Marshall Shore’s Vintage Individualism

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…

Crafting like a Man with Patrick Murillo: Christmas Ornaments

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…

11th Monk3y Apparel and Designs by Ruben Gonzales

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: Clothes and Accessories for the Stylish Pacifist

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…

National Novel Writing Month: Dragged Down By Excuses

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 at Heard Museum North

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?…

Treg Bradley’s Modern Temple of Creativity

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…

Tiffe Fermaint Celebrates 10 years in Fashion

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…

Kelly Calabrese’s Rocker Street Style

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…

Art on Wheels: Walter, The World’s Largest Faux-Volkswagen Bus

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…

ASU Clay Club Pottery Sale and Exhibition

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…

Art Festival Etiquette: Three Simple Rules

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…

Smash a Plate for Scottsdale’s Festival of Greece

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…

Thrifting with SeeSaw and Old Ladies in Underwear

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…

Simple Pleasures: Making a Home a Lovely Place

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…

The Fashion Show Ultimate Collection‘s First Episode: Evacuate this Fashion Emergency

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.

Build a Float for the Parade Of The Arts

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…

Steve Strauss and His Eclectic Arcadia Abode

Steve Strauss and his Arcadia home can be described using the same adjectives — eclectic and passionate, yet relaxed. The part-owner of Wag N’ Wash (the pet supply and DIY washing station in Phoenix) and percussionist of the long-time local band Azz Izz has lived in the Orange Grove Heights…

First Friday in Phoenix: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

It’s not often that we take a look at the style of artists and art fans around town, but when First Friday in downtown Phoenix rolls around, an entire subculture emerges. Like we’ve said in our Field Guides, First Fridays are more often about people watching and shenanigans than actual…

Scottsdale Fashion Week: In Review

Crowds of fashion-conscious (and not-so-conscious) gathered on the Scottsdale asphalt this weekend to celebrate the leading names in local and national fashion.It was the fifth year of Scottsdale Fashion Week — an event that’s been held in the past at the Scottsdale Waterfront and SouthBridge. This year, the runways, bright…