shopping local

Just wanted to share a few rad photos by the talented Cat Rocketship from Market Day. (Cat is an amazing artist, by the way. See her work here and check back every Friday for her One Day Friday Payday Sale.) Anyway, yes – Market Day's Black Friday Sale was a huge success! You might have seen us on KCCI or ABC5 on Thanksgiving night. Or check out the story on Market Day on CNN Money.

One of the best parts of hanging at local craft fairs is meeting cool people, like Dan Welk of Click Photography. I picked up one of his Travelers prints. Check out his brilliant perspective on the day here.

I'm also a new fan of Kevin House's original collages and prints. I had to snag one of his small collages.

There was also tons of handmade jewelery.

And fun holiday garlands and decorations, like these from Disco Lemonade. (She made me a cool custom garland made from cut-up circular sweater pieces.)

And here's the view of my booth, while I still had a rainbow-colored pile of hand-knit goods on the table. Thanks again to Cat Rocketship and all the MSMF peeps for a fantastic holiday show and super successful first year of Market Day. See you again in the spring. :)

black friday ...

Want to get some holiday shopping done, but don't want to subject yourself to the crazy big-box store crowds? Come out to Market Day instead (and bring the whole family!) Go here to see the lovely Cat Rocketship's top five reasons to come to Market Day. (Including Mooncheez tomato soup/grilled cheese sandwiches and free papercrafts for kids.) Hope to see you there – be sure to stop and say hi!

yes, i am. (thankful)

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. – Thornton Wilder

As I'm making pie and cookies and vegetarian lasagna today (with my little helper,) I'm feeling pretty grateful for our little family and the little spot we've made for ourselves in this big world. I have to remember that each day we spend together and every little thing we do is pretty awesome.

And this week, I was reminded how grateful I am for friends like these. This gang goes way back. Now we're watching each others' kids grow taller, year after year.

And I've gotta admit that I'm also a little bit thankful that I'll have a fun way to spend Black Friday – hanging out at Market Day with other crafty peeps. It sure beats camping outside of Best Buy. :)

Here's what I'll have on hand if you stop by on Friday ... (well, and other stuff that I didn't have time to take photos of.)

And here are some lovely pics from last weekend's Craft Saturday – what a fun day spent drinking coffee and chatting with my pal Erin. Thank you to everyone who came out to see us!

(And a big thanks to Joe and Danelle for another super fun event.)

Market Day's Black Friday Sale is sure to be another great opportunity to buy local, buy creative (and save some cash, too.) Come out to see dozens of vendors with handmade, art and vintage wares. You can find us at 118 SE 4th Street in the Market Building (two blocks off Court Ave) from 10am-4pm ... this Friday! Ditch the mall + big box stores and come hang with us instead. (Bring the whole family!)

knitknitknitknitsleepknitknit

Knitting projects ...













See all of these and more in person – just come out to Craft Saturday tomorrow.

I'm bringing some new paintings, too. I've had a bunch of requests for of batman and the sandwich guy, so here you go.

In honor of all you New Moon fans, I attempted to knit Bella's La Push hat last night.

(This could make the perfect gift!) photo of my hat coming soon ...

And I finished this lovely thing last week.

The Chorley Wrap from Rowan Magazine 46.

I'm in love (and it took under four days to knit!) It's extremely thick and warm and cozy. (Yeah, this is not for sale.) ;)

Just a little reminder of a few local events you should definitely be checking out, especially if you've got some holiday shopping to do. Tonight is the Holiday Promenade in the East Village (and the weather is going to be fantastic.)

While you're there, be sure to stop by SMASH (now Raygun) for their big name-change party.

And you must also check out the new Ephemera location to say hi to my pals Arin and Karen. Their new digs are pretty amazing! You can also find a new colorful pile of my hand-knits there.

Tomorrow marks Craft Saturday's 4th Annual holiday show – you don't want to miss it! Get a most excellent start on your holiday shopping adventure. We'll be there from noon to six.

And Market Day is next Friday, Black Friday. Shopping local has never looked so good.

Oh yeah – I'm also guest blogging one more time at Smile and Wave today! Jump over to check out what's going on over there (I've loved all the guest posters this month) and see who won the giveaway. (Happy Friday!)

truly creative type

I know you've seen this book by Rob Ryan, right? His work is everywhere, and I actually picked up an extra copy of This is For You last summer at UOs while I was in Kansas City. And I'm giving it away this week at The Creative Type.

This week's challenge is an ode to Rob Ryan's papercuts (stop over to see what our lovely guest Kara Haupt made!) And here's my page. Some of it is cut paper, and the rest is a mix of paint, Sharpie and good old Hambly. Here are some of my favorite Rob Ryan pieces, which served as inspiration. These are all cut from paper, by the way. See more in his shop and on his blog.





So what else is going on around here?

D.I.Y. Night at Mars Cafe is back. More info here.


Excited to get my hands on the Handmade Nation documentary DVD. (Get it here.)

And Kim, my pal from across the pond, has added some fun things to her shop, Art=Happy. See more here.

I'm teaching my first class at Ephemera tonight. I'm really excited!

And this Saturday is Craft Saturday's 4th Annual Holiday Show. It's the perfect time to start your holiday shopping – you'll be sure to find lots of one-of-a-kind handmade gifts. Come out to see us at the Fourth Street Theatre, downtown next to Java Joe's from noon to six. (Check back this week to see lots of new hand-knits that I'll be bringing!)