Saturday fun

Last Saturday we jumped on our bikes and rode up to Northeast Minneapolis for the annual Art-A-Whirl, a weekend-long open studio event. On the way, we stopped by the Mill City Farmers Market, to grab some lunch and visit our friend and contributor Chrissy Chookiatsirichai's booth.  It was so exciting to see her new items and hear her vast knowledge about the wild materials she uses.

Two of our contributors were participating in Art-A-Whirl. We visited jeweler Lauren Neal of Carrier Pigeon, and textile designer Annabella Sardelis in their workspaces.  It was inspiring to see where these two ladies create their beautiful work.  

on the road

Our multitalented friend and SHIP & SHAPE contributor Michael Gaughan is presently en route to the east coast on the Ice Rod Dorm Room Chatroulette Freestyle Rap Tour 2012. We highly recommend checking out this show in your town.

Ina Grau Open House

SHIP & SHAPE contributor Crystal Quinn is 1/2 of INA GRAU, a collaborative shoemaking endeavor with Luisa Fernanda Garcia-Gomez. We recently visited their open studio for a preview sale of their inaugural spring line of handcrafted canvas and leather shoes. These women are amazing, and their craftsmanship is inspiring. We are excited to watch INA GRAU grow, and Erin is particularly excited about getting her new pair of shoes. 

a beauty

Celestine in Tiny Triangle Studs.

Book Club / Wellness Department

My interest in the 70's doesn't end with art and design — that era produced so much amazing stuff, including many volumes from good gurus and a women's movement which issued lots of books full of information that I never learned growing up but had to seek out as an adult.

When it comes to "new age" stuff I am pretty good at detecting the bogus but am sometimes seduced by promises of an enhanced existence. I finally got a Himalayan salt lamp and haven't concluded what effect it's having, but I love it.

—Maddy

SHIP & SHAPE shipping!

Erin looked pretty cute yesterday carrying a load of packages to the post office. As you can see, she is a packaging and shipping pro.

bits + pieces

We recently did a little interview with Inspired to Share, we are so happy to see the work of our wonderful artists on some of our favorite blogs, and we want to congratulate Kristin, the Simple Lovely giveaway winner!

shown: Crinoid Curios Earrings, Versicolor Peyote Stitch Necklace, Dove's Eye Tee / Asymmetrical Beaded Necklace / The Snake II tank / SHIP & SHAPE Studs, Yeah! Notecard Pack, Mini Hanging Planter