Anthology

newsletter: early fall 2011

Greetings from Anthology!

We hope you enjoyed a lovely summer, despite being hot and sticky and over too quickly (wait, that sounds like an old joke :).

Thanks to everyone who came out for Maxwell Street Days in mid-July. For the second year in a row we partnered with Absolutely Art to offer a Studio Garage Sale; customers bought over $400 worth of donated art and craft supplies and all proceeds went to local children’s art programs such as Shirts That Supply and the MMoCA Art Cart. The sale was extremely popular with school teachers and parents of crafty kids.

 

We have so much to look forward to this Fall!

 

Once again, Anthology will be a vendor at The Market Place, part of The Creative Connection in St. Paul, Minnesota Sept 16-17^th. Both Laura and Sachi will take workshops in screen-printing and jewelry-making and we’re eager to share our newfound skills with all of you. If you have friends in the area you might suggest they check out the show.

 

Laura will take a mixed-media & collage course out a Valley Ridge Art Studio toward the end of September. If you haven’t had a chance, we highly recommend a workshop at this retreat near Dodgeville, WI. It is like a spa treatment for your creative soul. You can check out the schedule here:  www.valleyridgeartstudio.com.

 

We have a few personal trips planned in October: Sachi will head to New Orleans and Laura will jet off to Italy. Both should be incredibly inspiring destinations so you can look forward to some new work reflecting our journeys.

 

Anthology is delighted to announce the 2^nd annual Holiday Craft Lounge, Saturday, November 26^th at Overture Center as part of the Downtown Madison Holiday Open House. We are currently seeking applications from vendors who would offer materials and instruction for an affordable craft project such as holiday ornaments, jewelry, decorative garlands, greeting cards, gift tags and paper wreaths. Please visit our website for details. Artists can sell their own wares, too, so it’s a great way to earn a little extra Christmas cash, and the sale is a wonderful opportunity for attendees to create their own gifts by hand.

 

What’s New/What’s HOT:

Madison neighborhoods map

"The Many Varieties of Beer" t-shirts and prints

Greeting cards with Spanish phrases (gracias, te quiero mucho, hola).

Luchador wrapping paper

Adorable animal ABC blocks (perfect baby gift to hang in the nursery)

Hand-cut mosaics featuring smashed tea cups, game pieces, and vintage barkcloth under glass

Strip scarves made from upcycled jersey t-shirt fabric

Threadless-brand t-shirts printed in Chicago featuring sock monkeys, little luchadors & the Muppets

The 2012 Nikki McClure Calendar

Hand-stamped pottery from Milwaukee with images of boom boxes, roller skates & circus performers

Banksy cards with heart-shaped balloons pictured

*Coming soon: 8-panel skirts for little girls made from upcycled polo shirts

 

Stop in and see what’s new! We’ve already had to re-order many of the cards from last May’s Stationery Show because they were so incredibly popular.

 

Laura & Sachi

 

newsletter: summer 2011

Greetings from Anthology!

We are looking forward to a busy July with the Farmer’s Market, Concerts on the Square, Tuesday Lunchtime Concerts, daily Solidarity Sing-Alongs, downtown weddings and Art Fair on the Square (9th & 10th). 

 

Once again we will pair with Absolutely Art to offer our second annual Studio Garage Sale during Maxwell Street Days (July 15th-16th). For $5 you can stuff a bag with donated arts and craft supplies; the money will go to local children’s art programs such as the MMoCA Art Cart, Monroe Street Fine Arts Center, and Absolutely Art's Shirts That Supply. We will happily accept your supplies--fabric and paper scraps, old books, calendars, picture frames, yarn, mosaic pieces--if you are cleaning out your studio. Last year’s sale was very popular with art teachers and parents wanting to make affordable crafts with their kids.

 

In addition to the Studio Garage Sale we will have a Sale Table inside the shop.

 

 

We continue to get new arrivals daily:

EXTREMELY popular (and accurate) “Varieties of Beer” t-shirts and prints

Other charts: Rap Names, Super Powers, Culinary Tools

Necklaces with Victorian illustrations (octopus, tea set, pocket knife)

Victorian illustration bird earrings and bracelets

Greeting Cards: boomboxes, besos (“kisses”), birds, bicycles, Banksy (street artist)

Upcycled Storybook coasters, necklaces and journals

Soft cotton T-shirt strip necklaces

Handpainted animal ABC wall blocks

Mosaic picture frames from Emily Kircher Recycling Artist

Little Girls’ and Ladies’ upcycled skirts made from vintage tea towels and tablecloths

Rock & Roll Alphabet (new book by Madison native Jeff Schwartz)

Beth Eaton Pottery from Milwaukee

Upcycled soda and beer tumblers from Weston, WI

Paper cuts of the Great Lakes and Madison isthmus

“Keep Calm and _____ On” Prints (Ride, Teach, Sing, Hike, Kayak, etc.)
Stencils: birds, Polaroid cameras, skeleton keys, birch trees

 

Stop in and see what’s new! Don’t forget to drop off your unused arts and craft supplies as well as any paper shopping bags with handles.

 

Thank you,

Laura & Sachi Komai

newsletter: late spring 2011

Greetings from Anthology!

We hope you have fun plans for the summer.

Laura & I just returned from a buying trip to New York City and we can’t wait to share with you all the calendars, cards, decorative papers and prints that we ordered.

 

These are just a few of our new favorite things that should arrive in the coming months:

Stencils of birds, birch trees, skeleton keys & Polaroid cameras 

Letterpress coaster sets featuring “Things that are Round”

A roadside sign match game

London- and Paris-themed photo stickers, journals and Polaroid postcards

Letterpress flag garlands

Cards featuring hedgehogs, toadstools, sea creatures and daschunds

Patterned cloth gift wrap

Origami kits so you can fold a thousand paper cranes, a sushi set or Hello Kitty bento

Cards with Mexican wrestlers and Spanish phrases

Prints of birds made by cutting up colorful magazine pages

Cards with bicycles, boom boxes, lawn chairs and record players

Cards featuring the work of British street artist Banksy (printed in DePere, WI!)

Intricate prints of butterflies, chickens, sea creatures, flowers and vegetables

Canadian cards, prints, and decorative paper with toile patterns that are actually silhouettes of flora and fauna

Fair Trade crocheted critters (owls, penguins, octopi)

Decorative sheets with maps, sushi and candy jars

Flowery "Ride a Bike" prints from St. Paul

Clever cards with elephants, tin can phones and srichacha sauce

 

Our protest pins continue to be a big hit--we’ve sold over 12,000 and sent donation checks to the Monroe Street Fine Arts Center, Lussier Center, and Goodman Center. It’s heartwarming to see a crowd gather around our Craft Table to read the buttons aloud, have a laugh and share stories.

 

Stop in and say hello during any of the downtown summer events: the Farmer’s Market, Cars on State, Ride the Drive, Concerts on the Square, Art Fair on the Square, Maxwell Street Days and Taste of Madison.

 

Enjoy!

 

Laura and Sachi Komai

newsletter: Spring 2011

'Hope you are enjoying fewer layers and more daylight!

 

February and March are typically the slowest months of the year for us, but we have been incredibly busy making protest pins--over 6,000 and counting--ever since the rallies began a month ago on the Capitol Square. Our protest pins feature everyone from Queen Victoria to The Simpsons' Comic Book Guy; we’ve created ones for nurses, teachers, librarians, bus drivers & family therapists. Coming Soon: large buttons featuring images from original screen prints by two Milwaukee artists.

 

Laura & I were born and raised in Madison; our parents worked for the UW and we took countless UW-Extension art classes for kids while growing up, eventually both attending UW-Madison for grad school. We are indebted to the state and university as well as our public school teachers, so we feel strongly that we must support our friends and customers who have made this city such a great place to run a business, raise a family, and retire to.

 

In late January we flew to LA for the Craft & Hobby Show, a huge showcase of projects and products. We ordered paper from around the globe, encaustic wax kits, lovely new rubber stamps, piles of vintage-inspired ephemera, and countless crafty how-to books on drawing & illustration, mixed media collage, bookmaking, and sewing kids' clothing.

 

NEW at Anthology:

Delightfully illustrated Recycled Notebooks featuring owls, songbirds, sock monkeys, electric guitars and banana seat bicycles from the 70’s.

Re-designed “Madison Baby” onesies printed on Willy Street right here in town

Decorative Wrap with dogs in sweaters, forest critters and cats

Pottery made in Milwaukee and stamped with owls, crows, deer and trees

Cheery rubber stamps with birds, bunnies, sea creatures and circus performers

 

We look forward to seeing you downtown for the Wisconsin Film Festival at the end of this month. The shop is abuzz with cinephiles emerging from the Orpheum and comparing notes on which flicks they picked. Laura will set up a bicycled-themed window with posters, prints, t-shirts, rubber stamps, neckties & greeting cards.

 

For our April craftivity you will be able to decorate a papier mache cone with Golden Book illustrations and glittery German paper scraps; stuff a little grass inside and fill with it with jelly beans and chocolate eggs!

 

During the month of May you will be able to stop in and make an altered book using a vintage Golden Book (printed in Racine, WI).

 

Stop in and see what's new!

Laura & Sachi Komai

newsletter: late summer 2010

'Hope you're having a fun summer!

We’re enjoying a busy season at Anthology with lots of tourists and craft parties.

Thank you to Absolutely Art and everyone else who helped contribute to our Maxwell Street Days Studio Garage Sale in which customers could fill a bag of art and craft supplies for $5. Anthology & Absolutely Art donated over $400 to local children’s art programs such as the Art Cart, Shirts That Supply, and the Monroe Street Fine Arts Center. Schoolteachers and crafty kids were delighted by such a good deal: they stocked up on paper, paints, crayons, fabric, buttons, ceramic tiles and collage ephemera.

We welcome donations year-round if you’re ever trying to de-clutter your creative space.

Anthology continues to have a sale table inside the shop--take 25-50% off select Somerset Studio publications, Blue Q reusable bags, Luminarte paints and pigments as well as wallets and necklaces made of vintage neckties.

Our consignment artists have been busy creating--here are just a few recent deliveries:

Girls’ and women’s skirts made of adorable Amy Butler fabrics and vintage embroidered tea towels

Button jewelry (leather cuffs, bracelets, rings & brooches)

Octopus t-shirts

Girls’ and women’s tops adorned with fabric yo-yos and leaves

Madison photo greeting cards that show the city in miniature (it’s a camera trick)

Children’s aprons made of screen-printed and vintage fabrics

Madison cards that capture the Arboretum and Farmer’s Market through an iPhone camera

Felt bird credit card wallets

and from across the country:

“This is how I roll” t-shirts and aprons (there’s a rolling pin below the words--perfect for pie and pastry makers)

Reproductions of vintage travel and airline posters

Reproductions of vintage maps (Manhattan, Chicago, San Francisco, and--our favorite--a New Yorker’s view of the U.S.)

Shrinky Dinks!

Tim Holtz skeleton and typewriter keys

Stickers, puzzles and t-shirts from Moomah, our new favorite store in NY (a cafe and creative space for kids and families)

Letter sets, mini journals and mini postcard sets with London, Paris, Italy and Alice in Wonderland themes

Reproductions on vintage "Greetings from Madison" and "Greetings from Wisconsin" postcards--suitable for framing

We continue to receive shipments from our trip to New York...as well as compliments on our card collection! We’ve really tried to find lines that no one else in Madison carries. Our favorite Milwaukee cardmaker is back from maternity leave and launching a line of Madison designs so keep an eye out for their debut this month.

Upcoming Events:

Sunday, August 15th the Glitter Workshop is hosting the 6th Annual Summer Craftacular from 10AM to 5PM at the East Side Club (3735 Monona Drive). Over 80 artists and crafters will be selling their handmade goods in individual booths so you can shop their full array and meet these talented people in person.

In mid-September we will be taking our show on the road: Anthology will have a table at the Creative Connection, a gathering of creative women and women entrepreneurs, in Minneapolis, Minnesota September 16-18th. We are busy assembling paper and collage packs and making charm necklaces, many of which now include antique skeleton keys, thanks to Sachi’s father-in-law’s amazing collection.

Stop in and see what’s new! 

Laura and Sachi

newsletter: summer 2010

Greetings from Anthology! 

We hope you’re enjoying everything that Madison has to offer in the summertime: the Terrace, Farmer's Market, Concerts on the Square, Opera in the Park, Rhythm & Booms...

We continue to receive near-daily shipments from our trip to New York: letterpress cards depicting popsicles, pears and puppies; greeting cards by a Santa Barbara painter inspired by her Mexican honeymoon; Hello Kitty Re-ment (mini pancakes, a birthday cake and bento lunch all shaped like Hello Kitty); also lovely decorative papers featuring monkeys, cakes, teapots, classic Pooh, designer shoes and Bingo cards. Some lovely carved stamp sets representing cities like San Francisco, London, Paris and New York, too.

Laura has filled the window with paper pennant garlands and created Do-It-Yourself kits with a wide variety of our decorative papers. We have both been busy making charm necklaces and earrings with vintage glass beads shaped like flowers and leaves, twisted wire bird’s nests, antique skeleton keys, and colorful enamel pieces by a talented Duluth artist.

A few re-orders based on popular demand: Nikki McClure paper cut prints and boxed notes, and blank journals made from recycled hardcover books such as Golden Books, Dr. Seuss, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. The book journals make great gifts for college-bound kids: the titles can spark their favorite childhood memories while the blank pages allow musings on the anticipation and anxiety of leaving home. A woman just bought one for her son's 1st birthday party so guests could write their good wishes for the little guy.

Maxwell Street Days is July 16, 17, and 18th. Anthology will have a craft supply garage sale, with proceeds going to local art programs for kids (such as the Art Cart). We will have fabric scraps, buttons, vintage 1960’s magazines, and countless other donated treasures for your craft projects. If you'd like to de-clutter you craft corner/ closet please feel free to drop off ribbons, paper, buttons, fabric, how-to books, vintage ephemera, etc.

Inside the shop we will have a sale table with Martha Stewart craft kits, select twinkling watercolors, greeting cards, rubber stamps, Somerset Studio publications, stylish recycled/reusable bags and necktie necklaces to name just a few items. This is the first time that Anthology will have select items on sale.

Coming Soon: adorable Japanese memo pads and penguin-shaped paperclips; vintage Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland journals, letter sets & rubber stamps; and 2011 Wall Calendars from a variety of our favorite artists whose cards and prints we carry throughout the year.

Stop in and see what’s new!

Laura and Sachi

newsletter: January 2010

Happy New Year from Anthology!

We hope you enjoyed a lovely holiday season with family & friends.

Laura’s New Year’s resolution is to create a whole new Craft Party Menu, so she’s busy testing projects at our table. Sachi’s is to embellish every article of clothing she owns with fabric yo-yos, applique and embroidery and share those ideas as drop-in projects.

We were delighted to see that shopping at Anthology was noted in Madison Magazine’s cover feature, “Seize the City! 62 things every Madisonian should do in 2010.” The magazine’s style editor Shayna Miller recently stopped in to pick up a handful of items for her February shoot.

For Valentine’s Day we will have decorative paper packs and rubber stamps with hearts (anatomical and otherwise), pairs of squirrels, peacocks, chickens, songbirds and bunnies. Sachi has embroidered some human hearts with romantic Spanish sayings and ordered some sweet heart milagros and Mexican retablos (miniature paintings on carved wood). She will have necklaces with her pencil drawings of heart milagros as well.

Feb 1-14th you can have a seat at our craft table and decorate a heart-shaped card using our punches, paints, glitter, and decorative papers for $2 + tax.

We’ve received a number of requests to try the Ice Resin that we carry, so on Saturday, Feb 6, you will be able to participate in a small group workshop in which you’ll make your own resin pendant featuring a favorite photo or collage you created in a heart-shaped bezel. Details to follow.

Lily’s baby-sitter Deandra mastered the art of the fabric yo-yo while watching the little girl nap; we’re hoping she’ll give a demo in the new year and show everyone the headbands, purses and t-shirts she’s adorned.

The last week of January Laura and Sachi will attend the Craft & Hobby Association trade show in Southern California. Last year’s show was overflowing with ideas and inspiration so we’re confident that we’ll come back with lots of new projects and products. Our Mom and our friend Pamela will run the shop; please note that we will have shortened hours and no craft table activities.

We have some wonderful cabin fever cures at the shop right now; stop in and we’ll get you started on a fun project!

Laura and Sachi

inspire -- create -- celebrate

newsletter: December 2009

Happy Holidays from Anthology!

The Masonic Center was packed the Saturday after Thanksgiving--

Thank you to everyone who made the 5th Annual Holiday Craftacular such a fun, successful event! The creativity was palpable in the ballroom and classroom where over 70 local artists and crafters sold their handmade creations.

Downtown Madison is all aglow with twinkling lights and lovely window displays. Anthology has a whole month of drop-in workshops set up at two craft tables:

Dec 1-9:

Decoupage Mirror Frames $15

Holiday Cards $2 each

Dec 10-17:

Stamped Charm Necklace $6

Paper Stars $2 each

*Stop in Saturday, December 12th from 11AM-1PM to watch Jane Fasse give a demo of her colorful paper star ornaments.

Dec 18-24:

Photo Snippets $10-$25

Paper Garlands $5 each

Dec 26-31:

New Year's Resolutions Button Bracelets $14

Anthology now has a rainbow of Rebecca’s re-made sweaters featuring felt flowers, vintage pearl buttons and fabric applique. Two sisters recently stopped dead in their tracks as they spied a gray cardigan in the window with the name “Loretta” embroidered on a red heart (that’s their mom’s name!). They were so excited to find such a perfect present for her.

We have a great new selection of gifts for men: Where the Wild Things Are coasters, recycled Hardy Boys book journals, recycled LP notebooks featuring Sinatra and U2, and jewel-toned neckties with silk-screened images of sharks, octopi, bicycles, and horned beetles. We have a re-order on the way because the ties were going so quickly.

We splurged on a few spinners and necklace dispays because our jewelry selection just keeps expanding: you'll find lovely crocheted earrings, delicate ceramic posts, soldered pendants on silk ribbons, and of course our bottle cap and Scrabble tile necklaces.

Stop in and see what's new! You can ride the free trolley on the weekends.

All the best,

Laura & Sachi

--
Anthology
218 State Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
608-204-2644
www.anthology.typepad.com

Monday - Saturday 11 am - 7 pm
Sunday noon - 4 pm

inspire -- create -- celebrate

newsletter: fall 2009

We hope you enjoyed a lovely summer! 

After a few days in Door County, Point Beach and the Dells we are fired up and ready to craft!

Turn to page 48 in the current issue of Brava magazine and you’ll see a picture of us at our craft table (Sachi is wearing one of Rebecca's sweaters and an Orangy Porangy skirt). When asked to provide a fascinating fact about Anthology we thought it was pretty amazing that since we opened our customers have made over 8,000 buttons for a buck! That’s not even counting all the bracelets and picture frames people have created using family photos.

Laura and I are busy cutting, pasting, sewing and button-making in preparation for the holiday season as well as the 5th Annual Holiday Craftacular, to be held on Saturday, November 28th, two days after Thanksgiving and two blocks from Anthology at the Madison Masonic Center (301 Wisconsin Avenue). We have been busy poring over applications from talented artists making aprons, baby gifts, coasters, handbags, headbands, jewelry, journals, magnets, picture frames, soaps, screen-printed tees and much much more. Many of the items are cleverly crafted from recycled materials such as vintage fabrics, buttons, sweaters and storybooks.

NEW at Anthology:

Soldered pendants from Persimmons up in Manitowoc that feature vintage fabric, needlework and encyclopedia illustrations

Hand-dyed silk ribbon in a rainbow of colors, perfect for creating your own charm necklace

Sparkling and elegant beaded and sequined headbands

Hand-dyed slips in rich jewel tones

Baby onesies with British sayings (a soccer ball labeled “football,” a red swirled “lolly”)

Also onesies with various camera models--Polaroid and Rollie.

95% Recycled Tote Bags with bold graphics and cute sayings (“Paper or Plastic? NEITHER,” “I {heart} Paris” and “Adopt a Kitty”)

Rubber Stamps featuring Dracula, jack o' lanterns, monkeys, lions, birds and squirrels on bicycles

Day of the Dead figurines (we won't put them all out 'til October)

2010 Wall Calendars featuring the work of our favorite collage artists

Coming Soon:

Nikki McClure's 2010 Calendar (she's the artist who cuts intricate images from black construction paper)

Re-ment mini foods: introducing Grandma’s European Kitchen

Encaustic wooden photo blocks depicting classic Fisher Price toys, as well as Instamatic cameras, sprinkled donuts and sewing notions.

120 recycled book journals (Dr. Seuss, scientific and medical textbooks, cookbooks, Nancy Drew mysteries, Golden Books for children)

For our current craft table project you can pick out a wooden bangle and decoupage it with our decorative papers for $9. For the holidays you will be able to pick out a bangle and accompanying paper pack--it’s the perfect gift for a middle- or high schooler (although us 30-somethings were having a lot of fun making them, too!).

Be sure to mark your calendar for the Holiday Craftacular (Nov 28) and give us a call if you'd like to schedule a craft party with friends.

Laura & Sachi Komai

--
Anthology
218 State Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
608-204-2644
www.anthology.typepad.com

inspire -- create -- celebrate