random nicole's random life

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PATCHWORK LONG BEACH- A GREAT SUCCESS!

monday morning i woke up at 7:30am- i had intended to sleep in after the long and lovely day of patchwork long beach- but i woke bright and early and started right in on work… checking emails… etc… i was reading my aunt delilah’s blog and saw her post about patchwork santa ana- she recounts how patchwork started in her backyard in irvine right after i’d moved to the oc from la.  i remember that night vividly… a little red wine, both of us with our laptops sitting on the picnic bench on the back patio.  and now it’s been almost 3 years and 6 patchworks later.  delilah and i managed to bring together our strong points and pull it off.  and now… we just brought patchwork to a new city for the first time… long beach.  we put the show together pretty fast but had a lot of help from sponsors and vendors too in getting word out and making the show successful.  big thanks to everyone who helped- you know who you are! 

here are some photos…

we love long beach was so amazing... their volunteers really rocked!  thanks robin!!!

brooke of not quite vintage and the handmade brigade of oc

anarchy in the garden with a lovely planter box

original art and funky handmade clothing & accessories

of course the harvey's crew was there with their infamous bags

nina and melissa of the oc handmade brigade

love these colorful paper goods!

random nicole and the new 'made by you...' craft kits

the crowds came out...

we love long beach girls greeting guests at the entrance

don't you love how eco long beach is... so many people rode their bikes!

early afternoon... even more people arrive!

on-site screenprinting was a hit...

loved the jenny and jimbob display

hazel of yelp and dave of memphis

this is ellen of the district weekly - she wrote the perfect cover story for the paper on patchwork- thanks ellen!!!

delilah making another customer happy with her local organic preserves...

jeremy- our faithful dj and a little helper...

the location at marine stadium provided such a lovely water backdrop for the event!

PATCHWORK SHOW HITS LONG BEACH: THE DISTRICT WEEKLY MAKES US COVERMODELS

if you don't live in the LBC then you may not get a chance to pick up their weekly paper THE DISTRICT WEEKLY (think the long beach version of oc & la weekly's).  the district weekly choose PATCHWORK SHOW-the indie arts & crafts festival i put on with my aunt delilah as their cover story this week!!!  check it out!

 

WEDDINGS & PATCHWORK INDIE ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL

     i've never been married, but when i was in the 6^th grade my mom married the man who became the answer to the endless pleas in my childhood journals …”i wish i had a dad.”  i was only 11, so i was excused from the majority of the planning.  i did accompany my mom to several wedding related errands… fittings at dress shops where she tried on dozen of gowns, tastings at restaurants on hills with buffets -dry chicken and her warning “don’t eat the shrimp-you don’t know how long it’s been sitting out”, and of course listening to tapes of ‘bands’ renditions of ‘celebrate good times’… come on! 

     for months every conversation revolved around april 1^st- the approaching wedding day.  then finally it was here…

     the champagne limo pulled up and we filed in, headed to the church and then the reception where i snuck as many liqueur infused chocolate covered strawberries as i could and danced in my awful hot pink floral bridesmaid dress to ‘c'e' la luna 'mmiezz'o mare’ and the ice swan sculpture melted away.  by sunset, it was all over.  no limo… my grandmother escorted me into her blue chevy and we headed back home. 

     when we walked in the door my ears rang in the boring quiet and as much as i couldn’t wait to peel off my ‘hose’ (as my grandmother called them) and throw my patent leather shoes with the 1 inch heel in a place where i (nor my mother) could never find them again- another part of me wished it wasn’t over.  months of late nights of my mom and aunt in the kitchen flipping through bridal magazines and checklist after checklist to ensure every detail was ‘just-so’- was all over in a few hours.  i suppose every event is similar- plan, stress, plan, stress and then… done. 

     well… yesterday night ‘my wedding’ – patchwork- the indie arts & crafts festival my aunt delilah and i put on a few times a year, happened- and then, was over.  as i sat at our usual post-patchwork celebratory spot- the olde ship british pub- i couldn’t help but think of how i desperately wanted to remove my shoes and soak them in a tub of hot soapy water-and yet there was another small part of me that was a bit sad that it was over.  the months of meetings, emails, phone calls, sorting through applications, dropping off postcards, dealing with sponsors and restaurants, not to mention the city and permits that delilah and i had done was all over.  yet neither delilah nor i had a ring on our fingers- no sign to tell the world or remind ourselves of what we had accomplished. 

     after the old ship i dropped my clothes in heap and took the hottest shower my 1940’s plumbing would allow-letting the parking lot grime wash off me and down the drain.  another patchwork was over… no limos. no ugly dresses.  no dry chicken. 

    after my shower, i remembered as i was picking up the last piece of trash in the lot after all the vendors had broken down their booths… one of the last crafters to leave grabbed my arm and said “great show… thanks so much for putting this together.”  and i thought about what my aunt delilah said when i first moved to orange county-i was apprehensive about moving back to where i was from after living in ‘cool’ cities like la and sf. 

     “those places already have ‘cool’ stuff, i want to make the place where i live ‘cool’- i want to dedicate my time to making my city better,” she said.  and… she’s right.  delilah & i are lucky enough to provide a few days out of the year for emerging artists, designers, and crafters of all kinds to show together in the community where we live.  i may not have a ring, but i do have my patchwork staff button as a souvenir.

so... here are some photos from the event...

 

 

one of my favorite booths... rock scissor paper

 

michelle moode and her art

 

mireya of el ponk

the guys from the hibbelton gallery in downtown fullerton

 

karen's classic hardware booth is always swamped

harvey's is always there as our biggest supporter since the first patchwork

 

hazel of yelp - one of our rad sponsors

 

alicia of hi octane jewelry had such an amazing display

 

delilah and i

one of my regular customers jamie and her daughter sporting some random nicole owls

my random nicole booth!

 

san francisco days... san francisco nights... and we got to meet mattin from top chef!

1. “... and I could see the greater vision     of San Francisco beyond like jewels in the night.” from on the road

2. during my junior year trip to visit colleges I saw steam coming up from the street and I lost my breath for a moment watching it float up from the manhole cover to the blue sky above

3. it seemed just far enough away but still close enough to my family

these are the reasons I left home for college in san Francisco…

the city by the bay still hold those tiny bits of magic that drew me to it 16 years ago…  last week deanna and set out for sf in a rented car for her birthday.  The city is still there… in all its’ glory of fast moving clouds, hole in the wall places to eat, spontaneous street conversations and moments where you breath out “ahhh”-sometimes joy, sometimes sadness, sometimes beauty and sometimes hilarity.

Here are a few highlights from our trip…

  

coming into the city... the best feelings surface

riding the refurbished trolley car from north beach into downtown

julia child on the menu at tu lan- her favorite vietnamese restaurant.  note:  it was a true hole in the wall in a sketchy neighborhood near a methadone clinic- there was an old man sleeping at the table next to us.

BUT... the food was insanely delicious- imperial rolls are a must!

portions were HUGE so we delivered leftovers to the homeless on our way to the tenderloin to see a show

atlas sound at the great american music hall-one of my very favorite places to see a show in the city... i've been stunned by chan marshall of cat power singing colors and the kids under the carved ceiling... and shocked and fascinated while interviewing issac brock of modest mouse backstage.

 

this is hands down my favorite place to get a drink in the city... adler specs bar in an alley in north beach.  people from all over the world send postcards to the bar and they keep them in box- you can request to see them and peruse the rambling writing of searchers and wanders... my favorite is the guy always writing about searching for the american dream and never finding it.

 

deanna and i at specs

 

i LOVE the tile at louis' on the sea- near the cliff's edge and where the sutro baths once were

the view just outside louis'

 

then we headed across the golden gate bridge to muir woods as deanna's dad was set on seeing some big trees

 

phone booth in the middle of the woods

 

this tree was nearly as old as jesus!

 

muir woods

 

more muir woods

 

we walked down to iluna basque- mattin from top chef's resturant... lamb burgers, seared tuna, mache salad, bacon wrapped plums and eggplant with tomato & goat cheese... so good!

 

mattin was sweet enough to pose with us and listen as we praised his food. 

 

this is one of my favorite spots- sam's in north beach- the best late night corndogs

 

the must do city lights photo

refurbished train cars

  and we're on our way home...

 

hello sunset on the 5 freeway... adios san francisco!

OC HANDMADE BRIGADE'S INDIE CRAFT FAIRS

so our good friends... the ladies of the oc handmade brigade have been busy.  they put together 2 awesome shows in the past few months.  one at DETROIT BAR in costa mesa and one @ THE CAMP in costa mesa.  the vendors were truly inspiring... here are some favorites...

FROM THE SHOW AT DETROIT BAR...

nina of oc handmade brigade & tacos & eggrolls selling her jewelry

brooke of oc handmade brigade and not quite vintage

melissa of oc handmade brigade & Melissa Loschy Designs

my 'random nicole' set-up at the show

FROM THE HOLIDAY SHOW @ THE CAMP

eileen of organic love & estacia- our ever-faithful patchwork show intern

jay of whodinni handmade was out with her new peacock and mustache totes which i LOVED!  and his friend crystal with her incredible feather earrings

i LOVE nan lawson's amazing illustrations

tyler bender and his rad books

paper pastries had the MOST amazing cards

and polly danger with her awesome kits for diy crafts

EATING MY WAY THROUGH MASSACHUSETTES...

i got back from my trip to the east coast a few weeks ago but failed to do a post about it... we went back for deanna's friend danni's wedding and i proceeded to basically eat my way through salem, boston, rockport, and other nearby towns...  here are a few of my favorite meals...

 

i ordered a side of one pancake and this is what i got...

i was told that salem willows has the best popcorn in the world... i wasn't disappointed

 

this place has the BEST fried clams EVER... kappy's

 

here are the clams... bellies and all.

the infamous LAND & SEA...

fried fish galore from LAND & SEA

 

this is called a roast beef 3 way and it is the perfect sandwich

 

canoli's from mike's pastry in boston

late night east coast very think pizza

deanna's mom makes clam steamers... you have pull the necks off - which is a little gross but well worth it

this is me eating my first 'chocolate ball' made by deanna's aunt dee-dee... it's a crushed oreo & cream cheese ball dipped in dark chocolate - similar recipe here

 

and yes... they served lobster and filet at the wedding.  and yes... it was soooo good.

 

saugus wings and crab rangoon at kowloon with the famous boston duck sauce

steak tip, cheese & onion sandwich at the topsfield fair

this is one of the fair exhbits... shoes and 2 zucchini... i did not eat them but am still wondering why they were in the shoe exhibit

i didn't eat this 1,471 lb. pumpkin either

but i did eat this fried dough

other non-food related things of interest from the trip...

 

this house was made of paper... called PAPER HOUSE... it cracked us up

 

me & mr. buffalo (my band) does an impromptu concert on the beach in rockport

this looks like an owl... sort of

crafts road

father daughter dance at the wedding

trees

 

and more trees

wolf-style dream catcher

tiger style

TYPE A RANDOM NICOLE GETS FEATURED ON APARTMENT THERAPY

so deanna introduced me to this program called RADIO LAB on NYC PUBLIC RADIO-think THIS AMERICAN LIFE but with a scientific twist.  she downloaded the podcast they did about stress and pretty much held me down and made me listen.  the bit that really struck me was about an upholsterer who had to constantly reupholster the chairs in the waiting room of a cardiologists office.  this brilliant upholsterer made this connection and was the person to ‘discover’ the type a personality.

type a people = stressed out people = heart problems = trip to cardiologist = waiting room anxieties + type a personality = nervous energy = fidgeting = chair fabric fraying = monthly reupholstering

of course the whole things struck a chord with me- being the type a that i am. 

if you know me, you know my type a ways really show through in my living space.  i’ve moved 17 times and each and every place i move into has to be painted, decorated and adorned in a ‘just so’ manner.  i’ve always felt i have a knack for this sort of thing- decorating – especially on a tight budget.  my twelve year old self actually wanted to be an interior designer.  well… my reward came today!  Deanna sent in photos of our new place and our apartment was featured on one of my favorite sites… APARTMENT THERAPY!  take a peek…

p.s.- i'm available for house calls if anyone needs a their space spruced up... 

 

here's a few more pics of our tiny home...

 

IDEA FARM GRAND OPENING

sometimes things come along that just feel right… that’s how i felt when i started getting  involved with SEED people’s market. 

when i closed down THE CRAFT KITCHEN in august- i was a bit sad to see it go but more than that i was excited not to be dealing with aspects of it that i didn’t enjoy…

the paperwork, dealing with vendors, knowing that i had to be there, not being able to be there because i had a craft fair etc…, the upkeep…

i was ready to let it all go and then… just when you think you know where you’re going next… something in the universe puts a nail in the road and it pops your tire and you’re paused and headed in a different direction. 

for me… that direction became IDEA FARM.  being a part of IDEA FARM lets me do all the parts of THE CRAFT KITCHEN that i love… teaching, finding teachers and consulting on how to make it work. 

that said… all the work the awesome people of SEED and i have done to get IDEA FARM going paid off thursday night at the private opening for friends, family, industry and press.  the space looked amazing and tons of people came out to support the new venture.  people filled the seed space downstairs, listening to live music, eating amazing empanadas and salads, drinking wine, and perusing the unique wares of local emerging artists and designers.  upstairs in the IDEA FARM loft i set-up a ‘make & take’ craft workshop where people could drop in, get inspired by examples and create their own artistic felt pins.  at one point i looked around at all the diligent crafting around the table, guitar and singing floating upstairs and thought… i’m feeling very grateful for the nail in the road…

so… if you’re in the oc this weekend stop by Saturday or Sunday for the public grand opening…

 

the set-up for the 'make & take' felt pins craft workshop...

 

lexi lee of little bit & her friend james made tons of pins and james actually gifted his away to other crafters---

a plethora of felt to choose from

nina of handmade brigade & tacos & eggrolls along with her mom and sis joined in...

brooke of not quite vintage & jackie of voz clothing & art also came out to represent handmade brigade

 

marc b  and his guitar set the mood

 

cynthia morehouse of cynthia morehouse jewelry sporting an insane beehive made a flower pin

brett of evocal , his lady and his mom bev came out to show support and made a collaborative felt art piece.

i set-up a little table featuring some of the rad things you can make in the workshops...

the new neon sign that leads upstairs to IDEA FARM

amazing flower & leaf collage pins made by a happy crafter

not to play favorites but... this really was the best pin of the night!!!

spa goodies class @ IDEA FARM @ SEED

we had our second class in our new space at SEED people's market at THE CAMP in costa mesa...  we even have a name for the space now... IDEA FARM @ SEED!  love it.   the class was great--- students make tons of goodies and took them home in their cute new baskets...

they made...  salt & sugar scrubs, chamomile & lavender bath sachets, essential oil spritzers, glycerin soap bars, soy candles, beeswax lip balm & honey lip gloss... and afterwards decorated their new treats with my selection of unique papers and vintage magazines...

 

getting all the supplies set-up...

don't you love the cool way they hid the storage cabinets with reclaimed wooden doors and wood painted with chalkboard paint!

 

pouring soy candles

finished baskets full of so many goodies

the new name & logo

HERE ARE SOME PHOTOS FROM SEED PEOPLE'S MARKET DOWNSTAIRS...

 

so love the stacked books at the register & chalkboard frames on the wall

the stairs to IDEA FARM upstairs where we hold all the classes

free internet with a lovely view of the patio

 

all the goods from local indie designers on display

cool station where you can pick your pot and plant and pot it yourself for only $5

instore cafe featuring treats from local indie chefs & bakers

music listening station

amazing book library

place to just hang out

PATCHWORK ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL SANTA ANA & LONG BEACH

hello friends...

save the date...

because we have 2 patchwork indie arts & crafts festivals coming to town in november... one in santa ana and for the first time-one in long beach.

SHOP:  over 80 local vendors featuring handmade goods for you, your family & your home including... amazing clothing for men, women & kids, letterpress stationary, jewelry, rock'n'roll belt buckles, edgy dolls, artsy purses, green & sustainable goods, aprons, refashioned vintage clothing, art & so much more...
EAT & DRINK:  memphis, the gypsy den and the crosby serving up barbeque, veggie delights and libations
LISTEN:  live dj's and bands 

PATCHWORK SANTA ANA....

 

PATCHWORK LONG BEACH....