After inhaling too much paint fumes I spent days of my life visiting discount home furnishing stores deciding on my furnishings. And I spent HOURS at Ikea selcting my studio furniture...

Did I want funky, industrial, whimsical or practical for my look?

I decided on practical and thought the hard work was done until I opened the Ikea boxes and faced the daunting task of assembling a million pieces into my desk!!!

And multiple the Ikea experience by two for the cubicles on wheels and the shelves.

You may think I am just another pretty face but, I am actually pretty darn handy with a hammer and screwdriver.

So after MUCH hammering, painting, shopping, shopping, ( and did I mention shopping ) I moved all my STUFF into my sewing studio.

I gathered my books from the bookshelf I installed in my laundry room, my notions from the garage, my fabrics and interfacings from the linen closet, my machines from the office, and still something was missing...

ME!

A wonderful, happy, safe new year to you all.

Night at the Museum...

The website Etsy has gotten so humongous that I don't visit it that often but, it is full of DIYers with lots of creative energy!

And now these crafty, creative folks are getting together outside of cyberspace with Etsy Craft Nights. I knew it was happening in NY but, now it is also in LA.

!Check it out!

Unique LA

Over the weekend I attended the Unique LA craft fair at the California Mart in downtown LA. For my sustainable fashion class I was hoping to find some green, earth friendly, sustainable manufacturers that actually had a business ( not just their home address ) but, I did not succeed. However the event was still an enjoyable outing with long lines, large crowds and many interesting small scale vendors. It was a real start-up 101 experience.

And I have to confess that the exhibits were many times more entertaining and engaging than the actual products. That being said there was ALOT of enthusiasm and energy in the hall and a good time was had by all.

The vendors were an interesting mix. Also there was a DIY section that was so popular we didn't even try to participate. The exhibits were as creative as the products so it was just visual candy to walk around.

I really liked the golden sewing machine and the proprietress. The website is makeshoplive.com so check it out. Also there was SO MANY free foodie samples, it was worse than Costco! And there was a pie shop and you know I love pie, their website is http://www.iheartpies.com/ and they're a pie of the month shop!! YUM.

So in conclusion I very much enjoyed the Unique LA experience. The caliber of goods could have been a notch higher but, the overall experience was pretty good fun.