welcome spring

photo: stephanie barnes

with easter (and spring!) on it's way soon, we thought we'd share this wonderful project we found via creature comforts. we've all tried dyeing eggs with natural pigments and they usually give you a beautiful and subdued color. but if you are pining for those bright colors you can get from those box kits, stephanie barnes (of 3191) has done the work for us and figured out how to get some serious color from veggies and spices. read how she does it here.

so very cool.

joAnn

check this out!

our friend megan auman is the featured seller on etsy! 

you can read her interview here.

congrats megan!

buffalo small press book fair

going to be in the western ny area this coming weekend? make buffalo one of your stops as the buffalo small press book fair is just around the corner. this is one seriously cool show. originally desgned to be a gathering book artists, poets, writers, zinesters, authors and virtually all book enthusiasts together for one full day of idea sharing, poetry readings, workshops, discussions and overall book-related fun. now in it's 3rd year it has expanded to include artist of many different genres peddling their wares. go there this saturday and you'll find some very familiar faces as many of our favorite second storie artists will be showing their work. stop in and say hi to collette quaglia, freshly blended press, shanna murray, french press, pete lazarski, pistachio press, jim delucia, lizz switzer, jeffrey vincent, and ruthie designs. the complete list of vendors can be found here.

March 21, 2009
noon-6pm
Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
453 Porter Avenue
Buffalo, NY
find a map here

as an added treat, our good friend pete lazarski will be teaching a zine workshop! there will also be workshops on screenprinting and bookbinding. and it's all completely free. the schedule of events, including the poetry fest on friday, can be found here.

and all of this happens in the most beautiful of spaces. the open airy space and stained glass windows of the karpeles manuscript library museum create the perfect atmosphere for this day of book-related fun. we can't wait to see you there!

in the meantime, happy st. patrick's day!

friday favorites

it's that time again, so here's our favorite thing this week on etsy...

this little beauty can be found in made by hank's shop. i found this shop months ago and fell in love. the crumpled fabric stitched firmly down to the sturdy flat panel is pure genius. it is simply begging to be touched. plus, the packaging and presentation is above and beyond the norm.

totally gorgeous.

they were recently a featured seller on the front page of etsy. you can read the interview with proprietor katie henry here.

since the interview, the shop has been selling items as fast as they are stocked so go grab your favorite clutch now before they are gone!

underground opera

we love these guys!

photos by: Rose DiSalvo

opera cabal does with opera what second storie does with art+craft. this incredibly talented group of musicians, artists, composers and performers, based dually out of chicago and new york city, knows how to put on an opera festival. their shows effortlessly marry the most brilliant young operatic talent with breathtaking spacial manipulation by visual and sound artists. this is not your grandmother's opera. (go here and here to see some of their past events)
hoping to inspire more interest and support, on march 19th opera cabal will be having a party in new york (an Opera Cabal Upper West Side Benefit Soiree, if you will), featuring performances by the musicians of Opera Cabal and sound installation by electronic sound artist, Jason Ponce.
in addition to the musical performances, they will also be auctioning off donated art+crafty goods and services, among them a few items from second storie. (if you're interested in donating, please feel free to contact nick at operacabal@gmail.com)
we're hoping for huge success with this party, and for opera cabal in general. we're so thrilled to find more and more kindred spirits out there!
k
ps. did i forget to brag that i get to go to this soiree!? i'm so excited!