This was our second year going to Chicago, Illinois for
Chicago Zine Fest. Hopefully this will be a tradition for many years to come. I went with my dear friend (high jessie!) and two other girls I didn't really know before our drive down (hello to Keira and Titi). Getting to know someone over a long ride is a great way to get to know someone. Last year was great too. I made a new friend (Hi Ben) and got to spend some quality time with two gals I already was friends with (Aubree and Jillian you ladies are great!).
I had all kinds of ideas about stands and displays to make... and different mini zines and zine projects to finish. WELL, I made one new zine and a whole bunch of teeth. Since last year I have made two other new zines that I had at the Twin Cities Zine Fest, so that is three new things since last year in Chicago. I think that is pretty good. I did not make a display, but I did buy a neat little metal book holder a few months ago that I used to display a zine standing up. I do want to build the displays I have sketched out for future craft fairs and zine fests.
The teeth I make are glow in the dark polymer clay tooth charms.
Here are some of the teeth in different phases of their creation.
I would like to be some kind of new Heloise. I feel like among friends I am reaching that kind of status. I get the most random calls and text messages about how to fix/mend things or where to buy something weird or how to cook something or know if it is ok to eat. Having worked at the customer service desk (at the natural foods co-op I work at) for so long has made me a wealth of weird food knowledge. I also like to learn weird things and always ask a lot of questions. I want to share these tips and tricks. I am going to do that through two different information channels. I am making zines of tips and tricks (about 8 per zine) and I am also starting to document all the mending and craft projects I am working on in this blog
Get Crafty Today. In about a year I would like to compile and reformat all the zine topics and blog topics in a book. Dreams dreams dreams.
Here is the pre-photocopied first tips and tricks zine. This time I used no-copy blue colored pencils for marking on the layout paper my final draft was drawn/written on. It was like magic how it did not show up at Kinkos. I was nervous, there was so much blue pencil on these papers, if it had shown up, i probably would have had a melt down.
Here it is post copying and cutting, pre-assembled. I made one first to hold it in my hands and look at it.
Then I put everything in its order.
After folding and stapling, I added my black cloth tape stripe down the spine.
On our drive down to Chicago we were wide awake and listening to great music and being super observant looking for cows and cemeteries. We saw this car. This car of satanists. Satanists just like you wold imagine from Ghost World. They were senior citizens too, just like the license plate suggests.
We were going to stop at a neat deli in Madison on the way down. That is all I knew about it, that it would be neat and the food was good.
Oh my word, it was
Ella's Deli. This place is amazing. It was extra amazing because I had no idea what to expect. I was expecting a dive-y diner with booths and a bar. Hoo-boy was I surprised and just in awe the whole time there. If you go by Madison, Wisconsin YOU HAVE TO GO TO ELLA'S DELI!
The sunset was really pretty. The whole drive was really pretty. There was fresh snow on the ground and so everything was white except for roads, trees and buildings (and animals!). The shadows were so pretty and that nice shadow blue snow color.
We got to Chicago and went to an apartment in Logan Square (I think...). We hung out there for awhile and then went to find our Chicago friend (HI LISA!) in Wicker Park at her job. We finally found a parking spot and then after walking in a circle (my fault) found the bar she works at. We said hi and chatted, then headed to a show at the Empty Bottle to be entertained while waiting for her to get off work.
I learned about how to play Ms Pacman and then tried it out myself. It is good I didn't have more quarters because I would have played and played and played.
After the bands were done we made our way to Rogers Park.
This cat is named Chris. It is a ragamuffin cat and I love her. She is just like another cat I know named Little Bear.
The cats that we stayed with are kind of perfect cats. They play and have fun and fight with each other and are super sweet and love attention. They are also very quirky and silly. If I wasn't allergic to cats I would love to have a cat like these cats.
One of the things I LOVE about staying in Chicago is waking up to the sun and the lake, right there. The lake is right outside this beautiful fogged up paper snow flaked porch door.
Here is that same view, but from outside the door on the balcony. I wish I could drink my morning coffee with a view like this everyday.
At zine fest we made a little sign over our half table. Pink tape, paper bag and a marker. Looks alright.
Here I am with my quarter table of zines and teeth and SUCKERS. I got like 100 yummy earth suckers for $5 at Target. I thought they would be a good free candy thing to have, you don't have to eat it right away, like a cookie. Also they are gluten free, vegan, kosher, organic, etc...
I shared this half table with
Jessica Oleson. (She is taking the picture.)
Here is an aerial shot of my table space.
There were so many neat things to check out at zine fest. Next year I want to attend some of the workshops too. It is so busy and there is so much, it is really overwhelming.
Last year we had to leave the day after zine fest, the whole trip was go go go. This time we gave ourselves an extra day. It made me feel like I actually got to spend some time in and see Chicago.
We walked around and explored a bit. We had the best
french macaroons, we looked through tons of
treasures,
we f-ed up trying to ride the train and learned a stern lesson in how
to ask for help (boo), we got called girls and not ladies and it it was
ok because it was said with the kindness that family would say it. The
lack of MN passive aggressiveness caught me off guard at first, but then
you realize that people aren't picking on you or being mean, they just
want to know if you are done with the CTA machine because you're still
standing there and they are waiting.
It
is interesting to learn how different cities have different attitudes
and social customs. In my everyday life I try to say hi or somehow
acknowledge everyone I pass while walking or come into close quarters
with (like on the bus, or in line at a store). That is not something
people do in Chicago. I kept forgetting that, and doing it, and people
would just look anywhere but in my direction, or just react weirdly to
it. It is nice to be in my neighborhood and interact with pretty much
everyone you come within 10 feet of.
The morning we left it was drizzling. We stayed right to the right of the stairs on the top floor. Lake Michigan is right on the other side of this building. I love staying here so much. (Lisa and Bill, thank you so much. Like so much.)
On our way out of town we ate at
Lou Mitchell's. It was a great experience and delicious food. Eat there if you can the next time you are in Chicagoland.
If you have ever been in the car with me and I have a camera, you might know that I love landscape images and I really love images with strong lines, like power lines.
It was kind of dusting snow all day and everything looked fake and magical. This is what the trees looked like. It was a magically beautiful day for trees and fields.
We went though a hilly section of land and there were deer all over the place eating the bark off of trees (that is what they do, right?).
Most of the drive looked like this:
It is hard to show how pretty the drive was. I took some video, but I think it kind of makes me carsick watching it. It
is interesting to see it from a fixed location on the window of the car, it looks like early
rotoscope animation, like fake looking. BUT IT'S REAL. I'll post it someday. Probably when it is 90º outside and I miss the snow.
