Etsy Friday Five - 5/27

Happy Friday everyone!


Some weeks the Friday Five has a definite theme (beauty, travel, brunettes) and some days the theme is “ohhhhhhh – pretty – I totally want that.” That is what is going on this week.

Like this amazing bracelet by Mad River Designs. How pretty is this? I love the juxtaposition of rugged and delicate, in the leather and natural stones. And the color palette is my new favorite for the summer, the colors of sky and water.

Triple Wrap Turquoise, Adventurine and Faceted Prehnite on Leather by Mad River Designs  - $66

This is my favorite time of year to have guests over for dinner.  We have a big table in our garden, and we love to eat al fresco.  I can just see this lovely serving bowl by Susan Rodriguez being passed around the table, heaped full of fresh Jersey corn on the cob, or a nice green salad.   Rodriquez’s store is full of wonderful pieces, but for me, the sgraffito floral design makes this a stand out piece.

Made to Order----Large Ceramic Blossom Bowl by CeramicaBontanica - $98

I have had this piece pinned on Pinterest for a while now (btw, how addicting is that site?) and it gets re-pined all the time.  No wonder, it is such a great image.  Claire Cimbora’s illustrations are all widely imaginative and fun, seemly set in a dream world where a little girl can cuddle with Pandas and Elephants can rock a tightrope.  Her work would be perfect for a kids room, but would not be at all out of place on a gallery wall.

Stars in Jars by Schmooks - $29

Love stories and typewriters are two of my absolute favorite things.   No wonder this brooch by Tilly Bloom caught my eye so quickly.   Her jewelry designs are so original and quirky; you really have to take the time to browse her shop.  Each piece is a wearable piece of art and a total conversation starter.

How to write a love story brooch by Tilly Bloom  - $17

Now that my daughter is out of the “I am going to spread hazardous waste on the couch” stage of life, we are looking to purchase a new couch. I like the idea of a neutral couch with piles of funky pillows and this one by Alexandra Ferguson is high on my list. All of her pillows are fun and irreverent, and would give some pop to any living space.

Be Nice or Leave Pillow by Alexandra Ferguson - $89



All images courtesy of their respective owners



Namaste - 9 stylish products for the Yoga Studio.

I will be honest - the closest I have come to doing yoga is watching a very limber 90 year old women bend like a pretzel on public access TV. (At least I think she was 90. I was drunk, it was 4:00 am and I can’t be entirely sure.) . I am much more a hiking, long walk, swimming kind of girl – and those yoga people seem to be doing things with their bodies that would make my un-limber limbs cry.


However, due to the incessant prodding by a yoga loving friend (Hi, Jennifer) and a really great offer from Groupon.com – I am now the proud owner of six yoga sessions.

Since, I figure I am going to die during the first class, I thought - why not go out with some cool new gear.

Wish me luck and if Lulu goes silent after next Monday, try to remember me fondly. 

 
1. Lilypad Lotus Mobility Pant by Be Present - $81; 2. Orchid Mat by Wai Lana Yoga - $29.95; 3. Happiness is Yoga tank by OmGirl at Evolve Fit Wear - $42; 4. The Hot Yoga Collection by Kulae - $68; 5. Quan Yin Goddess Tee by Third Eye Threads - $58; 6. Windy Tree Yoga Pants by Ahpeele - $54; 7. Ultra Big Tote by Hugger Mugger - $54.95; 8. Spring Green Yoga Headband by BresValley - $20; 9. Bliss Yoga Mat Spray by Rebel Green - $7.99
 
 
 

All images courtesy of their respective owners

Sycamore Street Press - Letterpress to fall in love with.

I am a sucker for letterpress, I just adore it. So, I was very excited last week when I got an email from the lovely folks over at Sycamore Street Press letting me know that their Spring ’11 line was available.

Their new designs are fresh, fun and just a little bit cheeky. I am especially in love with the Subliminal Baby series of posters and the Facebook birthday card.

Tell Hallmark to stuff it, and brighten up someone’s mailbox with one of these letterpress winners. You can check out all the new offerings over here. Posters are $35, Cards are $4.50

All images courtesy of Sycamore Street Press

Etsy Friday Five - 5/20

Lately the urge to go is strong in me. To go where, I don’t know – but to be somewhere other. To be on the road, to be traveling, to be exploring new places I will never forget. I am longing for new views, new waters…. Just new. The world is so big, so vast and my cube seems so small right now.

Ahhhh, but the weekend is almost here – and who knows what the next two days can hold.

Have a great weekend. I hope it brings you adventure!

Food Fuel Motel by Robert Cadloff - $30

Calm Waters Remixed Vintage Train Case by Judy the Jazzcat  - $70

Off to see the world by Three Red Apples  - $38.50

Life is a daring adventure print by Happy Deliveries  - $20

Vintage Railroad Car Coasters by Cheltenham Road - $16

All images courtesy of their respective owners.



14 pieces we are coveting from Buy Olympia.

I stumbled across Buy Olympia in an totally random way.  I had a lyric stuck in my head for a week, from a song that an ex-boyfriend used to play all the time. While using my google-fu to figure out the song was “Olympia, WA” by Rancid, I found the awesome site, Buy Olympia.

Buy Olympia was started by four friends in 1999, as a vehicle to help their artist friends sell their handmade items online. It has grown to become a go-to site for quality indie products and music, carrying wares from people like David Eggers, Nikki McClure and Emily Winfield Martin and from record labels like Kill Rock Stars, Black Yo-Yo Records and Anonymous Monk.

No matter what you are shopping for, from books to belt buckles, be sure to swing by Buy Olympia. You will be glad you did.  They have a ton of diverse products lines from some really amazing artists.

I did a little browsing last night and found 14 great items I am adding to my “need to buy list.”

1. Sexy Librarian Pattern by Sublime Stitching - $5; 2. Kill Rock Stars Tee - $15; 3. Cassette Tape Pint Glass by Bread and Badger - $12; 4. The Wife of Bath Soap - Arcana Soaps - $7; 5. Floating Shift Necklace by The Weekend Store - $36; 6. Otter Print (5*7) by Ryan Berkley - $10; 7. Bring a Snack postcard by Trish Grantham - $1.20; 8. Teach by Heidi Hopfer - $18; 9. Periscope Notebook by Tenth and Grant - $9.50; 10. Vintage Camera Photo Album by Galison - $10; 11. Handbag by Puckish - $68; 12. Crafty Lady by Sarah Utter - $14.95; 13. Peahoodie by Abigail Adams - $60 (on sale); 14. This is Venice (illustrated children's travel book from the 60's) by M. Sasek - $16.95



All images courtesy of their respective owners.



Reader Question answered: 5 Cute Summer Dresses for the Office

Reader Kate M recently asked “I just got a promotion and need to step-up my work wardrobe. I'm hoping you can help me find some professional but still hip clothes for the work place. Do you have any suggestions?”

First – congrats on the promotion!

Once the weather gets warmer, I am all about dresses at work. It is an easy way to look really pulled together, without having to spend a ton of money. One dress, a cute pair of shoes, and a cardi (if you work in a no-sleeveless office) and you are good to go.

Here are some of my summer favorites:

Floridian Flirtation Dress by Modcloth - $44.99



Wood block print empire dress by Eshakti - $64.95

Oak Park Dress by Mata Traders - $58



Overboard Dress by Shabby Apple - $95



 


travel far away with me belted dress at Ruche - $42.99





All images courtesy of their respective owners



Etsy Friday Five - 5/13

Hello and Happy Friday to you all.  I am SO happy that it is Friday and that Blogger is finally up and running.  That was scary, huh?

Well - off to this week's Friday Five.

I am seriously in love with the raw beauty of this ring by Laura Treloar  Her store is full of lovely jewelry -  all with an original, organic feel.  She uses unusual materials for her work and it really makes it stand out from the millions of listings on Etsy.

Sky Blue Apatite Crystal Ring by Laura Treloar - $55

How beautiful is this print by Cori Dantini?  I am so happy to have found this artist.  I have really fallen in love with her work, which is whimsical and so imaginative.  Luckily, she is also a  prolific artist, so buyers have a lot of pieces to chose from.  

She flies with her own wings by Corid - $20

A deep rooted love of Ironstone has left me with beautiful, but mainly white, serving pieces. I am determined to inject some color into my kitchen, and these cracker bowls from Atelier BB would be a great start. They are made from white stoneware clay and are dishwasher and microwave safe.

4 Cracker Bowls by Atelier BB - $54

 

I follow a lot of blogs and recently one* did a great post on Cathrineholm Enamelware and I am so hooked now.  I love the bright colors and clean, graphic style; it is like eye candy for your kitchen.  I have started scouring the estate sales and vintage stores in my area for it, but I haven’t found a piece.  But, I can still bring some Scandinavian style to my kitchen with this print from Jan Skácelík. 

Cathrineholm - From Norway with Love by Handz  - $19

I remember having so much fun making Ojo De Dios (Spanish for Eye of God) in my 3^rd grade art class, and I was so excited to find Jay Mohler's shop.  He creates oversized, intricate Ojos De Dios, paying special attention to the cultural traditions of the pieces.  Originally, the Ojos were made by the Huichol people of Mexico.  The piece would start when a child was born, and new pieces would be added every year until they turned five. 



Gray Fox, and 18 inch, 12-sided, Ojo de Dios by Jay Froggy - $90



All images courtesy of their respective owners

* If this was your blog, please let me know.  I can't find the link and I would love to give you credit.

14 Stand Out Stores on Big Cartel

I was in a forum the other day where some crafters were discussing the merits of having an Etsy store or having a store with Big Cartel. I hadn’t been over to Big Cartel in a while, so I stopped over to check it out again.

I will be honest, since it is a different animal than Etsy or Supermarket (Big Cartel gives artists the ability to set up their own stores that usually links off their independent website), I am not really fond of their browsing options. When browsing, you see a store banner rather than actual shop items, so hopping in and out of shops can be cumbersome. 

But, worth it. There are some really talented artists and clothing designers using Big Cartel and it is possible to stumble across a new,exciting discovery.

I did a little bit of poking last night and found some things I really liked. Here are 14 of my favorites.

Do you have a favorite Big Cartel store?  I would love to hear about it in the comments.

1. Letterpress Greeting Card Complete 20 Pack by Bespoke Press - $90; 2. Congratulations Card by Old Tom Foolery - $3.75; 3. Hello Fox card by Sycamore Street Press - $4.50; 4. Bloom by Wolfie + the Sneak - $20; 5.Abby's Dream by Growling Fish Studio - $30; 6. L'amour or Less by Cuddly Rigor Mortis - $85; 7. Tarrah Headband by Sara Laurence - $45; 8. Gone Astray Wallet Case by Kelly Vivanco - $36;     9. Serina Dia de los Muertos Postcard by Unconventional Ida - $2.25; 10. Lacy by Cate Rangel - $35; 11. Frolic linen tea towel by Indobay Inc. - $26; 12. Linen Bucket by Inklore - $38; 13. Partridge Family Beeswax Candles by Chicago Honey Co-op - $18; Orissa Linen Cover by Be Still Homewares - $78

All photos courtesy of their respective owners

Happy Town USA photography- giving 70's toys a modern attitude.

I am kinda loving these prints by Happy Town USA today.  They are bright, kitschy (in the good sense) and bring me back to my childhood.   I used to play with my Little People toys for hours and would make up complete soap operas for their lives. 

The prints are customizable, so you can rock your own personalized awesome.

Prints start at $11 for a 5x7, and Happy Town USA has several print package options for multiple prints.

Edit: The very nice people over at Happy Town have extended a great deal to Lulu readers. Now through the end of May, make a purchase from HappyTownUSA and receive a free mini-print of your choice when you mention LuluGray in the message to seller at checkout!

All images courtesy of Happy Town USA

Etsy Friday Five - 5/6

It is shaping up to be an awesome Friday. Blue skies, bright sun and great songs on the radio while driving to work, have all put me in an excellent mood.


Sharing today’s Etsy Friday Five puts me in a good mood as well. As always, I really hope you like the things I found this week.

Happy Mother’s Day, a bit early, to all my Mom Readers!

I was looking for a clever Mother's day card on Etsy last week, when I stumbled across Crankbunny and their amazing pop-up cards. It is no exaggeration when I tell you I was blown away.  The level of detail and craftsmanship is amazing.  If you are giving one of these cards along with a gift, make the person open the gift first, because once they start playing with their card (I mean come on, the shop has a customizable golden ticket card) the gift will be forgotten about.

Pushing Up Daisies Boston Terrier Pop Up Card by Crankbunny -$8

This ring by The Whirlwind combines two of my favorite things - jewelry and embroidery.  I love the color palette which is so fresh and Springy. It is the perfect compliment to a cute sundress I was gifted recently.  The Whirlwind's shop is full of interesting jewelry, often mixing fabric and vintage pieces. 

Rainbow Embroidery Ring by The Whirlwind- $25

This is the year my husband and I are investing in a grill.  I think I am breaking all sorts of steak protocol whenever I make my famous Steak on a Cookie Sheet dish.  So, yeah - a grill is a must and so is this Grill Guru spice/rub set by Purpose Design.  The set holds 15 rubs, including Tropical Citrus, Memphis BBQ, Ancho Chili and Cajun Spice, and come packaged in an attractive brushed aluminum box.  These rubs are custom blended and are making me hungry writing about them.  This summer, I will rule the grill!

The Grill Guru Master Kit by Purposedesign - $40

My husand is a huge music junkie (and he has his own music blog) and vinyl makes him happier than just about anything else.  He has co-opted our spare bedroom into an "office" which translates into music storage and listening room.  I think this dry erase board by Blue Order will fit nicely in between his show prints and records on the wall.   And I can leave him notes like "I love you, but Zappa is overrated."

Vinyl Record Stack Dry Erase Board by Blue Order - $29

I utterly adore this delicate and romantic necklace by  Eva Thissen.  The craftsmanship of the individual clay flowers is remarkable and I just love the dimensional effect they create.  Her entire store is full of stunning, creative pieces.  I long for the rings she has featured on her banner, but they don't seen to be available in the store at the moment. 

Ciel de fleurs by EvaThissen - $55

All images courtesy of their respective owners