Ohhhh yah. Just got back from the Minnesota State Fair and am still decompressing. What an amazing event! Cropart, amusement rides, flower show, animals, The Miracle of Birth Center, lumberjack competition, rodeo, the craziest food on a stick you’ve ever imagined. We even went to see a live broadcast of Prairie Home Companion which was a wee bit earnest, but poking fun of “Minnesota nice” was endearing nonetheless. And seeing the sound effects live was really neat… During the fair we ate tons of insanely delicious, fatty food: corn fritters, cheese curds, fudge puppies, cheese on a stick, mini donuts and on and on. The trip was a blast and I am looking forward to attending that nutty fair for many years to come! Youbetcha.
Orien MacDonald, a.k.a. Old School Tools, grew up in Alaska and Southern New Mexico, where his parents were part of the Back-to-the-Land movement. His dad taught workshops in building handmade houses out of adobe clay and had a vast woodshop where Orien whittled his first woodworking project at the age of five.
Read the full Etsy blog post and comment to enter to win Orien’s handmade chefs knife!
I met master weaver Baba while I was visiting some friends in Highland Park, CA. After my morning walk to the local cafe I happened upon an enchanted little import shop with a weaving studio housed in the back. The shop, Pets With Fez run with Baba’s partner Nanette, is a wonderful nook filled with vintage, imported and hand-woven goods. He teaches 15th century Persian rug weaving techniques as well as floor loom weaving.
Sculptor Louise Bourgeois died today at age 98. Bourgeious’s abstract organic works made a huge impression on me in art school and will forever be one of the artists I look to for creative inspiration.
“Ms. Bourgeois’s sculptures in wood, steel, stone and cast rubber, often organic in form and sexually explicit, emotionally aggressive yet witty, covered many stylistic bases. But from first to last they shared a set of repeated themes, centered on the human body and its need for nurture and protection in a frightening world.” – The New York Times
Here’s the latest video from one of the series I produce for Etsy called Handmade Portraits.
Photographer Sharon Montrose and I had been trying to plan a shoot together for over eight months but our schedules never seemed to overlap. Then Sharon emailed me in February to let me know she was about to shoot photos of a three month old giraffe and I dropped everything to head to LA. What a surreal experience to watch a gangly seven foot tall baby giraffe walk through the door. It was a real thrill to capture the event and to see the incredible amount of teamwork involved in producing one of Sharon’s shoots. Thank you Sharon for being such a wonderful and supportive member of the Etsy community!
My pal Siri Wilson of Sirius Lux jewelry and Treehouse Brooklyn ws kind enough to create one of a kind chunky, crocheted chain jewelry to go with my Andrew Harmon Oscar gown. After much discussion about what would look best with my dress, copper or gold chain, short or long, simple or bold we finally decided one two simple chains of gold as well as a drippy bracelet. Siri custom crocheted each piece to perfectly compliment my sparkly gown. Siri thank you my dear. I felt like the belle of the ball at the Oscars!
Also a special thanks to Deena and Junco at Coiffeur for making my coif look fabulous!
When I told my dear friend Andrew Harmon I was invited to attend the 82nd Academy Awards he said he would be thrilled to make me a one of a kind Oscar gown. Not only was it a fun project but he got to dress me up like his little doll. At first his designed a silk patchwork biased cut dress in black and creams colors but he thought that looked too pretty. Why make a pretty dress for the Oscars? Why not make something outrageous and vampy? Above is the fabulous creation he came up with and it happened to fit me perfectly! Thank you Andrew. It’s truly the most beautiful dress I’ve ever worn. Incredible.
Here’s the beaded clutch to go with my gown, courtesy of Oak NYC. Thank you Louis and Jeff!
Here’s the latest Etsy video I produced for our series on home decor and amazing spaces There’s No Place Like Here. Read the full article on Etsy’s blog.
Pam Kueber of blog Retro Renovation was originally looking for the Victorian farmhouse of her dreams in the Berkshires, but for various reasons (price, location, size) she and her husband ended up falling in love and purchasing a 1951 Colonial Ranch house instead. Although the house has aspects of a modern ranch house — the step down living room, the open dining room — a large portion of the house feels more Colonial or, as Kueber coined, “Mid-Century Modest.”
Patti Smith chronicles her 22 year friendship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe in the new memoir Just Kids. In my development as a creative person Patti Smith has been a huge influence and inspiration. These remembrances of her early days in NYC, the music and poetry scene and her romance with Mapplethorpe are sure to satisfy my nostalgia for a time that that I didn’t live through but feel so connected to…
Listen to Patti Smith on Fresh Air talking about her career and unique relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe.
My pal Siri Wilson of 
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