Mark my words, you guys: Foxes are the new owls.
I'm seeing the vulpine vixens all over Etsy (and elsewhere) these days -- and, since my beloved pooch looks not unlike a fox herself, I'm especially partial to them. (Still, I hope they don't reach the same level of saturation we've seen with birds, deer, and the aforementioned owls, thus dooming them to cliché and then passé status.)
Here, a collection of my favorite foxy finds. Top: Fox Print, $25 from e.soule
Fox in Trees Canvas, $110, and Red Foxen, $78, from Abigail Brown
Masquerade Print, $20 from Ashley G
The Duke of Ny Print, $35 from Matte Stephens
Fox Chubbikin, $18 each from Erin Ellis
Skinny Dipping, $20 from Kristiana Parn
Sydney in Blue Flowers Napkins, $20 for two from Cakehouse
Red Fox Print, $15 from Berkley Illustration
Foxy Wisdom Print, $20 from Zetta
Fox Print, $25 from Andrew Neyer
Moxy Print $17 from Amber Alexander
Mr Fox Moleskine, $12 from Melody Seal
Cake With Mr. Fox Print, $13 from Emma Klingbeil
Fox Amigurimi, $72 from Penguin & Fish
Mr. Fox, Esquire Print, $17 from Marmee Craft
Fox Valentine's Day Card, $3 from Amy Blackwell
Pink Fox Doll, $13 from Run Amok
Quietly Print, $30 from Groundwork
There are literally thousands more examples, but I gotta stop now ...
So what do you think -- are foxes the new Etsy animals du jour? And if so, is it just an offshoot of the whole "woodland creatures" thing? If not, what species gets your vote for the next big trend? (I know, I know. It's a question of earth-shattering importance.)
Friday, February 6, 2009
Etsy Finds of the Day: Feeling Foxy
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Mark Your Calendar: Your Weekend of Art, Shopping, and Valentine's Day Preparations
Bay Area locals: Get your arting pants on and don your best shopping shoes for a weekend of fun art- and design-related happenings.
Friday night, February 6, is, of course, the Oakland Art Murmur. Among the highlights this month:
Emily Wick (whose popular State Mottos prints were featured here recently) and her boyfriend, artist Brian Brooks, are opening a new gallery in the Temescal District called Smokey's Tangle (named after the couple's imaginary cat). Stop by Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. for the grand-opening reception and show featuring work from Wick, Brooks, and others. Smokey's Tangle is located at 4709 Telegraph Ave.
Lena Reynoso brings her Forty Four Presidents portraits to Blankspace Gallery. The show explores "the visual impact of our corpus of Presidents ... and the presentation and representation of our Nation’s past and our future." Blankspace is located at 6608 San Pablo Ave.
Creative Growth Gallery, which supports artists with disabilities, hosts a group show from longtime program artists Kerri Damianakes, John Martin, Ron Veasey, and George Wilson. Creative Growth is located at 355 24th St.
Fort Gallery, which has taken over the cavernous space recently vacated by Esteban Sabar, will hold an opening reception from 6 to 10 p.m. for Future Winter, a group show from Christopher Murdoch, Emily Goldstein, Miko Isla, and others. Fort is located at 480 23rd St.
Front Gallery hosts a reception from 7 to 10 p.m. for the group show Aftersight, featuring artitsts Francesca Pera, Rocky Angel, and Carolyn Haydu. Aftersight "examines the effect of extraordinary personal events and how they ... are never fully put aside but but always linger just under the surface of our everyday lives." Front Gallery is located at 35 Grand Ave.
At Old Oakland's FiveTen Studio, mother-and-daughter artists Rosa De Anda and Lila Maes De Anda unveil their joint show, The Challenge. The cross-generational collaboration features Ollin, "large-scale wings reborn from recycled lath discarded from San Francisco Victorian homes," and Shattered Not Broken, "small-scale hearts made from recycled glass found in dark alleys and bus shelters, on the side of church steeples, and under worn-out stools in bars. The selected pieces are about the spiritual journey and individual responsibility in healing one's heart." FiveTen Studio is located at 831 Broadway.
If you're across the Bay on Saturday, February 7, check out GetLocalSF's We Heart the Mission Midwinter Stroll from noon until night. Hip shops such as BellJar (where everything will be 10 percent off), the Curiosity Shoppe (also offering 10 percent off almost everything), Candystore, Paxton Gate, and Rare Device (which will be offering 20 percent off) will host special sales and other in-store events during the Stroll. Find a map of participating merchants here.
One special event not to miss in the Mission Saturday afternoon: Lea Redmond's World's Smallest Postal Service. Redmond will set up her lilliputian mobile office at the Curiosity Shoppe from 2 to 5 p.m. and turn out the sweetest, smallest Valentine's love letters imaginable for $8 apiece. (Not in the area? Never fear -- you can order a tiny letter or card online.)
Also on hand at the Shoppe will be PodPost's Jennie Hinchcliff and Carolee Gilligan, who will have an array of Valentine's Day and mail-friendly goodies for sale. The Curiosity Shoppe is located at 855 Valencia St.
Have fun out there, kids.
Cool Stuff: Wall Mounted Pet Bed
Introducing: Akemi Tanaka's Curve Wall Mounted Pet Bed.
It holds up to 45 pounds (meaning it works for small dogs, too), comes in a variety of wood finishes and fabric options, and is $199 at Supermarket.
Seriously, I don't know how our cats have survived without this.
And speaking of pets, have you all seen this video? Apologies if it's old news, but I just discovered it yesterday and think it's absolutely amazing. I mean, really -- who needs kids when you can train your dog to do this?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Cool Stuff: New from Henry Road
Some brand-new lovelies from Los Angeles-based Henry Road (as with Lotus Bleu, I'm loving this foray into reupholstered vintage furniture):
Slipper Chair, $350
Pair of End Chairs in Patch, $1,400
Black Armchair, $1,400
Olde Sofa, $3,200
English Armchair, $880
Remnant Lampshades, $175 and up
Union Jack Pillow, $85
Fleur Grande Pillow in Purple, $90
Circles Grande Pillow in Purple and Koi Pillow in Indigo, $90 each
Garden Pillow in Ocean, $90
Ceramic Acorns, $12 for three
And with that, my imaginary shopping list grows ever longer ...
Cool Stuff: Coffee and Tea Time at Eden and Eden
What's your poison? Mine is coffee, big time -- but maybe you're more of a tea person.
Whatever bevvy gets you through the day, you'll savor it all the more in one of these lovely handmade porcelain beakers from Swedish ceramist Karin Eriksson. The vessels are subtly printed with the names of various java and tea blends, and made to fit perfectly in your hand. They're $42 to $52 each, depending on size, at San Francisco's Eden and Eden.
Tea time would be even more special with a few extra accouterments hand-selected by the shop's British proprietress, Rachel Eden. Above: Brown Betty Teapot with Handknit Wool Cosy, $70
Lasercut Felt Coasters from Donna Wilson, $38 for four
Donna Wilson Lasercut Felt Doily, $38
Check out the rest of Eden and Eden's British-flavored housewares right here.
