This Just In!!!

As we mentioned in our last post, our friend Lea of Leafcutter Designs (and the World's Smallest Postal Service fame...) is a never ending source of wonderfully creative ideas. To prove that point, Lea just invited us (and therefore YOU) to participate in a super exciting and fun new project.

This one involves the 500 Colored Pencils Subscription Set from Felissimo that we've been drooling over. Well, Lea won herself a couple subscriptions and would like to share the love with all of us. Instead of keeping the beautiful set to herself, she is going to be sending out pencils to anyone interested in contributing to "With A Pencil In My Pocket". She explains the project in detail on her site, but basically you sign up (for $35) and each month (for the next 20 months) you will be sent one of these very special pencils. You will then be tasked with doing something that you feel represents the color of your particular pencil, and then writing a very short story about your experience. Check out her site for some really good examples.

Spots are limited, and filling up quickly, so head on over to Lea's site and sign up now!

We can't wait to get started! This is going to be awesome!!

Lea's Curio Search

You may know Lea Redmond of Leafcutter Designs from her monthly visits to the shoppe with the World's Smallest Postal Service. She is also the brains behind the ever-popular wiggly eye dice and earrings for spontaneous seeding that we sell. Every time we see Lea, she's got a new brilliant idea that she executes to perfection, whether it's a matchbox theater, a teacup lending library, or a"noodle performance kit". A new service that Lea offers through her website is the Curio Search, which operates as follows:

You give her a list of 20 descriptive words and a price limit, and she will search high and low for the perfect curio to send to you in return, along with a letter explaining the history of the object. Genius, right?

Here are some examples (and results) of recent searches:

Words: new orleans cat vintage paper lantern flower lunch box texture floaty pen creative mermaid shoes tea towel art flirty romantic

Result: Mermaid Fishing Lure

Words: Josh, creative, orange, green, glasses, left, loved, loving, diligent, hilarious, gadget, Apple, Fall, Christy, Cade, Clara, parent, fourteen, cat, computer

Result: Folding Heart Glasses

Lea will be at the shoppe this Sunday, December 6th with the World's Smallest Postal Service (her last visit of the year) from 1-5pm. Stop by, say hello, and don't forget to bring your holiday notes and addresses for Lea to transcribe onto microscopic stationery and envelopes!

Craft-a-thon

Our friends Jen and Josh came over last Friday for Thanksgiving leftovers and an evening of crafting. Lucky for me, they left their felt beet and pie pins here, and I've enjoyed wearing them on my sweater the past couple days.

Holiday Windows!

Last week, our friend Kate Pruitt (a regular contributor of incredible DIY projects to design*sponge) came by with a car full of amazing props to deck our our windows for the holidays.

She whipped up this cozy, miniature bear den, complete with a chair, gift pile, pendant lamp, and (best of all) framed Wayne White and Curiosity Shoppe Small Stakes prints.

These ingenious paper trees were a breeze to make, using fringed paper, wooden dowels, and our trusty hot glue gun.

Bear paws by Derek, and wallpaper background by Lena Corwin!

Here's Kate, among her forest of paper trees.

Apple Place Settings

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year, and used apples as our place settings.

Scenes from the workshop

Thanks again to Kayte Terry for a great workshop last Saturday!
Make sure to check out her amazing book and craft kits, now available in the shoppe.

They're Baaaack!!

It has become a holiday tradition here at the shoppe to showcase the work of our pal Jason Munn of The Small Stakes during the month of December. This year we have 10 new posters from on display, all screen printed by hand in beautiful Oakland, for bands such as Andrew Bird, Death Cab for Cutie, The Dirty Projectors and the Monsters of Folk. Awesome!! I mean, just look how excited Derek is in the photo!

Available in the store only (if you'd like to purchase them online, please visit Jason's site.) C'mon over and check them out!

Stufffing? or Mashed Potatoes?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

Appliqué Workshop with Kayte Terry tomorrow!

Please join us at the shoppe tomorrow for a super fun workshop with author and crafter extraordinaire Kayte Terry. She's got a great new book out called Appliqué Your Way and will be on hand signing books and demonstrating how to make an adorable felt ornaments. The event is free, and no reservation is necessary. Just come on by!

Appliqué Workshop with Kayte Terry
Saturday November 21st, 1-4pm
855 Valencia Street (between 19th & 20th)

Wish We'd Known Ya...

Glenn Remick (January 21st, 1951—November 2nd, 2009)

"He also threw darts in his garage, pausing to sip the beer he made in his home brewery."

Thursday Photo Assignment: Home

Another wonderful collection of photos this week! Speaking of "home", I hope you are all able to spend some quality time at home with friends and loved ones on Thanksgiving next week. We're going to take a break from the photo assignment next Thursday, but will be back on 12/3. The photo assignment for 12/3 is: "hands". (We haven't done that one, already, have we?) As always, email your photos to: smartsandcrafts@gmail.com if you'd like to participate. Thanks everyone!

Derek's photo

Lauren's photo

Lise's photo

Kalli's photo


Sparkie's photo


Christine's photo


Camilla's photo


Leigh's photo


Andrew's photo

One more pic from last week's photo assignment

Don't know how I missed this one, but the ever-talented Mr. Andrew Paynter submitted this amazing photo for last week's "upside down" assignment! I'll be posting the "home" photos in a couple hours, so if you've got one, please send it over!

More love for Wallpaper Projects

Check it out! Wallpaper Projects made it into the new issue of O!

Jazz on a Summer's Day

I have a new favorite movie, and it is called Jazz on a Summer's Day. Somehow Netflix knew that I would enjoy it (don't you love when that happens?) and as soon as I saw the DVD cover art and read the description I was sold. "Filmed at the 1958 Jazz Festival at Newport, Rhode Island, this easygoing documentary affords an intimate, atmospheric glimpse of a historically significant musical event. Performing at the festival were jazz heavyweights such as Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry, Thelonious Monk, Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, Gerry Mulligan and Anita O'Day. Fascinating viewing for jazz and documentary fans alike."

This film is so beautifully shot and the music is sooo good, that I watched it twice in a row while I was working at home the other day. Director Bert Stern is probably best known for his beautiful photographs of iconic female actresses such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. It's his photographer's eye that makes every shot of this film look like a still from the pages of LIFE Magazine circa 1958, when all the ladies wore red lipstick and the gents looked dapper with their clean haircuts and cool shades. Couldn't recommend it more.

Thursday Photo Assignment: Upside Down

My whole world's turned upside down! Thanks everyone for submitting another collection of awesome pics this week. Next week's photo assignment is: "home". Email your pics to smartsandcrafts@gmail.com before next Thursday if you want to play!

Lauren's photo


Tom's photo


Aurora's photo


Sparkie's photo


Lise's photo


Leigh's photo


Joelle's photo


Beth's photo


Conn's photo

When in doubt, flat-iron it out

Derek's solution to getting wrinkles out of your tie when you're walking out the door on your way to a dinner party? A quick run through your wife's flat iron. Works like a charm.