Fuel

This love affair began when I was but a boy (girl, whatever), riding around with my mom, getting lunch on the run.  Soft Taco.  Mexi Fries.  Crisp Bean Burrito.  Sprite with ice nuggets.  Good good, fresh fresh.

Taco Time is the perfect doing things food because it is awesome and makes you feel awesome and jokes are funnier and also the world is brighter.  

RIP Taco Time of Capitol Hill.  You will forever be in our hearts.

The Chipmunk Song

How Have you Bean, man?

Bean trucking along.  Apparently getting an image of G&S apparel that is worthy of putting on the etsy site has been might near impossible for our college educated minds to master.  We asked for Walter's help and then he was like "I don't have opposable thumbs.  Plus, I'm kind of napping right now you guys."  You win this round, Walter.  

We are working on getting a proper camera, but until then Goods & Services has been at a stand still on the merchandising end of things.  Just in time for Christmas!  That's called "Good Business" for all of you who want to pedal your wares successfully.  Follow our excellent business model!

Anyway, we recently participated in the first annual chili cook off at "the Chili Villa" (Dashel and Cassie's house).  It was fun, everyone brought great chili's, and we all got full!  I made this prize for the People's Choice Award for "Most Creative Chili", which harmoniously went to a family with two young girls--who love costumes.

This King Bean AKA Beanie (thank you, someone) was hand drawn, cut and sewn.  He is one of a kind.  And so are you.

For a Beanie of your own, contact me here, here or here.

Back to Basics

Montana shmontana.  I love Montana.

For the last few months I have been trying to figure something out.  After spending the last week in Montana, it started to become very clear:

.simplify.

If you know me personally you know how much I like things, especially clothing things.  I have a lot of them.  A ton of them.  My clothes and accessories take up over two closets and an entire room of my house.  They're not all nice things, or expensive things--almost everything I own I buy at thrift stores or by the pound--but I like costuming and collecting so much I can always find a reason to keep something around.

"It looks like you're running a retail store out of your basement,"  my mom told me two weeks ago.  True mom, true.

So while I was in Montana I re-enjoyed one of the great things about travelling: taking a limited amount of crap with you.  Inevitably, it's crap that you really like.  And then you realize you only need the crap you really like, and not all this other crap that you enjoy, but obviously not enough to take on vacation.

I also got to re-enjoy the simplicity of Montana.  Truly the biggest sky, and life with the most minimal amount of material burdens.  Once you get over the anxiety of being away from the chaos of a city / urban area (cell phone, email, internet, work, travel, congestion, advertising, blah blah blah) it's incredible how peaceful you feel.  Like a horse.  You feel like a wild, majestic, muscular, grazing horse.  Maybe a Palomino.  Maybe a Quarter Horse.

That's a good feeling.

I realized it's time to take my inner horse and let him out.  To do that, I need to simplify.  What I've been wrestling with for the last several months is so base:
get.rid.of.stuff.

Not everything--not like I'm going to be a nomad, or a freaky minimalist, or  one of those people who's like "life is all about your soul, man".  But I'm going to unload.  Because I own far more than one person needs, and it's keeping me from moving forward.  Too many choices!!!!!

So in the coming weeks I will be unloading things that I love and hold dearly: on etsy, to friends, and at the goodwill.  Hopefully I will be smart about what I can upcycle, and what I need to just pass on.

If you have any suggestions (or requests) please pass it on!

Stay tuned.

Go Buy Something

while I hunt for dream catchers.

Memory Sweatshirt #1

I'm a borderline hoarder. A hoarder of memories.
A hoarder of leftover fun. Love residue. Friendship pieces.

And I'm not the only one. A lot of us have a hard time letting go of things we used to love, but can no longer use in a practical way. I'm always looking for ways to keep those things around that make sense, and don't take up as much space.

The memory sweatshirt is a simple idea, but it's still practical and sweet. Like giant, comfortable love patches.

I made this custom Memory Sweatshirt for Casey using a soft new American Apparel hoodie and her favorite childhood bedsheets.

Sections are sewn onto the front pocket, and lining the hood. Lambs were her favorite animal, so there are a few extra buddies sewn inside as well.

For a memory sweatshirt of your own, or a memory-whatever-you-want, send me a message here.

sweet, sweet reservoir

I stumbled across this amazing picture while looking for ketchup cartoons online (point of interest: the cover of Bjork's seminal album Homogenic appears in search results sooner than a lot of pictures of actual ketchup. Question mark?).



What I discovered was that this little beauty lives in Collinsville, Il (road trip?), and while it may not be filled with actual ketchup, in my dreams it is...and the cap screws off. This was taken by Sweetie Pie Press whom I discovered does sweet zines and really cute buttons!

What I also discovered was the awesome amazing people at Renegade Handmade! I'd not heard of the Renegade Craft Fair, OR Renegade Handmade--but ballz they are cool. Supporting local Chicago artists & crafters, they also sell on the interweb and have stuff going on all over the country. Go buy something!

Hopefully one day they will take goods and services into their fold...