What I Wore: Friday / Instagram Friday! 10/12/12

Today it has finally cooled down enough for me to wear my favorite Anna Sui dress you may remember from a ways back. The fun touch to update the look are these badass earrings made from recycled aluminum can pieces! The earrings are new in our shop at CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles. They come in two different sizes one with a single circle as well as circle drop-down, dangly earring style.

These earrings are very exciting because that means the holidays are coming and we are making Reinbeers!!! Our Reinbeer ornaments have proven to be quite popular over the years and they're always something that symbolize for us that the holidays are on the move. This year is the first year we're offering these earrings which are made from the scrap aluminum can pieces left over from the Reinbeer ornaments.

Above is an Instagram picture I shot of the texture of the can pieces while making the earrings.

Today the Space Shuttle Endeavour begins its slow journey on land to the LA Museum. (this shot was when it landed in LA a few weeks back) The shuttle being on route to its new permanent home is a massive feat for the city because it is HUGE!  It will make the traffic here in LA crazy, but it will make for a great site if you want to check it out before it gets to it's final destination of the LA Museum. For the news story and further details there is a full post here.

Here are some details on the route it is taking and more details on road closures:

Closed from 10/12/12 4:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. • La Tijera Boulevard from Sepulveda Boulevard to Manchester Avenue
Closed from 10/12/12 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. • Manchester Avenue from Sepulveda Boulevard to Aviation Boulevard
Closed from 10/13/12 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. • Crenshaw Boulevard from 79thth Street to Vernon Avenue
Closed from 10/12/12 8:00 p.m. to 10/13/12 8:00 p.m. • Crenshaw Boulevard from Vernon Avenue to 39th Street • Martin Luther King Boulevard from Marltin Avenue to 4th Avenue
Closed from 10/13/12 4:00 p.m.to 10:00 p.m. • Martin Luther King Boulevard from 4th Avenue to Figueroa Street • Bill Robertson Lane from Martin Luther King Boulevard to Exposition Park

Additional closures include: On Thursday, October 11th, Lincoln Boulevard (LA Highway 1) will be completely closed in both directions (Between Sepulveda and Manchester) from 8:30 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. of October 12th. On Saturday, October 13th, one lane on each direction of Lincoln Blvd (Between Sepulveda and Manchester) will be closed for the reconstruction of the median barrier from 4:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Additionally, the following schedule is currently under consideration: Route Interstate 405 Freeway on and off ramps at Manchester Avenue will be closed from 10:00 am October 12th, (Friday) to about 4:00 a.m. (Saturday morning/night) October 13. Route 405 southbound off-ramp at La Cienega Blvd. /Florence Avenue will also be closed during this time.

Gypsy is upset she will miss the shuttle "parade"...

I really wish I could go watch the shuttle and take some analogue pictures - I finally got my MAJOR order of film in and I stocked up on a ton of black & white film that would be great to shoot the shuttle with. For a look at my adventures going back to film check out some of my shots here. 

I have escaped my studio and left it in complete chaos! Oh no!!!!

Good thing I keep a tidy workspace at CRAFTED ;) I can escape my mess and get to work! Kevin is having his Birthday next Tuesday on October 16, however I think we might start celebrating early tomorrow with a barbecue with friends after the fun dies down at CRAFTED. If If you are still looking for weekend plans there's lots of fun tomorrow at CRAFTED! There is an event featuring Marissa Lynch where she will demo making upcycled T-shirt totes and host a book signing. More details on the event and project here.

Also, I definitely suggest if you're looking for movie to go to this weekend to go see Looper. Even if sci-fi isn't your thing this movie is an action-packed roller coaster filled with adventure. A fine example of a movie both Kevin and I rather enjoyed & I strongly recommend seeing that movie if you are interested.


TAFN, Hope you have a stellar weekend!!!

XOXO, KC

Sewing Fun at CRAFTED - Marisa Lynch

I am so freakin' jazzed for this upcoming weekend at CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles!!! This Saturday we will have one of my favorite upcyclers - Marisa Lynch who will be crafting with us, followed by a signing of her new book!! The book doesn't come out until Tuesday so this is an exciting opportunity to get you hands on the book first. Heck Yes!!!!!

If you haven't already signed up on Facebook hit up the event details here. 

Info via CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles

I am so excited for this event that my Thursday is buzzing even more than usual in preparation.  I always feel a rush getting ready for the weekend mid-afternoon on Thursday, now I have added scrounging for all of our t-shirts that need a well deserved makeover!  

If you would like an overview of what to expect on Saturday, or are unable to attend and interested in making your own t-shirt tote - The Make. Shop. Live. Blog did a tutorial post on this craft back in Aug. 2010:

For full project details from our How-To's Day: Make a Reusable Tee Tote *You can find the post here*

Hope to see you this Saturday at the event!!!

XOXO, KC

Locals Weekend at CRAFTED - Feat. Knotical Art Video

This past weekend was Locals Weekend at CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles and it was a BLAST!!!

I picked up an I ♥ San Pedro cookie by Parchment Cookies in booth #A201 and a new piece for our wall by Pedro Native Megan Segal of Mome Rath Garden found at booth #A195.

We also had the pleasure to watch Tugboat Gus in action as he makes his nautical floor mats. I wanted to share a behind the scenes look at how these beautiful pieces get made!  We scooped up a video so you can see the fun too:



When Gus isn't working on the tugboats he is making items for both his Etsy shop and his booth #A212  at CRAFTED.  He is a super great guy and what he is doing over at Knotical Arts is a great example of why CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles is so remarkable.  With both practical and traditional knowledge he is a wonderful addition to the work found at CRAFTED.  I love that he is a Pedro guy and he definitely helps balance our predominately female tenants with his great attitude and overall awesome-ness!!! He has a larger than life personality and will tell you everything you need to know about knots if you stop by and say "hello".   

XOXO, KC

What I Wore: Friday / Instagram Friday! 9/21/12

WOWZAS!!! It's Friday already?!?

I scored this sweet shirt from Craftsy while at the Craftcation Conference. Craftsy is a site for online craft classes from the best instructors from around the world. I have had the pleasure to meet a handful of the instructors while at Craftcation but haven't had the opportunity to take a class for myself yet.  I would really love to try out one of the crochet classes since that is one crafting technique I am absolutely horrid at. The goodies like this shirt are reason enough to hit up the conference, but seriously shirts aside - the conference is a super great place to learn from, and with amazing craft business leaders.  Don't miss the fun, check out the details and get your tickets here.

I haven't taken a ton of pictures on my Instagram this week but here are the highlights-

Sharon and I traveled down to The OC Mart Mix on Monday to see some of our CRAFTED Friends and their pop-up shop:

Always a fan of Grace's Boozey Treats! You can find her at CRAFTED Market Stall #A162

The lovely ladies of Hammer + Stitch can be found across the way in market stall #A153

My kitty stopped tearing up the house long enough to cuddle with Kevin...

Such a scoundrel!!! She knows just how to butter him up & make him forget how big of a terror  to our carpet she has been!

I celebrated National Cheeseburger Day on Tuesday at Father's Office:

I don't really indulge in meat, especially burgers. But if I do have a burger this is my favorite spot in LA to hit up!

The big excitement for the week is yesterday Kevin and I had a late breakfast at our favorite spot in Culver City and Adam Sandler was a table over!! No pictures because I didn't want to be a total creeper - but I still always geek out over celebrities.  Definitely love the perks of living in a city with Celeb spotting ;)

We might be a bit late to our store at CRAFTED tomorrow thanks to a massive yard sale event in Santa Monica - After the sale, if you are free this weekend you should come down to #A200 at CRAFTED and say hi!

XOXO, KC

Shop Anouncements -- Updates and Magic Items

Our shop at CRAFTED has a new look and layout.  Come to San Pedro this weekend to see the new items and workspace.

One of our popular items is the Magic Wallets by featured artist, Ryan Hansen.  These simple and understated thin wallets are handmade, one-of-a-kind, from upcycled hardback vintage book covers. 

Drop any receipts, monies, or loose papers into the center, close the wallet, open it from the other side and your items are secure.  Magic!!

Wallets measure 4 inches by 2.75 inches and 1/2 an inch thick. Bands are made from elastic and will stretch to fit more and more things.  2 slots on the insides of the wallet can fit at least 6 cards in each side once broken in.

Make.Shop.Live. loves supporting artists who innovate functional items from seemingly used and recycled materials.  Come to our shop at CRAFTED for the discounted price of $20 each.  Be sure to check out Ryan's site for more items and info.


XOXO, KC

Food Finds: Paradise Preserves

We are happy to start the first section of our Food Finds with the talented ladies Karen and Bridget of Paradise Preserves. The mother daughter duo who make the yummiest jams and amazing pickled treats!!!

1. Make. Shop. Live.:What do you make?
Artisan jam, jellies, marmalades and more.


2.Is there a green or Eco component to your business? 
Yes. we are a company that strives to maintain the 'locavore' ideal in regards to food cultivation and consumption . Bridget and I work along side small family farmers and organic backyard growers to get the freshest produce for our signature flavors.

3. Where (If anywhere) do you sell your goods/wares in-person?
We are a proud vendor of Crafted at the Port. Booth A199. Also a featured local product at the Corner Store in San Pedro where we do tastings quarterly. We participate in the Sugar Plum Festivals at the Orange County Fair Grounds and the Buena park downtown mall. I do the Lions Club Flea Market in Malibu every September. This year for the first time we are vendors at the three Patchwork shows in Los Angeles and Light at the Lighthouse at Point Fermin Park in San Pedro on September 22.

4. What is your favorite thing to make? 
Jelly and chutney. Jelly because you can get such gorgeous colors and flavors from fruit and chutney because it is so fun. Bridget is working on chutney recipes right now. We will roll out our chutney product line in October. I usually keep them as Fall product.

5. If you make food, Do you focus on Organic or Locally Sourced ingredients? 
Without a doubt. I need to add this comment however, we use certified organic if and when we can. Unfortunatley for the consumer and the small family farmer, to be a 'certified oraganic' farm the farmer must let farmland lay fallow for a number of years and submit to soil testing by the USDA. Small farms are not able to afford that and thus steps in (or continues to dominate) our recently traditional food sorces, the corporate farm. Consequently, Bridget and I are committed to finding fruits an vegetables that may best be designated as 'home grown or non-industrailly grown'. One of the farms we work with uses beneficial insects, chickens and guinea hens as varmint control. has his farmhands keep rows clean by removing over ripe or bad fruit and keeping the area as clean as possible so as to keep from using chemical insectisides. He also has assess to his horse for manure and neighbors' horses as well. His strawberries are sooo good that the are mostly juice!

6. What are your favorite blogs or source of cool information? 
Oddly enough the USDA. most of the information on preserving food is as old as the hills and this United States Federal Organization has been stellar at keeping the basic cooking standars high and the information available to all who ask. I also am a fan of really old cookbooks. These women (no offence to the other sex, but males were rarely involved unless they were pre-teens and charged with keeping the water boiling for the jars).

7. What are your favorite materials to work with?
Spices, herbs and alcohols. Using one or more of these can completely change the flavor profile of a fruit.

One of the strawberry farms. 

8. What is your favorite or most used technique in your art? 
I use basic science on a daily basis. Ph levels are important in food preservation as is the condition of the produce being used. My VERY favorite thing is going to farms to pick or pick up produce, and share.

9. If you could work with anyone, or learn from anyone (living or dead) who would it be? 
Julia Childs, the first person to ever eat an artichoke or a pomegranate and Jesus Christ. Not necessarily in that order.

Fresh Strawberries - These will soon be tasty jelly!

10. Lastly, if you want to talk about anything that may have been missed - feel free to rant here :)
I can not stress this enough. We ALL need to know where our food comes from. We ALL need to know what it looks like before it get to our grocer/farmers market. Environmental Impact reports are the norm when it comes to building new roads, tunnels, housing deveolpments, parks etc. but not when a corporation buys millions of acres of our prime farmland to experiment with genetically modified seed. seed that is putting the lifeblood of our beautiful country, family farms, out of busines. Seed that grows food that we use to put in our childrens mouths. I am all for technical improvements, America has that in her soul, I just want to know when I am eating them.

We are so glad we can enjoy the fruits of these ladies labor! Hope you can get some for yourself and try them all out - you won't be disappointed.

XOXO, KC & Kevin

Rings, Rings, & Rings! Mistymoto Designs, Les Beaux Metaux, Fruition Jewelry

I am overjoyed with the artists I have met at CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles and I wanted to share a peek at some of my recent purchases since I am running out of fingers.

Just around the corner from me is a booth featuring Mitsymoto Designs and Object Mfg. Co. I really love both of their work and I have become obsessed with Lauren of Mitsymoto Designs jewelry. Here are some awesome shots of what Lauren is up to:

She is super talented and has a really wonderful aesthetic. Their stall is mixed with vintage pieces, nostalgic figurines, skeletons, and more cool things than your brain can decipher from a glance. I could spend hours asking her about all her wonderful displays and the techniques she uses for her products. I am so uninformed about what all the great metalsmiths I am posting about today are up to technique wise...
One thing I do know is that I like them and that they are all badass. Oh, and that I sure enough can't do what they do.  I at least know that much for sure.

Want a virtual snap shot of the fun?

All kinds of things to explore!

I think she is rad, and this ring I purchased (on index finger) looks pretty great with my ring from Fruition (on ring finger).

Raychel's ring was the first one fueling my addiction.

Fruition is a curated booth and you can find a mix of her stellar jewelry as well as wall art, pottery, and plush art.

My latest love was found yesterday at Les Beaux Metaux.

Yeah, once I put it on it was over! I really love the texture on both the band and the stone and just had to have it.  It pairs so great with all my other rings too it was a must!

Her shop is just across from Lauren in Mitsymoto Designs. Here are some pictures of her market stall:

Kristen turned me on to this artists beads made out of bottle caps that she has below:

It is a total game changer knowing that these beads are a thing!!! They are kinda pricey to have made so I might not be turning all my bottle caps into beads anytime soon, but I am really inspired by the fabrication of these suckers.

Well, we are looking forward to a full week of fun ahead of us! Hope you had a stellar weekend and a super awesome week to come :)

XOXO, KC

How-To's Day: Make a Crafty Party

We had such a wonderful response to our Etsy Craft Party at CRAFTED last month and wanted to share some project tips to include in your own craft party.

For a Paper Craft Party

Always perfect for a paper party - rubber stamps & ink, paper punches and craft paper.

Project ideas:  Make your own DIY gift wrapping paper, Tags, Embellishments, Wall Art, Stationery

Also fun to have on hand - Postage Stamps!

Here is more details to get your stamps ready. 

By adding some bottle cap magnet blanks attendees have the option to make magnets along with the paper crafts super easily. 

Simple instructions can be found here.

Fabric Fun Party
Grab your girlfriends and update your wardrobe with a craft party :)

Sewn Fabric Bows can be a great wardrobe addition & easy for all levels of sewers.

Fabric yo-yo's

Add to shirts, purses, brooches, earrings, necklaces and all kinds of things.

Buttons

Even covering things with buttons is enough to make something new again!

Fabric + More Sewing  

Add some Lavender for some great gifts:

Heat Pads / Ice packs

Gather up your dryer sheets and make some fabulous sachets!!!

Around the House Party

Corks

Project ideas: Cover Votive Candles, Make Cork Boards, Wreaths, Mini Planters

Green Cleaning

Easy to make - DIY Laundry Detergent with 3 ingredients 

Don't forget every party needs some food and a signature cocktail :)

Check out some fun cocktail ideas from our Pinterest Vault

What is a celebration without some decorations?!?

We love finding party ideas on Pinterest! Check out our Weddings & Party Board to figure out some ways to decorate your party utilizing all kinds of fun themes.

Do you have any projects that are a craft party hit? We would love to see your party fun and hear any tips for our next party :)

XOXO, KC