Tag Archives: hand made

Seaplane and Lovecraft Biofuels

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About 5 years ago I used to sell the flower hair adornments that I made at a great little local shop named Seaplane. They mainly showcased Portland designers (as well as some musicians). I loved their little shop where the owners would work on their designs while they were tending shop. I wished I was in their shoes. I felt honored to be one of the designers represented by them. Then just before I moved to San Francisco, they moved shop from SE Belmont St (a bit of a up and coming but little known about bit of town to NW 23rd where there are a lot of small boutique-ish shops as well as some larger chain stores. This street is considered a destination by locals and tourists. I never visited their NW 23rd location. I think of Seaplane fondly from time to time.

On another note (and as you will soon see, a related note), a few days ago Billy and I watched a pod on Current TV about biofuels where one of the segments was on a company called Lovecraft Biofuels. They are a company that converts cars into biofuel using cars (for a surprisingly reasonable price by the way). They have two locations; one in LA and one in Portland. We were intrigued and are thinking that we will do this when we next need a vehicle.

Today I was reading a post on ultra (a blog about fashion, design, and culture) entitled End of An Era for Seaplane: The sale of an iconic Portland boutique that told the brief story of Seaplane and of how the owners were selling it to the owner of Lovecraft Biofuels. The new owner will open a second Seaplane location in LA.

I am very interested in both business as well as the fact that I found out about the connection between them in the same week in unrelated media messages. I recommend checking out both businesses if you get a chance as they are both inspired.

enchanting doll, and, on dust mites

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I am taken with stuffed animals/dolls when they are handmade and they have a certain “wow factor”. I began thinking about making a doll for one of my projects in an art class I took in college. I sketched and out and visualized it in detail but it never made it out of my sketchbook.

In the last few years that urge to create a doll has been growing. I keep seeing neat handmade dolls that inspire. Today, cruising around on Etsy (yes, I’m addicted to this site), I came across a strange beauty (click on the 2nd thumbnail down) that made me stop and marvel. Partially I think that the doll is inspired, partially I like the angle and the way in which it’s lit.

I would love to make a doll/stuffed friend for my son. And, as part of my efforts to make a living, I also envision creating a line of dolls for sale. One of my criteria will be that it be machine washable in hot water so that it can be washed regularly to rid it of dust mites. I recently learned that this is an important issue for many allergy sufferers. Both Billy and I are sensitive to dust/dust mites so we need to make sure our little one has as little mite-y issues to deal with as possible as that helps kids to either not develop allergies, or to delay the onset of them.

This excerpt from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology website helps explain:

Preventing environmental allergies and asthma:

It makes good common sense that, since some airborne substances may trigger allergy or asthma symptoms, reducing contact with these substances early in life may delay or prevent the onset of allergy or asthma symptoms. The evidence for this relationship is clearest in the case of dust mites, which are microscopic creatures related to spiders that are found in large quantities inside the home. Therefore, taking steps to aggressively control dust mites in the homes of high-risk children may reduce the occurrence of dust mite allergy in these children.

i heart etsy

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I’m totally fascinated with Etsy (www.etsy.com).

In the words of Etsy:

Etsy is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade.

Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers.

Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice:

Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade.

Watch the “about” video to see a bunch of spirited, creative people tell the little Etsy story.

Billy introduced me to Etsy in January of 2008 and I have been visiting their site on and off since. I spend about as much time (maybe more) reading their articles as I do looking at people’s Etsy shops.

And, recently I discovered the Etsy videos… these made me fall in love with them even more. They have this style that is raw documentary meets inspired, thoughtful, and creative.

One video that I really enjoyed (I’ve watched it twice) was about this guy who creates t-shirt designs from the stuff of his dreams. He is a self-made, passionate artist who makes a living at what he does. His beginnings seemed grim but he persevered. Me: inspired! Watch his little video portrait.

Recently I discovered that my friend Kirsten Moore of Portland, Oregon is a seller on Etsy. Her company is called piper ewan. Her stuff is so divine that they even did a feature on her! Visit her blog post “written up” to find out who’s writting her up now.

And finally, I will leave you with a short Etsy article on Guerilla gardening. This is something that Billy and I have talked about doing. The author has some inspired ideas. Although, I would test the soil quality if you plan to eat your crop.

Etsy walks the talk. They have really created a great community, not only online but in person as well. People meet up and exchange ideas, teach skills, and the list goes on.

I look forward to eventually becoming an Etsy seller myself!