Miss Modish- Mojo Maker

Christmas vacation!

I'm signing off for a bit for all of the holiday festivities and just to relax, catch up on sleep and eat my way through til next year.  I'll be back in January with a NEW look to the blog, and more exciting news about the direction the blog will be taking in the new year.  It'll still be the same modish filled with handmade eye-candy, but there will be a lot of additional substance and content beyond just the pretty things, plus other little changes.  More info to come in Jan, but for now I wish you a peaceful holiday season and an incredible 2008!

Jazz hands, yeeaaahhhhhh....  

Guest Blog

Jenifer has done a really incredible job over at the guest blog this week.  I feel so tired today, I leave it to her to share some amazing finds.  Take a peek at today's post on her favorite etsy sellers, many many of which I've never heard of before.  And a post yesterday on her favorite ceramic finds, some gorgeous stuff!

{images from guest blog- click pic to head over.}

etsy friday faves!

hello sweet modish-ers, it is our farewell day, however, i have lots of etsy goodness to turn you onto before i head out & back to my own blog world!

i'm just going to streamline this whole process into photos with links to where you can score the goodies! here we go:

*tiny airplanes shop, felted flower brooch --

*art and ghosts, when wishes explode print --

*lisa smith design's, pink heart porcelain ring --

*abigail percy's, prehnite faceted line necklace --

*oktak's, mini frame pouch --

*seaspray blue's, too many teacups print --

*the good machinery's, small prints of happiness & delight

*bijou girl design's, little sterling leaf ring --

*it's lovely here's, blue, white, and orange vintage necklace --

*the skinny knitter's, strawberry merino handspun yarn --

*wild n woolie's, handcrafted buttons --

*cecile belmont's, la jetee dress --

*the sea within's, ch ch cheetah purse --

okey dokey peeps, that's it for me here today! thanks so much for sticking with me this week. i hope you found something you really liked & an indie artist you would feel proud to support! thank you jena for letting me guest blog for you - i had a lot of fun :) if you guys & gals would like to stick with me, check out my blog sometime, or my flickr, or my two little sprout goody sites: sprout etsy and sprout studio! have a lovely holiday season modishers!!! xxx. *jenifer

Make somethin' this holiday season!

This Christmas I'm hoping to get a few days off to take time for myself and relax a little, finish a couple books and mostly, get back to crafting!  I'm so busy with blogging/shop keeping that there's no time to make any goodies myself and I miss it so.  I'm determined to have at least a couple days to play around with new jewelry designs and other fun stuff, and if you're in the need for a little crafting relief too, you may like this gorgeous hand block-printed fabric by jezze:

With beautiful nature inspired designs in fresh color combinations (that coral and with black print is so pretty!), these fabrics are the perfect inspiration to create some fun sewn goods just for yourself, because you deserve time to create and you definitely deserve a gift for yourself!  Check out these and more designs at jezze and see how she actually made the fabric on her blog!

Double take

Custom, handmade to order, beautiful shoes on etsy?  No way....I don't think so...

Okay...yes way, dang!  These intricate and unique shoes are inspired by the maker's trip to India and reflect the aesthetic and simplicity of the world she saw there- custom made from supple leather (sorry Vegan friends!) to fit your foot perfectly, these are both comfy and stylish and seem like ideal everyday shoes for flats loving girls.  Find them along with some heeled friends at El Diablo Shoes.

thursday clay day!

i've been fiddling around with clay since my junior high days and when i was in college, i got my BFA - emphasis ceramics & screenprinting. so i have a love for the clay that goes way back. i have quite a few folks to introduce you to today from the sublime, pristine porcelain whites to the super rugged terra cotta vibrant clay makers of ceramic goodness. clay takes a special kind of patient person to work with it - a bit like a clay whisperer...sometimes i don't have it...sometimes i do... (good luck birdies & necklaces & tiles & teapots)... these guys have it all the time i think!

i stumbled across rwood studios a long time ago - heralding from the south, and my old stomping grounds, i liked them right away. i love the gorgeous bright colors & absolute hand of the maker that can be seen in these pieces:

next up: coe & waito ie: elegant, porcelain, perfection. these are so amazing, so beautiful, and so many are on my christmas hit list. look at these pieces & try not to want allll of them:

this is pretty much mind blowing. i would have given a lot to see this installation:

next up to the mound: white forest pottery ...more elegant goodness:

another fine bay area lady artist is diana fayt i have yet to own any pieces of hers other than a beautiful calendar, but she is on my list. i would be as smitten as could be with any of her pieces. any. i love them all. her illustrations on her ceramic pieces are amazing. she is definitely a clay whisperer. diana majored in ceramics & screenprinting too, perhaps this is why i have such an affinity for her work. take a look:

you can pick up some gorgeous pottery all your own from her etsy shop too:

and finally, an etsy clay lady: whitney smith pottery

so modish lovey's, hope you found a new ceramic artist to love & perhaps a piece to fly away home with you. tomorrow, friday, is my last posting day - i'll be back with an etsy fave's wrap up! until then...xxx.
*jenifer

This is your life

I love this beautiful little doodle-esque drawing by Jess Gonacha- much of life does seem like climbing up one big hill, but once you get to the top, the view can be seriously wonderful (or so I've heard- I'm definitely still in the climbing stage :)

My life today includes taking my boyfriend to urgent care to get x-rayed for a bike injury, so I think that's it for me for the day, blogging wise.  In the meantime, make sure you stop by the guest blog where jenifer is whipping up some incredible posts, including yesterday's part a of her favorite artists, all ladies from San Francisco, and part b today, introducing more insanely talented female wonders- there's lots to look at over there!

good wednesday morning to you!

...let's pull up a comfy chair, beanbag (like in my home), or sofa & pour yourself a cup of tea. this is installment "b" of the indie artists i adore. now, this list could go on for *ages* and last me weeks upon weeks of guest blogging - so i'm going to narrow it down and list four. (maybe jena will invite me back later and i can dish some more with you!) most of these talented peeps (all ladies mind you, yes, i aim to highlight the lovely ladies) have etsy shops where you can score yourself some amazing prints and be able to live with some beautiful art.

coming out of the batter's cage first (okay, really, do i need to quit the all star league theme or what?!) is betsy walton. betsy lives up in portland, oregon (who doesn't want to live there?) and draws, paints & sews such amazing works of art. i think i pretty much love most everything she does. i might be risking overloading you here, but i'm going to go a little picture posting crazy in this entire post so you can see much loveliness today (and i was having a really difficult time choosing). and really, your day will be brighter after seeing these :)

here we go:

am i right? beautiful. now here are just a few that you can snatch up from her etsy site:

and one of my all time faves that i simply must get for christmas:

you can stay up with betsy on her flickr too!

moving right along, to our next fabulous lady today, we have camilla engman. yet again, a wonderful illustrator whose world is peppered with her super dog morran, whom we all love, and interesting characters involved in a multitude of natural & urban happenings & settings. sometimes camilla's work is very simple. her line, her hand & her drawing can be just so. and by just so, i mean just right. spot on. take a look:

this painting i am so much in love with, it is so phenomenal in so many ways:

and this print happily sits in my kitchen:

camilla's talent is envious. i am so glad she shares it with the world. keep up with camilla & support her endeavors through her shop, and give her comment props on her blog & flickr.

...and really, how much cuter could morran be?

jen corace is up next. let's talk about someone's work who i love, love, love. i own quite a few (ah-hem) few being an operative word, of her prints & journals & such (okay, i have a wee obsession). jen seems to be a little bit more illusive in her selling world -- as in, she's not on the web too much. you can occasionally snake up a print through tinyshowcase & ifnbooks has her journals (which are just terrific). mahar dry goods has a coupla her letterpress prints which are just darling. i know she sells her originals through some galleries, so i assume, if you are lucky enough to attend an opening & actually get that little red sold dot, you are one lucky duck. i'll just inundate you now:

this beauty recently sold for in the $3000's (she's getting to be quite desirable!)

there's something that just resonates really profoundly for me in jen's work. i find myself really attached to her girls in their settings. i want to know their stories, and where they are going...where they have been. i just might be her biggest fan :)

ready for last hitter of the day? refresh your tea, cozy back up. we'll be seeing some ashley g. i own a couple prints by ashley as well. she is an etsy rock star. her prints are super affordable, and she has other cute items in her shop as well. check out some of my faves:

ashley also has a flickr and a blog -- keep up with her there!

once again, i've worn myself out -- jena, how do you do this everyday? (maybe i'm just a slow blogger)

i'll be back again tomorra, i've got some fabulous ceramic artists to introduce you to! have a fantastic day modish friends! :)

xxx.
*jenifer

Hold on tight

This New Year's Eve when you're looking for something to clutch, reach for these gorgeous silk charmeuse bags from Nelle:

Made with hand-dyed silk in luxurious and fun colors, these designer clutches and handbags will be the perfect finishing touch to a pretty party dress and some kiss me kiss me heels.  I'll probably be on my couch struggling to stay awake 'til midnight on New Year's, so go: party, look pretty, and stash your cash in a beautiful Nelle bag- I (and my Dove dark chocolate ice cream) will live vicariously through you.

good morning modish sunshines!

...sun comes up, it's tuesday morning... (a little cowboy junkies anyone?) so, today, we are off for a little whirlwind tour of some awesome san francisco bay area indie artists. some of these terrific & talented ladies i will introduce you to today, i am lucky enough to know. you might know a coupla of them, i hope you find a newbie in the pack though that you love as much as i do!

first up on the mound (sticking with that all stars indie league theme): we have lisa solomon - artist, educator, shop owner, amazing! i have been lusting after a few of lisa's polaroids and stitched works for quite sometime. we have yet to meet up, but have missed each other by a hair at various openings around the bay area. lisa's stitched works are pretty, delicate, and have this semi-nostalgic feel to me. take a look at some of my favorites:

lisa's polaroids, which can be seen on her flickr and on her site, are quite beautiful. some of my faves have disappeared, but these are still available, and quite lovely:

lisa's shop, underdog ink, has great shirts, jewelry and other goodies. check out these new pieces:

lisa is super talented. you can also check out what she's up to on her blog. she is always working away or collaborating or posting great things to be inspired by. i'm looking forward to the day we'll get to meet up and chat!

batter up next: lisa congdon i've met lisa several times, she is super sweet, as well as super talented, and *super* stylish! it's been amazing to see/watch/be inspired by lisa's work, photos, & world. she could have been up in my last post as part of the "heavy hitters on the all stars indie league!" you can score yourself some of your own lisa congdon work on her etsy site. i am most thrilled to own a piece of my own from her candy store show a few months back. here is a smattering of some lovely artworks & such from her etsy and her portfolio:

there is sooo much more work i could post that i love from lisa, but i'll keep these like little sneak peeks, so you can go check them out & discover wonders all on your own! keep up with lisa on her flickr & her blog as well.

next batter up is mati mcdonough, she's got a great suspect shoppe, a terrific blog and fun flickr. mati is sweet, genuine, and a lovely person to be around. her art and world reflect this. she is a true spirit & i'm glad to know her. i'll share with you some of my favorites from mati's world:

this one is one of my total faves and i'm hoping to own sometime soon:

...and don't we all need to be reminded of this at times:

mati's work is vibrant, colorful, full of life, energy & possiblity. i hope you love her work too :)

last up on the mound, but certainly never least, is annie galvin, aka wexford girl. i've had the pleasure of hanging out with annie at three little holiday shows lately. she's super fun, relaxed, & majorly prolific! (and has a studio in the dogpatch neighborhood -- my neighborhood -- to die for!) annie's themes run the gammet from wrestler ladies, bears holding hands & looking up at trees, 49 mile scenic drive paintings & all sorts of women in different modes of life times & sayings. we own a lovely bear box of our own and some killer bear cards. check out annie's work -- you can score some of your own in her etsy shop:

okay modish lovelies, my cut/paste and image taker fingers are supah tired! i hope you found a new artist that intrigues you and that you might like to support and perhaps even own a piece of your very own to live with in your home. i'll be back tomorrow with some more indie artists (part b) & i have even more treats up my sleeve for later in the week. thanks for reading along & visiting me here!

xxx.
*jenifer

All the right words...

I need to get this for my boyfriend:

And this one for my best friend:

And this one to remind myself!

Find a card that speaks to you at Peridot Press, filled with lovely letterpress cards and beautiful handmade books made by Jessica Pope.

Guest Blog

Yay!  Please welcome my new guest blogger, miss Jenifer from sprout studio!  Jenifer creates all matter of crafty things that I love and adore, and since I think she makes such cute stuff, I knew she'd have good taste to share some of her favorites with you all.  Check out her first post, a selection of 4 "heavy hitters" that jenifer thinks are staples of our handmade community- and I'd have to agree!  Keep tabs with her this whole week as she brings you more great finds throughout it! :)

Handmade 2.0

I just read this NY Times article called Handmade 2.0 by Rob Walker- found it via design*sponge.  It talks about the handmade movement from an outsider's perspective- it mostly is a deeper look into Etsy and where their motivations and interests lie, but talks in general about the revival of the diy movement and its place in this consumer marketplace.  It's an interesting read, especially because it's written from the view of someone not personally involved in the movement (interested yes, but not "involved"); it's intriguing to hear the impression we in this community have made on him!
(click pic to go to the article)

Party like it's 1999!

Okay, so 1999 wasn't as cool as we may have expected- how was Prince to know, huh?  Even though we're not flying around in hovercrafts yet or wearing clothing made entirely from lamé (or are we??), you can still add some fabulousness to your upcoming 2008 with some fantastically frilly clothing by PINaR ERIS!
Certainly not for the faint at heart (I know I couldn't pull off any of these looks) these incredibly detailed party skirts and dresses are for Cyndi Lauper lovin' party girls who embrace all their frill and femininity, the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" girls that can rock hot pink fishnet stockings and think that the 80's fashion revival is the best thing to happen to fashion since well, the 80's.  To those girls, I salute you.  And I think PINaR ERIS is perfect for you.

hello lovely modishers!

hiya everyone, i'm jenifer and i'm so pleased jena asked me to guest blog for her!  i own a little shop called sprout studio, & have for about three years now.  i've had the privilege and honor to be involved in this community and meet so many talented people over these last years.  i'm thrilled to be sharing with you this week some of my favorites!

i read jena's blog all the time and love finding out about so many other awesome peeps in the indie world.  (also, i feel a little bit like i've been asked to host the oscar's :) -- hee!  i won't speachify too much though) i know it's a wee late if you are still looking to buy for christmas, but i know you'll find some awesome treats to bookmark for later too (or perhaps, stuff your own stocking with!). i'm going to start today off with some tried and true handmade super stars. if you don't already know about these folks, you should! they are like the heavy hitters of the indie community to me.  i've met many of them, and own work and fabulous goodies by all of them!

first up: supermaggie -- maggie and her mister make super cool screened clothing (of which my mister and myself own several tees) and she knows how to felt a mean scarf.  plus, her felted flowers are amazing and as well keeping several for oneself, they make terrific little gifties.  i remember running across her way back and being amazed at her felting skills.  check her out:

next up in the all stars league of handmakers is: sarah, of the small object fame.  sarah is one of the most talented artists i've run across.  not only does she make irresistably cute peeps case in point (i own a green lady one):

& my all-time favorite (which i was unable to snag - sniffle):

sarah also spends her time cranking out, cute prints (which i gave to the mister for valentines a couple years back):

handy organizational goodness (yes, i use these):

and some cuteness called the loop troupe gang (i own two of course).  her needle case , quartet container set, and her good wood feeling flip are all on my christmas list (hint to whomever is reading this that gets to be st nick to me!)  get thee on over to sarah's shop and stock up!

my third idol in the all stars indie league is:  queen bee creations  i own a couple bags and a wallet i've owned for 6+ years that still looks brand new.  her vinyl products are amazing, durable and so well designed!  she's also opened up chickpea baby ; all manner of cute baby bags.  check the goodness out:

and now, i'm sad to have to report, my very favorite gingko truckette bag by her is no longer available and no santa bought it for me.  boo hoo for me.  so, lesson learned modish readers, order what you want now!!

okay, last heavy hitter all star for the day:  jill bliss with blissen  jill is super sweet, i've done a show with her before and she is just as lovely as her pieces she makes.  i love jill's work because it has such an intuitive artists aesthetic touch as well.  we swapped at that show and now i own her beautiful poppy necklace:

and i've been lusting after this gorgeous pinwheel necklace:

jill has some other fun artists on her site as well.  i love saelee oh's collaboration with jill in the hidden habitat's calendar for 2008 (& yes, i own the 07 calendar in case you were wondering):

and in case you missed out on the 07 calendar, the other reason i love jill's work is her dedication to re-use & the environment.  you can score these great cards from the misprinted 07 calendar:

her pinwheel tree mirror would make a darling little stocking stuffer:

and last awesome bit of blissen:  the plush bird art piece:

okay modish lovelies, that's all for today, i'll be back tomorrow with more indie rock stars :)  stay tuned!
xxx.  *jenifer/sprout studio

Thanks!

Thanks to Jena for inviting me to be the guest blogger this week! I have a whole new respect for what it takes to write a blog like Modish. Hopefully I've been able to demonstrate the versatility of screenprinting with the range of products that I picked and inspired some of you to try it out for yourselves.

If you're looking for gift wrap for your handmade gift this holiday season, take a look at my little shop where I have a small selection of screenprinted papers (more to come in 2008!) printed, trimmed and packaged by me here in Boston. As always, you can visit my blog to see what's going on behind the scenes.

Happy Holidays to all, stay warm and dry!

Standard Screen

If you're new to screen printing and don't have a clue about where to purchase supplies, may I recommend Standard Screen. Based in NYC, Standard Screen has everything you need to get your silkscreening operation up and running. Screens, squeegees, mesh by the roll, scoop coaters and tons of other supplies can all be purchased here. If you don't have the space or time to burn your own screens, you can send your artwork to Standard and they'll do it for you and ship the screen to you, ready to use. Note: Shipping costs for screens can be expensive because they are oversized packages. Because Standard is based in NY, East Coast customers will pay less for shipping than those in the Midwest or West coast.

Guest Blog

Shannon over at the guest blog has done a great job digging up some incredible silk-screened goodies this week- thanks Shannon!  If you haven't checked things out in a few days, make sure you take a look at her latest round of good finds including a few resources for some rad concert posters!

Nature-tastic!

These oh so pretty collage necklaces by designalicious combine shimmering jewels, fabric or paper and the cutest little brass charms for an end product that is fantastic, er, "nature-tastic!"
Shimmery and shiny and inspired by the world around us, these necklaces are stylish enough for today and simple enough for everyday.  Check 'em out!

A pretty pomme for your palms

New to the business scene but loaded with the knitting experience of two generations, the mother and daughter team behind the scenes of Pretty Pomme is taking some pretty big strides in creating chic and unique bags.

Each one is hand-knit with care and attention to detail- there's a coordinating lining inside each with a pocket for your cards and small items, magnetic snap closure and the coolest part, the handles are actual knitting needles!  Not to mention the bags themselves are cute to boot and sure to garnish compliments.  Take a peek at all the styles that Pretty Pomme has to offer and pick up a pretty little something for yourself or a loved one!