erin's wallets

lookee here. my friend erin weckerle, knitter, sewer, d.j.{!} and owner of sodafine, has just come out with these fab wallets. I assume they're only available in person at the williamsburg shop, so you better run on down there. they're only $38 folks!

Mr. Bookshelf

posted by "and friend"

Mollie's constant emphasis on recycling is having an impact on me.

A few days ago the neighbors put some 30" pine boards in the trash - old Ikea detritus. I grabbed them.

While making tree branch sculptures in the back yard (from an old dead tree I sawed to bits), I took some time to glue n' screw together a book shelf from as few pieces as possible.

It took 3 of the planks to make a shelf: One for the back, one for the side and the 3rd plank jigsawed into diagonals for the books to rest on.

I designed it to mount at an angle on the wall so the books self-right themselves into place.

Not sure if the 3 drywall anchors I used are enough to hold it, but here it is with 48 pounds of books piled on.


For wall anchoring with very little back side clearance, I recommend Triple-Grip anchors from Cobra Anchor Corp.

renegade craft fair

if you live in brooklyn and are part of the diy community, it's hard to pass up the renegade craft fair that takes place every june in williamsburg's mcCarren park. originating in chicago in 2003, renegade has spread to four cities, making its L.A. debut july 11 & 12 at the california mart in the garment district. I attend almost every year, and I'm more than impressed with the variety and quality of vendors, that they keep the event free to visitors, and the show's seemingly flawless execution. Of course I collected info on potential everbrite vendors, visited with some friends, and picked up a few goodies for myself. meow meow tweet sells delicious, natural, brooklyn-made soaps that come in adorable cartooned wrappers. I chose three for $20, and soapmaker Jeff Kurosaki gave me samples of the flavors I didn't try. I was so thrilled to see that Jeff and his partner Tara Pelletier are not only craftspeople, but also crazy artist folk. check out their other site friendly falcons to see what else they're up to.

renegade founder Sue Daly employs the artistry of her husband Mat to create the wonderful graphics for renegade. every year Mat comes up with an original poster for each city's show, always including the owl icon in the design. I've had my eye on the 2004 chicago poster for a while, and I was lucky enough to pick up the last copy yesterday. can't wait to hang it up! these beautiful posters are hand silk-screened and printed on rag paper. truly collector's items. check out mat daly's website to see more of his incredible work. it's no surprise he's been commissioned by notable musicians such as andrew bird to design concert posters!

i heart Time Out New York

Laura Neilson, a writer for Time Out New York, asked me to come up with a diy project for their earth day issue. Inspired by sculptures and tote bags I've seen online, I made these rings out of shopping bags. The how-to can be seen on TONY's online edition. The print version comes out tomorrow.

more fun with plastic bags

here's another idea for turning plastic bag trash into treasure- fusing them together with an iron to create a heavy, durable material. watch the video here or jump on over to threadbanger.

handmade nation and the west side

from this


to this

laying here in bed on a sunday morning with a cup of tea- b's got the blankets pulled over his head. I crashed at 9pm last night, unable to make it through a full episode of 30 days. (have you seen this show? it's not dumb.) not having any caffeine all day could have had something to do with it. we left the house before noon, (wow!) picked up a couple of egg & cheese's at mike & sam's, heading to the west side to see handmade nation. we stopped first in the west village, intending to drop in on the hudson st. branch of the market nyc. not to be found- it must be seasonal, and I remember reading somewhere that it was, despite there being no mention of this on their website. okay, so we walked north on hudson, admiring the west village and remarking that it's a neighborhood that we kinda never go to. caught the a train at 14th street and took it to 59th, columbus circle.

the film is being shown at the museum of arts and design, (MAD) in its newly renovated home at 2 columbus circle. formerly the american craft museum, located on 53rd st. near MOMA, MAD bought the iconic building from the city in 2002, making major architectural changes amongst a wave of controversy. though I didn't know the story behind the building at 2 columbus, I always found it mysterious and odd, one of my favorite buildings in the city. when we saw the newly unveiled façade several months ago, I was shocked and sad that the original building had been masked over. reading up a bit on its history, I was surprised to find out that it was indeed originally built to be a museum, thus explaining why it already housed a theater in the basement.

we didn't visit the museum itself yesterday, but will go back on a pay-what-you-wish thursday night. we were however, some of the lucky first few people to view faythe levine's handmade nation. starting with its cleverly hand drawn opening credits, the film is a treat and a joy. produced on a shoestring budget, faythe does a masterful job of presenting the current handmade movement in the u.s. in a clear, concise, and fun way. several key people in the diy scene are interviewed, representing makers, store owners, activists and journalists. the movie opens following crafter Ileana Rodriguez as she sets up her booth for chicago's renegade craft fair. throughout the film we get to check in on her progress, as she talks about her experience as a maker. the accompanying score is by levine's band (what does this woman not do?) and its playfulness perfectly matches the film, which pops with the bright colors of hand made products. at the end we see some of the crafters who had been interviewed during the film selling alongside Rodriguez at renegade, neatly tying the movie together.

I was familiar with many of the people and their companies featured in the film, including Brooklyn's own Erin Weckerle! it was nice to see some people I hadn't heard of before and hear their take on the indie movement. there were makers/designers/store owners from san francisco, austin, chicago, providence, los angeles, houston, and olympia, among others. all of this I find very inspiring, that the movement is so widespread and enjoying success in virtually every corner of the country.

so, two thumbs way up for handmade nation!

photos: wikimedia, MAD.
click here for more photos of 2 columbus circle.

handmade nation

seems like I've been waiting forever for handmade nation, the indie craft documentary to come out. well the waiting is almost over, as the film premieres this thursday, feb. 5 in milwaukee, then comes to nyc the following week, showing feb. 12, 14 and 15. there is a wonderful interview with creator faythe levine and co-author of the handmade nation book (yes, there's even a book!) cortney heimerl on today's design*sponge. the nyc showing will be at the museum of arts and design at columbus circle. I'm going to order my tickets now!

the plastic bag bag

I had done a post some time back containing a link to the dh lovelife video about georges, the formerly homeless frenchman who creates stunning sculptures and couture gowns out of plastic shopping bags.

here's a more down to earth approach presented by jane hanstein cunniffe on her site plastic bag bag. it includes instructions on crocheting your own plastic bag bag.

indie fixx: small business tips

I just happened upon this great guest blogger post on indie fixx via twitter. (it's my first week on twitter, and wow- I don't know what to say.) Such a lot of great tips for the small design business owner. I might have to use some of them myself.

love this tutorial

ruffeo hearts lil' snotty shows how to make a cowl hoodie from old sweatshirts on threadbanger.

packing it up, DIY style

I've been catching up with some friends I haven't seen in a while, since going full time with my business in February. The most common question I get asked is, "what do you do you with your time?" so.....I thought it would be fun to post some pics which will give you a looksee into my process.

I shot these last night, while packing up an etsy order. This shows my practice of packaging, using the three R's: reduce the amount of new materials (the only one being the brown envelope). The stamps come from my dad's collection; reuse: the decorated plastic bag and protective sleeve made from a cereal box; recycle: the envelope and sleeve can be recycled on the recipient's end. I've thus eliminated the need for non-recyclable bubble envelopes and added a personal touch to the packaging.