Nico Cruz has always been passionate about graphic design and fashion. In high school he participated in a FCCLA competition for fashion students from schools around the valley. The prize was a scholarship to FIDM, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. Nico Cruz won.Earlier this year Cruz graduated from the…
Jonathan Simon’s a geek — and a damn funny one. He started Lightning Octopus in June to share Phoenix geek-culture news, photos and events — it’s also his excuse to get out and meet like-minded geeks at geeky events.”Since its launch, my wife and I have traded in a lot…
Driving down Grand Avenue in Phoenix, you might see an assortment of interesting things, including a purple, leopard-print building called Sweets & Beats. Owners, Liam James T. Murtagh and Emily Spetrino-Murtagh, were saving to buy a home, but when it came time to finalize their potential plans, something always went…
Marshall Shore can be spotted at nearly any Downtown get together, rally, or conference (even a peacock gathering). He’s usually taking a few photos and notes, but mostly, he’s gathering people’s stories about Phoenix.Shore’s a local historian who also shares his collection of notes and photos at a monthly slideshow/story…
Some people are crafty, some aren’t (i.e. me). It’s the way of the world. But taking a cue from Mantastic Crafter Patrick Murillo, I’m training in the art, and hoping to work my way up to something truly mantastic, all while trying to avoid what Murillo calls a “craftastrophe.”When I…
Ruben Gonzales will always have b-boying on his mind. From a young age, Gonzales was a regular with the Arizona breakdancing scene; but he had another passion — design. When he wasn’t dancing, Gonzales did graffiti art until a friend pointed him to instructional videos on Youtube for Adobe Photoshop…
The Happy Hippie boutique has only been in business for a year, but the store’s chill vibe, and friendly staff makes it a standout in downtown Glendale. Tons of accessories and clothes line walls, shelves and racks, making this boutique a promising destination on any holiday shopping scavenger hunt (especially…
Last week was much better. In the bleakest of moments, a flood of excuses pours into my mind. What good is writing 50,000 words when they aren’t 50,000 good words? Should I not focus on writing well rather than upchucking prose in order to fulfill a self-imposed quota? And that…
Cocktails and jewelry shopping…could there be a better combination?The Heard Museum North is hosting a trunk show with New Mexican Jewelers David and Wayne Nez Gaussoin tomorrow evening, Thursday, November 18.The two will be selling their dramatic wearable art pieces. And did we mention there’ll be cocktails?…
Part-home, part-gallery, Treg Bradley’s modern abode at the tip top of north Scottsdale pays homage to artists both local and international. Bradley, the inventor of the Grobal — a self-watering plant pot — says although his home is dedicated to the work of others, it’s also very personal. “I wanted…
It all started with a birthday request; a 15-year-old Tiffe Fermaint wanted a sewing machine. She didn’t know how to sew, but says she picked up a few skills from employees at local craft supply stores. Fermaint caught the entrepreneurial bug at a young age. She made clothing that appealed…
When local designer, Kelly Calabrese started her own business at age 19, all it took was some good ol’ self motivation, a little help from talented local Rhonda Zayas and a ton of passion for fashion. Her line, WISKC (Who is Kelly Calabrese), reflects her own rocker chick street style…
The story of Walter the Bus, the world’s largest fan-made Volkswagen, sounds like a hippie folk tale that spans almost 50 years. But everything about the project is rooted in the 60s. Walter, now a 13-foot high, 30-foot long, 19,500-pound VW stationed in Scottsdale, doesn’t look much like he did…
Countless cigar girls and ladies in spinning hoops took over the Hotel San Carlos in Phoenix this weekend and put on a show that satisfied any kind of appetite for fishnet stockings, feather boas and bad lipstick. We checked out the scene at Burlesque Live!, took a few notes and…
We don’t mean to stress you out, but it’s time we all accept the fact that the holidays are coming up. And that means it’s time to get our shop on.Since we feel a duty to inform you of every opportunity to buy local, unique goods (a.k.a. gifts that don’t…
We know, the holiday art festival season has arrived in all of its hand turkey, glitter bomb, public crafting table madness (just don’t start with the music), which means it’s time to brush up on a little “spirited” etiquette. We sat down with a local art festival and crafting table…
The large house on the corner of First Avenue and McKinley Street in Phoenix was built in 1910. While the exterior has undoubtedly been updated throughout the century, we’re just happy much of the inside’s decoration is holding on to the past; the downtown Phoenix house-turned-antique-trove is a great place…
The Scottsdale Festival of Greece kicks off tomorrow and runs through this weekend, bringing along all the traditional food, folk-dancing, and music of Greece along with it. But before you go, it might be a good idea to brush up on the dos and don’ts of one of the country’s…
www.etsy.com/shop/seesawvintagePillows sell like mad.It’s no secret that we adore SeeSaw Designs. So it’s only natural that we also love SeeSaw Vintage Shoppe on Esty.com.The three women who run SeeSaw (a Phoenix design firm) frequently hit some of the best thrift stores in town to accumulate the vintage goods they sell.I…
Blogs that make us happy are also blogs that fulfill our voyeuristic tendencies.They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.So it’s no wonder that Christine McHale (formerly Christine Burch — yes, she’s related to Beverly Burch) also has a blog that makes us happy.Simple Pleasures: Making a Home…
Bravo’s sad third attempt to compensate for losing Project Runway to Lifetime premiered tonight and made us want to puncture our eyes out with heels shortly thereafter. Iman and Isaac Mizrahi host The Fashion Show Ultimate Collection. Note to Bravo: A foreign supermodel married to famous musician and (former) Liz Claiborne creative director does not equal a runaway success. Iman ≠ Heidi Klum and Isaac Mizrahi ≠ Tim Gunn.
There are a lot of things that can be done at the last minute — cramming for tests, writing articles, buying birthday presents, and building a float for this weekend’s 5th Phoenix Annual Parade Of The Arts in downtown Phoenix. While float-building on a large, fancy scale can take a…
