{Renegade SF Spotlight-I Made You A Beard}

Well, I'm back. The birthday extravaganza weekend was great! I have some awesome friends, and am still wishing I was floating on the river, soaking up the sun and eating mexican food....ahhhhhh. Not to mention I got some gifts that are burning holes in my wallet...eh hem...anthro gift card. Anywho...

above image courtesy i made you a beard

I'm fond of beards. My husband has one (in fact i've never seen him without one) and I wouldn't have it any other way, well except that time he decided to grow it out crazy David Bazan like...that was a little much. That's why I was super excited to come across Erin Dollar of I Made You A Beard.

Not only is she from the unofficial beard capital of the USA (Portland!) but she makes the most charming beards and blogs about them and other beardy things. Take a look for yourself, her Etsy store is chocked full of bearded goodness.

These photos are from Erin's booth at Renegade SF. The moustache (not mustache) pins above are my favorite item. (Especially that little bright red one). I mean really, can you get any more creative then making colored beards out of yarn and felt!? The shapes, the styles, the textures...the whole thing makes my un-fuzzy face smile. Do you think the office people will stare if i wear the pink one to work??? Hm........tempting.

P.s. She also has non-beard related items. Art done under her own name, and a separate Etsy where you can buy prints.

P.p.s I think i'll be doing more posts on the beard topic, i've been running into some great things recently...keep an eye out.

{Happy Weekend}

Have a great weekend. I know I will, I'll be celebrating my 24th birthday on Saturday! I've been waiting years and years for this specific birthday, just so I can listen to this song. Happy Weekend everyone!

{Renegade SF Spotlight-The Black Apple}

Emily Martin and Co., of The Black Apple were probably the biggest name at Renegade this year. After her appearance on Martha Stewart making dolls a while back, Emily has become the go to Etsy Store/Blogger for her paintings and her signature dolls (add jewelry, paper goods, and books to that also). Rumor has it that Emily even had fans at Renegade. Well deserved however, because her work is amazing. (Try getting any of her original items, they sell out FAST!)

Her items are whimsical, soft, and very well crafted. Especially her dolls, which are in real life works of art in themselves. The quality and craftsmanship of them is far superior to my attempt at the pattern.

You can read and view more pictures from The Black Apple at Renegade SF here.

Next we'll visit the amazing mustaches of Erin Dollar and I Made You A Beard!

{Etsy. Etsy, Etsy!}

I am soooooo excited about this next post.

I officially have an Etsy store! I'll be selling handmade items for women, children and baby. Over the next few weeks i'll be getting the store up and running, but you can still check it out in the meantime. Hopefully this new endeavor will result in more frequent blogging and an upsurge in my creative juices. Please visit the Abstract Grace Etsy Store (so excited to be typing that!) and in the meantime keep reading the blog and drool over this fine Etsy item from June Designs, I know I have...

Golden Heart Necklace

{Renegade SF}

So, we're back from Renegade San Francisco 2009, and I must say it was a lot of fun! Over 225 different DIY vendors were there, and there was a great public turn out to the event. Getting through to all the booths was definitely doable in one afternoon, but the crowds made squeezing in to see every last item a little troublesome. The event showcased some great DIY-ers, and products ranging from jewelry, clothing, handbags, paper goods, stuffed items, ceramics, posters, art prints, crayons, candles, baby goods, children's items, reconstructed clothing and jewelry, soaps, etc. It was a lot of fun seeing what other people create, and most definitely got my creative juices flowing.

It made me think about the potential that all sewers/crafters have to make a living doing what they love. There was definitely room for more types of goods, and it made me think about getting my Etsy store up and running. I've been putting it off for no good reason, but after seeing the results at Renegade it's now on the top of my to-do list.

I took some great photos of the event and over the next few weeks, i'll be sharing them with you. Showcasing some new vendors and some already popular in the blogosphere. Overall the event was great, even Travis was excited about all the exhibitors and my upcoming Etsy shop. He always encourages me to sell my crafts, and his entrepreneurial mind is always scheming up ideas, I love that about him. Plus it was nice to be out of the 105 degree Sacramento weather and in the breezy 73 degree San Francisco weather for the day. Here's a pic of Travis and I outside the Renegade Festival at Fort Mason. Can you believe Tuesday is out 2 year wedding anniversary! Yay!

{2nd Annual Renegade Craft Fair-SF}

I am sooooooo looking forward to this! For more info check out the website.