Home again / Renegade LA

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We've landed in Calgary. It is quite a relief to be in the comforts of home! And internet access!!! I've got dozens of photos and links to post about people and things from Renegade LA, but the internet connection in our LA hotel was so bad it would have been less frustrating not to have any internet at all.

Here is Victoria of Paper & Type. We included her in a previous issue's subscriber profiles. Check out her lovely papergoods (very appealing photos on her new website and great attention to detail!)

Renegade LA

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Each Renegade Fair has its own flavour—being outside really creates a different experience. We're under a really big tent, which provides nice shade and it is much cooler in here. The images above are from early Saturday before the crowds arrived.

And below: pictures of our LA helpers, April and Stephen. Thank you guys, you're doing a terrific job!


We'll be here at Renegade LA Sunday from 11am - 7pm. We're having a big last-day sale at our table since I'd much rather see the magazines and books go to nice customers than have to ship everything home again. If you can't make it to the fair, you can use the discount code "renegade" for 10% off in the online shop.

Renegade SF: 16 Sparrows (and a happy typewriter)

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16 Sparrows is a delight for those infatuated with mail art, letter-writing, stationery and the lost art of typewriting. (Annie, I think that's you!)

From their website: "Who are you and how did this all start? 16 Sparrows sprouted from an observation that there were no greeting cards for sarcastic, quirky folks. So Kathy began making her own and after my paper goods out numbered friends and family, she knew something had to be done. With the encouragement of two close friends; Milly & Ilya, Kathy opened up shop. (This is the clean up version of what happened. If you ask Milly or Ilya, the birth of 16 Sparrows occurred in a bar over a table covered in empty beer bottles.) In 2006 Miss Donovan joined Kathy and 16 Sparrows became a partnership. Thanks to her, 16 Sparrows has expanded its product base and has gone on to have great success at craft fairs & retail stores. Donovan and Kathy both share an interest in smart-ass pretty things, which is a commonality that has made their partnership a success."

Donovan, Kathy and Annie are friends with the co-author of the amazing book Good Mail Day, so I had the chance to meet Carolee Gilligan Wheeler, whose mail art we included in a previous issue. There was a VERY happy moment when Carolee gave Annie a typewriter! Check it out on Annie's blog, Curbside Treasures.


Renegade SF: Pie Bird Press

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Pie Bird Press has impeccable letterpressed illustrated cards.

"Pie Bird Press is a little company with a lot of heart.  We do all our printing by hand on antique letterpresses, and take pride in bold, saturated designs that draw from years of flea market hunting and collecting. Our inspiration comes from a love of all things vintage and colorful, and of the good things in life that put a smile on your face: fireworks, glazed donuts, puppies, lunchboxes, and pumpkins on the vine. Our mission is to spread a feeling of nostalgia and cheer to everyone who receives our cards."

Mission accomplished!

Renegade SF: Plants you can't kill

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Last year one of the repeating motifs were squids and octopus. (The mustache and beard phenomenon continues on, though perhaps is finally nearing its trendy end...) This year? Succulents, plants and terrariums were scattered throughout the fair. One artisan who did it well was Shannon Gerard with her crocheted cacti. She was crocheting (whilst standing) all weekend long it seemed!

Renegade SF: my fellow Canadians

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My highlight was meeting fellow Canadian Heather Braun-Dahl. I've admired her work from afar in her Etsy and in UPPERCASE stockist Room 6. I really enjoyed chatting with Heather and hope to feature her in a future issue of the magazine. Thank you, Heather, for your generosity!

Two other Canadian ceramicists who bravely brought their wares all the way to San Francisco are Grace Lee of Eikcam Design...

...and Claire Madill of Heyday Design. The logistics of transporting magazines is enough of a challenge—I can't imagine the stress of shipping or travelling with breakables.


Lovely work all round. So much to covet.

Renegade SF: Petit Collage

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Visiting Petit Collage and Lorena Siminovich was a highlight for Finley since I bought him "I like vegetables"—a nice board book with touchy-feeling textures. Finley's baby book library is full of Lorena's artwork! "In My Den" has been well-loved and well-travelled and though it is patched together now with packing tape, it has come with Finley on his travels to be a friendly reminder of home.

Renegade SF

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The Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco was massive (spot Glen and Finley in the crowd):

Pretty incredible as far as craft fairs go! I was impressed again this year.

Here's our San Francisco team:


Here Glen shows Kathleen, Margaret and Annie how to use the technology—since last year, transactions have definitely gone digital and the venue had wi-fi this year which was helpful. And most helpful were our lovely San Francisco/Oakland friends! Most of my time was spent wandering the floor with Finley, keeping him amused as much as possible. (What a difference a year makes, from a contained little 4-month-old at last year's Renegade to a toddler, curious and clever!


Here are some shots of the UPPERCASE offerings:


Visit the blog throughout the week for more Renegade wrap-up!

Thank you Kathleen, Annie and Margaret: we couldn't have done it without you.

Help UPPERCASE in LA

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San Francisco Renegade was great! When I get a chance I'll post all about it and the fabulous vendors. But first, we are looking for one or two more helpers in Los Angeles since one of our helpers had to cancel.

UPPERCASE booth attendant

  • Show up at the event an hour prior to opening to help us set up the booth.
  • Greet attendees, answer questions about UPPERCASE products, handle and record transactions using tools and instruction supplied by UPPERCASE.
  • We will be on-site at all times to help.

An honorarium will be provided.

Additional Perks:
Swag from UPPERCASE
One-year subscription or renewal
Post event dinner

Event dates, hours & location:
LA: July 16-17: 10am to 8pm, Los Angeles State Historic Park

For more information about the fairs visit the Renegade Craft Fair website.

To apply, please email glen@uppercasemagazine.com with a description about yourself (ie craft fair or retail experience and/or resume and pertinent urls). Thank you!!!

Renegade San Francisco: here we come!

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Just a little interjection into Carolyn's excellent coverage of TypeCon... Glen, Finley and I are in San Francisco for this weekend's Renegade Craft Fair. If the Bay Area is your fine home, please come by and say hello! We participated in last year's fair and it stands out as the epitome of craft fairs—excellent venue and impeccable curation and quality of work.

Thank you to Kathleen, Annie and Margaret for helping us this weekend. (I've been meaning to post the work of the Brooklyn team's portfolios and blogs—Mark, Dawn, Erin, Correy—but getting issue 10 to the printer and off to subscribers and dottie angel's 256 pages designed took up all my time between these two Renegade bookends! You wouldn't believe how busy I have been in the past months. Finding the time to do anything blog-related has been tough.)

Follow our Renegade adventure on twitter, instagram and flickr!

Today I'm going to take it easy and explore San Francisco.

The Creative Connection: looking for a helper or two!

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I am excited to be a panelist at The Creative Connection this September in St. Paul, Minnesota (along with some pretty amazing women such as Heather Bailey, Lilla Rogers, Molly Wizenberg, Holly Becker and so many more!) It would be a great opportunity to have an UPPERCASE booth in the marketplace, but since I can't be everywhere at once, I am looking for a paid helper or two, local to the St. Paul area, to be UPPERCASE representatives.

Hours:
Friday, September 16 1:30pm-9:30pm
Saturday, September 17 from 10am-6pm

To apply, please email janine@uppercasemagazine.com with a description about yourself (ie craft fair or retail experience and/or resume and pertinent urls). Thank you!

Scenes from Renegade

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Hello from Renegade, Brooklyn! Here's a view of our booth and excellent helpers. Thank you to Erin, Dawn, Mark and Correy for representing UPPERCASE magazine and books and for speaking on my behalf. I've been battling a thorough cold and didn't have much of a voice today. I hope I'm feeling better tomorrow for Day 2.

Thanks to my regular team of helpers: Glen and Finley!

If you visited us today and decide you really should have subscribed... no worries: it is easy to do online! Enter the discount code "renegade" for 10% your order. And customers from far and wide can use that discount online this weekend as well!

Help! (please)

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I've got too many things on my plate right now. In fact my "plate" is more like a banquet hall of things I need to get done before we head to Renegade Brooklyn next week. Some of the to-do list is fun stuff like making swag... postcard sets and button-making. Are there any local folks who want to come by on First Thursday to help assemble things? I'll be in the studio from 3-9pm -- even if you're able to drop by for a short while and make a few things that would be so appreciated.

I am also looking for a regular team of makers and doers, to assist in these hands-on tasks like assembly, button-making, book-making and even some sewing (for the dottie angel book.) We would meet once or twice a month at UPPERCASE over iced coffee and cookies and have a good ol' fashioned making-things bee. The first bee will be this Sunday afternoon at 1pm. Please email me if you're interested (janine at uppercasemagazine dot com) thank you!!!