Faire Play: Handmade Market Chicago

Earlier this month, B-bops and I braved the cold and snow venturing to the Handmade Market in Chicago, which is hosted every second saturday at The Empty Bottle. What a fine city we live in! So many craftastic opportunities. We were not disappointed with our little trip, and I discovered some fun new craftspeople! But I don’t mean to rub this in your face, seeing as how you probably couldn’t come. Luckily for you, I’m about to take you on a virtual visit to the Handmade Market by introducing you to my 6 favorite booths!

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Faire Play: Four Markets in Four Weeks

Did you take advantage of all the craft fairs before the holidays and buy handmade gifts? We sure did! And what’s that? You want to hear about all the fun we had on our holiday market marathon? Well, if you insist…

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Faire Play: Volunteering

{ photo credit: The Lovely Poppy }

Volunteering. This thing people do when they care about something so much that the thought of getting paid for advancing the cause of said “something” doesn’t even cross their minds. Who knew! I’ll be trying out this “volunteering” thing before the year is out, because as it turns out, I care about something! Again, who knew? My reasons, you ask? Well, I want to gain some real world experience that applies to my grad studies. But I’m working full time, in addition to classes, so I can’t devote myself to an internship. Solution: volunteering at craft fairs! Fun fun fun.

It looks like I’ll get to help out with the Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Market in Chicago next month, and I’m pleased as punch at the thought of getting a behind-the-scenes look at one of my favorite craft fairs. And for those of you in the Chicago area, I invite you to join me! If you’re interested, just shoot Madelon an email at info [at] renegadecraft [dot] com. But the fun doesn’t have to stop with Renegade! The Chicago Craft Mafia‘s DIY Trunk Show is also in serious need of volunteers. I wanted to help out with this show, along with the Bucktown Holiday ArtShow, but they just happen to be on two of the three weekends that I have to work this year. Drat! But who knows what joyous fairs the Spring will bring. And there’s always YOU. Volunteer! I know you can feel the crafty spirit moving in you…. No? Is that a weird thing to say? Well, I just thought I’d make the suggestion…

A Westervin Wedding: Barrel Maker Printing

There are some people you should know. Especially if a) you live in Chicago, b) need something screen printed, or c) like nice, friendly folks. Say hello to Justin & Erin of Barrel Maker Printing. They printed our wedding invitations, and the experience couldn’t have been more pleasant. We don’t wanna give away our finished invites just yet (we haven’t put them in the mail yet, sheesh), but we did want to let you in on the process. Not only do they have a cool workspace that they let me photograph, but they’re laid back and their services are very affordable (and worth the price). Thanks, Justin & Erin, for being yet another lovely, hassle-free vendor we’ve worked with in planning our wedding. Maybe we’ll see you at the farmer’s market in a couple of weeks?

A Westervin Wedding: Honeyboat

Even though Sarah and I might not have the money or the time to go on a honeymoon right after the wedding, it hasn’t stopped us from thinking about it. Somehow, Sarah has been taken with the idea of cruising down the Mississippi wearing a sun bonnet and a smile. Having never been on a boat for more than an hour, the idea of a cruise scares me a bit, but I will admit there is something nice about the idea of rolling down the big muddy.

Options appear somewhat limited, but there are some (going from Chicago to New Orleans is pretty expensive and lengthy). If you’re not tied to the river, leaving from Chicago and circling Lake Michigan is a shorter and cheaper option, too. If we aren’t able to find the time for a week on the water we can always take a daytime excursion on an old-timey steam boat at pretty much any city on the Mississippi.

A Westervin Wedding: Save-the-Dates Revealed

It’s time, my babies. The big reveal we’ve been hyping for the last several weeks. Say hello to our save-the-date cards! We are pretty proud of them.

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Swig & Swill: Chicago Sidecar & Allspice Dram pt. 2

After you’ve agitated the rum allspice concoction for 10 days, you’ll need to strain all of that allspice out. It’s probably easiest to run it all through a coffee filter. As with most homemade libations that you have to strain, make sure you press on the spent allspice to extract as much flavor as possible. Once you have your strained allspice rum, you’ll need to make a 1:1 simple syrup with brown sugar (simmer a 1:1 mixture of sugar to water in a small pan until it is clear and not cloudy). Let the syrup cool off, combine it with rum, and pour it into a bottle. It will probably taste pretty rough at first, so you’ll want to let it sit around for awhile. Paul Clarke recommends 30 days or so.

There you have it! Allspice dram. A pretty straightforward liqueur that is perfect for the season, and considering it’s use in tiki drinks, it’s probably pretty good in warmer months, too. All you really need to make it yourself is time. Of course you can always buy St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram at your better equipped liquor store. In any case, you may be wondering what kind of cocktail this could possibly be used in? Well, luckily for you, I’ve got just the thing.

Chicago Winter Sidecar

1.5oz Bourbon (preferably something higher than 80 proof)
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
.25 oz pimento dram
1tsp honey (adjust to taste)
egg white
2 dashes of coffee bitters

Add all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, fill with ice. Shake and strain into a coupe glass (champagne saucer). Garnish with a lemon twist and maybe a few allspice berries. If you feel a bit squeamish about the raw egg white, the drink will work perfectly fine with out it–you’ll just loose a bit of texture. This recipe builds upon the Black River Sidecar.

The Chicago Winter Sidecar is really good. I think it’s one of two whiskey-based drinks that Sarah actually liked (the other being Paul McGee’s Gristmill at The Whistler), both of which have a dose of allspice dram. So if you don’t happen to be very fond of whiskey or find yourself hanging out with someone who ‘hates the stuff,’ you might suggest a cocktail with a little bit of dram: a miracle cure for the whiskey averse.

Westervin Wear: Grayscale

The weather last week was shockingly warm, so I skipped merrily around without the constraints of a heavy winter coat. I’ve actually been wearing my newly acquired Navajo print tunic nonstop… kinda like a six-year-old who refuses to take off his spider man costume. I just couldn’t help myself! It’s so comfy and soft on the inside like pajamas, and lord knows I love me some pajamas. I keep some sock monkey print footy pj’s at Brian’s parent’s house! But instead of wholeheartedly embracing the Saturday-morning-Netflix-marathon-not-gonna-bother-with-a-glass-to-drink-my-milk look, I dressed my tunic up with a show-stopping Tree & Kimball necklace and my Fancy (that’s right, with a capital “f”) leather boots. { After the jump: Urban Outfitters tunic, Target tights & socks, vintage boots, necklace from Tree & Kimball }

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Westervin Wear: Watch Your Step

I keep having the same recurring dream, night after night: fall is over, and winter’s clutches are upon us! So, I figured I need to wear my spiffy brown shoes before they’re outmatched by piles of snow and slush. Similarly, my vintage corduroy blazer is perfect for autumnal temps, but once my dreams become reality, I’ll need to find shelter in something heftier, if not indoors altogether.

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Renegade Craft Fair: Heavy Hitters

{ up in the air somewhere }

We couldn’t finish our Renegade Craft Fair coverage without a nod to the big boys (mostly girls, actually) — those especially talented artists whose work you may have seen on many blogs or in different shops (at least around Chicago). But if you haven’t heard of them yet, get familiar! These are a few of the talented, crafty ladies who’ve been feeding my wishlists for quite some time…

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