Decoylab ~ Maiko Kuzunishi

{image from decoylab}

This past Saturday I braved the 100 degree temperatures and checked out Ric Rac Roundup ~ a local craft show here in Kansas City. As I was looking for a small gift, I happened upon Maiko Kuzunishi's booth of modern, hand crafted goodies & designs, named Decoylab. I am familiar with Decoylab as I have seen the work on countless blogs and on Etsy ~ one of my favorite pieces is the clock above ~ isn't it lovely? Last week, there was an article about Decoylab in the KCStar ~ you can read it here.

Maiko is such a talented designer! In addition to the products she designs for Decoylab, she designs her packaging and displays as well. Check out her portfolio and blog for more of her wonderful work.

Here are two brooches I bought ~ while I set out to buy a gift, of course I couldn't resist and ended up buying one for myself as well! I love the simplicity of the stamped logo on her chipboard cards. Her business card is also quite lovely ~ a letterpressed cream colored round printed with her signature logo on front, more info in metallic silver ink on back.

Below, a new product ~ coasters of several colors of felt, recycled leather and bamboo (I think) ~ beautifully packaged. These would make a great gift as well ~ sounds like she will have these for sale online pretty soon ~ she told me she had just finished them up for this show. Wouldn't you love a set of these?!

{cream and pink felt coasters ~ images from here}

After such a hot shopping experience, I cooled off with my first fresher than fresh snow cone ~ Blueberry Lavender ~ a great way to end my shopping day! I can't wait to try some of their other flavors ~ green tea pear, watermelon basil or lime mint ~ it's a hot summer, so I'm sure to have many more opportunities.

{image from here}

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Antiques & Alpacas

{ancient embroidered silk lampshade~ beautiful needlework and colors}

Had fun this weekend going to the KC Antiques & Collectibles market and the MOPACA Alpaca Show ~ I managed to spend the entire day at these shows! Got up and out of the house early (for me!) and hit the antique show first ~ it was a combo show and included the KC Toy & Doll show as well as the regular antiques and collectibles. Here are a few items I saw at the show I thought were worth sharing.

{great advertising sign for Nehi soda ~ the peeling paint was an added bonus}

{A set of Creepy Crawlers complete with heating unit and the metal molds!}

I had a Fun Flowers set ~ I made dozens of plastic flowers! I think we also had Incredible Edibles ~ those were bug shaped molds that came with edible goop. These days one can't find anything remotely this fun on the market ~ how on earth did those of us survive this sort of toy? Somehow, despite the plastic fumes, the lead filled molds and the molten plastic, I managed to live to tell about it! So did this guy.

{Beautiful baby book cover}

{Wiggles, a funny little dog ~ a book from the 30's about a runaway scottish terrier}

{great graphics on these tin toy tanks with rubber treads}

{saucy little tin duck}

After the antique show, I headed to the Alpaca Show which was held at the American Royal ~ where oddly enough, years ago, the antique show used to be held. Depending on the weekend, sometimes the smell of manure would waft through the air as you were shopping for treasures ~ just part of the ambiance.

Since I like to knit and crochet, I am familiar with alpaca yarn, but didn't know much about the animals the fiber comes from, so this seemed a perfect opportunity! Alpacas are part of the camel family and look like a small llama, although alpacas are less aggressive than llamas. There are two types of alpacas: suris (their hair looks kind of like dreadlocks or a puli dog) and huacayas (their hair is fuller and fuzzier). The alpaca farmers and breeders that I talked to were very friendly and shared all sorts of information ~ alpacas live about 20 years, a female alpaca will usually have one cria (baby), and their hair comes in 16 natural colors. While their hair is soft and wonderful to touch, most alpacas don't seem to like being touched. Here are some photos from the show:

{two suri alpacas}

{three huacaya alpacas}

{this little guy won a ribbon}

{ears up, ears down!}

{two beautiful skeins of alpaca yarn ~ a souvenir from the show!}

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If You Missed the Opening . . .

Just in case you missed the Curious Sofa Halloween Show or live too far away to make it, I thought I would post some photos so you would get an idea of what you missed! The photos below are of the artists' work at the show ~ visit here, here, and here to see some wonderful shots of the store display. As some of the artwork is remaining through the Halloween season and more items are being added daily, make sure to visit Curious Sofa to see everything in person ~ it is an amazing store and always provides great inspiration every season. For those of you out of town, Curious Sofa has just opened an online store here.

{Greg Johnson's wonderful display of paper treasures}

{Diane & Madeline Tompkins' array of masks & letterpress}

{Michelle Spaw's beautifully crafted treat bags}

{Lesa Dailey's lovely paper shoes}

The remaining photos below are of the work I did for the show ~ thanks to Scurvy the opossum and a printer problem, I didn't get as much finished as I would have liked, but the show must go on! I managed to get through the stressful parts and had tons of fun participating in this show

My approach this time around was to stick to a limited color palette and avoid obvious Halloween icons ~ my main reason for doing that is because the work I do is time intensive, thus higher priced, so I wanted to make sure that those that purchased an item would be able to wear it for more than one day of the year. I did try to incorporate some themed imagery in my packaging ~ and then of course, the Devilish Dog Accessories broke all of my self imposed rules!

{Selection of brooches inspired by mourning jewelry}

{New brooch designs ~ inspired by Victorian ribbon cocardes used in millinery}

{Crocheted masks in cream and black}

{Crocheted earrings complete with spider themed packaging}

{Devilish Dog Accessories ~ devil horns for your dog to wear}

{Dog stand~in for when Sprocket is not available}

{Devilishly handsome models & spokesmen ~ Dick & Sprocket}

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Curious Sofa Halloween Art Show

I know it is August so it may seem a little early to be thinking about Halloween, but if you are a retailer, Halloween is in full swing! So, this Thursday night from 5 - 8 is the opening for Curious Sofa's annual Halloween art show ~ Halloween Masquerade. Go here for more information about the show and the participating artists. If you are in the Kansas City area Thursday night or over the weekend, make sure to stop by ~ this show and the store is always a treat!

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Friends of a Feather Sale Starts Thursday!

Just a reminder, the spring Friends of a Feather show starts this Thursday and runs through Saturday ~ so, don't miss it if you are in the Kansas City area! There is always a wonderful array of artwork and vintage finds to pick from ~ great food ~ and a fabulous group of gals hosting the show! I wish I would have been able to participate again, but my work schedule has taken its toll on me ~ I do plan on shopping though ~ somehow, I can always squeeze time in for that! Find out all of the specifics here.

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