roadside scholar

stuff i found on the highway of life

• Home
• about gigi leonard, aka the scholar

valentine shopping fun (round up)

late to the party, my head is swimming with all the vday goodies i’ve seen floating around here. some of these items might not make it to your mailbox before the big day but you can still enjoy looking at some of my favorite categories…

romance in photography from jennifer squires, art of whimsy, kayleen michelle and alyson jones

 inspired jewelry from laurie chapman, margaux lange, victoria buckley and stephanie simek

ceramic and glass bliss from lily pottery and jeri goodman

soft-sided accessory love from las lopezlas, fringe, stewart and brown, and linda lye

poetic paper from l2 design collective, porterness, amy blackwell (via) and able and game (via)

love spray from reed seifer

 

chocolate creations from jean philippe maury, christopher elbow and knipschildt

sweet and funny illustrations from laura george, seaspray blue and le papier

pillows: pooh, humble and veronique

---

one of a kind chicago: 2008 highlights, pt. 2

more intrigue, mystery and fun from the one of a kind show happening here in chicago and continuing through the weekend, and one more post coming after this one…

steve shay’s citizenshay graphic collage prints on canvas and wood

 

recycled wool accessories by sue burns for baabaazuzu

oil paintings from mike welton

porcelain pottery and sculpture by ernest miller

seen-around-the-city photography by alison bixby

---

one of a kind chicago: 2008 highlights, pt. 1

polymer clay and wool creations from debra de wolff

i made my way through the seriously substantial one of a kind show yesterday, which was not easy, because the thing is HUGE. there was quite a lot of inspiration to be found, and there were quite a lot of high end craft and assorted seasonal things that were tasteful but didn’t necessarily fit into my aesthetic or budget. this helped to quicken my pace. the other thing that pushed me along in a more speedy fashion was the fact that we were jammed in like sardines in the aisles here, which i was happy to see but which also made it a challenge to take photos. i had to ditch my camera after a while.

i also have to add this: many more people at the renegade and bucktown shows knew what a blog was and what you can do with it. i was met with a few suspicious gazes in telling people i was blogging the show at ooak. not unkind, but a tad weird, because i am usually yeehawing and high fiving the air when i hear that someone wants to write about me. like my camera, i actually quit mentioning it after a while. i prefer to be more stealthy when it comes to blogging shows anyway.

back to the point though: there were some wonderful finds there, both in the one of a kind/handmade area (which encompassed an entire enormous floor in the merchandise mart) and the artist’s project, featuring compelling artworks one floor down. it’s going on all weekend, so if you like what you see here and are local you should definitely have a look in person!

serene maritime and still life photography by dale m. reid

susan hinckley’s whimsical works in wool

beautifully presented feminine jewelry by julie and koeun for poesi

gorgeous blown glass from thomas and rebecca maras

skillful aquatint etchings by george raab

i’ve got another post coming later today with more highlights, so stay tuned!

---

off to the ooak show

i am off to the one of a kind show today and tomorrow to see beautiful things from talented exhibitors, including jewelry by holly rittenhouse, pottery by joe christensen and flashdance mittens by moira and obbie (all pictured above).

i’ll be bringing you a summary of what i saw over the next day or two, and i will go out on a limb and warn you ahead of time that you may overdose on eye candy after you see it all.

---

leaves of clay ceramics

Beautiful functional and sculptural stoneware with great organic style from the talented hands of North Carolina potter and Etsy seller Michele Humphrey for her leavesofclay shop. Each piece is imprinted with different leaf species from the trees nearby.

I am pretty sure I need to touch these right away.

See more at Michele’s Etsy shop and the Leaves of Clay website.

---

renegade craft fair 2008: highlights, pt. 4

okay, here is the last (but definitely not the least) of the vast array of handmade art seen this past weekend at the renegade craft fair in chicago…

cool sculptural jewelry by the nervous system

intriguing anatomical tableware from the folded pigs

sweet and subversive accessories by skirt (love those quilts!)

 gorgeous ceramics and papier mache sculpture from up in the air somewhere

groovy moustache racks and other assorted fun by suddenly it’s real

original art and hand embellished jewelry and bags from recycled rings

fun silkscreened goodies from blue thimble

fun postmarked stamp jewelry by foxglove

---

renegade craft fair 2008: highlights, pt. 3

there will be one more post after this one to wrap up the fabulous handmade home and personal adornments i saw at the renegade craft fair this past weekend. you couldn’t possibly be tired of these highlights yet, could you?

awesome repurposed wood sculpture and accessories from kindling

cool coasters, art and screenprinted dartboards from artrecodesign

 

fun stuffy birds from coo koo ri koo

one of a kind papier mache from girl-hen

handmade felted necklaces from biggie

 embroidered canvases and pillows from k studio

jewelry and handpainted accessories from cursive design

fun stuffies and paintings from the squirrely girl

---

renegade craft fair 2008: highlights, pt. 2

more wonderful things from the talented and clever artists at the renegade craft fair in chicago this weekend, which is open today, september 14th, 2008 from noon-10 pm:

vibrant tableware from circa ceramics

pretty jewelry made of vintage ephemera from the foundling

politically aware accessories and toys from rebexa and abbeychristine

colorful screenprints from the little friends of printmaking

letterpress cards and stationery from luckybeepress

photographic jewelry from le photique

beguiling prints from catia chien

 recycled sweater toys from caitlin wicker

---

next page »