It’s always neat when you actually meet in person someone you’ve read about online or in a magazine or something like that. I was totally thrilled to not only meet illustrators and graphic designers Frank Chimero and A. Micah Smith at Renegade San Francisco, but of course I had to buy posters from them.

(For the record, yes, I fawned like a schoolgirl. OK, kind of.)

Anyway, here’s what I picked up from this talented duo (they were sharing a booth):

Screenprinted poster from Frank. I’d seen it on one of the graphic design blogs I frequent. And yes, it’s going on a prominent place in my home office because it’s hilariously true.

Terrific concert poster by Micah. (Ugh, sorry for the crappy photo.) Such a great design. (I’d also seen this online somewhere.) And I do like The Get Up Kids. It was a win-win situation.

Frank and Micah were really nice guys. And they’re pretty big in the graphic design world. But they seemed thrilled that someone who appreciated their art form bought their stuff. As Micah put it, “It looks like this stuff is going to a good home.” Indeedy. Both are already framed and ready for hanging!

While you’re at it, visit Micah’s shop for more awesome gig posters and wearables, and check out the awesome States series by Frank.

Indie*galore kicks off a week of posts about a few awesome artists from Renegade Craft Fair San Francisco with 3 Fish Studios!

San Francisco-based 3 Fish Studios is the husband-and-wife team of Eric Rewitzer and Annie Galvin. Both artists, Eric does linocut prints of everything from modern furniture to robots to San Francisco landmarks. Annie paints — including the 49-Mile Scenic Drive sign paintings that were a hot ticket at Renegade SF — and does original collages.

Here’s what I picked up from them:

A bear collage by Annie. Bears were collaged onto the paper and the background hand-painted.

Linocut print by Eric. Probably one of my favorite things I got at Renegade. I laughed when I first saw it.

Eric and Annie often have events and classes at their studio, and always encourage folks in the San Francisco area — whether you live there or are just visiting — to stop by.

In addition to being fabulous artists, I have to say that Eric and Annie are also fabulous booth neighbors and people! They even gave us a beer during Day 1 of Renegade. Now that’s a good neighbor!

Once upon a time, long, long ago, pet rocks were a fad. Kind of inexplicable because pet rocks would just sit there. But if you’re into low-maintenance company, they’re perfect because they require little care and whatnot.

So, if you’re going to get a pet rock, at least get one that’s cool:

You’ll find these lovely rocks — real Montana river rocks, no less! — at Samaria Project.

These rocks come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and are handpainted. In addition to the birds and monsters, there are also some jellyfish.

If you’re still looking for a low-maintenance pet but want something more animal-like, do check out the amazing selection of plush animals in the shop. This one is very delightful:

There’s something about collage art that’s so personal and unique and alluring. No two collage artists look at things the same way and no two collage artists will put a collage together the same way. Some collages are borne from a love of vintage, some from a love of a place, some from a wonderful personal experience.

If you like collage, you might want to check out Giesla Hoelscher of Inkblots Art:

These are all digital art collages turned into functional pieces, though there are also good old-fashioned digital collages for display if you fancy something for your walls.

Giesla also runs a non-Etsy site, inkblotsart.com, where you can see — and purchase — her fine art collages, location-inspired collages, photo cards and photo prints. Do check it out.

This brings new meaning to the word bookmobile:

What a lovely piece and a great idea for old books! You can find this book mobile at Shophouse, along with other vintage books turned into art:

While the book sculptures are easily the most stunning and eye-catching decor pieces in the shop, you’ll also find collage jewelry (mostly necklaces), original drawings, and even these really nice sewn paintings. There’s definitely some great art if you’re looking for something a little different to decorate your house with!

There’s something wonderful about nature being interpreted in artistic form. Almost anything — flowers, plants, trees — can serve as inspiration, and some people execute it very well:

All of the above can be found at UnaOdd. Really, the shop is just one big explosion of color — like a huge bouquet of flowers, enticing you to look ever closer.

There’s so much good stuff in the shop that’s it’s really hard to decide where to start. Maybe the polymer clay pendants, all made from original patterns, hand-detailed with acrylic paint? Or the acrylic wristbands, all hand-painted with different motifs? Or the acrylic paintings of flowers? Or these really amazing bookmarks that were made from the pages of an old accounting textbook and then embellished and laminated?

Everything is pretty affordable as well — yet another bonus!

I love all kinds of bird items, and these are no exception:

These lovely items are from Australian artist Naomi Murrell. She is a freelance illustrator and designer who turns out many, many lovely illustrations and art, which you’ll find in her shop. The art has an organic feel, with plenty of birds, plants and apples. You can also check out the laser-cut brooches if you would rather wear your art than hang it.

The art in the shop is silk screened and signed by the artist. Here’s another piece from the shop:

There’s something about letterpress that’s so wonderful. Maybe it’s the texture. Maybe it’s because there’s such an old-school quality to it. Maybe it’s care and handmade touch that goes into it. Whatever it is, it’s appealing. Throw in some lovely illustrations and bright colors and you’ve got this:

Very cool, eh?

You’ll find these goodies at Old School Stationers, a charming operation based out of Portland, Oregon. Brian and Amy turn out these letterpress creations that you can then find on cards or ready-to-hang wall art. Each image is hand-drawn and created with an old-school letterpress from 1917.

There are also journals with letterpressed covers available.

The art is awesome, and you’ll find something nice for sure!

Photography is such an art. I especially love people who take pictures of animals because they can be so hard to capture at the right time. I had a soft spot for this cat in particular because I know my cats would never sit still long enough for a photo like this:

Isn’t that adorable? It was originally a film print, which is even more cool! And you can find this lovely print at Donna Pool Designs.

Donna is a former freelance photographer, now stay-at-home mom and artist. In addition to the photographs you’ll find in her shop, she also has hand-sewn puzzle balls and plush, ACEOs and lots and lots of buttons made from vintage magazines (these are especially cool … and entertaining).

There’s a lot of really neat stuff, and a lot of the photography is of cats if you’re a cat lover. The ACEOs are neat, too, particularly the ones that feature old cameras! Retro cameras rock!

And if you need custom buttons, this is also a great place to look!

Here’s a sample of more stuff from Donna:

This certainly isn’t your ordinary pottery:

All this work is by ceramicist Natalya Sots. Everything in her shop has been hand-formed and hand-glazed and hand-painted. It’s quite amazing, really. A lot of her pieces have this colorful, whimsical feel to them — I almost feel like I’m stepping into an Alice in Wonderland-like world. The details are intricate, and every piece is worthy of being in an art gallery.

And do check out the teapots — they are perhaps the most stunning pieces in her shop.

If you’re a big fan of rabbits, you’ll love these awesome ACEOs (Art Card Editions and Originals) and paintings from Blue Dog Rose:

This is all the work of artist Nakisha Elsje VanderHoeven. Many of the paintings and ACEOs use rabbits of all colors and shapes as their subjects. There’s something really charming about these paintings — I especially like the one above of the cat since that reminds me of my own cat who makes that face when you try to pick her up.

You’ll also find bookmarks and jewelry in the shop, as well as awesome animal wire sculptures like this:

When a shop’s tagline is “little things you didn’t know you wanted,” you’ve got to check it out, yes?

I found a few little things I wish I could get at paper pattern silk:

I’m especially digging the music note earrings. They’re so subtle and yet so elegant and fabulous!

These two pieces also happen to be made with sterling silver pieces that were hand-hammered and soldered. I love people who can do metalsmithing.

You’ll find all manner of earrings, necklaces and bracelets at paper pattern silk, as well as some lovely drawings (drawn then digitally colored) like this:

Imagine for a moment that we lived in a world of dollhouses. Or that we were all Lilliputians. Maybe our food would be down to this scale:

(The steak is my personal favorite. Who would think to craft a steak dinner in miniature?)

All of these lovely creations are from Tooth Fairy Miniature. And while some of this listings may have the word “dollhouse” in them, please be reminded that these are not toys! They are certainly not meant for children — they’re meant for collectors and for display.

Rachel makes her miniatures from cold porcelain or air dry clay. Every piece is her design, and her attention to detail — from the individual petals in the flowers on the cake to the marbling of the chocolate cake to the ridges in that asparagus to the decorative handles of the silverware — is amazing. Anything in her shop would make an awesome collectible indeed.

She does have some jewelry available as well, mostly earrings. Those earrings are fun as well — many cupcakes and vegetables, even some lettuce that comes with a matching pendant. There are other charms and pendants, too; in fact, the steak set above is a pendant. Wouldn’t that make a fun necklace?

… that you should probably look at these illustrations of birds:

If you want to pick up a few of these prints, head over to the yumi yumi shop. Brazilian-born Aline is the artist behind these prints (these happen to be giclee prints). While many of these happen to be of birds, there are illustrations of other subject matter (like people) in the shop.

The drawings are colorful and crisp, and most of the drawings come in different colors. If you’re looking to spruce up the walls a little bit, this isn’t a bad place to start.

I am a sucker for very cute characters like these:

Such fresh color palettes and such cute drawings to boot!

All of this is the work of Stephanie Fizer. You will find all kinds of wonderful prints and cards and paperie in her shop, and even some limited-edition ACEOs like this very cool mermaid.

The last print with the monkey is actually part of an alphabet series. You can find other prints with different animals representing different letters, or you can get a limited edition print that features all 26 illustrations. Neato.

There’s so much great stuff and just not enough room to show it all here, so meander over and check it out for yourself.