Art around the house

Sorry for my silence this week. I believe I mentioned before that I was taking this week off from working, and I've been trying to keep myself busy and away from the computer. I made a to-do list unthinkably long for anyone on vacation, but that's just how I roll. Despite a minor illness derailing some of my efforts, I've gotten a lot accomplished. Yesterday I finally bought nails to hang up some lovely art we've collected over the past three years. Check out my handiwork!

Let's start with the living room. Above the TV, you will see my beautiful trees:

Close-up:

On the left is fabric art by Art by Bethany. I was admiring it at Indie Emporium, and my lovely mother snatched it up for me for Christmas. On the right is a piece by Laura Nugent. The painting was my taller half's and my first big purchase together from Mayfest 2007.

On the opposite wall hangs our Audrey Eclectic Sexy Librarian.

She oversees our bookshelves, of course.

Catty-corner to the trees hang two family photos. My mom bought me the floating frames for Christmas, and I knew immediately who to put inside.

The top one is my love's family (including both of us), and below are my siblings. I took that photo shortly before Christmas 2008.

Over in the dining area hangs this lovely young lass by Cydney Grossman.

I purchased the charcoal at the Saturday Flea Market for $4, so I don't know much about it except that it's really, really pretty. See?

I don't know if it's a print or an original. I just had to have it! (Sorry these two photos are so dark. Our dining area gets no natural light, and the artificial light is pretty poor, too.)

Finally, in the bedroom, I put up this little thing I did a while back.

My taller half is crazy about it, but I'm not, so I thought the bedroom was the right choice. We can admire it, but nobody else has to pretend to love it. :)

I haven't put things up in the spare bedroom/office/studio yet. I will post pictures when I do.

Happy Friday!

Great big sad face -- The Collective is closed

Lovers of coffee and art in Tulsa likely know of The Collective, a great cafe/bar in town across the street from the University of Tulsa. I was very, very sad to discover this in a MySpace bulletin from them:

"Tulsa—We must inform you that as of Monday, April 6th, The Collective is closing indefinitely. We have been struggling against the downturn in the economy for a few months now. With expenses escalating, and an extremely high rent payment, we were unable to continue serving you. After extended negotiations with our Landlord in an attempt to purchase the building, we could not come to an amenable agreement that benefited both parties. We hope you enjoyed your patronage here, and we hope that we were able to bring some comfort and happiness into your lives. We will continue to try to serve Tulsa in the capacities that we can in the future. Comments and concerns can be sent to thecollectivetulsa@gmail.com. As always we will try to respond promptly and honestly.It is important to say that our closing is not due to a lack of support from this community. Word of mouth, news outlets and return customers helped us to be more successful than most businesses starting out. We thank you for your continued patronage. Everyone would like to think that they made a positive change on their environment. We would like to think that The Collective created a community atmosphere and arts-based business that hadn’t previously existed in this location. Thank you for making this possible for us, and thank you for the opportunity to serve you. We are deeply saddened by this turn of events, and if nothing else, please continue to support locally owned, Tulsa friendly businesses for they are the lifeblood of our community.

The Collective Team"

This great venue was a wonderful friend to the Tulsa Craft Mafia. It was the site of our monthly meetings (we held one there just this Sunday), offered up space for Swap-O-Rama-Rama, and hosted monthly art exhibitions -- including one for us the back in December. I also greatly enjoyed lunching there from time to time or sipping one of their fantastic mochas. Losing The Collective will leave a void in the community, and I genuinely hope Colleen and her crew can reopen in some fashion somewhere else very soon.

For fellow mourners in need of a lunch or caffeine fix, I recommend Coffee House on Cherry Street (friendly staff, excellent food and drink, my favorite) or Shades of Brown (tasty coffee, local art for sale, the location of Grey and my first date). The vibes are different, but they are both great, locally owned establishments in the area.

Handmade Tulsa (and Free Family Fun) Weekend Update

Friday brings "Black Friday" shopping at nearly every store in the area. If you hate the idea of beating up old ladies for savings at the mall this year, head over to Etsy for great sales. Tons of sellers are offering discounts from Friday through "Cyber Monday". Search "sale" or "Black Friday" on the site to find those offering specials. On The Storque, Etsy admin will also do an article about some of the different specials. If you want to keep it totally local, check out the site's Shop Local feature.

If you do plan to get out in the craziness, here are some handmade shopping opportunities as well as some free or low-cost family events.

Thursday
Lights On at Utica Square! Enjoy the lights-on ceremony at Utica Square, 21st St. and Utica Ave., beginning at 6:30 p.m. Utica Square isn't exactly a goldmine of handmade goods, though a few shops -- Flirt and Kokoa Chocolatier for sure -- do sell some locally produced items. Also, the event is free and is still a lovely way to enjoy the beginning of the holiday season.

Friday
Chandler Park Lights on the Hill! This is a free drive-through light display at Chandler Park, 6500 W 21st St. There will also be horse-drawn carriage rides available. The event is every Friday and Saturday through December 28 from 6 to 10 p.m. Come enjoy one of Tulsa's most beautiful parks!
Winterfest! On the west side of the BOK Center, enjoy ice skating on an outdoor rink ($8 with skate rental, $5 without and for children under 3), a giant tree, live music, carriage rides, caroling, and more fun. The rink is at 3rd and Frisco in downtown Tulsa. Winterfest will run through December 31.

Saturday
Jonathan Sobol -- "Everyday Paintings"! Saturday will be the final day of Jonathan Sobol's solo show at the MA Doran Gallery, 3509 S. Peoria Ave. The gallery is open from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday Market! Familiarly known as the west side flea market, the Saturday Market boasts an impressive array of new and second-hand items sold by locals. There are a few handmade items, but most items are used, which is still a wonderful way to stimulate the local economy without contributing to mass consumerism. Located at 5802 W 51st St., the flea market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday
All Souls Arts & Crafts Fair! This annual, all-handmade craft event features artists from the church, 2952 S. Peoria Ave., from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is no admission, and you don't have to be a church member to attend. Proceeds -- 10% of all sales -- go to the youth department. There will be jewelery artists, potters, knitters, card makers, and tons more. It'll be worth the early rising to get your hands on some great gift items!


There are a ton of other lights-on celebrations throughout the area as well. If you live in a community outside of Tulsa, just do a search to find ones closer to you. Also, if you know of any other handmade, crafty, DIY, or indie events going on this weekend, leave a comment.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and keep safe during the shopping insanity!

A very Girlie adventure

Last Friday and Saturday brought The Girlie Show to Oklahoma City. I've heard nothing but raves about it, so I decided to make the trek on the second day. OKC is an hour and a half from Tulsa and $7 total in toll fees. Lame, I know, but Mom and I were feeling dedicated -- mostly to shopping. First, we stopped at Lido Restaurant in the Asian District for green beans in garlic sauce (hers with beef, mine meat-free, of course). Then we turned our attention to the task at hand: buying way too much stuff at The Girlie Show.

(Click on pictures for a larger image.) It was held in the Farmers Public Market, which dates back to 1928. The building is fabulous and will be the site of Deluxe on December 6. Talent was oozing from the seams. There were jewelry makers, silk screeners, painters, sculptors (well, really just the one), and everything in between. I ended up buying a gorgeous pendant etched in wood and painted by Pamela Michelle (booth is below, left) and a sassy, fused glass ring from Funky Chic Studio (below, right).

That's my mom in the pink/red shirt buying a pendant from Funky Chic Studio. To help me mourn the huge chunk of change I'll lose this week to brake service on Esmee (my Mazda3 hatchback), Mom bought me a couple of gorgeous clothing items from Harrilu of the Dallas Craft Mafia. I've not been able to photograph what I bought, so I'll do a separate post later with all the goodies.

After we shopped ourselves nearly penniless, Mom was craving a pastry, so we began searching for a bakery. We failed to find one still open, but near Brown's Bakery was the Grateful Bean Cafe, which boasted homemade ice cream. We decided that was close enough. As I wrote in my last post, the Grateful Bean is inside the old Kaiser's Ice Cream Parlor, which dates back to 1917. The original location of Kaiser's opened in 1910, but they moved locations seven years later. The Grateful Bean retains the charm and appeal of a turn-of-the-century soda fountain.

Check out the groovy neon sign. On the right, the awesome, mustachioed man makes my Broadway Ice Cream Soda. My mom had a hot fudge sundae.

The ice cream was unbelievable, the fudge sauce was almost black, and the whipped cream was fluffy and vanilla-flavored. We were quite pleased -- and quite messy. So, how much did we enjoy our treats?

Attention Tulsans!

If you live in the Tulsa area, come out to The Collective tonight for Audrey Eclectic's opening. If you can't come tonight, just make sure to swing by at some point to see her stuff. I fell in love with her whimsical, achingly beautiful art at Indie Emporium this year, and I bet you'll love it, too. I hope to see you out there!