Sneek Peek~

I just did a quick search for Art vs. Craft on flickr.com and came across Cinnamon's picture from the show. Cinnamon is the organizer of the The D.I.Y. Trunk Show in Chicago. I still haven't gotten my pictures emailed from my friend who took some...

That's it really, just shows how amazing the space is. This is from the West side of the balcony looking down onto the floor. There is a whole bunch of vendors you can't see around the top too! This was taken durring set up, the calm before the storm of 2,000 visitors over 2 days.

Flying Fish overseas!

Fermento which means "baking powder" in portuguese is my newest shop to pick up my line! They haven't even opened yet but how exciting to see a picture of my mini owls in the window of a shop in Portugal! The shop is owned by two nice ladies named Carmo & Xana.

Camilla who works at the here gallery in Bristol, UK said that my owls are in there window too!

Today is all sewing for my order that will go out tomorrow (hopefully) to a Swiss website which is not in english either, but still rad to look at.....

Art vs. Craft a smashing sucess & Mad Craft-mas in Madison

2,000 shoppers came though the doors this past weekend to check out the 90 vendors who showed off there wares at the third bi-annual Art vs. Craft ! I will have pictures to post soon, I left the camera batteries charging at home (DANG~!) so I had a friend take some for me, they have not yet arrived in my inbox.

The feedback so far has been great. I couldn't be more pleased considering parking was almost impossible and that many folks still showed up! In June the event will be at a new location (soon to be announced) with less stairs and a, gasp, elevator, if we have to trudge upstairs.

Working with my store business partner Kim on the show proved to be a sucess as well, we work smoothly together and she made the event more organized and got all of our 30 volunteers coordinated. The volunteers get the biggest props of all considering they do all sorts of crazy work like lug up boxes and boxes of crafts for vendors up a ridiculous amount of stairs.

Here are some links to some press we got previous to the show:
• onmilwaukee.com
• Shepherd Express

Here's the picture of myself & Kim from the Shepherd Express........

•••••PLUS•••••

•This weekend I will be at the High Noon Mad Craft-mas show organized by Emily Kircher of EKRA . This is the second show she has organized in Madison, WI. It's this upcoming weekend if you are in the area swing by and say hello! Remember to bring cash for goodies and drinks!

Saturday, November 26 11-6
Sunday, November 27 11-6
High Noon Saloon
701 E. Washington Ave., Madsion, WI.

Read an article about it in the Madison Capital Times HERE

3 days & counting!

Well, the rest of today then Wed. & Thurs. then Art vs. Craft !!!

On top of getting all my stock for the show done by today so I can think clearly about setting up and getting 90 vendors ready in time, I sent out 7 wholesale orders to:

•Fermento- Lisboa, Portugal
•Here Gallery- Bristol, UK.
•Red Pepper Squirrel, Clarksville, TN.
•Magpie, Somerville, MA.
•Broad Vocabulary, Milwaukee, WI.
•Tool Shed, Milwaukee, WI.
•Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH.


Whew! Back to work on my 25 owls that will be available at Art vs. Craft!

Friday Fall Day

Just at the shop working on Flying Fish stuff for Art vs. Craft next weekend eeeekkkk!!!

While doing some daily procrastinating online, I did come across this amazing painter, Alexi Maczka who's work everyone should check out.

I LOVE this painting....

Buy my dad's book!!!

I'm so dang pleased for my dad Rick Merlin Levine (pictured on the left)! His book hit the shelves today at Barnes & Noble all over the country!! You can read more about the book HERE . He also writes the horoscops on aol.com and his website is StarIQ . Yay! Yay! Yay!

Brooklynites be on the lookout.... Today orders shipped to:
•Sodafine, Brooklyn
•mini mini market, Brooklyn

mini ornaments & milwaukee NOIZE

Sent off my 6 ornaments for the group show at Art Star . It was really nice to work on something differnt. They suggested working outside our "normal" medium and since I've been trapped sewing felt owls for the past few weeks, it was just lovely to get all up in my paint and trinket stash!

Kim & I are featured in the Milwaukee Shepherd Express that came out today in the Noize section. We are being interviewed about the upcoming Art vs. Craft show.

I also did two other interviews today, I'll post them when they are published. Lot's of talking about the indie craft scene, art and the online community.

Here is a quick picture of the HGTV shoot at my house last Sunday......

d.i.y. history!

My neighbor who is moving to Los Angeles was getting rid of stuff and brought over a scrapbook from the Education Resource Center, which was located in the Lincon Park neighborhood between 1975-83?.

From what I can gather from all the information they provided the public with a multi-cultural enviroment to work, create and share ideas. There were classes for kids & adults from batiking to leather work.

These programs were from 1977 & 1980. I feel very lucky to have this information passed down to me.... It reminds me of a space in Milwaukee called Bucketworks .

thank god it's over & WMSE pledge drive!!

I did my shoot for HGTV yesterday..... Really all I can say is that it will be incredibly embarrassing when it airs!

I did get to represent a few things from indie crafters! I wore a pair of felted pink earrings by BIGGIE , a green Happy Owl Glass cassowary badge and had a little porcupine pin cushion on my work table from CarryBOO !

I will post an update on the "Queen of Hearts" show soon, tons of amazing ladies are responding to show such a wide variety of work.... it's going to be dreamy!!

On another note, our local independent radio station WMSE is having their pledge drive this week. They invited myself and Sam Mancon of Since By Man to design the womens & mens shirts.
Mine.....

Sam's.....

HGTV + Web Update Launched

Tomorrow is the "BIG" day with my shoot for "That's Clever", a d.i.y. sort of show that used to be called "Crafters Coast to Coast". It should be pretty weird, I'm sorta nervous, sorta stressed and of course excited.

Today, Steve finished up most of the website updates. I very rarley update my site, so this is pretty exciting for me... new items in the shop, new this, new that.

It's pouring rain outside, the perfect Saturday evening to stay in, watch a movie and work on wholesale orders.

Seeking Queen of Hearts Artists...

Last night I took a break from sewing to send out the "Queen of Hearts" info. letter to over 40 lady artists that I am hoping will participate in a group show I am curating. The show will open in February 2006. If you are interested or know someone who you think would be a good participant, have them get in touch....

So far I have 11 confirmed artists:
•Camilla
•Deanna Bowdish
•Erin Weckerle
•Siana Soniquie
•Merrilee Challiss
•Tracy Bull
•Catlin Larson
•Michaela O'Herlihy
•Emily Kircher
•Anna Helgeson
•Sarah Neuburger

The madness!

It's always nice to start out a post with a photo. This is a street shot from Milwaukee, WI. near my home....
It is offically crazy crunch time for me.
• Holiday wholesale orders must ship by November 14th
• This weekend the HGTV people are coming to shoot my segment of That's Clever
• Art vs. Craft is only 18 days away, omg.
• The weekend after Art vs. Craft is Mad-Craftmas in Madsion.
& on and on.............

I do have two exciting NEW stores to announce!
• The Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, OH. has picked up my line
• Fermento a soon to be opened boutique in Lisbon, Portugal!! How rad is that?!

Now I'm off to the printer to drop off the masters for the Art vs. Craft programs, postoffice, bank and most importantly coffee all before my two lovely assistants come in a help me plow though my to do list!!