Monday, November 19, 2007

SFGIRLBYBAY - NOV .07



WEEKEND FINDS: URBAN COWBOY

Chris Brown is bit of a dichotomy. A good old, cowboy-hat-wearing country boy with a heart of gold, and an artistic collector, design lovin', tattooed rebel!

Chris first introduced us to the hipper side of country with his blog, Urban Prairie, then his updated, modern-twisted Urban Prairie Refueled, and now he's introducing us to his Urban Prairie Blogshop. An electric mix of odd meets modern day, the Blogshop offers alt-country assemblages, collections, odd one-offs and the curious goods Chris has come to be known for.

The Blogshop is currently carrying these groovy little grab bags called Curious Goods - Mini Collections in a Bag. Chris hand selects these unique and wonderful curiosities and packs them together in one-of-a-kind little bundles, all to help jump start your creative juices. Chris suggests perhaps you take the contents and display them as-is for a cool little artistic vignette, or select individual items and build a larger collection. Think of the flea market fun! The possibilities are endless and they make a great quirky gift for the burgeoning artist in every family.



I love this collection called 'White Wedding' -it sold to some lucky bride to be. Four items assembled together to create a odd, white tabletop vignette. Well worn, off-white ACME cowgirl boots, lace and plastic 15th anniversary wedding cake topper, small bottle of Holy water & three white scale weights. I do!

Urban Prairie Refueled has an amazing aesthetic and is truly a fun visit. Chris has wonderfully clever ideas to take vintage finds to a fresh modern place. I loved his idea of taking retro clothing labels and stitching them to plain old cotton t-shirts. I've been collecting these old tags for years, and now Chris has provided me with a long awaited plan for them!

For an additional bit of country fun, read this interview on Chris from designer & collector David Butler for Country Living magazine. I'm gonna put on some Dwight and have a read.