Postcards With an Edge
The Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda, Illinois, has a cool show and sale up right now of winning designs from PACE, the international Postcard Art Competition and Exhibition that celebrates the postcard as an art form. Thirty-six designs got the stamp of approval out of more than 400 entries, and the top three artists will be announced at a public reception on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2–4:30 p.m. (the show will be up through January 3.) The top of the crop will be produced as stationery, and you can order sets of the 2009 PACE winners and past years’ designs here, where you can also purchase posters and books. Pictured is “How She Landed,” one of two selected finalists done by Glenview artist and illustrator (and friend—good luck, girl!) Randee Ladden. As a p.s. to the postcards, the show will also include tapestries by Archie Brennan, a three-time PACE winner.
Blue Suede News
Leslie Hindman couldn’t help falling in love with the idea of selling a well-known Elvis Presley collector’s exhaustive inventory when the opportunity rushed in, and her auction house will be bringing the hammer down on nearly 200 lots of rare Elvis memorabilia this Sunday, Oct. 18 at noon. You can view the auction in person Thursday thru Saturday, or online. Early in his career, the King of Rock and Roll befriended Gary Pepper, a young fan with cerebral palsy who became the president of Elvis’s fan club and amassed a uniquely personal collection. Pepper died in 1980, giving his treasures to his personal nurse, who recently decided to sell and donate a portion of the proceeds to United Cerebral Palsy. There are hundreds of photographs, letters, magazines, instruments, and borderline creepy items such as a leather bicep strap, sweat-stained scarves, and a small bag of pre-Army Elvis hair. There are also a number of home items, such as framed albums, posters, a clock, a decanter set, and lot number 154, this dancing phone. With low starting estimates and the amount of Elvis fans out there, I’ll be all shook up if anything is returned to sender.
Highland Park–ing
The home stores of downtown Highland Park have organized this weekend’s Shop Home for the Holidays event, beginning Thursday afternoon, Oct. 15, with merchants showcasing new merchandise and holding special decorating workshops, receptions, and hands-on demos. It’s a good excuse to visit some old North Shore favorites, and maybe discover some new ones. Nine shops have happenings scheduled through Sunday, including a trio of trunk shows at Table Compliments, (Julia Knight serving pieces, Skyros dinnerware, and Sybaritic placemats) handcrafted clocks at Citywoods, a make-your-own pillow party at Jolie Maison, new lines from Michael Aram and Juliska at Adesso, and these colorful beaded critters at Notice, who will also be showcasing eco-funky recycled cardboard furniture, vases, and accessories from Cardboard Design. The complete list of locations and events is here.
French Dressings
Ooh la la, is it already time for the Lycée Français fall market again? Sacré bleu, time flies! This is a big, varied French flea-market style fundraiser that the academy annually throws, and it’s vastly different than the carwashes and bake sales most schools put on. The first-floor halls are taken over by A-level home and vintage vendors Ipso Facto, Figaro, Crosell & Co., and Porte Rouge, among others, and dozens of clothing, jewelry, food, and accessory makers spread out over the upper floors; and there are performances and cooking demonstrations all weekend. The school is located at 613 W. Bittersweet Place, and the market kicks off with a cocktail party Friday Oct. 16, from 7–10 p.m. (That’s $30, or $40 at the door—but admission on Saturday and Sunday is only five bucks).
Trick or Tile
It seems like Halloween has become a real competitor for Christmas, in terms of seasonal decorations and Target holiday-aisle real estate (thanks for that, Martha). The FLOR carpet company has just come out with some spooky new tile designs, such as the spider-specked Arachnophobia, shown here in raven/pumpkin but also available in raven/ash (that’s black, orange, and gray, if you don’t speak FLOR). The designs are available in kits or as single tiles, so you can throw down a fun little FLOR factor or carpet the whole house, depending on your Addams Family values. There are so many options for mixing and matching these up with other patterns and solids (just stop by the store or take a gander at its flashy website and you’ll see what I mean—a screen of complementary options pops up when you click on any design). Or opt for the Tis the Seasons set of 28 tiles and grid patterns that will cover you from Halloween to New Years.