Indie Kids: holiday gift guide
‘Tis the season for shopping! And what better time of year to support your favorite local artists?
Below are a few selections for mom, pop and tot. The best part about these picks? They’re ALL made by artists who are participating in the Rock & Shop Market this Saturday in Durham. These exact items might not be available Saturday, but the artists’ booths will be stocked with plenty of good stuff.
So, head on over to Motorco and Fullsteam tomorrow to get your shop on!
FOR BABY Clockwise, from top left: 1) table and chairs from Inai Inai Ba!, 2) red yak bodysuit by Greg Clayton, 3) bodysuit by Elephant Kisses, 4) recycled sweater hat by Art Insomniac.
FOR MAMA Clockwise from top left: 1) large cotton handbag by Iro Handbags, 2) tiny bird silhouette necklace by metamorphosis, 3) layers of circles top by sew bliss sew, 4) screen printed cotton napkins by tiny peepers.
FOR PAPA Clockwise from top left: 1) Modest Mouse show poster by Plastic Frame Press, 2) belt buckle by Buncombe Buckles, 3) “beantown” shirt by CityFabric, 4) macho manly muscle man soap by Hello Crafty.
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Meet the Rock & Shop Market designers, part two
This week, we’ll take a closer look at some of the designers who will be at the Rock & Shop Market on Saturday, Dec. 4, from noon to 6 p.m. Meet each of them yourself during all of the fun at Motorco Music Hall and Fullsteam Brewery.
Joel and Ashley Selby – This Paper Ship
Why the name “This Paper Ship”?
“This Paper Ship has become our true vessel into following our dream,” says Ashley Selby, one half of the Greensboro-based paper goods and design company. “On a daily basis we eat, breathe and sleep creativity, quite literally.
Ashley and her husband Joel use their degrees in graphic design to produce invitations, recipe cards and screen-printed tote bags, along with their work in branding and illustration. Everything they produce is one-of-a-kind and hand-drawn, bridging the gap between technology and tradition and contemporary and retro.
Heather Van Dam and Jen Wakeland – SquackDoodle
What, exactly, is feltidermy? Officially, it’s a crafty take on taxidermy that favors stuffed animals made from felt. For Greensboro resident and former Durhamite Heather Van Dam and her sister Jen Wakeland, however, it’s just one type of up-cycled, recycled and “from scratch” items that keep the pair connected through their craft business SquackDoodle.
Crafting and creativity run in their family: Growing up, their grandmother sold her smocking, knitting and handmade clothing and dolls. The pair carries on that tradition with pillows, paper garlands, birdie headbands, mobiles, holiday ornaments, and embroidery hoop memo boards that will be for sale at the Rock and Shop Market.
Rock & Shop Market – Gift Guide – For the Ladies
“Hey ladies!”, this one is for you. After spending weeks and weeks looking over the applicants photos and websites for the Rock & Shop Market, I have a pretty good handle on what I will be coveting at Saturday’s event. Below I’ve compiled some of my favorites and the items that I predict will be a big hit at this year’s event.
But be forewarned, if you have your eye on any of the items above, most are one-of-a-kind so you’ll have to snatch them up quickly at the event (if I don’t get there first)!
From left to right:
1. Gorgeous hemp-linen skinny pants handmade by North Carolina designer Stephanie Teague.
2. Recycled silver metal North Carolina necklace made by Pittsboro shop owner Ginna Earl.
3. I’m loving the intricate design inside this ship print by Raleigh based Ahpeele.
4. Who knew repurposed roofing copper could be so pretty? I love the chevrons and Navajo inspiration.
5. Not only does NC company Flutter make pretty clutches, but pillows and napkins too.
6. Lovely purples & plaids grace this clever scarf made from an old shirt by Sew Bliss Sew.
7. How handsome are these earthy earrings by Nooni Jewelry?
The Big Crafty: December 5, 2010
In case all the hype hasn’t {uh} hyped you up enough to make it to The Big Crafty, I’ve found 10 handy dandy items you’ll want to see in person. The Big Crafty is this Sunday, December 5, 2010; it’s free and open from 12PM to 6 PM at Pack Place in Asheville, NC.
The show is jam packed with amazing artists and crafters, making it the perfect opportunity to buy handmade this holiday season. Wolfie & the Sneak will be there, won’t you?
Above {starting with the upper left and going clockwise}: Ragamuffin Press, Big Woods Art, Chomp Industries, Crankypants, In the Light Glassworks
below:
Final Approach, Sew Moe, The Button Florist,Not Made In China,Foundling.
Meet the Rock & Shop Market designers
This week, we’ll take a closer look at some of the designers who will be at the Rock & Shop Market on Saturday, Dec. 4, from noon to 6 p.m. Meet each of them yourself during all of the fun at Motorco Music Hall and Fullsteam Brewery.
Oami Powers – Judah Ross
There’s a story behind each of Oami Powers’ handmade pieces – just like the name of her line, Judah Ross.
“My business is named after my mother and father,” says the Raleigh clothing designer. “My mom was a talented painter who taught me to sew when I was six, and my dad works with metal, is a great photographer and makes furniture.”
Powers creates her own artisan-made contemporary women’s clothing and accessories. After studying painting in college, she was inspired to start her own line with a focus on clean lines, excellent craftsmanship, great fit and patterned textiles.
Yumi Okita – Iro
Yumi Okita knows the power a purse can have on an outfit – so much so, the Raleigh artist created her own line of handmade handbags from vintage silk kimonos. Okita, who has a BFA in 3-D Fine Art and a MFA in Ceramics, created her first bag from a vintage kimono seven years ago. After shopping her one-of-a-kind bags around to local boutiques such as Cameron Village’s Gallery Shibui, she realized she could sell them on her own online and at craft and design shows.
Liz Esser – Haden Designs
Raleigh jewelry designer Liz Esser’s career started out as a diamond in the rough – quite literally. Esser, who has a BFA in Metals and Ceramics, started her line in Brooklyn, where she worked for a diamond jewelry manufacturer. She would take her lunch breaks in New York City’s diamond district to hunt down parts to complete her own necklaces, earrings and bracelets.
Esser’s first design show was the 2007 Rock and Shop Market, and since then she has focused on the often-underappreciated technique of layering.
“I think the layering of styles, textures, colors and materials is what makes my designs so unique,” says Esser. “You might not be conscious of it when you first look at the piece, but when you break it down you will see I combined a very natural, rough-cut piece of opal with very fancy antique faceted glass or used high polished chain combined with distressed oxidized components. This combination of contrasting parts is what makes it work and sets it apart from other designs.”
Rock & Shop Market featured on My Carolina Today
I was excited to drop in on the My Carolina Today crew over at NBC 17 this week to talk about the Rock & Shop Market. Check out the segment below:
A special thanks to Oami Powers, who let us borrow the Snap Tee from her line Judah Ross to show off on air!
Wear This to That: Rock & Shop Market
“Wear This to That” pairs an upcoming North Carolina event with fashion and accessories made by local designers or sold at local, independent boutiques.
A better title for this post would be Wear This From That, as all of the stylish local designers featured here will be at Saturday’s Rock & Shop Market. While these exact pieces may not be at Motorco Music Hall from noon to 6 p.m., each of their designers’ will have a wide variety from each of their lines to tempt you and your holiday shopping list.
Learn more about the Market here.
1. This belt buckle from Buncombe Buckles will come in especially handy on your tour de food trucks at the Market. Tasty grub from Only Burger, Klausie’s Pizza, DaisyCakes and Slippin’ Sliders is more than enough reason to wear slightly larger pants than usual, held securely up by a more-than-slightly hipper belt buckle. This cutie gets extra points for being named after my home county in the N.C. mountains.
Circles, Swallow belt buckle, $62
2. These earrings from Raleigh jewelry line Nooni Jewelry may cause more of a buzz than the beer across the street at Fullsteam Brewery, which recently hosted a fun Rock & Shop pre-show photo shoot and will be open for the festivities. The gold and coral play off each other beautifully, hanging off over-sized french ear wires.
Coralie earrings, $42
3. This roomy T-shirt from Raleigh design line Ahpeele would be ideal with a pair of equally comfy jeggings. If in doubt, get tips on the art of skinny jeans from the bands who will put the Rock in Rock & Shop, Wilmington’s Onward, Soldiers and Greensboro’s The Ox Magnolia.
4. If you’re wearing this necklace anywhere near the Rock & Shop Market fashion show runway when it starts at 2:30 p.m., be prepared to be mistaken for a tardy model. The collar, made by TrendeFemme, is made from organza petals that have been felted into wool using a process called nunofelting. (That’s a technical term for really, really pretty.) Each necklace is made to order, adding to its charm.
Felted Poppy Collar Couture Artisan Necklace, $120
The Rock & Shop Market, Photo Shoot
We’ve been busy here behind-the-scenes preparing for The Rock & Shop Market on Saturday December 4th in Durham. Are you coming? It’s going to be awesome – food trucks, amazing vendors and really great bands. Here’s the facebook invite with more details.
Last week we did a photo & video shoot at Fullsteam Brewery, one of our venues this year.
I think the images turned out great! We had North Carolina (and Rock & Shop vendors) illustrators This Paper Ship create the Rock & Shop graphic on the fabric and local print-on-demand fabric company Spoonflower print it for us.
Stay tuned for lots more Rock & Shop related content in the next week.
Photography by Geoff Wood
Make Out Sessions with Crown Town Handmade
I was ecstatic when I learned about the Charlotte craft collective Crown Town Handmade. I’ve briefly mentioned them on my blog but I wanted to elaborate more about the group and their “make out sessions” here.
Members of the collective regularly get together for workshops and community events. In April they began hosting monthly “make out sessions” at Charlotte’s Patchwerk Playhaus, a cool little theater in the back of a vintage shop. These craft sessions are open to the public and usually held on the last Thursday of the month. There’s a different craft and a different instructor each month, and Crown Town’s blog gives a heads up in advance about what the project will be, and what supplies will be needed.
Definitely worth checking out!
Student Designer: Origami Revolt
My favorite thing about Origami Revolt, a soon-to-be-graduate of the Art Institute of Charlotte, is the scope of her variety. A peek into her etsy shop shows just how talented and original she is. A native of Winston-Salem, Origami Revolt has mastered dollmaking, but she also designs fashion and hair accessories, change purses, phone charms, eye masks, pillows, and the most adorable cat toys!
Origami Revolt says she’s inspired by international fashion and music, and she’s especially influenced by Japanese culture. Her style comes from her hobby of altering thrifted clothes and her love of color, patterns, and fringe.
Above all, she loves seeing a 2-dimensional idea become a 3-dimensional reality. She hopes her degree in Graphic Design will allow her to continue creating 3D designs. Ultimately, Origami Revolt says, “I’d like a job where graphic design, fashion, packaging, and cuteness are just mixed together.”
See you tomorrow! -
