Somethin' for the homies, by the homies

Sneaker Swappin'

2011-12-05T22:26:00.000-08:00

2 swaps in one week? Yup that's how Homeygrown does it!

We'll be hosting the shoe swap at La Femme Fatale, and since this is a sneaker event, we're hoping to see some rare joints up to trade (and I'm hoping for some size 7s)!

Here's how it works:

1. Go through your kicks and take your picks. Bring sneakers that never leave the box, or the ones you just bought because they were on sale. Is your collection taking over your bedroom? Try sizing it down by bringing a few pairs to the swap.

2. Make them shoes shine! Clean the shoes thoroughly because we will be having them on display at the event. Check the inside, lace 'em up, and even clean the soles.

3. At the event, fill out an info card about your sneakers: brand, style, size, etc. You will also have to come up with a $ price range $ for your shoes. One of the shoes will be displayed in a secured room at the event. Feel free to stick by your sneakers, or walk around the room to check out the other kicks, or just kick back and check out the party! Get your nails did, shop the racks, or check out Rocky Rivera's performance.

4. Interested sneaker heads can view the shoes on display and if they need to try them on or check them out, we will bring the other shoe for them to try. If someone is interested in your shoe, you can decide if you want to trade with her. If she does not have shoes to trade, then you can sell it to her. There will be a sheet for people to fill out their offers if you're not in the room.

Let us know if there are any questions.

I'm personally swapping 4 pairs already...maybe more!

Event: La Femme Fatale- Fly Chicks in Dope Kicks 12/8

2011-11-28T23:46:00.000-08:00

Event: La Femme Fatale 11/10

2011-11-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

Event: Swap! Not Shop! The RE:gift Edition 12/2

2011-11-07T20:14:00.001-08:00

Homeygrown in Girls Got Kicks

2011-10-24T22:45:00.001-07:00

11/21: Fresh Trade Agreement features Homeygrown Swap!

2009-11-17T22:38:00.001-08:00

Told you we were busy! This Saturday, our homies from the Space Station are throwing an event to celebrate conscious living...the Fresh Trade Agreement. If you're going to throw the word trade in your event, then you're going to have to have a trade opportunity there, which is why Homeygrown was invited to hold a swap at the event. Not only that, we're doing FREE silkscreening too, so come and get your duds dolled up for nada.

This is going to be a pretty powerful event, so please come and support, and don't forget to bring something to swap!

We're also fresh trade approved! Homeygrown had the first write up for the event! Click the link to read what the homies had to say about us.

We are jumping this off with a group of folks that WELL encapsulates the spirit of the Fresh Trade Agreement.

And FOLKS they be, for real.

Photobucket

HOMEYGROWN is a fashion collective, headed by two fiery fems – ARTIFFACT and ROCKILL. The versatility of these two seamstresses is not really done justice in a blog post. They’ve built HOMEYGROWN to rep the most creative, freshest threads in recycled & reconstructed clothing. Both Artiffact and Rockill have individually created their own styles and signature pieces, including Rockill’s one-pocket aprons made from recycled fabrics. This is sustainable fashion built on some beautiful community building. We are super excited to support!

Also, HOMEYGROWN has been holdin down swaps and fashion shows in the Bay for years, if you haven't been to one yet yo'self. Lucky you, Nov 21st at Fresh Trade Agreement, you'll be able to experience the infamous HOMEYGROWN SWAP, complete with ill silk screens to customize your swap finds. And maybe we’ll convince them to lace up their friends for a fashion show…

www.homeygrown.org
www.swapnotshop.info
or www.myspace.com/homeygrown

11/20: Last Call at Pasand Lounge features Candy Cocktail Fashion Show

2009-11-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

This will be the last night of Pasand Lounge...come thru and say peace to the lovely bartender Rockilly while she makes delicious candy cocktails will leftover Halloween candy. Just kidding about the leftovers part, but yes, she'll be making cocktails WITH CANDY....and the aprons that will be rocked in the Homeygrown fashion show!

11/19: Preconceived Notions at Blue Macaw

2009-11-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

Come And here is the rest of it.

Busy times ahead!

2009-11-13T00:33:00.000-08:00

Yo homies, these next few days are going to be busy. You may have thought that we've been sleeping but no, we've been waiting for all this stuff to happen...oh, and going to Vegas...and moving...and donating all of the leftovers from the last swap.

Looks like we have our days planned out for us, but hopefully, if you roll like we do, then we'll be seeing you at these events. When it comes, it comes hard.

9/13: Trunk Show at Organic Rootz

2009-09-06T23:25:00.000-07:00

We'll be opening up our trunk at the Organic Rootz trunk show in our favorite place, Berkeley. Come through for some Bay freshness, good grooves, and great drinks. Clink the link for more info.

Living Legends/XienHow/Enzyme Dynamite/Consious Souls/DelMon

2009-08-27T23:54:00.000-07:00

Come thru and support!

We Miss U Aaliyah

2009-08-25T23:29:00.000-07:00

This girl stays Hot Like Fire. We miss you Aaliyah!

why do you love aaliyah?

9/19: Swap! Not Shop! Fall into Free Finds!

2009-08-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

more info coming soon

Next Level Ish: Interdimensional Art Show

2009-04-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, just looking at that flyer makes me excited to show our art in this show!

This Sunday, May 3rd, we're taking it to the next level at an interdimensional art show that also features the works of Alex Grey and Martina Hoffman (artwork on flyer) and a whole slew of other next level artists. Come thru and see how the unseen inspires us.

Read the rest for more info on the event and the I AM movement.

INTERDIMENSIONAL ART SHOW
SUN 05 • 03 • 09 • 9PM
$20.00
MAIN FLOOR
AN-TEN-NAE (Get Freaky)
HEYOKA (Muti Music)
JAH CULTURE (Jahsun and Stevie Culture)
PHIDELITY (PDX, Starborne)
MICHAEL MANAHAN (Starborne)
LOTUS DROPS (Street Ritual)
DJ CHRISTAFARI (Mt Lion Hi-Fi Sound)

ALCHEMIXED FEATURING ORIGINAL ART BY...
ALEX GREY
ROBERT VENOSA
MARTINA HOFFMANN
A.ANDREW GONZALEZ
PABLO AMARINGO
KRIS DAVIDSON
CAREY THOMPSON
KA
ANDREW JONES
AMANDA SAGE
MARK HENSON
LUKE BROWN
ROMAN VILLAGRANA
XAVI
CHRIS DYER
DAVID HESKIN
ERIC NEZ
ALORIA WEAVER
RAUL CASILLAS
LEO PLAW
IMAGO DEI
LINDY KEHOE
ANDREAS ONE
NATE VALENSKY
PHIDELITY
MATHEW POPLAWSKI
NEMO
JACOB AMAN
ANDY THOMAS (ANDROID)
SIMON HAIDUK
AND MORE...

AND YOUR HOST FOR THE NIGHT- NIKILA FROM GODDESS ALCHEMY PROJECT
SACRED BELLY DANCE PERFORMANCE BY GEORGIA VARAWAY
VISUAL PROJECTIONS BY PHONG
FASHION SHOW BY ALCHEMETRIC
Featuring HOMEYGROWN!

VISIONARY ALLIES THE COMBINED POWER OF TRIBE 13, IAMUNIFIED AND
STARBORNE PRODUCTIONS HAS TURNED OUR ANNUAL SEATTLE EVENT INTO A FULL
FLEDGED TOUR! FEATURING AN INCREDIBLE ARRAY OF VISIONARY ARTISTS FROM
THE WORLD OVER, A LINEUP OF CUTTING EDGE MUSICIANS AND DJS, FULL
FLAVOR FASHION SHOWS AND AMAZING ART INSTALLATIONS. COME SHARE IN THIS
TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE AND COLLECTIVE CELEBRATION OF THE NEW
CULTURE. THE INTERDIMENSIONAL ART SHOW HAS BEEN BORN TO ANSWER A CALL
TO NEED OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND INDIVIDUAL APPRECIATION. IN A NUT
SHELL THE INTERDIMENSIONAL ART MOVEMENT DECLARES A COLLECTIVE WITH NO
BOUNDARIES TO THOUGHTS AND EXPRESSION, IT IS A FOUNDATION TO WELCOME
AND NURTURE CREATIVITY WITHIN PEOPLE. THE ACRONYM IAM IS THE SYMBOL OF
INDIVIDUALITY. IT IS FUNDAMENTAL TO APPRECIATE AND CELEBRATE THE
INDIVIDUALS THE MAKE UP OUR COMMUNITIES. THE ANNUAL INTERDIMENSIONAL
ART SHOW WHICH SHOWCASES ART, MUSIC AND FASHION IS AN INTERACTIVE
PLATFORM TO INSPIRE CULTURE. IN THE PAST 6 YEARS THE IAS TOOK PLACE IN
SEATTLE FOR A YEARLY EPIC NIGHT TO REMEMBER AND MAINTAIN A STRONG
FOLLOWING. THIS YEAR WE ARE EXCITED TO OFFER THE IAS AS A TOUR DOWN
THE WEST COAST AND INTERWEAVE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN CREATIVELY
MINGLING TOGETHER FOR A LONG WHILE NOW. NOW IS OUR CHANCE TO COME OUT
AND GET TO KNOW AND STRENGTHEN THE WEST COAST ALLIANCE.
INTERDIMENSIONAL ART SHOW PRESS RELEASE THE ANNUAL INTERDIMENSIONAL
ART SHOW SHOWCASES ART, MUSIC AND FASHION. FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS THIS
EVENT TOOK PLACE IN SEATTLE. THIS YEAR WE ARE EXCITED TO OFFER THE IAS
AS A TOUR DOWN THE WEST COAST, INTERWEAVE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN
CREATIVELY MINGLING TOGETHER FOR A LONG WHILE NOW. NOW IS OUR CHANCE
TO COME OUT TO GET TO KNOW AND STRENGTHEN THE WEST COAST VISIONARY
ALLIANCE.

Behind the Scenes: Veni Vidi Vici

2009-03-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

I came, I saw, I conquered....and had hella fun while I did it all!

Homeygrown was in the building for Veni Vidi Vici at Club Six last Saturday (Pi Day!). We kicked off the fashion show at 10 pm but as you must know, much preparation goes into a show. Many hours of work for 15 minutes of fame.

As Andy Warhol once said, "In the future everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes." We're not world-famous, or Frisco-famous, or even famous at all. We're just trying to get OUT there...for longer than fifteen minutes. We're not trying to conquer the world, or the Bay, we're just trying to shine hard.

And we did shine hard, but of course we can't do it all by ourself. That's not what Homeygrown is about....we shine together!

Tiffany rockin a Rockill apron while she gets the hair did. This girl got it. She comes and saves the day AND rocks the runway. WOW! Thanks so much for being down!

Goldiloks don't need make-up, but what she wants she can do it all by herself!

It was way hot in the white room, and not just because of the fly people working, but because of the NUMBER of fly people in there. There must have been 30 people in there.

3.14- Veni Vidi Vici- Fusion Fashion Show! Art! Music!

2009-03-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

Read the rest for the full line-up. Make sure you get your presale tickets to save some $! ArtNowSF & JUXTAPOZ
present…

VENI VIDI VICI

JUXTAPOZ Issue Release Party

@ CLUB SIX

60 6th St. SF, CA

Saturday, March 1th

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Room 1:

*Reggae - Dancehall – Roots*

PRESSURE

"Love & Affection"

http://myspace. com/pressurebusspipe

RANKIN SCROO

http://myspace. com/rankinscroo

IRIE DOLE

(Jah Warrior Shelter)

http://myspace. com/djiriedole

REBS

(SoundProof/ArtNowSF)

http://myspace. com/soundproofintl

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Room 2:

*Dubstep – StreetBass*

SUB SWARA

(NYC)

http://myspace. com/subswara

JOE NICE

(DubWar NYC, Balt. )

http://myspace. com/joenice

NICK ARGON

(Argon Records, SF)

http://myspace. com/nickargon

MATTY G

(Argon Records, SC)

http://myspace. com/mattygbeatz

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Room 3:

*Hip-Hop - Art & Fashion Show – Spoken Word*

DEVLIN & DARKO

(Spank Rock/Ambassadors of B-MORE Bass)

http://myspace. com/baltimorebassconnection

Kap10

http://myspace. com/kaphrrris

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fusion Performance Fashion Show

@ 10pm from designers:

Alchemetric

http://myspace. com/Alchemetric

Homeygrown

http://myspace. com/homeygrown

Heathen

http://myspace. com/wearheathen

P.E.A.C.E.

http://www. peacefits. com

Hellagant

http://www. Hellagant. com

Nicacelly

http://myspace. com/Nicacelly

Kamileon Designs

http://myspace. com/kamileondesigns

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Special Live Performances

incorporated into the fashion show by:

Bicasso

http://myspace. com/bicasso

Raashan Ahmad

http://myspace. com/raashanahmad

Flossafee

http://myspace. com/Flossafee

The Bash Brothers

http://myspace. com/Thebashbrothers

Brycon

http://bryconmusic. com

Ruby

http://rubyisill. com

Nikila

http://myspace. com/mamawisdom

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Showing art by:

incorporated into the fashion show by:

Bicasso

http://myspace. com/bicasso

Raashan Ahmad

http://myspace. com/raashanahmad

Aaron Johnson

http://aaronomicsart. com

Rudy Fig

http://flickr. com/rudyfig

Jin Chon

http://jinkimchon. com

ARMOgedon 2057

http://armo1. com

Andrew Colin

http://snyderartdesign. com

Derick Montez

http://derickmontez. com/wordpress

Carly Ivan Garcia

http://carlyivangarcia. com

Goldiloks

http://myspace. com/girafficorn

Ashley Arnold

http://myspace. com/smashleyarnolds

Overunity

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For more info and tickets go to
http://going. com/marvvv

RSVP for Free Giveaways

& 2 for 1 drinks 9-10pm

Join us on Myspace:

http://www. myspace. com/artnow
Become a Facebook Fan of ArtNowSF:

http://artist. to/artnowsf

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

GOONIES!

2009-03-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

come out to this show...our homies are so talented.

Thank you for swapping with us!

2009-03-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all who came and swapped with us last night. We had about 80 swappers throughout the evening, and it seemed like the clothes kept coming!

Did you come to the swap? We'd love it if you could share stories and photos of what you swapped and what you copped and let us know what you got silkscreened. We'd especially appreciate any photos of the event so we can post it on the site. Remember, swapping is not only about physical items, but also about your stories, joys, and documentation of your experience. Any feedback would also be wonderful. Since we throw these events twice a year, we want to know what YOU want!

As always, we had some questions on the wall for folks to share. Read the rest for some swappers' last goodbyes to their goods and find out what was found in the giant piles.

Say your last goodbye to what you swapped:
- A farewell to the "lucky" college army jacket. You served me well!
- Bye $70 jacket I never wear
- To all the things I never wear....so long suckers!!! =)
- Ugly red & green sweater, you served me well, it was time for you to move on. thanx.
- Goodbye non-vegan leather jacket. You were hard so hard to get rid of but I know you have found a good home. Thanx to the lesbians who originally sold it to me for $4. Pay it forward!
- Tacky trendy tops too terrific to trash." (Great alliteration!)

What did you cop today?
- An awesome sweater screened with a tree!
- New jeans!
- Hella new shit! Thank you much <3!
- "Bunches of awesomeness"
- !kcor syug uoy !hcum os uoy knahT
- Some great sweaters/long sleeve shirts, top gun jacket & Fox backpack not yet chewed on by a dog =)
- Cute comfy shoes, sweater, velour pants, cool tank- thanks!
- Shoes! Books!
- A fly flashy track jacket that apparently belonged to Rockill. Thanks girl!
- Phat laces
- Utility long johns top
- Khaki-colored tunic dress that I plan to draw on =)
- A punk rock leather jacket
- The cup: VHS

Add to these lists and keep the stories coming!

Swap! Not Shop! gets love.....

2009-02-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

East Bay Express chose Swap! Not Shop! as a Critic's Pick for this week! Check page 20 or you can view the event here. Our last swap was also featured, and although this tiny little paragraph in this issue did not mention Homeygrown, we're happy that folks are spreading the swap spirit around!

And many thanks to Lori of Female Sneaker Fiend who posted our swap info on the site.

Check out these other blogs that help spread the word:

MISS Crew, who Artiffact now interns for!
Our homies Cell & LN at The Spacestation
Homegirl Ruby of iLL-Literacy
Certified Fresh
MMHighlights
Pirate Cat Radio

Did we forget you? Let us know!

Click the link to RSVP and let us know who's bringing the goodies!

Swap! Not Shop! Clothing Exchange

2009-02-22T22:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, we know that times are tough, but your wardrobe doesn't have to show it.
Start diggin' in your closets.....because it's swap time again!
FREE CLOTHES!!!! LIVE SILKSCREENING!!!
Come out to our biannual clothing exchange, SWAP! NOT SHOP!
Saturday, 2/28 from 4-9pm at Soundwave Studios in West Oakland.

Click the link for more info and to RSVP!

SWAP! NOT SHOP! Homeygrown's Biannual Clothing Exchange
Forget about shopping! Swap out your old duds with new (to you) clothes and more!
Saturday, February 28 from 4-9pm

$5 admission + a bag of clean clothes and such
Also accepted: shoes, household items, movies, books, music, nonperishable foods, etc.

18+ with ID, 21+ to drink

FREE MUNCHIES!

Live silkscreening by HOMEYGROWN

$3 for one design, $5 unlimited!

customize your gear for hella cheap!

plus.....all the FREE clothes you can get!

Held at the legendary Soundwave Studios in West Oakland
2200 Wood Street (off of West Grand under the overpass)
Look at map here
Entrance through the front screen gate, not the parking lot

All leftovers will be donated to charity! Put on some wacky finds for our fugly fashion show!

Peep photos from the last swap here!

If you're on going, RSVP to let us know you're coming!

2/15: Body Language Show

2009-02-04T18:31:00.000-08:00

Celebrate the record release of our homey Flossafee. Floss won't be the only one flossin', because we'll be showin' off some body language of our own in a fashion show.
Want more info? Click below!

When: Sunday, Feb. 15 from 6-10PM (Early Show! Holiday on Monday!)
Where: Element Lounge
Who: Performances by.....
Flossafee
Livenfire
ETC
Art by Overunity and Ashley Arnolds
Fashion show by Homeygrown

Up:Date

2009-02-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

Just testing some things out. Get ready! Many photos to edit, thoughts to type, and dates to up!

Bay Area Guide to Independent Fashion Festival

2008-10-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Catch us hustlin' our newest thangs at the
Bay Area Guide to Independent Fashion Festival this Saturday!

Saturday, October 11
12–7 pm
Yerba Buena Gardens Forum & Grand Lobby
$10 / $3 with Gallery Admission / FREE for YBCA Members

Shop from over 40 different local designers and know where your swagger comes from!

Click to get a sneak peak of some of our new gear!

Check back to see the photos soon!.

What'd you cop at the Soulstice Swap?

2008-07-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Swappers looking at the media section.
The chick in the jean jacket got her denim custom silkscreened by Rockill at the last Soul Swap!

For our summer "Soulstice Swap", we decided to change things up a bit and make our event an all-day thang. While that meant 7 hours of blood rain and beer for Homeygrown, it also allowed for more room and less crowd for swappers. I know that one problem of a swap that I attended in SF was that it was WAY TOO CROWDED! You felt like you had to throw elbows just to look at a stanky ass shirt! Some people like the adreniline rush of having to fight over clothing, but we're going to leave that to the hardcore swappers.

At Homeygrown swaps, you can take your time, try things on, munch on free munchies, see who picked up your old duds, and get drinks and custom silkscreening for hella cheap. We'll even let you silkscreen yourself!

Wanna see what fun we had? Click the link for photos and fun!

First of all, it ain't no Homeygrown swap unless we have our signature drink, "Blood Rain"!

Killa Stormz mixin it up!

We even showed Miss Smurf how it's done.

Then of course, we need some funky grooves, and we have DJ Ellen to thank for that!

DJ OohChild came through for a bit and manned the tables.

Homeygrown knows hospitality. We had freshly rolled veggie sushi, or "Sooshe" for swappers.

Sooshe Schef Stormz in his freshly copped kimono. We so authentic!

Liz Loca, the Homeygrown publicist, served punch cocktails on a silver platter to refresh our guests. Word is that folks got so excited that they knocked over the whole tray!

So after folks get their buzz and grub on, they dig through mountains of semi-organized clothes and such.

This little boy came in with his mama and felt the groove right away! He boogied for a good hour or so, then found this board and carefully practiced his balance.

He didn't end up taking it home, but Spaceman Cell sure did, especially since no one swapped any Ice Cream or Bape wear for him to cop!

Yes, at this swap, there were a few kiddos, but we warned the parents of the dangers that were present. For instance, the porn DVDs mixed up with children's books:

We still wanna know who picked up Barely Legal! Confess!

In the mountains of the swapped, here's what some folks copped:

Jim the Cleaner uncovered his newly found identity "Fernando" from Eel Orks, or is it Wheel Works?

Liz and Melissa, one of the beautiful brains behind the swap, found where their hearts belong.

Folks must not love NY anymore! But Tiph and Liz got leftover lovin' for the Big Apple.

Stormz in his newly found velour Rocawear pimpfit.

These ladies know how to chill with the homies! Here they're already rockin' what they copped!

Someone swapped this sweet wig, and she ended up wearing it for a good portion of the night. Check out that mountain of tops behind her!

Juan, one of our favorite homies, modeled some fabulous finds from the mens' mountain.
Check out this sweater!

For the buff:

After Juan modeled this jacket, dude from Triple Crown Clothing swiped it!

This jacket was so touching it brought a tear to the eye. It's so central!

These two folks know how to boogey, especially when Michael Jackson comes on. We're not sure if he got his bangin' fit at the swap (love them pants and colors), but we do know that she copped that apron from Rockill's swappables.

Killa Stormz copped this Killafornia t-shirt from Thor....but wait, there's more! Way back in 2004, when Homeygrown was first sprouting, this dude, who actually taught DJ Ellen how to spin, bought a fresh horse art piece from Stormz on Telegraph Ave.! Serendipity! He confirmed that the horse is still a well-loved art piece that has travelled with him from house to house.

Here's the horse piece:

Queen Gail picked up her crown that was swapped by the littlest homey, Jada.

Now, swapping around wasn't the best part, because you know Homeygrown does it up! Check out how we made the old into the new:

A look at the silkscreening station.

Rockill uses her legs to help her stabalize her print:

And the finished pants:

He came in and knew exactly where and how he wanted his prints! That's wassup!

Sorry if drying your shirts hurts your back!

A few of his newly transformed shirts:

Homey Ashley likes to feel her art.

She can do it all by herself.

He can do it all by himself too! We're glad that folks can actually see how we do it, then do it themselves. DIY BABY!

She copped this pretty dress and made it even prettier with Homeygrown prints!

What the heck are they printing on?

That's hella clean! Rockill printed on Gail's trunk cover! Gotta have something fresh to hide all that junk in your trunk!

By the end of the night, we were pooped. We mentioned a fashion show at 9PM but felt too drained to follow through. Until this little sweetie tapped Melissa on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me. I heard we were having a fashion show and it's already 9." You know we had to throw on something fun and proceed with our tradition!

Roma kept us young and lively. Here she's rockin' a freshly printed tank top and swapped skirt.

Stormz...not only a sushi chef and bartender...he's also an emcee!

Roma modeled for everyone.

Fernando rocked his mask.

All of the models rockin' the swaps.

After the fashion show was the official end of the night, which meant clean up!

We kept it true to Soundwave Studios tradition by throwing some bras on the lighting tracks.

Dave and Melissa taking a rest on Mac Dre's couch. Forreal, that's really his leather couch. Sorry, that can't be swapped!

These two called their homies up and were still dancing until we turned the music off. Hella fun!

We always like to make things interactive, so we put up a graffiti wall for folks to fill out what they swapped and what they copped.

Here's what folks wrote:

TODAY I SWAPPED:
- Charlie Watts + The Doors
- Bag of shit
- Some saliva
- Rockill fits
- Guns 'N Roses Tee
- Tall Tee- LMAO
- The screwed up DVD player (that works sometimes)
- My mom's 80s hoochie tops
- Pistol Belt
- Ass-play

TODAY I COPPED:
- A feel
- A crazy green alpaca hoodie!! Bang!
- Hella stuff
- A Hello Kitty phone...thanks Smurf
- Fernando wuz here
- A pleather tube top! & cheetah print sexy time clothes
- A sexy grey button up
- A bag of rocks
- Red sex shirt
- Barely Legal vol. 60 (WHO ARE YOU??)
- A "Jesus is my Homeboy" shirt
- 5 outfits
- Some blue brown white in a brown bag
- Two hoodies- one I got silkscreened w/ a HOMEYGROWN

and..there were many sketches and doodles of random things, like male anatomy.

If you came to the swap, let us know what you copped! Send photos, tell stories, whatever! We swapped souls with you, so please share!

Our next swap will be around wintertime, so keep posted party peoples!

Soulstice Swap in East Bay Express

2008-06-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Our Soulstice Swap event is a pick in this week's issue of East Bay Express...

Click the link to get the 411!

check out page 113 for that one....you should definitely pick up a paper because this issue is also the BEST OF THE EAST BAY!

if there's no paper around, here's the link:

SOULSTICE SWAP IN EAST BAY EXPRESS

please leave a comment if you plan on coming or if you've been to a swap before.

we'd appreciate it if you would support this event and SWaP NoT SHoP!

thanks ya'll, we hope to silkscreen your goodies on Saturday!

Homeygrown on Fashion Tribes

2008-05-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

At the Maker Faire earlier this month, someone from Fashiontribes.com wrote a little blurb about the Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show. The short article features Bianca in her sailor moon inspired fit.

Check it out here!
According to Bianca, she told them she'd only pose for the camera if they gave a shout out to homeygrown. And just by looking at the picture, they didn't even give her a chance to pose!!

Makin' Fashion Happen at Maker Faire

2008-05-18T23:22:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts of the Swap-o-Rama-Rama at Maker Faire is the fashion show.

It's so fun gathering a group of homies who love to show off homeygrown gear!

We hate being part of a boring, cookie-cutter show, and by far, this show every year just gets more and more entertaining. The models are fun and fabulous, and the other designers always have such amazing recycling techniques. As Homeygrown's outfits blend the old with the new (how our daily fashion often looks like), we hope other folks who strictly buy brand new will adopt the recycled, one-of-a-kind, DIY philosophy....even if it's one just item of clothing.

We invited super cool photograher Amber Wolf, aka Chipmonkey, to take photos of anything and everything....and here's how she saw homeygrown's fashions that day!

Click below see more fashion photos from Swap-o-Rama-Rama Fashion Show!

Lookin' this good takes just a few minutes of gettin' ready:

First, Smurf paints her lips....red.

Then, like a good wifey, she helps hubby put his robe on.

Be careful with those pins!

In all the huge mess around us, we manage to find a fork to comb Jada's hair.

She hated her fork-combed bangs! (but just for the first 10 minutes)

Before the fashion show, we rounded up all of our models for a photo shoot.

On Bianca:
- Halter top: an old lady sailor dress turned golden with buzzard print and upholstery trim- by Artiffact
- Apron: a vintage blouse turned housewife with sewing heart print- by Rockill
- Gloves: vintage Artiffact
- Skirt: Urban Outfitters (model's)
- Shoes: Converse (model's)

On Brian:
- Jacket: Pizza Hut delivery uniform with zebra buzzard print patch, Philippine eagle and wave printed on back- by Artiffact & Stormz
- T-shirt: white-v-neck- (model's)
- Jeans: (model's)
- Shoes: purple satin Vans (model's)
- Hat- Huf (model's)

On Jada:
- Top: old white girly tee with printed hearts- by Artiffact
- Skirt: cheetahlicious dress scraps- by Artiffact
- Scarf- vintage Artiffact
- Leggings- Justice (model's)

On Miss Mai:
- Top: grandma's sweater turned sexy 20 minutes before the fashion show- by Artiffact
- Pencil skirt: other half of old lady sailor dress with upholstery suspenders- by Artiffact
- Gloves- vintage Ariffact
- Garter- scrap lace and trim - by Rockill
- Shoes- (model's)
- lace scarf- (model's)

On Melissa:
- Halter top: old lady sailor dress with printed hearts- by Artiffact
- Apron: remnant cheetah fabric with scrap lace and printed Rockill butterfly- by Rockill
- Garters: scrap lace and shoelaces- by Rockill
- Skirt: thrifted by Artiffact
- shoes: thrifted by Rockill
- Gloves: vintage Artiffact

On Crystal:
- Top: great-aunt's cruise top turned tunic with rainbow hoodie & sailor bow- by Artiffact
- Armwarmers: left-over sleeves, flipped around- by Artiffact

On Smurf:
- Full Apron: vintage fabric old enough to be your grandma- by Rockill
- Hat: scraps of grandma fabric- by Rockill
- Gloves: $1 + lace scraps

On Mick (aka Bif):
- Robe: old cuddly thing with enough ties for a conference- by Artiffact
- Slippers: someone's grandma's cozies- by Mick

pep talk

another model just rollin' by...

Next up are photos from the actual fashion show. We rarely get to see things from this point of view....we're always behind the scenes....thanks Amber!

First was Jada, third year fashion show veteran....doin' her dance.

Crystal modeled TWICE in the show!

A happy family with their trashling baby!

Amber took so many more photos that day, we'll be sure to post photos of the actual swap.

We're also selling some of our wears from the fashion show, check out our etsies:
Artiffact
Rockill
Homeygrown

New members of the Trashling Family

2008-05-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Oh No!!! A messy craft table! This can only mean that TRASHLINGS have invaded the Swap-O-Rama-Rama at the Maker Faire. Have no fear, Trashlings are kind creatures from Planet Basura. With the help of human creativity, Trashlings turn recycled old scraps and such into cuddly things!

Click to see the new Trashlings who were born this year....

Much creativity goes into creating a Trashling, from Earthlings of all ages.

The first Trashling of the weekend, created by Jada. Check out the velcro jean pocket and the plastic arms!

He wanted to make an octopus, but it morphed into a happy jellyfish!

I believe this Trashling used to be old pajama pants.

She used the same pants for her Trashling too!

With their mama's help, Fuzzy and friend were created!

After she sewed a lil somethin' for herself, she couldn't resist on creating Garbo!

These doll heads were quite popular, and they went rather quickly! Someone even stole one off of Jada's Trashling! More on that later.... Anyways, this dude and his Trashling were so cool! Mee

her little guy is a puppet where her cute little hand can fit through. Note the dangling earring, that's one of Rockill's old creations!

Meet Marabella.

These two made a matching Trashling, Pill-ho, to go along with their homey's design (see her shirt? Rockill helped her turn a boxy man's shirt to something fit and femme.)

Although it would have been nice, Homeygrown didn't exactly make Trashlings all day long.

We managed to squeeze some time in for a few personal projects....and hop on the sewing machines in between peoples! And of course, we gotta help folks out with fashion!

This was one of the first projects to come to our table, and it happened to be an old pair or PJ pants from Artiffact! This sweetie wanted to make something special for her dad....awwww...
This family is way kind....he accidentally took something from our pile of things, and they came back after the swap was finished to return them to us! That's the kind of spirit that makes being at the Swap-O-Rama-Rama magical!

at 10 years old, this was her first attempt at sewing. she cut out a tiger from an old shirt and wanted to sew it onto this shirt she found and printed on. she became frustrated at all the curves of the patch, but she did great for her first time. her patience was well worth it...just look at her shirt! It was great to see her come back again for day two and sew some more!

So great to see Artiffact's can tab collection be put to use! After she made this at our station, I saw her carrying it while walking around. I totally wanted to take a photo, and after looking closer at the pants, I noticed that those were my old pair! It brings nostalgic feelings to see something that you brought being transformed into something new.

here's another one of Artiffact's swapped goodies. I got this "Mountain Brothers" t-shirt way back in '98 when i signed up to be part of their street team, called the "Urban Nut Squad". They mailed me this t-shirt and a HUGE box of promotional condoms...I was 16 at the time and my mom opened the box after it was delivered...she must have been surprised. After using this shirt for sleeping for many years, now it can be enjoyed as hand-sewn backpack art by someone who actually knows who the Mountain Brothers are! Way to know your hip hop!

our glue gun came in handy for this bunny.

trashlings

2008-05-05T23:23:00.001-07:00

., originally uploaded by caseyrose.

last year's trashlings

2008-05-05T23:20:00.001-07:00

trippin: Saturday 1:19 pm 5/19/07 San Mateo, California, originally uploaded by jeanniey.

still recovering from maker faire

2008-05-05T23:17:00.001-07:00

., originally uploaded by caseyrose.

we really only got to hang out in the swap-o-rama-rama room, but we're still exhausted. stay tuned for more photos from fashion show, stories of stolen heads and chairs, trashlings galore!

Get Ready for a Trash Landing

2008-04-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

The Trashlings invade the Swap-O-Rama-Rama at the Maker Faire once again!
We'll help you adopt a Trashling, but you gotta dig through the remains on planet Basura to put it together first!

Not into Trashlings? We can help you sew whateva!

Click here to find out more!

From our first Swap-O-Rama-Rama, we had a wonderful time sewing our hearts out with random people. People made skirts, tops, bags, kids clothes, and so much more! But by the end of the weekend, we had a mountain full of scraps that would make me feel guilty for throwing away....

Then....over the course of one year, scraps from all over piled up in space and formed the planet Basura. All of the scraps, each with its own story to tell, had so much energy that they combined forces to create the Trashling species ! However, Trashlings cannot morph on their own. With the help of the creative Earthlings, Trashlings are born! Move over Mickey!

We hope you can create a Trashling with us.

Don't forget to stick around on Saturday for the Recycled Fashion Show....starts at 6PM!

Oakland High School Senior Project

2008-04-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

This month has been quite busy for us. On top of swaps, events, and vending, we were contacted by an Oakland High School student to style her senior project. Nowadays, seniors must organize an event open to the public in order to graduate, and senior, Brijae, planned for a fashion show! (We would have done the same thing too!)

Although it was rather last minute (she picked up the clothes from Telegraph the day before and left our racks bare), it all worked out. Things didn't go quite according to her plans, but that's just one of those lessons you learn from to make you grow (I remember during our fashion show at the Glas Kat....two of our models were kicked out of the club, our set was cut off early, and male strippers went on stage before us!). Like always, the show must go on...and it sure did!

Brijae's group of models were a breeze to work with....they took our clothes and styled each other on their own, without much help from us, and we couldn't have done it any better! They all make great models!

the rack of clothes she picked out.

click to see more photos:

these models got ready in the school's fashion design classroom. it was so wonderful to see a room full of sewing machines....makes me wish we had that growing up. i had one class in 8th grade where i made a banana pillow...that's it!

the organizer, Brijae, wearing artiffact

rockin' rockill spiders

rockill giraffe tunic

artiffact/stormz "the bay" glow top

artiffact with hearts all over

calvin wearing rockill's virgin skeleton

keepin it king status in rockill

overunity

The models all walked out into a main room while others who hung around after school to support watched on. I stood "backstage" in the hallway to catch some photos before they did their walk. They all were great for the camera! Thanks so much for the great shots! I'll be sure to post those up soon!

swap-o-rama-rama-lama-ding-dong

2008-04-20T02:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, for Earth Day, we volunteered for a Swap-o-rama-rama benefit for Coyote Point Museum. This swap differed from others because it was targeted at youth. The group of middle-schoolers who put this together (and their families, friends, and volunteers) couldn't have done a better job...it was really fun, organized, and creative!

Click to read more...

First off, being in a cool place like the Coyote Point Museum on Earth Day is a treat in itself. Although we were busy sewing and silkscreening, or our new term "slikscreening", we managed to briefly check out some other attractions. The one-legged toad really caught our attention!

We only pulled out a few youth-friendly screens and were lucky enough to be provided with paint to slikscreen anything that came our way. Will work for paint and clothes!

Our recycle fish tail screen was really popular for some reason!

Here are a few folks who came to visit us:

He found a blazer for his dad and came to us to customize it with about 3 or 4 colorful prints. He had incredible design and fashion sense (he wanted to cut off the collar!) and even mentioned he either wanted to be a designer or an artist when he grows up. I told him why not be both!?!?

these ladies came back and forth to us for multiple prints. gotta love the custom color virgin skeleton with hearts all over! can't forget about the bats, because after all, saving the bats can save the world!

we do bags too!

the rockill heart was requested many times as well. rockill even had to explain the significance of the design to a mom...hope she didn't think it was too bloody!

we didn't get much sewing done as the slikscreening station was way more popular and needed more hands to help. we found some really awesome things in the swap, including a red handmade prom dress with a handmade "PRADA" tag attached!

This last swap really had me thinking about the last few swap-o-rama-ramas we've helped out with. this will be our third year! let's take a trip down memory lane.

2006 Swap-o-rama-rama

rockill on the serger...always

some peoples we helped:

she was thrilled to make the tie belt she's always dreamed about!

she jazzed up those boring jeans with pieces from a vintage dress!

this mom has never sewn anything before...but look at her making something for her adorable daughter on the serger!

she made this cutie dress out of old boys pajamas!

artiffact turned this tweenie top and grandma's cruise tank top into......

....a 5 minute sundress!

swappin' makes us smile!

We posted about last year's swap-o-rama-rama...

we made trashlings and many other things!

artiffact with her trashling, triclopcicle

check out homeygrown (Jada and Jayne) in this video with Swap-o-Rama-Rama founder, Wendy. she breaks it all down here...and we totally agree!

now....we hope you can come to the next swap at Maker Faire 08.

the fashion show is on Saturday so please make it that day to see what homeygrown has been cooking up!

protecting the earth rocks!

2008-04-18T23:55:00.000-07:00

sorry for the lack of updates. 2 ibooks retired recently.

but....

we're really excited about Earth Day Weekend!

Saturday April 19th
Swap-O-Rama-Rama benefit for Coyote Point Museum
We'll be swapping, sewing, and silkscreening with Earth peoples.

Organized by middle school gals!

Click to see more of how we recycle!

We love recycling...anything....clothes, old candy, cans.....

from our last recyling trip. we filled up 3 of these.

earned $20 for bat conservation in the Philippines.
it'll go a long way!

Spring Things

2008-03-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Spring....YEA!!

We've come out of hibernation and we're ready to be busy bees this Spring.

Check it out:

Ladies (gents are invited too!), wear your favorite sneakers and get your picture took to represent your love for your kicks!

Get down and funky on a Sunday afternoon to some chillin grooves from our DJs.

Visually stimulate yourself by peepin the artwork on the walls.

Watch our fashion show to see what's new for Spring!

We hope you can make it!

Then.....the following weekend:

We'll be chillin' with 49 other designers at one of the freshest venues in the city.

When: Saturday April 5, 2008 from 8:00pm-2:00am
Where:111 Minna Gallery (www.111minnagallery.com)
$6 at the door
21 + ID

Live music by:
Little Yellow Perfect (www.littleyellowperfect.com)
DJ's
TAJ (www.djtaj.com)
Laron
KRIS X (www.myspace.com/baydabreaks
Shon (gossip/cat club)
SCHATZ

Visuals by:
Insta-Action
www.insta-action.com

Artwork
Style Savage/VULCAN
A Street Style Originator. Now firmly entrenched in the modern school of
street/art convergence.

For more info go to:
www.chillinproductions.com

COMING UP:::::

not one, but TWO swap-o-rama-ramas!!!

Steady Steppin in 2007

2008-01-07T21:44:00.000-08:00

This is our year in review....in photos:

We started off by getting a space:

Click to see more photos!

it started off as blahhhh

and it flourished eventually

we held our spring swap at soundwave studios

where we had our fugly fashion show

cannibus cup for 420

i'm in love with the bartender...with the rockill apron!

the trashlings landed in may at the swap-o-rama-rama

and we help folks get creative

we got down with some schoolyard scholarz

all ages baby! kids supportin kids!

we tapped into the club scene at cuccini's

where the girlz get wild

we rubbed elbo's in rooms where drunk dudes buy our stuff

where barbacks support us

and where ninja masks get stolen

we took a road trip to hustle in a bowl of roses

and went back to school with the homies at HG high

we loved our bodies in berkeley

and did some soul/sole swappin

some collabin to make it happen

2008's mantra.

motiv8.collabor8.educ8.

Seemless Homeygrown Collab at Fluid Fashion Show

2007-12-25T22:36:00.000-08:00

What a better way to celebrate Artiffact's birthday than with a fashion show?

Seemless clothing invited Homeygrown to take a small part in a fashion show at Fluid Lounge in SF on 12/20/07.

Shout out to Cell for hookin us up!

This show featured the debut of a [Seemless x Homeygrown] collab...

artiffact twisted a few mens shirts into some sexy wears for the ladies.

these are just a few pics taken off of the photographer's website. keep posted for an update with other exclusive photos!

Cierra & birthday girl Tiph...you shoulda seen what she's hiding under that big ass sweater!

Click to see more photos:

Schoodies everywhere!

The VIP room.

MK checkin out the fly ass collab top by artiffact!

Logan lookin lovely!

Cierra lookin like some ice cream!

Hologram light bulb. Hoody halter.

hooded tunic by artiffact. virgin mary apron by rockill [SOLD].

red/white/blue schoody by artiffact [SOLD]. mini-apron by rockill.

Get your freak on in homeygrown!

runway:

grey/houndstooth schoody [SOLD]
modeled by eileen

a polka dot tunic for good luck in the new year
modeled by belin.

all about the benjamins schoody
modeled by arnelle.

floral striped hooded tunic
modeled by logan

red/white/blue schoody [SOLD]
yellow mini-apron
modeled by Tiffany

turquoise/red hearts schoody [SOLD]
modeled by kim

Seemless x Homeygrown collab flashing lights halter hoody

Seemless x homeygrown collab hooded halter dress
Modeled by Ashley

we hope this paves to way for collabin' with more brands....especially using used, leftover, or the "mess-up" pieces, so we can recreate it into something new!

this is dedicated to the homies

2007-12-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

to those who got our backs, we got your back (and we're on your back!!)
Check out the homies rockin' our stuff in the Bay and Beyond!

STO

Click to see more photos:

Bayliens, Xein How, The Grouch

sto.zen.

buildin:

Liz in NYC subway:

represent bej:

bianca's uniform

best dressed

j3:

bayliens:

enzyme

are we missing a photo of you?? then send it over!

Peep our myspace for more photos of peeps.

We soul swappin, we soul soul swappin!

2007-11-24T23:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks for leaving your chonies at home!

More photos to come!

We love your body!

2007-11-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

We love your body! That's why we make art for it!

We were invited to participate in a fashion show for Love Your Body Day at Cal Berkeley. The event was sponsored by the Gender Equity Resource Center on campus.

We worked with such a great group of people who really left us empowered at the end of the night.

Thanks to Morgan for outreaching to us!

Soul Swap: Homeygrown's Biannual Clothing Swap

2007-11-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

It's been so inspiring to work with the people we've crossed paths with....and we've definitely been motivated by the folks we've worked with at Swap-o-rama-rama.

That's why we're throwing a swap and doing it homeygrown style once again!

Let's swap soles! Literally!

Bring a bag or two of unwanted gently used clothing, shoes, accessories, movies, books, and more and swap it with other people's things. Please no JUNK!

$5 admission with bag of clothes, with free drinks, munchies, and all the free clothes you can get!
21 and over as we have a beer and wine garden.

Held at the legendary Soundwave Studios at
2200 Wood Street in West Oakland
Keep posted for directions!

Homeygrown will provide custom silkscreening for that extra touch!

And please....show off your stuff in the Soul Swappin Fashion Show!

Check out photos of our last swap. Super fun!

Start raking up your closet...it's time to shed your soul!

Back in the Days

2007-08-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

SO.....we have this fashion show coming up with a High School theme....

We wanna know...

What did you used to wear in high school? What was your favorite fit?

Alter:State SWAP

2007-07-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Whooo-hooo!!

Remade in America hosted Alter:State last night at the Balazo Gallery in the Mission. This time, instead of being more of a crazy circus and art show, things were more focused on swapping clothes and recreating thangs into something new (to the soundtrack of crazy circus mash-up dubtronic hip to the hoppin music, of course)! Homeygrown helped out with sewing and silkscreening. We like that stuff!

There was a fashion show too, but we were more in the mood to create than show it off. Melissa's always down to show off for us though, so she hopped on stage with a freshly reconstructed rainbow vest by Rockill.

Sidewayz Daze at the Elbo Room

2007-06-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

Our homey Xien How threw a show at the Elbo Room in SF. With Eligh as the headliner, and hella homies opening up, you know it was freshhhhh!

We set up shop on a POOL TABLE and killed time by having an apron photo shoot. Fun times!

Longest day of the year...

2007-06-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

At the Greenhouse...where we grow.

The more light there is, the more creative we get...

We've been hard at work making new designs for the summer. We won't unleash them just yet...but if you come to the Eligh Show at the Elbo Room this Saturday, you might see just a few of them.

We have a new work space, "The Greenhouse" (aka Stormz casa) where we burn all of our screens.

Since it's also Mercury retrograde, let us reflect on our past.

We won't forget where we came from, and what we've learned along the way. Here is a brief history of where we've created screens and printed in the past:

- Over's bathroom and bedroom floor, where it all began

- Tiph's backyard and garage

- Davao, Philippines

- Charity and Ezra's studio

- Lobot Gallery with RPS

- Wesley St. by the Lake

- Our shop, of course

on Wesley St, our old studio.

We want this list to grow with more peoples and places!!

Swap-O-Rama-Rama at Maker Faire

2007-06-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

What a fun time of the year!

We had so much fun at the Swap-O-Rama-Rama last year, we couldn't wait until this one came around. This time, we didn't have to bring our own machines because Janome supplied some, although I brought my serger (it's no fun without one). I even went home with a Janome, and about two bags of scraps!

(Rockez with our new machine)

We saw new and old faces. Heather helped Wendy out this year and was totally accomodating to our sewing needs. We set up our Trashlings next to Christine, a familiar face from our Spring Swap Not Shop. And of course, Remade in America screened for the masses. Too bad we didn't get anything screened for ourselves, although we got to rummage through a huge bag of scraps from them and Patchwerk Press.

We will always take your trash!

(Tiph fixing our Trashling station)

So besides creating Trashlings, folks came by with creative sewing ideas, which we helped make into reality. Look at what some of these people made:

A tube top from a skirt...I swear we helped her out last year!

She don't need a sewing machine...just hot glue!
Peep the can tabs and bread tabs she glued on from our collection!

And this is the most creative reuse of a bra:

She has never sewn before, yet volunteered for the event and worked so diligently to make that top! The lacey sleeves used to be the cups of an old grandma bra, and the lacey detail in the middle came from the same bra. Genius!

Next: creative reuse of those dreadful things....SHOULDER PADS!

This was just ONE of the lovely things she made. She used old shoulderpads to make ears for this funky hat. Hot glue and lots of random thingies made this hat TOTALLY zany!

So zany, that Jada wanted one too! (as well as a pom-pom bra!)

Another highlight was seeing the same mommy and daughter that I helped out last year. The last swap was the first time mom ever touched a sewing machine, so it was good to see her back and sewing more for her daughter!

Although the swap was spectacular, the downside was that we were so busy swapping and sewing that we didn't have a chance to explore the faire! Just walking through the faire to get to the swap stimulated our minds. I loved the giant nosepicker with the hamster wheel (Jada picked the nose!) and the city scape van. Good thing we sent out our agents Stormz, Kev, and Jada to explore and report back to us.

Peep the next posting for pictures from the fashion show.
We'll post last years photos eventually, just to be nostalgic!

Love, Tiph "Artiffact"

Trashlings: Toys from Trash

2007-05-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

The Trashlings have landed.
And they made their first appearance at the Maker Faire this weekend.

We joined with the forces of Swap-O-Rama-Rama again, but this time, we had one mission (besides helping others sew their dreams out):

to reproduce Trashlings!!

"Greetings Earthlings! I come to you from planet Basura, where trash is class. On Earth, I would be dumped in the garbage, but on Basura, I’m a healthy Trashling. However, I will not allow my people to become landfill. I have come to your planet to reproduce. As the trash on Earth piles up, my family of Trashlings grows. So…let’s get it on!"

We've always saved our sewing scraps in giant bags, and now we have a use for it: Trashling guts! We used our heaping piles of scraps to give our trashlings life....other designers saved their scraps for us too, making all of the Trashling guts look so beautifully diverse! We remember the swap last year...so sad to see precious scraps in the trash.

Our workstation was set up like those build-a-something workshops in the malls, except ours was completely interactive, used recycled and donated materials, and allowed room for creativity. The people who made Trashlings all filled out the Trashling Family Album to let us know about their new friend. They also filled out a birth certificate (on recycled paper of course!). It was a splendid experience.

Meet some of the newest additions to the Trashlings family:

Squirm

"Hi! I like to play with my friend Battso. Thank you for making me Natasha!

P.S. My other friend is Pudggy!"

Pudggy
Age: 0 years
"Hi! I'm so excited to be here on Earth! I'm so new, I want to see everything! My creator, Cassiel, will help me! Thank you! My best friend is Squirm (and Chopsticks!). I wish to learn your customs."

Hooty
Age: 100

Kaput
Age: 4
Creator: Maggie Hollingsworth

Sir Artur Conan Doyle
Likes: Meat, DIYing
Dislikes: George Bush
Made by Jake Renew

(sorry no photo...but please send one in! Sir Doyle was the finest starfish constructed from old board shorts.)

Shirley
She enjoys playing croquet and watching Woody Allen movies. She hopes to spend the summer bathing off the coast of St. Bards with spider monkeys.
(sorry no photo...but please send one in! Shirley was constructed from the top of an old green Urban Outfitters top, complete with polka dotted tentacles....divine!)

Lompet
Lompet swings upside down all day. It is a member of the flightless fowl, instead it hangs by its featherless tail and chirps for passerbys to give it a push.
(sorry no photo...but please send one in! Lompet was serged together and must have been the heaviest Trashling...the more trash guts, the better!)

Egor the Slug
Rainbow bootie
triangle eye
he likes donuts and ice cream
slug pirate clown
constructed carefully by Kristin

Rustler the Hustler
(sorry no photo...but please send one in! Rustler used to be a funky terry cloth snap button top, so the creator used the snap buttons to make Rustler easy to stuff and de-stuff...you could change it's guts at any time! Super creative!)

Ms. Garbage Spritely
created: 5/20/07 (though she is much older)
loves: flowers and flying
helped into this earlty existence by Valerie
(Valerie spent a crafy amount of time creating Ms. Spritely from old pantyhose. She did the "no sew" approach by twisting and gluing. The best part was the wings made from an old underwire bra! Valerie was so kind to leave homeygrown as Ms. Spritely's adoptive parents. We'll take care of her!)

Ms. Spritely relaxin on our grass!

Our Trashling family will continue to grow as long as scrap fabric is in abundance.

Keep posted for more bios of our new friends, as well as pictures from the fashion show and the folks that stopped by to sew with us. That's next time, folks.

Signing off.

Doin' it in the Park

2007-05-08T23:36:00.000-07:00

We love Telegraph Ave., but this weekend, we took a detour just around the corner.

We set up on a sunny hill right next to the linoleum at Hip Hop in the Park at People's Park.

Each year, one of our homies graces the stage. This year, it was Secluded Journalists (Ayentee & Won Way). We remember it like it was yesterday when Forensic Science was up on there!

We love buildin' with like-minded folks.

Thanks for those of you who checked us out and felt what we're doing.

You like my jacket? I got it at the swap.

2007-04-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

Swap Not Shop
Spring Clothing Swap

Our biannual Swap Not Shop was held at the legendary Soundwave Studios.
Famous and up and coming bands have used the same room where we held our swap.
Many thanks to Al for allowing us to use the space for something other than music!

Overall, about 30 people showed up, men and women, and although we would have liked a better turn-out, we had PLENTY of clothes and other things to swap.

We had to resist our urges of pre-swapping and wait for the "Let the Swap Begin" signal. It was tempting to stand around before the swap and just look at what you can't touch. Some of us broke that rule...but it's ok because we worked hard for it!
Then once the swap began, the ladies' table turned into a competive chaos...

While the guys just chilled and swapped with patience.

We used beer and wine as bait, but perhaps people don't get down with a keg and blood rain sangria on Thursday nights.

We're hella dorky to have an unfinished keg!

People were feeling generous by leaving grapes in the tip jar.

Who brought their underwear to swap?? We can understand bras, but UNDERWEAR? Where did the underwear go? Hopefully someone threw them away...otherwise you'll see them listed on ebay.

the only shirt that chris picked out, with his lucky number 26

in that huge bag is a fly ass leather jacket. good find!

We kept things fun by holding a Fugly: We’re Bringing Ugly Back Fashion Show. We found the fugliest things we can find and made it look good. For some reason, we ended up looking like gangsta grandmas. It was an unspoken agreement that fugly equals gangsta grannies. To wear grandma clothes separately, or gangsta separately, isn't fugly, but when you put them together, it's hella fugly!

MC Killa Stormz gets fugly too.....

Chrystine from TinaAndrina joined in on the fun.

G-Ma Rockill with a red cup in hand...

Melissa, making fugly look GOOD!

Thank you to everyone that came out and swapped with us. We might even be wearing each other's pants. Don't worry, I washed mine.

If you have a story to share, please leave a comment. We will hold another Swap Not Shop in the Fall, with more fun, with perhaps even a sewing station!
On the front page of our website, let us know what your favorite thing is that you swapped.

And mark your calendars, May 19 & 20 will be the HUGE Swap-o-Rama-Rama Event at the Maker Faire, held at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds.

P.S. to the girl with the royal blue underwear, thanks so much for coming!

Directions to the Swap

2007-03-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

The swap will be held at Soundwave Studios in West Oakland. It's sort of tricky to get there as the spot is right under the free way.

click to see the directions!

2200 Wood Street, Oakland

From Berkeley:

1. Take 580 East toward SF.
2. Merge on 880 South towards Alameda/San Jose.
3. Exit West Grand Avenue towards 7th Street.
4. Left on West Grand.
5. Make a U-Turn at Campbell Street (1st street) back onto West Grand.
(You basically want to get onto the street on the side of the overpass).
6. Turn Right on Wood Street.
7. We are on the Right hand side. Park and see our door directly on Wood Street. Do not go into Soundwave Studios through the parking lot. Follow the signs if you need to.

From Oakland:
1. Take 880 North.
2. Exit 7th Street/West Grand.
3. Right on West Grand.
4. Make a U-Turn at Campbell Street (1st street) back onto West Grand.
(You basically want to get onto the street on the side of the overpass).
5. Turn Right on Wood Street.
6. We are on the Right hand side. Park and see our door directly on Wood Street. Do not go into Soundwave Studios through the parking lot. Follow the signs if you need to.

Hope to see you there!

Re: Fashion Show

2007-03-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

if you can't make it to the swap, drop some clothes off to the shop and we'll bring them over for you!

to the girl with the royal blue underwear

2007-03-12T00:02:00.000-07:00

hi, you might remember me from today at the flea market. you were wearing royal blue underwear underneath your short dress/long shirt. i know this because when you bent over to look at those moth-eaten sweaters, you showed everyone. you could kinda almost see it when you were standing, too. it was really hot today, so i understand.

anyways, i really hope you can come to the clothing swap. we need people like you to swap clothing with. we need people who care about their underwear enough to show it off, because we print underwear too! (just don't bring your chonies to the swap).

tell all your friends too!

plant.feed.flourish.

2007-03-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

i planted some rosemary a few weeks ago. i hope it sprouts soon. i've been feeding it every other day of so, since i'm not always at the shop. there's already a rosemary bush outside of our spot, but we should have our own plant. then we'll be able to make rosemary oil, scrubs, and maybe even rosemary bread.

-artiffact