Summer
Summer has rolled around and it signals a change of pace. The world is out looking for fun. I spent some time crafting this weekend with some lady friends. Made progress on a piece of knitting I’m working on, unplugged for the most part and gossiped just a little. We also went to a party with a bounce house and jumped until we were dizzy.
We also have a new foster cat. Her name is Mabel and she’s a darling black kitty. She wants nothing more than for someone to spend some time snuggling with her. If you’re interested in giving her a forever home please let me know.
I spent my Sunday with the Kitt Crusaders at one of their adoption events. Amazingly at least three darling cats got adopted while I was there. Of course there are still plenty more. Like these little kittens. I just wish more people cared as much as some of these people do. If everyone just did a little bit it would make a huge difference. By the way, you can donate to Kitt Crusaders, who is rescuing cats from one of the highest kill shelters in Los Angeles by donating here.
Unique LA
This weekend there was not one but two craft fairs going on in Los Angeles. It’s time like these that I wish I could clone myself so that I could have attended both. While I missed Renegade this year, I did get to browse the enormous Unique LA. I’ve been attending for the past few years and every event is massively bigger than the last. Viva la handmade revolution!
I wanted to share a few of the shops I was able to snap photos from, as well as a few I wasn’t able to. Like those adorable felt whales from Janie XY. So freaking cute. I have a major weakness for felties, which is probably why our apartment is teaming with them.
One of the first booths I saw and loved was the paper goods from Shortstack Press. Very sweet designs plus I got to chat with Allison who was super nice. I loved the recipe cards.
There was a photo booth set up by Oh! Snap. Definitely the coolest photo booth I’ve ever seen. Everyone wanted their photo with the snow monster.
How cute are these shirts from Rad is Rad? Super cute!
Dave from Taco Comics was painting away during the show. It was cool to see the work in progress.
Sycamore Street Press had a lovely set up. Wonderful holiday cards, a great 2011 calendar and foldable fortune teller.
There were some great home made jams from Lemon Bird. They had some seriously ingenious flavors.
One of the most gorgeous booths was the one shared by Liz Huston and Amy Reed. Liz had some amazing artwork and Amy is the maker of Dust jewelry. I wanted to live in their booth. Go check our their work!
These cute pot holders were from collisionware. All the owls are great. These could totally spice up your kitchen.
I also got to hang out for a bit with the rad Sara Tea while she DJ’ed. She kept everyone’s spirits up while they checked out the shops.
That’s all for my photo round up, but I have a few more shops to mention…
The most beautiful jewelry from Melissa Loschy. I really wanted one of her necklaces, but was shopping for gifts, not myself.
Super hot lingerie from Purrfect Pineapples who I finally got to meet. I love Erika’s designs and they’re all cruelty free.
Rad shirts from Timber Preservation Society.
There was even a vegan pie from I Heart Pies.
Lovely vintage badges from Crown and Badge Salvage Company.
It was really fun, I wish I could have roamed around all day peeking in the shops and checking out all the crafts. Can’t wait for the next one.
Knit wolf hat
Happy Post Thanksgiving everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful day stuffing their faces with vegan goodness. We skipped making food this year and had an awesome brunch at Madeleine Bistro. (I’m pretty sure a certain Little Vegan Planet will be posting some drool-worthy photos very soon.)
I wanted to show off this cute hat I made for Shawn. He’s notorious for always wearing his orange hat, but chose this lovely brown cotton bulky yarn for this piece. I used this pattern and it came together quickly and easily. I just free-handed the ears and sewed a few pieces of felt on the inside.
Since it’s black Friday, I just wanted to urge readers to get creative this holiday season and try and craft up some of your gifts. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make things for people you care about. It’s a great way to put a lot of love (and not so much money) into gifts.
If you don’t feel so craft-inclined, I highly advocate checking out Etsy or a local craft fair this year. You can support local artist and people who really put a lot of creativity into their work. You’ll feel better getting something that is unique and special for your loved ones than getting something cheap and mass produced. I’m not saying not to snag a few of those half price Blu-rays
Portland craft: Summit of Awesome
How cute are these guys? While in Portland, we got to visit the show of awesome, part of the Summit of Awesome. The Doug Fir lounge was filled with so much creativity and craftiness. I wanted to buy one of basically everything.
Going to a craft show like this is just so inspiring. I couldn’t believe how much talent was packed into this room.
I loved these rings. I couldn’t decide which one I liked best.
I probably could have spent most of my day roaming around this place and checking out all the handmade stuff. I also got to meet Becky from Glue and Glitter, which was cool. It’s times like those when you realize you’re a total internet nerd. Oh well.
After all that crafty fun we checked out some vintage stores nearby and then headed over to the Bye and Bye. You know the Bye and Bye right? Only the coolest vegan bar around. I think so anyway. Check out that amazing mixed drink in a jar. So darn good. Oh and then some other awesome stuff happened.
I think I’m in love with just about every aspect of Portland. I suppose I should share some of the great food we ate as well…perhaps next time…
