Pretty Places

photos by Anabela / Fieldguided

Today the Etsy blog is featuring Anabela + Geoff's home! Head over to the feature to be inspired and find lots of nice things to add to your own home. I have been trying to spring clean when I have a free moment, and so this post serves as some more motivation. Sigh. I have too many treasures. Too much stuff. And not enough time to keep it all organized properly. I digress.
I'm so excited to see my Shoegaze Light Shade, as well as a shot of my one of a kind Happy Cloud Light Shade which Anabela purchased from me a while back. I am flattered that she has chosen to hang it in her sewing room, a place where she creates lovely things.

My Mom Has Updated Her Shop

Today I'm excited to share with you my mom's holiday collection for Oh Merci! Isn't her work so lovely?? I didn't get one of her wreaths last year, so I really hope I can this year! I'm having a hard time choosing a favorite though..once again! Have a look at all of the pretty pieces right here.

Renegade Recap!

Renegade was so much fun this year! I have to admit, I've never been as behind with prep work as I was this year....It was a busy summer. We moved, I added new product, and for me it's always hard balancing work with summer. So the past few weeks have been SUPER stressful and busy..I didn't get much sleep the week before Renegade and by the time the eve of the event came, I kinda wasn't sure how I was going to survive the weekend! haha I just wanted to take a long slumber and watch some TCM or something.... James and I did manage to set our alarm clock wrong and oversleep by and hour, but that wasn't enough! So the rainy, misty, gloomy set-up weather of Saturday was sort of a bummer to my system. I was not into setting up at all..I tried to convince my dad (shout out to my family who are enormous helpers during Renegade times) that we should throw the ugly blue rain tarp on top of the tent, I guess I kept having flash backs to the Rainegade of 2008, and I figured better safe than sorry..he kept assuring me that the weather said sun later on, and I had heard that forecast as well, but at this point it was just so hard to imagine the sun ever coming out haha. I probably should have put some whiskey in my coffee or something.

The sun did come out and both days ended up being beautiful. It took me a while to get in the groove Saturday I think..I wasn't feeling very well, again, think my body was just ready to power down after the stressful prep weeks..and by the end of the day I was feeling dizzy and sick. My awesome brother came down to help James and I pack  up for the night so that was really nice. When we got back to our place we just took it easy and watched Maria Bamford on the internet hahaha. Laughter is the best medicine people. By Sunday morning I was feeling myself again, or maybe that's a tough call to make, because early in the day, right after the always stylish Danny from Renegade came to snap some photos of my booth, I did notice that my fly was down. Classy. Boyfriend or Brother, you didn't notice this?? Hoping it didn't show in the photos. I told you people, I should  not be photographed by people outside of my close circle. Update: While I'm writing this post I'm obviously multitasking and noticed the Renegade gang linked to their Flickr on Twitter....thankfully they posted a photo where I'm hiding behind the counter, as if I was aware my fly is down. haha

Anyway, all in all the fair was fantastic! I had so much fun, I truly love Renegade and I look forward to it all year. I had a nice talk with Sue of Renegade who I was fortunate to have as a neighbor this year, and she's got me thinking of Brooklyn and San Francisco Renegades. If I can, I will do it. I want to very badly. I had a great time talking with friends through out the weekend..Casey and her boyfriend Josh are always so much fun and she showed me a lot of the great things she picked up at the fair (she should be a guide, she makes a list!).. met many new adorable craft friends and saw old adorable craft friends.. Lisa, Katie and Elsie, Kellee and Matt, Esther, Sarah, Susan, Amie, Kara and Meagan, Lynn...and many more.

On to photos! Here are some things that I took home with me...

Wood block prints from Mat Daly (top left). When I saw these I immediately thought of James...this was a gift for all of his loving support! He put them up right away in his music room.

I met a lovely girl named Mona who is traveling from Mexico to report back on the handmade movement. She was the sweetest and stopped by my booth both days..the second she brought me this necklace!! I am still smiling about meeting her..

I snagged this beauty from Cursive after chatting it up with Sarah. I'm so glad she's in my town and I hope to see her way more often- we totally ran into each other the day before Renegade at JoAnn Fabrics, haha! It was like 1pm and I hadn't eaten yet and still had to get to the suburbs to pick stuff up and I was sooooo frazzled..so it was really great to take a break and visit with her! ..Her booth looked great as always and she had the prettiest display work...



Really want to ask her if I can have a garland made haha



Love these new pieces!



Think I want to add that black and grey piece to my collection next!



Amie of Thief and Bandit had these tassels hanging up as display in her tent and I was able to buy a set off her! I love them! Then yesterday I got a fantastic package from Anabela and one of the things included was a beautiful golden tassel! It was the perfect addition!!


Later, while walking briskly and trying to focus on getting back to my booth, Esther of Essimar called out my name while relaxing on the side of the street!So happy she spotted me as I missed her pinata making booth with the Chicago Reader. I can't wait to see photos- I know it was amazing! She was beaming and had great stories to tell about her day teaching. It was great to talk with her and she gave me this garland that she had made during the day and this pin (below) right off her outfit! What a sweetie, right?? I absolutly LOVE little random bits that people make..reminds me of art classes and getting odds and ends that friends made on the side of a larger project. Things like that are just very special to me (also why I love the Sarah and Amie's tassels so much!).
Esther is actually having a giveaway right now on her blog! Ends today!



And here are shots of my booth this year..
















This Bouquet doily light shade sold! I usually sell all of the shades online so it was really neat to see it go to someone in person. I am sad that I didn't get any good shots of it though!




New! Haven't named this one yet but it's made with lucite, vintage lace, handmade tulle flowers, and silver glitter leaves!



New! Crystal Garden light shade! These will be available in the shop soon..email me if you have any questions.




James and I at the end of Sunday. <3

There you have it! You can see more photos on my flickr. I'll be updating the shop with banners, new styles of Mini Deer Plaques, chalkboards, key hooks, light shades, etc. very soon! And seriously, if you were at the show, leave a comment at the Facebook page and you've got a pretty good chance of winning a necklace of your choice!

Lots and lots..

I feel like I have a lot of really random stuff to share but I'm not sure if I am remembering it all! It's been a crazy week..a crazy month, really. Lots of making and lots of deadlines..had the Detroit Craft Revival just a month ago but because things have been so nutty it feels like forever ago! There is a nice write up on it here and I'm included in it! So yes, after that show it was back to making..custom banners..and a custom light shade:

This past weekend was a ton of fun.. I was able to meet and hang out with Anabela and her fiance Geoff. They were in town for the weekend from Toronto and James and I had a ton of fun hanging out with them! I wanted to organize a picnic with a bunch of other bloggers/makers but it was too cold and wet. Ended up having a small meet up at Jerry's on Friday..so fun hanging out with Anabela's friend Alison, Mia of Bummer Town, Sarah of Cursive Design, Jennifer of Hound and her friend Julie. We did a lot of laughing and I hope to see them all soon again. ...The weekend was full of fun..went to so many shops, restaurants, and even more bars it seems. Met up with Casey and her boyfriend the day after at Eskell (sooo pretty), and ran into Meghan who does displays there. haha I haven't been out 3 days and nights in a row in a lonnng time. By Monday I was beat! I didn't take many photos, I guess I was nervous or mostly just caught up in the moment. Just took some photos of Fleur because the paper garlands and flowers were so lovely..also took a couple photos of our huge pitchers of long island iced tea, but they didn't turn out so well, and that's for the better, right? Anyway Anabela of course has a lovely post about her trip here. I hope they can come back soon!

James and I are headed with my family to Michigan tomorrow for TWO weddings on each side of the family! Should be a crazy (but fun) weekend! I'm looking forward to it, but also just looking forward to being back home and taking it a bit easier, haha.
Also, my banners were mentioned on Threadbanger recently which is pretty cool! She said that my banners are some of the cutest she's ever seen! That deserves a Hooray! har har ;)

The Vintage Bazaar!

It was a lot of fun! Just a 5 hour event, I still sort of feel as if it were a dream! What a whirl of a weekend! So much vintage goodness. With help from James, we were able to set up on Friday which was awesome. It was the easiest set-up I've had for a show..even got to stick around and calmly merchandise to the Cocteau Twins (which was pretty sweet since I more than often play them when I'm working at home, haha). Libby and Katherine are all around awesome ladies and did such a great job organizing this first-time event. I am very excited to see what they do next!

I don't really know how to recap other than just saying, if you love vintage and you weren't there, why weren't you there? Good finds and good people. I hardly got to shop at all..just standing in my booth, spying around, I could have found a handful of things I would want. I did end up scoring a lovely lace dress from my "across the street" booth neighbor, Karyn of Max and Chloe Vintage. Karyn and I actually use to work together and it was a great surprise to see each other! Neither of us knew that the other was busy selling vintage these days (though it certainly makes sense)! I'll have to get a photo of the dress..
Met new folks and saw other friends as well..Val (another old work pal) of The Nine Stories, I didn't get a photo of her booth, but she had a nice and simple set up and she made her own garment racks! Met a nice little lady called Tess of Tessaboo Vintage. Saw my craft show pal Lisa of Art Goodies / Vintage Goodies and she had such a cute booth. Also met her friend, Lisa of Lisa B's Retro Style, who had her booth behind mine which worked out so good for my set up!

It was a very busy day / weekend (did I mention that the line to get in was around the block??)- so thankful James was able to help me out. I really wanted to do the bazaar with my Mom, but she was very busy preparing for an event of her own that was Monday. It went well and was exciting for her, but she was missed and I know she would have enjoyed the bazaar- next time! And there will be a next time!

p.s. gotta give a shout out to Francesa of 1385 for the lovely turban that I wore!

This Saturday!

Hope to see you there! Visit TheVintageBazaar.com for more info!

-Caitlin

Thanks for the well wishes in my last post! I think I'll be feeling better by tomorrow. I can't wait to be cough free! At the moment I am headache free and that feels pretty, pretty good. Still taking it easy tonight though.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you my mom's shop update! She's done it again and added many pretty pieces to her shop. My favorite wreath currently is the last one shown above. I love it! I can hardly ever resist glitter, especially during the holidays. I hope I can get my hands on one!

I've been totally absent from the internet! So much to do before the show next weekend!

I wanted to pop in quickly to let you know that one of my favorite fellow Renegade Crafters is having a 50% off sale this weekend only! Kelly and Matt of My Favorite Mirror are the kindest couple and also have the best sense of humor (an absolute winning combination in my book). They'll be at this year's fair but shop with ease ahead of time and score some great deals! They've got a site full of great collaborations with your favorite independent artists. These make especially perfect gifts, I might add. Seriously, you can't go wrong with all of the choices, so stock up for the holidays (it's one of those gifts that's nice to have around for unexpected gift giving)!



Also, they recently opened a second shop on Etsy that is just as cute - Over Due Industries. They've got a lot up their sleeves - look at the details inside these book (sleeves? har har)!

The sale at My Favorite Mirror ends Monday so hurry it on up!

I received such a thoughtful surprise birthday package from Sarah of Cursive Design! What sweet ladies I know! She wrapped everything so nicely- I love the ribbon bow taped down on the box and the little tags on each item (you can click the photo to see what they say). I can't believe she sent me a necklace..I have been wanting some of her jewelry for so long. She's extremely talented..I'm a huge fan of her work and aesthetic. I've already worn it out on several occasions..it's very easy to throw on and I think I really appreciate that with jewelry. It's lovely- all of it is. She also made me a wall jewelry piece..you can see the other side of the medallion here. It goes so well with my work area and I enjoy flipping it back and forth. Thank you so much, Sarah. That was really so, so sweet. :)

I want to congratulate Danielle on winning the Mini Deer Plaque giveaway at Oh, Hello Friend!
I was so happy to participate with a giveaway on such a sweet blog. I'm sure that if my readers weren't already familiar with it, you'll be fans of it now :)

....and Danielle, the winner, is the lady behind the Etsy shop Dinosaur Toes which I have been a lonnnng time fan of! She has such beautiful things and James has found gifts for me on more than one occasion! I don't believe I realized that she has a blog, so I'm looking forward to reading more about her.

If you're on the east coast, don't forget to head to the
Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair this weekend!
Lots of friends and awesome vendors will be there!
Click here for more info and click here to see the participants.
(and be sure to show off all your goodies after this weekend- I wanna see!)