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

Supermarket - Dangerous for my wallet

We all have sites that are dangerous to our wallet. Supermarket is one of those sites for me. It has become one of my go-to places for products by innovative and creative designers. Every time I go, I find another piece, another designer to love. I could spend an entire paycheck in an hour. See what I mean, dangerous.

But, today, I limited myself to calling out some terrific products from 13 of Supermarket’s talented designers.

 

1. Purple Morning Glory Earrings by k.o'brien jewelry - $68; 2. Iphone/Ipod case by Bryd & Belle - $26 ; 3.Constellation Necklace by My Sunset Road - $88; 4. Back to Roots Stacking Rings by Lunaticart - $49; 5. Scattered Punctuation from Atelier by Barbara Giles - $76; 6. Sous La Pluie by Labokoff - $30; 7. Wall St. Noonie Baby Gift by Lalas Pequenos - $52

1. The Skipper Pea Coat by Rover - $70; 2. Whale silkscreen print by Mengsel - $63;  3. Summer Fun by Mina Georgescu - $30; 4. The Girl with the Feather Dress by Poketo - $39; 5. Cuff by Fosterweld - $20 6. Logan Tote by Po Campo - $100

All images courtesy of their respective owners