Modish: the blog

Poketo Surprise!

I received a special present in the mail yesterday from the lovely lady Angie behind Poketo- a pair of wonderful melamine plates! 

They're not handmade, but since they were sneakily sent my way and I love them so much, I just had to publicly say a big thank you to Angie!  Thank you!  They're great!  Not only are they cool to look at, but melamine is super durable, lightweight and great to use outdoors camping or on picnics.  Check out the new plate designs for yourself, along with tees, wallets and more great stuff, at Poketo! 

New goodies in the shoppe!

I haven't posted about new items from the modish shoppe in a loooong time, and since it's well overdue and I happen to have lots of wonderful new items in for spring, I thought it high time to show some off!

First off, I'd like to introduce a new artist to the shoppe, Stephanie DosReis!  I feel honored to carry her wonderful mixed media prints and (my favorite) her adooooorable plush houses made from vintage fabrics, they're each one of kind!

There's also beautiful new jewelry and a pretty new color of poppy pins and hairpins for the summer, by foundling:

Also, back in the shoppe, Mood Swing's wonderful reversible storybook charm necklaces- you get two necklaces in one!

There's also lots of new prints by a modish favorite, Swallowfield- they're all so colorful and cheery!

There's a lot more new goodies on the way to the shoppe too, including new tees from wenifnotnow, plates by New Work, jewelry by Odd Bird, new bags by Jenna Rose and Queen Puff Puff, new jewelry from Mollie Dash, and more more more!  Check in often and remember, you can use the code "modish" for free shipping!

Eco-Friendly Find: rikrak

Today's eco-friendly find is colorful and cheerful, creating lovely wallets, business card holders, fabric wraps, iron ons, coasters, bibs, scarves and more (more? yes, more!) all from repurposed vintage fabrics- they're eco-friendly and cool and a lot of the designs are customizable.  What is this wonderful place, you ask?  It's rikrak!  Check it out!

For the Mums: Gardening goodies

This last Mother's Day gift idea post is inspired by my own mama, an avid gardener and bird lover who would surely enjoy any of the gifts below- in fact, I bought her the bird feeder for Christmas last year!  For your own flower pickin' mamas, hopefully some of these suggestions will hit home:

1. Egg bird feeder by Jim Schatz (beautiful! My mom loves hers!)- $135
2. Birdhouse stakes made from salvaged house parts, by Dryads Dancing- $42/set of 3
3. English garden rose dream (made from polymer clay! wow!) at Petal by Petal- $80
4. Flowers for mom vase by Beth Mueller at Uncommon Goods- $32
5. Campy planters by Perch Design- $72
6. Garden organizer by Milk Pail- $27
7. Purple tit print by Bird Nerd- $20
8. "Suprise Mi!" deluxe spa set (for after a long day of gardening!) by mi SPA- $125

For the Mums: In the kitchen

For the mom who likes to cook and entertain, relax with some tea, bake cookies or keep their kitchen looking snazzy, even if it's just used to dish out to-go food, here are some nifty gifty ideas, all handmade, all wonderful!

1. Spoons apron in steel by Skinny LaMinx- $25
2. Ginko tea towels set on eco-friendly hemp/cotton by Blossom Creations- $45
3. Bird measuring spoons by Beehive Kitchenware Co- $88
4. Dizzy Lizzy oven mitt by Collisionware- $15
5. Summer Peony tray with hand-painted tiles by Luna Studio Tile- $130
6. Sprouted mixing bowls set by Mud Stuffing- $110
7. Bird tea cosie by Bookhou- $44
8. Vines tablecloth by Margot Bianca- $35.

For the Mums: Ceramics

For the next few days I'll be bringing you handmade Mother's Day gift ideas, starting with beautiful ceramic pieces because well, moms are as precious as porcelain, awwww:

1. Porcelain bottles with platinum decals by Coe & Waito, at Peek Keep- $72
2. Pink Lollipop porcelain "wall pillow" by Stepanka Ceramics- $47
3. Illustrated bird vase by Little Flower Designs- $65
4. "Shhh" series cup and saucer set by Bailey Doesn't Bark- $21
5. Fern platter by Pat Pyott, at Zanisa- $62
6. Mocha flourish pendant by Sofia Masri- $67
7. "Fly" earthenware bowl by Paloma's Nest- $44

Eco-Friendly Find: Bombus

It can definitely be argued that people have lost some sort of personal connection by corresponding simply through email and text messages, having entire conversations in abbreviated text speak (which, as a writer, I absolutely H8! :) but not only is it more convenient, it's actually more eco-friendly (potential brain tumors not withstanding) to write an email or send a text than to send some paper through the mail.  But alas, Bombus is here to help us get back to the wonders of the written word and old school correspondence with their notecards and envelopes made from recycled books, atlases, maps and more:

They also create gift items like the paperweight cubes and plates you see above, all decoupaged with re-used images, stamps, and other recycled items.  Find more fun stuff at Bombus and start writing in full sentences again!

Spring is a poppin'!

Spring is here!  Spring is here!  Let's celebrate with some cupcakes, shall we?

Made by joojoo, these yummy little polymer clay treats look good enough to eat!  Yum!  Don't pop these in your mouth though, the magnets probably wouldn't do well in your digestive tract- instead, you can pop them on the fridge to hold up your spring cleaning chore list (blech!), or pop them on top of the oven to inspire you to bake some real cupcakes, or pop them into your ears to wear some spring-a-liciousness with you all day long.  Yay for joojoo and yay for spring!

Memory Safekeepers

I love these hand-embroidered photo albums by Singapore based For the Record- they're each original and one of a kind, and there's nothing better than having a creative place to house all the memories you've created over the years.

The devil made me do it...

I just went on a little etsy shopping spree and got some cute new things for our cute new apartment (and one thing for my not quite so cute body) and thought I'd share!

What you see here is:
- a kitty-rific pillow cover in blue for my office chair, and a mushroom themed kitchen towel for our (kinda) mushroom themed kitchen from PataPri.
- a wicked awesome wall art clock in orange to match our yummy orange sheets in the bedroom, by Decoylab.
- two mustard-fantastic pillow covers made from vintage fabric to cuddle up with on our couch, by absoluut.
- and a cute little hand silk-screened top to strut down the Portland streets with, by noisedesign.

Alright, time to finish unpacking boxes and get our house ready for all the new goodies!

Maddy's Currently Loving: Coasters from LydiDesigns

How cute are these coasters from LydiDesigns?! The set of four 4" coasters feature handpainted paisley prints that give an incredible vintage feel when paired with the warm black and antique white colors.

I completely came across these randomly - that's the beauty of Etsy! - but I thought they were so sweet and hip that I had to share. Good luck snatching it up - it appears there's only one set!

New stuff in the shoppe! And one week left!

Happy Valentine's Day!  This is really just a Thursday for me, but it's the Thursday exactly one week before the Thursday that we'll be hitting the road with all our stuff and moving up to Portland!  I have one week left!  Oh my gosh! 

That means that starting this weekend I won't be around due to packing/moving/internet-connection-losing.  That also means that orders in the shoppe will be delayed in shipping until I can get my office and internet set up again up there.  But, I've added so much new stuff lately (over 60 items!) that I just have to show you anyway, and have to offer you a special deal for the patience you will exude in waiting for your orders to ship: so, use code "smoothmove" at checkout for FREE SHIPPING and your order will ship out as soon as I'm able (hoping by Wed, Feb 27th) and will also include a FREE GIFT!  I have lots of pocket mirrors, earrings, pins, cards and other good stuff that will find their way into your packages...

In the meantime, here's a glimpse at all the new goodies in the shoppe- get yourself a little "spring is coming and I deserve something nice" gift, hmmm?

Like some of this beautiful jewelry by a newly added designer, Ole Lukoe:

Or maybe some of these hand-dandy felt fabulous cases from Suezybees:

Or these wonderful, eco-friendly, wood-block art pieces by Rebecca Tolk:

Perhaps you'd like some modern, screen-printed dinnerware by New Work:

Or a new cute purse or tote from Prickly Pear:

Or maybe some fresh art on your walls by Swallowfield or Wolfie and the Sneak:

Or some pretty gemstone jewelry by Prismera to usher in the spring:

This is only a small sampling of all the great new items that are in the shoppe!  There's also a lot of sale items left, so nab what you have your eye on before it's gone!

Fly, fly away

Sometimes when you're extended in too many directions and you've calculated that it's humanly impossible for one person to finish all the tasks you have on your to-do list before, say, 2011, and you have to somehow find time to move to Portland (just, ya know, as an example) during it all, well those are the times that you may wish you were a butterfly that could just flitter away with the wind, your only responsibility being to decide which beautiful flower to suck some nectar out of today.  But, since that can't happen, I'll live vicariously through these beauties:

1. Hand Painted necklace (£26)  2. Butterfly collage necklace ($58)  3. Butterfly Lavender Sachets  ($14/set of four)  4. Porcelain Butterfly Bowl ($65)  5. Butterflies at Dawn babydoll dress ($145)  6. Butterfly panel painting ($45)  7. Follow Me II photograph ($25)

Eco-Friendly Find: PICA PICA

I first discovered PICA PICA when I saw one of their recycled vases on the etsy front page and thought, wow, that's my next eco-friendly find!  Little did I know then that when I clicked into the PICA PICA shop I'd find not only those beautiful vases made from recycled magazine pages, but also wonderful bowls made from the pulp of recycled waste papers and covered with old maps, jewelry featuring old stamps and library cards, even beautiful art pieces created from vintage curiosities.  PICA PICA, you are eco eco!  Hurrah!

Eco-Friendly Find: Cakehouse

I love to find goods that are handmade using vintage materials- creating something new from something old is good for the earth and also good for the psyche!  If you've ever felt attached to an old pair of sheets, are hanging on to an unmatched pillowcase from your childhood, or even have a favorite skirt that you just can't fit into anymore, well, now you can have them transformed into fun cloth napkins that you can use and re-use over and over again.

These adorable napkins are made by Cakehouse, re-fashioned from second-hand sheets, pillowcases, bedspreads and more and hand-printed with cute critters using water-based inks.  Custom orders are welcome so you can give your own fabric finds new life and dress your table in style.  These are not only helping the earth by turning "trash into treasure"; if you replace your paper napkins with these, you'll be saving trees while you eat!

Eco-Friendly Find: Cotton Bird Designs

Creating something new from something old provides an end product that is usually one-of-a-kind, always unique and earth friendly too!  That's why I love these hand-stitched paper birdies from Cotton Bird Designs, made from old maps and sewing patterns, vintage images and illustrations, old newspapers, playing cards and more...

A great way to recycle old/unused/scrap papers is to make art from them, and that's just what these birdies are!  They'll keep your books company on a shelf, watch over your computer on a desk- wherever you see fit to place them, they'll be right at home and a little reminder for you to keep thinking of innovative ways to recycle.

Splurge a little

Swedish style blogger and ceramic artist Karin Eriksson has just listed some new goodies in her etsy shop (most of which have already sold, so if you want something, act fast!) including some beautiful and inexpensive little ceramic caress pebbles, each adorned with lovely screen printed designs.  I am head over heels in love with the stem vases that are meant to hold and spotlight just one or two lovely stems from your flower or plant of choice- so elegant.

Also elegant are these beautiful pendant lamps that are "painstakingly crocheted by hand" out of cotton and then dipped into a startchy solution to retain their shapes- I love the merging of a traditional craft like crochet with such a contemporary design- it creates an appealing aesthetic that's homey, yet modern.  Find them at Modern Dose!

Love the plush

As I was perusing the new Poppytalk Handmade shop for this month which features the theme, Love Transforms, it certainly transformed me as I fell in love instantly with these incredible little ottoman boxes by Plush!

Not only are they handmade from book board and upholstered with luxurious cotton velvet, they are also some of the most chic, and the most unique, creations I've ever seen!  I just love love love them!  At 5" x 6" x 5" they're not too tiny to house business cards, a jewelry collection, small perfumes, or whatever secret stashes you may have (and they perfectly fit the beautiful cards that Plush also makes.)  At the same time they're not too big to keep on your desk, dresser or bedside table.  They come in three luscious colors to add a little vibrancy and coziness to any room.  Find them only at Plush and fall in love instantly!

Blue Ribbon bags and the glow

It looks like Ted and Angie, the brilliant team behind Poketo, were not just having fun on their recent trip to Korea, they were being productive too!  They brought home some in-cred-i-ble new finds from designers they met on their trip, like these awesome, FAKE bags by Zinoo Park:

A critique on "the idolization of brand names and the prevalence of knock-offs", this hot pop art bag (which has a different image on each side and is reversible to a solid blue!) is not only statement making in its design, if you use it as an alternative to a plastic or paper shopping bag, it will be statement making in purpose as well.  Part of only 100 made for an art exhibit, snag yours while you can!

And while you're there, take at look at these brilliantly delicate handmade lampshades by Kouichi Okamoto- just pop in a light bulb and cord, and enjoy the glow:

Look at that sprout grow!

I'm happy to announce that modish sponsor, modishoppe seller, internet buddy, crafter extraordinaire and sweet lady Jenifer of Sprout Studio has a new website!  Yay!  Created by Aeolidia (who also designed modishoppe, yahoo!), the new site highlights Jen's creations and creativity so well and lets her world of wonderful goods shine through.  See what's sprouting up at the new site and congratulate Jenifer with a little "add to cart" action, hmm?

Site of the week: the ECI Studio Shop

ECI stands for the Emily Carr Institute which is a leading art and design school out of Vancouver, BC and they just opened up a Studio Shop featuring the work of their alumni, students, faculty and staff!  Yay for art schools supporting their artists and their careers!  The shop is great and already has a heady collection of handmade goods including artwork, of course, but also tees, totes, vases, books, journals and more!   

They have things to wear and carry:

Things for your home:

And, of course, some incredible things to look at!

Take a peek at all the goodness that the ECI Studio Shop has to offer and support a starving artist near you!

Okay okay...

...so no "guide" for ornaments, but I just stumbled upon these ones and found them so cute, I just have to share them:

Handmade in Chile from felt, these adorable flying elephants would look just dandy on your crafty Christmas tree, or would be great as a cute keychain.  Only at Dita's Bazaar, along with many other precious finds for you and your home!

Garnish your home!

With the holidays coming up, for many of us that means more occasions for entertaining which is great when your home feels friendly and inviting.  To help prepare your home for company, it's sometimes nice to have the little finishing touches in place, like these plush pillows and lampshades from garnish:

Your Auntie May can cozy up on the couch with one of these luxurious, hand screen-printed pillows and your Uncle Larry can sit back and relax with a book beneath one of the beautiful lampshades.  With the clean, modern lines, you can't go wrong for holiday nuances and everyday comfort.  Find more patterns and pretty things at garnish!

Snack stashers

Ooh, I love these tiny little bowls by Diana Fayt, perfect for placing around the house at various arms' lengths to fill with different nuts, chocolates, sunflower seeds, jellybeans- whatever little snack it is you need to help get you through the day (mine is dark chocolate covered pretzels...yummm...)

And if your budget permits, the real treat at Diana's shop are these incredibly lovely, one of a kind, hand painted and etched platters:

They're meant as decorative pieces and would look just lovely on a kitchen or dining room wall, but can also be used for food, if you please (just imagine how many chocolate covered pretzels you could pile onto them!)

Scent your skivvies

I don't really have a proper dresser for my clothes, or else I'd be all over these scented drawer liners by Hammocks & High Tea:

Made from prettily printed rice papers, these liners will glam up your jammies while leaving them with a subtle scent of rose tea or French lavender, yum.