Modish: the blog

Spring Gardening with Renee: Gonzo's Girlfriends or the Search for a Citified Hen

When I was a kid I went through all sorts of "When I grow up" dreams. There was a long period where being a horse jockey seemed like heaven (after the Eight Belles incident I'm glad that didn't work out), the cursory veterinarian period (until I learned about worming and med school), being an artist (this was much more than a dream, more like an ingrained detail), living on an island. . . which turned into having an island that was a small village like minded people (those were my Utopian teenage years) that farmed and lived happily together rebelling against popular belief.

Those dreams went away for a long long time, but are back in an evolved form.  Do I have Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver, Linda Cockburn and her family to thank?  My first awakening came from Peter Singer's Animal Liberation, a book originally published in 1975 that has been updated and reissued periodically to reflect changes in technology and farming practices. "Rebellion" itself is now inherent in small scale gardening and farming, 2 practices that I find integral to each other.  I'm not a meat eater, but I wouldn't hesitate to snack on a freshly laid, unfertilized egg, it offers a flavor like no other. Plus, they eat bugs (pest control, woo hoo!), produce manure, and can be quite social animals. 

And chickens, that's a dream I can really wrap my little hippie head around, even now.  Every time I think of my long term, greater-sustainability dream, chickens seem most feasible.  Through my Mr., Charlie, I met Troy and Alisha, parents of Mr. Joy.  They gave us fresh eggs to eat, and since then factory farm eggs have been the equivalent of a supermarket tomato.  They're completely different beasts.  Truly cultivated farm products (produce, milk, eggs, etc.) are rich in color and taste, not to mention nutrients.  Between the Tomlinsons gals and gentleman (image right, via Mr. Joy.Net) and my brother's ever-growing chicken family (now at 8!), I'm constantly in awe of the civilized nature of chickens.  Apparently I'm not the only one; check out this article in the New York Times.

Rules vary from town to town here in the US, check your town website for animal control ordinances. In Matthews, NC one must first apply for permit, then be accepted. The coop must be 25 feet away from property lines, and each bird mush have a minimum of 4 feet floor space.  There are, of course, other rules about cleanliness and upkeep. I'm thinking these rules do not apply to any of the industrial farms in the area. 
It is currently illegal to keep chickens within the city of Toronto, but there is an active movement and petition to have that rule changed. 

Even if you have a small space, there's tons of info on small scale coops: 

The City Chicken Gallery is amazing!
The early iMac twin of lesser fame: The Eglu.

Perhaps you consider yourself a Renaissance (Wo)man? Then a Chicken Moat might be more your style.

Other keepers of the coop:
The City Chicken
Sunset Magazine's One Block Diet Blogger
The Urban Homestead
The Urban Chicken Underground

Getting Started, some helpful resources:
According to the University of Illinois, there are over 175 varieties of chickens!

If you really want to geek out on these fine feathered friends, the Ithaca College Chicken Chart has all sorts of info you never knew you needed to know.

Heritage breeds are the livestock equivalent of an heirloom plant.  They have historical significance, and are often times hard to find, due to breeding out certain traits for commercial farming means.  Learn from the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy about the importance of protecting the biodiversity of these breeds of chickens.

This Poultry Mini-Manual from Mother Earth News just might be my new birdie bible.

Image above from Mad City Chickens, a group dedicated to raising awareness about raising chickens in Madison, Wisconsin.

How about you?  Do you want your own farm fresh eggs, or do you think keeping chickens is just plain fowl?

Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise.  When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.

Colorsplash

Oooh, I love these brand new pieces from Heather Smith Jones- they are original watercolors, not prints, and are just so supple and colorful and lovely:

And the best part is, they're only $25 each!  Get'im before they're gone!

Acrylic wonders

Just discovered on the etsy front page, the beautiful jewelry by Lauren K Roberts!

It's amazing to me how you can make something like plastic appear to be so feminine, frilly and sweet.  All these Lauren K Roberts designs are just that, made from laser cut acrylic, inspired by 1950's design elements.  They come in either black or white and since they're plastic, I'm sure they're pretty durable and can withstand any bar-hopping-earring-dropping nights in your future (not like that's ever happened to you though, right?)

Sponsor Spotlight: Sparkle Thots

Visit Sparkle Thots for cute and really affordable handmade jewelry.  Mention "modish may" in the comments at checkout and get 10% off your order!  Please wait for a revised invoice to be sent with your discounted total.

Poketo Surprise!

I received a special present in the mail yesterday from the lovely lady Angie behind Poketo- a pair of wonderful melamine plates! 

They're not handmade, but since they were sneakily sent my way and I love them so much, I just had to publicly say a big thank you to Angie!  Thank you!  They're great!  Not only are they cool to look at, but melamine is super durable, lightweight and great to use outdoors camping or on picnics.  Check out the new plate designs for yourself, along with tees, wallets and more great stuff, at Poketo! 

New goodies in the shoppe!

I haven't posted about new items from the modish shoppe in a loooong time, and since it's well overdue and I happen to have lots of wonderful new items in for spring, I thought it high time to show some off!

First off, I'd like to introduce a new artist to the shoppe, Stephanie DosReis!  I feel honored to carry her wonderful mixed media prints and (my favorite) her adooooorable plush houses made from vintage fabrics, they're each one of kind!

There's also beautiful new jewelry and a pretty new color of poppy pins and hairpins for the summer, by foundling:

Also, back in the shoppe, Mood Swing's wonderful reversible storybook charm necklaces- you get two necklaces in one!

There's also lots of new prints by a modish favorite, Swallowfield- they're all so colorful and cheery!

There's a lot more new goodies on the way to the shoppe too, including new tees from wenifnotnow, plates by New Work, jewelry by Odd Bird, new bags by Jenna Rose and Queen Puff Puff, new jewelry from Mollie Dash, and more more more!  Check in often and remember, you can use the code "modish" for free shipping!

Sponsor Spotlight: Eclectic Eccentricity

Visit Eclectic Eccentricity for re-vamped vintage jewelry that's feminine and fun!  Enter code MODISH08 at checkout and receive 10% off your order!

Eco-Friendly Find: rikrak

Today's eco-friendly find is colorful and cheerful, creating lovely wallets, business card holders, fabric wraps, iron ons, coasters, bibs, scarves and more (more? yes, more!) all from repurposed vintage fabrics- they're eco-friendly and cool and a lot of the designs are customizable.  What is this wonderful place, you ask?  It's rikrak!  Check it out!

Greetings from the past

These lovely greeting cards are a new line by MEiC+ViLLENEUVE inspired by vintage imagery and stories from the past- there's lots of florals, butterflies and birds for classic looking, feminine greetings for every occasion!

There's tons of different cards to choose from and they are available with hand-glittered detail for that extra special touch- check out all the pretty new designs at MEiC+ViLLENEUVE!

Sponsor Spotlight: Moop

Visit Moop for beautiful, durable, large and in charge bags for your everyday!

Try This at Home with Maddy: LAST MINUTE FIX- Crafty Mother's Day Ideas on a Tight Timeline

So you totally blew it, again. Mother's Day snuck up on you like the littlest kid in the playground, and you want to do something that has a personal handmade touch with, oh, three days or so. Impossible? I think not. Here are some great ideas to add personal touches with fabulous crafty flair that show a lot of effort in little time.

MAKE BRUNCH FOR MOM AND ACCENT THE TABLE WITH "FLOWERS". Thanks to Michael's, Martha Stewart Crafts is all over the place and you can probably find this great tissue paper flower kit with ease in a drivable distance from your house. Why not throw a few kits together and get the griddle going? The won't die like real flowers, and your mom will have a memento of all of your hard work putting together a great meal so she could relax and enjoy the family time. Even better - stick a bunch of the flowers on a tray and serve her breakfast in bed!

AWAKEN HER INNER FLOWER CHILD. Grab a set of seeds from your local garden store and put them in personalized seed packets with our dieline here. Grab a gift basket (and, if you wish, cellophane) from your local garden store and deck it out in ribbon. Want to really go all out? Substitute a tissue or crinkle paper base with fake moss (available at most craft stores - if they carry silk florals, they'll probably have it) and set your seed packets among the moss and gardening tools to boost the overall "wow" effect.

SHOW HER HOW SWEET SHE IS. If you're mom's got a sweet tooth, bake her cupcakes! Cupcake Bakeshop has a wide variety of recipes that can suit any palate - from fruity to spicy to good old traditional choco-licious. Run to your local crafts center and pick up a bunch of stock paper in any color or tone group you wish. Bring them home, cut them into strips, and fold the strips in half so they are doubled over lengthwise, cutting the original width in two. Insert a toothpick into the center of the fold - the top of the toothpick should be just under the top edge of the paper. Glue the paper together ensuring the toothpick stays put, and you've got yourself a basic decoration! Write on each flag one reason you appreciate your mom (awwwwwww), and insert the flag into each cupcake after it's been iced. Feel free to decorate as you wish - try layering papers or using decorative punches!

GIVE HER THE GIFT OF TIME - IN A BOOK. A lot of families these days are moving at the speed of light, and it's hard to find time together, so find a moment to reflect on what you all have done together. Go to a craft store or somewhere that carries scrapbooking supplies and buy yourself one, or a couple books. Make sure to purchase tools: buy a LOT of adhesive (even more than you think you'll need because you'll run out fast!), paper and embellishments. Wrap them all up in a box and then let her unwrap it on Mother's Day. Take the afternoon to go through family photos with her and any other family members who want to join in, then spend the afternoon creating scrapbook pages so you all contribute to the book. At the end of the day, she'll have a keepsake that not only reflects on memories, but created one as well!

Maddy Susser is a graphic designer and artist that has a soft spot for all things paper and English period pieces (in other words, men in tights and funny vests). Armed with a number of years in marketing for retail on a small business and corporate scope she collects tidbits of information learned along the way and puts it into easy terms to share, formerly on her blog Try This at Home, and now on Modish. She's currently working on a line of paper goods.

Aye, Mamacita!

I was going to include this spicy cha cha cha painting (you see it there below- it's the one that makes you feel like dancing!) in the cinco de mayo post yesterday, but decided to stick with Mexican artists on that one...but when searching for today's post, I could hear the lovely lady still calling my name- "Hola jena, remember me senorita? Will I get the chance to dance on your blog? Baila! Cha cha cha!"  And how could I refuse her?  Especially when she brought some lovely friends along...

You can find these beautiful paintings in Karin Grown's shop- they are giclee prints stretched on canvas with hand-painted touches to bring out the highlights in each piece.  She also makes pretty little jewelry adornments featuring vintage stamps and papers soldered under glass.  Cha cha yourself on over and check everything out!

Sponsor Spotlight: Cut & Paste

Visit Cut & Paste for a wonderfully curated collection of handmade goodies!

Handmade Spaces: Quaint Handmade

Today's delightfully cheery handmade space belongs to Cindy, the creator of the lovely stationery line, Blue Rose Design, and most recently, she's developing a new line of goods that combine paper and fabric which will hopefully soon be available for purchase.  In the meantime, you can keep up with her on her blog, Quaint Handmade, or check out her flickr photostream.  Now, on to her beautiful studio!

What do you create in this space?
I grew up making all kinds of crafts, but stopped for some reason when I started my professional career. Several years ago I became involved in more creative areas at work and revived my interest in painting. I like to use watercolors as they’re so beautiful when done well – not an easy task. I can also work quickly and they’re portable. I tend to like things that are small and enjoy paper quilting, too. My love of flowers often results in tiny (quaint) bouquets.

A few years ago I purchased a sewing machine to use for the handmade greeting cards I was making at the time. Before I knew it, I was taking quilting classes and really became interested in sewing. I love fabric, which is like a different type of palette, and usually make things that are functional in some way. I’ve worked in technology and find that sewing is absolutely the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The necessary planning (patience) is worth it though as it’s so rewarding when you can use something you’ve made with your own hands. I’ve always loved school/office supplies and hope to bring paper + fabric together in some special way.

Can you describe what we see in the pics a bit?
This room serves as a guest room and a studio for me. We love vintage so it’s eco-friendly, too. My husband used to play businessman at the small desk when he was a kid. The typewriter is mine from the 1970s. There’s also a vintage fan and a Tivoli radio, which connects to my iPod. I couldn’t live without it as something is always playing.

Paper supplies are stored in the hutch and fabric in a rolling cart. We also have a few inspiration boards, including one I made for my husband. When they get too full, I’ll remove everything from the boards and start again. I love Japanese craft books, which makes sewing even harder since I can only figure out the directions from the pictures. Work from other artists is a must and includes treasures from Shim + Sons, Posie Gets Cozy, Little Birds and Greenbean Baby Art.

How do you feel when you enter your "handmade space?
It’s a small room, so it naturally has a cozy feeling. It faces west so the afternoon sun is quite bright giving a nice light. The room is painted pale pink and is very cheery, although I’m tempted to paint it a pale blue to make it more soothing. The room has some special treasures, including my Father in Law’s childhood mahogany sleigh bed. It serves as another workspace to use to lay out fabric choices and a nice place to take a break as it’s covered with pillows.

I like to keep things neat, which is a blessing and a curse. When I would color as a child, I not only stayed in the lines, I outlined them in black crayon – ugh! I’ve been fighting that tendency ever since and have to really try to be more painterly in all of my work. In terms of the room, I like to put everything back in its place at the end of the day as though I’m leaving the office. But, note to self, take some photos of the room when it’s a mess and leave it like that for 24 hours!

Oh, how I would love to walk into this room every morning to get some work done!  I love love love it, it's feminine and inspiring.  Thank you for sharing, Cindy!