the age of not telling. So this blog might be a little light for the next week depending on how much I can get done between now and then. xo

Stitchy Kitty, Fuzzy Puppy

I just got a copy of Stitchy Kitty Fuzzy Puppy: 60 Motifs to Stitch Everywhere. This book is really adorable and perfect for any cat or dog lover. The projects range from simple to more complex AND I really like some of the new embroidery stitches I have never seen before which add nice texture to not only dogs and cats but for many other projects and creatures you might like. I feel like we all know someone that is a true dog lover/cat lover. Get this book to make a unique and adorable project for them this holiday!

Shelly visits Gallery Hanahou

Shelly, my lovely and fantastic intern was recently in NYC and visited Gallery Hanahou and I asked her to write a blog post about her visit. Here it is:



First you have to get the street name right… HOWston… not Houston and Broadway… Then you have to actually find the small entrance to this large building (the Cable Building in SOHO), which I walked by at least twice before going in!

Once I was there I was shocked, you are walking by all of these small businesses and then BAM! You make it into the tiny Gallery Hanahou. “Amazing” was the first word out of my mouth as I walked into a bustling Parson’s Workshop led by Shoichi Ishizawa (the President himself!). The walls, ceilings, radiator and floor are completely covered with creations in the show titled “Before and After” created by the Japanese group Ossu! Shugeibu that translates into: Yo! Crafting Club.



I of course had to introduce myself to some of the gallery people milling about as I had met Koko the previous weekend at Schmancy’s Plush You! Show in Seattle. Koko was completely surprised to see me since I totally forgot to mention I was headed to NYC… ha ha. Koko walked me around the show and I noticed that nothing was really for sale, NONE of the toys/crafts were for sale?! What!? But the passion of Ishizawa is for everyone to be able to craft these incredible toys on their own, hence all the instructions on the walls! Cool.



Walking around and checking out all of the interestingly usable objects I think my favorites must be the umbrella birds and the “don’t buy Fake!” tea kettle cover. Let me tell you if you are at all crafty this show was a definite push to go home and make something!

Asher Jasper

I like these needle felted toys by Asher Jasper

Things I enjoy

From Casscette


From Syppah


From Skunkboy creatures


From Scrumptious Delights


From Nonesuchgarden


From LisaJHoney