Swankety Swank Showcase: Lock & Key Nightstands

These matching sturdy wood tables are part of furniture artist and Swankety Swank owner Yabette’s ongoing Steampunk Collection. They feature a hand-painted Victorian-inspired lock and key in detailed hues of brown on its newly refinished black surface. Both rustic and attractive, masculine or feminine, they have practical drawers and shelves with their original pulls. This signed art set would be a lovely addition to an eclectic modern, artfully traditional or bohemian decor.  Dimensions: 20″H x 15″W x 24″D

The above artwork references a very specific type of lock known as a “story padlock.”  These locks contain imagery relating to a theme or narrative, giving them a unique quality among other locks.  The antique Victorian padlock featured by Yabette is based on a 3-dimensional Werewolf lock manufactured in Trenton, New Jersey, circa 1880.

A Swankety Swank Faerie Tale

Ladies and gentlemen, creatures of all shapes and sizes, persuasions and intentions, allow me to introduce to you A Swankety Swank Fairy Tale!

Narrator STORM tells the tale

Once upon a time in a deep dark forest, there lived a princess who created original handmade faerie fashions. She and her friends loved to dress up in the clothes they made, dancing and storytelling until the early morning.

Indie Artist Trunk Sale This Saturday!

At Swankety Swank, we are bustlin’ with excitement about the vendors we have participating in this Saturday’s Indie Artist Trunk Sale!  Here are a few items by their respective creators so you can get a sampling of some of the amazing one of a kind handcrafted work that will be available to you!

Kim of Krafty Kitten has been sewing since she was 8 years old and is inspired by rockabilly, cholabilly, psychobilly, pin up, punk and mexican culture.  Above, Krafty Kitten showcases a blue and white polka dot halter dress.

Sayuri Designs creates handcrafted feather accessories for hat and hair!

Salvaged and Stitched produces unique hand made home decor!

Ryan Humphries creates etchings, woodcuts, screenprints, monoprints, drawings, ceramic sculpture and oil paintings. His work combines disciplined, delicate draughtsmanship with unihibited imagination.

Satin Corset creates jewelry that evokes vintage, antique and Victorian nostalgia.  They describe their work as “Sweet, vintage chic. Victorian opulence. Charmingly antique, rustic redux. Flowers, pearls, glass, antique brass, little details, sparks of color & whimsy.”

SwankSpeak #3 Available Now!

The 28 page second issue of SwankSpeak! is a meaty magazine created with sincerity, intelligence and love. This delicious issue #3 (limited print run) features:

Interview with artist, designer & Fleuvog Award Winner Phoenix Zoellick!

Photographic fashion story “Serendipitous Society” by Eartha L. Goodwin featuring a dozen Swankety Swank artists/designers and Jim Siegel. master of the Westerfield Mansion!

Creative Genius, a column about inspiration & art with essays by Tom Napack (Dangerous Muse), Konstantin Pogorelov (Couscous Collective) & Zan Christensen (The Mark of Aeacus)!

Muse of the Month Miranda Caroligne of the Haight St. boutique Trunk!

Galaxy Runway, a two page comic strip by STORM, creator of Princess Witch Boy!

If you love this issue of SwankSpeak! (And we think you will!) consider purchasing a year’s subscription!

Start Your Art Walk With Swank Style!

Hey fabulous folks!  Do you enjoy art, good food and shopping?  Would you like to be a part of the exciting evolving renaissance of Divisadero Corridor?  Make sure you mark Thursday, June 3rd on your calendar because it’s time once again for the Divisadero Corridor Artwalk and Swankety Swank is the first stop!

DJ Rio will be spinning funkadelic tunes all evening and STORM (SF Weekly’s Best X-Men Tarot Reader) will be reading 3 card spreads for ten dollars from 7pm to 10pm.  This a good opportunity to get a taste of the X-Men Tarot X-perience which is an hour long reading for only forty dollars!

Come check out the amazing artwork we have on display! The painting above is titled “Nesting Among Lemons” and was created by the fantastic Kurtis Rykovich!  We have two more pieces by Kurtis and you simply have to see them in person to experience their exquisite sweetness!  We also have gorgeous oil paintings by Simone Coulars, men and women’s clothing by amazing designers like DAS, gibbous, Wayward Shifties, Zunique, Wysterium, and many more, feather hairpieces by Eileen, leather cuffs and belts by Project TransAction, and SF Weekly’s Best Local Skincare Line By Nieves!  There’s much more to see and experience at Swankety Swank, so come on down to the Divisadero Artwalk and see for yourself!  Thank you for supporting local handmade goods!

Spring Into Swankness!

All of us at Swankety Swank simply adore spring time!  We love the sights and sounds of the city coming to life, we love to clean out the dusty corners of our closets and under our beds, and we love to present the best handcrafted goods that we can!  We do our best to present a different experience every time you step inside 289 Divisadero St.  When was the last time you visited Swankety Swank?

Here’s a glimpse of what Swankety Swank is showcasing today!  In front, Yabette’s fabulous sideboard dresser is adorned with painted tree blossoms and natural orchids (center) by Laura Parson.  Beyond that is more amazing one of a kind chairs, tables and dressers beautifully handpainted with love (and sealed with a top coat)!

The glamourous glittery painting is by Kurtis Rykovich (who has three awesome pieces in our store right now), the handcarved fish are made by J.B. Ward,  and the Ode to the Neverwas Haul buffet is by Yabette.  The mannequin stands at permanent attention in a hat & bolero by DAS+OWL, bustier by gibbous, skirt by Wysterium, and leggings by Miranda Caroligne.  Check out the detail on that skirt!  I don’t know if that mannequin appreciates the solid construction she’s wearing, but I certainly do!
Celebrated spray paint artist, Jeremy Novy has envelopes, talismans, socks and shirts (not pictured here) for sale.
Superstar artist Phoenix has miniature paintings for sale.  These three celebrate the Zodiac signs of Pisces, Libra and Gemini!  You have to see these exquisite pieces in person to truly appreciate them!

The splendid colors of Simone Coulars’ paintings radiate above a rack of original upcycled fashions.  Simone has four large paintings in our store right now as well as three tiny paintings.  Her glossy finishes and effusive color choices are wonders to behold!  Again, you need to see them in person!  Art like this was not meant to be viewed online!
A vintage orange rococo upholstered chair lights up the corner!  That’s right, the chair and the fabric are vintage, but the upholstering is brand new!  This is a beautiful one of a kind piece of work!

The top shelf shows off smart looking cuffs and wallets by Project TransAction (we also have belts!), while the lower shelf displays the wondrous skin care by Nieves.  I use the Nieves skincare line and have enjoyed the results!  There’s natural anti-bacterial Protection Spray, bath salts and more!

So now you know about a few of the well-crafted goodies awaiting you inside of our store!  Remember, Swankety Swank supports local artists who create original work.  When you shop here, you support your community and local economy!  We look forward to your visits!

Talkin’ ‘Bout A Revolution!

The San Francisco Examiner’s Samuel Fleming Lewis writes about Swankety Swank in his column this week!  Check out the following paragraph and then go read the whole article!

“Yabette is a leader of a mini revolution. Everything in her store is handmade and produced by local artists and designers of every kind. Fashion, writing, illustration, craft, photography, furniture, jewelry, fine art and accessories are all part of the creative mix represented at Swankety Swank.”