Last-Minute Traveler Gift Guide

If you’re still looking for gift inspiration, here are some ideas.

All of these items are things I actually own, use, and love:

1. Designhype Metro San Francisco Cuff – Yes, there’s an actual metro map on the bracelet! Mine is for San Francisco, but Designhype also makes these for Paris, NYC, and other cities.

2. Moleskine Journal – For travel journaling, lately I’ve been starting with a blank Moleskine, writing about the day, and using washi tape to attach ticket stubs (like the transit pass from our Re:Make trip) or folded programs or whatever I happen to collect. The cahiers 3.5″ x 5.5″ size comes in a 3-pack and is really convenient for carrying with you. I throw one in a quart-size ziploc with my ultra fine tip Sharpies and washi tape and take it along, in case I want to journal on the plane or while we sit at a cafe. Some brick-and-mortar options: I’ve seen these at Changing Hands Bookstore and Target, but you can find various sizes of Moleskine journals lots of places.

3. Sakura 18-Piece Koi Assorted Water Colors Field Sketch Set with Brush – Super portable watercolor set with a brush that holds water inside of it (so you don’t have to fiddle with a separate cup) and folds up. Since Jennifer Mack introduced this to me at Craft Camp, the link above is her Amazon affiliate link.

4. Bodum Travel Press Coffee Maker – Basically, it’s a shatterproof French press you can drink out of. This is especially great for camping, but you could also use it to upgrade from the hotel coffeemaker. I’ve had mine for awhile, so I didn’t see this exact design – I linked to one that’s similar. I just saw these at Cost Plus World Market.

5. GoToob Travel Bottle – Humangear travel bottles are made to keep from leaking, and mine has been fine when altitude changes have made a mess out of cheaper bottles. They have this neat little ring you can twist to designate the contents (sunscreen, soap, etc.), but they’re also food safe, in case you want to fill a small one with sri racha or a bigger one with pancake batter. I’ve spotted these at my local REI and Target. I think they may have been a little cheaper at Target, but REI had a much bigger selection.

6. REI Flash 18 Pack – Very comfortable day pack with a streamlined silhouette. It’s great to throw stuff in for a day at a convention or on a hike. In the photo, Phillip is wearing it while admiring the view from Mt. Lemmon. Since this is REI brand, they’re most likely only available in REI’s stores and site.

What travel gifts do you love to use or have on your wishlist?

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P.S. This DIY spice mix is also easy to make, and there are more ideas in our last-minute Christmas guide.

Not a sponsored post.

November 12, 2015November 12, 2015

Art Hidden in the Hills

It’s almost time for the annual Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour (HITH) in Cave Creek!

Last year, I went with Phillip and our friend Ling. I had about 13 studios on my to-visit list, but we really took our time, so we only made it to 5 of them.

The Tour

Over 40 working artists open up their studio spaces (often in their homes) two weekends in November to showcase and sell their work.

Most participating artists invite others to join them at their spaces, so there might be 7 artists at one studio (3 or 4 is more likely) with art for sale and sometimes prints of their work. In fact, I learned about the tour when I was doing graphic design for one of the artists, Robin Ray, and getting her work printed on greeting cards, aprons, calendars, etc.

At the last HITH tour, it seemed like there was a lot more art at different price points than in the past. There are the large statement pieces which – rightfully – cost a good chunk of change, but many artists are also doing smaller works to fit smaller budgets or living spaces.

There was live music at a few of the locations. We heard banjo players at one and a Native American flautist at another.

Many artists do demonstrations or work on pieces during HITH. They may show how they shape ceramics or be daubing oil paint on a canvas when you walk by.

We’ve gone in the past, so we had some favorites to revisit, as well as new artists to check out.

The Art and Artists

It was great chatting with the artists. I worry sometimes when I’m talking to artists that I’ll insult them by not understanding their work the way they intended. The ones we talked to on the tour were really happy to hear what our impressions were, answer questions, and talk about their techniques.

Here are some highlights, along with the studio number where the artist will be exhibiting at this year’s HITH tour.

Robin Ray (studio #9), who first told me about the tour, has more time now that she retired from teaching. In addition to her ceramics and painting, she is now making mixed media works inspired by Mexican shrines. We stopped by her place near the end of the day, and it felt like a party with friends sitting around an outdoor table, laughing, snacking, and pouring wine.

Also exhibiting at her studio was Ken Ryan (#9), who makes sculptures from metal and fabulous gnarly wood, as well as custom rustic furniture.

Nicolette Maguire Bonnstetter (#27) does collage-style paintings of items from her childhood on custom-milled wooden bowls.

Eddie Sparr (not exhibiting at HITH 2015) explores the relationship between mechanic structures and organic ones. You can find him at Big Red Robot Gallery or at Hibachibot, the Korean BBQ food truck he and his wife recently opened. They’ll be serving breakfast burritos 7:30-10a and lunch 11a-3p at Big Red Robot on 11/21, so you can fuel up on the way to the tour.

The atmosphere at BH Bowman Studios felt calm yet vibrant, perhaps reflecting the quiet intensity of Barbara Bowman’s own abstract work in acrylics. There were candles lit, sculpture artists along the front walkway, glass mosaics on the back patio, musicians in the living room, and a mix of media throughout the house.

In a side room with a covered pool table, Julia Patterson (#29) exhibited a wall of pastel landscapes I could look at all day.

Christoph Heede (#30) constructed a kiln that’s big enough to walk in and also does raku ceramics, which he finishes in open flames.

Betsy Halford (#27) uses unusual found objects, like electrical components, to make jewelry and mixed media pieces.

One artist (I think it was Sandy Pendleton at #29) attaches bells from a village in India to her glasswork.

Something I hadn’t seen before was 3D printed sculpture. It was cool to see artists like Kevin Caron (#29) experimenting with new technology.

Judy Bruce (#42) had a series on nerds and a series of mixed media works about her mother, remaining beautiful as she fought cancer.

Really, everyone was great with the exception of one artist (not pictured/named in this post) who was unnecessarily harsh after Ling took a photo and then creepily kept watching us the rest of the time we were at that studio.

No one else the rest of the day had a problem with photos. Of course, if someone doesn’t want photos taken of their work, I’m happy to respect that. I just think they should ask politely.

So….back to people who are awesome.

At Desert Rat Forge (#43), metal artists Paul Diefenderfer (“Dief”) and Gordon Paul Mischke (“Gordy”) work in their outdoor spaces on large metal sculptures. Paul demonstrated how he heats and shapes metal. Gordy, one of our original HITH favorites, updated us on some of his long-term projects.

Several other artists also exhibited work at the site. One was Josh States, who makes really nice knives and other metal and mixed media pieces. He also told us about the Camp Verde Pecan and Wine Festival, which would be fun to check out sometime.

The Grotto

We ate lunch at Grotto Cafe, which has lovely outdoor seating, coffee, panini, salads, and gazpacho.

– More info –

If you’re in the Phoenix area, check out the 2015 Hidden in the Hills tour November 20-22 and 27-29.

Program
Full map – Clicking the numbers will take you to artist info. Clicking below the map allows you to register and create your own personalized tour map with the studios you want to visit.
Our 2014 tour map – In case you need additional suggestions to get started.

Photos:

I couldn’t track down the artist for this piece.
Selfie with Ling. Think she snapped this one – mine were terrible.

The Tour

Robin Ray (studio #9)
Booths and artwork of (l to r) Betsy Halford, Christiane Barbato, Nicolette Maguire Bonnstetter.

The Art and Artists

Artwork of Judy Bruce (#42)
Artwork of Robin Ray (#9)
Artwork of Robin Ray (#9)
Ken Ryan (#9)
Eddie Sparr (Hibachibot)
Julia Patterson (#29) and her artwork
Christoph Heede (#30)
Betsy Halford (#27)
Kevin Caron (#29)
Artwork of Judy Bruce (#42)
Studio of Judy Bruce (#42)
Artwork of Christoph Heede (#30) on his home/studio wall.
Artwork of Paul Diefenderfer (#43)
Desert Rat Forge (#43)
Paul Diefenderfer (#43)
Gordon Paul Mischke (#43)
Artwork of Gordon Paul Mischke (#43)
Artwork of Josh States / Dos Gatos Designs (#43)

The Grotto + More Info

Grotto Cafe
Cave Creek sunset

October 22, 2015October 22, 2015

Leaf Love: 7 Fall Craft Ideas

Whether or not the leaves change where you live, you’ll fall for these projects!

Embellish Leaves

Try applying paint or glitter directly to leaves. You can use leaves that are green or autumnal, real or silk, dried or pressed – you can even print your own!

1. Gold-Painted Leaves: Gold paint against richly-colored fall leaves is just gorgeous! A single painted leaf or small grouping of them in a simple frame would be lovely.

2. Hojas Pintadas / Drawn-on Leaves and Wreath: You could also go with an earthier palette and use ultra fine tip sharpies or paint pens where you wanted more detail. Once you have a stack of patterned leaves, you can gather them into a fall wreath.

3. DIY Falling Leaves Garland: All you need is some glue and glitter to make your leaves sparkle! Then hang them from a ribbon to create a garland, sprinkle them across a table, or display them in a glass jar. If you wanted to use real leaves instead of silk ones in your garland, you might want to skip punching a hole in favor of tying the ribbon around the leaf stems or attaching with clothespins or hot glue.

Leaves for Embellishing

Use real leaves (any color) to stamp, shape, or decorate.

4. Stamped Leaf Mandala Journal Page: Use leaves as stamps for your journal pages to remind you of the local flora. Stamped leaves in different colors can form the basis of a pattern like this mandala.

5. Leaf-Imprinted Clay Necklace: Press a small leaf into clay to make a one-of-kind pendant.

6. Sand-Cast Birdbath in a Leaf Shape: This is the most involved project on the list, but the step-by-step instructions make it look totally doable. A large leaf becomes the form for a concrete birdbath. You could also skip the pedestal-making steps and create an oversized leaf-shaped bowl, which would be a fantastic base for a fall centerpiece.

7. Foliage Pumpkins: Decopauge ferns or fall foliage on white pumpkins for an alternative to the traditional orange jack-o-latern. (original project, left photo)

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Photos via respective sites.

July 28, 2015June 24, 2020

A Mural for the Missing

A community art project that was too controversial for New York city has found a home in Phoenix’s Grand Avenue arts district.

The mural was nearly finished when I stopped by last week. Half a dozen artists were there painting or standing back to Instagram the process – which, really, is also part of spreading a message. In fact, I only heard about the piece because one of the artists from the Frida Kahlo exhibit, Monique Mata, had shared it there.

The Mission

The inspiration came from the film Who is Dayani Cristal?, a documentary that retraces the steps of the migrant trail in Central America in an effort to identify a body discovered in the Sonoran desert.

This work of helping families find the bodies of missing migrants is exactly what the nonprofit Colibrí Center for Human Rights in Tucson does, as well as providing counseling and advocacy services. Their Missing Migrant Project has the goal of “working to end migrant death and related suffering on the U.S.-Mexico border.”

Mata Ruda, the New York/New Jersey artist who designed the mural, believes awareness and prevention are key to this. If migrants are invisible to society, their deaths will go unnoticed, the problem unsolved.

The mural is one way to tell their story, make them visible.

While taking a popsicle break, he filled me in on the history of the project – that it been approved then later blocked at 5 different sites from a musuem in New York City to a garage in downtown Phoenix, apparently due to its subject matter. Finally, the Colibrí Center connected them with the spot at La Melgrosa art space.

The Mural

The mural is also called “Colibrí,” named for Colibrí Center and for the hummingbird, which migrates throughout the Americas. It was created to bring awareness of the often-overlooked migrant community.

At least 7 artists collaborated on the piece, mostly from Arizona (with one traveling across the state from the Navajo reservation).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stephanie Liebold (@stephanieliebold)

You can see the finished mural outside Creation Station at La Melgosa, 1023 W. Grand Avenue in Phoenix.

Mata Ruda’s hope is that Colibrí remains a permanent piece of public art and that it makes people aware of the migrants who often are invisible to society.

Like the community it represents, the project has been on a long journey to finally be seen.

February 23, 2015August 24, 2015

Colorful pallet backdrop

I can’t take credit for making this – just appreciating it.

Our church shares a building with several other groups, and the main meeting room had been kind of bare for awhile. It’s great to have a multiuse facility, but sometimes it feels like no one really has ownership over it.

One day this upcycled pallet art was just there at the front, made, I heard, by one of the churches that meets earlier in the day.

The colors remind me of the sunrise. I like looking at the way they bleed into each other while I listen to a message.

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Microblog Mondays is about sharing a little something every week. More at Stirrup Queens.