The holiday season has definitely arrived, and the time to find that perfect gift is about to quickly get away from you. It can be hard to find a unique and fun gift for those special people in your life, especially if you’re only looking at the same boring stores that everyone else is shopping at. Well, the fifth annual Crafeteria just might be the answer you’ve been looking for. The event features 100% handmade gifts from over 40 crafters and is going down at the plaza that is home to some of the best indie businesses in Phoenix. There’s going to be free coffee, sweets, and music as well! I know tomorrow’s edition of First Friday is extra packed, but this is an event you should definitely make!

Alright Phoenix, this is the night I’ve been anxiously awaiting for the past month. Those of you that know me personally have no doubt heard me talk about it at least once during that time, and the rest of you get to hear that now! Tomorrow night at the Arizona Center, the incredibly talented and hard-working Tiffe Fermaint will celebrate a decade of running her own fashion label. First off, I don’t know anyone as young as Tiffe who has been an entrepreneur for anywhere near as long, so lets give it up for her for that alone. But beyond being a smart and gifted businesswoman, she is on some next level shit when it comes to design. She’s by far the most exciting fashion designer I have seen come out of Phoenix and I think she’ll be internationally know very soon.

So, before that happens and she’s whisked away from the desert forever, get out and check out her runway show tomorrow night. The night gets going at 6pm with a plethora of local music and art. I’m especially looking forward to a DJ set by Pablo Gomez, along with a live set from Elektrobahn and the Arizona debut of THErapist. Along with the music, there will be live art from Bobby Castaneda and an opening fashion show featuring the designs of Ashley Pasquan and Kelly Calabrese. While the event is free to attend, you should purchase a runway seat for $20, as Tiffe is donating the proceeds to the Arizona Animal Welfare League and SPCA. Whether you decide to buy a runway seat or not, I hope you come out tomorrow and support the burgeoning indie fashion scene in Phoenix. I promise that you’re in for an exciting night.

I know there’s a lot of people with varying opinions on the Cityscape project, and I haven’t quite decided how I feel about it all yet. However, I think one thing that everyone can agree on is we need more places downtown that will allow for awesome events like this one to take place. For the December edition of First Friday, the mega-development will be hosting the 26 Blocks exhibit that features 26 writers teamed up with 26 photographers set out to document the history and evolution of 26 different blocks around Phoenix. The exhibit is a tribute to our ever-growing city and all the potential it holds, and this event celebrates that fact in a major way. But don’t think the gallery show is all of it!

That’s right, there’s also a show and one hell of a party going on as well. They enlisted Mr. Meeble to come and play their first live show in over a year. This is one band you definitely don’t want to miss, as they put on the best show of any local band in town. Joining them will be Factories, who were previously know as Underwater Getdown, and the two best DJs Phoenix has to offer. If that isn’t enough for you to get your socially awkward ass of out of the house, maybe the beer garden they’re going to have will finally push you out the door. This is all completely free and there’s a raffle going on for an iPad, with all proceeds benefiting the Ear Candy charity. This is going to be an exciting night and a celebration of all the beauty and potential that lies within our city.


MP3: Mr. Meeble – Gift

Sam Wilkes is a local actor, artist, and you can now add jewelry designer to the list. He is part of a new generation of designers that are creating jewelry specifically for men and providing pieces that are both unique and artistic. I know I personally have a hell of a time finding jewelry that I would actually enjoy wearing, especially when you look at the poor selection that mainstream designers offer in their mens lines. If you have this same problem, Brass Buck by Sam Wilkes can probably help you solve it with his one of a kind pieces.

He started off selling these pieces on his Etsy store and has recently began selling them at local boutique Phoenicia Association. There was recently a trunk show featuring his work and those of a few other local jewelry designers, and word is that these pieces have been flying out of the shop. I can’t say that I’m surprised as they are both vintage and timeless in feel and look like they should cost a lot more than what he’s charging for them. Enjoy a few shots of what he’s created so far below and get your hands on one of these pieces soon if it catches your eye, as they are all works of wearable art.

When Animal Collective released their rarities collection Animal Crack Box earlier this year, the artwork was the thing that caught my eye above and beyond anything else. Jon Vermilyea’s incredible illustration for the collection is now available on a high quality 20 x 37″ print. It’s limited to 150 copies and each one is signed by the artist himself. Look at the detail of that print up close! Put this in a frame and you’ll make the AC fan in your life super happy this holiday season. Buy it from SEEN Studio. You can also hear the Grateful Dead-sampling track “What Would I Want? Sky” from their new EP below.

MP3: Animal Collective- What Would I Want? Sky

The fine fellows over at Shirts And Destroy have teamed up yet again with tattoo/art master Thomas Hooper to release ‘Book of Lines’ Vol.1. Featuring over 540 Images of linear reference material and packaged with a limited edition Hooper shirt this is one package that will not be around for long. The first time I came across Thomas Hooper’s site I was mesmerized, once you see his work for the first time you will be able to recognize his work anywhere. Do yourself a favor and check him out, and while you’re at it give Shirts And Destroy a look over, as far as custom screen printing and art prints they are unrivaled in my book. - – Posted by Jordan Walker – -

From PHXART.ORG:

“More than half a century ago, Ray Bradbury envisioned one of the world’s most unforgettable dystopian futures. Artist Tim Hamilton has turned this modern masterpiece into a gorgeously imagined graphic novel. Hamilton talks about how he came to illustrate this year’s Big Read selection, Fahrenheit 451, and how an artist adapts a work of fiction to the graphic medium. He shares early storyboard drafts and concept sketches, as well as art-historical examples that inspired the look for the adaptation. A reception follows the talk.”

This will be an incredible lecture to be a part of. It starts at 6 and is free. Seating is first-come, first-serve basis. To find out more about Tim Hamilton’s adaptation, check out this NPR article.

Speaking of Where The Wild Things Are, how incredible were the beasts in the movie? I was so happy to see them do away with CGI as much as possible. Using live actors in costume made everything feel so much more alive and made Max seem so much more in the scenes. It’s only right that Medicom would release a collection of very detailed and realistic figures of Bull, Douglas, Carol, Ira, Judith, K.W., and a dual set with Max & Alexander. These are available right now at Medicom dealers such as Colette.

The combination of natural talent and earned skill that Ryan McGinley possesses is just simply not fair to other photographers out there. This guy is seriously on a level above everyone else and he’s only continuing to get better. In 2003 Ryan became the youngest artist ever to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art and has since published books of his work and continued to blow minds the world over. So, I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked when he releases a new series of photos and my eyes nearly pop out of my head, but Moonmilk is way over the top. Check out the full set here.