Renegade Craft Fair fun

As mentioned, I stopped by the Renegade Craft Fair, and there were some serious crafters, artists and designers on hand.  Unfortunately I could only make it on Sunday, so I missed out on the Swap a Rama Rama, but still had plenty to take in and get inspired from.  A few of the stand out companies with fun, quirky and artistic products to share…

First up is the lovely jewelry from Ornamental Things, a indie jewelry company out of Austin Texas run by Natalie Tischler.  I was drawn to her hand made wares, and with the use of vintage pieces, she takes old and mixes in a touch of new to really make these pieces pop.  Not only are they great to look at, most pieces on display at the show were very light and delicate, perfect for a night out!  Be sure to check out her site where you can buy directly!  A few of my favorites I saw at the show and a few from the site I love, from left to right: Purple Romance Ring, the Moroccan Tea Room Necklace, Gilded Lantern Earrings, Skeleton Key and Pearl Necklace, Queen of Roses Necklace, and the Pearl and Brass Necklace. 

One of my next stops, was over at Sycamore Street Press to find all things paper.  From prints to cards, tags and even letter-presed frames (one of my favorites!) this booth had so much to look at.  Owned by wife and husband team, Kirk and Eva Jogensen, their work was simply beautiful and quirky, just the way I like it!  A few items worth a second look… from left to right: Letterpress Friendship Card, Letterpress Frame Mat, Botanic Thank You card, Numbers and Letters posters, and a Limited Edition Original Print.  Be sure to check out their site for shopping fun and inspiration, and if you still are craving more, stop by their blog and  Etsy shop.

Perhaps one of my favorites of the show was Tanya Aguiniga, an artist and furniture designer raised in Tijuana  Mexico and now based out of L.A.  I was drawn into her booth by the amazing wool yarn necklaces, cuffs and jersey bracelets.  They look incredible on, and are amazingly light and airy.  After talking with Tanya, I found out she was in fact a furniture designer and wow, her work is a-maze-ing!  And, thanks to Tanya, my fiance may have found his wedding ring!  I highly recommend checking out her site, there are tons of great furniture designs as well as additional goodies for sale.

There were so many great artists at the show, I will feature a few more throughout the week for all of you that missed it!  If you are in the San Francisco area next weekend (July 18-19), the Renegade Craft fair will be going on and most of the vendors are making the trek up north, so do check it out!

Hanging in there

Even though I can’t read a word on the page, I just had to share these amazing photos of a furniture instillation done by Gabriel and Tiago Primo from Brazil, I think.  Where they got the idea, I will never know, but using rock climbing gear, these two set up their own living “area” on the side of a building, suspended in the air.  Definitely not for those with a fear of heights, but sure is interesting to look at!  I am loving all the details that they put into this instillation, that coffee table and dresser with accessories are just too much!  You can see more photos here.  Would you ever hang out on the side of a building?

(via like cool)

Colorful additions

I must be in the mood for a shopping spree, I stopped on over at Urban Outfitters to see what’s new, and if you haven’t been to the site lately, you need to seriously consider it!  There are tons of great odds and ends and some fun and colorful bedding new in stock.  A few things that I would grab up in a heart beat…

First up is the brightly colored 30″ Circle Bird Rug.  The size is just right to add a little color without going over the top, and it fits a nice budget at only $18! The Fiance and I have been in search of decanters that blend that traditional look with a twist of modern and this Glass Decanter is exactly what I have been picturing.  Now that summer is here and the weather is slowly getting warmer, this Industrial Fan is just too cute, and perfect for a tabletop at only 10″ tall. 

Now, I don’t have an iPhone, but if I did, I might consider theses Artist Series iPhone Skins. The skins fit a 3G phone and come in several different designs, each done by a different artist. Adds a little something to that thing we all carry around with us everyday.

And now onto tabletop accessories!  I am loving all of the bold graphic plates and bowls, particularly the Graphic Plate Series 8, the Graphic Bowls Series 7 (someone needs to work on some names!) and I those Boulder Mugs make me want to curl up with a good book.

Tired of your same old clothes?

Last month, I introduced you to Shenna Matheiken, the creative force behind the Uniform Project, and thought I would stop in and she what she has come up with in the last 30 days.  And let me tell you, this girl has one huge closet!  If you have no idea what I am talking about, the Uniform Project is a 365 day event where Matheiken has creatively come up with ways to make the same dark dress look like a million bucks.  The purpose? All donations will go toward the Akanksha School Project, a non profit foundation keeping kids in the slums of Mumbai in school and off the streets.  Looks like word is catching on, the funds raised so far has quadrupled since I last was at the site!  So, get inspired with her wardrobe, support a good cause and create some interesting looks for yourself!

What’s new?

Its Friday, and boy am I ready for the weekend!  I thought I would take a quick look over at Velocity and CB2 to see what is new in stock, and found a large amount of glass objects for your home.  There is something about these clear little pieces that make me want them all!  

When I was little, my Mom kept a huge porcelain piggy bank in her closet and every time my brother and I saved up some coins and the hard to come by “paper money” as we liked to call it, we dropped it in the bank.  I am loving the Glass Piggy Bank by Roost, made from borosilicate glass, these could be the perfect solution for a more modern kids room, or you know, in my bookcase!  Lately, I have been seeing more and more terrariums becoming popular, no doubt due to its insane cuteness and who doesn’t love a living plant in their room?  These Recycled Glass Bubble Terrariums are hand crafted without a mold so no two look exactly alike.  The organic shapes are perfect as a small centerpiece for a tabletop or shelf.

These Palette Bowls are perfect for summer entertaining!  I am loving the pop of orange and yellow… I can just picture a pile of green apples sitting in these.  My motto, you can never have too many vases, and these Noir Vases are nice enough to look at even without flowers!  They may not be made from glass, but I couldn’t help myself!  Made from matte black iron and polished nickel on the inside, these will sure turn some heads.  Last but not least, these Glass Canisters are perfect for keeping your bathroom and small objects nice and tidy!  If only I had seen these when I was in need of some jars!

A penny for your floor

I love mosaic tiles, and the flooring over at The Standard Grill in NY must have cost them a pretty penny…. or thousands for that matter.  Thats right, they tiled a giant portion of their floor with actual pennies.  Now, Im not so sure how it works with the whole, we cannot deface money issue, but it sure does look pretty amazing!  Reading through comments via not cot, a penny is .75 inches in diameter, you would need approximately 256 pennies per square foot.  At $2.65 per sq foot, it may not be the best for large areas like this, but totally do-able for small instillations.  At any rate, its still fun to look at although it would drive me crazy to have them facing all directions!

(via not cot) 

Renegade Craft Fair

Usually I try to get upcoming events posted by Wednesday to give you guys enough time to add it to your schedule, well, I am a day late.  Hopefully most of you still don’t have plans this weekend, because there is going to be what sounds like an awesome craft fair in L.A and its totally FREE!  The Renegade Craft Fair will host over 200 crafters and all their wares at the California Market Center.  Did I mention its free?  The fair will run both Saturday and Sunday, but if you can make it on Saturday, they will be featuring a huge Swap-O-Rama-Rama, for $5 and a bag of old clothes (or $10 without) you can walk in, grab as much as your little arms can hold and walk out!  Plus, there will be silkscreen stations available to really make something unique!  There are tons of other fun things, raffles, DJ’s, and a free photobooth just to name a few.  I know what I’m doing this weekend, hope to see you there!

(via indie fixx)

Modular units for a cause

Ah, yet another site with great photos and text in a language I can’t understand!  But this time, I’ve got my trusty translator!  In case you don’t have a translater, or lets face it, just a little too lazy to look it up, here is the information from their site.  Overall, a pretty neat concept and nice design for a modular unit, and the fact that it is a possibility for low income families and emergencies, this could be huge!

Text taken straight from their site, and if you still have time, check out their blog for some amazing modern architecture throughout Mexico. 

(via share some candy)

“The project seeks to develop a prototype construction system by exploring alternative materials and construction methods based economic re-use of panels of fiberglass that left jobs in other works. These panels were processed in a flexible modular system for a spatial configuration to the needs of each user, designed to meet the housing needs of low-income families and also for emergency disaster or other situations in Mexico.

Located in an area of high temperatures were developed design techniques to create insulation and cooling in order to optimize the environmental comfort of the interior space. We designed a cover vented through holes created between the structure of wood, reeds and sky false bottom of the cover foil and the heat is not transmitted directly to the interior, which also implemented a cross-ventilating gratings generated by placed in a reverse direction according to the most appropriate according to the natural air currents.

For the interior was tested with various coating materials and concrete was made with used tires filled with cement, where the pile anchors that hold the building, which rises from the ground to get a stream of air from the bottom. This work is part of a study that seeks to investigate the feasibility and economics of constructibilidad such solutions, with the aim of responding to problems such as poverty and homelessness.”

Modern designs

I get such inspiration from looking at interiors and fashion, and I am loving the design from Coburn Architecture out of NY.  With a touch of modern, some bold color, and storage to dream about, the guysand gals over at CA sure know what’s going on.

(via design to inspire)

I just love the idea of sliding doors that are hung from the top.  

One organized kids room!  Such a good idea using chalk board paint on the walls, and the colors are perfect, kid and adult friendly.  

With the modern railings, exposed beams, a wall of storage and a dog, I would live here in a heart beat!

Twins, but not really

I don’t know how many times I think I see someone I know only to get close and realize that its not the person I was indeed thinking of, and I apparently am not the only one.  Canadian photographer Francois Brunelle has taken on a rather interesting concept for his Im Not a Look Alike project.  The idea, we all have someone we look similar to, but Brunelle took it one step further with the concept of finding two people who look like they could most definitely be related but in fact are more or less strangers.  And, he invites you to participate, you just have to have someone in mind that has that same pretty face as yours.  Hopefully he has many more photos to come, this is such an interesting idea!

(via design crisis)