Fancy Tiger Two Trunk Shows and a Fabric Sale

First Friday Events at both stores! This Friday, February 5th we have two amazing events at both Fancy Tigers!

I. Fancy Tiger Crafts is hosting a trunk show for the new book by Meg McElwee, “Sew Liberated.” You can view samples sewn up from the book and save 10% on all fabric purchases from 6 – 9pm. In addition, we’d like to introduce you to the new Fancy Tiger Sewing Annex at 8 W. Ellsworth, right around the corner from the craft store. Please stop by to view the new space where additional sewing classes will be held.

II. Fancy Tiger Clothing is hosting DENVER MADE, a local designer trunk show featuring libations from Great Divide Brewery and a stunning soundtrack. 7-10pm

February’s Denver Made features fashion Designer and stylist Fallene Wells and the newest collection by Let ‘Em Have It, her womens apparel line. Recently named one of Denver’s top fashion designers by 303 magazine and with three successful fashion show benefits under her belt (all organized herself), Fallene Wells has been making a quick name for herself since starting to pursue fashion design in 2001.

*DENVER MADE IS Free and Fun

Denver Photos Shot w iPhone

Image

Image

Image

Read more

Ritual and returns

Dudes! It’s been like forever or something! But now I’ve finished a whole thesis and that is that.

Seriously guys, I’ve missed spilling the Denver beans on the intraweb.

Anyhow, here’s something everyone who is anyone should be attending: The Riddle of Ritual, a collective show at the Emmanuel Gallery at the Auraria Campus.

For the show, six Denver artists took up the challenge of addressing what mysticism and ritual meant to them. I need to see it, because I’m sort of fuzzy on the concept myself!

Saturday Jan. 9 is the opening reception, from 7-10PM.

Click the clicky picture to read more… And be there.

Ah, it feels good to be back on these nets!

Amazon: have 1200+ free songs!

1200 free mp3s from Amazon

No, that’s not a typo. I just downloaded about 100. You need to install the Amazon mp3 download application (free) for this to work.

examples: Jeremy Enigk’s OK Bear, Mogwai’s Christmas Song, James PantsThis Christmas Girl

Mona Lucero design boutique Holiday Fashion Show

Saturday, December 5, 2009
The fashion show will be presented twice
- at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m.

The Holiday 2009 collection is a collage of elegant and funky designs inspired by such eclectic sources as Japanese kimonos, retro circle skirts, Punk, Mod,and Queen Elizabeth. With a potent cocktail of black, red and grey and generous splashes of bright color, it promises to be a spirited show.

Hair and makeup will be created by leading salons Tuana Hair Design and the award-winning Brows on Upper 15th Street.

Mona Lucero Design Boutique
2544 15th Street
Denver, CO 80211

The show will be presented twice at 8:00 p.m. and 10 p.m. For more info, please contact Mona at 303-458-0090.

Shake it!

speech
Hey nerds!

A little science would spice up your day, wouldn’t it? What if the science topic of the day was something cool to learn about, like earthquakes?

On Dec. 1st, head to the Denver Athletic Club for a talk by Colorado State University professor Dr. John van de Lindt as he discusses testing and methodology for building a six-story, light-frame condo complex in Japan (where earthquakes are a serious issue.)

The CSU Alumni organization offers a monthly Innovations Breakfast speaker science speaker series, where you can go fill your head with the latest in research and development info!

The cost for the lectures is $20, and alumni (yay!), friends, and anyone interested in learning is invited. Check out the rest of their scheduled talks here.

Holiday Wine

wine
Hey fancy pants!
The year is coming to a close very quickly- have you enjoyed all the culture and drinking and cultural drinking this town has to offer?

If not, pack some in during these last months of 2009!

The Denver Center for Performing Arts and the Rialto Cafe are offering a tasty and cultured combination on December 13th: A wine and appetizer sampling, followed by a production of the holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol”!

From 4-6, gather in the Rialto Cafe to drink some specialty booze and snack on delicious foodstuffs. This is a fundraiser for the Denver Center, so your boozing money will be going to a good cause!

The benefit is followed up by a performance at the Center itself at 6:30.

Tickets are $75 for the combo of wine/play, and the wine tasting alone is $50.

Do something great for the arts in Denver, and get yourself hammered while doing it!

Lightning over Denver

lighting-denver

And for no good reason… a lightning shot!

Antiquing with gypsys!


I’m a big fan of antiques- I don’t have any in my own house (I’m a whirwind of disaster that threatens to destroy everything I touch in a home- THIS IS WHY I CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS!) but I sure as heck love to look longingly at them at stores and estate sales. Some day, I tell myself, I will become a grown-up and treat my furniture and vintage collections carefully, and then I can decorate in fantastic style.

For those of you who aren’t epic crushinators of priceless objects, I highly recommend stopping by what promises to be an extensive estate sale this weekend, hosted by Denver’s preeminent estate sale team, the Denver Gypsy Boys.

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Gypsy Boys will be opening the doors to a house at 4055 E. 18th Ave.
Denver, CO 80220 (1/2 block from Colorado Blvd.) and offering up French Provincial furniture and finery, Early American decor, appliances, musical instruments, chairs, sofas, credenzas, lawn and garden goods, CDs, books, DVDs, cameras, and other great items.

Head on down from 9AM-4PM on Friday and Saturday, and pick up some deals for 1/2 price on Sunday.

And I’ll keep on dreaming that some day, some way, I’ll be able to fill my own abode with such nice things.

Moonwalk with me

sabin
Head to the Walker Fine Arts Gallery this Friday, Nov. 13 from 6-8 PM for the opening gala of “Moonwalk,” a new art show by Denver artist Sabin Aell.

Using mixed media, Aell explores ideas of fathers, mothers, bodies, creation, and movement in the show. Using photography to capture startling images of things such as pale flowers and broken lines, the show examines life-paths, connections, and how we relate to others.

Aell is the proprietess of the popular Hinterland Gallery, and her work has been featured in shows around town.

The exhibition will continue through Saturday, January 2, 2010,

First in Fashion, First on Friday

fashion denver
Get thee to Fashion Denver for an exciting First Friday sale-a-bration and boutique extravaganza!

Lots will be happening at Denver’s best place for local designers: From 6PM-9PM, enjoy free neck shaves, up-doos, and nail polish changes from Tootsies and Rebelle salons, and enjoy some beer from Wynkoop Brewery.

Six new designers will premiere in the showroom space: Freedom Star, Jennifer Mosquera, JM Designs, Rae Marie, Dandy Social Club, and Joyas Jewelry. Some favorite designers will be sticking around in the Showroom, as well, including Kimono Dragons, Turbo Lovin’, Grey Sunshine, L. Train Recycled and Omerica Organic.

Come down and celebrate Denver, fashion, and Fashion Denver on this fine First Friday!

The Coral Room DJ

daren
What are you doing tonight? Nothing, you say? Well, why the heck aren’t you at the Coral Room listening to one of the great DJs of Denver, Mr. Daren Hahn, make magic then?

Get on over to the Coral Room (3489 W 32nd Ave) in the Highlands for some eats and some sounds.

Daren is an all-around musically known fellow in these here parts, and he’s sure to make an evening a treat.

Plus, no cover from 9PM-1:30 AM!

1st Friday at 11th


Swing by the 11th Avenue Gallery, a little, cozy gallery space located just off Broadway and 11th Avenue here in Denver, for a look at work by local and national artists.

This month, 11th Avenue will feature work by Eric Adrian Lee, from Portland Oregon, as well as Denver local artists, Kathy Knaus, Jacqueline Cordova-Pachuck, Oliver Terry, and Nick Baldridge.

The 11th Avenue is a great place to see local artists, and shows a wide variety of works, ranging from installation to performance to drawings on things like napkins (that was a great show there a few months back, actually…)

Swing by from 5PM-9PM this Friday!

Art on Santa Fe

kanon
First Friday has rolled around, and it’s bound to be an art spectacular as always!

If you head down to the ever-popular Santa Fe strip, be sure to stop by Kanon Collective gallery and get a gander at what’s happening there.

Located at 766 Santa Fe Dr, the Kanon Art Collective will be featuring new works by Carlos and Michael, along with sculptures by Jeff Erwine and new pieces by David Menard and Kym Bloom.

Join the artists and others from 5-9PM for a glimpse at the new work.

Also this month at the collective, a show in the front gallery will feature works by Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design students.

Get out there, and get some art!

100 Designs: Gino Velardi Fashion Show & After Party!

  • Fri Nov 13th | 7pm | East Club Level | INVESCO Field at Mile High
  • Benefits Dress for Success Denver
  • Gino Velardi’s 1st fashion show since suffering a stroke in 2006 – he’s back!
  • Gino Velardi is a Denver native and self taught fashion designer
  • Featuring 100 designs – cocktail dresses, gowns, suits and coatsGinoVelardiPoster3
  • 152’ Runway, 25 models, 8 photographers
  • Gino Velardi is the Fashion Group Intl 2007 Rising Star Award Winner and 2009 Presenter
  • Gino Velardi is the runner up for The Fashion Project at Tamarac Sq. – local version of Project Runway with Heidi Klum
  • Hair & Makeup – Click Salon/Charlie Price, Shear Genius reality star
  • Free parking, coat check, photo booth and GetFlipped!
  • Cash bar
  • The Patrick Emerine Band for the reception then DJK2 rocks the After Party at INVESCO
  • AFTER After Party at Wicked Garden on Larimer Sq. – VIP entry, free cover, GV specials
  • Ticket includes Reception, Fashion Show AND After Party at INVESCO! $40 GA, $65 Second Row and $85 Front Row
  • Purchase tickets online at www.ginovelardi.com
  • Stay in the loop at www.facebook.com/ginovelardidesigns

“The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.”

Fangs for the theatre

dracula
Why not take in some culture and get some scares tonight at the last performance of “Dracula” at Lakewood’s E Project Theatre!

A great retelling of the classic Bram Stoker novel, this version by local actors does a lot with a very difficult and intricate storyline. By turns sexy, exciting, and actually chilling, it’s a great Halloween treat.

Head over to E Project tonight for the last show at 7:30! Get your tickets here!

Media and Monsters this Halloween!

media monster
monster media
It’s Halloween, and that always means a load of spooky stuff to do and some pretty awesome parties… However, this one looks pretty great this year, what with the combination of haunted house, treats, and television!

Denver Open Media will be hosting Media Monsters, a Halloween extravaganza this year at 700 Kalamath from 8PM til late in the dark night.

You can feel the fright as you tour through the haunted rooms, or snack on spooky cereal (Remember Count Chocula or Booberry? Oh man, Frankenberry was the best!), dance the night away whilst in costume, and even star in your own horror film!

Halloween WILL be televised this year, with footage of the party on Comcast Channels 56 and 57.

Costume contests will offer a $200 prize for best outfit, and special prizes for political or media related looks.

It costs $20 at the door, and includes drinks and foods and other fun.

SPUN means Fun!

tramapoline!

Come on, snow, don’t be a total dick!

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the predictions for snowfall will be greatly exaggerated, and tomorrow will be clear as a summer’s day for October’s edition of SPUN, the greatest (possibly only?) variety show in Denver!

Tomorrow night staring at 9PM at the Meadowlark Bar, fun will be in the cards as Brandi Shigley (of Fashion Denver fame) hosts a wide berth of skits, music, comedy and other silliness! Events will include music by Raugust, a performance by local actors Johnny Morehouse and George Peele, and the dramatic performance of a hot new script (come on, big time Hollywood producers! Bidding starts now!) of a one-day-to-be-a-summer-explosion-tramploline-oriented-blockbuster-I’m-sure-movie, “JUMPIN ON THE EDGE!!!” (Cue guitar solo)

So join SPUN for fun at 9 PM Oct. 28 for some hot hot action, even if the cold, cold snow is upon us!

Cemeteries, spirits, and art in Riverside

riverside
Whoooooo! It’s nearly Halloween town, and for me, that means shivering in a locked apartment, fearing the ghastly sounds of pretend (or ARE THEY?) zombies roaming the streets. I just can’t handle the undead.

But the dead- hey, as long as their not mobile, that’s OK by me…

So a cemetery tour, complemented by an art exhibit in Denver’s Riverside neighborhood, sounds delightful as long as the dead stay good and buried and no hands start reaching ominously upward to grasp at ankles while I’m distracted by the art…

This Halloween, Sat. Oct. 31, the Wynkoop Brewery will be hosting the “Spirits of Riverside” art event, which will feature artwork by local artists such as
Sabin Aell, John Schoenwalter, Sherry Hern, John David Davenport, Sharon Feder, Izah Gallagher, Jill Hadley Hooper, Sandy Marvin, Jackie McFarland, Matt O’Neill and Jeff Starr.

The reception will run on Sat. from 5-7PM. Tasty beer will be available, and portions of the proceeds from the sale of the artwork will be donated to the Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery.

Earlier that same day, the Riverside neighborhood will be offering tours of that very same historic cemetery, with tours starting at 2PM and running until 4PM. Actors and storytellers will be on hand to offer interesting tales of some of the famous folks from Denver’s past.

Enjoy a whole day of history, art, and spooky, and beer and help contribute to Denver’s historic preservation.

But if even one single zombie pops up, I’m not in for preserving any cemeteries, no matter how historic. Zombies, you have been warned.

Recent Restaurant Report

Saigon Bowl

Damn good, damn cheap. Usually those adjectives don’t go together, or at least raise an eyebrow or two, but this time isn’t one of them. Two people can eat like kings — and take home food for tomorrow — for just $30. It’s crazy. Saigon Bowl has something like 186 dishes on the menu. The waitstaff is quick and polite, and the restaurant is clean. I get Pho soup, spring rolls and sweet n sour chicken.

Breakfast King and Pete’s Kitchen

They do the same thing, so I’ll combine them in this article. Both: American diners, Denver landmarks, open 24 hours. I get breakfasts when I go, and they’re both very similar, the only edge being given to Pete’s for sheer speed. I was there a couple months ago at the counter and I’m sure my Chefs Special got to me in around four minutes. A wait for the Breakfast King equivalent recently took 20-25 minutes. Other than that, they’ve both bot great pancakes and hashbrowns.

Señor Burritos

Super little neighborhood place that’s been around since 1993 or so. Tamales are great, and come on the spicy side of spicy. Salsa’s good, burritos are good, prices are very reasonable, and the staff is extremely friendly. I’m never let down at Señor Burritos.

Lucile’s

Much hoopla about nothing. It’s always a thousand minute wait. Why? The food is bathed in butter and grease. If that’s “Creole”, I guess I’m just not into Creole. The place is packed, the tables are small, and our food was mediocre. Beignets are superb though.

Avoid

Stay away from Wok to You unless you like getting ripped off.

Colorado of the Corn

maize
It’s that corny time of year!

Yes, the fields are awash with corn growing as high as an elephants eye, the tall stalks reaching towards the stars, and maniacs with chainsaws strolling in between the rows!

Nothing is better at Halloween time than a haunted corn maze… And Colorado has a bunch of them.

The Fritzler Maze in La Salle is one of the best-known… Head out as the darkness falls. Being disoriented in a maze, out in the cool air, and finding startling ghouls at every turn beats any indoor haunted house where you’re shuffled from one room to the next. Inflatable attractions, go karts, and other “agritainment” is available at the Maize for the whole family (although who says you have to have kids to enjoy being spooked?)

In Chatfield, the Denver Botanic Gardens offers a non-haunted maze (or maybe it is haunted and the ghosts are just really lazy and mellow?) for holiday enjoyment. It’s disorienting and can provide hours of wandering fun.

While those two are probably the best known around here, there are plenty of other mazes and patches. Check out this for the full lineup of corny times.

Between the Devil and Denver

mallman
Mark Mallman!

The piano-playing maniac from Minnesota is back in town this weekend. For those who haven’t seen the show, you don’t know what you’re missing. Playing fast moving, catchy songs on his keyboard, Mallman gyrates, jumps around, and even lays himself out on the small casio in a stage show that’s unforgettable.

His last album, “Between the Devil and Middle C” was full of pop hooks that may sound familiar… I was heading into work, and on the TV screen in the building lobby, I heard one of Mallman’s synthy-songs playing in the background of a news program.

Head to the Lion’s Lair at 10PM to catch him this Saturday, Oct. 17, or to Ft Collins on Oct 16 to see him at the Road 34 Bike Bar (an awesome joint in and of itself.)

Michael + Michael=Awesome

michaels
If you’ve ever seen “The State” (formerly of MTV, way back in the day) or Comedy Central’s “Stella” or the movie “Wet Hot American Summer”, or if you’re a VH1 junky, you probably have seen Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black at some point, and doubtless you first asked yourself “Wait, what?”- a sentiment that very quickly turned into some seriously hearty laughter.

The two Michaels, fresh off their show-within-a-show “Michael and Michael Have Issues” will be joining Denver this Saturday, October 17th at the Ogden Theatre.

Dry, distinct comedy, the two will be performing a mostly stand-up based show this weekend, but fans of their many appearances will likely be treated to the same comedy stylings that made them fall for the Michaels Squared in the first place.

Tickets are $26.25 (an odd number, huh?) and can be picked up here.

The very strange case of the B+

mca
The B+ is a funny grade. While the D- is known here in these internets as the “Gentleman’s F” (failure, but more polite) the B+ is a comfortable consolation of a very good performance, yet strangely striving. Almost, just quite but not quite attaining the fabled perfection of an “A” but not falling into the gentle quiet of a solid B. It’s a hopeful grade, one full of potential just a fingernail’s grasp out of reach, but also a humbling one that says things are very good, but not quite excellent. Could it be the most lovely yet frustrating grade out there?

For all these reasons, I was a little startled when the Museum of Contemporary Art of Denver announced its program “B+ (Very Good) Explanations.” There’s something at once shocking that an organization would not toss about the hoary old advertising staples of “Awesome!” “Amazing!” “A++!” in a description. It made me do a double take, as I’m so used to the oversell. It also made me wonder why they’d settle for such a title, while being refreshed by their candor and analytic, philosophic titling of a program.

In the “B+” programs (which take place every Tuesday at 6PM for the rest of the month), a different curator will come to the MCA to present a discussion (along with MCA new-ish director Adam Lerner) the works of several emerging artists. Are they moved? Convinced? What is the artistic merit of these up-and-comers? Or is there something they’re in doubt about?

It sounds like a challenging and interesting (not to mention pretty B+ ballsy) to look at “rising stars” of the artworld in such a way.

This Tuesday, Steven Wolf of Steven Wolf Fine Arts joins the melee for some very good (hopefully) discussion.

Denver help for your anxieties, depression and sex life

flourish
Check out Flourish Counseling where you can get good advice on how to deal with stress and anger caused by, among other things, loss of job caused by our crappy economy.

Licensed psychotherapist Angela writes (blog link here) about depression, anxiety, sex lives and more. Besides her normal practice of seeing clients, she offers workshops in the area to help you help yourself with these issues.

I know Angela and she’s absolutely wonderful… personal recommendation: +10.

Product Photography 101 Class Tonite

Product Photography 101 By Matt Herrebout
Sept. 23
, 6:00pm-9:00pm
321 W. 11th Ave. Cost: $50.00

I’m teaching Product Photography 101 tonite, 6-9pm. If you create or sell jewelry, fashion, doodads, or widgets, no longer do you have to promote your products with crappy photos!

No fancy camera or fancy software is required for fantastic product photography. You don’t need a $2000 Nikon, or a studio, or special lights, or even Adobe Photoshop! I’ll show you how you can shoot your handiwork or eBay items with common household items and your digital point-n-shoot.

Bring your camera, and even your small product/object, if you want. I’ll do hands-on demos, Q&A session, theory, practice, camera settings, how to use the software on your PC/Mac, and lighting. And fun, we’ll have a good time!

Contact me if you want a spot. It’s limited to 8 spots.