Craft Crawl!

Be sure to make the East Village your first stop this Friday night for something you won't want to miss.

During the months we actually want to go outside and do things, you can generally find great stuff going on in the Village on First Fridays - from open houses, sales, product launches and trunk shows to a few beers,  a cheese log (hey, we're not making promises here) and evening shopping hours in some of your favorite shops.

For May, so many are participating and it all sounds amazing.  The idea for the Craft Crawl, taking place between 5 and 8 pm,  originated with Jen at Eden and the artist she is hosting, Marissa Rae Kephart of The Moon & The Honey.  Quickly, we all jumped on board. It's a swell idea.  We're excited to be hosting a trunk show for Acanthus Apparel as they officially launch their much anticiated Kid's line. 

You can find a full list of who is where by checking the event facebook page (FIRST FRIDAY MAY: craft crawl)

Here is a link:

https://www.facebook.com/events/642655839081132/

and click here https://vimeo.com/64178210 to see the nifty video by Marissa. She also collaborated with Anna Frederick on the invite at the top of this post. 

 We are lucky to live and work in this amazing creative community.  Let's make a night of it  May 3rd.

Ready, Set, Go!

Whether you are Wedding, Weeding or just soaking it in...

it's a sunny Saturday.

Be sure you LOVE it.

Clean Up with Esparto Studio's Earth Day Sale!

Earth Day was April 22nd, and we hope you took a moment to appreciate the ground we walk on, the goodness that surrounds us and the beauty that is awakening with the Spring.

There are so  many resources at our disposal constantly...disposal being the operative word here. I like to take the "desert island"  or "small world" approach  in my art and life and reuse items in new ways when needs arise.   If that darn Professor on Gilligan's Isle hadn't been so charming I might be a different gal today...but I digress. The point is, there is a goodness in recycling beyond the correctness of it.  

Regina the Iowa based artist at  Esparto Studio makes things out of books.  If you think about it, the printed word is truly something to behold.  

The invention of the printing press changed the world long before the smartphone changed our lives.

  Words cause us to contextualize, to relate.  

In these times of constant bombardment on the mental front, it is good to hold on to a thought, a phrase, a word.  If it resonates, make it part of your world - let it  cheer, remind and tell you often- the truths and absurdities that you hold dear.  

Find Esparto's prints, jewelry and book clocks at Vitae - ON SALE THIS WEEK - in honor of the Earth, the trees and buzzing bees.

Rock N Reconstruct - It Is What It Is (not what it was)

The Art of Reconstruction: 

Some people are destructive.  Some are constructive.  Some people Rock.

Sarah Beals (Johnson) is one of those people  -  all three that is.  Not willing to settle for the old boxy T shirt, western shirt or mama's muu muu, but loving the tradition - Sarah takes the odd discard, keeps the best of it and brings it forward into a fashion statement. 

  She makes it better - through cutting, at times hand dyeing, and ultimately stitching a new look...

and there's something very nice about that.

In fact, that Rocks. 

These new looks from Rock N Reconstruct are at Vitae today.

Weekly Fashion Forecast: Are We Kidding?

Desperate times call for desperate measures....

when it's unseasonably COLD, we must be unseasonably BOLD.

Yes, we are talking about

SOCKS WITH SANDALS.

Do it good, do it bad.  Actually, it's questionable, controversial at best, from a fashion perspective...and that's exactly why we should unite and boycott the chill with a 

full on FASHION STATEMENT...

and the statement is:

%$*#@ YOU WEATHER, I'm wearing my *&#%@$ 

SHORTS.

Photos courtesy of  xoxo, Lesley,

NY Post

and Fashion Salon.

Acanthus Apparel: Ready for Spring!

Here is what Acanthus has so far for spring/summer 2013! You can find all of these items at Vitae Design Collective along with popular designs that they have reprinted from last summer's collection. If you can't make it into Vitae then stop by the Acanthus Apparel Etsy page to pick up your favorite spring/summer necessity.

www.acanthusapparel.etsy.com

There is more to come! Another women's boxy tee, men's and women's tank's and tee's, hoodies, maybe a dress or two and lots of kids tee's and tank's.

Here is the lineup from left to right starting at the top- 3 styles of women's tri-blend racerback tanks, featuring the panther, eagle and crocodile designs ($22); the heart and crossbones women's boxy tee ($34); the crocodile racerback maxi dress ($55); 2 sleeveless hooded ponchos featuring the crow design and the Indian design ($34); the sailor girl backless tee ($34); an American Apparel salt and pepper hoodie with our crow design ($55); 2 men's tank top styles, tri-blend with the crocodile and the diver printed on a fine jersey tank ($24); 3 men's t-shirts featuring the crow, diver and crocodile designs ($24).

The Bubble Ball is an annual fundraiser that benefits children with Autism via local group Childserve.  They do a lot of good, and they offer local artists a chance to showcase our talents in a very unusual and challenging medium - Bubble Wrap!  It makes for a very entertaining runway show (and stationary exhibit) and does a lot to raise awareness for their cause.

You should consider attending this benefit if it has not sold out already, and consider participating next year if you are creative and enjoy an occasional  walk on the silly side :)

Trapeze Artist 

Here's one of the Vitae entries (via Magpie) before it hits the Runway for the 2013 Circus Themed show.  

April savings!

Here's a sweet deal to kick off the Spring dress season:

There are several great styles to choose from, so go ahead...be adorable - in a Dear Creatures dress from Vitae.