Modish

Eco-Friendly Find: BananaSaurus Rex

BananaSaurus Rex is a vintage fabric lovers dream come true, as everything, and I mean everything in the shop is made from vintage, recycled and reused materials: vintage tablecloths become carryall bags, vintage hankies are turned into yummy lavender sachets, ugly old vintage ties become pretty flower brooches! 

The creations are simple, feminine and endlessly functional, from wine sachets to grocery totes, and all are created with the Earth in mind.  BananaSaurus Rex is creative recycling at its best!

Como se llama? LAMA!

If you want some color, some spice, some Latin flavor for your home, look no further than brand spankin' new shop, LAMA!  Filled with wonderful handmade and small-production designs by Latino artists from both abroad and the US, LAMA (which stands for Latin America in the Modern Age) is a fantastic shop filling a much needed niche.

From ceramics and pillows to paper goods and comfy hammocks, LAMA's style is vivid and vibrant.  It brings much deserved attention to Latino independent designers, helping them reach an audience that some of them may not have had access to before.  Although many designs embrace traditional handicrafts and imagery, everything on the site has a distinctly contemporary feel, bringing the beauty of Latin heritage and art right in line with modern style.

I am head over heels with this shop, I wish I could show you everything, but alas, you'll have to check it out yourself.  Christine you did a great job!  Congratulations!  LAMA, te amo mucho!

Drooling over these...

I was thumbing through the pages of the new Urban Outfitters catalog last night, oohing and aahing and wishing and wanting their new briefcase style purses, perfect for carrying papers and journals around with me... But then I thought, I can probably find a handmade purse that's just as cool, in the same sort of style, and then I won't see every other girl walking with it down the street.  But where oh where could I find such a thing?  Well, this morning, I found the answer: Neiko.

These beeaauuuuutiful bags are definitely not your run of the mill big box variety- made with hand-stained leather from Italy, they're carefully crafted and sewn by hand, each made to order just for you.  I love the clean, easy shapes, the chic styles and the beautiful hardware.  They're exactly what I was looking for!  The only problem now is deciding which one I like best...take your pick over at Neiko!

Grab your Ray-bans...

...because these goodies are so bright, you gotta wear shades!  Raeburn Ink is a little slice of highlighter heaven, brimming over with hot pink, laser lime and electric yellow.  Their goods just ooze the feeling of summer, young, fun and oh so colorful.  With humble surroundings in tiny (but oh so cool) Eureka, CA, Raeburn Ink's style is international, an eclectic mix of hippie chic and a late night Tokyo arcade.  Saiko! (that's Japanese for "awesome!")

I was introduced to Raeburn Ink by my partner in crime, Renee, who just bought one of their tee-shirts and says it rocks!  Bring a little rock into your own wardrobe, and home, with Raeburn Ink!  Chobegu!! (you'll have to look that one up :)

Bang Bang, You're Thread

I couldn't think of a post title better than the actual name of this new shop, Bang Bang You're Thread, featuring the works of the lovely little lady illustrator and overall talent, Allison Cole! 

From notebooks and planners, wallets and totes, artwork and buttons galore, Allison's goods are adorable in the kind of way that actually puts a smile on your face.  Clouds and trees seem to be dominate designs throughout the site, but I guarantee they're just the cutest, happiest little clouds and trees ya ever did see!  Take a closer look at them and their companions at Bang Bang You're Thread!

Extending the olive branch...

I'm pleased to announce that yet another great place to find handmade and unique goods has stepped onto the scene, 29olives!  The site is suuuuper duper cute (of course it is, since it was designed by my favorite web designer, Aeolidia!) and houses loads of equally cute goods, from adorable tote bags and housewares, to precious jewelry and paper goods. 
It's a great collection that I'm sure will only grow with time, which is kind of a scary thought, because I already want to buy olive it!  (hey, it's not easy being punny before coffee :)  Much luck to you and your new shop, Erin!

Eco-Friendly Find: Jennifer Joy Creative

There's nothing more joyful or creative than stylish handmade goods that are created with the earth in mind, and Jennifer Joy Creative is filled to brim with them!  Her pretty accessories and clothing are made from linen-like, sustainable hemp and organic cotton canvas, each hand dyed and hand printed with nature inspired designs. 

From pretty pleated clutches, zippered bags, purses and summery skirts, her creations are eco-chic and handy too, a perfect way to bring some joy to your everyday.  Find many more beautiful designs, along with hand spun yarn for you knitters, at Jennifer Joy Creative!

Happy Summer!

Yay!  It's the first day of summer and it's sunny, beauuuuutiful and warm (but not hot!) outside- a perfect pacific northwest day!  Plus, it's Friday!  And I feel rested!  It's a great day so far, and a wonderful time to celebrate with some summery accessories that I found this morning, all from etsy.  Stay cool out there and enjoy the sun, wherever you are!

{Mermaid brooch by fleur fatale  :: Navajo print bikini by Harajuku swimwear  ::  Kelly necklace by Luxe Deluxe  ::  Radiant daffodil earrings by Clementine  ::  Soliel purse by  mishi ::  Sketch collage handpainted slip-ons by design equals love  ::  Garden party hairpins by Modrocks}

Good timing for a good egg

You've heard that as one door closes another one opens, and in the case of indie shop doors, that appears to be true!  As I prepare to close the Modish shoppe, a brand spankin' new shop to find handmade goods has just opened its doors- goodEGG!  Good timing!

Run by Laural from Thimble and Jen from the Toronto Craft Alert (teaming up! A good idea!) goodEGG is packed full of hand-picked, handmade designs by a wealth of talented Canadians, including designers you've seen in my shoppe before (Anatomy of a Skirt and Bookhou), designers you've seen highlighted on this blog before (Nightjar Books and Rikrak) and other skilled designers that I'm pleased to have been introduced to.  I'm glad to know that goodEGG will be around to serve some of your handmade shopping needs after the Modish shoppe is gone. 

You are indeed a good egg, uh, goodEGG, and I wish you much luck with your wonderful new shop!

Daisy Janie is gettin' busy!

You may not know how talented Miss Jan DiCintio, my fellow blogger over at Scoutie Girl, really is; not only does she keep up a wonderful blog, she also just released a beautiful new line of handbags in her shop, Daisy Janie!

And, not only are these handmade handbags and totes super cool and unique, perfect for your everyday, they're also made with custom fabrics that have been designed by Jan too! (She also sells them by the yard, if you're interested in creating your own goodies from them!)  Is it possible that someone out there is busier than me?  I may have met my match!

Jan also has these wonderful new pillow covers that feature a completely hidden zipper and a flip side that you can sport for a more simple look.  Along with these pretty little tea towels that feature a touch of Jan's fabric, you can accessorize your house in style.

And, as if she weren't busy enough already, Jan is, as we speak preparing for the Art Star Craft Bazaar that will be taking place in Philly this weekend- if you live nearby, be sure to stop by and check out all her awesome wares in person. 

I don't know how you do it all Jan- I'm tired just from typing this!  Phew!  :)

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!

De Colores

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!  Today has become a day to celebrate Mexican culture in the United States- although I'm sure you'll see many examples of the capitalization that has made Cinco de Mayo so popular here ($1 margarita happy hour anyone?), I hope you'll also find celebrations of the Mexican heritage, art, music and culture that have helped make America what it is today.  To help celebrate some of that talent, here are some handmade goods by Mexico based artists and crafters that I found on good ol' etsy!

{cyrano doll, set of 5 cards by Cara Carmina :: Pink strawberry charm by allen! ::  hedgehog march notepads by micasita house}

{Fungi print by Rosie Music :: tulips wallet by ziazia :: Mexican embroidered bag by That Retro Thing :: Mexican embroidered tunic by Aida Coronado}

{filigree flower and bird earrings by tutarubli :: city lights necklace by Colibri Dreams :: seashells box by Sea Debris :: "remember" print by Geninne}

Eco-Friendly Find: Pouch

Today's eco-friendly find is a little shop called Pouch, hailing all the way across the pond from Bristol, UK.  The entire shop is filled with handmade bags, belts, stuffed owls and much more all made from vintage and re-purposed fabric.  They're fun, fresh and affordable in colorful designs and recycled from found materials- they're eco-rific!

Eco-Friendly Find: Re:made

Continuing with our weekly eco-friendly finds (which I try to post every Wednesday, just fyi), I discovered this new artist on today's front page on etsy- Re:made.  They make old things new again crafting skirts, dresses and tote bags out of pretty floral pillow cases, and making cute leather bracelets from old belts.

Everything they create is made from something else, reusing and recycling with vigor to bring new things into the world without using up anymore of earth's resources.  Re-make yourself over with a pretty new diddy from Re:made, and keep your fashion eco-friendly!

Earth Day Totes!

Happy Earth Day everyone!  It seems everyday should be "earth day" really but it's still nice to have a recognized day that brings focus back to the environment and offers advice to people on how they can make little changes in their everydays to be more eco-conscious. One of the simplest and easiest changes you can make to be greener in your daily life is to forget those paper and plastic grocery bags, and instead, bring your own shopping totes.  And what's even better than a fashionably funky reusable bag?  A reusable bag that was made from recycled/sustainable materials, that's what!  So, here are 9 lovely choices for you to consider toting around with you, all made from recycled or organic materials (there's a few sale items included too!)

1. Plastic Blows tote by Black Sheep Heap- 100% recycled cotton- $15
2. Hand painted canvas totes by Bonna Bag- 80% recycled cotton, 20% recycled plastic bottles- $25-45
3. Bicycle tote bag by Rock Paper Scissors- organic cotton- on sale for $21.75, today only!
4. Recycled army bag by Katrina Kaye- recycled tote with vintage fabric- $38
5. Felt tote bag at Zanisa- recycled wool felt- $95
6. Recycled sail tote by Reiter8- recycled sailboat sail- $75
7. Reversible daisy market tote by Pouch- reclaimed vintage and new fabric- on sale for $36, today only!
8. Reversible Doppio bag by Diengie- recycled burlap coffee bean bag- $60
9. Fairgrounds market bag by Tree of Life|Style- salvaged vintage fabric- $25

Head in the clouds

One of my favorite bag makers, Emma Gordon, just wrote in to say her new spring/summer line has been released, and like always, it's a bright, fun, feminine breath of fresh air.  Let's all breathe out a big aaaaaahhhhhhhhh......

New spring shoppe goodies

Speaking of spring, I just added some springy new goods to the Modish shoppe!  New wallets and gadget pouches by sewer extraordinaire, Blissful!

And some beauties from Sprout Studio- earrings, hairpins and brooches that are perfect for spring!

I also compiled an assortment of my favorite spring finds from the shoppe in a handy dandy "spring picks" category- finds some gifts for Easter, Mama's Day, weddings, birthdays and happy spring wishes!

Eco-Friendly Find: Orangyporangy

Orangyporangy isn't a delicious kool-aid flavor from the 70's, no, it's better!  It's a line of clothing and handbags, much of which is made from re-purposed fabric from the 70's, 60's & 50's- it's recycling at its best, and that tastes even better than kool-aid!

What you see here are shoulder bags, clutches and pouches made from vintage textiles like old curtains, tablecloths and sheets given a modern and utilitarian twist.  There's also beautiful skirts in the vintage remix line that combine vintage fabrics with new ones for a pretty layered look, and simple a-line skirts made entirely from funky vintage polyester fabrics.  Fashionable and earth friendly, drink up some orangyporangy today!

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!

I <3 you

Seeing hearts?  Here's some heart themed handmade gifts for you for Valentine's Day, yes, but also just because I love all you readers, so very much.  <3

row 1: for the love of baking by Thea Coughlin ($20), eyes for you card by Kaching Design ($6),  so happy together by Chromatics ($70)
row 2: bleeding heart blue by Anna Ruby King ($10), heart vinyl and sterling necklace by Nature vs. Machine ($50), brass heart fobs by Bonbon Oiseau ($50)
row 3: heart on your finger ring by  ehmeglass ($56), darling bag by Oprikka (70€)
row 4: sweetheart necklace by Nek ($50), love hurts cactus pincushion by Sheasy ($10), heart of glass II by Nanopod ($32)

Eco-Friendly Find: b green design

Yay, the first eco-friendly find of the new year!  I hope to make these a weekly thing so that we'll build up a wealth of places to shop handmade and shop green at the same time by the end of the year. 

This week's pick is yet another company that I discovered via Poppytalk Handmade, called b green design! 
They're a design collective who "create products based on what they give back, not what they take."  A good ethos with good products to boot!  Their first initiative is to give back to the same great organization that the last eco-friendly find did, Trees for the Future.  You buy one of their plywood art pieces, baby tees or handy totes, and 50 trees will be planted in Honduras helping to re-build our forests.  Talk about tree inspired design!  Check out the b green site for more info about them and to keep up with this and their future initiatives.

A new way to draw

If you hear the word Sketchbook as a company name, the first thing that comes to mind is probably not handbags; but when you look at the collection of bags by Sketchbook, you immediately get it- they're each like a drawing study, taking cues from the same set of skills, the same influences, but each are executed differently.  The shapes and styling are totally unique on each bag as if their creator, Amber, allows them to just organically become whatever they want to become- much like sketching in a sketchbook!

If you'd like to carry around a little piece of art with you each day, find the bag that speaks to you at Sketchbook.

Hold on tight

This New Year's Eve when you're looking for something to clutch, reach for these gorgeous silk charmeuse bags from Nelle:

Made with hand-dyed silk in luxurious and fun colors, these designer clutches and handbags will be the perfect finishing touch to a pretty party dress and some kiss me kiss me heels.  I'll probably be on my couch struggling to stay awake 'til midnight on New Year's, so go: party, look pretty, and stash your cash in a beautiful Nelle bag- I (and my Dove dark chocolate ice cream) will live vicariously through you.

A pretty pomme for your palms

New to the business scene but loaded with the knitting experience of two generations, the mother and daughter team behind the scenes of Pretty Pomme is taking some pretty big strides in creating chic and unique bags.

Each one is hand-knit with care and attention to detail- there's a coordinating lining inside each with a pocket for your cards and small items, magnetic snap closure and the coolest part, the handles are actual knitting needles!  Not to mention the bags themselves are cute to boot and sure to garnish compliments.  Take a peek at all the styles that Pretty Pomme has to offer and pick up a pretty little something for yourself or a loved one!

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: