Who: Niki
Where: Gaycation at Holocene
Cutest piece: This dress I made! (Luxury Jones)
Photo by: AM

Unlike what was accidentally, mistakenly reported while I was away on vacation, the holiday sale at Liza Rietz + A Broken Spoke (2305 NW Savier) begins today! Look for 10-30% off men’s and women’s clothing, gift ideas for under $50 (men’s ties, women’s cloches), as well as gift certificates. Sale only runs through Sunday, so don’t delay!

There will be great gifts for all at this weekend’s Urban Craft Uprising holiday sale in Seattle. Check out some my favorite items.

Clockwise from top:
1. Bird claw necklaces by Jessie Taylor.
2. Adorable little “Pita” by Perfect Children
3. Alice in Wonderland doll by Devout Dolls.
4. Skull embroidery from Mud Flap Grrrl Designs.

(Photo courtesy of Mike Estes)

This Saturday, from 10 am-4 pm at 323 NE Wygant, studios 204 & 206, Anna Cohen is having a huge sample sale with pieces up to 70% off! Just the thing if you want to snag something in vibrant orange to carry the torch as the colors of fall give way to winter. Speaking of Anna Cohen, word is that she’s in the running for an ecoStyle award, which—fingers crossed—would whisk her away to Malaysia in the coming weeks. (An example of her competition? Stella McCartney.) A joint venture between NYC Inc and IMG Fashion (there aren’t many bigger guns in the field), this is what you would call A Big Deal—it’s the inaugural year for what promises to be a longstanding, high profile distinction for innovators in design fields from fashion to architecture to product.

If your looking for something unique to wear to the office Christmas party this year, you might consider a pieces from the collection that is debuting tomorrow night: Longtime local designer Erica Lurie has taken canvas panels created by local artist Shannon Tudyk, and incorporated them into a special edition of her Garnish line for women. Stop by tomorrow and check out the result, as well as Tudyk’s hanging works inspired by Egyptian history and African wildlife. (Thursday (tomorrow) at Garnish, 1524 NE Alberta, 6-9 pm)

So every hoodie in my house (there are at least 27) are stretched wildly out of control, covered with stains, and are an embarrassment to wear. That’s why I actually WHOOPED with glee when outdoor fashion designers ICEBREAKER sent me a new hoodie to try out. Icebreaker is all about the layering, producing environmentally friendly pieces made from 100% alpine merino wool (from New Zealand), that they claim are unlike other synthetics or heavy wools, because they’re warmer, more breathable, softer to the touch, and most importantly, DON’T STINK.
Naturally I was skeptical, but I gotta tell you, I LOVE THIS HOODIE. As advertised, it’s nice and hefty, fits well, it’s soft as a baby’s bottom, and keeps me warm and toasty. Plus, check out this hood! It makes me look like Apolo Ohno!

Skimming the catalog, Icebreaker has tons of different layering possibilities for gals and guys, for the outdoor extremist as well as the couch potato-ist, and some really cute underthings for the girls. (As usual, the guys clothes need more variation and color choices, but such is the world in which we live.) Check out a ton of styles for every environment at icebreaker.com. Or better yet, why not show up for the official opening of their new Portland store, which will feature cocktails, wine, sale prices on all merch, and actual Merino Sheep grazing outside the store! Here’s the deets:

ICEBREAKER TOUCH LAB

1109 W Burnside (corner of Burnside & 11th)

Tuesday, Dec 4th, 6-8 pm

Here are a couple more close up pix of my new hoodie. Don’t you just want to unzip me?

Recently, I’ve really been into embroidering. It’s a super simple way to customize handbags, towels, clothing, or anything else that’s made of fabric. You can easily design your own patterns, transferring said patterns to fabric is a breeze, and it’s something to keep your hands busy while you watch TV at home on these dark, wet, late autumn nights. If you think you might want to try it out, watch this embroidery lesson with the super awesome Jenny Hart from Sublime Stitching during the first half of this recent episode of Threadbanger.

Here are a few pieces from my favorite artists appearing at I Heart Indie Holidays this Sunday.

Clockwise from top:
1. Stuffed Owl from Sew Many Cats
2. Jessica Bag from Love Mert
3. Godzilla vs. Unicorn wallet by Andrew Bargeron from Tinymeat
4. Recycled book journals from Attic Journals

(**Portland skyline photo courtesy of Mike Estes)

Still tired and lazy from a weekend of gluttony? Can’t get back into work mode? Well here’s another way to procrastinate (besides catching up on your Merc blogs), N.E.E.T. Magazine.

N.E.E.T. is an on-line fashion magazine full of great photo shoots, street fashion, gift ideas, illustrations, and creative advertisers. Over 175 pages of fashion fun at your fingertips, and your boss will never know.

I know it’s only Sunday night, but this upcoming weekend calls for a craft fair road trip! I’m giving you a little extra prep time just incase any hotel reservations need to be made.

Start your weekend off with a nice drive to Seattle for Urban Craft Uprising’s 3rd annual holiday craft fair at the Seattle Center Exposition Hall (Sat & Sun 11am-5pm). Urban Craft Uprising is one of the best craft fairs in the Northwest and is definitely worth the trip, but don’t forget to get there early because they give great swag bags away to the first 100 visitors.

After checking out the 120 vendors at UCU, remember to save some $$$ for I Heart Indie Holidays back in good old Portland at the Wonder Ballroom (128 NE Russell) on Sunday from 12-5pm.

Forget Black Friday, these are the sales not to miss!!