Bucktown Arts Fest

Bucktown Arts Fest poster by Dolan Gieman

It was a prefect weekend for the Bucktown Arts Fest. I participated last year, but decided to take a little break this year and instead walk the show – which is so much more enjoyable than having to man a tent and attempt to visit other vendors. Of course, once I was there I regretted not signing up this year! There’s always next year though.

My favorite vendors:
Mr. Hooper from Nashville, TN. I am big fan of his work and met him through a mutual friend of ours. He has a great selection of pieces as well – smaller affordable pieces for moi and larger pieces. I’d love to have a large painting of his! (One day!) Read his blog here.

Paintings by Mr. Hooper

Circa Ceramics was also accounted for. Andy and Nancy are amazingly nice and talented. My studio space is next door to their space and they are constantly working. I came back with a small piece bowl with a typewriter (perfect for the random paperclips scattered around my desk) and they have lots of new designs. They will also be at Renegade in a few weeks.

Lovely Circa Ceramic pieces

Another artist I absolutely loved was Teresa Petersen from Detroit. Oh my. Her work was fun to look at and the titles are delightful! Being a big fan of thrifting, I totally spent the most time in her booth looking at her collection. I came home with this piece, a collage on a paint by number.

By Teresa Petersen, Looking for a Good Toaster

I finally finished my fan page for Paper Parasol Press on Facebook. I made it a point to put an equal amount of time into the actual website as I did the Facebook page. I like the way the actual site is going. I just need a few more tweaks to the opening page. Websites are always a work in progress and take me way longer than they should. All in all, a productive weekend.

home sweet home, Chicago

FINALLY! The countdown is on. We are on home turf this time, after traveling across the country in each direction. Now, we just have to travel down the street! So, come visit us at the Renegade Craft Fair Chicago on Saturday + Sunday September 12th + 13th.

birthday for him

There’s definitely a shortage of birthday cards for our fine men. This is one of the newer card designs for the Paper Parasol Press line, now in the shop .
4bar size, printed on a vintage Vandercook Uni I

This card did really well in San Francisco’s Renegade Craft Fair. I had only brought with me a certain amount and they sold out by the end of the show. But, I think that tends to happen – you bring little of one thing and it sells, but if you bring too many, you’re dragging it home.

sneak peek

I envy the lovely lady who will carry this beauty around…

This is a purse that the talented Holly Harper at the Thread and Needle will have at the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago. RCF is in 18 days! I am looking forward to a show on home turf. As much as I like running away to the other ends of the country for shows, it will be nice to just drive down the street.

Happy Monday! I am off to get a coffee to start my day.

Silently Surrounded

A new painting for the Paper Boy opening, which will be Friday August 28th.

Silently Surrounded, acrylic on board

To the right of this little painting you may notice a lovely art-deco deer planter piece. I picked that gorgeous number up in a thrift store in Kansas City. Kansas City has the best vintage stores! One day I am going to have to drive a trunk down there and come back with all mid-century furniture.

Happy Tuesday! I think it’s a perfect morning to grab an iced chai and visit the post office.

organinze my life

This is my logic: “Oh, if I buy these neat-o file folders from Knock Knock my life will be so organized! This is the answer to all my tax forms, wholesale forms, and random contacts laying all over place! Thank goodness!” That is my idealized idea of buying fun little things for my office. Realistically, things will probably stay a bit all over the place, but at least in style.

It’s so hard getting spray paint around here. They don’t sell it in the city proper, so one has to travel to the burbs to find any. I just need the spray paint to paint some vintage decor and to make my life a little prettier, is that too hard to ask? I am not planning on becoming a street artist anytime soon. Really.

Tonight!

I can’t get into television. I may be the only 20-something American who has never seen a full episode of Friends . I admit, I watched Gossip Girl here and there, but even that tapered off completely. (Mostly because I had a crush on bad boy Chuck on that show.) But, I am head overs heels in love with Mad Men . Don Draper can be my husband or, even better, my lover anytime he wants. It’s subtle and smart and at times can be slow and other times completely shocking. “Did that just happen?” “Is she drinking AND smoking while pregnant?” Oh, the ad industry – it seems like it could have been much more fun back then.

Wonder what the gang at Sterling-Cooper are going to be up to? Check it out tonight as season 3 premiers tonight on AMC.

by Frank Ockenfels 3 | http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/

Hope everyone has fun at their Mad Men themed parties drinking martinis and Tom Collins.

breath

I am in the process of shaking things up and moving forward! In light of this busy time of year, I have been taking a break from the computer completely. My days have been filled with art and taking time to enjoy Chicago in the summer. I just need a little refocus time.

I have a book cover assignment in the works which has been fun thus far and the following upcoming shows:
Renegade Craft Fair Chicago
Ravenswood Art Walk
DIY Trunkshow
Indie Wed

Oh, and I have a show in a few weeks at the Paper Boy – a store packed with a plethora of goodies and one of my favorite stores in the city. The ladies that help run the Paper Boy are extremely talented and wonderful. Please stop by to say hello and have a class of wine.

Paper Boy opening: Friday, August 28th (was the 21st, but we moved it.) from 5pm-8pm. Viola!