Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.
Look what I found on twitter. They’re like cozy sleeping bags for your favorite gadget!
Seaside Sew: Above all, quality is the most important factor. You have to begin with quality materials that are not only seen on the outside, but from the foundation up as well to create a lasting product.
I designed the water resistant sleeve and case due to my love of water related activities. I use my cases and sleeves all the time when sailing, poolside, beach lounging, and everything in between.
Due to getting a bad case of the flu and having a slow recovery I totally missed getting this post of Cara’s up in time for Easter. Please read it and imagine yourself a week back in time :) -Erika
It’s Easter all over again. The one celebration I can sail through quite happily every year – although Christmas 2010 was a big one for me, being my son’s First Christmas outside of the womb.
I’m not exactly the Grinch who stole Christmas but it’s safe to say when your birthday is Christmas Eve, which mine is, you don’t enjoy Christmas so much. The fun and novelty of Christmas wears off when you’re about 9.
I get that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and I don’t take that lightly at all, I suppose, as a Christian I would prefer the focus to be on Baby Jesus rather than it being on heartburn, rubbish TV and stock piles of presents.
For Christmas we bought our son memorable and age appropriate toys. I knew he would be spoiled from a great height from all sides of our families – and he was – hence why I didn’t rush out and buy out my local mega toy super stores (plus that’s so not my style.) Everything seemed so overwhelming and once my husband and I made our decision not to splurge, we were no longer overwhelmed. Everything seemed easier.
For Easter it’s common in the UK to celebrate with a chocolate Easter Egg; usually filled with gummy sweets. With a 15 month old in tow to consider this can be tricky.
We took the route that we didn’t want to overload our son on sugary, processed chocolate and opted out of the Easter Egg thing. I’m still open to suggestion and comment on what, if anything, you would substitute for this.
Personally I’m happy to go down the route of getting him nothing, but I’m remaining open. I’m also thinking of hand-making something and once again I’m trawling through the Skip To My Lou blog for ideas.
Then I came across a treasure trove of Easter Printable’s on their website. And yes, admittedly, these Easter print-outs are for decorating a child’s table at the Easter dinner, but I thought it would be cute to make this for my son:
The beauty of this bag idea is that you can fill it with anything. You don’t have to stuff it full of treats – although treats are cool, too – but I think a bag full of jelly beans would make a little 15 month old’s tummy very sickly – especially a tummy that isn’t used to sugar. Add on top of that the fact it will probably take him about a year to eat the Easter chocolate he’s due to receive.
My ideas for the bag would be to fill it with little toys, or even pieces of dried fruit. No?
How about this:
An Egg Tree from Skip to My Lou.
I don’t have the time or sanity required for this beautiful creation, but it is an admirable homage to Easter. So, what handmade projects do you have in the pipeline for Easter?
Original ink & gouache painting by Jane Mount.
Now that we’re all in the habit of recycling our paper goods, we barely have to think about it. As soon as we’re finished with the newspaper, it goes straight to the blue box. Magazines usually stick around a little longer, but they, too, will eventually meet their curbside fate; minus a couple clipped must-try recipes and a picture of so-and-so’s new hairstyle, of course.
We seem to have a little more attachment when it comes to our books, though. Once we’ve read them, they get safely tucked onto a shelf; perhaps to be re-read later or loaned to a friend. If you’re anything like me, you have a little trouble parting with your books. I wouldn’t dream of reading the last few lines of Bridget Jones’ Diary, closing the cover and then calmly tossing the book into the nearest bin. It would be like breaking up with Mark Darcy himself! But, that said, imagine what would happen if you kept every book that you ever read? As an avid reader, I think sometimes that without the occasional purge, I would be living on Paperback Mountain. How, then, can we keep up with our reading, but not end up buried in books?
1) Pass it on – the simplest way to recycle a book that you have enjoyed is to give it to a friend. To make it even more special, include a unique bookmark, like the one pictured above from the Hollywood Hillbilly shop. Holly makes each one by hand with an assortment of paper, beads, vintage findings and, in this case, a naturally-shed porcupine quill.
2) Donate – there are dozens of charities that accept used books; either for re-sale or, as in the case of hospitals and shelters, re-use. It’s best to donate books that are in good-condition, but even damaged books can often find good homes. Check with local arts/crafts groups to see if they can make use of your rejects. Caitlin of Rebound Designs creates these OOAK purses from books found at thrift stores, library sales and, in her words, “the occasional dumpster”. Caitlin has a seemingly-endless supply of books ready to become handbags, or you can contact her to see about getting one from your own library converted to a piece of functional art.
3) Monetize – one of the best ways to contribute to your book budget is to sell your used reading materials. Books can be sold through consignment shops, at garage and yard sales, or online in just a few clicks. Once all of that money starts rolling in, you’ll need somewhere to stash it and what better than one of these wallets, also by Rebound Designs? Each is made from a discarded paperback book and durable clear vinyl.
4) Go digital – I’m not entirely sold on the idea of e-books, but everyone who I know who has tried them, loves them. You may not get the tactile pleasure of turning actual pages, but from an environmental perspective, the benefits are huge. And, while every book may not be available in digital format (yet), there are literally millions of fiction and non-fiction titles available for download. If you have already taken the leap to the personal e-readers, then you will definitely want to protect your investment with a funky cover like the Techee Sleeve pictured above by Rogue Theory. Custom orders are also available – just contact Kim and Christina for more details!
I have to say, making the switch to e-books is pretty tempting, but I don’t think I’m ready to give up my trade paperbacks just yet. It’s a good thing that we traditionalists can pimp our reads, too. These sturdy book covers by Gail at Quilt Sew Cover are a pretty and practical way to protect your books (and your privacy!), while the built-in bookmark holds your place.
On a personal note, I am currently churning through an especially forgettable piece of chick-lit and would love some suggestions for additions to my nightstand library. – please leave a comment below with your recommendations.
I think it is good that books still exist, but they do make me sleepy. – Frank Zappa
In a little more than one month hundreds of people will descend on a Michigan city just a few hours north of us in search of a good time at a festival known throughout the country; a festival that, as it so happens, depends wholly on Mother Nature’s cooperation. That festival is The National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan. And the word on the street is that this year, like too many years in the recent past, they will once again have to ship in cherries in order to make the festival the success everyone expects it to be.
This, in and of itself, is not a deal breaker for most people. Locavores don’t wait around for a festival in order to buy their in-season foods and those who are coming for the fun and only the fun likely don’t care exactly where the cherries in their pies came from. The festival will move forward regardless of the area’s crop in any given year, but the problem is not one unique to festival organizers and is all too familiar — and much more complex — to many who like their food fresh and locally grown.
Year after year mass media makes it known the world over when major crops are damaged or wiped out entirely in their primary growing regions. Florida’s citrus crops probably hold more headlines than Paris Hilton. Prices always reflect the severity of the damage the country over. Navel Orange prices in upstate New York and North Dakota pass the pain of the season from farmer to consumer, state to state and in the case of imported foods even country to country. But what does a wiped out, or dreadfully light, crop mean for locavores in the regions hardest hit? The difference can be between eating well and barely eating; between living purposefully and abandoning one’s ethics in order to eat, to survive.
The cause and effect doesn’t have to be quite so drastic though. There’s no fooling Mother Nature, but with a few small safeguards in place we can live in relatively peaceful — and local — quarters with her and her bounty.
Support Small Farmers – I know, you’ve heard it and you’ve heard it and you’ve heard it again, but the message still rings true. Tending thousands of plants, trees, and animals requires a zero tolerance program for inefficiency. Big farms may offer lower prices in good years, but in bad years they also lose their crop and leave a locavore wondering what’s for dinner. Small farmers on the other hand, with a little less rigid standard for efficiency, may have taken the time to protect at least a portion of their crop from the inevitable. Especially if the crop-killing culprit was frost.
Keep a Little In Reserve – Even fruit trees can be grown in pots these days which means if you’ve got so much as a balcony a small helping of your favorite foods could be at your fingertips. Certainly, when available, you’ll still want to purchase much of those foods from the farmer’s market and pick-your own farms, but if you can’t live without a few blueberries every year a couple of patio-friendly bushes can make that happen even in the case of a total loss in local agricultural circles.
Know Your Substitutes – Start experimenting with possible substitutes now. In the case that blackberries are nowhere to be found and your friend has a craving for your world famous jam, it’s good to know that mulberries will do in a pinch.
What are you waiting for? Get out there and start safeguarding! You’re at the mercy of Mother Nature’s wrath.
Way ahead of me? How do you cope with crop losses and disappointing harvests? Share your tips and tricks in the comments!
StellaMerle: Over the years, I’ve discovered something about myself–I have to be creating something. Whether it is writing, wedding cakes, crafts, or in this case, designing and sewing interesting clothes.
I acquired a love of sewing from my mom and grandmothers–Stella and Merle. In my shop you’ll find original designs, attention to quality and details, beautiful new fabrics often mixed with vintage treasures. I love old buttons, linens, and fabrics.
When I design its about the little, sometimes unseen things. I never leave raw seams. You’ll find flat felled seams and french seams. Every garment is of the highest quality. I’m a skilled seamstress with years of providing beautiful and unique clothing to satisfied customers.
