Craft-O-Matic this Saturday!

I haven't been able to take a ton of pictures lately, or to catch up with a backlog of photos I've taken that I haven't really looked through yet.  Nothing gets me working like a deadline of some sort, however, so I have printed a bunch of photos (example above) — heretofore only seen by me — for Craft-O-Matic, an indie craft sale this Saturday, June 4 at the Regional Arts Commission on Delmar in the East Loop. 

There will be work for sale by dozens of artists and crafters (see some previews here).  I can't wait to see what everyone has made.  It's a one-day-only event, don't miss your chance to take a peek!

Photo refresh at Firecracker Press

 (inside the Firecracker Press. Isn't it beautiful?  Smells great too -- I love the scent of print-making.  Go have a look.  And a sniff.)

The Firecracker Press on Cherokee Street has been kind enough to carry some of my photos for sale for the past few years.  On Saturday I stopped by to swap out the photos that I had there with all Cherokee Street-related photos.  Many from the late, beloved, be-missed Globe Drugs.

The photos below are among those I've got at Firecracker now.  If you are in the neighborhood, pop in and take a peek!

 



Other places where you can find my photos for sale.

Another sweet weekend on Cherokee Street

Have I mentioned how much I like Cherokee Street?  Well, I do.

Every time I spend time on Cherokee I'm reminded of how many wonderful people and places are there.

This weekend I had occasion to hit a few spots.  Saturday I went to a poetry reading at the Firecracker Press.  Tony Renner and Steve Schroeder read from their work, while Eric Woods of Firecracker cranked out letterpress broadsides of their poems.  These things (the poems and the posters) are so cool!  Keep an eye out for the next poetry readings in the series at Firecracker.  Such a great idea.

Tony Renner reads while Eric Woods prints a broadside of one of Tony's poems

Afterward had a late lunch at the always-delicious La Vallesana.  It has expanded its outdoor patio/dining area lately but it's still as yummy as ever.  Hibiscus agua fresca might be my new favorite drink.

Sunday I finally got an opportunity to stop by the recently opened St. Louis Curio Shoppe, at 2301 Cherokee Street.  Kristin and Kristin, the sweet and funny owners, are stocking St. Louis-related products of all kinds:  books about the history of gangs in St. Louis, peanut butter made locally, Fitz's soda, Coral Courts keychains, jewelry by local designers, eco-friendly cleaning products, beautiful wood cutting boards ... you name it, it's there.  (Oh, also they are being kind enough to carry some of my St. Louis photos for sale.)

The shop is incredibly cute.  I want to buy everything in there.  You will too, once you visit.  Which you should do soon.

St. Louis-related memorabilia on display at the St. Louis Curio Shoppe

Soap for sale at the St. Louis Curio Shoppe

 locally made potholders at St. Louis Curio Shoppe

Indie Fixx Galleria

Do you know Indie Fixx?  It's a nifty blog on living an indie life -- in addition to featuring independent businesses, Jen, the blog's editor, provides her readers with free downloadable artwork, project tutorials, and more.

Another component of Indie Fixx is its Galleria, which can best be described as an online shopping place for handmade, indie-made and vintage goods, "Think of it as an 'indie mall' featuring a juried mix of designers & boutiques to provide a curated shopping experience", says the site.

And I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the Indie Fixx Galleria's next rotation, which will run January 15-February 26.  Yay! 

In honor of this ... honor, I will be listing new items (such as the photo above) in my Etsy shop for the next few days (and likely throughout my stay at the Galleria.)  Be sure to visit there starting Friday.  I plan to have a special code for my shop that might provide a discount or a gift with purchase.  You'll have to visit my spot at the Galleria to find out!

Indie arts & craft show this weekend at Mad Art Gallery

For the second half of November I spent a good amount of time going through photos I took over the past year. Occasionally -- especially when I'm traveling -- I take maybe a few hundred photos and going through all of them takes some time and isn't as fun as getting out with my camera.

Having not taken a lot of photos in the last few months and spending a little more time at home lately kicked me into gear to get cracking on some of this year's photos -- many of them taken in South Carolina and Kansas this summer.

Also: I'm in the Bigass Indie Art & Craft Show this weekend at Mad Art Gallery in Soulard, and I like to bring some new work when I do a show like this.

The photos in this post are a preview of some of the photos that will be making their debut at the show. Are you coming? You totally should!

MadArt Gallery
2727 S. 12th Street (at Lynch, just north of the AB brewery)
St. Louis, MO 63118

Friday, December 4, 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.*
Saturday, December 5, 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 6, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.


*with entertainment by The Venice Gas House Trolley, which "hearkens back to the times when hipsters and cool-cats would chill out digging ecstatic poets and musicians and then aggressively explodes through the present and into the future with vocal effects, bass, and twisting rhythms."

Missouri

I hate the term "fly-over country." It's so stupid. As if all this land is just a buffer between the coasts. The coasts are plenty interesting and obviously they have their fans but man there is some interesting stuff here in the middle.

I find Missouri to be particularly interesting, probably because I've seen more of it than I've seen anyplace else. Yet there's so much I haven't seen. I'll get to it.

This sign makes my heart sing every time I see it. All the words, all together. The different script styles. The colors. It's so—not sure if optimistic is the word I'm looking for, but something that is an antonym of cynical would capture my meaning.

I made a commitment to myself that I would list a new item on Etsy every night for a week. I've been sort of behind on my photo-taking lately, and also way behind on going through photos I've taken in the last six months or so to see what I have. I've got a show coming up next weekend* and wanted to produce some new material for it, and just generally get back in the photo-taking-and-making saddle.

I've passed by this sign eleventy thousand times and photographed it many of those times, but haven't gotten a picture of it that really let it be a star**. Found this one in my recent investigations into what pictures I took this summer and fall, and here it is. Seemed a fitting capstone to my new-listing project as it's been sort of an ongoing project for me to get this thing how I wanted it.


*are you coming? you should you should!
**speaking of star—isn't the star over the I in Ballerina beautiful?

in with the new

I'm not really out-with-the-olding much. But I am determined to produce some new work right now -- or at least post more stuff that has only been seen by me up to this point.

Have made a pledge to myself to post something new on Etsy every day this week. Here's the first -- I make most of my own prints because I want to know that the prints will be as I intended the photo to look. But on occasion I try something new, and I had a slew of photos professionally printed recently on metallic paper. The effect is odd and interesting and I really like it.

I don't think it will work with just any image, but I've been really pleased with how the ones I've chosen have turned out. Including this one. Find it on Etsy here.

Hie thee to Paste

I have posted before about Paste, the new art and craft supply store in Soulard.

I was able to preview it a bit when I brought some of my photos there for sale a couple of months ago. (I can't believe it's been that long already.) But the summer was packed and I hadn't gotten back there to shop until a couple of weeks ago.

Love this place! Beads and ribbon and yarn and stamps and beads and photographs and beads and I am a sucker for beads, especially.

Much as I was super excited when City Art Supply opened up in my neighborhood -- an art supply store in the city! -- I am also excited that Paste has made a home in the city.

It's been a while since there's been a great spot for craft supplies in the city of St. Louis. Plus, it's nice when the folks who open these stores have a love for and knowledge about what they are selling, and even cooler when they are supportive of local artists, both of which are true about both Paste and City Art Supply.

So: go check these folks out! Spend money with them so we can keep them in business and keep them in the city! And while you're at Paste, you'll see some of my photos for sale (no pressure, I swear!)

Little pink houses

The Bigass Indie Art and Craft Show is over and I've got everything back in my house but boy is it a mess. Need to sort through all the odds and ends and get everything back in its place.

In anticipation of the show I made a bunch of prints of photos I'd never printed before. I'll be listing some of those in my Etsy shop in the coming weeks.

This one, Viola, just went up tonight. The listing is here.

It's a photo on my grandparents' farm in Kansas. The house in the front was the house when I was little. At some point they acquired the house behind it and painted it pink to match the main house. It's named The Little House and it was a studio for my grandparents -- Grandma painted, Grandpa was a photographer.

Years later they added another house (not pictured) to the bunch, and painted it pink, too. It's known as The Shop -- my uncle has various fix-it projects in there, as well as antiques that he sells.

Indie craft show this weekend

I took this photo during my Chain-of-Rocks-Bridge-in-the-Rain mis/adventures a couple of months ago. And I developed the film. And yes, I am going to think developing film is the coolest thing I've done for, like, ever.

The photo will be making its debut at the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show this weekend at Mad Art Gallery. I just printed it for the first time the other night and it turned out just how I wanted it to and generally that doesn't happen for me on the first try (especially with film!) so I am especially pleased.

The show should be fun. There was one right before Christmas last year that was just great. The way everything was displayed, the things everybody made. Friday evening will have entertainment to go along with the shopping. Says Mad Art:

Friday night will be full of bad ass entertainment. We are very proud to present Gem Sweater Maven Leslie Hall who will be performing with crafting superstars The Ly's. Lolla VanElla, Clownvis Presley, and Michelle Mynx will also be performing. Admission is free. Cash bar available. This event is not to be missed. Get there early! Space is limited

Hours:

Friday, July 31 -- 7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 1 -- 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 2 -- 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Be there or risk having a tiny ass!

New craft shop

Originally uploaded by Hilary (curioush)

Just dropped off some photos (including this one) that will be available for sale at Paste in Soulard.

It's a brand-new arts and crafts supply shop that I'm so excited about. Only like five minutes from my house! Pretty pretty things to make other things with!

Their grand opening is this weekend, and festivities will include craft demonstrations.

Check it out!

FINAL DAY of sale, off to Cherokee

Just about my favorite place in St. Louis right now is Cherokee Street. Besides City Museum. And all my other favorite places. But really, I love it. A lot of cool stuff going on and it just keeps getting better. In fact, did you know I have another blog? Well, I do. Trying to keep track of all the art-related goings-on on Cherokee. Because there are a lot. Galleries, art supplies, music, dancing, theater, etc. Here's that blog, should you ever want to take a peek.

I need to take some more film for my developing class Tuesday, so I'm packing up the cameras to go take some on Cherokee right now. Sometimes I feel awkward taking photos when there are a lot of people around. Despite ... well, everything about me, I don't always love attention. So my hope is early-ish (for me, anyway!) on a Sunday morning it will be pretty empty over there. We'll see.

The photo above was taken from the upstairs of Foam. Don't they have a great view? I can't wait until that place opens. I think I read a rumor there may be something brewing (I swear this was an unintentional pun) sometime this summer. The photo was shot on Ilford Delta film on my Canon AE-1.

For anyone who was considering ordering a photo or postcards during my 30% OFF sale -- it ends as soon as I wake up on Monday morning, so place your orders now! Take advantage of the sale!

Don't forget 30% off SALE & at last -- film developing class!

The film developing class I've been wanting to take has really started this time. Last night a couple of other students and I began a 5-week black-and-white-film-developing class. I have whined about doing this for some time, so I'm really excited to have begun.

The photo above is from one of the rolls I shot for the class, on Kodak Tri-X film, with one of my Canon AE-1s. I have bought several different kinds of film and am nerdily keeping track of which photos I shot with which film (and which camera) so if/when I hit upon something I really like I'll find a formula I can stick with.

I must confess that I didn't actually develop the film myself. The instructor used the rolls I shot to demonstrate the process of developing film. But I watched! I was standing right there! I asked many many questions! I hope to develop a roll or two next week, and then get to printing some at some point.

Oh oh oh -- the sale I'm having in my Etsy shop? The 30% off sale? That's only going on for just about 10 more days, so if you have been eying something, now's the time to snap it up! If there's a photo you like but don't see in my shop (or you want a different size, etc.) let me know and I'll be happy to see what I can do.

30/30

I've just listed some new photos in my Etsy shop, including the one above.

And, and, AND! My birthday is on the 30th of this merry month of May, so I will be offering 30% off everything in the shop through the end of the month. Stop by and see what's in stock, or don't hesitate to ask me about custom orders.

Foam

I'll be at Foam Coffee & Beer today beginning at 11 a.m. and going until we tire out, I guess! I have special one-day-only discounts and new work to show.

Most of the activities scheduled to happen on Cherokee today are between the hours of 11 a.m. and 9 p.m., but I know of at least a couple of other things that will be going later.

If you are bringing littles, think about stopping by mid-afternoon, when there will be stuff for kids at Foam. From Mike, Foam's owner: "If you have kids be sure to come by Foam (3359 S. Jefferson and Cherokee) for some free, family friendly entertainment. We'll be reading stories at 2:30 and have a musical performance starting at 3pm. I know there will be sing along and group participation as well as some original solo acoustic material. The weather is going to be nice and the doors will be open. Cherokee is the place to be! But of course you knew that."

Foam is on the northwest corner of Cherokee and Jefferson, right where the big statue is.

Please come by and see me! Don't forget that if you mention you read my blog, you get a postcard as my free gift to you. No obligation. You can cancel at any time.

Send me a postcard, drop me a line, stating point of view

I've been thinking about this for a while -- having postcards made of some of my photos. I am accustomed to making my own prints; I get all nervous when I send something out to be printed for any reason. When I make a print I work at it until I am perfectly happy with it. If a color is a little off I make it again and again until it's something I'd be proud to show as my work. I can get a little fussy!

So I sent in one test image for the postcards to see how well I liked the results. I liked it a lot! And had four other images put on postcards. I love them so much I am thinking about which ones I will have made next.

See them in my Etsy shop here.

Firecracker Firecracker Boom Boom Boom

Originally uploaded by Hilary (curioush)

Did you used to say that little rhyme in pre-school? Did you get in trouble for saying "girls got the sexy legs"? I wonder what it was really supposed to say.

I dropped off some new photos -- including this one -- today at The Firecracker Press on Cherokee Street here in the Gravois Park neighborhood of South St. Louis.

If you have not been there before, please do yourself a favor and go! If you haven't been to this new location, or haven't been in a while, you should also go! Their work is gorgeous, and if I could I would probably paper my whole house with it.

To see more of Firecracker's work or learn about the letterpress process watch this little video from a couple of years ago.