THE GREATEST EVENT OF THE YEAR

is at stir on Thursday, November 1, from 5-10pm.


That's right. March yourself down to 216 Alaskan Way S in Seattle. There are plenty of buses, metered parking, and parking is free after 6.

What is this great event, you say?



10, count em, 10, of your fabulous Seattle area artists, all members of the great EtsyRain, will be hosting a fair.


This is a great way to see a lot of your local talent in one place, and also start some early holiday shopping... or pick up something for yourself. ;-) There's a wide range of wares, from jewelry to photography, to shower art to fiber art.



The artists are:


Sara Everett of Rekoj Designs

Norm of Art by Norm

Marlo M of IMakeCuteStuff

Katy Hanson of Sycamore Baby

Trina Gratrix of Woven Chains

Beth Goss of Wire Tree

Kirsten Johnson of Chantilly Cashmere

Dawn Vogel of Scary White Girl Designs

Rosalie Gale of Ugly Baby, and special project Barter Sauce


oh, and me too: Kimberly Van Dyke of stir



For links to all the artists websites, go to www.stirboutique.com/kick_off_the_holidays




See you there!!

Fuzzy bunny :-)

If you've ever seen and enjoyed Ugly Dolls at novelty and gift stores, these are even a notch better!

These adorable fleece bunnies are made from all vegan materials, and each have a phrase or word sewn onto their chest that is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Just quit a horrendous job? Then maybe "asshat" is a good parting gift for your former boss.* Have great witty banter with your sister or best friend? Definitely need "bitch."

And I'm sure you can think of something creative to do with "crabs" or "herpes."

Need another phrase? You can find many more at spidercamp.etsy.com, the online marketplace of Jessica Pierce from Atlanta, GA. She also takes commissions, and these precious bunnies are affordable enough to tack on to any life moment or occasion.

*Not responsible for those of you who act on these suggestions.

Babies!!!!

So babies have been on my mind lately. No, not me, but two of my cousins, my old best friend from high school, and another friend are all currently expecting. Baby-mania!

And it couldn't be better timing: there was a baby bootie treasury on etsy this week. (Sorry, I didn't capture a screen shot.)

One particular artist really stood out to me, because of these:

These booties are also offered in several colors, which each corresponding to a different creature. Is you favorite color pink? Your baby can wear Baby Flamingo Feet. Does your baby look adorable in green? Then Baby Frog Feet are for you. But the best ever is the blue, which are called Baby Monster Feet.

They are created by Sammamish, WA artist JustKiddn. In addition to these fantastic booties, JustKiddn also creates reversible clothing (such as overalls). I can't wait for all these upcoming baby showers. :-)

Studio mate

If you're ever in Seattle, you should be sure to check out my open studio/retail space named 'stir'. It's located in Pioneer Square, and the deets are at http://www.stirboutique.com/.

But the exciting news is that 'stir' has teamed up with UglyBaby - Rosalie is my new studio mate and sometimes her husband Doug comes too!

UglyBaby creates a whole line of humorous items including cards and such, but primarily focuses on shower art. Oh, you don't know what shower art is?

Each piece is a mixed media collage floating within resin (read, waterproof). And then, each piece is mounted on a suction cup so you can stick it where you like: the shower, your window, wherever! In the words of Rosalie, she's "no dictator."

I can't imagine a better start to my day than a little giggle as I'm washing my hair.

You can find UglyBaby's work at uglybaby.etsy.com or come visit in person the First Thursday evening of every month.

Joygasm

My mother is responsible for adding this word to my vocabulary.

So I was at this wonderful event last night, a joint event for the Urban Fashion Network and DIFFA, which took place at the W in Seattle.

KUDOS TO THE CHEF!!!

The appetizers were amazing, but one made me literally drool. (Just ask my new friend Marlo's boyfriend, who didn't really get what got into us.) It was a piece of duck resting over a several champagne grapes, on one of those (what are they called?) white Asian soup spoons. At first I was worried I could get the whole spoon in my mouth, but OH MY GOD I am so glad I went for it. This duck, I don't know what it was marinated in, was so moist and rich, and buttery, and perfectly seasoned that I don't even know how to begin to describe it. And for a girl who normally keeps her sweets and savories separate, I was happily surprised that those little champagne grapes added the perfect little burst of sweetness.

So what does a girl do? Of course, google the W in hopes that they have some recipes published online, or at least maybe a cookbook for sale. And when rejected online, call up the W and nicely beg. Well, of course, the recipe is a "closely guarded secret, so [I] will just have to come bacak and visit [them]." And, of course, their menu is on a monthly rotating basis, and often the preparation varies from day to day.

What does this mean? I will never be able to have this exact bite of heaven ever again, because I am not blessed with taste buds that let me discern what 11 special spices marinated that duck.

Le sigh. I suppose lots of butter can never hurt.

However, this little disappointment can't sour my opinion of last night, because I really excited about the Urban Fashion Network and DIFFA. Looks like I found some like-minded people in Seattle! Hopeully, I'll be able to become involved with them over the next couple months.

On a different topic, thanks to Marlo for telling me about this event

last night. She's one of the coolest people I've met in a while, and a

fellow etsy seller. Her etsy chosen name, imakecutestuff, is a pretty accurate description. She sells sunny tote bags, pincushions with personality, and fun stamped jewelry.

On her own website, MarloM, she shows off her skills as a jewelery designer, making gorgeous custom and original pieces.

My favorites are from her seedlings line. Here's a picture of some of her shadowbox jewelry:

Yeah, I know. I want it too.

My First!

Hi Everyone -

This is my first blog ever :-)

A little about myself: I am an artist, playing around with several media. Most of my current work is photography and silk painting.

I have other presences on the web, if you want to learn more about me!

http://www.stirboutique.com/ --> my Seattle studio/boutique

www.myspace.com/stirboutique --> yeah, you know :-)

kimberlyatstir.etsy.com --> my online store

I'm going to use this blog to share about all sorts of things I'm excited about, particularly fellow artists.

For tonight though, I'll share with you the love of my life, my dog Pixie. This is her. Isn't she great, keeping my bed warm for me?

I'll leave this first post here, but stay tuned because I'll be back for more :-)