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Arts & Crafts
Pictures of an imperfect world
Don't get caught in the megapixel madness when you're about to purchase a new digital camera. Loosen the vise that technology and precision have on you. There's a cheaper camera alternative on the market. With only a grip of $5 bills, you'll be able to buy cameras for you and your whole crew. All you need to do is point, click, and shoot. More
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Arts & Crafts
Under a jade and coral gateway, you enter Chinatown- one of the largest Chinese quarters outside of Asia. From this juncture at Bush and Grant, you encounter streets thick with herbs, tea leaves, jade jewelery and wisdom hats that crowd amongst the singing crickets and clamor of both locals and tourists. Forget about parking. The area is best covered by foot. More
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Arts & Crafts
It seems as though everyone's got a knack for knitting these days, and the trend goes well beyond your grandma and her purple-haired friends. The craft revolution is upon us and because of it, everyone's got a pair of needles in their hand or a skein of yarn in their bag. If you haven't received a hand-knit scarf as a gift, there's probably one in the works, especially with the holiday season right around the corner. Chances are, you're making one for someone else. Whether you're a knit one, purl two master or are wondering what a skein is, there is a store to meet all your knitting needs. More
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Arts & Crafts
In the United States celebrating death is a macabre endeavor. Very seldom do we rejoice when departed souls diminish from existence and join the nether world. Dia de los Muertos, in the Mexican community, is a departure from our consternation. It celebrates death as the bedfellow of life, each sharing the yin and yang of our being. Visit Casa Bonampak and Studio 24 "en el Corazon de la Mision" (in the heart of the Mission) for Dia de los Muertos culture, education, and supplies. More
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Arts & Crafts
The snip of scissors fills the air, scraps of paper flutter like snowflakes, glitter is everywhere and your fingers are crusted with glue. If you're anything like me, this sort of crafty chaos defines your holiday season. But regardless of whether you make your own greeting cards or are willing to give your right arm if it means someone else will wrap presents for you, there is one holiday season necessity and it's not that gingerbread latte. From imported washi to mass-produced rolls of wrapping, no holiday season is complete without some form of paper. More
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Arts & Crafts
Gifting, the age-old practice of giving stuff to others, is a year-round sport as the calendar is littered with various holidays and special occasions that require you to get out and spend. The specialty shops and boutiques along 24th Street in Noe Valley can help with this task. Shopping addicts from all over the Bay Area come here to take care of their gifting needs, no matter what the season, occasion or recipient requires. More
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Arts & Crafts
Sew Smitten
I come from a long line of non-sewers. Despite the fact that none of the women in my family grace 5'3" and therefore must hem every pair of pants purchased, threading a bobbin was not a talent passed on through the generations. But that hasn't stopped me from dreaming. "Learn to sew" has been a new year's resolution of mine for three years running and the second-hand Singer in my closet, though never actually used, gets dusted off every now and again and gazed at longingly. I buy fabric for projects I'll never make, I mentally sew Christmas gifts for everyone I know and I clip patterns I haven't the slightest clue how to read. More
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Arts & Crafts
With all the creative folks who call San Francisco home, it's about time a shop successfully synthesized writings, art, homespun clothing, and accessories the way Needles & Pens does. Tucked away in the Mission, this gem of a d.i.y. store used to be the stuff of daydreams for Andrew Scott, a writer/designer who's been involved in the zine scene for years, and Breezy Strand Culbertson, a sewing machine queen. After returning from six months of travel, the couple decided to give themselves a job by opening a spot that incorporated their own interests as well as those of their artistic friends and the creative community in general... More
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Arts & Crafts
Fodder for your Inner Child
Ever pine for the novelty stores of your childhood, those quaint little get-ups that could be found on every street corner and painted a proverbial picture of Americana and its essentials? I can see it now: glass jars dotted with gum drops, marble-top counters sporting multi-colored pens, fire engine red stools made for lazy lounging and imbibing ice cream sodas. Getting nostalgic yet? Um, probably not, unless you grew up in the 1950s. All the same, avatars of the five and dime stores of yore, despite exponentially inflated prices, are popping up everywhere... More
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Arts & Crafts
The Art of Versatility
When Priya Saraswati and Yugala Priti launched Saffron Rare Threads a little over a year ago, they were very precise in the selection of their name. It takes a thousand hand-picked threads of saffron to create a single ounce of this flavorful substance. It was the perfect embodiment of Saraswati and Priti's initial concept -- to create a line of clothing that symbolized the same impeccability and vividness as the world's most coveted spice. More
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