argyle sightings

this year's been crazy with argyle sightings, i'm seeing it everywhere i go on adults and kids, sweaters and backpacks. today i was walking past a coworker's office and her water bottle had argyle all over it! a few weeks ago at the detroit urban craft fair i asked dennis of perfect laughter if i could snap his photo in his green argyle to throw on my blog later. well, here it is! thanks for being a good sport! their etsy shop is stocked with some super sweet screen prints, i still need to get that type tree!
i also recently ran across a pug friendly shop on etsy, african gray, and this little paper doll has on the cutest argyle sweater and jeans.

my christmas moves rid the world of evil

Tis the season! For snow and hot cocoa and loved ones. I’ll admit, part of me is a scrooge during the holidays. The malls- ACK! The wrapping paper- ACK! But there is definitely plenty to love about this time of year. To help get through the blur that are the holidays, there are few standbys to keep me in spirit. Fa la la la la!

Favorite Christmas CDs:

A Very Special Christmas, Compilation (Fave track: Christmas in Hollis, by Run DMC)

The Magical Magic of Christmas, by Harry and the Potters (Fave track: Drop the Needle, It’s Christmas. You may think “WHAT?!’” but hellz yeah, this is a great album.)

Christmas, by Low (Fave track: Little Drummer Boy. You know, from that Gap commercial ten years ago.)

A Christmas Together, by John Denver & The Muppets (Fave track: Twelve Days of Christmas. The Muppets- Need I say more? Just don’t mention the “piggy pudding.”)

Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer, by Elmo & Patsy (Fave track: Percy, The Puny Poinsettia. I don’t LOVE this album, but it was a staple of mid to late 1980s Christmases so I felt pressure to include it in my minimal list, and I dedicate this selection to my sister.)

Jingle Bells, by Barbra Streisand (A song from A Christmas Album. This song is not your typical version. I don’t like Barbra, but I LOVE this super fast version of Jingle Bells.)

Peace on Earth/ Little Drummer Boy, by David Bowie & Bing Crosby. DUH!

DVDs:

Elf, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Animated, NO Jim Carrey) are the only ones I REALLY need to see annually. But I do like Scrooged, It’s a Wonderful Life- when I want a good cry, I do LOVE A Muppet Family Christmas, and Ernest Saves Christmas is a classic in my book as well.

dang happy holiday media days to you!

DIYpsi round-up

while i was frantically sewing up finishing touches on items for DIYpsi last week, i watched a movied called bang the drum slowly, a 1970s baseball movie starring robert de niro. he ends up falling ill and then out of baseball. at one point when the illness is taking its toll he is wobbling across the street and says "i'm dipsy." YES. DIYPSI. i thought i was hearing things, the he said it again! he was feeling dipsy. i had to chuckle. oh the crafty madness of craftin' it up on little sleep. (also, upon googling i was reminded that there is a teletubby named dipsy. oh noez.)

DIYpsi: a handmade holiday craft fair was a first year show put on by sherri, marcy and cre (AKA: sparklepants industries, all things grow and tin angry men). 2.5 weeks before the show the venue it was to be held at shut down! without warning. so it was scramble time for them to find a new venue and make it work, so that the show would go on.

and go on it did! it was held at woodruff's in depot town and another small space across the street. the cozy bar i was in was busy all day, i laughed with some of my crafty peeps, saw many familiar faces since it was in my neck of the woods, sold some dang stuff, and enjoyed some chickpea sammiches from local caterers EAT. little DIYPsi was a success! well done, pals.

fun fact: across the street from the venue was tats for toys. which was essentially folks lined up around the block waiting to donate a toy in order to get a free tattoo. needless to say, the long line was a topic of conversation.

DIYpsi was the last show for dang argyle this year! i did eight craft fairs in 2010, which is the most we've done in one year. when we started doing shows in 2006 we did maybe three a year on average. i keep doing more! i don't know if i wish to continue to do so. it seems like there are so many more shows being organized each year, and doing fairs is addicting, so it's hard not to want to do them. i'll see where 2011 leads us.

finally, a big thank you goes out to all those who visit indie craft fairs and support local artists and handmade!

PS there was a mini shop update today! wristlets + michigan mittens gift tags

stuff i bought in detroit @ DUCF

1. 5th detroit urban craft fair t-shirt, handmade detroit, design by detroit GT
2. aqua tulips wall hanging, by all things grow
3. poor man's wine cover, by my vintage kitschen
4. mustard ruffle necklace, by pretty things by meg

5. enjoy irony & sewing is believing buttons, by sweetie pie press
6. robot ornament, by deets
7. knitted mustache brooch, by mittenmade

the list of things from other crafters that i wanted and didn't buy is way long! i hope to hit up their shops to do some more purchasing. it's so fun finding fun things at craft fairs!

a waxing nostalgia DUCF wrap-up

warning: long, rambling, emotional crafter post to follow.

this past weekend was the 5th annual detroit urban craft fair in detroit, and i was overly proud and excited to be among the 70+ vendors. the fillmore theater is a gorgeous space and it added even more magic to an already magical event. when i walked into the theater that morning and was getting ready to sign in i got tears in my eyes thinking about how far the whole “craft movement” has come, and how i’ve been able to witness it all and to also have my own business evolve along with it.

the very first DUCF in 2006 was the first craft fair dang argyle did, and it was an amazing introduction to the craft community. that august day in 2006 cortney (le bizz partner) and i met some great people and we were in awe at how friendly and fabulous our fellow crafters were. we were blown away that we could make purses, that people would buy them, and we could have so much fun doing it. over the past four years i’ve continued to form connections with fellow crafters in the community as new events and crafters pop up all the time. handmade detroit has played a huge part in this, acting as a catalyst, and a hub of all things crafty. those 5 gals have done wonders in SE michigan, and i am deeply thankful for all their crafty efforts in helping spur on the craft community.

every DUCF is magic, awesome, amazing, and fun, and i love participating- it’s like christmas morning, disney land and a family reunion all in the same day. but this 5th anniversary DUCF... from the moment i got the “you’ve been accepted as a vendor” email i’ve felt it all a bit more as i’ve been reflecting on dang argyle and the craft world at large, and i’ve been a bit overwhelmed at how it’s all made me feel when looking back. to be involved in such a great crafty circle of the nicest people. it’s great to chat about getting no sleep before fairs, about our tents blowing away in the wind, about where to order business cards, about what shows to do, etc. at the DUCF after party on sunday, in addition to toasting a super weekend, we compared crafting to sports. a craft fair is like a marathon. it’s crazy preparing to get there, and then when it’s all over you are high on the buzz it leaves, and you breathe a sigh of relief, and then immediately start thinking about the next one.
the short of it: it was a great DUCF weekend that was busy both days, despite a lions game and high priced parking. i had a ton of fun. my table was next to courtney fischer (again!), so we had a blast. i had a ball carpooling with nicole from sloe gin fizz. i met some fabulous new people. i got to see the pony boy necklace in person. i marvelled over ethan's trumbullplex zine library. (really, truly, i drooled way too much over that necklace and that card catalog.)

this week i’ll be preparing for DIYpsi, which is in ypsilanti at woodruff’s in depot town. 29 sweet vendors with their handmade wares. i’ll have library card pouches, if you missed out on one! snag ‘em while you can, i don’t know if i’ll have them on etsy again before the holidays.

next up: what I bought at DUCF!