foxy crafting with emily

spent a wonderful evening crafting with daughter emily. i went to bed at 10:30, but she stayed up until after midnight (to finish a second fox) i think she may have just caught the crafting bug. this week i carried home a a stack of new (old) thrift store clothing to de-construct and re-cycle into something new and FUN!! and so the journey begins...

december occasional sale

more sneak peeks for december occasional sale. open december 8,9,10 from 10am-5pm.

all that glitters for the holidays

dancing goat studio is putting on the glitz for the season filled with christmas and new years parties. silver and gold, cream and white and a glimmering array of brights and lights, all with a hint of whimsy, fill the shelves and corners of the studio this week. open for december occasional sale thursday, friday and saturday december 8-10 from 10am-5pm.

altered book purse - christmas gift special orders

checking our list and checking it twice. dancing goat is working hard to fill special order custom purse orders designed by our lovely and creative customers. aren't these fabric and book choices fabulous!!!

there is still plenty of time to design a one of a kind quirky book purse for someone special on your christmas list. over one thousand books to choose from and some cool retro vintage inspired fabrics to make the perfect purse. new this year are clutch purses with a detachable wrist strap and up-cycled leather belt straps on our classic altered book purse.

custom design is easily done via e-mail if you are unable to swing a visit to the studio. just e-mail kim at kwendlandt@tds.net to begin the design process.

vintage santa and other holiday goods

you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, because santa claus is coming to dancing goat studio! the holiday season is soon upon us and the studio is overflowing with red, white and black elves.

vintage santa is november's occasional sale theme, teamed with berries red, pinecones, birch bark logs and other winter greens.

join us for new london's "home for the holidays" and enjoy a mug of warm spiced apple cider with the goat and some retro christmas deor.

and as always the studio will be decked out with new/old decor staples in aqua blue, harvest gold and avacado green. HO HO HO!

vintage jewelry re-mix

with the holidays soon approaching the elves at dancing goat studio have been busy creating one of a kind vintage jewelry re-mix for gifting (and keeping for yourself)

a collection of classic rhinestone jewelry and chains are mixed, and then re-mixed with steam punk favorites such as misplaced keys, abandoned padlocks, brass letter stencils, re-purposed watch faces and rusty hinges and with a touch of nostalgia from re-cycled book text and illustration.

trick or treat

ding dong the witch is dead. which old witch? the wicked witch. ding dong dancing goat is dressing up for halloween in all things shabby, orange and black.

ghostly creams and irredescent whites glow against a backdrop of zombie green and gravestone gray.

as always we have a variety of sumac red, aqua blue and harvest gold tables and lamps to warm up your homes as the fall chill settles in.

join us for a weekend of spooky fun under a hunters moon. open this week oct 13 -15 thursday thru saturday 10am - 5pm.

re-cycled yearbook necklaces circa 1976

new re-cycled book page necklaces crafted from 1976 black and white yearbook images. LOVE these~

fall festival downtown new london

early fall foliage color is on display inside and outside at dancing goat studio. how about a plush velvet chair with style to spare in warm avacado green or a shabby wicker chair in sumac red to keep your pumkins contained on your front step. come see all we have and get ready for our scary "trick or treat" theme coming up for october.

squirrely girly

the acorns have made their noisy descent from the regal oaks surrounding our rural minnesota farm, ushering in the cooler days of late summer. time for a new look at dancing goat studio.

september's 'squirrely girly' theme is a tribute to our own furry gatherers of nuts and their wide eyed owl friends. grey, black, cream, brown and avocado green are the new colors for fall in a mix of textures ranging from burlap to crushed velvet. come in to preview dancing goats latest re-styled furniture or stop in to get ideas of how to re-think and re-fresh what you already own.

retro revival

dancing goat studio is in retro revival mode. lots of aqua blue, lime green and harvest gold. great colors for taking to that new college apartment or freshening up a stale decor pallette.

cabin kistch

july at dancing goat studio was crazy!!! summer arrived with hot sun, cool water and a lot of sizzle. our area cabin dwellers are back for the season and being treated to some of the best lake weather we have had around here in a long time.

inside the studio we have been outfitting cottages for the summer, with great vintage coleman coolers, chippy metal furniture, funky upholstered benches, glossy meadow green tables, bright metal serving trays and all things cabin kistch.

many of the posted items are still available and more inventory is added weekly. retro revival theme begins the week of august 10th followed by jewely re-mix on august 18,19.

june sale



cabin essentials

dancing goat's june sale ushered in a new season of life-style decorating and an ecclectic attitude.  the studio has been well stocked inside with a color filled/art-ful assortment of  painted furniture, cabin inspired decor, vintage glass and plucky ceramic chickens.

the back door patio is filled with a variety of non-traditional planter options, from chicken feeders, to galvanized buckets, rubber work boots, wooden boxes and wire baskets. perfectly paired with outdoor seating and sizzle.



slimmer clutch book purses



in fashionable center stage are our new book purse sihloettes. the jaunty clutch style is a fresh twist on an already eco-chic altered book purse. the purse sports a slimmer 1 1/4 inch spine and a clever detachable wrist strap.








also new are sweet re-purposed button earrings.  at $8 a piece they are a guilt free splurge and a nifty thrifty giftable.



painted furniture americana

here is a sneak peek at the furniture that will be for sale this upcoming weekend at dancing goat studio.  the theme for the sale is garden junk/ americana and will feature all things red, white and blue throughout, along with a wild variety of garden decor junque.   

also this week we are introducing "repurpose wednesdays" and will offer a book-arts project using recycled book text and wire.   see post under art classes tab for more details. 

garden dreams

no, this is not my garden at the moment, but is a vision of what it has been and will be again soon. dancing goat studio is  in full bloom, but my garden at home was lovingly  planted on sunday afternoon and hit with frost on monday sunrise.  I pulled out this photo and was compelled  to post it on my blog as encouragement to myself and my many fellow minnesotan garden friends.   

flower power

vintage typewriter and inspiring text

it has continued to be a snowy minnesota spring and far too many of us norski gardeners have been going crazy waiting for the grass to green and the garden centers to open.  BUT inside dancing goat the flowers are in full BLOOM. 

dancing goat is an occasional store that specializes in uncycled chic fashions and decor.  we are  open the second weekend of every month and will next be open the weekend of may 12, 13 and 14. we are also often open be chance, just watch for the dancing goat signs on the sidewalk.  other special events  on our upcoming schedule include; ladies night out in new london on may 12th  and girlfriends night out on may 20th.  see  blog calendar for details.

come visit soon and see what is new!!  also be sure to check out the 'art classes' tab on the top of the page to learn about repurpose wednesdays, funky art classes for girls of all ages!!

swan planter waiting for a cascade of fresh flowers

upcycled chic - vintage plate garden flower stakes -

spring repurposed jewelry

after repainting, rearranging and cleaning dancing goat studio, i have finally been able to take time to CREATE! new to the studio is REPURPOSED JEWELRY. most of the chains, beads and crystals used in these designs are recycled from bits of broken jewelry and flea market finds. in addition to these goodies, there are button rings, vintage key necklaces, earrings featuring random faces from 40's era yearbooks, mismatched silk scarves and upcycled slip dresses.

for the garden, dancing goat has been creating recycled glass totems and garden stakes, chalkboard terracotta pots and silverware garden markers.

for the home there is a colorful array of repainted furniture and one of a kind pillows made from flea market fabrics. AND, as always, there are all things rusty, chippy and random to freshen up your home and garden, at guilt-free thrifty prices.

dancing goat is also very excited to show off it's newly expanded storefront spaces. last fall, just before our long minnesota winter, we added a 10X20 back alley concrete patio and new this spring we have spilled into an adjoining classroom/extended ratail space. SO in additional to the green/style designing we offer, there will be a full schedule of upcycled and funky art classes to feed your creative soul.  click on tab at top of page titled "art classes" to view spring schedule. 

a new beginning...

spring is a time of anticipation. of new beginnings. although minnesota "spring" is still several weeks (possibly months) out, we winter weary norski's are planning ahead and looking to the future.
dancing goat studio had a great "under the radar" start in downtown new london. I did little to no advertising and refused to allow the newspapers to write stories about who I was and what I was doing. at least until I knew who I was and what I was doing. after my trial start (august - december) I closed shop doors for 2 months for a chance to re-group and basically re-everything.
I am in the process of re-arranging, re-painting and re-thinking the dancing goat studio space. I realized that I need more studio work space and less store front space. I emptied out the studio storage space and took inventory of the flea market finds packed and stacked in there (found some great hidden finds that will be repurposed and for sale this spring) my goal is to be open for "by chance" walk in business by march 1st and then begin my official business hours: mondays 10 - 5 and the second weekend of every month. my upcoming sale is scheduled for thurs-sat march 10 - 12. and, as always, my dancing goat inventory will change out monthly, following either the theme of the season or the whim's of my muse.

The above image is a "before" photo of my dancing goat studio space. I will be adding "after" photo's as I work to ready my studio for spring 2011!!!