meet the simpsons

dabney and annie simpson

make your own simpsons character at simpsonsmovie.com. (thanks for the tip, becky!)

damn, that stork gets around!

congratulations to our favorite crafty family on the birth of their daughter, maisy rae!

happy birthday, nikki!

it was a weekend of festivites: a wine & cheese, a bachelorette party, and even a birthday bash of enormous proportions with a "golf and tennis" theme. and while we await the photos of the not-even-close-to-g-rated bachelorette party to be posted online (ahem), i'll just have to share a pictorial overview of how i spent my saturday evening.

7pm - my friend (and later designated driver) and i are lost off the coast of cape ann.

7:35 - we figure out that our destination is indeed the very last mansion at the end of a very long driveway.

7:40 - we make our entry and come upon this scene. i soon realize that i have stumbled upon what appears to be gianni versace's last resting place or perhaps his neighbor, elton john's south beach playhouse.




7:45 - hello everybody!


on the right, one of our hosts, alex










8:15 - time to explore and more importantly, take pictures with all the naked statues











9:00 - this guys gets the "best pants" award





9:15 - the band hits the stage, and everybody boogies.









10:00 - the bubble machine rains down on the guest of honor, punctuated by occasional bursts of confetti.





11:00 - FIREWORKS!!







11:10 - pumped up from the stellar light show and perfectly chilled champagne, more drunken dancing ensues.











midnight-ish - more naked statue pics







damn late - a balloon gets stuck up my dress





HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NIKKI!!

in case you missed it

here's a ny times article on renegade from sunday's style section.

and totally unrelated but incredibly amusing:

(as seen on cute overload)

a day at the pool (renegade pt. 2)

as usual, we didn't manage to snap as many pictures as we had hoped. but we did get a few...


a happy mogo customer with her brand new snap case.


the orange glasses gang rode in through town, ahem, the pool.


forced to comb through the renegade craft fair photo group on flickr, we found all sorts of interesting pics but were most excited to discover the gem below. meet aitor and cisco - two of the most handsome, and most mustachioed men at the fair. cisco just happens to be sporting a mogo bear pin.



here is our tent at the fair. this is about the 1000th time we've posted a variation of this very same picture. but what the hell? here it is again.



the debate for the day was "pool versus park?" we have to admit, we kinda dug this year's venue: it was easier for customers to shop and tents could be left up all night.



sure, it was a little difficult to unload on tiny lorimer street. and yes, the day's heat seemed to be stored up in the pool's concrete floor. and yes, some of us even got a few inches of rain in our tents from the hour-long downpour. but when you think about it having us all bunched up in a pool seemed to lend itself to creating frenzy and attention. thousands of folks poured through the gates throughout the two days. and for that, the pool wins.

greetings from new york (renegade pt. 1)

besides the one hour of rain at the end of saturday, the renegade craft fair lived up to all expectations; sales were good, it was crazy hot, and everyone seemed excited to be there - even if we were in an empty pool.



it seemed that our collegues raised the bar even higher this year by putting out the cutest stuff ever. put it this way - it was hard, very hard, not spend our profits on other crafty goods. we allowed ourselves stickers from the small object and yet another japanese zakka book - this time from lotta jansdotter. funny enough, the book has nothing to do with japan but with the swedish designer's travels through scandinavia.



mogo found itself in the self-proclaimed "pickle district" - across the aisle from mr. pickles and wheelhouse pickles. and to answer your questions: no, they aren't associated, yes, one of them sells actual pickles and yes, their proximity to each other must have been planned. besides having tasty samples, one of them had the cutest sweetest puppy that gave us endless joy and the occasional puppy love break.

more soon...

now for big kids, too!

we don't want to discriminate against the bigger kids around here, so we came up with new toddler/youth tees in our ever-popular paper plane design. now your favorite 3-4-5 year olds can have their own mogo gear.



ok, and so can annie...

williamsburg or bust

tomorrow, we're off to the mother of all indie craft fairs, and perhaps our favorite - the renegade craft fair. in years past, the rcf has been held in mccarren park in the heart of williamsburg. this year, we've moved over into the park's pool for a change in scenery. pass the sunblock...

if you are anywhere near the big borough of brooklyn, swing by sometime this weekend for a day of amazing shopping and hipster people watching. we'll be there with our best in wickety-whack and new products. click the image above for more info.

the prison life: paris

while looking for a way to play jeopardy along with the television (don't ask), i came across this little gem on the game show network's website:



so, if you are bored at work, feel free to help paris stamp vanity plates in the pokey.

show us something gayer than karaoke.

to celebrate gay pride weekend here in boston, our two gay boyfriends/neighbors threw a last minute party. they provided the space, and we brought the karaoke machine (and the girls).



for all you planning parties out there, just say the words "microphone" and "songlist" and an hour later, about thirty folks will show up at your door and won't leave until seven point five hours later. they might be tipsy, and their voices scratchy, but they will be happy.

and so they were this weekend.



highlights included the entire party's standing rendition of "somewhere over the rainbow", alexia's soulful delivery of "killing me softly", and matt's all-night medley (from here on out, he'll forever be known as dr. karaoke). his cher ROCKED indeed.

when you're busy recovering, post a silly mosaic.

dabney and will having too much fun with someone else's glasses last friday night.

click to embiggen:

the stork strikes again!

here's a shout out to our newest "friends-turned-parents" -- congratulations to dawn & dave on their brand-new baby girl, ava!



cute family, no?

feidler might already be a millionaire!!!!

everybody's heard those stories of deceased relatives continuing to receive junk mail, or promises of windfalls from publisher's clearinghouse.



Greetings Dabney:
Congratulations, Feidler is this month's Reef Dog Gifts & Grooming
Pet of the Month!
You can visit the feature here:
http://www.reefdoggrooming.com/potm/potm.asp
Thanks for submitting, and don't forget to stop by the shop for your
free box of treats!

Sincerely,
Reef Dog Gifts & Grooming
http://www.reefdoggrooming.com

tennis channel on directtv

if you haven't guessed by now, we have a slight tennis obessession - especially when it comes to grand slam events*.



the french open is underway and with its unavoidable time delay on american tv, we've had the results of many a match spoiled by that damn internet. but just in time for the french open's quarter- and semi-final, we discover that directv is featuring a sneak preview of the tennis channel with live late night coverage. read all about it here.


*be the first to email us with the name of the four major championships and you'll win a special prize. bonus prize to the first person to name them in the order of which they're played through the year. no google research, please. all guesses welcome.

neither heat, nor wind or rain, will stop us crafters from going insane

mogo braved searing heat on saturday and then wind and rain on sunday at philadelphia's art star craft bazaar.

thanks to those who withstood the elements!

sadie, satisfied mogo customer


bob & joy, the newlyweds


setting up and tearing down in the heat and rain gave me the feeling of working for a circus for the first time. i think it was the need for all our tents' extras, the additional tie-downs and nylon sides (until then, still wrapped in plastic), that generated that circus roadie vibe.

of course, there were our usual crafting partners-in-crime out there. holla to deb and alec of if'n books, kelly and matt of my favorite mirror, becky from sweetie pie press, and rebecca and george of bakesale designs. but it was our encounters with two crafters from our own backyard that provided weekend highlights. cambridge's own family dinner for one screenprints great tees. being new englanders, our favorite one features a lobster playing with a ball of yarn.



long-time superette reader and fellow lover of all things tiny, tomoko was the true surprise of the weekend.



and you know how people say that people and their pets resemble each other? the same often goes for crafters. tomoko was no exception. she makes the most colorful, fun, and adorable stuff. and she herself is most colorful, fun and adorable. art star was her second official show and her wares looked fantastic. we hope to see more of her on the circuit, and in boston between shows.



of course, dab and i couldn't help but fall in love with her chicky pups. it is now our official craft fair mascot and good luck charm. arigato, tomoko!



a HUGE thank you to erin and megan from art star, who continue to amaze us with their kindness. they are constantly thinking about ways to grow and/or improve their events, which is much appreciated by us vendors. two years in a row of damn rain is not fun for organizers, i'm sure.

hope to see you next year in philly!