Devout Dolls Interview & Giveaway

Sara Lanzillotta of Devout Dolls handcrafts one of a kind creations that are both cute and creative, with a touch of the macabre. Sarah is offering up a Chirpy Birdie as a giveaway! Please comment before midnight on Thursday (Dec. 2) to enter!



UCU: Pick a song that gets you in creative mood or you think would make a great addition to a "UCU Winter 2010 Soundtrack".
Devout Dolls: "Gut Feeling" by Devo, "Super Jellyfish" by Gorillaz, "Charlotte Mittnacht" DeVotchka, "Mishto" by Gogol Bordello

UCU: What’s one thing you wish you had known at your first craft show?
DD: How much of everything to bring, this would include stock, change and bags! You just never know what to expect. My take on it now is, it's better to have too much then not enough.

UCU: If you have pets, introduce them and tell us a bit about them!
DD: I have Rubin Monkey Bean the Chihuahua, his other name is Grandpa. He's kind of grumpy and, for being so tiny, he has a very large personality and an even larger bark. He's very sweet and cuddly though too. I also have Momo the cat. A black and white kitty who's not so friendly but we love her anyways.



UCU: What item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
DD: I'm pretty excited about my new stuff, unicorns, Chihuahuas and taxidermy pins (made of fabric, not animals).

UCU: What day of show traditions are you bringing to UCU 2010?
DD: That would be the "oh god I'm not ready freak out dance". It's all the rage among crafters right now. You start running around in circles and it involves a lot of foul language. Just the thing to get your heart pumping and ready to go!

UCU: If you could sum up your work in one word, what would that be?
DD: creepycutetastic



UCU: What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this winter?
DD: homemade vegan soups with homemade bread

UCU: Favorite handmade item you have? It could be made by you, gifted to you or something you picked up.
DD: Ooh, that's a hard one, I have so many, currently is an amazing sweater my friend Hansi knit for me.

Tender Loving Empire Interview + Giveaway

Based out of Portland Tender Loving Empire seems to have their hand in a bit of everything. From artist collective to record label this diverse group will be heading out to UCU this year with an exciting new compilation, Friends and Friend of Friends Vol.III. One lucky follower will take home a copy free of charge by entering in our giveaway.

UCU: Pick a song that gets you in creative mood or you think would make a great addition to a "UCU Winter 2010 Soundtrack".
TLE: You can't ask a record label that question and get a simple answer. Here's a whole list!
Some of our favorite Tracks:
"Juniper" by Y La Bamba
"Wake (Keep this Town Alive)" by Finn Riggins
"CPR- Claws Part 2" by Typhoon
"Tallest Building in Hell" by Jared Mees and the Grown Children (A very uplifting, cheerful song, despite its title)
"Hoop + Wire" by Boy Eats Drum Machine
"Monkey Play" by Gratitillium
"Opposite People" by Hosannas
(In fact, if you'd like to put our Friends and Friends of Friends Compilation in the playlist mix, we'd love to donate an extra one. DIY music at a DIY Craft Fair seems fitting to us!)

UCU: If you have pets, introduce them and tell us a bit about them!
TLE: Our new kitten, Mabel, definitely deserves mention. We tend to have a little bit of trouble waking up in the morning to work after late nights seeing local bands around town. Thusly, Mabel has filled a much needed role in our family: the alarm clock. At the first hint of sunrise, she's up, ready to play, licking our noses and pouncing on our feet under the covers. Its hard to wake up on the wrong side of the bed when your day starts with a purring fuzzy face in your face. Thanks for the motivation Mabel!

UCU: What item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
TLE: Aside from the brand new Friends of Friends and Friends compilation that we're offering up to the UCU blog giveaway, we're super excited about our new hoodies! Both of our hoodie designs are printed on the COZIEST American Apparel hoodies to keep you extra warm during a Northwest Winter. The latest design features a Geometric Forest designed by TLE's own, Jaclyn Campanaro. Little spherical clouds drop crystal-shaped raindrops over a conical evergreen. Our Rose City Bird's Nest hoodie is back by popular demand as well. Stop by our booth to try one on and check out our other new tshirt designs as well!





UCU: What day of show traditions are you bringing to UCU 2010?
TLE: Online, and at the Tender Loving Empire store in Portland, our CD's sell for $10 + shipping. But at UCU, we offer all of our albums on a sliding scale to help you take a chance on new music you may not of have heard of and fill stockings on a budget!

UCU: Favorite handmade item you have? It could be made by you, gifted to you or something you picked up.
TLE: Cartoon Monster's Sail Boat Automata http://www.etsy.com/listing/49916468/hand-crank-boat-in-a-box-automata-indigo This is the one item we will be bringing from our brick and mortar shop! Turn the crank and the little boat sails the sea! It's the perfect gift for anyone at any age. Stop by our table at UCU to see it in person.



And they're giving this away! A copy of their new Friends and Friends of Friends Vol.III. Leave a comment and it could be yours!

Hidden Talents Unveiled : Nov 30th

Check out Hidden Talents, coming up on November 30th in downtown Seattle! Please RSVP if you are interested in coming!

Giveaway Winners---ROUND 1!

Congrats to all of our pre-Thanksgiving giveaway winners! Winners were chosen via comment number through Random.org. Please find us at the UCU Booth at the Winter show to find out how to claim your awesome prize!

For all those who didn't win this time around, keep commenting! We have a ton of great giveaways coming up in the next week leading up to the show!

-R&L Goods notebook set: Elena (Comment #4)
-Texture Clothing mitts: Barrie (#21)
-Matthew Porter print: Jen (#1)
-Debbie Weiss Maude bag: k a t (#8)
-Cakespy mug: Angie (#15)
-Secret Stash Salts: Tara (#4)
-Foamy Wader Roxie necklace: Mo (#12)
-Bunny Lee print: Dawn Edge (#2)
-Danger Peach necklace: Sarah (#4)
-Rakka Deer cards: wastedpapiers (#1)

Ladies & Gentleman Studio Interview + Giveaway

Jean Lee and Dylan Davis are Ladies and Gentlemen Studio, specializing in “good things”. They are graciously providing one of their L&G Daily Affirmation mirrors! The mirrors are one-of-a-kind vintage repurposed mirrors each with a positive phrase laser etched. L&G believes that we all need some encouragement to get ourselves through the day. The mirror is made with wood frame painted in gold. Dimension: 7" x7".



UCU: Pick a song that gets you in creative mood or you think would make a great addition to a "UCU Winter 2010 Soundtrack".
Ladies & Gentlemen Studio: Journey- Don't stop Believing

UCU: What’s one thing you wish you had known at your first craft show?
(Or--If this is your first show, what are you most looking forward to?)
L&G: We're looking forward in seeing the response from the people attending the show, since it'll be our first time at UCU and also doing a craft show for our studio!

UCU: If you have pets, introduce them and tell us a bit about them!
L&G: We don't have a pet, but would like to get some ducks....they're the new chickens!
UCU: What item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
L&G: We're pretty excited about our vintage one-of-a-kind Daily Affirmation mirrors. Also we're excited that we'll be officially launching it at UCU!



UCU: What day of show traditions are you bringing to UCU 2010?
L&G: It's our first year, so we need to think of a tradition. But an idea to start a tradition is to make some hot cider or ginger milk tea for ourselves and whoever wants some!

UCU: If you could sum up your work in one word, what would that be?
L&G: Cleverly-nostalgic.

UCU: What gift are you most excited to give this year?
L&G: Our Chalk-It-To-Me piggy banks, since we got some friends with babies or young kids, and think they'll really enjoy the use of it.

UCU: What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this winter?
L&G: Homemade marshmallows or dark chocolate covered pretzels

UCU: Favorite handmade item you have? It could be made by you, gifted to you or something you picked up.
L&G: Our favorite handmade item as of now is our Chalk-It-To-Me Piggy banks. Essentially this product was our baby where we were part of the whole process from start to finish. It was like giving birth to it without the physical pain. We're pretty proud of the fact that we're able to materialize our ideas and actually make it work! It also has a special sentiment for us in a sense that it symbolizes the possibility of making our dream happen in pursuing our own creative studio/business!

This Charming Candy Interview

Today we meet Kate and Susan of This Charming Candy. They make unusual and delicious lollipops of all colors and flavors.

UCU: Pick a song that gets you in a creative mood or you think would make a great addition to a UCU Winter 2010 Soundtrack.
This Charming Candy: Constructive Summer by The Hold Steady. We know it's not summer, but we love that song!

UCU: What Item are you most excited to be offering at UCU Winter 2010?
TCC: Our Greatest Hits collection! We've taken the most popular flavors from all the collections we've sold and brought them together in one place! It's an easy way for customers who haven't tried our lollipops to sample the best of the best.



UCU: If you could sum up your work in one word, what would it be?
TCC: Delectable. No wait, delicious. No, um, yummy. It's so hard!

UCU: What are you nibbling on as the snow falls this year?
TCC: Kate: I've been enjoying some mulled cider with the mulling spices from World Spice. It's perfect as I relax at the end of the day in front of the television with my husband.
Susan: Honeycrisp apples from Merritt Apples in Mt Vernon - the best honeycrisps I've ever found.

Get The Goods!

Hello all you woderful people who have been reading interviews and entering in giveaways. We decided that Turkey Day was a good day to pick us some winners! So, all postings before Thanksgiving will close Turkey Day at 10p.m. After you have had your dinner, pie and wine glance over the posts to make sure you have your name on all the goodies that you adore. Check back on Friday evening and see if you have a special something to pick up when you come shopping this December 4th and 5th at Seattle Center!