The Outside World

Now that I have decided to largely relinquish webshop products to the Rare Picks blog, I feel this one can be devoted a little more to the store, and even non-store things that may be of interest to you. Today we are closed so this post is just a little rambly.

STORE: we love to bring you things from outside the U.S. but sometimes they...get stuck. we have new Vynil wall stickers from France that still seem to be in customs. i need to do more investigations. anyway, they are almost here. and we have some art/design books from Napa Books that were sent from Finland and alas, nobody knows where they are right now. we're working on that too!

we're restocked on razorblade neckaces, and soon the cloud necklaces will be in also. the crowded teeth mittens will be in any day now, and we're adding just a few new products to the holiday line-up - like Lumen oil lamps and Set Editions cards.

even further in the future, we are plotting a new window display for the spring, courtesy of the lovely Lisa Congdon from San Francisco who has a cult following, it seems! we're really pleased to have a brand-new show by Lisa, theme TBA. Lisa is friends with Maria of Port 2 Port so expect fun printed collaborative items made for the show!

NON-STORE: everyone can still apply for Post-Postcard 10, operated by The LAB in San Francisco. this is a venerable indie affordable art show, 10 years strong, and some of my most favorite pieces of art at home are from past editions of this show. anyone can enter, you just need to make small art and send it to them. i think i'm going to bribe my San Franciscan readers to pick me up some treats from this (and maybe half a pound of Blue Bottle Coffee beans) in exchange for lovely treats from the shop...also, looks like there will be a Post-Postcard in LA this year too.

if you are in Portland OR, you are lucky and you get to attend the studio craft sale next weekend. this is just one of many, many events and sales by independent designers around the holidays. yep i said it, we're nearly in the holiday season! i am going to put my holiday cards and a few ornaments out in november!

other than that...i'm reading the great greenjeans blog about the ongoing discussion of "craft" in America, and dreaming of living on the first floor so that i can get a jorg & olif bike, which just looks a wee bit heavy to lug up the stairs. or maybe one of these gorgeous vanilla bikes - if i win the lottery. a hand-built bike is a thing of beauty, and curiously straddles art, craft, science and function. it's fun to think of all the things that do...

LAST WORD: prospective designers, i am really pretty well done with reviewing products for this year. i love you all but i get 3-5 calls and/or emails a day and i can't get back to you all. trust me, i look at everything and if something fits, i will contact you! it might be months down the line but i have a pretty good memory :) thanks for your interest in our little shop.