Local clothing line Makool just launched a web store, Makool Loves You, featuring the Makool line as well as some knick-knacky household items like potholders and cute birdie decorations. But I’m diggin’ these Makool Alphabet Shorts for straight kickin’ it in the summertime.

Prepping to restore a pretty old fixie bike for summer, of course my first priority was shining it up and accessorizing it. I have my lights, my ‘I heart my bike’ bell, and a fabulous new white helmet. Now all I am missing is a basket.

Problem solved!

Besides the amazing design and standard uses, it also doubles as a shopping basket (defeating the theft factor too). Does it get any better? Oh yeah, it comes in black, white and lime.
The lovely Carrie bicycle basket is available from local boutique Relish (433 NW 10th).

If you’re more inclined to seek out the micro-lines of clothing and sundry accoutrements that can usually be found at craft fairs, there are three occurrances this weekend that you need to be aware of:

• First, tomorrow is the Etsy Art and Craft Summer Sale! You know Etsy. You love Etsy. In conjunction with PSU’s Women’s Studies Department and concurrent with the farmer’s market, you’ll find over 40 Etsy vendors here, a craft paradise. But you gotta get up early with the farmers to get first dibs: 7 am to 5 pm, South Park Blocks.

• It’s a double whammy on Sunday, with another round of Crafty Wonderland taking place at the Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 11 am-4 pm. But also, head over to the Wonder Ballroom for Fabricate, a showcase of indie designers of clothing and jewelry with a lot of fresh names, the most recognizable of which is Sameunderneath. Others include Claire Baby, which produces one-of-a-kind baby burp cloths and bibs(!), Mi Mo handbags, and aprons from Rose and Rhubarb. The trunk show-style event will also feature a runway, plus food and music. And check out this pretty bracelet from another exhibitor, Vassa P—only 60 bucks! That’s a lot of posh look for an affordable price:

) (( ) = )Open ((Clothed), the line by Diana Lang that appeared in the Mercury fashion show a few months ago (you remember: the mysterious, cozy cloud box from which would everge balloon toting models and the occasional banshee scream) is now available at 811 E Burnside’s Denwave! Sculptural, radically conceived pieces like Lang’s need an experimental home like Denwave, and I’m glad they’ve found one. (Lang is also available for made-to-order in case things don’t fit as is.)

HOT PANTS, YES OR NO?

Leave it to Chas Bowie to tell you about the kind of visual art you wanna hang on your walls, my First Thursday escapades are all about the kind you hang on you:

• The Art Institute of Portland’s 2007 apparel design seniors meet-and-greet: Five of the graduating seniors from AI’s apparel design department will be displaying one garment from their senior collection and fielding questions about their work—you may find the next Adam Arnold, Anna Cohen, or hell, Emilio Pucci. Consider it a warm-up to the big portfolio show on Sunday, June 17. (AI, 1122 NW Davis, 8:30-8 pm)

• The Grand Opening of Tender Loving Empire: See my earlier note here, plus live music by L.A.-based The Righteous and Harmonious Fists, playing an acoustic set—co-owner Jared Mees compares them to the Unicorns and Of Montreal—and art by Sam Guererro (TLE, 1720 NW Lovejoy #109, 6-10 pm, music 8-8:30).

• Nolita’s Third Anniversary: You can read all about that here, but in short, they’re having 20 percent off the whole store (sale runs through Saturday) and tonight from 7-9 they’ll have champagne and treats. (Nolita, 923 NW 10th)

• Le Train Bleu: Open house at this store, which now has Karen Walker sunglasses to get you through the season. Receive 25 percent off storewide if you’ve got the magic password—my hint is pictured below. (Le Train Bleu, 748 NW 11th, 6-9 pm)

They don’t officially open until tomorrow (check out their First Thursday shindig from 6-10 tomorrow), but Chas and I just got to poke around the new Tender Loving Empire (1720 NW Lovejoy, Ste 109) store/small press/screen printing facility with proprietors Jared and Brianne Mees. It reminded both of us of the early retail days of Motel, with lots of indie goodies from journals to jewelry, to wallets to t-shirts. There’s also some crossover with the micro-press focus of Reading Frenzy—a mix that seems right up the Portland indy/DIY scene alley but a little different for the neighborhood they’re in. They’ll also be hosting art shows every month, and the first is by Sam Guererro, whose Be Afraid shows his cute/effed up artistic renderings of junior high and high school kids’ fears, from sticking a Q-Tip too far in your ear to being the victim of botched plastic surgery. Check the photos:

(fear of getting pregnant)

(fear of gun violence)

(blotched plastic surgery)

(amputation)

(fear of being racially profiled)

It’s been nearly a year since I transitioned from a (albeit large) studio apartment to a pretty big two-bedroom, and the quality of life/growing up boost is significant. For one thing I went from essentially living in a huge, messy walk-in closet with a stereo and bathroom that I would rarely even let people into much less “entertain,” to a home I take pride and entertain in frequently. It also meant that my boyfriend and I had a lot of furniture shopping to do (thrift stores only, of course), and the place is still very much an ongoing project. Another hallmark of a bigger living space is the addition of two cats, who are in the process of destroying one arm of the $50 couch from the bins that graces our living room. So one of the projects on our list is to reupholster it in leather (leather is more claw-proof). I recently stumbled onto Squint, a London company that reupholsters used furniture and other unexpected objects (teapots, lamps, mirrors) in bright, bold patchworks of nice fabric, which seems like a fairly easy thing to replicate DIY style, although their professional hand is really nicely done. (And if you wanted to go the extra-recycled route, you could easily source vintage fabrics, an excellent way to dispatch odd-size scraps.) The Squint stuff is a bit too bright and clownish for my pad, but I can see it working in a space that has that Swinging ’60s, stripey pants aesthetic, and obviously you could choose your own palette. I think we’ve got to stick with leather because of the cats, but it’s always fun to imagine what-if.