Yesterday I attended the summer iteration of Shadow Art Fair at Corner Brewery in Ypsi, and it was just as awesome as the last time.
This time, I splurged a bit and got a necklace (by Wei’s Open Secret) and a photo print (by Ann Arbor’s own Peter Baker) for myself, as well as a birthday gift for my mom.
I also traded some postcards and stickers, and ran into some other Ann Arborites happy to escape the art fairs in town this past week.
Some of my favorite artists there this time:
Peter Baker: hand-printed film photographs of locations all over the United States. Find him at peterbaker.com (photography), elevatedworks.com (design and development), or ptrbkr.com (blog).
Amanda Marie Edmonds/amepix: buttons, magnets, stickers, and accessories with a garden and localvore theme. Find her at amepix.etsy.com (store) and amepix.net (photo gallery).
This weekend I helped a friend work on clearing out a house that belonged to a recently deceased relative. My sorting powers came to good use. As a reward, I received three cardboard boxes full of vintage sewing notions, mostly from the late 1950s through early 1970s.
Thanks to a friend with even better OCD than me, I’ve started absorbing some of the items into my own collection. But, I’m also very happy to be spreading items around with crafty friends, and some of the ways that the items have been stored make me very loath to deconstruct the ones I keep. Many items are in contact-paper-covered cigar boxes and tiny bags, or the original packaging.
There’s something delightful in seeing into how someone collected, stored, used (or didn’t use) items in their daily lives.
There were many great vendors, but I collected cards from a few I either bought things from or would be particularly interested in checking out again:
allthingsgrow: I bought two prints from Marcy Davy when I saw her at the Etsy Fair at the Artisan Market in Kerrytown a couple of months ago, and I was delighted to have her recognize me. Marcy screens nature-inspired canvases and paper prints.
FartsyArts/norma: Casey Janowski’s line of decoupage jewelry and luggage tags, as well as handmade muffs (with cellphone pockets), are kitschy and classy.
letterform: Julie & Andy came all the way from Chicago to sell lovely foodie-themed printed cards and flour sack bags. They also designed the poster for the event.
Lish Dorset: Lish had a vast array of jewelry, magnets, and odds and ends, many of them Michigan/mitten/zombie themed.
Nonfiction Design Collective: This group is based on Columbus. They had restaurant-quality dishes and studio porcelain printed with illustrations of invasive species.
RiffeRaff: Extremely pretty silkscreened papers and cards.
Roos Roast: John Roos’s artistic medium is coffee. He was there to provide excellent lattes, tea, and related delights. Throughout the afternoon I overheard him happily bartering with artists for bags of coffee.
Runaway Fashion House (Holly Haynes, Owner): This young lady had really lovely knitted and crocheted items for sale. I bought a bright yellow knit scarf.
The Silent Giants: These gentlemen design and print concert/event and art posters and cards.
St. Joshua Norton Press*: Thomas L. Kula writes haiku and publishes zines. I purchased a $1 coupon (good for one year) for a haiku on a topic of my or the recipient’s choice.
*This is especially awesome because I am reading a collection of Sandman stories, lent by a friend, and one of them features Emperor Norton, one of my favorite true American legends.
Everyone at the Fair (artists and attendees) gets my admiration for going out on a snowy day in a bad economy. The presence of beer, coffee, and a very modest entrance fee (2 cents) helped, I’m sure, but going to events like this makes me happy because people who make awesome stuff tend to be awesome people, and it’s good to know they’re out there.
Concord grapes ($3.00), yellow wax beans ($2.50), Heirloom tomato ($1.00), cup of Roos coffee ($2.00), half-dozen cinnamon donuts ($3.00), and interaction with nice human beings.
While I get things working again, let’s return to the real reason for this blog: Me getting rid of stuff.
Here’s what’s left that hasn’t been spoken for or already given to a new loving home: Furniture/Big Stuff:
Orange corduroy armchair
Tan loveseat with blue and red stitching
dark green Ikea computer desk: about 30-1/2in. wide by 20in. deep; it’s got a scratch along the top, received on its first trip home; it’s the 4-year-old version of this desk
26in. analog TV (no remote)
sewing table: 33in. wide by 20in. deep
Kitchen:
3-piece blue Pyrex mixing/baking bowl set
wire utensil basket
Media:
First gen Playstation with 2 standard controllers
First gen Playstation games Gran Turismo 2 (with one UltraRacer controller), Syphon Filter 2 (with strategy guide), Hot Shots Golf 2, Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (with strategy guide), and Final Fantasy VII
Miscellaneous:
4 plastic crates, 3 with hanging folder ridges
24in.x36in. frame (still in plastic)
A number of Rubbermaid bins of various sizes, all with lids: three 10-gallon bins (one shallow and two deep), two 18-gallon bins, one 38-quart bin, and one clear 60-quart bin
As before, items that aren’t spread around will go to PTO Thrift Shop, Purple Heart, or just the sidewalk.
If you’re interested in anything, let me know at stuff [at] dpersing [dot] com.
I am moving to a new apartment between August 15th and 20th and I have some things I don’t want to take with me.
If you want any of these things, or have any questions about them, send me an email at stuff [at] dpersing [dot] com.
Furniture/Big Stuff:
Orange corduroy armchair
Tan loveseat with blue and red stitching
dark green Ikea computer desk: about 30 1/2″ wide by 20″ deep; it’s got a scratch along the top; the 4-year-old version of this desk
26″ analog TV (no remote)
sewing table: 33″ wide by 20″ deep
Kitchen:
3-piece blue Pyrex mixing/baking bowl set
wire utensil basket
Media:
First gen Playstation with 2 standard controllers and one UltraRacer controller
First gen Playstation games: Gran Turismo 2, Syphon Filter 2 (with strategy guide), Hot Shots Golf 2, Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (with strategy guide), and Final Fantasy VII
Miscellaneous:
24″x36″ frame (still in plastic)
A number of Rubbermaid bins of various sizes
I don’t have particular designs for any of these things except for the loveseat and the armchair; if there are no takers, they will go to Purple Heart or the PTO Thrift Shop.
I’ll update this list as I find more things to lose.
This past winter I helped copy edit a forthcoming O’Reilly book by local web optimization guru Andy King. It’s now available for pre-order.
I hadn’t done much editing since college, so it was a nice change of pace for my freelancing gigs. I’ve been doing more editing and writing for the web since.
Even with the full-time job, I’m still doing small projects here and there, mostly content development and small design overhauls for existing contracts, and projects for friends. So, feel free to ask.
Any well-wishes I receive will be directly applied to the hope that my car only needs a new battery and not an expensive piece of machinery or electronics.
I also splurged a bit and got myself a refurbed previous-gen ipod. So now I’ll be one of the cool kids.
Hi. This blog is by Devon Persing. She mostly writes about work (information science and publishing), food, and crafts. You can write to her, if you'd like. You can also follow her on twitter or check out things she saves on delicious.
