Monday, October 31, 2011

Alliday Artist: Meet Okie Crowe!

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.
Wanting to participate in my husband’s appreciation for beer, but not wanting to assist with his “Mr. Wizard beer kit,” with which he brews award-winning homebrew, I began making beer soaps featuring his beer brewing ingredients.  After being urged by a friend to vend soaps at Blue Dome Arts Festival in May 2011, Okie Crowe was born.  Okie Crowe products are handmade by Kelli and Gary Groblewski in Tulsa, OK.

What do you create and what do YOU love about your products?
Okie Crowe products include beer soaps, scented soaps, felted soaps, Doggie Bark n’ Beerscuits dog treats and Okie Crowe t-shirts.  I LOVE how Okie Crowe products reflect our love of beer, but also our Oklahoma pride, local-mindedness and eco-conscious attitude through unique ingredients, craftsmanship, logo by local graphic artist—Kouri Fowler, and recycled packaging. 


Where do you find inspiration?
Getting involved in the Oklahoma beer brewing community, including volunteering for Fellowship of Oklahoma Ale Makers (FOAM) and participating in Beer for Chicks, has been a big influence.  My husband and I have always been craft beer drinkers as well, appreciating quality ingredients.  Gary’s catalog of beer recipes is often a great reference when developing new beer soap recipes too.
The Alliday Show believes that everyday should be celebrated as a holiday! That being said, which holiday do you wish were everyday and why?
If the financial repercussions of Christmas everyday were not an issue, then definitely Christmas should be every day.  Hahaha Christmas is the holiday that represents friends and family most to me.  It is a festive time to share with others through gifts, spending time together and with love.  The special memories made through Christmas traditions are priceless.  The scents of the holiday season are pretty hard to beat as well—delicious home cooked meals, desserts and holiday spices are YUMMY!

If you could create your own holiday, what would it be and why?
“Beer Me! Day”—all non-craft, commercially brewed pee water would be strictly forbidden and exorbitantly fined if consumed on this day.  In celebration of this holiday, craft beers would be offered free to drinkers of legal age to prevent the consumption of bad beer.  Because of the mass intervention to schwag beer drinkers everywhere, craft beer sales will force bad beer out of the market so no one will ever have to drink bad beer again, let alone want to!  Thus, Oklahoma’s archaic beer laws would finally change to reflect modern 2011 attitudes about beer-drinking.
What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Because of the childhood memories of my Grandma’s cooking, I love the holiday traditions associated with food.  My grandmother never had to tell me she loved me because I could always see it and taste it in her food.  My grandmother’s hot rolls were such an exciting event that I called my grandfather each holiday morning asking him to pick me up from my home so I could watch my grandmother pull the rolls from the oven.  Now, my husband and I pass on the tradition of Grandma’s hot rolls by preparing them for our family. 

How would you describe your work in three words?
Beer
Unique
Fun


Shop Locally: 
Beauty Unlimited 918-369-4942
Groggs Green Barn918-994-4222
High Gravity918-461-2605
Ida Red, 918-949-6950
Mecca Coffee Co., 918-749-3509
Natural Farms918-583-5354
Okie Crowe, 918-230-1595
The Refuge Lifestyle, 918-366-6650

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Alliday Artist: Meet Paintin' by Faith!

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.
I am a mixed metal artist.  I create small pieces of wearable art with a very rustic feel.  I truly love what I do & I believe it does show in my work – well I don’t call it work I call it fun.  I can’t get enough.  I live, breath, sleep my fun.  I am always inspired. I love seeing my work evolve on a daily basis.

What do you create and what do YOU love about your products?
Using most sterling silver & copper I create wearable art – jewelry that has a voice.  Each piece is created by hand.  I never wore jewelry before I started making it.  I didn’t realize I just hadn’t found my style.  The mix of sterling silver with copper has such a great rustic feel to it. 
Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere.  Literally.  I have pieces that were inspired by billboards on the side of the road.  Shapes I noticed in a piece of fabric.  The garden.  Nature.  My positive spirit.  Everywhere. 

The Alliday Show believes that everyday should be celebrated as a holiday! That being said, which holiday do you wish were everyday and why?
I do love Thanksgiving.  It is a no hustle, enjoy the family kind of day.  But I don’t think it is my favorite.  I am very patriotic & a huge fan of summer.  So I think I really would have to say Fourth of July.  I know that seems very different – but that does kind of sum me up.
If you could create your own holiday, what would it be and why?
I would love to have a simple family day.  A day that just celebrates family.  Period.  No gifts.  Just the spirit of family.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
I love traditions. When my kids were younger I tried to create many traditions to carry on.  Things change up so not all of them stuck.  But I do have one that we haven’t ever stopped.  On Christmas Eve you know kids always want to open up gifts.  Well I started giving my kids one gift each.  It is always PJ’s – when they were kids it was such a cute thing.  They had a new pair for Santa to see them in.  So every year even though they knew what they were getting they got to open that one gift.  Even though my kids are older & think I am silly for still doing this – every year I still give them one gift on Christmas Eve – PJ’s.
How would you describe your work in three words?
Art
Rustic
Timeless