My new atomic earrings!

I bought these beauties in the gift shop of the Milwaukee Art Museum. They came with a festive little book explaining how they are made. These were inspired by the shape of an eucalyptus seed pod (yay for nature as inspiration!). All of the atomic earrings are designed with CAD and printed using a 3D printer by Bob Fields. Very cool.

Renegade Craft Fair – I loved it!

More from Renegade Craft Fair! I didn't buy from any of these vendors (yet) but I would of... so many lovely and interesting things!

Earrings by Foxglove Accessories

Foxglove Accessories
Each of these teeny tiny little treasures was created using vintage postage stamps. The back of the card would tell you what era and what country the stamps were from. Fascinating.

Sword Fern Cuff by Wonderlust Jewelry

Wonderlust Jewelry
Breathtakingly gorgeous stainless steel jewelry. The designs are made using actual bits of nature so every piece is unique. I overhead the artist explaining her process – it has to do with chemistry and reminded me of how photographs are developed. At the point I came across her booth I had just bought myself some other jewelry so I was trying to slow up my self spending for a bit. Otherwise, I could have easily made a purchase here!

FoundRe: Furnishings
I love and adore the texture and the mystery history of layers of peeling paint. There were some gorgeous tables whose tops were pieced together with different colored narrow pieces of wood salvaged from New Orleans (trim maybe?). They were lovely and reminded me a bit of quilts. Sorry I don't have a photo!

Bat mobile kit from Owly Shadow Puppets

Owly Shadow Puppets
I think these cutouts would work equally well as creative playthings and home decor items!

Renegade Craft Fair – I had to have it!

Long ago in September I flitted off to Chicago to go to the Renegade Craft Fair. Renegade is done annually in select cities and has a very specific vibe. Things there are perhaps not for everyone but they do fit my style. A friend of mine and I had been talking about going for years and we finally made it happen. I am so glad we did! The mix of artists was great and the 3-hour car ride flew by as we talked up a storm. Funny how you can do that with someone you talk to on a regular basis anyway!

I did not take photos at the fair because it was super crowded and I did not want to be mistaken as an idea-stealer. However, I have three different posts planned highlight my favorite artists. Due to the magic of etsy you too can shop Renegade!

Today's posts will show you where my own money went.

About a year ago I went short with my hair (again, it has been done before!) and since then I have been trying to freshen up my long earring collection. So I indulged in some earring purchases:

Gem Junkie
Amazingly enough her earrings were only $5 a pair. Someone must be getting a steal on the bead costs to sell them priced this low. I bought pairs featuring trees, perching birds, and planets (for my space-loving sister – Happy Birthday!).

earrings from Overdue Industries

Overdue Industries
Everything these guys had for sale was made from old books. Being that I work at a library and love books, I could totally appreciate this! I bought two pairs of earrings for myself. They are punched out of the ornate covers of old Reader's Digest condensed books. So cool! The earrings were even hanging on a backing that looked like an old school check out card where you had to write your name and the date you checked out the book. You know, in the days before barcodes. I have a long teal and white pair and a circular red and white pair. They also had necklaces and nightlights and coasters.

There were a lot of vendors selling stationery and posters and prints. Be still, my heart! As a graphic designer, my skills and my love fall squarely within the realm of print design so it was lovely to see that paper isn't dead. Nothing beats a heartfelt and hand-written note now does it?

For my home I indulged in art from two different artists:

Autumn Cardinal by Strawberry Luna

Strawberry Luna
I bought all four of the cardinal prints. One for each season. I love little birdies, I love birch trees, I love nature, and I love silk screened illustrations in this style. Of course I had to have these little sweeties. I haven't decided how to frame them or wear to hang them so they are laying flat and waiting for me to figure that out!

Shade of a Tree by Thimblepress

Thimblepress
A lovely thing to remember –gratefulness for those who came before and an eye toward leaving "shade" for those to come. Soon to be hanging in my sunroom. And such a lovely design – the kind of thing I aspire to do.

Lest you think this trip was only about me, I will have you know gifties were purchased from these artists:

The cutest felt animal masks. Something I suppose I could have made myself but nothing wrong with supporting an artist and stuffing a stocking all in one fell swoop. I can't find a business card for this booth so I cannot report to you who it was. Apologies!

Circa Ceramics
I loved these ceramics. They came in a range of cool colors and were printed with black illustrative line art. They seemed bright and cheerful and functional. What more could you want? I couldn't decide on a piece for myself – or a safe location in my house – so I ended up buying a piece as a gift.

Tree Hopper Toys
I was super in love with the "Match Stacks" memory games made with flat wooden disks and simple, symbolic art. Cute!

quilt inspiration at the Pentwater Art Fair

"Geometric Tree" art quilt by Sandy Dekker

I went to the Pentwater Fine Arts Fair in July with my mom and sisters. I would highly recommend the show. There was a lot of quality work and beautiful items. Plus, who doesn't love a small town up north along the shores of Lake Michigan?

I had a lovely conversation with quilter Sandy Dekker. She made some smaller scale abstract quilts to hang on the wall as art. They were so very beautiful. She did the quilting on the machine but completely free form in poetic and flowing organic lines. She also sewed on tiny sparkly beads for added dimension. I am so impressed. Lucky for all of us, you can view her work and purchase it from her etsy shop!

I am very inspired to make a small quilt just for the purpose of hanging on the wall. What fun it would be to have a place in mind and create something perfect for that very spot.

I also want to make mention of the Grand Traverse Beach Glass Company. I bought a pair of earrings from them. All of their jewelry is made with beach glass that they find along the shores of Grand Traverse Bay. I thought the pieces were beautiful and, of course, very unique.

love this bracelet!

One of the lovely ladies I work with has been crafting up these charming bracelets made of vintage buttons! She picks a color scheme and then attaches all the buttons to a chain-based bracelet. Isn't it a beautiful idea?

It makes me want to scoop up all those bins of buttons you see at antique stores!

The beauty of delegation

Once upon a vacation I found a smooth bit of seashell with a perfect hole through the top. "Perfect for a necklace!" I thought to myself. And one lunch hour after the vacation I even attempted to buy the appropriate supplies for making such a necklace. But I wasn't exactly happy with the string and then I used the metal loop to repair a different piece of jewelry and the little seashell sadly sat in a plastic bag, waiting.

Fast forward four years. One of my co-workers does lovely beadwork. And one day I think to ask her if she might make a necklace for me. She says yes. A few weeks later, this lovely piece of art is born. I love it so much that I wear it the very next day!

Calder Jewelry

During my lunch hour yesterday I ventured to the Grand Rapids Art Museum to take a peek at the Calder Jewelry exhibit. I loved it! The jewelry was fantastic and unique, unlike anything I had ever seen before, and there was more of it than I expected.

Calder was imaginative and his style playful. His designs are not constrained by convention and expectation. Necklace pour down chests, drape over shoulders, and twirl across collarbones. Oversized brooches take on many forms – abstract shapes bloom and creatures leap. A crown of leaves, a hat of woven wire, and earrings that move with the breeze, miniature sculptures in their own right, all shining within simple black display cases.

This necklace is called jealous husband! All the lovely, feminine loops in contrast to the dangling spikes protruding from the shoulders.

The pieces are made of found materials or basic metals, rarely gold or silver. Many of them feature spirals and swirls. And why not? If you like a shape or a pattern or a color, then why not use it?

I was also touched by the fact that almost all of his jewelry was created as gifts. Most of them were for his wife for birthdays or anniversaries. They had this image on the wall, of her dressing table, with jewelry form her husband arranged as if on exhibit. That in itself is inspiring. How many of us own beautiful things – jewelry, shawls, shoes, dresses and so on – that are tucked into drawers and closets. Why not display the objects as art?

There's only one week left to catch this exhibit here in Grand Rapids. I scoured the web for a few links so you can enjoy some images:
• Images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• National Public Radio story
• Video of the exhibit being installed