random nicole's random life

there's always something to learn: the handmade marketplace: how to sell your crafts locally, globally and online by kari chapin

i've being running random nicole for almost 11 years! i'm so grateful that i've been supporting myself on making and doing things i love for over a decade. there have been so many fellow indieprenuers who've helped me along the way. when i started out the word indie referred only to music and if i wanted to sell my wares at a show i had to choose between a granny style church craft fair or a high fashion sample sale, neither of which were a good fit. now the indie craft scene is in full swing and words like etsy is a household name. now, people just starting out have a little more info to get them started.

i recently ordered the handmade marketplace: how to sell your crafts locally, globally and online by kari chapin. why would a veteran crafter who is already selling order a book like this? because there is ALWAYS something to learn. the whole book is chock full of information like how to set up a website or blog, how to sell at craft shows, how to price your goods and tons more. the section that i learned the most from though was the marketing section-chapin had lots to offer, even to someone who is already doing email marketing, has a blog and etsy store and is established.
i'm taking several of her suggestions to heart, for one: blog more and consistently.
so whether you're just starting out or have been schleping your wares to craft shows and selling wholesale for years, there's something for every craftepenuer in this book!

coco levine's crafts & cupcakes

coco levine cupcake queen, the new book by audrey davidow with illustrations by leslie dallion (pie for blackbirds) is part children's book, park cookbook and part DIY craft book. the retro modern illustrations of coco's advenures are so whimsical...cupcakes growing on trees, cupcake houses and cupcake hats. i love that this book mixes a story with things to do like baking and crafting. i don't have kids yet, but i'm seriously considering buying this book just for the inspirational illustrations and maybe to hold onto...just in case.

redesigned vintage train cases and judy valencerina

i've had a fondness for vintage train cases...but i've never lusted after one the way i lusted after the one i happened to spy on someone's desk as delilah and i were walking out of the ventura visitors center today. i nearly pushed someone out of my way to get a closer peek and photo of this case by oxnard ventura county musician, photographer AND crafter, judy valencerina of remixed vintage. right away i dialed into her etsy store to see what else she makes. delilah and i are becoming quite fond of ventura (the city that will host a patchwork in summer 2012 & our first ever craftcation:indie business & DIY workshop conference in early 2012). after learning more about judy through her cool blog and etsy shop i hope she'll be one of the talented ventura artists we showcase in our ventures.

 

seagulls and san francisco

just about every man i've dated has one thing in common... guitars. i've been playing for nearly 17 years. i should be able to shred like slash

or pick out melodies like django

by now...right? wrong. i'm still struggling with the same 10 chords and 2 strumming styles i've known since year one. practicing guitar is something i rarely make time for in my life. i've started several "fake bands" with friends over the years... basically we'd make up a cool name, drink a few beers and write silly songs.
i love thinking back on some of those band names...
1. me & mr. buffalo: just me and my guitar (mr. buffalo) we played a few impromptu shows in san francisco, if there was an empty stage i'd hop on it and once opened for my friend noah's band at the paradise lounge
2. ham sandwich: angel & i, our motto was "a little bit country (me) and a little bit rock 'n' roll (angel)
3. hot service deli: helen and i recording songs about the soap 'days of our lives' at a friends house in the lower haight where we taped a microphone to a broomstick and wedged it in a laundry basket
4. sincerely sam: deanna and i sang songs about lobsters and birds and our grandmothers
5. huckleberry & nina: seth and sitting in my carport and my first band the spurred my need to jam on harmonica
6. the wery sisters: this band is still in the inception stage, named after paige and jill wery.
7. song club: after dinner jamming with seth, andrew and jenny in my carport which often times leads to my otherwise sweet neighbors yelling from their bedroom window "some of us have to work!"

so as i'm about to hit 35...i've decided to make more time for non-business creative impulses. luckily my man is the perfect catalyst for these guitar playing escapades since he's one of the best and most modest songwriters as well as the first of my men to ever think to take me to guitar center--not as a tag along while he ripped on electric fenders, but just so i could play guitars and pick one out that "spoke" to me. walking into san francisco guitar center my excitement began to build. i tried a few guitars in the guitar room but didn't really understand what he meant when he said "it'll speak to you" until i picked up this acoustic seagull. suddenly my G to C to D country strumming actually sounded good. the guitar isn't mine yet...but like i said, my birthday is around the corner...fingers crossed!

so here's my hopefully future guitar, the first one that won't be hand me down from past loves, a thrift store find or my grandmother's precious classical goya guitar.

p.s.-you may notice that to celebrate my getting older and new gray hairs i've been finding lately, i chopped my hair off! thanks to jessica of daredevils and queens, a new salon in railroad square in santa rosa who did an awesome job of turning my boring long hair into something way cuter than the photo i brought in!

 

tecate, screenprinting and scissors-random nicole's debut at san francisco's workshop to teach art & craft classes

“do you want a beer?” kelly asks me when i walk into WORKSHOP, her studio space on mcallister street for our meeting to discuss me teaching craft classes there.

“i’m okay. beers are like pringles for me when i’m in san francisco. it’s hard to have just one.”

we sit down and start talking about one of my favorite subjects…making stuff. kelly is not only the owner of WORKSHOP but also the founder of INDIE MART, an indie arts & crafts show in the city. she’s a woman who makes the crafty part of my heart go pitter pat…fast-talking, covered in tattoos, eyes veering towards the windows to check out the skater boys cruising by (the same way i passed the time in this neighborhood 16 years ago when i first moved to sf), hard working, community oriented and able to slip from sewing to silkscreening to carpentry in a single bound. in fact she’s designing and installing the new retail shop for the GANGS OF SAN FRANCISCO (the best line of tees ever, you may have received one from me last christmas when i broke the bank at their RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR booth) which coincidentally we were both wearing at our meeting.

she shows me the space…the big room with tables awaiting students, the darkroom for burning silkscreens, the annex room with more space for classes and some goods from indie designers. there’s a comfy couch, high ceilings, a row of chairs on a shelf and scissors stuck right into the wall…yes…i’m right at home.

after a little chatting, i change my mind and head over to the mini fridge wrapped like a pabst blue ribbon and pop open a tecate. business and booze are besties (did i learn nothing from watching mad men?)

at her studio, WORKSHOP, she and other veteran crafters teach a wide variety of workshops…screenprinting, rock ‘n’ roll sewing (learn to sew while listening to def leopard and use your skills to make a beer cozy), pie in jar (which got a mention in last month’s sunset magazine), how to make teas to cure a hangover, heavy metal aerobics, street stencil graffiti, bike maintenance, ginger beer brewing and so much more.

i’m ecstatic to say that i’ll be joining the workshop crew this summer to bring in some of my girlie classes into the punk rock diy foundation of creation that kelly oversees. so look out san franciscans for my transforming your tees, basic sewing, purses & totes, wallets & pouches, silkscreening classes and more this summer at workshop.

tons of rad silkcreens ready to go

the wall of scissors

my motto emblazoned on a hoodie

kelly in her richmond brawlers tee

the carville falcons tee i had on

 

 

la... la... la... LOS ANGELES

a much needed day off a few weeks ago was filled by taking a little trip to la...

here's what we did....

1.  we stopped by and saw jenny ryan- fellow crafting queen at her new place in silverlake HOME EC

her shop looked amazing and there talk about me teaching a few classes there this year... so keep an eye out you eastsiders...

 

jenny behind the counter at HOME EC

 

HOME EC's retail area with the cutest stuff... you can see from the pic but there's tons of tables and sewing machines for the craft classes too.
 

outside HOME EC

2. REFORM SCHOOL

 

billie & tootie's shop REFORM SCHOOL has long been my favorite boutique in la.  since they moved it's only gotten better!
 

REFORM SCHOOL'S  insanely perfect holiday window display

3. UMAMI BURGER-  a new spot where the eastside cobras & matadors used to be...

 

our waiter recommended this beer and when it came the label had an owl on it... meant to be!

 

UMAMI BURGER'S  cool interior asian meets modern...

4. MOCA to check out their exhibit of their permanent collection

 

my favorite shoes in the whole world FAMOLARE'S 

5. HANK'S BAR- little downtown dive on deanna's recommendation

 

6. HMS BOUNTY- sea-themed bar in koreatown to meet up with the wery sister's (good drinks, bad food)

 

7. FREEWAY- driving home on mt favorite stretch of the 5

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!

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

ECO-CHIC IN THE OC

in case you haven't been yet... jump in your car and head down the 5 freeway or simply click here and visit random nicole's auntie delilah's store the road less traveled.  it's a green store chock full of everything with world & personal well-being & sustainability in mind.  from clay paint (no stinky fumes or off-gasing) to la chamba pottery (lead-free and fair frade) to stylish organic hemp skirts to book titles ranging from slow-food to natural building to our own exclusive organic line of random nicole for the whole family.... the road less traveled is your one stop shop (in person or on-line) for the perfect gift or treat for yourself.

so when my friend arrissia invited me to a poetry reading in lake forest i had no idea what i was in for…
a night of the raddest poetry ever!  a tribute/fundraiser for derrick brown - the most incredible poet i've met or heard… the night ended up being long and weird and surprising and reminiscent of being 22…
you must check out derrick's words- they made me laugh so hard i nearly fell off my barstool and wipe a few tears away with a cocktail napkin...
the night was filled with …
fresh clean boys from the midwest scrawling poetry on bathroom walls and my forearm, costumes consisting of white pieces of paper taped to the chest proclaiming…'nun', 'bunny', 'old yeller', late night lottery tickets, english men in town on business, a woman who said she was from everywhere and nowhere accosting me on the patio with her poetry written for timothy leary,  breaking into my own house, cooking scrambled eggs with no toast, stories of driving across county picking up hitchhikers named everett…
who'da thought lake forest could look like san francisco on a monday night…
   
-amber tamblyn - one of the poets from the evening sporting a cool save derrick t-shirt
-some bathroom wall graffiti

-derrick poetry written on my arm with a sharpie