Got some much needed retro retail therapy at the Metrolina Flea Market this weekend. I must say, it takes a lot of consumer endurance to shop with me and I have found a shopping soulmate in Keia of The SunnysideUp. Not only does she keep (a snail's) pace with me, she's also got a keen eye for style and picked out the rolling pin apron I bought.

Since it was the Spring Classic there was like quintuple the normal amount of vendors and shoppers. I'd never seen it so crowded before. In fact, I ran into three other friends soaking up the sun and bargains!

While trolling for deals, I managed to pick up a few things on my list: cute hat for Keeneland, more wooden textile spools (not sure what I'll do with them yet... I use my others as hat stands and have seen them used as candle pillars and even wine racks before) and a reasonably priced jadite bowl. Plus, I had a few impulse buys: the tooled leather pouch (I cannot physically resist tooled leather), some lovely colorful trim and an adorable apron (that reminds me of Scandinavian enamelware). All in all, a great day, good weather and excellent company.

Indulge your handmade senses at Crafty Feast in Columbia, SC on Saturday, April 28th (part of the 10-day Indie Grits Festival). With 100+ artists on the menu, it's sure to be  creatively quenching. Not Made in China will be serving up one-liners fresh-out-the-oven and Charlotte crafters are representing with a slew of delectable delights: Noelle Munoz Jewelry, Creative Love, Jessica's Jacket, Olive O. Home.

Crafty Feast
Saturday, April 28th
11am-6pm
Columbia Convention Center

When Richard Green, of the Time Warner Cable show "Around Carolina," asked to come to my house and film me pressing buttons, I thought he may as well show footage of paint drying. Turns out Richard is a very talented director, producer, video editor, camera man and storyteller. He made me and Not Made in China seem pretty darn interesting.

About Around Carolina
“Around Carolina brings tales of Carolina people, places and the unusual into viewers’ homes. From Manteo to Murphy to Turtle Head Island— “AC” brings viewers stories that celebrate life in the Carolinas. From the small towns to the big cities, from ordinary folks to the most famous, you could see it all on Around Carolina.”

Yes, that is THE Jim Gaffigan holding up an NMiC "I Got My Pork Pulled in North Carolina" shirt! NMiC fans Kathy and Demian (of FanFeet.com) gave the shirt to Jim while he was in Charlotte on his comedy tour. Upon receiving the gift, Jim said, "I can tell this is a high quality tshirt."

AIGA Charlotte Celebrates the Revival of a Centuries Old Tradition
We're only ONE WEEK out from Letterpress Fest! Over the course of four days (Feb. 13-16), AIGA Charlotte is bringing together nationally renowned speakers to give lectures, participate in panel discussions and run hands-on workshops on an old-fashioned tradition that’s never gone out of style – the art of letterpress.

Though the workshops sold out in 5 minutes, a wide range of additional events are planned for Letterpress Fest, including:

• Workshops and demonstrations by Kyle Durrie, the proprietor of Power and Light Press, and the owner/operator of the Moveable Type Truck from Portland, OR.
• A lecture by Jim Sherraden, the manager, curator, and chief designer at Hatch Show Print in Nashville, TN.
• The two co-founders of Ladies of Letterpress Jessica C. White and Kseniya Thomas, who are also owners of their own individual letterpress companies.
• Local letterpress talent, featuring Beth Faragan of Crayton-Heritage Letterpress and Kelly Koeppel, owner of k2forma.
• An exclusive screening of Proceed & Be Bold!, a documentary that covers the life and works of Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., an African American letterpress poster designer.
  

All events will be held at the Chop Shop in Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood. AIGA members can purchase a pass for $20 to attend all of the week’s events (excluding the workshops), while non-members can purchase the pass for $40. Attendees also have the option of paying for individual events. For a full schedule of Letterpress Fest and to register, click here.

David Osborn and Charles Woods were two 60s era, California designers, who worked in silkscreen and offset lithography. I had the fortunate luck to stumble upon their artwork while searching for vintage screenprint posters online. After the recent passing of Charles Woods, in 2011, their estate was posted for sale on Etsy.

I was immediately attracted to their use of bold colors, cut-out shapes and ink overlays. And once I learned more about their story and lives, I had to have three posters shown above. I must say, the 60s aesthetic, combined with a Matisse look and rich colors, is even more impressive in person. My favorite is a scene of adobe buildings from the town of Hornitos, California. It is signed and  hand-screened on off-white rice paper. Prints and posters (dating between 1960 and 1969) are limited - so when they're gone, they're gone.

While I'll cherish these posters for their beauty and craft, it's also comforting to know that I am preserving a little piece of graphic design history.

I won tickets to the opera! On Monday, Speak Your Design hosted a last minute contest for two tickets to Tuesday's performance of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. I was the first to correctly answer the question: "At what theater did Madama Butterfly originally premiere in 1904? Hint: it was beautifully renovated by Botta in 2004."
ANSWER: La Scala (working at an architecture firm has its perks). 

I'd only attended the opera on one other occasion, while studying abroad in opera's birthplace: Kosciusko, Mississippi... oops that's Oprah's birthplace... I meant ITALY. My class took a field trip to Pisa to see Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) at the Teatro Verdi. It was just what you'd expect for an opera: traditional, classic, period piece.

__It was nothing like Jun Kaneko's version of opera. Kaneko is a Japanese ceramic artist who, in 2006, reinterpreted the set and costume design for Madama Butterfly. His artistry had me visually enthralled the entire performance. Each scene was blocked like a work of art. So much attention was paid to each character placed, each color used, each prop delivered, each transition choreographed, each costume adorned.

I know the opera is typically lauded for its performers... and Yunah Lee as Cio-Cio San (aka Madama Butterfly) did not disappoint... but I left the theater with a new favorite art form. Set design. (photos via junkaneko.com)

^ Spoiler Alert!

_Last week I got a very creative email from my friend, and fellow designer, Kevin Brindley. He recently returned to Charlotte, from a trip to Jamaica, and reported back with these photos and a clever note:

Made my day. I'm pretty jealous of my brand though now... where's my trip to Jamaica!?