Tag Archive for ‘Chicago’ at Inspiration Junkie robayre.com

Tag Archive for 'Chicago'

Renegade Loot 2011

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on September 13, 2011

. 4 Comments

Time for my Renegade 2011 loot post. As you can see above, I was able to hit up the photobooth again. Here’s last year’s.

This year was a great success for finding goodies and a hit on my wallet, as you will see below. I dropped a few pretty pennies, but picked up some lovely treasures at the same time.

Last year I bought a fox shirt from Gnome Enterprises and it is hands down the most comfortable shirt I own. Also, every time I wear it I get compliments. So, this year I had to get another and I debated getting the fox shirt again (because I LOVE it that much) but in green this time, but went with the buffalo shirt after all. It make me think of the prairie and I love me some prairie.

I’ve eyed these little brooches by MigrationJewelry on Etsy before. I was glad to see them at Renegade and purchased this orange marmalade one that wasn’t smiling or frowning, but just a straight across mouth. He cracks me and I love him.

I bought a half set of these “GRACIAS” letterpress cards from YeeHaw. The colors of my cards are more vibrant and less pastel-y like the ones pictured.

I bought this chalkboard bunting banner from KillsideKrafts. I think I might hang it on the front door with a little greeting.

I love this little leather pouch from Romantique. Not sure what I will put inside of it just yet. Love notes, prayers or tiny treasures to keep close to my heart.

It’s true, I don’t even have pierced ears, but I plan on making these earrings from Eaganaise into a necklace.

I purchased this mini terrarium from Black Forest Clockworks. It has a couple on a park bench. The man is just chilling back and the woman is fist pumping, so yeah, it’s pretty awesome. It’s already on our mantle.

This black snap double cuff bracelet from Vert Moderne is made from recycled bicycle inner tubes and I’ve been wearing it ever since I bought it. The other bracelets I just purchased at the PaperSource and they are made from repurposed materials.

And last, but definitely not least, here is a twig ring from Species By The Thousands. This was actually the first purchase for the day. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hunted Etsy for twig jewelry, so this was a perfect find for me.

It was a great year!

Mailart 365 139-145

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robayre

on September 10, 2011

in Mail Art and life

. 3 Comments

Hey, remember my Mailart365 project? Yeah, it’s been a long break, with house buying, and moving, but I haven’t forgotten. Even before the move I was already 3 weeks behind but I don’t plan on throwing in the towel yet. Yesterday I decided to finally count up exactly how far behind I was and I’m officially 8 weeks back. 7 after this post.

For years I’ve wanted to use chalkboard paint in my home. Now that we are home owners it’s finally going to happen. We have some ideas, but they haven’t been executed yet. In the meantime, while I’ve been on my mailart break I’ve been wanting to do lots of nonsense sketches in my sketchbook. It occurred to me to make some chalkboard painted postcards so I could do nonsense sketches as mailart, but still make the pieces interesting. The cards have all been spray fixed so they won’t smudge in the mail.

Today is a very exciting day, Renegade in Chicago! I hope I can find some wonderful treasures and that I don’t get too annoyed with the crowds. Also, I hope they have the photobooth again.

Renegade part II

Published

robayre

on September 13, 2010

in Artists

. 8 Comments

Okay, back with the last few items from my shopping spree at Renegade Chicago. See the first part here.

I bought four of these tree magnets from iamhome.etsy.com,

and now, gah!!! I picked up tons of business cards, but I still have two more products that I bought, but can’t figure out who the sellers were. If you know who sold these items please leave a comment and let me know.

These hilarious Double Rainbow pencils, and lastly,

I bought a bunch of these mini projector slide books. So tiny, so cute, so inexpensive at only $1 each=so irresistible to buying a ton.

Okay, so that raps up Renegade for this year. Fun times.

Renegade 2010

Published

robayre

on September 13, 2010

in General Update

. 2 Comments

As annual tradition dictates, my sister and I hit up Renegade Chicago this weekend. Last year we went on Sunday and there were vicious, pushy crowds, while vendors were left with little variety in product. So, this year I vowed to make sure and go early. It worked. For better or worse, I dropped almost $200 bucks.

(the pictures below are all credited to the sellers, and items can be found by clicking on links AND pictures)

Highlights:

The digital photobooth, provided by Renegade. They had a suitcase of props. I can never pass up a photobooth opportunity.

I got this t-shirt by gnomeenterprises.net,

one of these chalkboard quotes from RedVelvetArt,

a cute shoulder bag by Gerbera Designs. It is not this bag, but uses the same strawberry fabric, and has the coolest pockets and is reversible,

a brass necklace from RagTraderVintage.com (once again, not this particular necklace, it’s filigree instead),

A Bent Feather Ring from EricaWeiner.com ,

dork-dance by Zoo-Mouse-Key, but my book is handbound and an original intaglio print book,

a couple prints from Paul Friedrich (onionhead monster).

Okay, check back later for part two of the things I got at Renegade. Dinner is done and the Mr. is getting restless.

A special day

Published

robayre

on May 26, 2010

in Fun, General Update, My Artwork, goals and life

. 2 Comments

Last week was my sister’s birthday. Happy Birthday Chris! I hope you had a great birthday and will have an AMAZING year ahead! She has always been a supporter of my artwork and is ALWAYS there for me when I need help, or an opinion and guidance.

For her birthday she wanted to go to the Museum of Science and Industry. It was an awesome day. I haven’t been there since I was in elementary school and could have spent a couple days there before reaching everything they have to offer.

Unexpectedly, I was also able to (semi) cross off two items on my To-Do-List for 2010. At the MSI now, your tickets to get in become a “sci-pass” where you can record the activities you participate in and then access them online later. They had a sound booth that was similar to the storycorp idea, where you could go in and interview other people. I went in and recorded a short interview with my sister, which was one part of number 23 on my list.

Number 12 on my to-do list was to get an old-timey picture done. In my mind, that meant REAL old photograph techniques, like daguerreotypes, as mentioned in a few posts ago, rather than some quick digital pics that have been converted to grayscale or sepia tone. That being said… MSI had a photo studio set up where you can take quick digital old-timey pics in an old car, so we played.

I’m the one in the back with the straw hat on, my sister is next to me and my brother in front of me, and his friend Chad next to him. The portrait woman was cracking up at Chad’s leg sticking out.

I have some art to share, as usual. This was the fourth grass painting in the series. I know I always say it, but it has to be said again. I LOVED this painting. It has a watercolor look to it, but it’s acrylic on canvas. It went to my sister for her birthday. I also made her the brooch in the above picture (orange and aqua at the top right).

I also made her a ring, and then made this one for myself. I used this tutorial from Makeitdo, that I found through the craft blog.

The Signature Room

Published

robayre

on November 16, 2009

in General Update, goals and life

. 2 Comments

This weekend I crossed one more item off my list for the year. Matt and I ate at the Signature Room, on the 95th floor of the Hancock Tower in Chicago.

A lot of people I know have been before and I’ve heard the stories and reviews of what it’s like. I thought it would be a fun experience to add to my list. See, in all honesty, I’m more the type of person who would get excited to gather friends and drive to a small town diner. But, when compiling my list of things to do for the year I wanted to add a few things that would stretch me.

I didn’t bring a camera, not knowing if it would be acceptable. Unfortunately, once there, there were constant flashes going off around us while waiters were snapping guests with the amazing view behind them. Sadly, I don’t have a picture of Matt and I all gussied up to remember the occasion. He did capture the above picture from his camera phone though.

We debated making dinner reservations or just waiting in line for drinks and dessert in the “lounge”. Once we got there we saw the loooooong first-come-first-serve line for the lounge, I immediately doubted myself and we considered just going elsewhere entirely. I’m so glad that we didn’t and I ended up calling and making reservations for dinner. We enjoyed ourselves walking around the magnificent mile, killing time until our reservation.

I’ve been up to the observation deck in the Hancock tower before, but I forgot how fast and high the elevator goes. Your ears pop while you go up. When we exited the elevator I was just thrust into the unexpected, in a very good way. The ceiling is super high, with windows all the way around. It was just beginning to be dark out and you could see the beginnings of clouds in the air right outside the windows. The restaurant is HUGE and completely dark with basically a single tea light on each table for lighting the entire place. Once it was completely dark out the lights from the city just popped and you realize why the restaurant is kept dark. It all adds to the romantic atmosphere.

We had an excellent evening and I highly recommend others to experience it at least once in their lifetime. You can request window seats, but make sure you ask for the city view. A coworker of mine asked for window seats, but were seated near the water and there isn’t much to see there. Oh, and dinner, it was delicious and filling, but the price you pay is really made up in ambiance, rather than what appears on your plate.

Been Busy!

Published

robayre

on September 16, 2009

in General Update, My Artwork, etsy, fiber, life and shop update

. 3 Comments

I’m on a roll, checking things off my lists.

Dinner is on, changed the cat’s litterbox, changed the burned out lights in the garage, photographed and listed new items in my etsy shop. Now it’s time to knock out this one last item for tonight. Blog.

I can’t believe it is already Wednesday. I wanted to post about my whirlwind weekend and it’s seems the week is slipping by just as quickly.

Thursday evening my best friend and I went to the Sandwich Fair. It’s actually the county fair and pretty small-town. Imagine tractor pulls and lots of 4H kids running around. I got to visit the rabbit house, the chicken house and ate corn on the cob, onion blossom, ribs and fried cheese, what more can you ask for? Erica and I took a picture together in a BIG chair, which goes along with our eternal search for BIG things, like here and here.

Friday, is my errands day and I went to get reproductions made of 3 original pieces of mine. I’m very excited to offer these as I’ve been wanting to do it for so long, they are such great quality and they are extremely affordable. They are listed in the shop right now :D

Saturday was my cousin’s wedding at the Drake in Chicago. We dressed up and a great time. Really, I couldn’t have been more happy after I found out that they had a photo booth at their reception. That definitely made my night. Congratulations to David and Sarah, they seemed to be on a new plane of happiness that day, and congratulations to my Aunt, who reads here regularly :D

These are the pictures from the photo booth. It’s my sister, matt and I. 1st picture is just smiles, second picture is the paparazzi shot, 3rd picture is sad face, fourth picture is roller coaster. Funny enough, afterward my brother and sister in law were showing their pictures to us and they did something similar, ending in a picture called “tyrannosaurus!”

Sunday my sister and I went to the Renegade craft fair in chicago. I didn’t buy one thing and that wasn’t for lack of desire. I found many things I liked but it would be way too expensive, they didn’t have my size, or the variety was gone and I wasn’t crazy about the remaining color selections. Lesson learned, it’s better to go on Saturday before all the good stuff is gone.

And then Sunday evening on the ride home I finally finished my cowl, and of course, it’s been in the 80s all week long. I’m excited to make more of these. In fact, now that I’ve completed posting and crossing off the final item on today’s to-do list I think I will begin a new one.

Thanks for stopping by and reading :D

The Time Traveler’s Wife

Published

robayre

on August 2, 2009

in General Update, My Artwork and life

. 7 Comments

I finally did it! After reading 20 pages here and 20 pages there I finally finished reading The Time Traveler’s Wife. Check another one off the list!

Years ago my sister lent me her copy of the book, telling me I’ll love it. It sat on the book shelf forever. I don’t know, it just sounded 1. like a sci-fi book and I can’t stand reading sci-fi and fantasy books, and 2. It sounded like a romance novel and I don’t really do that really either. She added, it mentions things that you will enjoy like the Violent Femmes and Joseph Cornell.

At the beginning of the year, for some reason, I finally picked it up and read the first 20 pages. I thought, ‘yeah, I might enjoy reading this’, so I added it to my 2009 list of things to complete.

I think what made me start reading it was the fact that I picked up the book and read on the back that the author Audrey Niffenegger is a professor at Columbia Book and Paper in Chicago, a place I’ve visited several times. A place I’ve dreamed of attending, a place I’m already on the mailing list for, and a place that has/had halls lined with letterpress type.

Almost immediately, I realized my preconceived notions of this book were incorrect. It was not what it seemed. It’s not really sci-fi, no time machines, I promise.

As I got into the novel, more and more references that hit close to home were revealed and I started thinking that this book might be “my perfect book”. I’ve always said, if there was a perfect movie made just for me, it would have to be Amelie, and now I wonder if a perfect book was made just for me, it might be the Time Traveler’s Wife.

I loved reading about characters I could relate to and who’s interests are so close to my own. Clare, the time traveler’s wife, was a fiber artist and I’ve taken quite a few fiber arts classes in my day. I probably squealed while reading a section where the main character Henry is in the alleyway behind the Metro and can hear the Smoking Popes playing from inside. The Metro is the first concert venue I went to in Chicago as a 15 or 16 year old, and the Smoking Popes are a band I’ve followed far and wide to see around Northern Illinois. Clare has an art show at the Cultural Center, a building close to my own heart and that I almost always stop in while visiting Chicago. The Cultural Center has an Art-o-mat and they always have several art galleries with excellent shows going on absolutely free. On the last day that I was reading there was a tie-in to my city, DeKalb. Clare visits a record store in the city and sees a guy wearing a Seven Dead Arson shirt. Seven Dead Arson was a record store/label downtown DeKalb while I was in high school, and bands would play often in their basement. My brother reminded me yesterday that the owner was Ethan Hastert.

This month a movie of The Time Traveler’s Wife will be appearing in movie theaters across the country. If I had not read the book and only saw the commercials I would probably NEVER see this movie. It looks like your typical Message in a Bottle and The Notebook romance schlock. All of this romance movie comparison started making me wonder, “Is the book just a sappy romance novel, and I just got hoodwinked by the disguise of all the local references to the Field Museum, Brookfield Zoo and Chicago Street names?” When I first started reading the book I would have said emphatically NO. It was a smart novel, with plenty of educated and cultural references as well as an advanced time line. Although I had no problem, I could see that it might be hard to follow with the way the storyline skipped around, following one character and then another at different points in time. Is it just a romance novel, or no? I have to admit the closer I got to the end of the book, the more the idea crept into my head. Perhaps it was seeing too many of the commercials tainting my perspective. I also blame Kelly now too. I was telling some friends that they should read it, and my friend Kelly, who’s opinion I think highly of, said she had already read it and she just seemed so unimpressed with the book. I guess to really decide I’ll have to think more about it. Will this book leave any significance on history and our culture? Does it challenge and make its readers think in ways they might not have thought before? I guess you’ll have to read it to decide for youself. Have you already read it? Let me know what you think. Haha, I feel like I need to join a book club just devoted to this book, lol. I do have to admit, I am excited to see the movie now, just in hopes that the Violent Femmes make an appearance and well, Eric Bana isn’t too hard on the eyes either.

On a completely different note: Tomorrow I will begin my August Challenge of creating a new piece everday (Monday - Friday) and listing it to my shop. Come back to check it out, and if you feel so inspired, please join in and create something new each day as well.

Improv Everywhere MP3 Experiment Chicagostyle

Published

robayre

on October 6, 2008

in General Update

. 0 Comments

Yesterday was the MP3 experiment in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. It was a rainy day, but fortunately one of the props we needed to bring was an umbrella. We were pretty nervous going into it. “what if my ipod dies?” “what if I’m ahead or behind everyone else?” “what if they make us do embarrassing things?”

Actually two or three times my ipod got disconnected from the headphones. I actually missed instructions for one of the games because of it and when this guy was following me around, right in my face, I didn’t know exactly what to do about it. When he wouldn’t leave I wondered if I was supposed to give him some sort of password to release him, but I found out later he was just protecting me. “Thanks guy in red shirt with headphones!” lol.

My favorite parts were the umbrella canopy, human tetris and human twister. I was actually moved during the human twister. See, when you grow up in, or live near BIG cities, people have a much further comfortable personal space distance. You are used to people scowling at you and scowling back. When friendly appearing strangers approach you, you wonder what their agenda is. But during the human twister we all had to be so close, and not just close, but touching each other, on the head, on the shoulders, on the elbows, etc. We all did it with smiles on our faces and it just made me a bit emotional that soo many strangers were all huddled together, happy, and working together.

Improv Everywhere asked us not to take pictures during the project, just to be in the moment. They actually had plenty of people documenting it, from cameras at distance, cameras in the crowd and even a hellicopter overhead. The picture above is from the chicagoist and is from right before the EPIC BATTLE! It must have been taken from the opposing teams battleside because I see all red and yellow. I was on the blue and green team and I have to admit, we destroyed the red and yellow. It was probably due to the fact that my sister and I had punching balloons as weapons, not just your average sized wimpy party balloons like everyone else.

I had a great time, and had so much fun, rain or not. Next up…pirates vs. ninjas…more coming about that later.

This weekend

Published

robayre

on September 14, 2008

in General Update

. 5 Comments

chicago street, originally uploaded by robayre.

Saturday my sister and I decided to risk it and head into the damp streets of Chicago for the Renegade Craft show. We go each year and it’s something we really look forward to. I checked weather.com before leaving and it forecasted heavy downpour all day, except for a couple hours break where it just rained in the afternoon. We got there shortly after it opened and you could see a few booths were empty or still setting up. Several tents were leaking and most people had tarps over and around their tents. I was a teensy bit glad to know that I wouldn’t have to battle crowds and in all honesty, it was probably the best show I’ve been to so far. Best being defined by the wad of cash we both dropped. By the time we left the shopping crowd was beginning to grow and with everyone holding umbrellas it was starting to get crowded. Also noted: about every other girl there was wearing galoshes.

Maybe later this week I will do a post on some of the goodies I got at the show. That would be fun.

Yesterday was then one of those days where I got home drenched and experienced one of the world’s best feelings: Putting on dry warm clothes. Today, quite the opposite. I’ve barely left the house, It’s about 7 p.m. and I’m still in pajamas. I feel so grimy and worse than that, I feel so unproductive. I’ve barely stepped into my studio at all in days.

I’ve been going through this struggle where during the work week I tell myself “I’ll make time to work on things this weekend” and then the weekend hits and I can’t get myself in the mood to do anything then either, so I tell myself “It will be better to do it during the work week in the evenings.” and it’s just this never ending cycle of unproductiveness. Ugh, I hate it.

Sometimes I wonder if it is brought on by my personal need to be doing something always and never taking the time for productive breaks to go out and live and fill up on real life inspiration, etc. When I can’t get myself into the productive mood I just end vegging out in front of the tv or internet instead of perhaps going out for a bike ride or exploring in a park. One can only coast along for so long on empty tank.

Also, knowing that sometimes it takes a bit of time for me to switch gears and actually get into right brain thinking can be a chore on it’s own, especially after a long day at work. Feel familiar to anyone else?

edit: oh yeah, and just in case anybody noticed, I can say I feel like my well of inspiration is dry in this post and in the post directly before this say that the inspiration floweth over because . . . I’m a contradiction, oxymoron, I’m a paradox, as my brother says “Robyn, you’re so torn”. That’s me. Love me or leave me.

Inspiration Junkie robayre.com