My Mini Mod, All Grown Up: Rachel Ullrich

I've known Rachel Ullrich since she was a tiny little neat teenager with taste, style and interests well beyond her years and location. No offense, North County area of Metro St. Louis.

Now, she's a tiny little neat grown up and first-time expectant mama. I am over the moon with happiness for her and completely delighted by her TMI (no such thing to me) blogging about her pregnancy at Oh My God, This Is Really Happening. Baby Daddy drama, kickass vintage toys, doulas, and SO MUCH MORE!



I love her.


Rachel U. knitted the teeny sweater above for her 'little booger.'


Lil R was also inspired to open up an etsy shop after loving hand-embroidering modern chairs on onesies & snap shirts for her own sweetpea-to-be. The results have kept me squealing all week. SO CUTE.

Saarinen Tulip Hand Embroidered Onesie 0-3 Months


Eames LCW Lounge Chair Side Snap Shirt 0-3 Months


Hand Embroidered Bertoia Diamond Wire Chair Onesie 0-3 Months


Eames Rocker Side Snap Shirt 0-3 Months

I'm a sucker for an Eames rocker. Every baby should have one AND wear one!

From her etsy bio:

I happily reside in a gorgeous chicago flat with my boyfriend, two chihuahuas, two cats and four birds. When I'm not tending to our menagerie, crafting or coming up with some new hair-brained scheme, I can usually be found thrifting or eating breakfast.

I have always had a crafty tendency and have worked in many crafty fields from yarn dying and knitting to taxidermy to floral designing to cleaning estates and junking. Until now, all of these things have been my own selfish hobbies or jobs. I've consigned lots of hand-made items at different boutiques from time to time and have always intended on opening an Esty shop for this knit so-and-so or those vintage knick-knacks, but nothing motivated me enough until now. I'm currently experiencing my first pregnancy and happily embroidering my way through it. My shop is intended for me to share the hand-made items I'm making in preparations for my own dude, and hoping that you or a little baby or child friend you know will enjoy them just as much. In the meantime, I'm sure I'll find lots of awesome vintage items at estate sales or thrift spots that are too awesome to pass up that I'll be able to share with everyone as well!

Uh, oh! Looks like it's a boy!!! And I happen to know for a fact that she sometimes has 2 breakfasts. At Lula.

Peek into Rachel Ullrich's fascinating preggo life, and throw her some business. You'll be doing yourself a favor!

SURLY SHOP

Misses November Postcard by Stacey Earley

Chicago illustrator/painteuse & Everso buddy, Stacey Earley, just opened an Etsy shop offering postcard prints of her outstanding series of paintings featuring female nudes with animal heads. And they're calendar girls! At three bucks a pop, these cards are not to be passed up and beyond frame-worthy. Buy them all for yourself and double up for your BFF!

Miss June Postcard by Stacey Earley

Earley also recently returned from opening The Windy City Show at Kayo Gallery in Salt Lake City and an exciting visit to the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas (a stone's throw from my fave, the Liberace Museum).


Miss September Postcard by Stacey Earley

Support independent artists and all-around rad ladies.


Miss March Postcard by Stacey Earley

Friday the 13th: Lulu Voodoo!!

I have been desiring to write up charming & gorgeous (black) art & (witch) craft powerhouse, Lulu Voodoo, for quite a spell. Laying Friday the 13th before her adorable lil feet seemed a proper sacrifice, so much so I wasn't the only or first to be moved to such a tribute.
Karswell, the charismatic cult leader over at The Horrors of it All (phenomenal pre-code comics blog & SO much more), is featuring an Evil Doll theme today at the bewitching Miss Lulu's suggestion.
Go! Love! Buy the t-shirt!!

Now. Back to what else makes LV so special.
Firstly, the magic that is Lulu Voodoo's Etsy Shop. Check out the hand-embroidered tees & extra rad belt buckles:





Second, her enchanting collage art that I am crazy lucky to have several pieces of in my personal collection.
This being my favorite:

And lastly, but mostly, our decades-enduring friendship (as evidenced by Polaroid, Halloween '95):


Happy Friday the 13th, Lulu! Love you!

andwabisabi on etsy

Andwabisabi designs super-duper ADORABLE PDF cross stitch patterns that sell for just $2.50-$7.50 per pattern. A STEAL.
One of the first craft hobbies I picked up as a child was cross stitch, so I have a real soft spot for this shop. What a sweet little gift/project for all ages!

From andiwabisabi's etsy profile:

Hello! My name is Grace. I'm currently an undergrad student in illustration design. During my free-time I like to keep my hands busy whether I’m baking, cross-stitching, or making earrings. My love for cross-stitching has inspired me to start creating drawings on muslin or fabric with colorful threads. What I like most about my work is the spontaneity. I’ve been working with thread on fabrics and I love how my work starts out as something but evolves into something else by finish. It’s ever-changing and non-permanent, and exciting to work with.
I usually draw about things that relate to me or my family, my childhood, places I’ve been to or wish to visit, or just about little stories I make up. I would like my work to spark interest in viewers and remind them of their childhood experiences and long-lost thoughts. I’d be interested to know how they relate to my work and how they interpret it.

안녕하세요. 십자수를 너무 좋아하는 선영이입니다. 몇년 동안 도안을 사서 십자수를 놓다가, 저더 한번 도안을 만들어봐야겠다고 생각해서 시작했어요. 아주 쉽고, 심플한 십자수 도안들이에요.

So what is wabisabi?
Wabi sabi is an Japanese aesthetic, it's about finding beauty in imperfect objects, accepting its flaws and the wears and tears of time; the impermanence. And in the modern world I believe this is something we really need to embrace.

Love love LOVE.

25 Days of Christmas~ Day 2!!

I super love peppermint and I super love Etsy, especially at Christmas.

I searched around today on Etsy and found some amazing peppermint-y/candy cane-ish items, perfect for the holidays. Like the Elf Gift Tags above, by paperheartpress.


And this peppermint stick and mistletoe soap set, courtesy of sunbasilgarden.


These peppermint christmas cards by thecraftypantry.


Delicious homemade peppermint bark from DoubleDippedSweets.



Lonely Peppermint Tree print


Peppermint Striped Twine, by littlepinkstudio


oh deer stickers by PaperPumpkin (with peppermint tree, it's a stretch, but I LOVE)


Candy Cane hand-embroidered onesie by Beetastic

Some Etsy Favorites

Etsy Buy Handmade rachzel

I super Heart AnomalyJewelry on Etsy!

I had a brief interesting morning conversation about Astrology.

The boyf speculated that there must be people who are so into it, they would attempt to conceive at a time that would have the baby born into a certain disposition. Hey, it's morning, you have to talk about something.
We mainly called shenanigans on the idea that everyone born during a certain window of time has the same personality.

I'm an Aquarius with a Cancer rising, if anyone's keeping score.

I personally wish my parents would have kept it in their pants for a couple weeks longer so I could wear, with accuracy, Anomaly Jewelry's Zodiac Kids Pisces necklace. Itta make-a me crazy!



Or better still, maybe they could have gotten it on a couple weeks sooner and I could honestly sport the wickedly awesome Capricorn necklace!



OR, I could put aside my mermaid obsession and regret not being born a Gemini, Virgo, or Two-Headed Kitten.








Anomaly Jewelry is offering free shipping until Christmas. Do it. Do it. Do it.

Finally, Blogging!

I'm finally jumping in the game to blog about the children's clothes I make, my crafty interests and all the neat people I admire that give me such inspiration!

A dear friend of mine just single-handedly started designing a web page for Everso and really lit the fire under me to start with the writing. Thanks, Kim!

I'm gonna cop out and throw up some links until I have more time to get down to some real gabbing.

*clothREvisited featured our Kiss Baby Gown in July

*Our etsy shop was featured in an article for Associated Content about the Best Etsy Shops for Creative, Cute Kids Clothes in early October

*Green Baby Giggles reviewed our reversible bibs & recycled t-shirt baby gowns for their blog devoted to Earth-friendly baby items in October


*And a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be interviewed about Everso Clothing as Venus Zine's Reader-of-the-Week

Thanks, y'all & I'll be back with all sorts of good pictures & chit-chat soon enough!

xo, Rach