4th Annual Renegade Craft Fair LA - Recap and Haul

The Renegade Craft Fair returned to the Los Angeles State Historic Park last weekend (7/28-7/29) and I took a break from my market stall at CRAFTED to head to Chinatown to check out this years festival. As always it is free to attend with no parking or other fees proving to make this an event to put on your list of cool free things to do on the weekend.

I jokingly tell everyone that SHOP. is in our name for a reason! I LOVE, love, love supporting handmade artists and crafters. Lots of times I buy things for gifts but sometimes I can't help to buy stuff to indulge in myself.  I scooped up my fair share of great stuff this year, here are my highlights:

Major Haul! Everything from a new dress pattern to sew myself something awesome to rubber stamps that are hand-carved for me to stamp TERRIBLE! (humorously) on things. Items from Christine Haynes, Lets Be Friends, Yes & Yes Designs, Clean Getaway Soap Co., We Love Citrus, i wish i had a penguin friend, Enchanted Leaves, Cheltenham Road, and Paper Pastries.

Looks like I wasn't the only one to break away from CRAFTED...

SalvageShop

Kelso Doesn't Dance

I first met Jennifer of Merrily Yours last Summer at the 3rd Annual Renegade show.  I couldn't resist her Narwhal Herd and purchased it from her on the spot! Every night and every morning I get to look on it and smile when I look across my bedroom from my bed.  I got blessed with the pleasure of showing next to her at this past Patchwork Culver City show and I am just obsessed with her work. SERIOUSLY, I am obsessed! Check her work out!!! Merrily Yours here.

If you sew and haven't come across anything by Christine Haynes then you are missing out on something awesome! I met Christine at the Craftcation Conference in Ventura this past spring and we made jam together ;) Gush! Anyway, back to why she is a seamstresses dream is she is one of a handful of independent pattern makers. Along with her patterns and online classes for Craftsy she has a fabulous book with patterns for 20 projects that make sewing tangible and easy for even the beginning sewer.  

Christine Haynes

Also one of my new pals from the Craftcation Conference who traveled all the way from Tucson, AZ for both the conference and Renegade is Lindsey from Clean Getaway Soap Co. I really like their product line.  There is humor, the names are awesome, and the scents are delicious!

Clean Getaway Soap Co.

Enchanted Leaves

Here are some of my new favorite Artists who showed this year:

Yes & Yes Designs

Lets Be Friends

I will be going through my pictures so if I snapped some pictures with you and you don't see them here, I will hopefully be rounding them up soon.  Some of my pictures came out weird because it was so bright and then dark inside the tents in the shade - My amateur photography skills are still a work-in-progress ;)  I had a wonderful time at the Renegade Craft Fair and can't wait until the Holidays when the show returns to Los Angeles

XOXO, KC

Made in L.A. at the Hammer

Thursday night I finally made it out to the Made in L.A. exhibit at the Hammer Museum. It's the first biennial for Los Angeles, which is about time because contrary to what some believe there is culture here (FYI, a biennial in the art world is an every other year showcase of the best in contemporary art). 

Not sure if this was a piece of art, but we had so much fun playing with these interlocking blocks. Definitely brought out the big kid in us!

The event features 60 Angelino artists who are up and coming and making their mark on the Los Angeles art scene. There's also art at exhibited at LAMAG and LA<>ART. There was good amount of the exhibit to see at the Hammer, along with the permanent collection, which was also open that evening.

Art is enjoyed best with adult beverages. Tasty sangria.

The Hammer usually does music in the summer, so I was excited to see the Allah-Las perform that night. I didn't know much about them, but they were pretty great. Very retro sound, with surf and Beatles-esque influences. They had a good following in the crowd and a great energy.

The Allah-Las ended with drummer Matt Correia singing us out.

If you can make it out to Made in L.A., I highly recommend one of the musical evenings at the Hammer. I think they go until mid-August, but their website also has a listing of all the events that goes along with this really cool exhibit which ends September 2. Support local artists doing cool stuff and also encourage more exhibits like this. Admission was free, but parking is $3.

Love and sunshine!
Sharon

My Big CRAFTED Debut On Los Angeles Local News

Los Angeles Local News, Weather, and Traffic
'Crafted' Transforms LA Waterfront in San Pedro

CRAFTED - Move in Begins

 

CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles will be Make Shop Live's first permanent store.  We are so excited for the grand opening on June 29th!  It's open every Friday-Sunday and will feature local handmade artists and tons of food and crafty demos!  

Crafted before renovations in Feb. 2012

kc hard at work on an upcoming project for the store

checking out the space

Let us know if you are excited and planning on coming July 4th weekend (June 29th, 30th and July 1st) for CRAFTED grand opening! You can RSVP on Facebook and find more details on the Grand Opening here.


XOXO KC & Kevin

3 Local Etsy stores talk Tech

Last Thursday evening, the Santa Monica Apple Store hosted an Etsy Team Community Session about developing your online presence.  Since KC couldn't attend, I decided to take a walk over and get some good tips any Etsy user could use.

Courtney Prince, of Doloris Petunia

Three Los Angeles local users were invited to speak for a few minutes on their experience and relationship with successfully building a store on Etsy. Andie's Specialty Sweets went first.  The nature of a handmade custom order store has it's challenges when it comes to profits.  Even with past months doubling orders, the clear attention to craft takes time and money.  There was a mention made that no press had been done yet.  The photography of the work was very good though, as was the level of craftsmanship.  It seems all the ingredients are there!  Best of luck!  Courtney Prince of Doloris Petunia was next and spoke openly about how the business was developed in NY and expanded after a move to LA.  Someone introduced her to Etsy one weekend at the Rose Bowl Market Fair.  She had a great bit of advice that I'll paraphrase, "Do what you are interested in, then think about what the customer would want".  Basically, if you are passionate about it and are willing to edit yourself, they will come!  Finally, Kelly Massey from Pretty Penny Designs spoke of her journey with Etsy and how she learned to make a splash.  She humorously reminiscent how she started by listing a few items and ..... nothing happened.  Then she "heard people like natural lighting" so she took her products outside and re-listed those pics........ nothing happened.  After a few months she had gone online and done her research on professional product shots and places to outsource fabric printing so she wasn't up past midnight every day.  All the speakers were great, and overall it inspired me and reminded me of how the basics are so important:

Great photography of products

Have passion for your work

Edit to what customers want

Think about how you would appear in press

Best of luck Etsy users!

What I Wore- Friday 11/11/11 Metermaids Tee

 (I am trying to figure out if I should do a wrap up on Friday and take pictures in advance.  There is quite a bit of readers for this segment and I am trying to figure it out still. Comments are welcomed. I don't have an option for a photographer  during the day and I don't have a good mirror for those cell phone to mirror pics- that I don't really like anyway... So shooting in advance seems to be the best option to add some more outfits to the mix. This will be something that I put into effect next Friday so stay tuned.)

 'Yo! It's just past the last 11:11 on 11/11/11!!! What did you do to celebrate today? I have been putting the pedal to the metal and working my little fingers to the bones getting ready for Patchwork Culver City on Sunday and some wholesale orders that have to go out first thing on Monday.  I was beginning to have  a migraine today so I focused on pincushions and allowed myself to dress comfy.  My new favorite shirt to wear around the house has been this Metermaids tee.

One of the main things I have missed about NYC since I have left is the music. While living there I was into Brooklyn Hip Hop and between hip hop shows & going dancing at the bar at all hours with my friends (Not quite hittin' up  Misshapes but still out on the town) I got my fill of amazing music while in NYC.  Towards the end of me living there I got super into a band the Metermaids and I would go see them anytime, I mean ANYTIME they were playing.  Pretty much if I didn't have a good excuse like work or something extremely important I was there enjoying the music because I knew one day I wouldn't be able to see them whenever I wanted to. 

I am glad I went to all those shows - their music makes me super happy. When I first moved out here singing along in the car was the only thing that made the traffic enjoyable. I note updates and buy the CDs from afar now with the distance to get my fix. Hopefully on one trip back East there will be  a show I can catch or I have been waiting quite sometime for another West Coast tour, maybe that can happen soon too. I geeked out on my last trip to Brooklyn because while I didn't get to squeeze any concerts in, I was flipping channels at almost 3AM and their music video came on a indie music program. I Wish I knew  the name of the program at the moment but it was the middle of the night and a show that New Yorker's would know but I don't remember currently- I do however remember that it was a pretty awesome moment to stumble upon. Until another show, I'll rock the music here in Los Angeles and enjoy my new favorite T-Shirt. I got when I ordered their most recent album and it has basically been my lounge shirt since it arrived.

I found these pictures from when I first moved to LA and Kristin came to visit LA and we went down to the Prospector in Long Beach I thought I'd share:

When Kristin and I caught this Metermaids show it was  back in 2009 and she came out for a job interview while she was trying to relocate. It feels like forever ago and just yesterday at the same time. I really can't believe how fast the time has passed since I have moved out here. Kudos Kristin for all the accomplishments you have had since then!

Here are some pictures of Sentence, Swell and Domer at after the show at The Prospector: 

I feel like I should call them by their artist names, but since I worked with Mike, not Sentence and then found out about their music where he is Sentence -I still feel like that's weird when putting a tag to these pictures.  In hindsight I wonder if  the Metermaids secretly laughed at my almost Mel from Flight of the Conchords obsession once I heard their music. The Urban Outfitters I was working at in Manhattan was one of the largest grossing stores and while we worked together closing a lot I don't think I give off a vibe that this type of music is something I am really into and I was super glad I happen to have checked it out when I heard people from work were go to a show.  I really don't care what anything is labeled if I like it I like it and I just absolutely loved what was happening in Brooklyn Hip-Hop wise at the time. The best part of getting into the Metermaids was the other artist they collaborate and perform with are super dope too so going out to the shows were really enjoyable.  

It was like a transcending art documentary unfolding and the first time I saw them play and I was hooked instantly.  It was such a bizarre experience that could only happen in New York.  It was where the mix of the company/ friend I was with + the venue + the atmosphere was something I just couldn't get enough of. I love how music really can just take you there when you hear it. Those were some good times!

Now back to the present-

This morning was the first time I  had a migraine and an acupuncture appointment where I used acupuncture to treat it.  It definitely helped! I think a big part of it helping is the level of relaxation it helps me achieve if I am able to relax my mind and sink into the treatment.  Sometimes you have a session where you run through your to-do list and that is therapeutic but not as dramatic when it comes to fully helping.  Today my mind was definitely racing some so I didn't fully sink into full relaxation, but Sun (The acupuncturist I blogged about briefly here) treated my hands so good that they are feeling day and night better.  I am really enjoying Costa Acupuncture and going all last week has definitely made a huge difference in how I am feeling today. I strongly recommend checking them out.

Even if I wanted to sleep in there is a Unique LA meeting downtown at the Grammy Museum followed up by Patchwork set-up in the afternoon. I really should wrap this post up now and retire to bed so I can be rested for tomorrow.

Best wishes to everyone & thanks to all the Veterans Today on Veteran's Day!

XOXO, KC

Weekend Wrap-Up & Coming Up this Week Oct. 31st- Nov.4th

 

Last night to kick of Halloween Kevin and I went to the LACMA to see the Tim Burton Exhibit. Even at 2AM it was super packed and we were really lucky to have gotten a chance to see it before the exhibit closes tonight.

 (image from Yelp)

I knew it was going to be crazy awesome, but I had no idea how large the body of work  in the exhibit was! It covered everything including sketches, videos, costumes, and massive amounts of detail/ back story on all the  work that goes into his movies.  Over all is was quite impressive and really motivating. Jessica my love, I am sorry you missed the Batman room-It had a Catwoman costume and an Edward scissor hand/ costume- it was sick. We totally hit it up twice ;) 

Now I am just kicking it into high gear for Patchwork Long Beach this Sunday. I have been trying to update the email newsletter and working on a Holiday Updates Edition to send out- If you are not on the Newsletter and want updates and insights, please take a quick second to sign up here or on the top left of the blog. 

Tomorrow for the tutorial  I am going to demo how to make this awesome Garland out of Soda and or Beer Cans.  People will second guess that you made this project yourself- the materials seem deceivingly industrial.  It looks way harder than it is with just some simple paper crafting tools. 

Also of interest, I have updated the projects under the "MAKE" tab and have been updating the calender and other important info today.

Wouldn't you know, I fold and put away everything nicely and this little tight spot searching trouble maker gets into it as soon as my back is turned... what a rascal!

Well, that's all for now. Hope Y'all have a Happy Halloween! 

XOXO, KC

What I Wore- Friday 10/21/11

Tonight Kevin and I went to Yen Sushi & Karaoke in the Westfield Culver City Mall. This was our first time checking it out- we went to celebrate our friend Cathy's birthday.

 

For the party, I wore another Jet Rag $1 dress.  I will have to add some close up details in a later post because there is great stitching detail down the front and across the skirt mid-thigh.  This picture is after the long night of karaoke which got intense and I had to roll up the sleeves. We were all rocking out hard core! My personal highlight I'd like to think was when I discovered Zombie by the Cranberries in the song book.  While I love the durability of polyester I neglected to think about what temperature it might be in the private room we were in for the party. This is definitely going to be one of my go to dresses this winter!

My staple accessory is this button covered clutch that was one of the first projects I made from a thrifted item, way back in high school.   I  found a peachy/ pink clutch and covered it with all my favorite buttons from my collection. I really need to make some more of these...  They are so much fun!

I really had a great time at Yen Sushi :)  Kevin had gone to Korea town for karaoke with the same group of friends before, and they went to two locations for dinner and then had to drive to a separate place for karaoke where the parking was almost nonexistent.  Yen Sushi is super close to our house and has unlimited amount of parking since it is in the mall- which is amazing!  The food was really good.  The prices were super reasonable and the song list/ play book was HUGE! Overall a super evening.

Hope the rest of the weekend is equally exciting for us- And even more exciting y'alls way!

XOXO, KC

Weekend Wrap-Up 10/7- 10/9

Hi y'all! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend +  enjoyed Columbus Day today!

We managed to literally not  leave our apartment all weekend after going to the Mondo Mystery Movie Night- last Friday. Our Mystery Movie was 28 Days Later & the Poster is definitely one of my favorites! It would have been cool to see the Iron Giant and get a sweet poster from Kevin Tong.  You can check out all the designs here. 

At first I was super nervous about what movie it was going to be because they announced that it was a double feature of horror movies and while I dig good horror movies it is generally not the genre I go for.  I think it must be my Grandma's words of wisdom resonating in me that- "There is so much bad stuff in life that why would you go out of your way to trouble yourself with more?!?"  Anyway, I love, love, LOVE Cillian Murphy  and I was super glad that it was 28 Days Later.  Gosh he's so lovely... I think he moved up to #1 on my boyfriend list and that movie would definitely be my reasoning. In fact, I would watch this movie often, it is probably my favorite modern horror flick.  The city shots of London abandoned are so crazy! I can't even imagine trying to coordinate that.  It is a great watch just for that.  BTW,  I must admit I watched I Am Legend before seeing 28 Days Later and I never read Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, YET I am amazed that I Am Legend was made after 28 Days Later. I will be brief since Kevin picks on me saying I should focus on crafts and leave the movies to him-Lol. Seriously though, watch this movie for Halloween if you haven't seen it.

While we were home this past weekend Kevin cut a ton of address book pages that I spent the afternoon hole-punching and sorting them out with covers. We were able to get the first batch of Reinbeers done.  I was back and forth working with him on the projects and getting the pincushions set into a batch of rings. Today, I spent way to much time pinning on Pinterest.  I really enjoy finding all the great projects and inspiration on other people's boards! Check out our boards here to see all the new pins.  Today was crazy though, the day got away from me. I looked up one moment and it was 6PM- CRAZY!  I am hoping tomorrow will be equally productive. 

Hope everyone had a super productive and/or relaxing Holiday today :)  XOXO, KC

Even More 2nd-Hand Shopping

Yesterday, Alisa, Heather and I, went back to Jet Rag for the $1 Sale I blogged about last week.  You can check out last weeks post here. Whenever Alisa is in town from NYC we always hit up Jet Rag, but this was the first time she had ever witnessed the dollar sale. 

Wanna see the craziness unfold??? Alisa took this video shortly after they cracked open the bundles while everyone was scurrying around for clothes.

We all had a great time and got some super cute clothes which I can wait to get cleaned up and post some pictures of how I style things. I left with less than half as many items this week as I found last Sunday at Jet Rag.  Strangely that is one of the fun things about this sale, you never quite know what you'll find. What I found was totally amazing and we found a bunch of things that were perfect for Heather. I am thinking that I am going to try to post on Fridays vintage finds and/or a  what I wore section... At least this week since I have been crazy shopping.

After Jet Rag I had the most delicious vegan scramble at Swingers Restaurant! This was my first time eating the avocado toast and that was pretty F#$% tasty!!! I don't go up to West Hollywood too often to eat since there is such a wonderful variety of restaurants where I live in Culver City- but Swingers has great vegetarian and vegan options (this should be a whole separate post, but yay! I am going vegan again :) If I called it a themed restaurant I feel like that wouldn't encapsulate everything... basically it has a really great unique atmosphere that I enjoy going to with out-of-town guests. Bonus: it has really tasty and unique takes on some of your favorite diner classics use organic items as much as possible.

Following lunch we headed over to the Melrose Trading Post held at Farifax High School.  This is another Sunday thrifting  must! Over the 3 years since I have moved to LA, this market seems to have tripled!!! There is furniture, clothes, jewelry, artwork, original artwork and much more. Parking is FREE and it is a $2 dollar entrance fee. Included with admission is live music, food vendors, and real bathrooms :) 

I wasn't expecting to leave with more furniture, but Alisa and I came across this cabinet/ shelf  piece that I just had to have!!!

I like how there is a tool box style lid with a handle that flips up. It seems like it could have fit records in the top- I am not quite sure it's original use.  It is light enough that it could have been used as an equipment box for something since it is easy to carry it. There is a door that opens to two shelves at the bottom to where the storage capabilities of this thing are endless!

Cost: Under $50

Then today we continued the fun in Santa Monica where Alisa and I met Kevin for lunch. Afterward we shopped at the Goodwill on Santa Monica Blvd- which has crazy good designer finds, FYI.  

Satisfying the only part of our budget for the higher-end finds we went to Wasteland (There are several locations) where they sell the hottest modern, vintage and designer clothing.  I just found out under their "collecting" tab- they have a huge museum-esque private collection of vintage and designer clothing and accessories  you can rent for movies and special evens- I will have to put a pin in that one for sure!!!

Funny thing happened at Wasteland: I definitely had the girl behind me start talking to me and when I turned around it was totally Zosia Mamet looking back at me! Now you would think I would be totally cool at not embarrassing myself when I geek out over celebrities, but I was the biggest loser cliche today.  First thing, I just generally like things and will become the biggest cheerleader for it. Class superlative: I was definitely most school spirit, crazy to think but true.  

I seem to get totally emotionally engaged in characters and things I like- mind you, I love watching TV and movies while I craft so I go deep into a wide range of all types of media. Sometimes, after watching them I will never remember more that I really liked what I watched than anything memorable, and sometimes an actor will really get me into their part. 

Unique LA Highlights and Pictures

We had such a fantastic time at Unique LA this past weekend! Thanks to everyone who came out and visited our booth!!! We had a terrific turnout and found a ton of great items to buy too.

Above: Pictures from our booth.  Check out items you may have missed in our Etsy store here.

Bellow: Great finds from DUST and Co., Sabo, Monstertrocity, Careful, It Bites and UNIQUE LA Pencils I got from checking in on Foursquare.

On Left: I scored this amazing "C" from a Monte Carlo made by my friend Jill of DUST and Co. the glasses pin is by sabo. Right: Kevin picked out this amazing monster from Monster Kat of Monstertrocity, and I am so glad to have 'Robert Sargent' as a new addition to our family.  Kat also makes the amazing unicorn finger puppet in the above picture- LOVEs it!

Kevin ran the show most of Saturday so I could scope out the show and he had the pleasure to chat with Travis from Blogging LA.  He did a great post on the show that includes our Record Accessory Stands, plus more details and pictures of Jill and Kat's goods. Check it out here.

We had a wonderful customer talk to me about the magazine subscription cards and I thought I would pass along some weird trivia.  When I go to stores to collect the cards that clutter the store and fall to the floor are "Blow-Ins" or Blow-in cards.  The difference between the blow-in and the bind-in cards is that they are loosely tucked into a magazine so that it will fall out and attract attention.  They want those things to fall out?!?!!! Crazy! For other interesting magazine facts The Association of Magazine has an interesting page with more details.

This show we attracted some attention with our take on the blow-in subscription cards.  Check out this great post from The Matcha Box on how we charmed a sale out of her with our Metro Card Address Books!  Thanks for your support Alissa :)

I ran into our friend Klara who along with Tyson, her soon to be husband, had an amazing booth as usual! They have an amazing apparel and accessory line that has amazing pillows too (as seen left) Maiden Voyage.  There is a great post that they are featured in here by LA Weekly!!! Great job guys!  Klara told me when we got to speak her and Tyson are getting married this summer in Poland- how amazing! I can't wait to see pictures.  If it is anything like how they design Maiden Voyage it is definitely going to be a wedding to remember :)

Phttp://www.maidenvoyageclothing.com/ 

Photo via UNIQUE LA's Photostream *here*

(Kevin and his new friend from Careful, It Bites)

It is always so inspiring to see all the great artists and designers at Unique LA.  We feel so honored to be a vendor at the show.  It is so great to be a part of such an amazing event and to get to see all of you lovelies in person!!! 

Thanks again to everyone who came by and said hi to us :)

XOXO,

KC & Kevin