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!

Sometimes you dream up these great ideas or have all these thoughts swimming around in your head, but lo and behold, you have nowhere to write them down! Where is that cocktail napkin when you need it?

Don’t despair. You can do what some of the cool kids do: Carry a journal around. Lots of people I know do it. (I actually carry two different-sized Moleskine journals around myself.)

But if you want your journal to stand out from the rest, maybe you should check these out:

(I especially like the bingo journal. I have fond memories of playing bingo with similar-looking cards as a kid. Plus, the journal is great for those bingo! moments. [And now I'll stop with the awful puns.])

If you’re loving these journals, you can pick them up at Create a Thought. There are journals of all shapes, sizes and kinds there! The Robot Love journal (the bottom one) is just about as big as a business card, so it’s perfect for your pocket or purse. And each journal is made in small batches, so you can be assured that a million people won’t be walking around with the same kind of journal (and if you lose it, well, you’ll recognize it more easily).

But Create a Thought is more than just journals! It’s a store built around the concept of creating thoughts and manifesting those thoughts into cool stuff. For instance, you can get this art journal kit to feed your artistic side. Or you can get a finger art ring like this one:

There’s plenty of stuff to look at, so do check it out.

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!

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:

Consider these little pieces of art that you can wear:

You can find these stunning accessories at waterrose’s shop on Etsy. The cuffs are made with wool felt, sometimes hand-dyed (as is the case with the cuff at the very top). Each is an amazing piece of needlework, a celebration of all the different embroidery stitches that can be done. The felt makes a great canvas for the work.

As an added bonus, sometimes the pieces feature other items made by fellow Etsy sellers. Yay for good karma!

Cuffs aren’t the only things available in the shop; you can get rings too. But if you’re looking for a unique accessory, you won’t go wrong here for sure.

Looking for a little extra sparkle or shine for your home? How about these?

These glassy pieces are from Full Blown Glass, the brainchild of Brent Earnest and Heather Fulp out of St. Petersburg, Florida. Brent is a self-taught lampworking artist and glass blower, and he continues to churn out jewelry, sculpture and home decor.

There are lots of colorful ornaments and magnets, and even a few plant stakes (this seahorse is pretty cool), so if you’re looking for something simple and elegant for your home, do take a look. Maybe pick up something you can hang by the window for some nice lighting effects.

And if you’re a huge fan of big, bold pendants, there’s plenty of glass jewelry to choose from.

… 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.