Moustaches are Everywhere

My husband is growing a moustache for the first time in his life, and this Unnecessary Advertisement made me think of him. If you spend as much time laughing at things on the internet I do, then you'll probably find these Photoshopped "ads" are pretty funny too.

Based on the recent popularity of this facial hair phenomenon, I'm considering etching a curly moustache design onto some pint glasses. I'd love to hear what you think!

Read more...

Flight of the Conchords

Just before I moved across the country, my friends told me about Flight of the Conchords, a tv show on HBO about two guys from New Zealand. They're in a band and they're trying to make it in NYC after losing their passports. Dry comedy ensues!

I was finally able to see the first season on DVD via Netflix last week! The two guys, Bret and Jemaine, are completely charming in their simple naivete. Their songs are fantastically catchy and funny, each one in a different musical style. My husband remarked that their music reminds him of the Magnetic Fields, in that it could be considered "novelty music" for its humor, but is extremely well executed, musically.

To express my adoration for the show, I decided to create a portrait vase of Bret and Jemaine. It's gotten great reviews so far, even from people who'd never heard of the show! I'm so pleased with the way it turned out, I'm already planning my next example hero-worship in vase-form...

Flight of the Conchords - Robot Future

Read more...

Septopus

I made this little amigurumi softy as a gift for a friend's new baby. I'm really a knitter and not a crocheter, but I thought I'd share this project because it proved just how creative and simple crochet is. With just a little bit of practice, you could be creating sculptural stuffed toys for your cat, baby or roommate in just a single afternoon!

I found the pattern for free through Ravelry, but you can see it here (sorry, I don't know the designer's name, beyond "Katherine"). The silly thing is that I'm terrible at counting crochet stitches, so I just kind of winged it and somehow only ended up with seven legs! So, he's actually a "septopus" instead of an octopus.

If you'd like to learn how to crochet, there are some fantastic online resources. I learned from Debbie Stoller's book, The Happy Hooker, which I highly recommend!

Read more...

Poecreate

I had a great afternoon at tea time with fellow-Etsy team members, Leah, Lea and newbie Jonathan. It was a great day to spend in Laurelhurst Park, talking shop and drinking tea!

Jonathan just opened his Etsy shop, Poecreate, to sell his gorgeous lampworked glass focal beads. He took some model shots of his beads in action on Lea and myself, so you may catch a glimpse of us in some of his listings! You may even see me in person wearing a beautiful barrel bead of his in my favorite greens. Check back in his shop soon for heart focals and the ever-creative-and-artistic "balls" pendants! They reminded me of Truck Balls, only prettier.

If you're looking for some hot shopping action from some of your favorite Portland-area Etsy sellers, meet us this Saturday at the PDX Art and Craft Show next to the PSU Farmer's Market!! Bread and Badger will be there, debuting our Flight of the Conchords portrait vase, which is so new, it isn't even finished yet. ;)

PDX Art & Craft Show

featuring members of the PDX Etsy Street Team

Saturday June 28
8-4
South Park Blocks at PSU

There will be many great local creators selling such things as handmade soap, lovely handcrafted jewelry and art. The Portland Farmers Market is just to the North so you can buy local food as well! PDX Etsy will donate some money to our sponsor, the PSU Women's Studies Department.

(show info section courtesy of Salmon Street Studio)

Read more...

Trading: almost as good as making money

I had a booth at Rebel Rabbit craft fair this past Sunday, which was my first time at this Portland event. The space inside Hipbone Studio was amazingly well-lit from skylights, and I loved the sketches, paintings and sculptures adorning the walls.

The bad news was that there weren't many customers. I heard later that there was another big event in north Portland that may have drawn everyone outdoors, but not many folks came through our space.

The good news was that all the vendors got to hang out and get to know each other a little better while also trading goods! I got to chat with my table-neighbors while knitting a sweater I'm working on, which made the event feel like a crafty meetup, rather than a day of working a fair.

I ended up trading some of my things for an awesome set of Koozies from PDX Softgoods and an original painting and magnet by Ian of Bend Rivers!!

Merritt's koozies got immediate use at my house for keeping my evening beer cold, and I'm sure they'll be a hit when we have friends over. It was almost impossible for me to decide which designs to get (she also has scooter designs, and a tattoo flash swallow design that says "Portland Forever"!), but I ended up choosing a pre-pack with cowboys/cowgirls and horses. Each one even has a cute name next to their picture!

I am so in love with Ian's paintings, I can't wait until he has an active Etsy shop! For now, I'll just have to hope we run into each other again at another Portland event. He paints amazingly layered pictures on wood, then heavily shellacs them for a sturdy, uber-shiny finish. I love that his imagery contains words, bright colors, robots with wavy arms, animals, and all kinds of iconic shapes. Everything has so much energy to it, it's hard to stop staring at! The painting I picked up was a reclaimed landscape painting that Ian made into his own work of art. I wish I could put one of his little masterpieces in every room of my house! Luckily, with my new vampire teeth magnet, I've now got two rooms covered.

The bird collage that hangs above my new robot painting is actually my first Etsy purchase! It was made by Flukey Madera in Spain (who appears to no longer maintain her shop). I bought one of her other bird collages for a friend's birthday, and had to have one for myself!

Read more...