One thing we never thought we'd own is inedible food. But Go Buggy's Gyoza Dinner set (pictured) has changed our mind. The hand-sewn details and bright colors make us want to both squeeze those mushrooms and then promptly devour them. Go Buggy, a.k.a. Machiko Munakata, 33, is originally from Tokyo, Japan. She came to Illinois for graduate school and afterward she decided to move to Chicago to find a job. She has lived in Chicago......

Some weeks it feels like the world is out to get us, and this was one of those weeks. Luckily, our spirits were lifted as soon as we saw these adorable prints from laurageorge, who believes that we should all feel good more often. And her illustrations definitely achieve that goal. Her prints are seemingly simplistic designs filled with little touches and details (go to the close-ups of Tell Me, pictured) that make them unique......

A 57-year-old Zion school bus driver and artist has changed his name to In God We Trust, the request granted by a Lake County Circuit Court judge yesterday. The artist formerly known as Steven Kreuscher has already started signing paintings with the new moniker, which We Trust (In God is his new first name) thinks will help to make him stand out. The process to change his name took about three months, with the fees......

For our part, we've never found diamonds that interesting. Sure, they're sparkly, but they also spark war and social injustice. Give us a brilliant blue sapphire or glittering ruby for our precious jewels. We love the jewelry on Recycled Rings because it joins our love of re-imagining traditional rings and the knotted designs with tiny beads sewn in are unique and wonderful (like the Middlebury ring, shown). Recycled Rings is the concept and shop of......

You may have noticed that we're suckers for bright colors—in our wardrobe, our homes and our jewelry. So when we saw PetitOiseau's miniature Bakelite picture frames (pictured), we fell in love. The small size is perfect for a coin or stamp or doodle. PetitOiseau means "little bird" in French and is run by Heather Goldberg, 34. Heather's been a Chicagoan on and off for eight years now, but she's still a Canuck at heart,......

We're of the firm opinion that, while you can have too much of almost everything, this rule does not apply to accessories. Especially when those accessories happen to be gorgeous natural stone pendants, vintage pins and colorful key chains. We especially love this "All Eyes On You" filigree necklace (pictured). Tracy Ellison, a perpetually 28 year old Chicago native, is the owner of Trace Ellements, a boutique for the slightly earthy but sophisticated. The vintage......

With the usual hustle and bustle of city life, sometimes it's so nice to just enjoy simpler times and places. That's why we love Jennifer Larkin, the owner of JKL Creations and The Paper Peony. We're suckers for well-done letterpress items, and Jennifer's have a sweet, clean design. While it's a little late to order anything for Mother's Day (you do remember it's this Sunday right?), we wish we'd seen these cards early enough to......

You might have seen Antler Girl around. She's been spotted for a couple years now on t-shirts, bags and postcards. What you might not have known is that Antler Girl is only one of the mostly-human, part-animal characters roaming our city by fabric and paper (like Giraffe Girl, pictured). Ashley Alexander, 32, is the creator of I'm Smitten, a collection of fairy tale and childlike creatures available as posters, cards, t-shirts and soon, teacups. Ashley,......

Made in Chicago has been buried under snow and soot for a minute, but on a cold, wintry day such as this, we're digging it out with another homemade gem to share with all of you to help you finish out the week. By day, David Head is a graphic designer for a local marketing firm, but by night, evidence of his indie posters and silkscreens (like this Pony's poster, right) can be seen in......