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kicking the holiday spirit into overdrive

 yesterday i woke up to a magical snow-filled wonderland!  the first 'real' snow (ie, the kind that sticks around) of the season began friday night, as we were coming home from a show (in what was, hands down, the sketchiest cab ride ever, in fact - but that's really not relevant here!)  unfortunately, i couldn't frolic and enjoy it - of course, i had to go to work.  i did manage to take a few shots on my way there, however. 
it was still snowing when i was walking to work, though the river hasn't even begun to freeze over yet.  this is thee one good thing about being awake before most of the city on a saturday morning - a quiet walk in the pretty snow. 

i was lucky get out of work earlier than usual, and immediately high-tailed it over to the renegade holiday craft fair.  well, that's not entirely true - since i was in the neighborhood, i ducked in to nina to say hi - which turned out to be a good move, since they'd just been given a whole mess of delicious cupcakes from the truck parked outside.  if you happen to see the more cupcakes truck, be sure to get yourself a little treat!  not only were they delicious, but the chinese takeout box they're packaged in was super-cute.

bees!
so, after a bit of a detour, i found myself at the fair, which was a lot larger than i was expecting.  i immediately found myself wishing i'd brought more cash, because there was some really amazing stuff - i think this was even better than the fair they have in september.  no lie!  upon entering, one of the first friendly faces i see if my pal nadine, who runs sonnenzimmer with her partner nick.  i won't lie; my apartment is pretty much filled with sonnenzimmer prints - we're approaching 'museum' territory here.  but i am a huge fan of their work, not to mention them as people, so i highly recommend dropping by their booth to at least say 'hi'!  also, next door is the uncommon booth, which had some extremely tempting ornaments and hair clips that i regret not purchasing - so much so, i'm thinking about going back today! 


best-smelling soap
also ran into my pals jay and diana, who i mention on the last renegade post, and got to catch up and admire their latest new work.  diana has some really stunning work on her website and in her etsy shop, which are worth a visit if you aren't here in town to see them in person!  her husband, jay is the gifted artist behind the bird machine. i got so distracted by his new series of pigeon art prints that i didn't even think to look for this poster that i've been coveting. 


what a lovely wallet!
my pal sam had just been telling me about this honey-based line of bath and body products, so when i found the worker B booth, i struck up a conversation with the extremely nice people.  it's quite possible that i made their day, informing them that within the first 6 hours of their arrival in chicago, there was already some word-of-mouth interest in their products (sorry for that awkward sentence, i was just trying to avoid using the word 'buzz').  after playing around with their samples, i opted to get a jar of the olive oil-and-honey lotion and some lip balm.  a few booths down, i found some hand-made soap from the rinse booth which i couldn't resist (and did NOT buy some of the best-smelling lavender products i've found in a while - i think that was a tactical error). 

...with a spot for all your stuff!
my final purchase was something that's needed to happen for a while - my current wallet is starting to fall apart, and because i am constantly losing my checkbook, i think it is time to upgrade to the 'billfold' level of wallet-ness.  luckily i found an affordable yet stylish option at the besu booth.  it has plenty of places to stash everything i need to carry around with me (and some stuff i probably don't, but insist on doing so anyhow) - including the fifty thousand rewards cards you have to get at every store on the planet these days.  aside from the fabric, which i love, and the afore-mentioned roominess, i also love that i still have a little money left to put inside it.  i think that's what bothers me the most about wallet-shopping - some of them are so expensive, you don't have a need for it after you buy it. 

total tab for this trip to renegade:  just under $50.  who says handmade isn't affordable?

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